You’ll hear a lot about deadly diseases out there like cancer, and even some types of influenza, but diabetes has taken a back seat in terms of importance. If you’re one of the many people who have diabetes, then you know this disease takes a back seat for no one. Read this article and use these tips to help manage your lifestyle.

To go trick-or-treating, or not to go? That is a very tough question for the parent of a Diabetic child. The fact is that your child is never going to eat all that candy or else they’ll lapse into a coma. Instead, why not have a party at your house for all the kids in your neighborhood?

If you’re craving french fries but are watching your weight due to Diabetes, try sweet potato fries! Slice up a sweet potato and sprinkle salt, pepper, and other spices on it (Cajun spice mix also works well.) Bake it at 425 for about 30 minutes and you’ll have sweet, scrumptious fries to eat!

If you’re going to go a non-traditional route for your diabetes treatment, continue to be under the supervision of a doctor. Make sure to visit him at least every 3 months, so he can check your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. He should also test your organ functions, at the intervals he sets for you.

Keep track of your blood sugar levels in a log book, so you know where you’ve been and how you’re doing currently. If you can’t afford enough test strips to check multiple times a day, check at a variety of different times, so that you can get an idea of how your sugar is going throughout a typical day.

Check you cholesterol level as well as blood pressure! If you have Diabetes, blood sugar is not the only thing you need to keep and eye on. Diabetes can increase the likelihood of bad cholesterol being high in your blood, so you need to keep track of that – even if you’re not eating – fatty fried foods. Blood pressure can also be increased, leading to headaches, faintness, and even strokes.

Skip the sauces and go for spices to lose weight and keep your Diabetes under control. Spices add a ton of flavor to any food without adding sugar, carbohydrates, or fat, so call on them when you’re cooking. Even a salad can be made zippier with simple vinegar, oil, and a handful of rosemary and oregano!

Think about what you drink. Diabetics need to be careful of everything they ingest, so don’t forget to monitor the nutrition data and ingredients on the items your drinking. Juice, for example, is very high in sugar, so you should drink it in moderation. Milk can be high in fat, so stick to skim.

The website Act1diabetes.org can help Diabetics with low incomes swap out their Diabetic supplies for new ones. It’s free for people who can’t afford to pay even a discounted price for the service, so look into it if you are having problems financially or have a limited income at the moment.

Diabetics can help to avoid drastic changes in post-workout glucose levels by taking added steps to monitor their levels, as often as 45 minutes following a particularly rigorous exercise routine. Because glucose levels can continue to drop for an entire day after workouts, this will keep you from being caught unaware.

Here is a tip that benefits not only someone with diabetes, but anyone else. Regular exercise is important to maintain a healthy body weight, as exercise burns off excess body fat. Aerobic exercises such as jogging and cycling are good for increasing the heart rate to burn off fat.

If you have diabetes, it can be difficult to go out to eat. Research menus ahead of time so that you can plan your meal. If a menu is not available online, you can stop by the restaurant ahead of time and ask for a copy, or you can call and have it read to you by phone. Knowing what the restaurant serves will help you to become more prepared for how you can eat healthy at the restaurant.

A common diabetic myth is that you have to avoid sugar. You don’t have to get rid of sugar altogether, you just have to be wise about it. An occasional sweet dessert eaten in a small amount is allowable. When you do eat sweets, remember that you are eating more carbs, so on a day when you are going to have dessert, it is a good idea to lessen your carbohydrates.

Taking care of your teeth is extremely important when you have diabetes. When you have high levels of glucose in your system, you will also have that in your saliva which will bring about tooth decay. When you have diabetes, it is harder for you to fight any type of infection, so if you get gum disease it will be more serious than if a healthy person develops it.

If you struggle with diabetes, be sure to check your glucose levels carefully after any intense exercise. Your body can burn glucose for up to twenty four hours after you have done rigorous exercise. If your body does not have enough sugar readily available, it will begin to take sugar from your bloodstream, resulting in low blood sugar .

To be sensitive to those with diabetes, use diabetic friendly recipes anytime you have guests over and you are cooking. Instead of asking if anyone has diabetes, just assume everyone at the table does. Even non-diabetics are sure to enjoy tasty yet healthy cooking that leaves them feeling great but not bloated.

As you read in the opening, diabetes isn’t one of the more important diseases out there in the mainstream. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be incredibly important to you, especially if you have the disease. Just getting by isn’t enough. You can thrive with this disease if you use tips like the ones you just read.