To your health! Enjoying a drink with diabetes
Any time you get together with friends or family, especially during the holidays, you may feel inclined to raise a glass. Why not? Living with diabetes does not mean you can't enjoy a cocktail or some champagne. Just know how alcohol can affect your blood sugar numbers or interact with insulin or medications before you start pouring, so you can avoid any surprises. Nobody wants a holiday low Drinking alcohol can affect you in a few ways: When your liver is processing alcohol, it does not produce sugar to regulate your blood...
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Ah... Ah... Choo!
Every year we cross our fingers, hoping we’ll be spared. The common cold and influenza have a nasty reputation and with good reason. Who can stand a runny nose or a hacking cough? Both infections are common and relatively harmless, but they still have to be closely monitored in people living with diabetes. A few facts Colds and influenza are viral infections affecting the respiratory tract. The common cold is relatively mundane and is generally over in ten days. The...
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Putting your best foot forward!
In the long run, the hyperglycemia that characterizes diabetes ends up affecting the nerves (in what is known as neuropathy) and the blood vessels, especially the capillaries. This results in a loss of sensitivity and a decrease in the natural hydration of the feet, which leads to dry skin, cracks and calluses. This means that not only are you more likely to injure your feet and not realize it right away, but you heal more slowly, and your wounds are more likely to become infected. How do you prevent problems? ...
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The Art Of Food Swapping
You know you shouldn’t, but the temptation is too strong. You run the numbers in your head. You try resisting a little… but then you forfeit. As you know, some foods don’t go very well with diabetes. The problem is that they are awfully tempting. However, there are ways for you to eat delicious food while keeping your blood sugar under control. Here are a few tips! Feel like having pizza? Pizza is far from being diabetes’s best friend, but you can limit the damage by swapping salted meats, such as pepperoni and...
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How to be more eco-friendly
Diabetes is by no means easy on the planet. It generates a lot of waste - for example, used lancets, product packaging and unused medications. That said, why not limit the damage by adopting more responsible practices in your everyday life? Here are a few easy tips to get started! Give pill bottles a second life. Most pill bottles are recyclable, but plastic number 6 sometimes isn’t (you’ll find this number on the bottom of the bottle, outlined by a recycling triangle). Another option: your empty containers are perfect for storing cotton swabs, loose change and...
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Five Little Mistakes Everyone Makes
Managing diabetes is quite the juggling act. Between your treatments, your busy schedule and your blood glucose measurements, it’s normal to sometimes run out of time or forget a few details. So don’t beat yourself up if you make one of the small mistakes listed below. Of course, if you can avoid them, all the better! 1- Skipping breakfast. After a night of sleep, your blood sugar level is usually higher, and your body needs fuel. Plan quick and healthy meal options for chaotic mornings: oatmeal, fruits and whole grain cereals, for example. 2- Guessing the carbs. By now...
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Diabetes And Sexual Health
In a society where sex is omnipresent, it’s surprising to realize that it’s still a taboo topic. Although we openly discuss about many of the complications of diabetes, there’s very little talk about sexual problems, which occur more frequently and earlier in people living with diabetes. When desire flags Blood glucose levels are sometimes behind this, especially if they’ve been poorly managed for years. The inflammation, nerve damage and circulatory problems caused by improper blood glucose management can hinder libido. There’s...
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Driving With Diabetes
For many people, driving means being free to go wherever they want, whenever they want. When you’re behind the wheel, that freedom comes with responsibilities. What does this mean for someone living with diabetes? Driving-related risks According to guidelines published by Diabetes Canada, one major risk associated with driving is hypoglycemia that’s not detected in time. It causes a variety of symptoms that make traffic violations and accidents much more likely: tremors, loss of focus, drowsiness, blurred vision, dizziness, and so on....
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8 Diabetes Hacks You Can Try Today
The diabetes community is great at sharing—especially when they come up with an idea for making life a little easier. Consider these tricks for managing your health and your gear. Show emergency information on a locked phone. You may have your ICE (in case of emergency) contact noted in your phone, but that doesn't help if emergency workers can't unlock it. For Apple devices, important information that has been entered into the health app, such as health conditions, allergies and emergency contacts, can be accessed without unlocking. Android phones running on Android...
