Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong condition that can be managed well with lifestyle measures and medications. We have previously talked about how the condition ensues and what happens if it is not treated. That was important to understand the significance of treatment and the consequences of untreated diabetes. However, one can live a perfectly normal lifestyle with diabetes.
Below we discuss several measures, in general, to help you manage diabetes and have a healthy lifestyle.
Contact our pharmacists at Guildview pharmacy for a free consultation and customized advice regarding diabetes management.
1. Diet
Maintaining a healthy diet helps in keeping blood sugar levels under control. A healthy diet includes vegetables, fruits, meat and alternatives, grains, beans, lentils, and milk in appropriate proportions. Priority should be given to foods with lower amounts of
carbohydrates and higher fiber content. Reducing fat intake also helps and contributes
toward lowering body weight. Limiting alcohol to 1-2 drinks per day further helps in
avoiding low blood glucose levels. For more information, or if you are interested in
getting a customized diet plan, visit our pharmacy to speak to our diabetes educators.
2. Exercise
Adequate exercise helps in lowering body weight. It also improves blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and circulation. Additionally, it also promotes fitness, relieves stress, and reduces the risk of heart diseases. We recommend at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise if no health limitation is present. Stress test is advised in
people with heart diseases or risk factors for heart diseases.
3. Quitting smoking
Smoking cigarettes is a very big risk factor for heart disease especially in people with coexisting diabetes, high blood pressure, and/or high cholesterol levels. It is advised to quit smoking as soon as possible to avoid any health complications. However, we understand that smoking becomes a habit with time and is hard to quit. That is why we are here to help you. Speak to our pharmacists if you need more information on the
medications or strategies that can help you in quitting smoking. Our pharmacists are
trained in quitting smoking therapies and can write prescriptions to help you.
4. Keeping blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol in range
Following lifestyle measures discussed above and taking prescribed medications
regularly help in maintaining blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels in
range. In order to know if these strategies are working, we recommend monitoring blood sugar and blood pressure regularly and preferably noting them down in a diary. We also recommend having cholesterol levels checked periodically. Speak to our pharmacists at Guildview pharmacy to learn more about your targets and how to achieve them.
