5 Tips for Healthy Eating with Diabetes
Thousands of people in the UK have diabetes. Diabetes is a condition that develops when your blood sugar (blood glucose) is elevated. Blood glucose is the primary energy source of your body, and it comes from the food you consume. If your blood sugar remains elevated for too long, you can suffer from various health problems, including heart disease, stroke, eye problems, nerve damage, etc.
Thankfully, many people can manage their diabetes without medication. Instead, they are told to eat a healthy diet. If you’ve been told to eat a healthy diet to manage your diabetes, here are some of our top tips to help you:
1. Choose the Right Foods
One of the food groups people with diabetes need to pay particular attention to is carbohydrates. This is because carbs affect glucose levels. In order to stay healthy, you will need to work out how different types of carbs affect you. As well as this, you also need to think about reducing the amount of fat and sugar you consume on a daily basis.
Choosing the right foods is not only crucial for your health but also for the future of the NHS. The NHS is doing everything possible to take care of its patients while reducing costs. This includes buying their diagnostic equipment from cheaper, trustworthy suppliers such as medical-supermarket.com. However, despite this, they are still struggling to stay afloat. Because of this, we all need to do our bit to try and stay healthy.
2. Limit Added Sugar
When you’re first diagnosed with diabetes, cutting out sugar from your diet can be difficult. To try and make this more manageable, start by making minor changes to your diet. For example, opt for sugar-free alternatives instead of consuming sugary carbonated drinks.
3. Reduce Your Salt Intake
Another condition that is closely linked to diabetes is high blood pressure. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, you are at an increased risk of stroke or heart disease. Eating lots of salt can increase your chances of developing this condition.
4. Lower Your Alcohol Intake
Many people with diabetes don’t realise the impact alcohol can have on their condition. Alcohol is extremely high in calories. As well as this, it often contains high amounts of sugar too. So, if you can, try reducing the amount of alcohol you consume.
5. Keep Moving
While this isn’t really a healthy eating tip, exercise can help you to keep your diabetes under control. You don’t have to go to the gym to do this. Instead, you can find an activity you enjoy, such as swimming or yoga, to stay fit.
As mentioned above, diabetes is a condition that can cause a range of health issues if not treated or managed correctly. The good news is that the majority of people with type 2 or gestational diabetes can manage their condition by eating a healthy diet. If you’re one of these people and want to know how to eat healthily, follow our tips above.