Maintain your diabetes under control:
Your immediate goal should be to get and/or keep your blood sugar levels under control through diet, exercise, and, if needed, medications. Once you’ve accomplished that, it’s time to think about long-term goals to help you stay as healthy as possible and prevent diabetes complications.
Prevent Diabetes Complications:
Diabetes complications can be divided into two types acute and chronic. The best way to prevent complications is to achieve optimal blood glucose control. Acute (sudden) complications, like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar non-ketotic syndrome (HHNS) occur in emergency situation. And these complications of diabetes can occur at any time in the course of the disease. Chronic (long-term) complications, however, can be heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, glaucoma, neuropathy and nephropathy.
How to Prevent Diabetes Complications:
Being active, take your medicine as schedule if needed, eat a wide variety of foods each day that include: vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nonfat dairy products, beans, lean meats, poultry and fish. It is also mean to watch your portion sizes and to choose foods that are not processed. Beverages such as juice, soda, sports drinks, and milk contain both carbohydrate and calories. Better choices are drinks that contain very few or no calories and carbohydrates, such as water, seltzer water, unsweetened tea, and diet soft drinks.
What are the Goals of your Meal Plan?
The goals are to keep your blood glucose within your goal range, manage your weight, manage your blood pressure, manage your blood cholesterol, and your blood fat level.
What to Monitor in Diabetes Diseases?
Monitor fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C every 3 months.
Choosing the right combination of exercise and monitor your weight loss.
choosing the right foods, and cutting back on portions.
Heart health (blood pressure, weight and cholesterol level)
Kidney health (urine and blood testing)
Eye health (eye exams)
Foot health (foot exams and sensory testing)
Counseling Point for Diabetes:
Compliance is very critical for the management of diabetes. Make sure you comply to the medication and food schedule.
Avoid foods high of sugar, starch, and carbohydrate.
Remember that protein and cholesterol have little effect on blood sugar levels.
However, use good cholesterol like omega 3 fatty acid, olive oil, fish and so on.
Follow a glucose home monitoring system daily if needed.
Avoid weigh gain because that will only make the disease worst.
It is very important to keep all appointments with your health care teams.
If taking insulin, follow the proper injection injection technique, and dispose the syringe/needle in the proper containers.
Remember: Any question you may have do not hesitate to ask your health care teams. Your doctor will make recommendations based on the type of diabetes you have, your health, and other factors. Your body is the Temple of God, please take good care of it.
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