If you have diabetes, you should work closely with your healthcare providers to keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels under control.
Here’s some expert advice for individuals living with diabetes and their caregivers:
1. Listen to your body: Diabetes means your body is changing, so it’s important that you listen to what it’s trying to tell you. Pay attention to how your body reacts to things.
This includes how your body responds to food, exercise, and other factors that can affect your blood sugar level.
2. Get more physical activity:
There are many benefits to regular physical activity. Exercise can help you:
Lose weight
Lower your blood sugar
Boost your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range
Research shows that aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes. The greatest benefit comes from a fitness program that includes both.
3. Listen to your endocrinologist: Just receiving a diagnosis and learning about diabetes often is not enough to help you manage your disease. Seeing a specialist will connect you with an entire diabetes care team whose members—nurse practitioner, dietician, pharmacist, educator, and exercise physiologist—bring unique areas of expertise to help individualize your care according to your specific needs.
4. Choose healthier carbohydrates: All carbs affect blood glucose levels so it’s important to know which foods contain carbohydrates. Choose the healthier foods that contain carbs and be aware of your portion sizes.
Here are some healthy sources of carbohydrate:
Whole grains like brown rice, buckwheat, and whole oats
Fruits
Vegetables
Pulses such as chickpeas, beans, and lentils
Dairy like unsweetened yogurt and milk.
At the same time, it’s also important to cut down on foods low in fiber such as white bread, white rice, and highly-processed cereals.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death. People who have diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications. We work with healthcare professionals to help patients obtain the supplies needed to comply with their diabetic treatment plan. Reach out to us to learn more about Serturner's Diabetes Care products.