subject: Role of Diet and Exercise in Diabetes Treatment [print this page] Role of Diet and Exercise in Diabetes Treatment
Regular monitoring and diet play an important role in diabetes treatment. A diabetic needs to be additionally careful of their diet, health habits and overall lifestyle. They need to make the right choices so that the blood sugar levels remain in control. This will automatically help to keep the blood sugar levels in control. This is also known as glycemic index and thus reduces the complications normally associated with diabetes.
The diet of a diabetes patient plays a crucial role in taking care of the sugar levels. There are certain factors that need to be taken into consideration.
In case the patient is overweight or obese and finds it difficult to lose weight, then it is necessary that they seek professional help. They should consult a dietician or take recourse to a weight management program and thus work towards achieving their goal.
It is necessary that the patient follows a consistent diet that is of a fixed calorific value. It is necessary that the food is consumed at a fixed hour of the day. This helps the physician to prescribe the appropriate dose of insulin or medication to the individual. (Read more about insulin pumps)
The diet of the individual should be low in saturated fat and high on fiber. It should also have minimum levels of concentrated sweets.
It is necessary to maintain blood sugar levels. Extremely high or low sugar levels can end up being life-threatening for the patient.
Exercise also plays an important role in diabetes treatment. Physical activity can go a long way in controlling sugar levels and considerably reduce the chances of further complications such as stroke, blindness, leg ulcers, kidney failure and heart disease.
A 20 minute walk, thrice a week, can prove to be extremely beneficial in this regard. It is better to engage in some kind of physical activity instead of doing nothing.
If the patient suffers from several other health complications, then it is advisable to seek the help of a medical professional in determining the intensity and span of these workouts. They can thus prevent any further worsening of their physical health.
Smoking and consumption of alcohol further increasing the risk to your health. Alcohol consumption should be reduced to a minimum and completely avoided, if possible. Smoking causes damage to the blood vessels and thus further contributes to heart disease. Most physicians would recommend the patient to refrain from habits such as smoking and drinking.
