World Diabetes Day: Managing Diabetes the Right Way

World Diabetes Day is celebrated every year on the November 14 to raise the awareness of people suffering from the disease. The World Diabetes Day theme 2021-23 is access to diabetes care. As even after so many years of insulin discovery, only a few of them have access to it.

It is an occasion to demonstrate and promote support for people who have diabetes, as well as their loved ones and friends. It is also an opportunity for organisations associated with diabetes to come together to support and help people dealing with it. The essential aim of this event is to educate people on diabetes causes, symptoms, prevention, and care.

What is Diabetes?

The condition where the glucose (or sugar) levels in the blood become too high is known as diabetes. The pancreas in our body creates a hormone called insulin, that converts the glucose present in the blood into energy. When the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin, the glucose stays in the blood. This results in diabetes.

What are the Types of Diabetes?

There are mainly three types of diabetes: gestational, type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

• Gestational diabetes develops when one is pregnant, and may also affect the child’s health. It also increases the risk of the child developing the disease at later stages in life.
• Type 1 diabetes is when the body mistakenly attacks itself and stops the pancreas from creating insulin. This is also called an autoimmune reaction. 
• Type 2 diabetes is when the body is not able to use the insulin produced by the pancreas. This is also the most common type of the disease.

What You Can Do This World Diabetes Day

We understand how diabetes can change your lifestyle – the way you eat, sleep, stress, etc. But diabetes is possible to control and manage effectively while also ensuring that you enjoy your favourite foods and routines without any worry. Diabetes awareness is the first and foremost step. Which is why this World Diabetes Day, we thought of sharing some basic tips to manage diabetes.

1. Keep a Track

What are some of the things you need to do to manage your diabetes? Firstly, keep a check of your blood sugar level at least two times each day. Ideally, you should monitor your glucose level at least one hour before and one hour after your meal.

If you find that your glucose level is too high, this means that you need to make certain lifestyle modifications long with hypoglycemic drugs. It’s better to keep your glucose levels under control to prevent debilitating complications associated with diabetes.

2. Be Careful What You Eat

Secondly, be careful with what you eat. Know which foods contain high amounts of carbohydrates and how to manage diabetes by avoiding them. Instead of refined carbs, go for complex carbohydrates foods such as whole grains, peas, beans, and vegetables. Also, learn what foods trigger your symptoms so that you can work on the prevention of diabetes.

When learning how to manage diabetes, you need to be sure to avoid certain foods. Some of these are white rice, white bread, refined, canned food, etc.

3. Exercise

Exercise is crucial – it can help you improve your lifestyle and keep you on track. It will also help to maintain your weight at a healthy level. If you have been diagnosed with type one or type two diabetes, then you should dedicatedly start with an exercise program in order to help your body to adjust to its new diet. 

There are many different types of exercises you can choose from, including aerobic exercises and weight-bearing exercises.

4. Keep the Stress at Bay

Stress can increase your blood sugar. Learn coping techniques like deep breathing, gardening, meditating, working on your hobby, take a walk, meditate, or do what you like. Stress can trigger changes in blood sugar levels and makes it very difficult to manage diabetes. This World Diabetes Day, you can start meditating and journaling, and take other measures to get rid of stress.

5. Say No to Alcohol & Smoking

A healthy lifestyle is one of the most effective ways to maintain diabetes. Smoking cigarettes and consuming excessive alcohol can have adverse effects on your health. So, avoid them as much as you can. Smoking increases the insulin resistance and may put you at higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, these days, people are opting for a vegetarian diet, as meat is not only detrimental to your health but is also considered to be an unhealthy habit. There are so many healthy vegetarian recipes that can help you manage diabetes. On World Diabetes Day 2022, you can take a pledge to get rid of all unhealthy lifestyle choices. This will help you live a life free of diabetes as well as various other diseases.

Conclusion

Managing your diabetes may take some time and effort. You should not lose hope because there are things you can do to manage and improve your health. You may need to learn how to manage your blood sugar and your insulin but you will be able to do so with the help of your doctor.

Try to eat plenty of vegetables, and other foods which contain vital vitamins and nutrients. Regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle can go a long way in maintaining your diabetes. By following the advice provided here, you will be taking the first step toward learning how to manage your diabetes.

This World Diabetic Day, are you planning to execute this diabetes day theme and help people suffering from this disease? We would love to know your view on this. Feel free to share your views in the comment section below.