Tips To Managing Your Diabetes Better

Diabetes is a disease when blood glucose or blood sugar is significantly higher than average. Blood sugar is the body’s primary source of energy. One of its sources is the food you eat.

When your body has an excessive amount of blood glucose, the pancreas will find it challenging to process the compound to energy. Over time, the extra glucose in the blood can cause health issues.

If you have diabetes, here are four tips to help you manage the disease better than before.

Eat These Foods

A healthy diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables will provide health benefits to diabetes patients. Balancing certain nutrients, like protein and potassium, can help maintain health and quality of life. Eating the right foods can also help lessen the risk of additional health complications.

Here are a few foods that you should add to your daily diet if you have diabetes:

• Green Leafy Vegetables: Vegetables, like spinach, kale, and broccoli come with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Also, these veggies can have a small impact on blood sugar levels, so the risks of diabetes symptoms to surface will be lower.

Specific vegetables can also have high antioxidant content that’ll help diabetic patients manage the disease better.

• Fatty Fish: Many individuals believe that all fatty foods are harmful to one’s health. But, consider eating foods rich in healthy fat, like the fat found in specific fish species.

Opt to eat fishes such as sardines, trout, salmon, and mackerel. These are rich in both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These “good” fats will help promote health benefits and become helpful in reducing the risks of blood sugar spikes.

• Walnuts: Like fatty fish, walnuts contain a healthy amount of good fatty acids. Also, these nuts contain abundant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids essential for excellent heart health.

Don’t forget to fill your day with different food options that help promote healthy well-being. Also, eat diabetic snacks, like a bag of berries or chia seeds, to help maintain your blood sugar levels while you’re at school or work.

Don’t Eat These Foods

As shown above, if you have diabetes, you can eat certain foods. But, there are foods that you should avoid.

Avoid the following foods as these will raise your blood sugar to dangerous levels:

• Trans Fats: Trans fats come from adding hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids. The combination allows the latter to become more stable than intended. You’ll find these harmful fats in peanut butter, margarine, and frozen dinners.

Avoid foods that contain the words “partially hydrogenated” in its ingredient list. Otherwise, you’ll put your body at risk of inflaming specific diabetes symptoms.

• White Rice: Albeit many people like to eat white rice, it’s a high-carbohydrate processed food that can spike blood sugar levels in diabetes patients. Aside from white rice, opt to avoid white bread and pasta as well.

Thus, add white rice to your foods to avoid list. As an alternative, consider high-fiber options, like brown rice and wheat bread, to prevent diabetes symptoms from flaring.

• Processed Breakfast Cereals: Breakfast cereals might be an excellent way to start the day, but not for diabetes patients. These breakfast foods might have significant amounts of sugar. Even cereals branded as “healthy” might not be ideal choices for people with diabetes.

Skip the cereal and aim for eating a protein-based meal with low carbohydrates instead.

Make sure to watch what you eat. Otherwise, you might put yourself at risk of increasing the harmful effects of diabetes symptoms.

Work Out

Physical activity can offer more than helping you obtain that beach-ready body. Doing physical activities, any physical activity should suffice, is also essential for managing one’s diabetes. This is because exercising helps your muscles use the sugar in your body for energy.

But, you must consult your doctor or trainer first before you attempt any exercise routine, especially if you have diabetes. Consulting a medical professional helps lessen the risks of adverse effects from happening during and after your training sessions.

Also, aim to exercise at least 30 minutes a day for about three to four times per week. That period should suffice for your muscles to use a suitable amount of sugar in your body for energy, thereby helping your body maintain proper blood glucose levels.

Consume your Medicines

Many diabetes patients live busy lives while managing this health condition. But, it doesn’t mean you should disregard consuming prescribed medicines.

Insulin and other diabetes medicines help lower your blood sugar levels. These medications should supplement your healthy lifestyle, especially when you’re following a strict diet and exercise regimens.

Also, here are a few tips to help you take your medications correctly:

• Store Insulin Properly: Improperly stored insulin might not be as effective as intended. This compound is sensitive when stored in extreme temperatures. Thus, it’s best to place the Insulin container in an area with room temperature. Avoid placing it in direct sunlight or inside the freezer.
• Create an Alarm or Reminder: Use your smartphone to create repeating alarms when you need to take your medicines. Furthermore, always keep your medicine bag or pillbox at arm’s reach so you can gain access to your medications easily.
• Take Extra Precaution When Consuming New Medicines: You might be considering using over-the-counter medications to help manage your diabetes. But, be wary of the potential side effects when taking these drugs. If you’re unsure, contact your doctor for confirmation if it’s okay to consume these over-the-counter medicines.

Aside from watching your medicine intake, always report any problems encountered with your ailment to your doctor. Diabetes medicine can cause your blood glucose to drop too low or rise too high. Tell the medical professional immediately once these symptoms surface.

Conclusion

Let these four tips help manage your diabetes better than before. Remember, don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about any health complications you feel when you have diabetes.

Communicating well with a medical professional can lessen the risk of this disease from causing further harm to your body.