Soon after being diagnosed with diabetes, you are bombarded with pieces of advice from friends and family.
[the_ad id=”13371″]
More than diabetes itself, the advice takes a toll on you. Are you wondering about what to follow and what not? Here we have worked the problem for you and have listed five lifestyle tips to make diabetes management a cakewalk.
1) Track Your Diet
In most cases, diabetes has been type casted with sugar intake. But do you know the carbohydrates also get converted into sugar? Therefore, keeping an eye on your carbohydrate intake is essential to control diabetes. Consume a good amount of fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Instead of three big meals, try taking five to six small proportions. Keep yourself away from processed and fatty foods.
2) Stop Being a Couch potato
Quit being a Couch potato! Do remember laziness fuels more laziness. So, work your butt off and engage yourself in regular exercises. An active life is crucial to keep sugar under control. Start with ease and charge up gradually. Listening to your favorite podcast and working in groups help in tackling boredom. Make sure to exercise for at least 150 minutes a week. Taking off once a week is acceptable.
3) Pay Heed to Alcohol Intake
Do not indulge in temporary fun to face permanent consequences. Alcohol has an effect on blood sugar levels and can either increase or decrease it. Managing diabetes can be a bit easier when you stop taking alcohol. The recommended alcohol intake is one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. Like every story, first, you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, and finally, the drink takes you. Therefore, do try as much as possible to quit drinking. If not, at least do not go overboard.
4) Keep Hold of Your Protein Intake
Advised to restrict carbs and planning for a high-protein diet? Read this before taking a bite of your protein meal! For people with diabetes, protein is a good nutrient source as they stabilize the blood glucose level and make you feel full. However, they also share an increased risk of kidney dysfunctions. The trouble is further increased by the extra proteins you take. Therefore, take only about 20% of your total calories from proteins.
5) Relieve Stress
Like a rocking chair, stress keeps you engaged but does not take you anywhere. Stress shoots up your blood glucose level and is a crucial hindering factor in managing diabetes. Make your inner self happy by gripping on to activities like yoga, meditation, reading books, taking a hot bath, etc.
Just like a roller coaster ride, blood sugar levels go up and down. How you approach it is the most important point in its management. Please do not be anxious about being a diabetic; instead, take it as a means to get yourself on track towards an active lifestyle.
Source
