Diabetes is a serious, complicated condition which causes the person who is diagnosed with diabetes an inability to maintain healthy levels of glucose in the blood. Unhealthy glucose levels over a period of time can cause complications such as heart attacks, blindness, poor kidney health, depression and strokes.
There is currently no cure for the condition, but the way you manage your diabetes can have a huge affect on your quality of life and indeed life expectancy.
There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes. Learn more here.
Of course, it is advised if you suffer from diabetes, then you consult your health professional to come up with a course of action to manage the condition. However, I do have some general tips.
Here are five ways to help manage your diabetes with food:
1. Eat small and regular meals
One thing we are certain of when it comes to managing diabetes is that small and frequent meals and snacks help control blood sugar levels better than three very large meals over the day. The size of each meal and snack varied for every person depending on age, gender and activity levels.
2.”Low fat” doesn’t mean “low sugar”: read the labels!
Yoghurt is a classic example of this. Certain yoghurt brands increase the amount of sugar added to compensate for the lower fat content. This is all for flavour! Aim to choose products with 15g sugar per 100g or less.
3. Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you can’t have “sometimes foods”
When people are diagnosed as diabetic, they are often told they they are now not allowed certain foods such as cake or sweets. However, a little bit of a “sometimes food” or twice a week, depending on the person’s diet as a whole, shouldn’t affect the long term outcomes of diabetes (please confirm this with your health professional).
4. Alcohol DOES affect your diabetes
Drinking alcohol can cause both high and low blood glucose levels. If your blood glucose levels drop too low while you are drinking alcohol, the liver needs to process the alcohol first before it releases glucose. This could result in a hypo (hypoglycaemia; a condition which occurs when a person’s blood glucose level becomes too low) . Avoid this by limiting how much you drink, and always consume a meal containing carbohydrates when you drink alcohol.
5. Regular blood glucose testing is really important
Testing your blood glucose levels (BGL) regularly helps you learn how different foods affect your blood glucose response. It is recommended to test your BGL before you eat breakfast in the morning (when you have been fasting overnight), and two hours following a meal (i.e. after breakfast or lunch or dinner). Speak to your GP and dietitian of what readings you should be aiming for and how often you need to be testing.
If you would like to make an appointment with Jess to get help with managing your diabetes, please get in touch.