What To Do If You Are Diagnosed With Diabetes

 What To Do If You Are Diagnosed With Diabetes

The vast majority of those who contract diabetes are going to have the disease for life. With any luck, you will be able to properly manage it and stop it from becoming worse, but that's going to take a lot of effort and the right knowledge. Here are some tips you can use to gain the knowledge necessary to manage diabetes.

If you want to get oats into your diet but you don't like eating a bowl of oatmeal, put them in your muffins and have one for breakfast. You can take any muffin recipe and add as much oats as possible, and throw in some cinnamon for an extra diabetes-fighting punch!

If you're looking for a salty snack but your diabetes is holding you back, look no further than a jar of olives! They're a fruit, tasty, healthy, and fun to eat. You can cut them up and put them in salads, or even on a sandwich! I love to make a homemade submarine sandwich and sprinkle some on top. YUM!

Do you know what your A1C is? If you're Diabetic, you should know it along with your weight. This number indicates how well you've been controlling your blood sugar over the long-term, which will tell you if you need to be checking your fasting blood glucose levels more often to see what's going on.

Keep track of your blood sugar levels in a log book, so you know where you've been and how you're doing currently. If you can't afford enough test strips to check multiple times a day, check at a variety of different times, so that you can get an idea of how your sugar is going throughout a typical day.

Diabetic feet are more prone to infection than the average person's, so check them when you shower for any cuts or bruising. One of the first symptoms of Diabetes that I had was a red speckling on the top of my feet which indicated blood pressure problems, but I didn't notice as I always wore socks and didn't have my glasses on in the bathroom. If you already have Diabetes, keep a watchful eye on those tootsies.

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.

There really is not a diabetic diet. The American Diabetes Association recommends that you get 50 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fats, and 20 percent from proteins. Proteins work to stabilize blood sugars and to help you feel satisfied. Proteins also help your body to rebuild and provide nutrients your body needs not found in carbs and fats.

If you have diabetes, it can be difficult to go out to eat. Research menus ahead of time so that you can plan your meal. If a menu is not available online, you can stop by the restaurant ahead of time and ask for a copy, or you can call and have it read to you by phone. Knowing what the restaurant serves will help you to become more prepared for how you can eat healthy at the restaurant.

Egg whites can be an ideal breakfast for diabetics. Egg whites provide protein for energy, and limit calories while also being very low in fat. Make an omelette of egg whites, or scrambling the whites and eating them with some ham.

To stay on top of your blood sugar levels, check for blood sugar drops after exercise. Exercising can affect your glucose levels even after it's over. That's because the glucose used during long exercise periods comes from your liver, and after you use it up, your body will later try to restore it. If you don't eat around the time your body tries to do this, the level of sugar in your blood will drop. It's a good idea to check your blood sugar every 45 minutes after exercising to make sure you can take action to correct any imbalances.

If you are diabetic and you smoke it is important that you take the steps to quit smoking. Smoking causes your circulation to be poor, and a proper circulatory system is absolutely essential for a diabetic. Talk to your doctor for help quitting smoking, there are many aids to help.

The type of diabetes you have will dictate whether or not you have it for life, but even if you have a mild case of diabetes, you should still be doing everything in your power to regulate your blood sugar levels. Using the above information to assist you, you can work toward being an overall healthy person.