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. Managing diabetes with diet and exercise 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.
Managing Diabetes With Diet And Exercise
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!
Diabetics MUST visit their doctor regularly to keep tabs on their blood sugar, weight, and medications. Your physician might know of a new treatment that could be useful to you, or see something in your blood work that indicates there is a problem. Having your doctor weigh you will also give you an accurate measurement of how well you’re keeping your weight under control.
Herbal tea is a great drink for diabetics as it contains many wonderful nutrients and can taste so good you don’t even think about adding cream or sugar. Be sure to check the ingredients as some manufacturers will add sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Diabetics should never EVER skip a meal! If you’ve planned to eat, then you must eat, or else your medication can drop your blood sugar so low you end up getting very sick. At least have a drink of juice or milk and some of your food so that your body gets a boost of energy.
When you’re planning to go to a doctor’s visit, write down any concerns you have. It doesn’t matter how outlandish they may seem, it’s much easier to read them off a page (or PDA or tablet, whatever works for you) than trying to remember them. Every bit of information you gain will help you keep your health in check!
Unless you drive a car that lacks air conditioning in super hot summer temperatures, or are on a safari in Africa, you probably don’t need ice packs for your insulin. If you’re worried about leaving it in the car at the mall, take it with you! I doubt you’ll have so much that it won’t fit in your purse, pocket, or bag.
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.
If you suffer from diabetes and you are going to exercise, it is important that you check your blood glucose afterward. Strenuous activity can cause your body to burn off blood glucose and if your body does not have enough glucose, you can develop hypoglycemia. If your glucose levels are too low, try eating foods that have carbs to raise your glucose levels.
Gestational diabetes can be a dangerous complication of pregnancy. It causes high blood sugar and can affect your health as well as your baby’s. Luckily, gestational diabetes can be controlled by a healthy diet, exercise, and sometimes medication. It usually resolves itself after the baby is born.
Gestational diabetes is by no means something that you have caused! It is out of the control of the person it affects and is very, very common. You should try and keep stress levels low and try to think positive things about you and your child.
A great before bed snack for a Diabetic is a glass of skim milk with two tablespoons of Whey protein added. This gives you something to keep your blood sugar levels stable over night, while the protein will help the milk digest and keep it from spiking your blood sugar too high while you sleep.
Eating lots of fiber, offsets carbohydrates, as well as, sugars found in your system, which helps to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Fiber can be found in many grains, vegetables, fruits and other foods. A healthy blood sugar level helps prevent diabetes and also, helps offset diabetic symptoms after you are already diagnosed. Make sure you have plenty of fiber in your diet.
The food you eat is not the only thing that affects your blood glucose level. To help decrease your glucose level, you should make sure you spend a little bit of time each day doing some exercise. When you exercise, your body uses glucose and it could burn the glucose even if you exercised 24 hours ago.
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.
One of the best methods for the prevention of diabetes is a healthy lifestyle. Although it can be genetic, there are other factors, such as nutrition and weight, which contribute to diabetes. Staying active and keeping a well-balanced diet will lower your risk of developing diabetes in the future.
Control when and how much you eat. Try to eat meals and snacks at the same time every day. Eating at the same time will keep your blood sugar regulated and make it easier to maintain. How much you eat is important because even if you eat healthy, but overeat, you can gain weight.
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.