What To Expect When You Have Diabetes

With a little bit of research, you will be able to find an extensive library of diabetes information, from how to handle the disease to possible cures for certain types of diabetes. Your research has officially begun if you're reading this article. The tips below will help you properly manage this horrible disease.

Check all the foods you eat for the "glycemic index", which is a number that shows you exactly how your blood sugar levels will be affected. Look for lower GI ratings if you struggle with diabetes.

Diabetics can have problems in their eyes due to their condition, so make sure you go to the optometrist for testing at least once a year. Many optometrists have special machines, which can look inside your eyeball to check for the typical damage of a diabetic, and can sometimes diagnose your disease before you even have symptoms!

If you are diabetic and sick with a stomach infection or diarrhea, call your doctor right away for advice on whether you should continue with your medications or not. For example, some diabetics have been advised to not be taking Metformin if they have any sort of gastrointestinal upset as it could cause more harm than good.

A dip in blood sugar is NOT an excuse to raid your fridge for goodies. Pick up some glucose tablets or small candies and take ONE OR TWO until your blood sugar is back in line. Eating a slice of cake will just make your blood sugar skyrocket, leading to a need for medication and weight gain.

Do not skip meals, especially breakfast. When you let too much time lapse between meals or skip a meal completely, you risk having your blood glucose levels drop too low. Diabetics who eat breakfast, lunch and dinner without skipping any meals are much more likely to have normal glucose readings.

People who eat at least two servings of dairy a day are less likely to develop insulin resistance, even if they're significantly over weight. Even if you're already Diabetic, including lots of low-fat dairy in your diet will help you to keep your blood sugar levels under control all day.

An easy way to reduce your risk of contracting diabetes is to get up and get active. People who take an hour long brisk walk daily will reduce their risk of contracting diabetes by over 35%. Even when you cannot walk for an hour a day, do what you can to get moving like take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the furthest parking spot at the grocery store, or take two or three trips in carrying in the groceries.

To keep your diabetes from hurting your teeth, be sure to brush and floss several times a day. Diabetes increases the levels of glucose in your saliva, which means your teeth are much more susceptible to decay. Anyone suffering from diabetes needs to be extra vigilante when it comes to taking care of their teeth.

If you have diabetes, a great tip in managing your blood sugar is to never skip meals. When you skip meals, your body uses the glucose from your liver for fuel. For people with type 2 diabetes, the liver does not sense that the blood has enough glucose, so it keeps pouring out even more glucose. Therefore, skipping meals is not a good idea if you have diabetes.

If you are a diabetic and find that your foods are too bland, you may want to add some cinnamon. It does not contain any sugar, calories, or sodium, so it is healthy for diabetes. Also, some studies suggest that it may even help to lower blood sugar in some people.

Lose weight. Bringing your weight down is not just a casual option; bringing down weight will result in more stable blood sugar levels and less damage. Eat a healthy diet and exercise so that you can drop some weight and help your condition. Some obese diabetics who lose weight find they are no longer diabetic.

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.

It is important that you keep your feet clean if you are a diabetic. The feet are a common place on the human body for infections to develop. For a person without diabetes, these infections can be easily taken care of. For a diabetic, the treatment process is not as easy.

Watch out for trans-fats. Trans fats are found in any foods containing partially hydrogenated oils. These fats are dangerous for everybody, but diabetics are at extra risk. Trans fats cause increased amounts of fat around the waistline which has been linked to heart disease. They are also extremely high in calories and low in nutritional content.

When you are a diabetic there is an increased risk that you will develop some sort of gum disease. Making regular appointments at the dentist and following his suggestions on proper oral hygiene will ensure that you will stay healthy in that regard. Proper flossing and brushing are essential parts of a daily routine.

For those who suffer from diabetes there are many alternatives to sugar that can fulfill our sugar craving. These artificial sweeteners are often times 25 to 100 times more sweet than sugar and most the time they have close to 0 calories. Use these artificial sweeteners as a replacement for sugar.

You have a sweet tooth, but you've just been diagnosed with Type II diabetes, what are you going to do? There are many artificial sweeteners that can take the place of sugar in our lives. We may have tasted diet soda and though that we couldn't bare it. But with multiple tastes you begin to get used to the taste and before long you will find yourself enjoying these diet beverages as much as you enjoyed the real thing. Better still, try carbonated water with just a little fruit juice.

Now that your research has begun, you need to understand one thing: It's never going to finish. That's right; for as long as you're living with diabetes, you need to continue to learn how to fight against it. What you've read in this article will get you started, but it's up to you to keep going and to keep learning.

Share this post