Living with diabetes can be very difficult if you do not know how to properly take care of yourself. There are certain things that you can do to live a more productive life, even if you have diabetes. The tips below will provide you with a little guidance to help you to understand diabetes.
A great breakfast for a Diabetic is oatmeal! Be selective, though! Don’t buy the kind that comes in pouches and has tons of salt and sugar in it! Buy quick oats or regular rolled oats. Make it every morning for yourself. Top it with cinnamon and apples for a tasty meal!
The best thing a person can do to avoid diabetes is to exercise. People who exercise 30 to 60 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week, can lower their risk of developing diabetes by almost 50 percent. Exercise improves the health of your heart and lungs, reduces stress, reduces fat, increases metabolism and lowers blood sugar levels.
Test your blood sugar before bed if you are Diabetic. It’s important to eat something if your sugar is low to make sure you’ll be okay over the long night until the morning. If your blood sugar is just right then it’s advisable to take a few bites of something to keep it up until you wake.
It is important that you eat a lot of fiber in order to prevent diabetes. Fiber helps to prevent diabetes by stabilizing your blood glucose levels. You can get fiber from certain foods such as whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, fruits and vegetables. You can also take a fiber supplement.
When buying your Diabetes medicines, ask for as much as possible at one time. The fee that is added when the pharmacist dispenses your prescription is the same whether you buy 30 days or 90. Therefore, spreading that cost out over multiple days will also reduce the per-dose cost of your medications.
To allow yourself to still enjoy your favorite foods, make simple substitutions. Collard greens can be made with turkey broth instead of ham hock, and ground beef can easily be replaced by ground turkey. Try purchasing a diabetes cookbook. You may find that you can keep on eating many of your favorite meals.
In addition to eating healthy foods, you should also remember to eat food regularly. Instead of eating huge meals two or three times a day like most people do, eat smaller meals spaced out through the day. Doing so will keep your blood sugar at normal levels and regulate hunger.
Following the USDA Food Guide Pyramid will help you to live healthier with diabetes. The food guide pyramid was developed as a guide for healthy eating for everyone. It works for people with diabetes, too. The shape of the pyramid tells you how much to eat of different foods.
Diabetics who notice that their fingernails and toenails are becoming very thick and even pulling away from the nail bed may actually have a fungal infection. Fungal infections are more common in people with diabetes; diabetes may also make them more likely to suffer liver damage from common anti-fungal medications. If your doctor prescribes an oral medication, be sure to have regular blood work during therapy.
Watch out for trans-fats. Trans fats are found in any foods containing partially hydrogenated oils. These fats are dangerous for everybody, but diabetics are at extra risk. Trans fats cause increased amounts of fat around the waistline which has been linked to heart disease. They are also extremely high in calories and low in nutritional content.
People with diabetes are likely to have other undiagnosed health problems, such as a serious sleep apnea condition. This is when you stop breathing in your sleep. If you feel sleepy during the day, as if you didn’t sleep at all during the night, see your doctor about sleep apnea.
When you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is important to have a support system in place. This can be family or friends. Ask them to come to your appointments with you to better-understand how you will manage your condition. In addition, finding another person with diabetes to talk with might help.
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.
If you are diabetic, make sure that you take care of your teeth and gums. This is extremely important, because diabetics are at a higher risk of becoming victim to gum disease. Brush and floss, at least twice a day, and visit your dentist twice a year. Make sure your dentist is aware of your diabetes diagnosis.
To be sensitive to those with diabetes, use diabetic friendly recipes anytime you have guests over and you are cooking. Instead of asking if anyone has diabetes, just assume everyone at the table does. Even non-diabetics are sure to enjoy tasty yet healthy cooking that leaves them feeling great but not bloated.
When you combine smoking and diabetes, blood vessel damage to your extremities can increase significantly. Blood pressure often increases, resulting in damage to small blood vessels in the feet and hands, and impairing blood flow. This can result in reduced circulation, which in turn, can result in ulcers, particularly on the feet.
Know what ketoacidosis is, along with how it occurs. Ketoacidosis occurs when blood sugar is at critical levels. The pH of the blood is unusually low in this state. The result is the production of an acidic byproduct called ketones, which raises the levels of the acid in blood. When keoacidosis occurs it can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, and even a coma. Symptoms include confusion, breath that smells like fruit, and extreme thirst. The treatment for this is to return the body to proper insulin levels and to drink water. Prevent ketoacidosis by monitoring blood sugar, taking your insulin, being aware of the symptoms and knowing treatment options.
The steps that have been provided, should be a great starting point for your diabetic journey. It is possible to live a somewhat normal life, even with diabetes, if you take control of the situation and make the correct choices, right away. Only you can control your journey with diabetes.