There are two kinds of diabetes, and each can affect your life in big way, if uncontrolled, both can damage the body a great deal. Education is essential in fighting diabetes. Read the following article and you can better manage your life while living with diabetes.
Foods fall on different places according to the glycemic index, a number that details how each food will affect glucose levels in the blood based on its chemical makeup. The lower a food’s glycemic number, or GI, the better it is for the diabetic diet.
Introduce more fiber into your diet so you can lower your risk of developing diabetes. If you eat more whole grain bread and less white bread, you will lessen your blood sugar levels and will in turn, lessen your risk of diabetes. Research demonstrates that diets rich in whole grain are at lesser risk of suffering diabetes.
Make sure you always have gum or some other sugary snack on hand if you have hypoglycemia to worry about. Hypoglycemic attacks can happen at any time, and it is vital that you be prepared in the case of one. This is especially true if you have not eaten breakfast, as your body is craving sugar.
Gestational Diabetes
Pregnant women should remain in contact with their doctor to facilitate early detection or prevention of gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes requires you to act immediately to protect your health. You can take prescriptions that will not harm the baby and your doctor can help you set up a diet.
If you have diabetes and see that you have vision problems, make sure to visit with your doctor. There are a number of eye conditions that are associated with diabetes, such as cataracts, glaucoma, and particularly diabetic retinopathy. If you do not address these problems with your physician, they might result in more serious conditions, including blindness.
People who snack a lot, including diabetics, have a hard time saying “No” when vending machines beckon. You need to exercise willpower and ditch that processed snack, and choose a complex carbohydrate such as vegetables or fruit instead.
If you are afflicted with diabetes, six smaller meals can be better than three traditional ones each day. When you eat often during the day, you will be able to better control your blood sugar. If you eat more frequently, it will decrease your risk of binge eating, and you feel more satisfied.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, fast-acting insulin should always be taken no more than 15 minutes before you eat. These types of insulin will help to maintain blood sugar, as long as they are used properly and as directed by a physician.
Favorite Foods
Rather then eliminating your favorite foods from your diet, see if there is a way that you could alter them a little. One of the hardest things about getting used to having diabetes is that the diet can be very restrictive. Most people believe that they need to get rid of a lot of the foods they love to eat. Others will ignore the diet restrictions and still consume their favorite foods. The smart solution is to examine your favorite dishes and make substitutions. Lots of foods are converted into diabetic-proof favorites with small ingredient alternatives.
One of the myths associated with diabetes is that you must avoid sugar at all costs. You need to remain diligent about keeping sweets to a minimum, but not completely gone from your diet. You are still allowed to eat a smaller dessert during special occasions. Sweets are usually packed with carbohydrates, so be sure to stay away from other carb-heavy foods on days that you know you’ll be eating dessert foods.
In most cases, gestational diabetes only lasts for the term of the pregnancy, but it is still essential to keep watch on your blood sugar levels at regular intervals. Many people think that you cannot still have blood sugar issues after birth, but this is false.
It is illegal for a company to use diabetes as a factor for whether or not they will hire an individual. It is, therefore, not necessary to disclose the fact that you have diabetes to your employer.
Sleep Apnea
When people have diabetes they are also more likely to acquire other health problems as well, and they might not even notice them; one serious one to note is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is defined as a cessation of breathing while asleep. If you feel very tired during the day, get checked out for sleep apnea.
At this point, it is all about lifestyle management. Your chances of avoiding dangerous side effects from the potential debilitating condition are best when you lead the most normal lifestyle possible.