Believe it or not, diabetes is one of the most common diseases out there. It can strike at any time and it doesn’t rightly matter if you’re living a preventative lifestyle. You can still contract the disease. If you have diabetes, it’s high time you started learning about how to tame the disease. Use these tips to help you out.
If you’re looking for a salty snack but your diabetes is holding you back, look no further than a jar of olives! They’re a fruit, tasty, healthy, and fun to eat. You can cut them up and put them in salads, or even on a sandwich! I love to make a homemade submarine sandwich and sprinkle some on top. YUM!
If your child is diagnosed with Diabetes, make keeping track of their blood sugar fun. Have a contest where they get a reward for doing their blood sugar on time every day for a certain number of days, like a trip to the toy store or an hour at the park.
If you have Diabetes, then your children are more susceptible to the disease themselves. Make sure that any diet changes you make are reflected by the eating habits of your children, and that you include them in the exercise you do. It’s more fun to make the changes in your life if everyone has some input.
If you are diabetic, be sure to wear loose-fitting socks and stockings. Special socks are available for diabetics that have more stretch around the ankles and legs, to provide better comfort and circulation, as well as, to help keep your feet and legs healthier. Good circulation is imperative for the legs and feet of diabetics.
If you feel someone is giving you unwelcome advice about diabetes, ask them to back off. If you do it politely they won’t be offended, and you won’t have to listen to them rattle on about things you either don’t care about or already know. If you have the knowledge to back it up then you’ll become the master of your domain!
If you have been diagnosed with Diabetes – keep a diet diary! This is a handy tool! A diary will allow you to track what and how much you are eating. It will also help you detect a pattern you may have for a certain craving at a particular time of the day. You will be able to see which foods cause your blood glucose level to spike. Perhaps you can make some tasty alternatives that will not have such an effect on your Diabetes? Doing so will help you to avoid any unnecessary headaches.
Make sure to keep active. Exercising and doing physical activities have several benefits. It can lower your blood sugar and help you lose weight. Not only that, it can increase your responsiveness to insulin which will help keep your blood sugar level. Both aerobic and resistance exercises provide excellent benefits.
Make sure to regularly check your blood sugar and write it in a log if you are diabetic. It is important that you do this because your blood sugar may be fine and a few hours later it could be dangerously high. Blood sugar that is consistently high raises your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Even if you are not feeling any symptoms, it is important that you check your blood sugar levels every few hours. People think that because they feel fine, their sugar levels are stabilized and this is not always true. It is the silent symptoms that could land you in the hospital.
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.
Make sure to go to your podiatrist often if you have Diabetes to get routine foot check-ups. Your feet are susceptible to peripheral neuropathy and infection, so having them looked over will ensure you don’t end up with them being amputated. It only takes a small amount of time to ensure your feet are healthy, so do it!
Educate your family on what to do if your blood sugar drops or spikes to dangerous levels. A diabetic has to battle their disease with the help of family and friends, so ensure they know the symptoms to keep watch for in case you end up in a situation where you can’t control it yourself.
If you feel that your medication is not working to control your diabetes, you may want to talk to your doctor about switching medications. There are a wide variety of different diabetic medications and what works for one person, may not work well for you. Or your dosage may need to be increased.
To sate your sweet tooth without putting your health at risk, cut any unnecessary carbohydrates from your diet. Reducing your carbohydrate intake can be enough to make a small cookie or a slice of pie okay. Talk to your doctor about your diet and see how many carbohydrates you’d have to cut in order to enjoy your favorite sweets.
Though this may seem like common knowledge for anyone who has ever taken medicine, many people for get to do it. As a Diabetic, you should always remember to take your medication! Only take medication prescribed by your doctor and only at interval that are safely prescribed for you.
To deal with the foot swelling that many with diabetes suffer from, always buy shoes one size larger and wider than you would normally wear. In the morning, pair your shoes with thick cotton socks, and switch to a thinner pair of socks when your feet swell later in the day.
Although it’s too late to prevent diabetes now, it’s not too late to take the steps necessary to rise above this disease. Learning how to deal with your diabetes is only half of the battle here. The onus is now on you to put a plan together in order to fight this disease.
