Health Science | Self-management for patients with diabetes

Health Science | Self-management for patients with diabetes

Tongling Disease Control

World Diabetes Day (WDD) was jointly initiated by the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation in 1991. It is held on November 14th every year with the aim of raising global awareness and consciousness about diabetes.

Controlling diet, exercising properly, and taking medication correctly are the three elements of diabetes management

Only when diet, exercise, and medication work well together can we truly manage diabetes and keep blood sugar levels stable. Let’s talk about these “three pillars” below.

1. Control your diet

The balanced diet of a normal adult in a day is as follows

Eat a light diet every day, control the amount of oil, salt and sugar, do not drink alcohol, and avoid sugar and saturated fat.

1. First of all, the staple food should ensure that the energy provided by carbohydrates accounts for 45% to 60% of the total energy. It is recommended to match the staple food with coarse and fine grains, with fine grains such as white rice, macaroni, white bread and coarse grains such as brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, corn grits, highland barley, quinoa, etc. accounting for half each.

2. Meat: Meat must be included in the diet of diabetic patients. Meat is a high-quality protein with a higher utilization rate in the body, which is better than soy product protein. Therefore, diabetic patients must eat meat. White meat is better than red meat: fish and shrimp>chicken and duck>lean beef and mutton>pork. No more than 3 taels a day is appropriate.

3. It is recommended to use oils containing unsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil, camellia oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil and nuts. Generally speaking, unsaturated fatty acids account for no more than 10% of the daily energy, 20 to 25g per day, and cooking oil is sufficient.

4. Vegetables and fruits Vegetables and fruits mainly provide dietary fiber and vitamins. It is recommended to eat 300-500g of fresh green leafy vegetables and 200-350g of colorful fruits every day.

2. Healthy Exercise

For diabetic patients, the first thing to do is to assess whether they are suitable for exercise. Not all patients are suitable for exercise, and not all patients are suitable for high-intensity exercise. Therefore, the effect of exercise should not be overemphasized, and the consequences of blind exercise may do more harm than good. Please remember the four numbers "1, 3, 5, 7": exercise at least once a day; exercise continuously for no less than 30 minutes; ensure exercise 5 days a week; the appropriate heart rate during exercise is 170-age. The algorithm for exercise heart rate is: count the pulse (heart rate) for 15 seconds just after the exercise, and then multiply it by 4 to get the pulse for 1 minute. If the time after exercise is a little longer, add 10 to the pulse number found, which is the heart rate during exercise. Diabetic patients should do moderate to light aerobic exercise, and the exercise time should be controlled within 45 minutes. In addition, patients with myocardial infarction cannot perform medium to high-intensity exercise.

2. Take medicine correctly

Some patients will adjust the dosage of medicine by themselves, thinking that they can take medicine if they eat too much at this meal, and not take medicine if they eat too little at the next meal. This is wrong. Taking medicine regularly is very important for blood sugar control. If you need to adjust the medication, you must do so under the guidance of a doctor. Irregular medication will cause blood sugar fluctuations, which will cause damage to the body's organs and accelerate the occurrence of complications.

Kind tips

The vast majority of diabetes patients in my country are caused by factors such as aging and unhealthy lifestyles. If you can eat a reasonable diet, exercise moderately, quit smoking and limit alcohol, and maintain a balanced mindset, you will have the golden key to health. If you want to stay away from diabetes, you must focus on developing healthy living habits and life awareness!