healthy blood

To snack or not to snack with diabetes The once widely given advice that people with diabetes need to eat three small meals and three snacks each day is no longer true. That advice dates back to older medications and the potential for hypoglycemia. The Science Research shows that some people can control their calories better with between-meal snacks, yet other studies find that frequent snacking can lead to excess calories. If your glucose is running too low, talk with your provider about a medication change rather than continuing to snack or overeat to prevent lows. Bottom line Whether or not you fit snacks into your eating plan should be based on how you can best follow a healthy eating plan.

Stress can be a surprisingly powerful driver of your blood glucose levels. Most people see stress raise their blood sugar while others can see stress lower it.Why it works Of the components of the food you eat, fiber is the only one that doesnt break down and get absorbed into your system. There are two types of fiber insoluble, which whisks material through your digestive system, and soluble, which slows the absorption of glucose. Experts recommend a high-fiber diet to people who have and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

The Science Numerous studies suggest that not getting enough sleep and/or having interrupted sleep may worsen control of diabetes and increase overeating, says Carol Touma, M.D., an endocrinologist who focuses on sleep research and metabolism at the University of Chicago. In recent years, a connection has been drawn between people who are overweight and have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea. Three-quarters of people with type 2 diabetes have sleep apnea, which causes brief interruptions in breathing during sleep that disturb sleep patterns. In the Trenches Work on getting a sufficient amount of deep sleep to feel rested. This may require you to think about your routine and how you unwind and ready your body for sleep. If you consistently wake up feeling tired and just dont feel you are getting good sleep, talk to your health care provider about being tested for sleep apnea. Two healthy lifestyle actions can improve your sleep quality moving more and losing a few pounds.

Ate too much, missed your walk, or didnt check your blood sugar? With countless diabetes to-dos, its easy to slip up. Rather than beating yourself up for yesterdays mishaps, misadventures, or didnt-dos, take the opportunity to learn from your past actions as you seek to change your ways for the future.The Science Animals learn quickly. A rat presses a button with its nose and gets a shock. The rats solution? Dont press the button again. Humans dont learn so quickly and arent so simplistic in our actions and reactions.