Tips for a Healthy Diabetic Lifestyle

1. Do not obsess about what you think is you ideal weight.
2. Concentrate on loosing 10 pounds over a 3 to 6 month period and keeping it off.
3. Make sure the breads you purchase and eat are really whole wheat. If it does not have whole wheat listed as the first ingredient it is simply white bread in disguise.
4. Anything that make your pulse rate rise and makes you breath harder is consider aerobic. Such activities may include, swimming, walking, dancing, and biking to name a few. Find something that you enjoy and do it for 30 minutes , three or four times a week.
5. Check your blood sugar levels before and after working out. If you decide to work out for more than one hour check the levels during your workout also.
6. Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables and yellow fruits and vegetables. These are good for your heart and can help prevent cancer.
7. Watch our for dishes like potato salad, pasta salad, and creamy soups; and choose low fat or fat free salad dressing when eating at salad bars.
8. When taking extended car trips, avoid high or low blood sugars. Check your levels every 2 to 4 hours. Always keep some form of sugar with you, it doesn't matter if it is glucose tablets, regular soda or candy.
9. Have your lipids (blood fats or cholesterol) checked at least once a year.
   HDL cholesterol is healthy you want your numbers to be high.
   LDL cholesterol is not good so you would want your levels to be low when checked.
10. Eat more beans (kidney, pinto, etc.) they are good alternatives for meat and provide protein and fiber with no saturated fat or cholesterol.
11. Keep healthy snack handy, a delayed meal can happen any time, so keep snacks in your briefcase, glove compartment or pocketbook.In addition to your regular doctor, have someone that that you can contact on short notice to discuss problems or questions that may arise .
12. Drinking less alcohol, quit smoking and get more exercise.
13. Make an appointment with your pharmacist for a pill check to make sure that you are not taking a drug that could react with another drug you are taking.
14. Make a back up plan of thing you will do when you are tempted to overeat or smoke.
15. Two tablespoons of salad dressing can add up to 150-200 calories to a salad. Instead, choose low calorie dressing or add a little oil and vinegar.
16. When you eat out ask for a to go box and put half of it in the box tucked out of eight.
17. Control the portion size of your meals.
18. Cut the fat in at least one meal a day.
19. Keep track of the total grams of fiber you eat a day. You should get around 25-35 grams a day.
20. See your physician at least twice a year.
21. Use a pill organizer to help you remember to take your medication as prescribed.
22. Instead of eating rice, try couscous or quinoa (KWEEN-wa).
23. Eat avocados, olives and almonds. Small amounts give your body the good fat that it needs.