Diabetes Educational Resources
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Monitor Blood Glucose Levels
Blood glucose monitoring is a critical part of every diabetes management plan.
Regular self-monitoring can provide important information on how daily management plans are working to control blood glucose levels.
Benefits Of Regular Self-Monitoring Include:
- Achieving a better understanding of diabetes and how to improve glucose control
- Recognizing patterns in blood glucose levels and understanding the cause for changes
- Preventing the occurrence of high and low blood glucose levels
Helpful Testing Tips
When testing, it is important to get a proper blood sample.
- Read instructions. Learn how to properly use a lancing device.
- Adjust depth setting on the lancing device to comfortably get a usable sample on first try.
- Use a new lancet every test to prevent infection and reduce discomfort.
Types of Lancets
Lancets Single-use lancets are made for one use and should be disposed of in a sharps container according to local regulations.
Safety Lancets Safety lancets are spring-loaded and auto-retract, and are meant for single-use. Healthcare professionals usually use safety lancets to reduce the risk of infection between patients.
Eat Right
Learning how to eat right is an important part of controlling your diabetes. This section will provide tips on healthy eating, weight control, recipes and special diets. Remember, eating healthy is not just for people with diabetes.
Eat smaller portions. Learn what a serving size is for different foods and how many servings you need in a meal.
Eat less fat. Choose fewer high-fat foods and use less fat for cooking. You especially want to limit foods that are high in saturated fats or trans fat, such as:
- Fatty cuts of meat.
- Fried Foods
- Whole milk and dairy products made from whole milk.
- Cakes, candy, cookies, crackers, and pies.
- Salad dressings.
- Lard, shortening, stick margarine, and nondairy creamers.
Eat more fiber by eating more whole-grain foods. Whole grains can be found in:
- Breakfast cereals made with 100% whole grains.
- Oatmeal.
- Whole grain rice.
- Whole-wheat bread, bagels, pita bread, and tortillas.
Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit and 100% fruit juices most of the time. Eat plenty of veggies like these:
- Dark green veggies (e.g., broccoli, spinach, brussels sprouts).
- Orange veggies (e.g., carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash).
- Beans and peas (e.g., black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils).
Eat fewer foods that are high in sugar, such as:
- Fruit-flavored drinks.
- Sodas.
- Tea or coffee sweetened with sugar.
Use less salt in cooking and at the table. Eat fewer foods that are high in salt, such as:
- Canned and package soups.
- Canned vegetables.
- Pickles.
- Processed meats.
Stay Active
Physical activity can help you control your blood glucose, weight, and blood pressure, as well as raise your “good” cholesterol and lower your “bad” cholesterol. It can also help prevent heart and blood flow problems, reducing your risk of heart disease and nerve damage, which are often problems for people with diabetes.
Experts recommend moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week. Some examples of moderate-intensity physical activity are walking briskly, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming, or bicycling.
If you are not accustomed to physical activity, you may want to start with a little exercise, and work your way up. As you become stronger, you can add a few extra minutes to your physical activity. Do some physical activity every day. It’s better to walk 10 or 20 minutes each day than one hour once a week.
Walking vigorously, hiking, climbing stairs, swimming, aerobics, dancing, bicycling, skating, skiing, tennis, basketball, volleyball, or other sports are just some examples of physical activity that will work your large muscles, increase your heart rate, and make you breathe harder – important goals for fitness.
In addition, strength training exercises with hand weights, elastic bands, or weight machines can help you build muscle. Stretching helps to make you flexible and prevent soreness after other types of exercise.
Do physical activities you really like. The more fun you have, the more likely you will do it each day. It can be helpful to exercise with a family member or friend.
Exercise is very important for people with diabetes to stay healthy, but there are a few things to watch out for.
You should avoid some kinds of physical activity if you have certain diabetes complications. Exercise involving heavy weights may be bad for people with blood pressure, blood vessel, or eye problems. Diabetes-related nerve damage can make it hard to tell if you’ve injured your feet during exercise, which can lead to more serious problems. If you do have diabetes complications, your health care provider can tell you which kinds of physical activity would be best for you. Fortunately, there are many different ways to get exercise.
