I’ve been talking to people with diabetes for well over a decade. It’s not uncommon for people newly diagnosed to come to me asking for a “cure.”
Everyone is on the search for the magic pill, potion, food, etc., to cure their chronic condition. And yes, you will find people on the internet that “promise” to cure your diabetes, but they shouldn’t be trusted. I’m a health professional in the diabetes arena and even I cannot promise that to ANYONE.
I encourage my patients to look at diabetes a little differently. Instead of thinking of it as something we need to extract or get rid of, think of something you need to manage.
Managing your diabetes is like managing your bank account.
1. Your daily actions affect your diabetes
If you make prudent “spending” choices financially you are considered stable or in a good financial position. The same holds true for managing your diabetes. If you eat carbohydrates moderately, stay as active as you can, and remember to take your medication (if you are prescribed any), your health will reflect your lifestyle. If you choose to ignore your condition, stay sedentary and skip your medication, your health will most likely take a dive.
2. You should monitor it closely
Some people watch their bank account by the purchase, daily, weekly, monthly, and some not at all. You can imagine the people with a closer watch on their bank account are more mindful of changing their spending habits so as to not run out of money or go into debt. Most people don’t put money in their bank account and just forget it’s there; that wouldn’t end well for them.
Similarly, monitoring your diabetes should take a similar amount of awareness. If your diabetes is well managed, you may only have to check your blood sugar at doctors appointments or occasionally at home. But for the rest of us who have large blood sugar fluctuations that we cannot easily control, monitoring them more closely can give us the evidence to make changes to our actions and thus improve our numbers. If we’re running high, we can hydrate, eat a smaller carbohydrate meal, go for a walk, or ask our doctor for changes to our medication regimen.
3. Your expenditures/savings will affect how you live
If your bank account is in the red, you’ve over spent and your savings are drained. You’ll be stressed and without money.
If you overspend by eating carbohydrates routinely and don’t moderate your intake, your blood sugars will be higher and your health will suffer. If you choose to moderate your intake, save up some of your carbohydrate allowance, you’ll notice your blood sugar numbers will get better, you may lose weight, and you’ll feel better overall.
So please remember, ignorance is not bliss, not in regards to your bank account or your health.
Your actions can move you closer to your health goals or push you further away. It’s vital to monitor ourselves so we know which direction we are going.
And lastly, being a glutton or a miser is not fun on either end of the spectrum.
Moderation is the key to living a healthy life.
If you need any support managing your diabetes, book a session with one of our Registered Dietitians!
