Like with everything in life, hindsight is always 20/20, so there’s no use to beat yourself up if you have diabetes. It’s too late for prevention now, but it’s not too late to properly manage your sickness and to lead a normal lifestyle. Use these tips to help you out with the disease.
If your doctor tells you that your Diabetes pills aren’t doing enough to keep your blood glucose levels in check, don’t panic. You won’t necessarily have to use needles as insulin pens are now available that give you the dose you need without being painful. If you can’t afford these pens, some pharmaceuticals have programs to assist you like Needy Meds.
To save money, the American Diabetes Association approves the re-use of testing lancets. These are the needles used by your glucometer to test your blood sugar. Re-using them does result in them becoming dull, so be sure to change them out when you notice the pain level of your testing rising. Never share lancets.
A Diabetic will need more than just a physician on his health care team. You should ask for a referral to an endocrinologist (they’ll help you with your insulin), a registered dietitian or nutritionist, an optometrist or ophthalmologist, a dentist, and a podiatrist. Once you have them all on your team you’ll be ready to fight Diabetes head on!
Swapping items in your diet for healthier options will help you keep your Diabetes under control. For example, stop eating red meats and replace them with fish or poultry. A few nights a week you can even have a vegetarian meal and replace the meat entirely with beans or lentils. Remove the high fat dairy and instead buy lower fat options. Replace sugary or salty snacks with nuts or seeds.
You can find the most common Diabetic supplies and medications available at some grocery stores for a significant discount. This can help you keep your medical bills in check, leading you to be more likely to take your medications as instructed. Feel free to reuse your syringes a few times, that will also save you money.
If you can’t afford to get a gym membership, try your local community center or YMCA. You can find great discounts and sometimes even barter with them for a membership. For example, offer to help clean the gym or work on the grounds. That’s great exercise for a diabetic, too.
Get familiar with the glycemic index rating of foods to help gain better control of your diabetes. It is important to learn to recognize high glycemic foods like breads, fruit juices, cereals, pasta and rice. Eating more vegetables, lean proteins and other low glycemic index foods keeps your blood sugar from spiking after meals.
If you’re looking for a fitness class to help you lose weight to deal with your Diabetes, try the hospital! They often offer aerobics classes for people with various issues, like seniors or the morbidly obese, or regular fitness classes through outreach programs. Ask your doctor to find out if these are available to you or apply directly.
If you find that you are frequently unable to keep your blood glucose levels under control, consider asking your primary care physician about whether an insulin pump may be a good choice for you. You may find that a pump can help you reach your targets, but it requires diligence and willingness to monitor insulin frequently.
The key to a Diabetic diet isn’t necessarily cutting anything out completely, but instead is about counting up what is in that food item and eating it in an appropriate moderation. For example, having a slice of cake can be fine as long as you work it into your meal and have a smaller piece than you might have pre-diagnosis.
If you suffer from diabetes, a great tip is to replace your soft drinks with green tea. This will help you cut the calories and carbohydrates from your drinks, and they are very healthy for you. Research is mixed as to whether green tea can directly lower your blood sugar, but nevertheless, green tea is an excellent substitute drink for other unhealthy drinks.
If you’re wanting to eat the very best breakfast possible for diabetes, then you should eat egg whites. Egg whites have few calories, little fat, and are teeming with proteins. You can make an omelet with the egg whites, or scramble them up with some ham.
When you have diabetes, there are several ways that you can reduce your consumption of sugar. Instead of a sugar-laden soft drink, drink a serving of sparkling water. Substitute a bowl of frozen fruit for a bowl of strawberry ice cream. Instead of a slice of cake, enjoy a slice of cheese. Substitute a wedge of apple for a serving of apple pie.
To assure you track your glucose levels properly, keep a glucose monitoring device in your home. Most insurance companies will cover the cost of this equipment by request. This equipment will allow you to get in-depth information about your glucose levels. Using this data appropriately that can significantly improve your overall health. To make sure your results are complete accurate, keep your device clean and well maintained.
If you are going to go out to eat at a restaurant it may be in your best interest to go to a place that is considered to be more upscale. This is a good idea because the more upscale a restaurant is, the smaller the portions usually are, and the more likely they would be to use the freshest ingredients.
The most interesting thing about Type II diabetes is that in a lot of cases it is curable. Often when people have a excess amounts of adipose tissue this can lead to diabetes. So if a person can lose weight they can reverse the effects of the disease. So if a person can lose weight, they can cure themselves.
You may be very proud or even incredibly stubborn, but you should always realize that you need a little bit of help when you have diabetes. Articles like the one you’ve just read can point you in the right direction when it comes to fighting the disease. Now it’s up to you to put the tips to action.