There is a lot of medicine out there you can take if you have diabetes, but there’s also a lot you can do on your own to fight against the disease. Changing your lifestyle is the best way you can control your diabetes, and this article will clue you in on some ways that you can manage the ailment.
If a doctor ever diagnoses one of your kids as being diabetic, you will likely panic, but calm down and know that you will endure. Proper treatments allow your child to live a normal life. The world’s oldest diabetic is currently 90 years old, and he was around before the medical advances we have today!
Going for a walk, jog, or run with your dog, is an excellent way to exercise and help keep your diabetes under control. It will also help your dog stay at a healthy weight, which can save you both heartache and money on vet bills. You’ll motivate each other to keep going!
Do not skip meals, especially breakfast. When you let too much time lapse between meals or skip a meal completely, you risk having your blood glucose levels drop too low. Diabetics who eat breakfast, lunch and dinner without skipping any meals are much more likely to have normal glucose readings.
Swapping items in your diet for healthier options will help you keep your Diabetes under control. For example, stop eating red meats and replace them with fish or poultry. A few nights a week you can even have a vegetarian meal and replace the meat entirely with beans or lentils. Remove the high fat dairy and instead buy lower fat options. Replace sugary or salty snacks with nuts or seeds.
Watching what you eat is of critical importance when you have diabetes. Blood glucose levels are affected differently by various foods, so it is necessary to keep close tabs on your food choices. If you eat a large meal, it will require more insulin, while smaller meals will require less. Monitoring your meals will allow you to more actively control your blood glucose levels.
Even though salads are a healthy option for people with Diabetes, you should be careful about the salad dressing. Dressing can contain a large amount of sodium and fat, which may cause your blood sugar to fluctuate outside of the normal range. Oil and vinegar based dressings tend to be healthier. As a suggestion, ask for the dressing to be served on the side, so that you can control how much you eat.
If you have diabetes, wear an I.D. bracelet at all times. Although it may trivial, wearing an I.D. bracelet can save your life if you were to pass out as paramedics will know you suffer from diabetes and can help treat you effectively. If you do not feel like wearing an I.D. bracelet, make sure to keep something on you that says you are a diabetic.
If you were overweight before getting pregnant, and you want to reduce your chances of getting gestational diabetes, you should try to cut back on calories instead of eating more. By being overweight in the first place and adding weight when you are pregnant, you risk your blood sugar levels getting too high.
If you have diabetes, and you plan on getting pregnant or are pregnant already, it is crucial that you take extra folic acid. Babies born to a diabetic mother are more likely to develop birth defects than those born to healthy mothers and folic acid can reduce the risk of birth defects.
Make sure that if you are diabetic and you are going to be traveling by airplane, that you drink a lot of water. The cabin’s air is a lot drier than normal air is and it can cause thirst, especially in those that have diabetes. You should be able to pass through airport security with water bottles if you can prove that you have diabetes.
To stay prepared for drops in your blood sugar levels, pack glucose boosting snacks in zip-lock bags. Carrying around some low fat trail mix or cashews will ensure you’re never stuck without a healthy snack to give you a boost. If you don’t carry a purse, small snacks can easily be stored in a pocket.
Taking care of your teeth is extremely important when you have diabetes. When you have high levels of glucose in your system, you will also have that in your saliva which will bring about tooth decay. When you have diabetes, it is harder for you to fight any type of infection, so if you get gum disease it will be more serious than if a healthy person develops it.
If you are planning to travel via plane, take additional precautions to protect your insulin during the trip. If your insulin is in a piece of luggage that is checked, you risk that it is exposed to especially hot or cold, even freezing, temperatures. Always keep it with you when you fly.
Eating sugar is a big no-no when you have diabetes. So, you should try to use a sugar substitute for anything that you would normally use sugar for. You can also use honey because it is a natural form of sugar, and the body will break it down much easier.
It is beneficial to keep a blood glucose monitoring system in your home if you are a diabetic. Most insurance companies will pay for your blood glucose monitoring system. To receive accurate results, make sure that you keep your equipment clean and in a safe environment. Doing so will ensure your results are accurate and your equipment lasts for a long time.
As previously stated, it’s going to take a lifestyle change to stave off the negative side effects of diabetes. This, unfortunately, is a lot easier said than done. You may have learned a few new tactics in this article, but now it’s up to you to use them correctly if you hope to thrive with diabetes.
