Did you know that 8.1 million diabetes cases out of the 29.1 million people that have diabetes don’t know it? That’s 9.3% of the U.S. population that have the disease. The 8.1 million could be harming their body while continuing to leave their blood sugar levels out of control.
Untreated diabetes takes a toll on your heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves, as well as your gums and teeth. Unfortunately the symptoms are so minimal at first that it is hard to detect. With type 2 people often don’t know until there are problems from long term damage already caused by the disease. With type 1 symptoms come on faster and are much more severe. Early symptoms can be slow healing sores or cuts, pain or numbness in feet or legs, unplanned weight loss, as well as nausea and vomiting. Common symptoms for both types are hunger and fatigue, peeing more often and being thirstier, dry mouth and itchy skin, and blurred vision.
There are ways to keep your blood sugar under control and to stay healthy though. Here’s a list from Today.com:
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Monitor your blood glucose levels
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Take medication as directed by your doctor
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Maintain a healthy weight
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Exercise! Aim for at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week.
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Keep a food record
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Quit Smoking
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Drink alcohol in moderation (if at all!)
These things along with eating a healthy diet are essential. Often times there are simple things that you can do in your diet that make what you are already eating healthier. Try exchanging croutons on a salad for toasted walnuts or instead of the ranch dressing try a vinaigrette. There are several small changes like these that can effect your blood sugar levels. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above you should consult a doctor and if you aren’t it’s never a bad time to start eating healthier and adding exercise to your daily routine.
Read the full Today article HERE