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When you live with diabetes, you have to give yourself a little extra TLC than the normal person. Taking care of your entire body, from your head to your toes, is important in order to live a healthy lifestyle and avoid certain health complications. Below, HueTrition lists a few ways that you can take care of yourself when you have unmanaged high blood sugar.
Healthy diet
Everyone should partake in a healthy diet, especially if you have diabetes. For starters, your diet should be rich in color. Think eggplant, red and yellow tomatoes, kale, purple cabbage, strawberries, beets and pumpkin. You’ll also need protein such as lean meats, salmon, and eggs, fiber (like legumes, and seeds), and healthy fats (like fish, avocado, coconut oil, and olive oil). Stay away from sugar (especially hidden sugar found in juices, soda and flavored milk) and processed grains like bread, pizza and bagels, because these grains break down into sugar and can spike your blood glucose.
Exercise
When you have diabetes, it’s important to exercise regularly, because it can lower your blood sugar, even if you don’t lose weight. It can reduce complications that come with this disease. When you work out, your muscles take in more insulin and absorb more glucose from the blood. It’s important to always test your blood sugar before, during and after exercise to make sure that your blood sugar hasn’t risen.
Limit Stress
As ZenBusiness notes, stress can be good for us, and has been shown to have positive effects. However, while an inevitable part of life, stress can have a significant impact on your diabetes when left unchecked. Too much stress increases blood pressure, affects sleep, contributes to insulin resistance and also raises blood sugar levels. Knowing these effects means you need to put in extra work to reduce stress
Limit alcohol
Drinking alcohol excessively if you have diabetes can increase your chances of health problems. That’s because alcohol can interact with diabetes medications and cause your blood glucose levels to rise and fall. Alcohol can also cause hypoglycemia, which can put you in danger. Talk with your doctor about alcohol and how much you’re allowed to drink.
Oral care
According to Colgate Professional, you are 3 to 4 times more likely to develop periodontal disease if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes can also cause dry mouth, fungal infections, burning mouth syndrome, and oral surgery complications. That’s why oral health is extremely important when you have diabetes. Make sure you visit your dentist regularly and keep them updated on your oral condition.
Foot care
People who are living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes should protect their feet with daily foot checks. You should wear socks without seams that aren’t tight. Remember to visit your doctor once a week to get your feet checked. Make sure you wear comfortable, supportive shoes that fit well, and regularly take care of your feet and toenails.