A diabetes diagnosis can be a scary thing, though you should know that by gaining a good understanding of the illness, you stand a great chance of controlling the situation and leading a happy life. This article is full of tips that give you information about diabetes, and what you can do to care for yourself so that you see improvements in your health.
Lower your diabetes risk by eating a diet high in fiber. When you add more whole grains to your diet, you will reduce how much high glycemic foods you eat, such as white bread, and you should also reduce how much processed foods you eat because these will increase your risk. Research has shown that those who eat more whole grains are at lower risk of getting diabetes.
Find out which foods have a rather high glycemic index so you can avoid them. This includes fruit juices and foods like bread, cereal and pasta. Processed foods send your blood sugar on a roller coaster. Concentrate on raw vegetables, fresh fruit, meat, and fish instead.
You can do a lot of things to get your diabetes under control while losing weight at the same time, like taking walks or jogs at the park or around your neighborhood. Go to the park and use the jungle gym to do chin ups. If you want to stay home, do some weight training with bags filled with heavy objects.
Sometimes a quick snack, like a chocolate bar from a snack machine, or other goodies around the house, may be hard to avoid, diabetic or not. You need to avoid these and eat complex carbs like fruits and veggies.
If you have diabetes, you must pay attention to what you eat. Different types of foods will affect blood sugar levels differently, so you will need to closely monitor your food intake. Eating a large meal may require a higher dose of insulin than smaller meals, if you have to use insulin. It is possible to actively manage glucose levels if you are careful about what you eat.
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. More frequent meals also decreases your chances of overcompensating with binging later on.
If you smoke and have diabetes, try quitting. Smoking is really bad for those with diabetes because it has the ability to raise blood sugar dangerously high. Your doctor can help you figure out techniques to stop smoking, or prescribe medications to help reduce nicotine cravings if you are struggling to stop smoking.
Favorite Foods
Make your favorite comfort foods more diabetes-friendly. Diets that are too restrictive can lead to great difficulty and failure. Many even believe that they have to completely eliminate all their favorite foods. Many people will eat their favorite foods whether they should or not. The smart solution is to examine your favorite dishes and make substitutions. You would be surprised just how many dishes can be made diabetic-friendly just by using healthier replacements for offending ingredients.
Smoking can be dangerous and especially if you are diabetic. Smoking can cause negative effects to your health. Smoking can cause insulin resistance and for those who are not diabetic, in can cause diabetes to develop.
It is important to get regular exercise. Regular exercise helps the body better handle glucose and insulin, keeping blood sugar stable. Exercise is recommended for anyone suffering with diabetes.
Blood Glucose Levels
Urine ketone tests should not be used as a sole measure of blood glucose levels. The only time you will have high ketone levels is when your blood glucose levels are greater than 200 mg/dl. The ADA tells us that diabetics should use finger sticks and blood tests for more accurate results.
People with diabetes often have other health issues that go unnoticed; one the more serious issues is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs if you stop breathing for short periods as you sleep. Unusual feelings of fatigue and exhaustion during the day can be a sign of sleep apnea.
Add healthy carbohydrates to your daily diet. Diets that are very low in carbohydrates should be avoided, since the body will be robbed of vital nutrients. If you have enough carbohydrates in your diet, you will also have enough energy.
When someone is diagnosed with diabetes, he or she should aim to learn as much knowledge as possible about this disease. The more diabetes sufferers learn about their condition, the better they can take care of their health. Knowledge is important to have when dealing with diabetes.
If you are diabetic, it’s important that your teeth receive attention to prevent gum disease. You should floss daily and brush your teeth several times throughout the day.
As mentioned, diabetes is frightening only when you have no information to help you cope with it. Once you start using the powerful advice in the article above, you will have the tools you need to stay healthy while you control your symptoms.
