Following a low-carb diet and insulin dosage guidelines can help you control your blood glucose levels and lower your risk of developing diabetes.
To lose weight, eat a diet low in carbohydrates and avoid too much sodium. You can also adjust your insulin dose based on physical activity. You can also adjust the insulin dose if you feel hungry. Read on to learn more about these tips.
How to Control Diabetes with Diet and Exercise
Reduce sodium intake
You can significantly reduce your sodium intake by batch cooking your favorite foods. Typically, home-cooked foods have much lower sodium content than restaurant foods.
Instead of eating out, you can make your own meals using low-sodium vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. If you really crave flavor, opt for natural seasonings instead of salt, and try to reduce the number of condiments that you use.
Salt is necessary for the human body as an electrolyte, so reducing your sodium intake can help regulate your blood pressure and maintain normal muscle and nerve function. Unfortunately, most people have higher-than-recommended sodium intakes.
Sodium increases the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, so limiting your sodium intake is very important. In addition to lowering your blood pressure, eating foods low in sodium can help lower your blood sugar.
Adjust insulin dose for physical activity
If you’re a type 1 diabetic, you probably already know how important it is to adjust your insulin dose for physical activity. Despite what your doctor may tell you, it’s important to know what to do if you’re not meeting your goal blood glucose level during physical activity.
You may need to adjust your insulin dose for physical activity if you’re engaging in strenuous activity, such as weightlifting. Strength training can raise blood glucose levels and result in large counter-regulatory responses. You should also consult your physician about any restrictions or contraindications you may have, including exercise.
Generally, exercise reduces blood sugar levels. When a person is exercising, their body’s insulin receptors are stimulated, which means they use less insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels. This means a lower daily insulin dose and more carbohydrates.
In cases where exercise is short and non-strenuous, no adjustment to insulin dose is necessary. If your blood sugar levels remain stable during exercise, however, you can reduce your insulin dose.
Eat a low-carbohydrate diet
Eating a low-carbohydrate diet may be a good way to control diabetes. A study conducted by Ludwig and Lennerz examined the impact of low-carbohydrate diets on people with type 1 diabetes.
Most people followed the diet successfully, with results that showed lower HbA1C and less frequent blood sugar spikes. Other benefits of the diet included decreased diabetes-related complications and increased satisfaction.
People with diabetes should aim to get half of their daily calories from carbs. This means that they should aim for about 1,800 calories per day, of which 800 to 900 grams can be carbs.
Carbohydrate grams are measured on the Nutrition Facts label of packaged foods, but you can also use a carb-counting app to calculate your carbs more accurately.
As a rule of thumb, a carbohydrate serving is roughly 15 grams, and a small baked potato has two servings of carbs.
Reduce weight
Type 2 diabetes is a disorder in which the body is unable to process sugar properly. Risk factors include being overweight, excess body fat around the abdomen, family history, and age. Fortunately, you can control this disease with a healthy diet and exercise routine.
Here are some tips to reduce weight to control diabetes:
Eating a low-calorie, high-fiber diet is an important step to control blood sugar levels. Foods with a low glycemic index are great for lowering blood sugar levels because they stabilize blood sugar.
On the other hand, high-glycemic index foods raise blood sugar rapidly. In addition, avoiding too many high-GI foods can help you lower your risk of developing diabetes and its complications.
Check blood sugar before doing any physical activity
The most important rule when doing any physical activity to control diabetes is to check your blood sugar levels before you begin. If your glucose level is too low, you must stop exercising and eat a small snack, such as a 15-gram serving of carbohydrates.
If your blood sugar is too high, you must eat another 15-gram serving and wait at least 30 minutes before doing any physical activity again.
To avoid hypoglycemia, take a small snack with carbohydrates and protein before beginning an activity. If you plan to exercise for a long period of time, you may want to consume an extra carbohydrate-containing snack. Drink plenty of water during the activity to prevent dehydration.
In addition, make sure you wear comfortable clothes and supportive shoes and set aside a specific time each day for your activity.
Check for ketones before exercising
If you’ve been told to exercise less and check for ketones before doing so, it’s important to take the proper precautions.
Taking a urine ketone test is easy and convenient. You can pick up a kit at your local drugstore or Walgreens. If your urine is positive for ketones, wait until your blood sugar level is back to normal.
Ketones are eliminated once your blood sugar level returns to normal.
High levels of ketones can cause your muscles to malfunction. This could lead to dehydration. The highest levels of ketones can also lead to a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
If this happens, you could develop a serious medical condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis. While rare in people with Type 2 diabetes, ketones can cause dangerous effects on your body.
