Healthy Living and Fitness

Illness Care: Diabetes Type 1

Lifestyle factors

Weight Loss, Diet, and Exercise

Weight loss can reduce the need for medication as well as the risk of developing complications. Planning a diet that will provide healthy amounts of carbohydrates, protein, fats, and cholesterol and help control body weight often requires close attention from a doctor and possibly a nutritionist. A doctor can also suggest an appropriate exercise regimen.

Meal planning

When you eat, your body changes food into blood sugar. Your blood sugar goes up. A good meal plan slows this rise. The meal plan for a person with diabetes is the same as anyone else.

• Low in fat
• Has moderate amounts of protein
• Contains starches, like those in beans, vegetables and grains (such as breads, cereals, noodles and rice).

You and your dietician will work out a meal plan just for you.

Exercise.

Being active helps your cells take in blood sugar. So exercise plays a major role in your treatment plan.

Tell your doctor about the kinds of exercise you do now. If you don’t exercise, you may want to become more active. It would be great if you could be active on most days of the week for a total of 30 minutes, which can be broken down into short sessions. If you're not used to exercising start slow. Even a 5-minute walk can get you moving.

Daily Foot Care

Preventive foot care could reduce the risk of amputation by 44% to 85%. Patients inspect their feet daily and watch for changes in color or texture, odor, and firm or hardened areas, which may indicate infection and potential ulcers. When washing the feet, the water should be warm (not hot) and the feet and areas between the toes should be thoroughly dried afterward. Moisturisers should be applied, but not between the toes. Corns and calluses should be gently pumiced and toenails trimmed short and the edges filed to avoid cutting adjacent toes. Patient should not use medicated pads or try to shave the corns or calluses themselves. They should avoid high heels, sandals, flip-flops, and going barefoot. Shoes should be changed often during the day. Tight stockings or any clothing that constricts the legs and feet should be avoided. A specialist in foot care should be consulted for any problems.

 

Return to our main Healthy Living and Fitness page