Tips to Manage Diabetes

Regular blood glucose test

Self-testing your blood glucose can be an important tool in managing your treatment plan and preventing long-term complications of diabetes. Seek advice from your doctor on how often you should check your blood glucose level. Generally, the frequency of testing depends upon the type of diabetes and treatment plan.

Control your weight with the right food choice

Regular mealtimes

Avoid skipping a meal or eating much later than usual. Skipping meals can result in low blood glucose and cause many undesirable symptoms, the worst of which is diabetic coma. Small and frequent meals are preferable to one large one.

Keep moving

Being active is part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone, and it’s especially important for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes. But exercise doesn’t necessarily mean running a marathon or bench-pressing 100kg. The goal is to be physically active everyday by doing things you enjoy, from gardening to playing tennis to brisk walking with friends.

Foot examination

Diabetics should have a comprehensive foot examination by their healthcare professional at least once a year to check for nerve damage. Consult with your healthcare professional if you have cuts or breaks in the skin, or if your foot changes colour and shape or have an ingrown nail.

Quit smoking now!

Cigarette smoke produces free radicals which are undesirable as diabetics already generate a lot of free radicals due to the glycation process resulting in possible health complications such as eye disease, heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, foot problems etc.

Proper nutritional supplementation

There are many nutritional supplements that have been found to be beneficial to diabetics including chromium, vanadium, alpha lipoic acid, Omega-3 fatty acids and Mecobalamin. As mentioned earlier, one of these nutritional supplements – Mecobalamin – has been shown to regenerate damaged nerves, the most common complication associated with high blood glucose levels. Do seek advice from your healthcare professional to learn more about managing diabetes and other related health conditions better.