It can be scary when you are first diagnosed with diabetes, though with the right knowledge, you can manage the disease successfully, and start living a much healthier life. The following article provides tips that teach you how you can improve your health and live a happy life with diabetes.
Diabetics should increase the amount of fiber in their diet to help lose weight and keep regular. Fiber also has been shown to not raise blood sugar after a meal, so it can fill you up without giving you a sugar spike. There are many fruit and vegetables which have high fiber, so try to include them in your regular meals.
Your insurance may cover a trip to the nutritionist once you’re diagnosed with diabetes, so take advantage of it! Bring a list of your favorite foods with you and ask if there is any way for you to make them healthy AND tasty, meaning you can have a treat without any of the guilt.
Make healthy choices when you go out to eat, but don’t go overboard. You don’t have to starve yourself on salads, but replacing the fatty fries that are served with steamed vegetables will make your meal less likely to spike your blood sugars. A Diabetic has to be careful, but doesn’t have to be anorexic!
When you’re on a plane it can be hard for a Diabetic to keep their feet moving. Try to do little exercises while you sit, like moving your foot up and down or turning it in circles. Keep wiggling your toes to ensure your circulation gets blood right down to your tippy-toes.
Create a journal, and keep track of your blood sugar level every time you check it. Sometimes your blood sugar can reach dangerous levels without symptoms presenting themselves. If you don’t keep track of your levels, you put yourself at a greater risk for kidney failure, stroke, gout, heart disease, and other debilitating maladies.
It is important for diabetics to take their insulin or other medications at the same time each day. Your doctor gave you this medication to control your diabetes and its symptoms and forgetting to take your medications or taking them at different times can raise your insulin or blood sugar.
If you feel like speaking with others who have diabetes, you may want to join a local diabetes support group. Many hospitals and health clinics around the country have these groups so that people can speak with others with the condition and share advice about how to live a healthy life with diabetes.
If you have diabetes, it is very important to take great care in managing what you eat. Your blood glucose will react to different foods in different ways so it is important to monitor what you are and are not eating. The amount of insulin that needs to be injected depends on the size of the meals eaten. Larger meals require more insulin. Take an active approach to dealing with your diabetes by managing your meals.
Lose weight. Bringing your weight down is not just a casual option; bringing down weight will result in more stable blood sugar levels and less damage. Eat a healthy diet and exercise so that you can drop some weight and help your condition. Some obese diabetics who lose weight find they are no longer diabetic.
Unless your doctor tells you different, you should take your fast-acting insulin no more than 15 minutes before eating. These types of insulin will help to maintain blood sugar, as long as they are used properly and as directed by a physician.
Making the switch to high fiber foods will help lower your risk for diabetes. Try to eat only whole grains, they are packed with fiber that allows your body to digest foods without getting a spike in blood sugar which is what happens when you eat mostly refined carbs (white bread and any type of processed foods).
You have to learn how to eat healthier foods in amounts that are not much too extravagant. Eating too much can cause a large spike in blood sugar levels, depending on what you are eating. Avoid buying items that are described as jumbo, deluxe, super sized, or jumbo.
People with diabetes would do well to include healthy carbohydrates into their diet. Diabetics should steer clear of diets that are exceptionally low in carbohydrates, because they miss out on key nutritional elements such as fiber and important vitamins. Making sure that you consume the right amount of carbohydrates will help you maintain your energy throughout the day.
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.
Protect your eyes! If you are Diabetic, keep your blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible to lower your risk of developing a Diabetes related eye disease. Diabetes is actually one of the primary causes of developing blindness! It affects the blood vessels at the back of the eye. Surgery can be performed to correct eye damage, if it’s caught early! However, the best way – to prevent eye disease – is to consistently keep your blood sugar reasonable!
If your blood glucose level is low, you should not choose chocolate to help you increase the level. Chocolate contains fat and because of this, it takes longer for you body to absorb the food. Instead, you want to use something that has sugar but is low in fat to give you a sugar boost.
You should watch what you eat. Your diet makes a huge difference in how your diabetes is managed. Cut out sugary drinks like soda and anything with refined carbs like junk foods and candy. You should try to eat more vegetables and fruits. Also choose healthy foods that contain fat.
As previously mentioned, diabetes seems frightening if you do not know how to handle it. Follow the tips presented here and you will realize how important knowledge is for living with diabetes.