Blood sugar levels can change quickly, depending on what you eat, when you eat, insulin used and your level of exertion. Eating healthy every day is vital if you have diabetes to prevent the long-term effects of uncontrolled blood sugar levels. While it may be challenging, your diabetic care and meal plans should be the number one priority on your daily agenda.
Significance
The deleterious effects of constant spikes and dips in your blood glucose are generally not apparent for many years. This can give you a false sense of good health because you are not suffering from lifestyle-changing signs and symptoms, such as blurred vision or excessive plaque build-up on your teeth. Keeping your blood sugar steady throughout the day, every single day, delays or prevents the onset of diabetic complications that take years to develop.
Cardiovascular Disease
Having diabetes places you at greater risk for developing high blood cholesterol and circulation problems. Your bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol, carriers become smaller and more dense, making them more adept at depositing cholesterol on the walls of your arteries. This means plaque will grow faster, obstructing blood flow to your organs and limbs. Poor circulation in your feet makes it difficult for your body to fight infections from cuts, heal wounds properly and keep your feet and toes warm. Furthermore, you will experience plenty of pain in your calves when you walk on hard surfaces, up a hill or when you are walking quickly.
Kidney Problems
Prolonged, high levels of sugar in your blood can damage the blood vessels in your kidneys, eventually leading to kidney disease. This condition is exacerbated if you also develop high blood pressure from hardened arteries. Undetected kidney disease can result in kidney failure in which you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Nerve Complications
Uncontrolled blood sugar damages your nerves. Nerve damage may occur in the nerves supplying your heart, digestive tract, eyes and urinary system. You may not feel a cut to your skin because of nerve damage, increasing your risk of serious infection because the cut will go untreated for some time. An infected cut can quickly become gangrenous in diabetics, due to poor circulation, and gangrene can lead to amputated limbs.
Considerations
Consuming small meals every two to three hours will help you control your blood sugar levels. Your meals should consist of slow-digesting, low-glycemic index foods such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, nuts, beans, lean protein, unsaturated oils, vegetables and sugar-free dairy foods. Low-glycemic foods are foods that cause only a minimal rise in blood sugar. Additionally, you should monitor your blood glucose levels before, during and after increased levels of physical activity so you know if you should eat carbs or take your insulin. The goal is to keep your blood sugar steady.
References
- Kids Health: Long-Term Complications of Diabetes; Steven Dowshen; October 2010
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Enhancing Insulin Action with Physical Activity to Prevent and Control Diabetes; Sheri R. Colberg, Ph.D.; March/April 2008
- American Diabetes Association: Foot Complications
- American Diabetes Association: Treating High Cholesterol in People with Diabetes
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Glycemic Index: An Educational Tool for Health and Fitness Professionals; Stephen Wong, Ph.D., et al.; November/December 2003
