Diabetes is a serious medical condition that affects a large number of Americans. Although there is no cure for diabetes, there are ways to improve your condition. Regular physical activity, healthy food and medication, if necessary, can help you control your diabetes and relieve its symptoms.
Talk to your doctor about an appropriate exercise routine. You may need to be cautious about putting too much stress on your hips and knees. Diabetics are prone to problems with their feet, so you must get a good pair of shoes for any type of exercise. A brisk walk each evening may improve your diabetic condition. Even a moderate amount of weight loss can improve diabetes symptoms.
Realize that certain types of food are unhealthy, especially for diabetics. Processed sugars are not well tolerated by the body. They create a quick spike in blood glucose levels and then a spike in insulin. A diabetic may suffer from hypoglycemia following a meal with a high sugar content. Eventually your pancreas is unable to keep up with the insulin demand created by the excess amount of sugar in your blood.
Diabetics need to eat well-balanced meals evenly spaced throughout the day. Vegetables are high in fiber, loaded with nutrients and low in saturated fat and simple sugars. Although fresh whole fruit has some sugar, it is high in antioxidants and nutrients. Cold-water fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower triglycerides, raise high-density lipoproteins (the good cholesterol) and help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Nuts are high in vitamin E and antioxidants, which may prevent nerve and eye damage often associated with diabetes. They are also high in unsaturated fats, which have been shown to make it easier to control blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance.
If your doctor prescribes medicine to treat your diabetes, make sure to take each dose as instructed. It is also important to eat regular meals while taking medication. Skipping meals while taking insulin and other diabetes medications may result in a dangerous hypoglycemic event.
Stress increases the release of glucose to energize your muscles for a fight or flight response. You will not be able to eliminate all the stress from your life, so you need to learn some effective relaxation techniques. In the midst of a very stressful situations, deep breathing helps relax your muscles while delivering extra oxygen to the cells throughout your body. Yoga and meditation are both effective in reducing stress.
It is important for a diabetic to take good care of the feet. Even a small cut can lead to a serious infection that requires amputation. Restricted blood flow is one side effect of diabetes. The lack of new blood getting to the area quickly can lead to a serious infection, because the white blood cells, platelets and fibrin cannot do their jobs effectively.
Approximately 25 million Americans are affected by diabetes. Another 79 million are pre-diabetic, meaning their glucose levels are elevated but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetic. The incidence of diabetes has risen as the level of obesity increases.