Diabetes encompasses a group of metabolic diseases. It is caused by an increased amount of sugar in the blood, which can be examined by a simple blood test. Type I diabetes occurs when the body fails to make insulin, Type II diabetes occurs when the body does not use insulin correctly and gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. Read this informative article about diabetes.
Want a tasty treat that won’t be forbidden by your doctor due to your Diabetes? Try nachos! Use a low fat cheese, low fat sour cream, homemade guacamole, and salsa, and you’ll be getting a ton of nutrition with a burst of flavor. If you add some beans to the salsa you’ll have an even healthier snack!
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is an irreversible condition causing tingling and even numbness or pain in your arms and legs. This is caused by not controlling your blood sugar which leads to damage to the nerves in your limbs. If you get your Diabetes in check you can sometimes lessen the symptoms and stop it from progressing further.
Diabetics should work exercise into their daily routine, so think about what you’re doing right now and how you could be doing more. Maybe it’s putting a pile of books under your desk and stepping your feet up and down them. How about getting up and chasing the dog around the house for 10 minutes? Every bit helps!
If you are diabetic, one of the most important tips to follow is to have a proper diet. A proper diet consists of plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. This type of diet is important for overall health for anybody, but for diabetics it’s important in order to keep blood sugar under control. As an added benefit, following a diet plan like this will also help you to lose weight.
Treat yourself to a leg and foot massage once in a while to keep your circulation pumping. Diabetes causes peripheral neuropathy, which can be painful and not reversible. Have your spouse put some lotion on your calves and give you a soothing rub to relieve your stress and help your feet stay healthy.
If you are battling illness, you should increase the frequency of your glucose readings. When your body is devoting its resources to fighting off infection, blood sugars can fluctuate in response to the physical and emotional stress that is often linked with sickness. Check glucose and urine ketone levels as often as six times daily during your illness.
If you’re having trouble keeping yourself to a healthy Diabetic diet, don’t change things up. Have a chicken night, a fish night, a lentil burger night, etc. so that you know what’s supposed to happen on Thursday and can prepare for it. If you have something different every night you’ll still have variation, but having a schedule will make you feel much less stress and you won’t cave into temptation.
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.
Try your best to keep your body fat as low as possible because the more you weigh, the greater chance you will have of acquiring diabetes later on in life. Reduce the amount of meat and carbs that you eat to maximize your chance of maintaining good health over time.
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.
Exercise is very important in diabetes prevention. Exercise gets your blood flowing, keeps off the extra pounds and it helps maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. Studies show that exercise significantly reduces risk of diabetes by up to 50 percent. It is a good idea to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily.
Something every person dealing with diabetes should know is that they can use cinnamon as a natural sweetener. Everyone understands that sugar is terrible as it can significantly affect the blood sugar level of a diabetes patient, but cinnamon offers the same sweetening effects without any risk to the patient.
Diabetes affects your risk of heart disease, so to lower this risk, consider taking an aspirin every day. Diabetics are at higher risk of heart disease because the platelets in their blood may tend to form clumps more easily, which can lead to heart attacks. Aspirin can counter this risk. Ask your doctor if you should add aspirin to your daily treatment routine, since you should avoid aspirin if you have conditions like bleeding ulcers.
The main symptoms of diabetes include excessive thirst, frequent and copious urination, and excessive hunger. If you have these symptoms, request that your doctor do a blood test to check for diabetes. Left untreated, diabetes can be life threatening. The test is simple and diabetes is a treatable disease.
