Don’t Be Spooked. You Can Manage Diabetes.
No tricks here. Although there is no cure for diabetes, you can manage your diabetes and live a long, healthy life.
Don’t be spooked! You CAN manage your diabetes.
Pre-Diabetes
Over 86 million Americans have pre-diabetes. Most do not know this. You may be at risk if you are overweight, have a family member with diabetes or are not physically active. Often at the pre-diabetes stage, diabetes can be delayed or even prevented. It’s important to see your doctor and get tested so you can avoid getting diabetes.
A person with pre-diabetes does not have the disease. But their blood sugar levels are close to having diabetes. Without proper care the pre-diabetic may go on to develop diabetes, usually for life.
How Big Is Your Waistline?
Metabolic Syndrome is group of five conditions which together raise your risk of developing diabetes and other potentially serious medical conditions like heart disease and stroke. About 50 million Americans have this syndrome. Your age, ethnicity (African American and Mexican American), a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 25 and a family history contributes to Metabolic Syndrome. If you have three of the five conditions, you likely are pre-diabetic. The five conditions of Metabolic Syndrome are:
- Abdominal obesity of more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men
- High blood pressure of 130/180+ mm (millimeters of mercury)
The pain of arthritis can be alleviated with proper exercise.
- Impaired fasting blood glucose equal to or greater than 100 mg/dL. (milligrams per deciliter; pre-diabetes)
- High triglyceride levels of mor than 150 mg/dL
- Low HDL (good) cholesterol of less than 40 mg/dL
You cannot change your age, ethnicity or family history. But you can make lifestyle changes that help avoid the Metabolic Syndrome. Diet and exercise are especially important. Losing about 15 pounds or 7% of your body weight is ideal. Try to get at least 30 minutes or more of exercise each day. Walking is great. But also, do not smoke or use alcohol to excess. Watch your stress levels. Doing these will help you lower your chance of developing Metabolic Syndrome.
Halloween SAFETY TIPS for Older Adults
- Leave your lights on, both interior and exterior, even if you are away on Halloween night.
- When the doorbell rings, it is not necessary to go outside and don’t invite people in.
- Ask a younger friend or relative to help hand out candy.
- Remove decorations from the footpath to your door to avoid trips and falls.
- Communicate with neighbors. Report any suspicious activity.
- If you have to drive on Halloween night, drive slowly and be alert for children on the move.
Elderly with dementia or physical limitations should not be left alone on Halloween with all the unfamiliar noises and faces. Get a companion or caregiver to stay with them! AW can help: MO (314) 726-5600 and IL (618) 344-8800
Save Those Seeds! When cleaning the pumpkin, save the seeds. Toasted pumpkin seeds make a healthy as well as tasty snack. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of plant-based protein which can be particularly good for people with diabetes. Protein slows the digestion of carbs preventing rapid spikes in blood sugar levels.
Toss 1 ½ cups of seeds in a bowl with 2 teaspoons melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes in a 300-degree oven. Enjoy!
Creepin’ It Real
October is physical therapy month. Proper exercise is necessary to manage blood sugar.
- Being physically active is good for just about everybody, including people with diabetes. Exercise will give you more energy and better blood sugar control. It reduces stress. Plus, you will look and feel better!
- First talk with your doctor about starting some regular exercise. Stretching, fast walking or gardening are good ways to get active. You might like dancing, bicycling or pickleball.
- It’s easy to add more walking to your day. Take the stairs. Don’t take a coffee break. Take a walking break. Park your car further away from the door and walk.
- Try to exercise 30 minutes each day and keep a record of how you exercise. Start slow. Warm up for a few minutes. Be sure to wear comfortable clothes. Carry and ID that shows you have diabetes. Check your feet before and after exercise.
- Try exercising 1 to 3 hours after eating since that is when your blood sugar is high. Check your blood sugar before and after you are active, especially if you have Type 1 diabets. Low blood sugar can be a problem when exercising. Have a high-sugar snack handy like peppermints.
Does Carb Counting Scare You?
What is the right amount of carbs? Check with a diabetic dietician to learn more.
Carbohydrates, also called carbs, are an important energy source for your body. Your digestive system quickly breaks down carbs into glucose, or blood sugar, which your body can use right away for energy. If you have diabetes, counting carbs is one way to manage your blood sugar. Recent studies have shown that some people on low-carb diets have been able to cut down their diabetes medications.
Of the three nutrients, protein, carbs and fat, carbs have the greatest impact on blood sugar control because the body breaks them down into glucose. If you have diabetes, your blood sugar can spike too high after eating carbs. This is because of your body’s insulin response. In Type 1 diabetes, your body is deficient in insulin and in Type 2 diabetes your body is resistant to the insulin it makes. You don’t have enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at the right level.
What Is The Right Amount?
There’s no magic number for the ideal amount of carbs you should eat. How many carbs does each person need? That is in large part determined by your body size and activity level. To determine how many carbs you should be eating, schedule an appointment with a registered dietician or a certified diabetes care and education specialist. Work with one of them to develop an eating plan designed specifically for you.
If you need help shopping for foods recommended by a certified nutritionist or dietician, AW Health Care personal care aides can help with shopping, meal prep and kitchen clean up. (314) 330-7992
Read The Nutrition Labels.
When you are carb counting there are two important pieces of information on food nutrition labels to pay attention to: serving size and grams of total carbohydrate.
Live long and healthy! Take control of your blood sugar.
The serving size indicates the quantity of food is generally eaten. If you eat more than the suggested serving size, you will have to increase the number of carbs proportionally in your calculations. You will also look for the grams of total carbohydrate. This is the amount of sugar, starch and fiber in the serving size. You can also go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Composition Database https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ for nutritional information on thousands of foods in a searchable format.
Treat Yourself!
Choose whole foods that are unprocessed and in their natural state such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins. Processed foods such as packaged cookies, crackers and other snack foods usually contain added salt, sugar, carbs, fat or preservatives.
Talk to your doctor first! If you go on a low carb diet, you may need to have your insulin adjusted.
P.s. It’s more fun to exercise with a friend.
Cast A Spell On Your Feet (in a good way!)
If you have diabetes, you will want to take care of your feet. High blood sugar can damage the nerves in your feet and cause problems with blood flow. This results in a painful “pins and needles” feeling. Possibly you totally lose the feeling in your feet unable to feel pain, pressure, heat or cold. This can result in an infected sore which you may not even know you have!
Regular foot care is necessary for people with diabetes.
Wash your feet daily with mild soap and warm water. Dry your feet thoroughly especially between the toes. It is not necessary to soak your feet too long since this contributes to dryness. Use lotions or creams on the tops and bottom of your feet but not between the toes. Trim toenails and file straight across the nail.
If you have pain in your legs or feet especially during exercise, sores that don’t heal, swelling, discoloration or dryness you should contact your doctor right away. Make sure you get your feet checked.
Wear shoes that fit well and are comfortable. You don’t want to get blisters. Cotton or wool socks are best. Don’t use a heating pad or hot water bottles on your feet. DO NOT cut or treat your corns, calluses or warts yourself. ALWAYS see your doctor for this kind of foot care. Finally, your feet should be fully covered and protected all year and do not go barefoot even at home indoors.
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