Living With Diabetes
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Exercise is an essential part of diabetes management. Exercise can help control blood sugar, improve fitness, reduce the risk of heart disease and improve quality of life.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends at least 150 minutes per week of physical activity. If you haven't exercise in a while, start slow and keep each session of activity short until you build up endurance.
Before starting a fitness program, it is essential to get approval from your doctor. You doctor will discuss how activity will impact your blood sugar and gives strategies to manage it before, during and after exercise.
Healthy Diet
A healthy diet is a cornerstone to proper management of your diabetes and is often the most difficult to change. One of the first recommendations form you doctor will likely be a diabetic diet. This simply means eating the healthiest foods in appropriate amounts to help control your blood sugar.
A healthy diet includes:
- Healthy carbohydrates
- Fiber-rich foods
- Health fish intake
- Good fats
Just as important it is to each healthy foods, it is equally as important to avoid unhealthy foods. Continuing to eat large amounts of unhealthy foods can increased your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Foods to avoid:
- Saturated fats
- Trans fats
- Cholesterol
- Food high in sodium