For people with diabetes, it is important to watch your diet very carefully. We all know that diabetics are not supposed to eat a lot of sugar. However, it is very difficult to change your diet so drastically after so many years of eating your favorite foods. Luckily, we live in a day and age where the foot network makes food better than ever. Along with this, they make food alternatives that that are healthy eating and low sugar/sugar free recipes. So go ahead, try some of your favorites in their new revamped style. You will probably love them just as much and make some new favorites.
#4 Starting a Weight Loss Program
As with most conditions, being overweight exacerbates the problems. For diabetes, you often have the initial condition but then progresses to often include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, neuropathy, poor circulation and many other conditions. By losing weight, you reduce your risk of developing these other conditions. Losing weight can be a difficult endeavor because so often you try and go all or nothing. Some of the best weight loss programs stress that it is a life-style change rather than a temporary change. As with anything though, you start slow. Whether this means that you cut soda out of your diet, change your coffee from the fancy kind with the whip cream and caramel and everything else to straight coffee, or replacing a candy bar with an apple, these small changes can lead to big results.
#3 Checking Your Sugar on a Daily Basis
For a diabetic, their blood sugar numbers provide insight into how they are doing. If you do not know what your numbers have been, then you have no idea as to how you are doing. Watching your sugar will allow you to make the necessary adjustments to keep you out of the danger zone. You will then be able to adjust your diet and lifestyle as needed to help you get back into your target zone or speak with your physician to discuss your medications or other treatment plans.
#2 Exercise
Exercise is different than just a weight loss program. It has actually been shown to improve insulin resistance helping your body to better react to glucose. Exercise is another misnomer, because many people think that you need to be a marathoner to get a good workout. Exercise can be something like walking around the block, taking the stair instead of the elevator or playing in the yard with the kids. Anything that you can do to increase your heart rate and get the blood flowing will make a huge difference.
#1 Form a Relationship with your Podiatrist
Research has shown that diabetics that have a relationship with their podiatrist are much less likely to have an amputation. This is because your feet are being regularly checked to see if there are any open wounds that need to be taken care before they become ulcerations. They will also be able to watch for changes in your feet to analyze blood flow, nerve conduction and your skin health.
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