It can be difficult dealing with a disease like diabetes, but there’s no reason to lose hope. You can go on living a happy, fulfilling life even if you have this condition. Even while you’re watching what you eat and checking your blood sugar, there are things you can do to make things easier on yourself. Here are some tips for making life with diabetes more pleasant.
If you want to get oats into your diet but you don’t like eating a bowl of oatmeal, put them in your muffins and have one for breakfast. You can take any muffin recipe and add as much oats as possible, and throw in some cinnamon for an extra diabetes-fighting punch!
Vinegar helps to keep blood sugar spikes at bay for diabetics who eat it during a meal. Some people actually recommend drinking it straight before you eat! I like to sprinkle it on a salad, or douse my vegetables in it. It’s also great for marinating meats! It’s extremely versatile.
Consider meat-free, high protein foods like eggs, cheese, nuts and beans. Try different foods and recipes so that you don’t get bored.
Be VERY careful with any advice you receive online about diabetes treatment. It is fine to do your research online, and even to find out what other people are doing to take care of their disease, but you need to take any new information you want to act on to your doctor, to make sure that it’s medically sound.
Unless you drive a car that lacks air conditioning in super hot summer temperatures, or are on a safari in Africa, you probably don’t need ice packs for your insulin. If you’re worried about leaving it in the car at the mall, take it with you! I doubt you’ll have so much that it won’t fit in your purse, pocket, or bag.
Make a plan for everything you do to battle your Diabetes. Plan out your exercise routine for the week, and vary it to keep it interesting. Make meal plans so you know what you’ll be eating on any given day, what you need to pick up at the grocery store, and what should be defrosted the night before. This will keep you on track and organized.
You’ll be surprised at the number of items containing corn syrup, so check labels, and be prepared to put back common items such as ketchup, sodas, sauces and sweets. In Canada this item is labeled as “glucose/fructose”.
Walmart and Costco both provide prescriptions at a discounted cost which can save you a lot of money on your Diabetes medications. They also have Diabetic supplies like monitors, lancets, test strips and syringes and they’re carried in bulk at Costco. You can also find pamphlets at both pharmacies with information on Diabetes.
These ideas will help you build a better, more satisfying life, despite the challenges presented by living with diabetes. This disease is completely treatable, and you can do more than just cope with it. You can deal with diabetes and all its effects and still go live life to the full.
