What are the immediate steps that you should follow when you realize that you are suffering from diabetes? It is often found that if diabetes is left untreated, many complications can occur such as heart disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, blindness, etc. So it becomes necessary to prevent these complications. Following are the 12 simple steps that should be followed in order to control diabetes to some extent.
1. The very first step is that you should control the intake of carbohydrates in your meal. It is suggested not to consume more than 45 grams of total carbohydrates.
2. You should have your snacks containing 25 grams of carbohydrates being mixed with an unsaturated fat or a lean protein such as fruit with low fat cheese or yogurt with nuts. You should distribute the intake of carbohydrates evenly throughout the day to prevent swings in blood sugar.
3. Slowly digestible foods like oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain bread etc, should be consumed.
4. You should always keep a check on your blood sugar level. Test it, before meal and two hours after meal. This will help to evaluate whether your body intake of carbohydrate is under control or not.
5. You should try to maintain some standards for your sugar level just like, 90-127 mg/dl-before meal and under 180 mg/dl-two hours after meal.
6. You should eat after every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism working well.
7. In a diabetic patient, the gap between two meals should be not less than two hours.
8. You should regularly check your blood sugar level. A test called HbA1C can help you to figure it out. Your target should be below 6%.
9. Exercise will help to improve the condition of a diabetic patient. It is necessary to exercise daily for at least 30 minutes. This will keep the insulin working efficiently in your body.
10. If you are suffering from diabetes, it is important to regularly visit your doctor and adjust your medication, exercising pattern, diet plan according to your body's needs.
Generally, diabetes is not cured by using any medicine or any secret formulas. You have to maintain control over few things in order to get rid of it. By following the above simple 10 tips, you can definitely overcome your diabetes. So start following them today.
