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| Diabetes monitoring |
Since being diagnosed with diabetes at the age of eleven, my own diet has changed dramatically. I maintain my current healthy weight with a great diet / eating plan. If you plan to lose weight by more than about a stone, then I will go to your doctor for more suggestions on how to do it without risk.
I have been diabetic for seven years now, but it would be totally wrong for me to tell you how I maintain my weight. However, I can advise you to follow my steps because I know what works and what does not. Before I really start, I must also say that I have been raised by great parents who taught me to eat everything, and so I do! If there is something you do not like, there are many other diabetes recipes and ideas that you will eat and appreciate.
I am a university student and I like to buy fresh and organic products from where I live. I believe this is important because it may be the best for your body and contains more nutrients and vitamins than most supermarket products. I like to get food from my fortnightly farmers market in the city, which sells amazing meat and dairy products and seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Another important thing to remember is that eating fruits and vegetables in their season means that they will give you good as well as taste better. As you will tell, I have a lot of influence from Western European cuisine (mainly France and Italy), but I do not claim to be a chef and everything is easy and very convenient to make.
I have read countless diet books and diabetic recipes / diet books, and I have come to the conclusion that I think it actually works. I included all the good things from the diet (but not from every diet) and put together my own in a way. I call it my juvenile diabetes healthy diet!
The "rules" I will set out are as follows:
1. Cut breakfast and then change the type of food you eat.
Definitely my biggest downfall though as it was not really clear to me. When I first started at university, my routine was very short or not, which meant it was difficult to fill my day and go to the kitchen for breakfast, no matter how healthy it was, was a regular occasion. This is one of the most difficult tasks for some people, but establishing a great routine is essential to great diabetes care. Types of snacks to eat are unsalted nuts, dried unripe fruits, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables (I like fresh red peppers and cucumber), dark chocolate (rich and good and you usually only want 2 squares).
2. Cut into white flour and take holmeal carbs.
This is the most essential part of your diet, and the thing that can show the greatest increase in weight loss. Some diets really focus on this point, and are very successful. Holmeal (especially stoneground holemeal) is great for you and has so much taste that switching is easier than you think. Most people are really surprised at the categories found in your supermarket, again remember that the bread that is best for you is the one that is the most refreshing with the least preservatives or extra ingredients. Also, brown or basmati rice are very good with a beautiful nutty texture. Whole pasta is very good and for your potatoes I would totally recommend small new potatoes.
3. Stop drinking cocktails, start drinking alcohol.
Cocktails are full of sugar, colorful and preservatives. As a student I have practiced going out and not drinking cocktails so my drink of choice is Malibu and Diet Coke if I feel like I need to drink something and I make it all night. Then I can top up with Diet Coke (which has almost no sugar) and it looks like I'm drinking Malibu, who needs to know. If you are out at a restaurant, red wine is a lot better than anything you can order, (except water, of course!) The recommended quantity is one glass a day with your evening meal. Consuming too much alcohol can also cause you to have liver damage or other problems, so if you are taking mocktails, you can replace it with some red wine.
4. Start cooking more fruits and vegetables.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. And there are so many different ways to cook vegetables, but I think raw is best and steamed after. Both these methods also retain all their natural goodness. I will follow this post with another diabetes recipe post.
5. Drink more water.
I know that you may have heard people saying this many times before, but the benefits of drinking more water are endless. Some tips on how to get more water in your day are to first put bottles of water at all places you visit at home or work. So keep one on your desk, on your desk, a glass in the kitchen, bedroom, sitting room etc. Try and drink all these glasses and you will be on the way to 8 glasses a day. The trick is to pour a glass every few days, if you try to drink all the water at once, you will not be willing to drink 8 glasses again, trust me! Go on, it's amazing how good you will feel.
6. exercise regularly
Regular exercise can help you gain and maintain normal weight and increase insulin sensitivity.
Increased insulin sensitivity means that your cells are better able to use the sugar available in your bloodstream.
Exercise also helps your muscles to use blood sugar for energy and muscle contraction.
If you have problems with blood sugar management, then you should check your levels regularly. This will help you know how you react to various activities and prevent your blood sugar level from being too high or too low.
Useful forms of exercise include weight lifting, brisk walking, running, bike riding, dancing, hiking, swimming, and more.
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