There are many pieces of literature out there you can read to get a quick introduction on diabetes, but few are offering any helpful tips you can use to learn about or control the disease. If you need some easy and accurate tips and tactics relating to diabetes, please read this article thoroughly.
Diabetics should keep their water intake high, so take a bottle with you to save some money at the mall. You’ll find water fountains in most buildings, so make use of it and fill up. You can find collapsible bottles at many stores that literally roll up, so you can keep them in your purse or bag.
Diabetics must remember that cough lozenges are still candies! Try to buy herbal lozenges which are sweetened with honey, or options that have artificial sweeteners, to make sure that your blood sugar doesn’t spike while you have a cough or cold. We have to be so careful about absolutely everything we ingest!
Make sure to visit the doctor if you have any of the risk factors involved with getting diabetes. Make an appointment as soon as possible if you are overweight, over the age of 45, have a very inactive lifestyle, or you have family with diabetes. The sooner you get the tested, the better chances you will have in catching the ailment early.
If you have a family member or loved one suffering with diabetes, it’s vitally important that you offer your help and support to ease their struggle. Sometimes little things such as joining along for doctor appointments, educating yourself with books and website information or just offering a listening ear can all help your loved one feel less alone.
A great way to save money and still eat healthy is to plan out all your meals. If you can reuse a food bought in bulk multiple times, like a loaf of bread or a specific vegetable, you’ll be able to save money on the purchase. Plan out every meal to make the most of your grocery buys.
If you have a family history of heart disease, strokes or hardened arteries, you should be especially vigilant in controlling your blood glucose levels. Well-maintained levels can delay the onset of these and other medical conditions, and can also decrease your odds of developing these diseases as you get older.
Be sure you have a bedtime snack. This will help to make sure you have enough glucose to get you through the night and that your glucose is stable while you sleep. It will also help to make sure you don’t feel the need to get up at night and raid your fridge.
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.
Have a bedtime snack. While you sleep, your blood sugar levels can drop seriously low. To avoid morning hypoglycemia, have a small snack to keep your blood sugar levels high. The perfect snack before bed? A peanut butter sandwich or a banana. Anything with fiber is a great idea for snacks at this time.
The key to a Diabetic diet isn’t necessarily cutting anything out completely, but instead is about counting up what is in that food item and eating it in an appropriate moderation. For example, having a slice of cake can be fine as long as you work it into your meal and have a smaller piece than you might have pre-diagnosis.
To make sure each meal you eat is balanced, divide your plate into sections. Devote half your plate to vegetables that are low in starch. Fill one quarter of the plate with healthy carbohydrates and the remaining quarter with a lean protein. This will make sure that your body gets everything it needs, keeping your diabetes in check.
Monitor your blood sugar at the same time every day. This helps you to know your body and to better anticipate any change of schedule or any problem. In addition, you can better control your intake of sugar, if you know what your blood level is. Monitoring times should be as regularly as you like.
Look for high-fiber foods. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to eliminate breads and pastas from your diet. The problem is that most breads and pastas are made with refined carbohydrates ” making them high glycemic foods that you should avoid. These processed carbohydrates cause dangerous spikes in blood sugar. Instead, look for whole-grain varieties. You can find whole-grain breads and pastas right alongside their refined counterparts in the grocery stores. These carbohydrates are high in dietary fiber, which means your body takes longer to break them down ” and there is no sugar spike.
The odds here are great that you know more now than what you knew before, and that means that you’re well on your way to managing this dangerous disease you have. Knowledge is most certainly power in any conceivable scenario, especially when dealing with diabetes. Use what you’ve learned here and fight this disease.