New Year’s Resolution For People with Diabetes

 

A new year gives you a fresh opportunity to consider your past diabetes care efforts. It is a perfect time to make positive lifestyle changes. Change is essential to making life improvements. You don’t need to change everything all at once, small changes make some of the biggest impacts. To avoid long-term complications and  improve their quality of life, diabetics must be diligent in their efforts to improve their health.  Their own efforts are what directly their health and as a consequence, their quality of life.
To avoid common mistakes when setting a new year’s goal, which could result in failing to keep your new year resolutions, keep your diabetes management goals specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-limited.
 

Plan an annual medical visit

 

  • Visit your primary care doctor two to four times each year or as suggested. If your A1C is less than 7 percent, your doctor may decide that you only need to visit your doctor 2 times per year. If your A1C is greater than 7 percent, you most likely need to be see your doctor four times per year, or once every 3 months.
  • Get a flu shot in the fall at your primary care MD or at the pharmacy.
  • Scheduled an appointment with an ophthamologist, that includes a dilated retinal eye exam. Be sure your provider knows that you are a diabetic, so that you can get the appropriate evaluation.
  • People with diabetes are prone to periodontal disease. Be sure to visit the dentist twice a year or as suggested for a complete dental exam and cleaning to maintain healthy teeth and gums.
  • When you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, regular foot examinations are a critical. Avoid foot-related complications by scheduling regular appointments with a podiatrist.  


During regular visits with your primary care doctor, discuss your health care routine and ask for referrals to other needed specialists.

 

Understand and Manage Your Numbers

 
Unlike some other diseases that rely primarily on professional medical treatment, diabetes treatment requires proactive participation by the person who has it. Find out your current numbers that help define your health, understand what your numbers mean, and work on a plan to get your numbers where they need to be. Your doctor may have some good suggestions for you, and if medication is needed, they also can write you a prescription.
 

  • According to the American Diabetes Association your goal should be to have A1C values less than 7%. That may be a hard target to hit, but it is important to try because the lower your A1C, the lower your health risk.
  • Blood sugar self-checks show what your blood sugar level is at that moment. Your doctor may recommend doing self-checks before or after meals and at night. In general, blood sugar levels before meals for adult should be 70 to 130 mg/dl, and less than 180 mg/dl within one to two hours after the start of a meal.
  • Monitor your blood pressure. People with diabetes are much more likely to develop heart disease, so monitoring heart disease risk factors is a vital part of diabetes self-management.
  • Keep cholesterol level in check. When you have diabetes, high cholesterol is another heart disease risk factor that’s important to watch. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), most adults with diabetes should aim for an LDL level of less than 100 mg/dl. The ADA-recommended HDL levels are greater than 40 mg/dl for men with diabetes and greater than 50 mg/dl for women with diabetes.
  • Kidney damage and failure is a common complication of diabetes. A yearly test to check for protein in your urine can indicate if your kidneys are affected. Microalbumin levels above 30 mg suggest possible kidney damage. This condition is treatable if detected early. However, when these numbers are above 300 mg, the damage tends to to be permanent.

 
 

Eat Right

 
Eating healthy meals is an essential part of managing diabetes.

  • Plan your meal time. You should spread your carbohydrate intake throughout the day to avoid unnecessary spikes in your blood sugar levels. Be sure to choose portions that help you meet or maintain your weight goals.
  • Choose healthy carbohydrates. Whole, unprocessed grains are an excellent source of energy. They are also rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Whole-grain starches are the healthiest because they maximize nutrition and break down into the bloodstream more slowly. Whole-grain food options include sprouted and whole-grain bread, legumes and beans, whole wheat pasta, wild or brown rice, and other grains such as quinoa, amaranth, and millet.
  • Increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Fruits and vegetable are often packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Be sure to choose whole fruits over juice to get the beneficial fiber. As for vegetables, leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale are extremely nutritious and low in calories. Spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are good sources of several vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin that protect your eyes from macular degeneration and cataracts, common diabetes complications.
  • Choose healthy fats. Foods containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help lower your cholesterol levels. These fats include avocados, almonds, pecans, walnuts, olives, and canola, olive, and peanut oils. Fish can be a good alternative to high-fat meats. For example, cod, tuna, and halibut have less total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than do meat and poultry. Fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and bluefish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which promote heart health by lowering blood fats called triglycerides.


Exercise

 
Keep moving. A little progress each day will add up to big results.

  • Make routine exercise one of your new year’s resolution. Even moderate, regular exercise can spur your body to increase its sugar-burning ability. Regular exercise can lower blood sugar and bad cholesterol, help you lose weight, and keep your heart and body healthy.
  • If you haven’t exercised in a while, check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program. Start with 5 to 10 minutes a day and aim to work up to at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day, 150 minutes per week.

 

Medication

 

  • Take all diabetes-related medications as directed.
  • Give your doctor a current list of all of your medications, including over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements that you use, since  some of them may affect blood glucose, interact with other medications, or harm your liver. 

 
 
Source:

  • ADA
  • NIH

 
 
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