Having diabetes can be stressful, unpleasant and affect the quality of your life and relationships, but it doesn’t have to take all the pleasure out of things. Here are some helpful ideas that you can use to improve your life and make sure you control your diabetes, rather than letting your diabetes control you.
Every food has a glycemic index, which is a number that shows how great of an effect that food will have on blood sugar levels, based on its ingredients. Look for lower GI ratings if you struggle with diabetes.
Skip the sauces and go for spices to lose weight and keep your Diabetes under control. Spices add a ton of flavor to any food without adding sugar, carbohydrates, or fat, so call on them when you’re cooking. Even a salad can be made zippier with simple vinegar, oil, and a handful of rosemary and oregano!
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.
To spot foods that may be an issue for you, keep track of what you eat in a log alongside of your glucose levels. After a while, you’ll be able to notice the effect that certain foods have on you. This is a much better way to spot problematic foods than an elimination diet, and can also show you what foods benefit your health.
Following the USDA Food Guide Pyramid will help you to live healthier with diabetes. The food guide pyramid was developed as a guide for healthy eating for everyone. It works for people with diabetes, too. The shape of the pyramid tells you how much to eat of different foods.
Paper and pen are your greatest weapons in defeating Diabetes. You should keep track of your exercise via a log, a diet diary to see what causes you blood-glucose spikes, blood pressure log, blood sugar reading log, and when you take your medications and how much, you have taken.
This means there is an increased chance of your child developing diabetes, either when born or as he or she ages. Don’t let your child suffer the brunt of your bad choices. Be responsible while you are pregnant.
For people who suffer from diabetes, try to take a multivitamin with minerals, Vitamin C and Chromium every day. These have all been proven to help keep your blood sugar at a reasonable level. Just remember that these should be taken along with medications, not as a substitute for them.
Learn what foods have a high-glycemic index sweet like cookies, sugar-laden soft drinks, as well as carbohydrate filled breads. Cereals, and pastas are all high-glycemic index foods. These foods can cause your blood sugar to rise very quickly, usually referred to as a spike. Stick to the perimeter of the store, with fresh produce and meats, and avoid heavily processed foods.
If you have type 2 diabetes, and the medication you are taking is not helping as well as you had hoped, don’t stress too much. Many diabetics need insulin, and they now make insulin pens that will control your blood sugar better than the syringes do. Make sure they are covered by your insurance company before getting one, because it does seem to be something insurance companies will not always approve.
Do not eat foods that have a high level of salt if you have diabetes. These foods can raise your blood sugar levels along with raising your blood pressure, which can have negative consequences. There are many common foods that are made these days with little or not salt in them.
If you are a diabetic who has never smoked, or who has not smoked in 6 months, you may want to talk with your doctor about using an inhaled insulin treatment. Recent medical studies have shown that inhaled insulin may be more effective in treating diabetes than pills or injections.
You have to learn how to eat healthier foods in amounts that are not much too extravagant. Eating too much can cause a large spike in blood sugar levels, depending on what you are eating. Avoid buying items that are described as jumbo, deluxe, super sized, or jumbo.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with IGT, or impaired glucose tolerance, should be especially vigilant in monitoring their lifestyle changes, including dietary, exercise, and activities. Losing weight and increasing your exercise routine can significantly lower your chances of progressing from impaired glucose tolerance to full-blown diabetes, therefore prolonging and enhancing your life.
Blood circulation is a ongoing problem for many people that suffer with diabetes. Getting regular exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle is very important in managing your diabetes as well as your overall health. Walking, swimming, or even playing a simple sports are great activities for improving circulation to all areas of your body.
To better control your diabetes, add more exercise into your daily routine. Exercise can help to control blood sugar levels, which is essential to any diabetes maintenance plan. It also promotes a healthy weight, which can make managing diabetes easier to do. Strive for at least twenty minutes of moderate exercise three or four times a week.
When one has diabetes it is very important for them to monitor their blood sugar levels frequently through out the day. By doing this they will ensure that everything is as is should be or if they need to do something to regulate it. This is an important thing to do.
Diabetes is never going to be a party, but with the above tips and some effort, you can make sure that it doesn’t keep you from enjoying every aspect of your life. Yes, living with diabetes can be inconvenient at best, but you can and will, find ways to overcome that.