Physical activity can lower your blood glucose too much, causing hypoglycemia, especially in people who take insulin or certain oral medications. Hypoglycemia can happen at the time you’re exercising, just afterward, or even up to a day later. You can get shaky, weak, confused, irritable, anxious, hungry, tired, or sweaty. You can get a headache, or even lose consciousness.
To help prevent hypoglycemia during physical activity, check your blood glucose before you exercise. If it’s below 100, have a small snack. In addition, bring food or glucose tablets with you when you exercise just in case. It is not good for people with diabetes to skip meals at all, but especially not prior to exercise. After you exercise, check to see how it has affected your blood glucose level. If you take insulin, ask your health care provider if there is a preferable time of day for you to exercise, or whether you should change your dosage before physical activity, before beginning an exercise regimen.
On the other hand, you should not exercise when your blood glucose is very high because your level could go even higher. Do not exercise if your blood glucose is above 300, or your fasting blood glucose is above 250 and you have ketones in your urine.
When you exercise, wear cotton socks and athletic shoes that fit well and are comfortable. After you exercise, check your feet for sores, blisters, irritation, cuts, or other injuries.
Drink plenty of fluids during physical activity, since your blood glucose can be affected by dehydration.
Talk to your health care provider about a safe exercise plan. He or she may check your heart and your feet to be sure you have no special problems. If you have high blood pressure, eye, or foot problems, you may need to avoid some kinds of exercise.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body turns food into energy.
Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin, which acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.
If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream, which over time can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but healthy lifestyle habits, taking medicine as needed, getting diabetes self-management education, and keeping appointments with your health care team can greatly reduce its impact on your life.
Types of Diabetes
There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant).
Prediabetes
In the US, 96 million adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes, and more than 80% of them don’t know they have it. Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes increases your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. But through the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program, you can learn practical, real-life changes that can cut your risk for developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 58% (71% if you’re 60 or older).
- More than 37 million US adults have diabetes, and 1 in 5 of them don’t know they have it.
- Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States.
- Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult blindness.
- In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled.
You're at risk for developing prediabetes if you:
- Are overweight
- Are 45 years or older
- Have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
- Are physically active less than 3 times a week
- Have ever had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
- Are African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, or Alaska Native (some Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans are also at higher risk)
You can prevent or reverse prediabetes with simple, proven lifestyle changes such as losing weight if you're overweight, eating healthier, and getting regular physical activity.
You're at risk for developing type 2 diabetes if you:
- Have prediabetes
- Are overweight
- Are 45 years or older
- Have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
- Are physically active less than 3 times a week
- Have ever had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
- Are African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, or Alaska Native (some Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans are also at higher risk)
You can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with simple, proven lifestyle changes such as losing weight if you're overweight, eating healtheir, and getting regular physical activity.
Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes are not as clear as for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Known risk factors include:
- Family history: Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 1 diabetes.
- Age: You can get type 1 diabetes at any age, but it’s more likely to develop when you’re a child, teen, or young adult.
In the United States, whites are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes than African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes.
You're at risk for developing gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant) if you:
- Had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy
- Have given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
- Are overweight
- Are more than 25 years old
- Have a family history of type 2 diabetes
- Have a hormone disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Are African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander
Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born but increases your risk for type 2 diabetes later in life. Your baby is more likely to become obese as a child or teen, and is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life too.
Before you get pregnant, you may be able to prevent gestational diabetes by losing weight if you’re overweight, eating healthier, and getting regular physical activity.
Diabetes Products Online Deals
Rite Aid has everything you need to manage diabetes Type 1 and Type 2 as well as pre-diabetes care.
These articles are intended for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and are not intended to treat or cure any disease. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in these articles. Advances in medicine may cause this information to become outdated, invalid, or subject to debate. Professional opinions and interpretations of scientific literature may vary. Consult your healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise or medication regimen.
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