Self-Managing Your Diabetes
When managing your
diabetes, the
American Diabetes Association
recommends you work with your health care team to keep track of the "ABCs."
A
is for A1C. Your A1C
check shows your average blood glucose for the past two-to-three months.
B
is for blood pressure. When your blood pressure is high, your
heart has to work harder.
C
is for cholesterol. Your cholesterol figure tells you the
approximate amount of fat in your blood. HDL cholesterol protects your heart,
while LDL cholesterol can clog blood vessels and lead to heart disease.
Triglycerides also raise your risk for a heart attack or stroke.
Top tips to keeping
diabetes under control
- Monitor your blood sugar
- Eat healthy
- Get regular physical
activity
- Have an annual general
physical
- Have an annual eye exam
- Visit your dentist twice
a year
- Keep up-to-date with
your vaccinations
- Take care of your feet
- Stop smoking
- Monitor your blood
pressure
- Manage your stress
Eating Healthy
Knowing which foods are
good for you seems to change every time you turn on the news. There are some
basic food-decision principles that have outlasted all the different types of
fad diets. Here are a few tips from the American Diabetes Association on
making
healthful food choices for you and your family:
- Eat lots of vegetables
and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize
variety. Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or
green beans with meals.
- Choose whole grain foods
over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole
wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
- Include dried beans
(like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
- Include fish in your
meals 2-3 times a week.
- Choose lean meats like
cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin," such as pork loin and
sirloin, and remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
- Choose non-fat dairy
such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
- Choose water and
calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch,
sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
- Choose liquid oils for
cooking instead of solid fats (fats are high in calories) that can be high
in both saturated and trans fats.
- Cut back on high-calorie
snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice
cream.
- Watch your portion sizes—eating
too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain.
