Having diabetes can be a very scary situation, and make you feel like you have nowhere to turn. However, this guide has some ideas for you to better understand and cope with your condition and its symptoms. This article will provide you with more information about living a healthy life as a diabetic.
The “glycemic index” number for a food indicates how likely the food is to impact blood sugar levels due to the ingredients. Remember, the lower the GI number, the better for a diabetic!
If your salad is lacking nutrients, give it a boost with some walnuts! These nuts contain “good” monosaturated fats, which counter the insulin resistance caused by diabetes. They also have omega-3 fatty acids and protein, which will give you energy.
Pop, ketchup, and many other sweet confections contain this item, so read the nutrition data and ingredients on the label, and put it back on the shelf if it does have corn syrup in it. Watch out for “glucose/fructose” too; this is the Canadian term for the same ingredient.
If you are hypoglycemic, you should always have gum or some other type of sugary food handy. Hypoglycemia can strike at any time, and you must be prepared for an attack. Skipping breakfast is a bad idea that makes attacks more likely, because your body will be especially desperate for sugar.
Gestational Diabetes
Remember to consult your physician if you’re pregnant or if you think you have gestational diabetes. Untreated gestational diabetes can pose a risk to both you and your baby. Your doctor will be able to tell you what you should eat and perhaps give you some medications.
Don’t worry if your high blood sugar raises directly after having a type of low glucose reaction. A high blood sugar level can be caused by two factors: hormones that stimulate the release of glucose into your bloodstream and the influx of glucose from your food. Together the two sources may overload your body with glucose. If you’re concerned about a spike after eating, try cutting your portion size in half to see how portion control affects your blood sugar level.
If you want to limit diabetes’ effects on your everyday life, then stop smoking. In addition to increasing your risk of lung cancer, smoking can cause a spike in your blood sugar level if you have diabetes. Your doctor can help you if you are unable to quit on your own.
If diabetes requires you to limit sugar or sodium, a terrific way to add flavor to your diet is to use cinnamon. Cinnamon can bring about a sweeter flavor without adding sugar, which can raise the level of glucose in the blood. Some even believe that cinnamon will lower blood glucose levels, but the jury is still out on that one.
Glucose tablets can sometimes be beneficial to the person diagnosed with hypoglycemia. These tablets are easy to carry around and can help to increase your glucose levels more quickly and effectively than sugary foods, as these foods take longer for your system to digest.
Make your favorite comfort foods more diabetes-friendly. For most, the restrictive diet that is necessary to control diabetes is the most difficult part of dealing with the disorder. It is a myth that all the foods you love are off the table now. Other people will continue to consume their favorite foods, regardless of the recommended diet. The smart thing to do is to adjust your favored dishes with substitutions. A lot of foods can be prepared in a way that is healthy for diabetics to eat.
A lot of people mistakenly believe that diabetics can’t eat any sugar at all. There is no need to cut sugar out entirely, but you do need to be vigilant about what sweets you eat. You can enjoy smaller portions of those favorite sweets on certain occasions. Sweets translate into additional carbs, so when you are planning on having a dessert, you will want to consume less carbohydrates during the rest of the meal.
Exercise on a regular basis. If you get workouts often, your body will be able to process glucose and insulin better, which will help to keep blood sugar levels more stable. Exercise is particularly important for diabetics because even a modest amount of weight loss can improve symptoms.
Urine ketone testing should not be your only way to test your sugar levels. The only time you will have high ketone levels is when your blood glucose levels are greater than 200 mg/dl. Rather, the ADA recommends that people with diabetes use finger sticks or test strips to get the accurate readings they need.
Diabetics often have other undetected health issues, and one more serious issue is sleep apnea. This problem makes you temporarily stop breathing while sleeping due to airway constriction. If you feel more tired than you should be or have trouble staying asleep, you might have sleep apnea.
People that suffer from diabetes will do better if they are eating healthy carbohydrates with their diet. Avoid very low-carb diets, as they deprive your body of much needed nutrients like fiber, minerals and vitamins. You should ensure that you are eating a sufficient amount of carbohydrates to make sure are getting sufficient energy.
Research has shown that exercise makes insulin sensitivy increase, and also lowers blood glucose levels. This helps control these levels naturally. Vary your workout. Incorporate aerobic exercise and strength training.
Don’t neglect dental care if you have been diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes makes it much more likely that you will get gingivitis. You should floss daily and brush your teeth several times throughout the day.
While there may be other helpful tips to help you deal with diabetes, the information you have discovered today is surely going to be highly beneficial to you. Start adopting better habits, and incorporate these tips into your daily life. Use them today, and find out for yourself the difference in the way you are living.