Read MorePages
Ah... Ah... Choo!
Every year we cross our fingers, hoping we’ll be spared. The common cold and influenza have a nasty reputation and with good reason. Who can stand a runny nose or a hacking cough? Both infections are common and relatively harmless, but they still have to be closely monitored in people living with diabetes. A few facts Colds and influenza are viral infections affecting the respiratory tract. The common cold is relatively mundane and is generally over in ten days. The...
Read More Putting your best foot forward!
In the long run, the hyperglycemia that characterizes diabetes ends up affecting the nerves (in what is known as neuropathy) and the blood vessels, especially the capillaries. This results in a loss of sensitivity and a decrease in the natural hydration of the feet, which leads to dry skin, cracks and calluses. This means that not only are you more likely to injure your feet and not realize it right away, but you heal more slowly, and your wounds are more likely to become infected. How do you prevent problems? ...
Read More The Art Of Food Swapping
You know you shouldn’t, but the temptation is too strong. You run the numbers in your head. You try resisting a little… but then you forfeit. As you know, some foods don’t go very well with diabetes. The problem is that they are awfully tempting. However, there are ways for you to eat delicious food while keeping your blood sugar under control. Here are a few tips! Feel like having pizza? Pizza is far from being diabetes’s best friend, but you can limit the damage by swapping salted meats, such as pepperoni and...
Read More How to be more eco-friendly
Diabetes is by no means easy on the planet. It generates a lot of waste - for example, used lancets, product packaging and unused medications. That said, why not limit the damage by adopting more responsible practices in your everyday life? Here are a few easy tips to get started! Give pill bottles a second life. Most pill bottles are recyclable, but plastic number 6 sometimes isn’t (you’ll find this number on the bottom of the bottle, outlined by a recycling triangle). Another option: your empty containers are perfect for storing cotton swabs, loose change and...
Read More Five Little Mistakes Everyone Makes
Managing diabetes is quite the juggling act. Between your treatments, your busy schedule and your blood glucose measurements, it’s normal to sometimes run out of time or forget a few details. So don’t beat yourself up if you make one of the small mistakes listed below. Of course, if you can avoid them, all the better! 1- Skipping breakfast. After a night of sleep, your blood sugar level is usually higher, and your body needs fuel. Plan quick and healthy meal options for chaotic mornings: oatmeal, fruits and whole grain cereals, for example. 2- Guessing the carbs. By now...
Read More Diabetes And Sexual Health
In a society where sex is omnipresent, it’s surprising to realize that it’s still a taboo topic. Although we openly discuss about many of the complications of diabetes, there’s very little talk about sexual problems, which occur more frequently and earlier in people living with diabetes. When desire flags Blood glucose levels are sometimes behind this, especially if they’ve been poorly managed for years. The inflammation, nerve damage and circulatory problems caused by improper blood glucose management can hinder libido. There’s...
Read More Driving With Diabetes
For many people, driving means being free to go wherever they want, whenever they want. When you’re behind the wheel, that freedom comes with responsibilities. What does this mean for someone living with diabetes? Driving-related risks According to guidelines published by Diabetes Canada, one major risk associated with driving is hypoglycemia that’s not detected in time. It causes a variety of symptoms that make traffic violations and accidents much more likely: tremors, loss of focus, drowsiness, blurred vision, dizziness, and so on....
Read More 8 Diabetes Hacks You Can Try Today
The diabetes community is great at sharing—especially when they come up with an idea for making life a little easier. Consider these tricks for managing your health and your gear. Show emergency information on a locked phone. You may have your ICE (in case of emergency) contact noted in your phone, but that doesn't help if emergency workers can't unlock it. For Apple devices, important information that has been entered into the health app, such as health conditions, allergies and emergency contacts, can be accessed without unlocking. Android phones running on Android...
Read More