HOW TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE DIABETES

If you have diabetes, you should try to control your blood sugar levels. However, this may not be possible or particularly easy for everyone. Consult your doctor to find out which blood sugar level is right for you. With this understanding, you can get a lot of help from your healthcare consultants (including doctors, nurses, and dietitians). The following rules can help you stay healthy and better control your blood sugar:

Learn To Live with Diabetes: When you have diabetes, you often feel depressed, sad, or angry. Learn to control and lower your stress and anxiety levels. Try deep breathing, gardening, walking, meditation to calm your nerves. Letting a mental health counselor, support group, pastor, friend, or family member listen to your concerns can help you feel better.

Develop a Healthy Diet: Eating healthy food is mandatory for the maintenance of blood sugar levels. With the help of your dietitian, you may develop a diabetes nutrition plan. Select foods that are low in calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and salt.

Eat high-fiber foods such as whole wheat, bread, biscuits, rice, or pasta.
Choose foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, bread and cereals, skimmed milk, and cheese.
Drink water instead of juice and ordinary carbonated drinks.
When eating, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with lean protein such as beans or skinless chicken or turkey, and a quarter of whole-grain food, such as brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.

Quit Smoking: Discuss with your doctor how to quit smoking or using other types of tobacco products. Smoking increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and many complications, including:

Reduced blood flow to the legs and feet, which can lead to infections, ulcers, and possibly surgical removal of part of the body (amputation)
Stroke
Heart disease
Eye diseases that can cause blindness
Premature death
Kidney disease
Nerve damage

Benefits of Exercising: Consult your doctor before starting a straining physical workout. If you have high blood pressure or eye problems, some exercises (such as weightlifting) may not be safe. Try to exercise at least three times a week for 30-45 minutes each day. If you have not been active for a while, it is advisable to relax and start slowly. Start with 5-10 minutes warmups and then continue. If you have not eaten for an hour, have something like an apple or a glass of milk. Always carry some snacks with you in case your blood sugar drops. Physical exercise is particularly beneficial to people with diabetes because:

It helps to balance proper required body weight
Exercising helps your heart and lungs work better.
Exercising gives you more energy.

Carry Glucose Monitoring Supplies: It is vital to test your glucose level from time to time to stay updated with your status. The blood glucose monitoring kit helps you keep an eye on your blood sugar. The glucose kit contains: