Dealing with diabetes requires taking certain deliberate steps to live a healthy life. The condition—which triggers high spikes in blood sugar—can quickly worsen and cause further complications when left untreated.

In certain cases, people with diabetes simply opt for basic diabetes management tips. These tips are usually implemented when diabetes is in its early stage. Namely, people try to control what they eat, sleep better, reduce stress, and exercise.

These methods usually work and keep diabetes symptoms and possible complications at bay. However, if the condition worsens or when these methods don’t significantly improve the condition, visiting a diabetes specialist becomes the more viable option.

This guide aims to help people with diabetes know when to visit a doctor or health expert for their diabetes condition.

When to See a Specialist

When it comes to diabetes, there are proven DIY methods that can help you handle the condition without the need for a doctor’s involvement. Patients can refer to many expert resources to get all they need from the internet.

However, there are times when it’s important to see a diabetes doctor or expert specialist. The diabetes condition doesn’t have to get worse or out of hand before you seek the help of a specialist.

One of the major reasons is that diabetes management tips employed at home no longer work properly in controlling blood sugar. If new symptoms appear during self-management, you should meet a doctor to help you with better management.

Still, this isn’t the only reason you should seek a medical doctor. You should see a specialist if you experience any of the following:

  • A risk factor that could make diabetes quickly metamorphose into a bigger life-threatening complication
  • Symptoms that disappear and reappear
  • A need for complex treatments and management 
  • Difficulty in getting the desired treatment that ensures proper insulin levels

The list also goes on to include those that:

  • have better treatments suggested for their condition, and
  • seek to participate in supposed new experiments that could improve their condition.

Doctors for Diabetes

doctors for diabetes

While it may look like there’s an obvious choice when seeking a specialist for expert management and care for diabetes, the reality is that it’s not so obvious. Certain symptoms of the condition may require you to see a specialist that may not even have very good knowledge about diabetes.

At the early stage of your condition, meeting a specified diabetes specialist or endocrinologist may not be necessary. A primary care physician will be more likely to handle the condition effectively and recommend better treatment options to patients.


In certain instances, a general health specialist and an endocrinologist may not be a perfect choice; for example, when the diabetes symptoms or complications aren’t within the scope of their expertise. Therefore, other healthcare players will naturally become the preferred option. In essence, the aim is to ensure that people with the condition get the highest quality care when they visit a doctor.


General Health Physicians


Your general health physician is the first doctor to discover your diabetes. If you have symptoms of diabetes or you have a family member who had diabetes, and you want to know your status, it’ll be wise to share your concerns with your general health physician. The physician will teach you how to care for your diabetes and support you while managing diabetes.


You’ll need to find out about the type of diabetes you have by testing the sugar level in your blood. The physician will also help determine if it’s pre-diabetes that you have, which increases your risk of having heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. To assess your diabetes diagnosis, the physician will recommend tests like:

  • glucose tolerance test,
  • A1C test,
  • fasting blood sugar, and
  • a random blood sugar test.

Suppose your results indicate that you have diabetes or have pre-diabetes. In that case, your physician will give you a list of lifestyle changes that you need to improve your health or recommend that you see an endocrinologist.


Endocrinologists


Endocrinologists specialize in hormones and gland treatments. These health specialists usually focus on the appropriate functioning of the body’s metabolism and all biochemical process and reactions. Due to their deep understanding and expertise on human hormones and metabolism, endocrinologists know how the human body utilizes food.


Suffice to say, endocrinologists are the most advanced diabetes care specialists. More particularly, they have experience with everything that has to deal with the condition symptoms and complications.


Diabetes develops when there’s a disruption in the appropriate amount of insulin the pancreas produces — the pancreas is a gland, while insulin is a hormone. Endocrinologists study and conduct tests on insulin levels and can help people with diabetes determine if their pancreas functions adequately and produces as much insulin as possible.


The endocrinologist gives all diabetics patients the most advanced diabetes management and treatment solutions that support healthy blood sugars production. They’re the preferred choice when the diabetic’s condition may have worsened.

An endocrinologist that focuses on kids is called a pediatric endocrinologist.

Visiting a Diabetes Doctor

Discussing your diabetes even with your familiar family doctor isn’t an easy task. There are various ways to communicate effectively with your doctor to get the most out of the visit. The average visit to the doctor usually takes about 20 minutes, and it’s essential to know all you need to say to maximize this period.


Write down every topic or question you’d like to discuss with the doctor, so you don’t forget anything. Understand that the doctor will sometimes interrupt you, so it’ll be best to ask the most important questions first.


Tell your doctor about your symptoms or any new symptoms to help him manage your diabetes effectively. If your doctor adds a new drug to your prescription or changes your entire prescription, you should ask the reason for such.


That said, there are several steps that you can implement before booking an appointment with your primary care doctor or diabetes care team if you have one. These proactive steps/tips will ensure you gain the best benefits from your visit.


Have a Journal


Nothing beats having a journal where you keep records of your diabetes journey before every appointment. This is one of the most effective steps you can take to always ask the right question when having an appointment with your doctor. A journal helps you remember every unusual feeling and noticeable change in your body system.


With a journal, you can describe your situation more graphically to your doctor — important for getting the best solution out of the different available management and treatment options for diabetes.


Also, clear, crisp information makes it incredibly easy for your doctor to refer you to other diabetes-related health care specialists if the need arises.

The importance of a journal in tracking your condition can’t be overemphasized. People relate to diabetes differently, and as such, how you may react to the condition can significantly differ from how another person reacts. Having a good idea of your condition will enable you to obtain the best diabetes doctor supplements and drugs that aid healthy living.


Fasting


Fasting is crucial when it comes to getting an accurate diabetes test. In most visits to your doctor, you may need to perform a test, and one of the most effective tests and diagnoses for diabetes is a fast test.


This test requires that the patient doesn’t consume any food or water 8 hours to time. It’s best performed in the morning as patients will usually not feel hungry when they test around 9 am, given that they’ve spent most of the 8 hours asleep.


If you’re meeting your doctor for the first time and he suggests that there may be a need for a test, then it’s extremely likely that it’s a fast test. You should confirm the type of test, though, for the best preparation.


However, when there’s no specification, going without food or any liquid within 8 hours is the best option. Additionally, a patient undergoing a fast can drink water for a few hours before the test as it won’t alter the result.


Note-Taking


While a journal can help you keep track of your condition before meeting your doctor, taking notes helps you get all the key points that your health specialist may communicate to you to better manage your condition.


Your doctor will most likely do a lot of talking, with most of the information being important. You don’t want to miss any information that can be very helpful, as even the little things matter in managing diabetes. You should also seek to implement whatever important information you get from your meeting.

Other Important Players in Diabetes Management

diabetes management specialists

A general physician and an endocrinologist are undoubtedly your best bet for getting the right information about your condition. Still, you don’t necessarily have to limit your search for better relief and management of your condition to them solely.

As already stated, other health experts play a secondary role in making the lives of people with diabetes close to normal. The conditions that these specialists handle may not be very related to diabetes. However, they’re usually symptoms or signs of diabetes.

Hence, visiting a specialist for these symptoms can help you know if they’re of a natural cause or consequences of diabetes.


Dieticians


Dieticians are one of the most important specialists for diabetes. They may even have more value than an endocrinologist and general care doctor when the condition is at its early stages. The type of food that a person eats can cause a blood sugar spike and increase the effects of diabetes, such that it becomes life-threatening.

Most foods globally are high in glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) and, as such, won’t work well with a diabetic when consumed in large quantities. As such, it’s not out of place to have a dietitian plan an excellent diet that works well with people with diabetes. These foods usually have nutrient-enriching superior ingredients and significantly low carbs.


Certified Expert Diabetes Educators


An expert educator in diabetics can help patients make the right choice for managing their condition. These experts usually offer general recommendations, but the good thing is that they’re well updated on the newest diabetes research. As such, they can help people with the condition cope better and live close to a very normal life.


Nephrologists


A nephrologist is a doctor that specializes in kidney management and treatments. The worst complications of diabetes include kidney breakdown; a nephrologist will usually come in handy to preclude this situation or salvage the situation if the damage has already been done.

They can work hand in hand with an endocrinologist to ensure that patients achieve stability in kidney functioning and blood sugar level.

Conclusion

Diabetes health specialists play a critical role in helping people manage their conditions and live healthier lives. They help patients determine the severity of their condition, the best treatment to help them lead a healthier life, and other factors that promote well-sustained health for the long term.

This guide considered the two main health specialists that diabetes patients should visit and other secondary health professionals that effectively contribute to ensuring that patients get the best result after seeking expert help.


One of the prominent secondary experts considered in this article is dieticians because they ensure that diabetics eat only the right meal. High sugary meals have serious consequences on patients’ health, and as such, it’s only normal that people go for expert-recommended diabetics-friendly food.


However, the good thing is that dieticians aren’t the only source for getting expert help in terms of food choices. There are great meal planning apps for diabetics — like our Klinio app—that do a great job and receive constant updates to offer the best food-related advice to diabetics. Suffice to say, the Klinio app provides users with the best foods having just the right amount of carbohydrates.

Diabetes and high blood sugar levels are two major conditions that cause different complications. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) makes it a priority to inform people about the effects of diabetes and how it’s a serious health risk. However, despite these warnings and orientations, diabetes is still one of the most popular conditions in the United States.

It’s estimated that up to 29.1 million people have diabetes in the US, with 1.7 million new cases diagnosed yearly. More shocking is that at least 8.1 million people in the country that have the condition are yet to be diagnosed and are currently yet to take any steps to manage the condition.

Despite the high number of people with diabetes and those who don’t know that they have the condition, many barely know that diabetes affects oral health. However, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) reveals the dangers of high blood sugar and how they contribute to various popular oral health problems. According to health institutions and experts, diabetes can increase fungal infections in the mouth and significantly cause gum and mouth pain.

This article aims to help people know how exactly diabetes affects dental health, the symptoms to look out for, and how they can start living a healthy life.

A Look Into Mouth and Gum Disease: Why Are People With Diabetes More Prone to Them?

diabetes and oral health

Naturally, diabetes is a condition known to cause different complications. However, there’s somewhat little awareness about its relationship with dental health.

According to experts, high blood sugar links diabetes and oral health. People with diabetes are extremely prone to high blood sugar, and those that experience spikes in their blood glucose more often are vulnerable to gum and dental infections.

Humans have loads of bacteria inside the mouth. These bacteria sometimes make their way to the teeth’ gum and enamel, leading to various oral infections like periodontal disease. These infections can become serious chronic inflammations, destroying the teeth gums, all active tissues that hold the teeth in place, and even the jawbones.

People with high blood sugar tend to produce the bacteria that could attack the teeth in extremely high numbers, making it much easier to penetrate the gum and entire part of the teeth.

What’s more, people with advanced diabetes that have become almost uncontrollable will experience even more significant effects of dental compromise. This is due to the extreme weakening of their white blood cells that are supposed to mount a defense against bacteria production and subsequent infections. At this stage of diabetes, nerve damage is possible, implying that the eyes and heart are also subject to several issues.

Dental infection worsens with age as diabetics from age 45 and above tend to have more devastating consequences than any other age category. It’s estimated that people with diabetes have a 22% higher chance of having periodontal disease than non-diabetics. Interestingly, this is only one of the multiple dental infections that diabetics are exposed to.

Dental infection for people with diabetes also has a boomerang effect as an increasingly infected mouth also causes a rise in blood sugar. With this being the case, it’s extremely likely for people with diabetes to have more serious health complications from either dental infections or diabetes than non-diabetics with oral health issues.

Symptoms of Dental Infections for People With Diabetes

There are several types of dental diseases that people with diabetes can experience. As a result, it’s often challenging to tell if their high blood sugar causes the oral disease.

However, meeting with a doctor can help them know if it’s an independent natural infection or a diabetes-triggered dental infection. One major way to tell is if you also have digestive and kidney diseases or any diabetes-related condition.

That said, here are the common dental problems directly related to high blood sugar levels.


Tooth Decay or Cavity


While the mouth already contains many bacteria, excessive intake of starchy and sugary foods only increases their production. These foods negatively interact with these bacteria such that they multiply in production and form a sticky, dull transparent film called plaques on the outside of the enamel.

As you continue to eat food that increases high blood sugar, the plaques only get harder, and the acid in them attacks the teeth’ enamel. A fungal infection is triggered in the plaque build-up process, leading to damage to the gum.

Cavity is an incredibly prevalent tooth condition in both diabetic and non-diabetic people. However, it’s extremely common with the former.


Early Gum and Dental Disease (Gingivitis)


Gingivitis—also known as early gum disease—develops as the plaque caused by high blood sugar hardens. While cavity is a possible complication from plaque hardening, gingivitis also damages the teeth somehow.

Gingivitis is a direct attack on the gum by plaques that harden under it. These plaques aren’t visible, and the damage is directly under them. The plaques get extremely hard and form a new substance called tartar.

Tartars, if left under the gumline, will cut into the gingiva—the teeth base—possibly leading to gum bleeding and swelling.


Periodontitis (Advanced Gum Disease)


Periodontal disease is the most popular dental condition that usually sends people to the dentist. People often try to perform self-management in the early stages of plaque build-up and minor gum bleeding. While some of these management treatments work, others don’t.

Lack of adequate gingivitis treatment will eventually lead to periodontitis — a condition characterized by the steady damage of the soft tissue and surrounding bones that hold the teeth. This severe gum disease leads to a shift in the gums and jawbones such that there’s no more support for the teeth.

The teeth base’s lack of support eventually leads to shaky teeth and a gradual shedding of teeth. People can lose all their teeth when periodontitis isn’t handled with serious care.

Periodontitis is often extremely severe for people who have diabetes. Diabetics have a compromised immune system and typically react poorly to infections with slowed-down healing.

Periodontitis also causes a rise in blood sugar levels which can cause people with diabetes mellitus to experience further complications like heart disease, kidney disease, and other cardiovascular issues.


Thrush


Another condition that people with diabetes can experience in terms of their dental health is thrush. While this condition doesn’t directly affect the teeth, it’s a fungal infection triggered by the development of the yeast Candida albicans. A major manifestation of thrush is white and sometimes red patches inside the mouth, which can be quite painful.

Thrush is more of a sign that blood sugar levels are on a high than it’s a serious source of pain. If you have diabetes and experience this condition, you likely have Candida albicans, directly formed from sugary and starchy foods.


Xerostomia (Dry Mouth)


Xerostomia is an oral condition directly related to high blood sugar. People that develop this condition tend to have a dry mouth that’s significantly uncomfortable and could lead to serious discomfort.

Due to low saliva levels, xerostomia results in a lack of liquid and moisture to keep the gum and teeth moisturized for long. The consequence is an increased vulnerability to gum damage.

The Way Out — Proper Dental Care

diabetes and dental care

If you’re a diabetic with gum disease, you’d need to treat your condition on two fronts. Namely, you’ll need to improve blood sugar control and ensure that you keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Doing this requires taking important proactive steps that aid diabetic disease control. In most cases, when you successfully manage your blood sugar, you’ll have fewer dental issues.

Below are steps you can take to care for your teeth.


Adopt a diabetes management plan


A vital step you can take to control your diabetes and reduce the risk of dental infection is to adopt a real diabetes management plan. This plan could be drawn out by your doctor or by an expert resource. Overall, the goal is to ensure that you eat the right food and start the right exercise.

As a diabetic, your eating habits should experience major lifestyle changes. Why’s that? The main cause of blood sugar rise is usually poor meal choices, so making a more informed and healthy food-eating choice can help you tackle a significant cause of blood glucose spikes.


Brush regularly with a moderate fluoride mouthwash


Experts advise that patients with dental infections brush more regularly with a mouthwash containing a safe amount of fluoride. While brushing twice a day is usually enough, patients can also floss daily for significant and effective cleaning.


Watch out for early signs and symptoms of gum disease


There are many early signs and symptoms that patients with gum disease can look out for, and being able to effectively decipher them is crucial to tackling the condition. For example, you could regularly check if there’s any dull film development on the surface of your teeth.


Don’t smoke.


Smoking is a major risk factor for diabetes and will only worsen your diabetes and dental infection. If you smoke, you should try to get professional help to quit, as your recovery may hinge on it.

How Can a Dentist Help You Deal With Possible Oral Disease?

dentist advice for diabetes patient

While there are multiple steps you can take to better your dental health, seeking professional help could be paramount. There’s a thin line between care and extremism, and most teeth floss and mouthwash products are significantly high in fluoride, such that they could lead to other health consequences. On the flip side, you can get the best recommendations and management tips to live a healthier life with a medical professional.

An excellent step in this regard is to adhere to regular dental visits to help you discover the healthiest ways to prevent gum disease and improve your oral health. If you already have serious dental complications that have affected your facial structure as a diabetic, an endocrinologist can help you recover better. Endocrinologists are immensely versed in dental and craniofacial research and have the best solutions for even the worst dental issues.

Apart from a dentist and endocrinologist, you should consider meeting a professional diabetes health expert to access the best management tips for good blood sugar control. It’s important that you share an extensive detail of your condition with your health practitioner. This enables quick recovery from your respective dental infection and helps you maintain safe blood glucose levels at every point in time.

Conclusion

Dental disease among diabetes is more common than it’s talked about. The somewhat unspoken awareness of the relationship between both conditions is rooted in the fact that dental conditions are usually considered stand-alone conditions and are treated independently. This extensive guide has shed light on how diabetes causes dental infection and how the latter can also lead to more high blood sugar spikes. 

As outlined in the above sections, one of the best ways to reduce the effect of diabetes from negatively influencing oral health is by taking measures that regulate high blood sugar. The guide also throws light on several lifestyle management tips that could drastically reduce blood sugar, with special consideration for the choice of food to eat.

Food plays an essential role in blood sugar level control, and this is why it’s important to seek counseling from a dietitian or an endocrinologist in selecting the right diet to effectively keep your blood sugar under control. Alternatively, you can opt for a diabetes meal planning app to help you with the best foods that don’t cause blood sugar spikes.

Our Klinio app is one of the top meal planner apps you can trust to expertly recommend foods that keep your blood sugar in check. There are tons of food to select from our virtual caregiver app, and you can easily plan your weekly and annual food schedule with it.

When you’re traveling with diabetes, you need to do some extra planning to ensure you will be able to continue your diabetes management while you are on the road. Not only do you need to have diabetes supplies on hand; you also need to ensure that you will have access to healthy snacks and meals. Here, learn some tips and reminders to help you with your travel plans when you are living with diabetes.

Tackling Packing

People with diabetes may need to put some extra time and effort into packing for a trip, as forgetting medical supplies can be disastrous. In addition to packing needed diabetes supplies, it is a wise idea to obtain and wear a medical id bracelet, which indicates your diabetes diagnosis, and provides contact information for your doctor in care of emergency.

When traveling with diabetes, be sure to pack all needed supplies, which may include:

  • Glucose tablets
  • An insulin pump, if you use one
  • Insulin pens
  • Insulin doses
  • Blood glucose testing strips
  • Lancets
  • Blood glucose monitor
  • Syringes
  • Any additional medications you take

If you’re traveling with diabetes, it’s always a good idea to bring extra insulin doses. Having a special meal while traveling can elevate blood glucose levels, which may require extra insulin. In addition, having plenty of glucose tablets on hand is essential. If traveling results in delayed meals, low blood glucose levels are a possibility. Blood glucose monitoring may be more important than ever when on vacation, when changes in routine can alter glucose levels. The reality is that you need to be prepared for both highs and lows in blood sugar.

Glucose tablets can be helpful in the case of a blood sugar crash, but you might also want to pack some quick snacks you can rely on in the case of low blood glucose. Cereal bars and hard candy can be useful, and they are easy to throw in a carry on bag.

Dealing with Airline Staff

One important thing to consider when traveling with diabetes, especially if you are traveling abroad or taking an airplane across the United States, is that you need to have all of your medical supplies, including insulin injections and test strips, with you, and you need to be prepared to be searched by airline staff.

If you need to take supplies in a carry on bag, it is critical that you are prepared to comply with TSA guidelines. When you go through airport security, your insulin needs to be clearly labeled. Be ready to inform the TSA staff that you have diabetes and are bringing supplies with you. Show them your marked insulin containers, as well as any pumps and supplies, like test strips, unused syringes, and lancets, that go along with it.

You may be concerned about bringing insulin on the plane, since it is a liquid product. Fortunately, you have rights as a person with diabetes. You are permitted to bring insulin on the plane, even if it is in a container that is larger than the 3.4 ounces typically allowed for other liquids like shampoo and soap.

TSA staff will perform a hand inspection of your diabetes supplies, so it important to set them aside in a separate bag when going through security. The following tips can be helpful for preparing to go through security:

  • Clearly mark your insulin.
  • Package your supplies in a clear separate bag.
  • Let TSA staff know that you have diabetes as soon as it is your turn to go through security.
  • Keep in mind that while it is generally safe for people with diabetes to pass through an x ray machine, you can request a hand inspection.
  • Do not place insulin in your checked luggage, as temperature and pressure changes can harm it. Store insulin in a cool bag that you carry on the plane with you.

Plan Ahead To Maintain Your Exercise Routine

Your diabetes team has likely helped you to develop a regular exercise routine to assist with keeping blood glucose levels under control. For the best results, it is helpful to continue your exercise plan while on vacation. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend hours working out every day, or travel to a gym to take boot camp classes. It simply means you would benefit from finding a way to work physical activity into your day.

You can plan ahead for physical activity while making an itinerary for your trip. For instance, maybe you plan on touring a local museum or outdoor park during your trip. On the day you complete this tour, you can expect that you will be doing a significant amount of walking. Bring your watch or fitness tracker to log your steps, and the walking you do can count as your exercise for that day.

If you’re traveling to a warm climate, a daily morning walk along the beach or through the local neighborhood can help you to meet your physical activity requirement. Be sure to pack comfortable shoes so you can work this exercise into your day.

Walking can provide adequate exercise, but if you’re someone who enjoys adventure, you might consider exploring a local yoga or Zumba class at your vacation destination. Or, maybe you’re staying at a hotel that has a gym or fitness center. In this case, you may be able to maintain your usual fitness routine while on vacation.

Regardless of what you choose to do, the reality is that you can find a way to get some sort of physical exercise when you’re traveling with diabetes. You may have to alter your usual routine, use some creativity, or try something new, but it is possible to exercise while on vacation. A set of comfortable shoes and some resistance bands can go a long way toward helping you to get some exercise, even if you don’t have access to the gym.

Healthy Eating While Travelling with Diabetes

eating ideas when traveling

Beyond packing enough medication for your trip and making a plan for exercise, it is important to keep in mind that it’s essential to maintain a healthy diet when traveling with diabetes. You may treat yourself to a special meal while on vacation, but the truth is that when you live with diabetes, a poor diet can increase the risk of complications.

Eating healthy on vacation doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy meals out or have the occasional splurge. It just means that most of the time, you need to stick to your usual eating plan and make eating choices that keep blood sugar under control.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes follow these guidelines when making food choices:

  • Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet.
  • Fill half of your plate at each meal with non-starchy vegetables.
  • Consume lean meats and plant-based proteins.
  • Avoid added sugars and processed foods.

The guidelines above are not particularly restrictive. You can likely still enjoy your favorite restaurants while traveling with diabetes; you will just need to plan ahead so you can ensure you’ll be able to make appropriate choices for disease control. It’s not a bad idea to search restaurants in the area where you’ll be traveling, and view menus to make some decisions about where to eat, and what you’ll order when you get there.

Some good options for restaurant meals that can help you to keep blood sugar levels under control include:

  • Grilled chicken dishes with a side of vegetables.
  • Salad topped with a lean protein source, like eggs or grilled meat.
  • Fajitas filled with chicken and vegetables.
  • Turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread, with a side of fruit.
  • Omelets loaded with veggies.
  • Salmon with a side of vegetables.
  • Stir-fry dishes with meat and vegetables.
  • Rice and quinoa dishes topped with beans and vegetables.

Beyond these specific dishes, it’s helpful to limit heavily processed fast food dishes, and avoid foods that are fried or high in fat, such as French fries, donuts, and creamy dishes like chicken alfredo or cheesy soups. It’s also a good idea to keep healthy snacks, such as apples, cheese sticks, or a handful of almonds on hand, so you have something to keep you satiated and keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range between meals. Having healthy snacks available also reduces the temptation to indulge in processed snacks like cookies or chips.

Finally, plan to keep meal times as close to possible as what you’re accustomed to when at home. Having regularly timed meals can keep your blood glucose levels within a normal range. When you’re eating at a restaurant, it’s also important to monitor your blood sugar. Even if you research nutrition facts for the food you’re ordering, it is impossible to know exact portion sizes, so there is a chance you may need more insulin than planned for.

Prepare for the Unexpected

Most of the time, you can enjoy a trip with diabetes, without any major complications or setbacks. That being said, it’s always beneficial to be prepared in case of emergency. When you’re making travel plans and you have diabetes, it may be helpful to consider the following tips:

  • Purchase travel insurance, in case you have unexpected health issues, such as a hospitalization, that requires you to cancel your trip.
  • Consider changing your trip to another time if you have had a recent prescription change and aren’t sure how your body will respond.
  • Keep contact details for your doctor on hand, in case you need to reach out during your trip.
  • Write down what you will need, in terms of medical care, in case of an emergency. This allows emergency personnel, or the people traveling with you, to help should the need arise.
  • Consider whether there will be a language barrier. If you’re traveling to other countries, it may be helpful to develop a basic understanding of the local language, or at least learn a few key phrases, so you can communicate in case of emergency.
  • Explore whether there will be a change in time zone. If you’re crossing time zones, you may need to make changes to the timing of your insulin doses or meals.
  • Make plans for staying safe if you’re traveling to an area experiencing hot weather, which can lead to excessive sweating and dehydration. If you become dehydrated, your blood glucose levels may rise, which may require a change to your insulin dose.

The Bottom Line on Traveling with Diabetes

If you’re planning a trip and you have diabetes, you may need to put forth some extra time and effort to make sure things go well. You can certainly enjoy a vacation or weekend trip with diabetes, so long as you ensure that you bring enough supplies for your trip (medications, test strips, glucose monitors, syringes, etc.) and plan ahead to incorporate exercise and healthy eating into your travel plans.

Diabetes is one of the recently growing conditions due to the consistent and steady increase of people consuming more sugar and bad carbs. The same is the case with cigarette smoking, where tobacco and other types of smokers account for a significant chunk of the mortality rate of preventable deaths.

While diabetes and smoking are mutually inclusive, it’s possible for a person with diabetes to also be a smoker. Studies have shown that people with type 2 diabetes mellitus and yet smoke have a higher risk of developing serious health complications than those exposed to only one of the conditions. Smoking is one of the major risk factors for diabetes, and the latter is also a risk factor for immune system compromise, making it easy for smoking to damage the lungs.

However, despite the obvious dangers of having diabetes and still smoking, many people fall in this category and are generally vulnerable to the different complications that both conditions cause.

This article outlines the negative relationship between smoking and diabetes, their consequences on the body, the possible ways to recover and quit smoking, and how to live a healthy life with diabetes.

The Risks of Smoking as a Diabetic

Diabetes and smoking aren’t a great combination as the latter increases the risk of the former developing into a more dangerous and life-threatening condition. Smoking in all forms holds a health risk. However, among cannabis and tobacco smoking, the latter has the biggest risk. And for people with diabetes, these risks become much more heightened.

Many studies on smoking and diabetes have shown that people who have anything related to high blood sugar will only have it worse if they smoke. People with high blood sugar levels who smoke tobacco are at extremely high risk of developing diabetes, while those who already have the condition will have worse diabetes complications. Smoking increases the risk of diabetes due to the chemicals that smokers inhale, such as nicotine.

A 2014 Report on smoking found that the chemicals in cigarettes affect the human cell’s functioning and weaken the immune system that helps to hold off diseases. The impaired cell functioning leads to inflammations all over the body, affecting the insulin level that the body produces. Insulin is the hormone that helps lower blood sugar levels, and the inflammation only alters its production and effectiveness.

Apart from the inflammation, the chemicals inhaled into the body clash with oxygen, creating oxidative stress, which is believed to be a major risk factor in increasing blood glucose levels.

TheFood and Drug Administration (FDA) also considers smoking one of the severe diabetes complication risks. According to the health body, the chances of smokers developing type 2 diabetes are 30–40% higher than nonsmokers, underscoring the significantly increased risk that smokers struggling with high blood sugar and diabetes are exposed to.

The FDA cites nicotine as the major culprit of insulin reduced effectiveness. Therefore, smokers are required to stack up more insulin to regulate blood glucose levels.

Other studies have shown that nicotine also affects blood circulation. Too much high sugar usually leads to a congestion of the coronary arteries—the major blood vessels—such that they don’t circulate blood properly. This condition is known as coronary artery disease.

Coronary artery disease is a serious advanced stage of diabetes and will lead to coronary heart disease, which could subsequently lead to heart failure. People at this stage of diabetes will begin to experience swelling in their legs due to the body holding up water.

Heart failure is a life-threatening condition with an incredibly high mortality rate. Other complications that coronary artery disease can cause include digestive and kidney diseases. Experts consider the condition one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease in people diagnosed with diabetes.

Many health experts usually seek to help patients with diabetes—and yet still smoke—to stop the habit due to its potential to lead to extremely serious conditions that could eventually lead to death. Apart from directly affecting diabetes, experts also don’t rule out how other smoking-triggered conditions also affect an immune system already compromised with sudden spikes in glucose. The next section considers the other risks of smoking that negatively affect diabetes indirectly.

Additional Risks of Smoking

Smoking tobacco increases your risk of having cancer. Every year in the US, tobacco use consistently takes the lead among the causes of preventable death. Tobacco smoking is estimated to cause the death of one in five people exposed to preventable risk factors.

While smoking is associated with diabetes, its major effect is that it can cause cancer. In the US, smoking causes 20% of every cancer and 30% of every cancer death. Add to that the 80% of lung cancer cases and lung cancer deaths it accounts for.

Smoking increases your chance of having cancers of the throat (pharynx), mouth, voice box (larynx), esophagus, cervix, kidney, bladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, and rectum/colon. You’re also prone to having acute myeloid leukemia if you smoke tobacco.

Apart from cancer, tobacco smoking can damage all the organs in the body like the heart, lungs, reproductive system, blood vessels, bones, skin, and eyes. Below are other risks of smoking:


COPD


Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading death causes in the US, and it includes emphysema and severe bronchitis. People who have COPD also have other conditions, but how it severely affects individuals differs.

The disease, COPD, damages the lung’s small airways, making it difficult for the lung to supply oxygen to other parts of the body. Smoking tobacco is the most common cause of this condition, and a person’s risk depends on how often and how long they smoke.

The early symptoms of COPD are shortness of breath while being active, coughing out mucus (phlegm), and rattling or wheezing noises from the chest region. COPD worsens with time, resulting in difficulty breathing even at rest, especially when the person refuses to stop smoking. Some medicines can help improve COPD symptoms but can’t cure it as the condition has no cure.


Emphysema


In an emphysema condition, the tobacco destroys the inner walls between the air sacs, causing the lungs’ air sacs (alveoli) to break down and creating bigger but fewer air sacs. This reduces the oxygen that the body receives, and with time the person struggles to breathe even when resting.

People with emphysema are prone to having other conditions like pneumonia as their lungs become weak. As the disease progresses, emphysema would cause the patient to require a tube or an oxygen mask to assist them when breathing. This disease has no cure, but if the patient quits smoking, it’s possible to slow down its progression with treatment.


Severe Bronchitis


This is a common issue in people who smoke for an extended period. In this condition, the airway produces excess mucus and becomes swollen (inflamed), causing the person to have a long-lasting cough while trying to get rid of the excess mucus. This cough comes and goes, but the symptoms could get better at times.

With time, mucus and scar tissue can block the airway, leading to pneumonia (lung infection). Bronchitis has no cure, but the symptoms can worsen when the patient quits smoking, although the damage won’t worsen.


Effects in Women


Tobacco use damages reproductive health, making it difficult for women to get pregnant. In a case where a pregnant woman smokes, it can also put her life and her baby’s in danger.

Tobacco use can cause the following problem in women:

  • Low birth weight in babies and premature birth
  • Ectopic pregnancy and placenta problems
  • Stillbirth and miscarriage

Finally, babies from women who kept smoking during and after pregnancy could eventually die due to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

Reducing Your Dependency on Smoking

Smoking and diabetes risks

Generally, the best way to improve your health as a smoker is to stop smoking. Once you stop going for the sticks, you’re extremely likely to live a healthier life and revive your metabolism and immunity.

However, in reality, stopping or completely ceasing to smoke is often very difficult. The biggest challenge is the metabolic syndrome and withdrawal symptoms accompanying quitting. You’ll react heavily to stopping smoking, and this will manifest in your body, mood, and general happiness.

In most cases, it’s extremely difficult to quit smoking without the help of rehabilitation and other human services dedicated to helping people with addiction issues—like smoking and drug dependence—quit.

In summary, quitting smoking is a long-term goal. Due to the inherent possibility of a relapse, it’s crucial that you also employ other short-term, realistically achievable goals that minimize the risk that smoking presents to your diabetes condition.

These goals don’t directly require that you stop smoking. However, with real commitment, they can inspire growing independence from tobacco and other drugs and also help you live a much healthier life. They could eventually be a backbone on which you stage a self-improving campaign against smoking. The following sections focus on these goals.


Start Exercising


According to expert studies on nicotine, most people dependent on it have an incredibly poor lifestyle. The good feeling that it brings usually leaves smokers resorting to it as a solution to their physical, emotional, and mental challenges. This is generally where and when the addiction to smoke constantly is built. To decrease this hard and serious tobacco dependence, leading a healthy life is one of the options that people who smoke can go for.

Exercising is the major way to start living healthy. Exercise in its different forms is a highly effective way to distract smokers—especially young adults—from depending on smoking and sustain a long-term health promotion campaign. Exercising can work to revive the immune system and as a health weapon when it comes to smokers.

As an immune system defender, constant exercise is believed to reduce lung cancer risk, one of the major consequences of smoking. It can also improve and sustain a revival of metabolism and aid appetite growth, two significant issues smokers battle with.

As a health weapon, engaging in cardio and resistance training can gradually become a substitute for experiencing high and good feelings. Psychologically preparing your mind to gain satisfaction from exercise such that you don’t have to depend on smoking is a critical move that can help you cut off your daily smoking ritual.

You may still smoke to a certain extent daily, but exercising as an alternative way to feel better will significantly and consistently reduce the number of cigarettes you consume daily or weekly. An efficient way to use exercise as a weapon is to work out until you’re thoroughly exhausted and want nothing more than sleep.


Eat Healthily


Smokers usually have serious issues with healthy eating because they barely have a substantial appetite to eat good food. This phenomenon explains the unhealthy loss of weight that many smokers are exposed to.

Nicotine is an independent risk factor for appetite loss. Not eating starves the body of many natural nutrients that empower the immune system to protect the body’s organs and maintain a healthy weight range.

However, starting a significant appetite revival campaign takes a lot of psychological power. You’ll need to plan with a dietitian or your health provider to eat more and, most importantly, healthily. This is because the underlying diabetes condition usually makes it impossible to just eat any meal. Eating without any conscious consideration of your condition could lead to an unhealthy stacking of simple sugars that raise blood glucose and ultimately complement the damage that smoking already champions.

If you don’t have a dietitian to plan your meals, you can use a trustworthy digital diabetes management app that recommends the best foods for diabetics. These apps are dedicated to helping people with the condition eat the right foods at the right time and are essential for a smoking diabetic.

Generally, using a diabetes management app or the recommendation of a dietitian will see you enjoy a better and healthier life. You’ll need to increase how many fruits and vegetables you eat due to their high vitamin and mineral content that leave the body nourished.

Most fruits and vegetables will work well for people with diabetes. However, you should do well to research which ones can help build up your immune system faster, reducing the effect of the condition.

Eating whole grains, healthy fats, and good carbohydrates (fiber) will help reduce the possibility of a blood sugar spike and the complications of cardiovascular disease. Fiber is necessary because it effectively reduces and regulates blood sugar.

Summarily, eating healthy is good for diabetes and smoking because it reduces blood sugar levels and naturally empowers the immune system for better functioning.


Start and Follow a Treatment Plan


Naturally, a diabetic will need a treatment plan with a doctor when they have a compound risk. A compound risk could be in the form of an advanced stage of diabetes or a smoking diabetic.

If you don’t have a treatment plan already, it’s essential to start the plan and ensure that you follow it thoroughly. You have to understand that smoking and diabetes on their own could worsen complications, and being exposed to both only multiplies their risks. So, a treatment plan is somewhat mandatory and necessary.

The best specialist to meet for a treatment plan is a certified endocrinologist because of their understanding of diabetes and its interaction with other health-compromising conditions like smoking.


Cut Back on Smoking


This particular risk control factor is the ultimate goal of adopting the different smoking reduction and diabetes control goals. All the steps discussed above help reduce the effect of drastically reducing the number of cigarettes you consume daily or weekly.

Realistically, no number of cigarettes is deemed healthy, and all of them have serious health hazards. However, the damage from fewer sticks is lesser, reinforcing why it’s medically advised to cut back on smoking. Also, it’s an excellent alternative if an attempt to quit doesn’t fall through as planned.

You should understand that you may need the help of a health specialist or even sign up for several appointments to effectively reduce your sticks. You should also commit yourself to the various steps outlined in this article, as they’ll help you live and stage a better campaign against smoking.

It’s important that you don’t put too much pressure on cutting your cigarette consumption, as it’s seemingly easy to fall back to your initial pattern. Such relapse can deal a serious blow to your confidence in ever reducing or quitting smoking. Rather, you need to make the process look as natural as possible to reduce the urge and pressure to smoke the way you used to.

The reduction of consumption option is vital as it could be the best way to reduce smoking if quitting seems like a far stretch at the beginning.

Quitting Smoking

Smoking cessation is one of the more challenging steps to take. Unlike the above section that deals with reducing dependence on smoking and developing your condition, this section deals with smoking cessation in all its forms.

While quitting smoking is challenging, you should understand that it’s the best and only certain way to ensure chronic disease prevention or at least disease control if a lot of damage has been done already.

According to the FDA, it’s never too late for smoking diabetics to quit smoking as every stick worsens the smokers’ health and their diabetes condition. Any age group can successfully solve the issue of smoking dependence, adopt a healthy lifestyle, and start a new physical and psychological healing journey.

The FDA confirms that research supports positive diabetic reactions after quitting smoking. The health and food body states that insulin becomes more effective at lowering and regulating blood sugar levels eight (8) weeks after completely ceasing and ending dependence on smoking. Namely, ceasing to smoke significantly reduces insulin resistance and promotes a better body response to fight against diabetes.

The main person to talk to about stopping your smoking habit is your diabetic doctor. Apart from speaking to your doctor, you can get real help by connecting to mobile experts that help people quit smoking. The FDA also suggests several online resources that encourage the campaign against smoking for support.

However, irrespective of your steps, you need to know that smoking is an addictive, impulsive behavior and doubles as one of the worst dependencies to develop. Like most dependency substances, seeking to quit will trigger withdrawal symptoms that could push you to the limit. Nevertheless, you should know that this phase is only temporary, and overcoming it will cut off total dependence on any form of cigarettes.

Moreover, quitting comes with many benefits as it reduces your risk of diabetic retinopathy, a condition characterized by diabetes triggered gradual but steady blindness. Also, you’ll end up living an incredibly healthy life and avoid both short and long-term complications.


Tips to Quit Smoking


While professional help remains the most effective option for quitting smoking, certain tips can be very helpful to your journey of recovery, as highlighted below.


Stop at Once


A research performed in 2016 proved that people who stopped smoking in totality ended up being more successful in abstaining than those who adopted a more gradual cutting down of the number they smoke. Again, the study revealed a gradual reduction in smoking to cause a repetition of the withdrawal symptoms at every reduction stage, and this phenomenon, in most cases, becomes unbearable.


Adopt a New Healthful Habit


While it’s difficult to fully replace a dependency addiction, working with your health professional to learn new healthful habits can help you win the battle. Exercising, for example, can help distract you from the sense of purposelessness and depression that smoke avoidance brings. You should also spend time with a support group that has the same goal as you for the best benefit.


Counseling


Counseling is critical in your journey to quitting smoking. You should register with a therapist if you need encouragement and recommendations on living happily without smoking.

Risks of Quitting Smoking as a Diabetic

risks of quitting smoking as diabetic

While there’s barely any risk to think of as it relates to stopping smoking, one truth lingers — as a diabetic, it’s possible to develop unhealthy habits in the process of quitting. The major two concerns are:


Risk of Overeating


The main concern for diabetic quitting smoking is the risk of overeating. After quitting smoking, you’re extremely likely to develop a big appetite, and more often than not, former smokers tend to overeat at the beginning stages of their recovery. If not properly checked, this could become a permanent phenomenon, and for a diabetic, this can be dangerous if the new cravings are for high sugar or starch foods.


High Blood Sugar


For many reasons, people who quit smoking are usually fond of picking new habits that negatively affect their blood sugar. A study on smokers carried out in 2015 showed that people that quit smoking experienced high blood sugar levels in their first three years following recovery.

The increased blood sugar levels confirmed in the study are a serious concern for people with diabetes. Hence former smokers with diabetes need to employ professional help between the stage of quitting and the next few years of living a healthy life.

Final Words

A mix of diabetes mellitus and smoking is a serious condition that demands effective handling to keep blood sugar levels and body weight in the safe range. This detailed guide has extensively considered the various ways to handle smoking as diabetes and what to expect in the process of adopting a healthier lifestyle.

You should understand that, in your journey to quit smoking, you shouldn’t despair, irrespective of how many times you may relapse. All you need to do is get professional help and recover the will to end your addiction.

Also, after successfully cutting off smoking, you must ensure that you continue your healthy lifestyle to help your body reduce diabetes risk and other damages caused by smoking and consistently high blood sugar.

Healthy eating is among the major steps you should take to sustain healthy living. As already stated in this guide, using a diabetic meal planner is one way to ensure healthy eating. Our Klinio app is one of the top management apps you can get as a diabetic to eat the right food and live a healthy life. Apart from being easy to use, it ensures that you get the latest healthy, tasty meals that regulate blood sugar while suggesting basic workout routines.

When you are eating healthy or trying to lose weight, you are always looking for new and interesting ways to enjoy the foods you know are good for you. Staying on track isn’t easy when there are so many delicious foods you could cook whenever you’re hungry.

One thing that may be unfamiliar to you as an excellent healthy, nutritious option is egg whites. You know about whole eggs and you know about meringue but did you know there are some great ways to eat egg whites. They may just well become your go-to breakfast.

The Nutritional Value of Eggs

Everyone knows eggs are good for you. Some nutritionists even describe eggs as the healthiest food on the planet. One of the reasons for this is that most foods lose some of their nutritional value when they are cooked but while this does happen to eggs, it is minor and also, the nutrients in cooked eggs are easier for your body to digest and absorb.

These statements are usually made about whole eggs so what happens if you look at egg whites on their own?

Most of the nutrients are in the whole egg. In fact, it is egg yolks that contain practically all the nutrition. So why does that make egg whites good for you?

Essentially it is because of their lack of calories while still being rich in protein and riboflavin (vitamin B2).

Egg whites are a great carrier food. They can be added to meals to bulk them out without adding calories to the recipe. They also don’t alter the flavor of other ingredients.

Who Should Eat Egg Whites?

Short answer – everyone! Eggs are a complete food that almost anyone can and should eat. It is also a food that very few people are allergic to. Adults with an egg allergy are extremely rare and although up to two percent of children may be allergic to eggs, they grow out of it.

Because of their low calorie count, egg whites are mostly perfect for anyone who is looking to restrict calorie intake while still receiving a healthy dose of protein.

This includes

  • people looking to lose weight
  • athletes
  • anyone needing to control cholesterol levels
  • diabetics

They are particularly advantageous for diabetics because eggs have a zero glycemic index and will not have any impact on blood sugar levels.

Why Egg Whites for Breakfast?

Egg whites are a great way to break the fast and start the day off in a healthy way.

Egg white recipes are usually quick and easy to make. Meal prep time is usually fairly minimal and you don’t need to be a skilled cook to get a good nutrition serving in a short time. Egg whites are a good choice when you want to serve hot food for breakfast.

Ingredients for egg white recipes are also really easy to obtain. You can separate the whites from whole eggs (saving the yolks for other recipes) or you can buy cartons of egg whites that you can conveniently keep in the fridge.

Egg White Recipes Breakfast


egg white omelet recipe

Egg White Omelet


The most basic of all egg white breakfast recipes, an omelet made from just the egg whites has a lot fewer calories than a whole egg omelet, sadly it is quite flavorless. Unless you are seriously cutting down on calories, an egg white omelet is much better with added ingredients.

The basic egg white omelet is made the same way as an omelet made with whole eggs. The egg whites need to be whisked until frothy, seasoned and then cooked in a skillet coated with cooking spray (butter adds unnecessary calories). Unlike a whole egg omelet, it will not go golden brown.

The nutritional value of a three egg white omelet without added ingredients is

  • 180 calories
  • 1g carbs
  • 14g fat (healthy fats)
  • 11g protein

Despite this, as has been mentioned, a plain egg white omelet is not a very appetising or tasty meal. It is definitely better with added ingredients.

When choosing ingredients you need to consider how they will change the nutritional profile of your omelet. Sharp cheddar cheese is a favorite addition to whole egg omelets but this will increase the calorie and fat (actually, saturated fat) content considerably so is best avoided if you are counting calories or are following a low-fat diet.

If you want to add flavor but not alter any of the nutrition, the best way is to add seasoning. You might try garlic powder or nutritional yeast. (Mix into the egg whites before cooking.)

Vegetables are by far the best ingredients to add as a filling. They won’t add fat or carbs and only minimal calories.


Suggested vegetable fillings for egg white omelet:

  • baby spinach and tomatoes
  • spinach, green onions and dill
  • bell pepper and spinach
  • spinach, onion, mushroom, and bell pepper
  • red cabbage, spinach, bell pepper and mushrooms

You will find a lot of recipes online for tasty egg white omelets that contain ingredients other than vegetables. Many of these contain cheese – not just cheddar but also feta, parmesan and goat cheese. Check out the nutrition count of also recipes before deciding to make them as they may be outside your allowances.

One other way to boost the taste of your omelet is to make it plain but then add items to your plate. This can include any fresh raw veggies like slivers of bell pepper, slices of avocado, sliced radish, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced salad tomato, pitted olives and chopped green onions. If you want to add cheese but still keep it healthy, crumble a small amount of feta cheese on top or add a sprinkle of grated parmesan or pecorino cheese.


egg white frittata recipe for diabetes

Egg White Frittata


A lot lighter than the whole egg version, an egg white frittata is ideal when you want a hearty but healthy breakfast thanks to lots of veggies. It also makes a nice weekend treat or a good brunch dish. It is low in fat, low carb, dairy-free, vegetarian and high in protein.

Ingredients:

  • 12 egg whites
  • 1 zucchini
  • 2 carrots
  • 1/2 head broccoli
  • 10 oz baby spinach
  • Spray oil
  • Salt

Method:

  1. Shred the zucchini and carrots
  2. Chop the broccoli into small florets
  3. Pre-heat oven to 200C
  4. Spray a cake pan with the oil
  5. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl and add salt to season (and black pepper if you wish)
  6. Add the vegetables to the egg whites and stir until well mixed
  7. Pour mix into the cake tin
  8. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until fully cooked through

The egg white frittata can be eaten on its own or with some fresh ingredients like some sliced avocado and cherry tomatoes.

If you want to add a bit of flavoring to your frittata, add some red pepper flakes, garlic powder, nutritional yeast or fresh herbs to the mix or sprinkle over some grated parmesan cheese just before serving. You can also change up the vegetables with mushrooms, bell peppers and yellow or green onions being good choices.

It is easy to customize an egg white frittata with any of your favorite vegetables.


egg white muffins recipe

Egg White Muffins


Call them muffins or breakfast cups, these little darlings clock up just 50 calories each. You’ll find lots more ideas online for different versions of egg white muffins. We like the vegetables in this recipe and it’s an ultra-nutritious and delicious low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian breakfast. This recipe card is for 12 egg white muffins.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups egg whites

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups roughly chopped baby spinach (well=packed)

1 cup diced yellow onion

1 cup chopped mushrooms

2 cups diced bell peppers (red pepper or green pepper or both)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper


Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Generously coat a 12 slot muffin tin with spray oil
  3. Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat and add the olive oil
  4. Add the onion and peppers and stir fry until tender
  5. Add the mushrooms and spinach and continue to fry for 2 more minutes, adding the minced garlic in the last 30 seconds
  6. Add salt and pepper, stir and remove from heat
  7. In a large enough bowl, whisk the egg whites until smooth, then stir in the cooked vegetables
  8. Dividing the mixture evenly between the 12 slots, pour the mixture into the muffin pan
  9. Bake the oven. Depending on your mix and the oven it will take 15-30 minutes. the tops should be firm to the touch when cooked.

These egg white muffins are best eaten warm. You can serve them as is or sprinkled with some hot sauce. they taste great with a sliced salad tomato, some salsa or if you’re feeling a little indulgent, some feta or goat cheese. If you want to add meat to this recipe, fry some diced bacon and add with the vegetables.

The Takeaway

As you can see, egg whites are very accessible and quite versatile as a breakfast food. Egg white recipes are easy to make with minimum meal prep and deliver a nice punch of nutrition. The recipes are also easily customizable. You pretty much put any veggies in an egg white omelet or egg white frittata. Enjoy!

Diabetes — one of the common conditions a good number of men experience in adulthood—can lead to different, worse complications when it develops. With this being the case, there are certain signs and symptoms that experts and health institutions advise men to look out for to know if they’re at risk of developing diabetes.

More particularly, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and other diabetes-related health institutions have stated some of the signs that people with diabetes should look out for to know if they’re at risk.

These symptoms usually precede diabetes development, leading to further complications like atherosclerosis (clogging of the blood vessels), heart failure, and other life-threatening conditions. This article considers the diabetes symptoms that men should look out for and the risk factors of diabetes, and how to tackle them.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes in Men

This section examines early diabetes symptoms that generally imply the beginning stage of diabetes or that signal that it’s impending.

A common sign that men should usually look for is if their mother experienced gestational diabetes during their birth. This situation is both a symptom and a risk factor that can help men know whether they could be suffering from diabetes when other risk factors and symptoms point in that direction. That said, let’s look at other prominent diabetes signs in men.


Frequent Urination


Frequent urination has always been one of the early signs of diabetes in men. When you frequently pee such that it disrupts your sleep and leaves you feeling tired and frustrated, you possibly have excess sugar in your body, and your blood glucose is in the danger zone.

You shouldn’t overlook frequent urination as it’s a tell-tale sign that allows you to start diabetes treatment before it gets worse.


Increased Thirst


Are you drinking water more often such that it feels unnatural?

Is your blood sugar so high that it makes you worried as well?

If yes, you may be experiencing one of the early symptoms of diabetes.

Increased thirst and itchy throat are one of the major symptoms of diabetes. It’s usually complemented with frequent urination. Once you notice the condition, you should perform a test as soon as possible with a diabetes expert and get the help you need to prevent it from worsening.


Constant Hunger


Apart from being one of the major conditions of diabetes, the problem with this sign is that you may confuse it with normal hunger or an urge to just eat. So, the best way to know that it’s not unusual is if you start to notice it alongside other diabetes symptoms. That way, you’ll be able to tell if you need expert intervention or not.


Erectile Dysfunction (ED)


A man has erectile dysfunction if he can’t achieve or maintain an erection. This sexual dysfunction can also signify kidney disease, nervous system disorder, or hypertension. Other ED triggers include smoking and stress. If you experience sexual problems like ED, you should consider having a diabetes test as more than 50% of diabetic men present with the condition.


Constant Tiredness


Constant tiredness is a symptom of diabetes and a risk factor for further complications. If you’re feeling tired too often and seem to develop an intense urge to fall asleep, you should take a diabetes test or a general medical test.

The human body generally has a highly active period after eating and resting. However, when you have diabetes-influenced tiredness, you’ll barely experience this “high” period but desire to fall asleep more often.

Meeting with your doctor will help you know if you’re experiencing diabetes, enabling you to take the necessary steps to effectively implement a good disease control method.


Blurry Vision


If you notice that you have difficulty holding a steady gaze or your views aren’t as clear as they should, you should immediately test for blood glucose levels and see an expert.


Slow Healing of Cuts and Wounds


People experiencing diabetes will usually experience a slow healing process of sustained injuries. This is usually due to the imbalance of the body and weakening of the immune system such that it doesn’t actively treat cuts and wounds as it should.

If you’ve noticed that your wounds and injuries remain fresh for a long time, you may have diabetes, and running a check is extremely important.


Dark Skin Patches


Dark skin patches are one of the advanced symptoms of diabetes and present a higher risk of the condition developing into a worse complication. When patches start to appear over your body, you should treat them as an emergency by visiting a doctor for tests, diagnoses, and possible management of your condition.


Yeast Infections and Itching


Yeast infections in men are most likely caused by diabetes mellitus. This condition is one of the latter symptoms that happen and generally paves the way for diabetes. There’s increased insulin resistance at this stage, and physical sore begins to appear on the private parts.

Excess blood sugar is the major cause of yeast. Urine also acts as a food source for yeast.

When the condition starts, it’ll be visible in more moist areas than others. You’ll likely find it outside your lips, genital parts, and armpits. They’ll look like scratch wounds but are constantly itchy. These itches may be moderate to severe but are generally intolerable.


Fruity Breath


This is an advanced symptom of diabetes and spells danger for people with the condition. This stage could be followed by heart complications, kidney disease, and cardiovascular problems. Managing diabetes at this stage will require therapy, advanced treatment options, and strict adherence to the treatment process.

Complications of Diabetes in Men

diabetes complications in men
Having outlined the major signs of diabetes in men, this section highlights possible complications due to failed diagnosis or merely overlooking these signs.


Nerve Damage or Neuropathy


High blood sugar can destroy or damage the nerves over time, resulting in numbness, tingling, pain, burning, or loss of feeling that starts from the tip of the fingers or toes and spreads gradually to other parts of the body. While heart nerve damage can cause irregular heart rhythm, digestive system nerve damage often results in constipation, vomiting, diarrhea, or nausea.


Retinopathy


High blood sugar from type 2 diabetes can cause retinopathy. Namely, excessive sugar in the blood can destroy the retina — the part of the eye that sends signals through the optic nerve to the brain and detects light. This occurs when the tiny blood vessels that lead to the retina get narrow, clogging over time and causing the retina to bleed or leak fluid.


Peripheral Vascular Disease


When your blood sugar levels remain excessively high for extensive periods, it could manifest as peripheral vascular disease and other serious complications. This condition occurs when the peripheral blood vessels away from the heart are damaged or blocked.

Peripheral vascular disease can also occur when there’s a high level of cholesterol and fatty substances in the blood, clogging the blood vessels.


Skin Infection


Type 2 diabetes increases your risk of having a bacterial skin infection. Bacteria can affect the skin from underneath it or in the eyelid glands. Infected skin is usually red, swollen, hot, and painful.

High blood sugar can also cause itchy dry skin, while poor blood circulation could cause your lower legs to itch uncontrollably.


Stroke


Type 2 diabetes prevents the body from adequately processing food. Namely, the body fails to use insulin properly or simply can’t make insulin, leading to sugar building up in the blood. With time, your chances of having a stroke increase as the high blood sugar destroy the body’s blood vessels.

Symptoms of a stroke include:

  • having trouble talking or seeing,
  • sudden confusion,
  • sudden severe headache, numbness, or weakness on one side of the body.


Kidney Disease


Our kidneys pack millions of nephrons which are tiny filters. With time, high blood sugar can damage the nephrons and the kidney’s blood vessels, causing them not to function correctly. However, kidney disease could take a while to develop in diabetic people and might not show symptoms in its early stages.


Heart Disease


Diabetes increases your chance of having a heart disease (2–4 times), leading to death. You’re also more likely to have diabetes if you have a heart condition — about 35% of heart failure patients are diabetic. In other words, heart diseases and diabetes go hand-in-hand.

High blood sugar destroys the nerve and blood vessels that control the heart, leading to heart disease. However, you can reduce your risk of having heart disease with specific lifestyle changes, which we’ll discuss in the latter part of this guide.


High Blood Pressure


Many people who have type 2 diabetes usually have high blood pressure. To make matters worse, its symptoms are hardly noticeable, explaining why it’s more of a silent killer.

People who have diabetes should regularly check their blood pressure at home and share the results with their doctors. However, diabetes isn’t the only cause of high blood pressure as a diet high in fat, high cholesterol, smoking habits, genetics, and obesity can lead to high blood pressure.

Preventing Diabetes in Men

diabetes prevention for men
As already stated, certain signs become evident during the developing stage of diabetes. However, experiencing these signs in the beginning stage of a possible diabetes disease doesn’t necessarily imply you can do nothing to salvage the situation.

On the contrary, you can take several steps to counter and prevent diabetes. This section considers certain steps you can take if you think you’re developing diabetes or generally experiencing more than two of the symptoms mentioned in this article.


Understanding Your Genetics


Genetics is one of the major causes of diabetes in men. If you have a relative or a family history of people with diabetes, then you have an increased risk of developing the condition. While it may not show at first, you’re likely to experience blood sugar spikes more often than normal.

To know if this situation is a risk factor, you should take a genetic test and determine if you’re susceptible to the condition.


Keeping Fit


Exercising plays a major role in helping the body burn more energy. When you exercise, your body uses up excess glucose, allowing you to eliminate possible risk factors for the condition.

If you’re up to 45 years, then exercise is a mandatory preventive method to adopt so you can mitigate the effect of the condition better.


Adopting a Healthier Diet


Excessive consumption of sugary foods will increase blood sugar levels quickly and increase your vulnerability to developing diabetes. This can lead to further complications like digestive and kidney diseases, heart diseases, erectile dysfunction, and diabetic ketoacidosis.

With this being the case, you should eat only healthy foods with a low glycemic index and high fiber content (e.g., vegetables like broccoli and lettuce) as well as whole-grain foods.

Conclusion

Diabetes in men is a serious condition, just as it is for women. If left unchecked, men with prediabetes can develop diabetes and even suffer further consequences, as this article has revealed. However, the good thing is that there are steps that they can take to mitigate the risk factors and accompanying symptoms of diabetes development. Namely, with a proper understanding of the condition, genetic vulnerabilities, and day-to-day lifestyle, men can easily live a non-diabetic life and minimize their insulin dependence.

While this guide highlights many methods to prevent diabetes, one key factor is healthy food consumption. Food intake is one of the major causative factors of diabetes that people can control. Generally, the key is to avoid or drastically reduce high sugary food. However, knowing how to do that may prove difficult for some.

One way to get around this difficulty, though, is to use a digital diabetes meal planner that helps you eat the right foods. Our Klinio app is one of the best diabetic meal planners you can go for to eat healthily and live a life free from diabetes. Our app ensures that you have only enough sugar needed for energy while ensuring that your blood sugar maintains a healthy range.

When it comes to health conditions that people assume they know a lot about, it would be fair to say that diabetes is right up there near the top of the list. Even if you don’t have diabetes yourself, or even if you don’t personally know anybody who suffers from it, diabetes is one of the health problems that you hear mentioned a lot, and assume that you have learned a lot about simply by osmosis.

However, that isn’t always the case. There may well be a few diabetes experts among us, but when it comes to really knowing about the wide ranging and varied issue, the truth is that your small knowledge of diabetes probably doesn’t even scratch the surface!

With this in mind, we think it that is time to really educate yourself on a health issue that is very serious all over the world. Let’s take a look at what diabetes actually is, and the differences between type 1 and type 2. Once you’ve got the differences sorted in your mind, we’ll move on to highlighting some of the more unusual symptoms of diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, that most people outside of the medical profession don’t necessarily know about.

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

The kind of diabetes that is categorised as being ‘type 1’ is when your pancreas doesn’t make any insulin, or makes very little insulin. In case you didn’t know, insulin is a hormone that helps blood sugar to enter the cells in your body where it can then be used for energy. When insulin isn’t working in the ways that it should, the all-important blood sugar is not able to make its way into your cells, instead being left to build up in your bloodstream.

The important thing to remember about type 1 diabetes is that type 1 is mainly congenital, although it can develop or be acquired. This kind of diabetes is passed on through your genetic make up, meaning that if one or both of your parents suffered from it, then you are much more likely to suffer from it too.

In the vast majority of cases, type 1 diabetes is not something that can be cured or reversed, but rather has to be managed over the course of a lifetime using methods such as insulin injections to counterbalance the body’s natural insulin resistance.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

So now you know all about type 1, what about type 2? Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes that results in the same kind of insulin resistance problems that type 1 does, but the key difference is that type 2 typically affects the obese, because it is largely related to a person’s bad life choices regarding their diet and bodyweight.

With type 2 diabetes, a person’s high blood sugar is present as a result of overeating and gaining too much body weight. This is different to the genetic issues of type 1 sufferers in which their own immune system is systematically attacking and destroying the amounts of insulin being produced by their pancreas.

Unlike type 1, however, type 2 diabetes is something that can be reversed. If a patient can commit to significant lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise to achieve sufficient weight loss, then the high blood sugar levels that they are experiencing can indeed be reduced to a point where they do not register on the diabetic scale anymore.

Unusual Symptoms Of Diabetes

Now that you have a better basic understanding of what the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes actually are, let’s take a closer look at some of the unusual symptoms that both types share. Many people will be familiar with the more common symptoms, but it is always good to know as much as you can just incase you ever feel like you might be at an increased risk.

Here is a list of the some of the key unusual symptoms of diabetes that it is really worth knowing and looking out for for future reference.


More Frequent Urination

diabetes and frequent urination
Frequent urination is regarded as one of the earliest signs of diabetes, especially if you are up and down at night. This is a clear sign from your body that your blood sugar levels are too high. You will find that you also have to take more trips to the bathroom after drinking sugary drinks and sweetened foods. The reason for this change is that the high blood sugar levels act much like a water pill.


Excessive Thirst

excessive thirst during diabetes
Annoyingly, to coincide with excessive urination, you will also find that you develop a much higher level of thirst. This will be accompanied by a very dry mouth and dry skin around the lips that you will want to keep remedying by drinking more fluids. It becomes a very unhelpful cycle that isn’t always easy to connect and identify as high blood sugar and diabetes.


Frequent Yeast Infections

frequent yeast infections and diabetes
Sugar is something of a magnet for yeast and bacteria, and when your blood sugar is so high, you will find that you develop regular yeast infections. This is more common in women than in men, and the infections will usually not respond to treatment until your high blood sugar has been addressed.


Blurry Vision

diabetes and blurry vision
When your blood sugar is so high, it can actually cause periods of blurred vision. High blood glucose levels can cause distortion of the light waves in the eye. Lots of people go to eye doctor thinking they need glasses, and come out with a diagnosis of pre-diabetes or something worse.

General Exhaustion

exhaustion with diabetes
Elevated blood sugar can lead to many people feeling extreme fatigue. The reason for this is that the glucose in your bloodstream isn’t able to be turned into the energy that you need, meaning that you have no endurance for things like exercise or even just completing a normal day. Over time, this can lead to serious complications such as kidney diseases, nerve damage, blood vessel damage, skin infections and even stranger things like fruity smelling breath.


Dry Skin And Itchy Skin

diabetes with dry skin
Excessive urination can lead to dehydration, and as a result of the dehydration you might find that your skin cells are affected. This will be in the form of dryness, itchiness and even dark patches . If you can’t sort your fluid levels out in time, it can result in damaged nerve fibers.


Sudden Drop In Weight

lossing weight fast with diabetes
Another of the unusual symptoms of diabetes is losing weight at a fast and unexplainable rate. Unexplained weight loss can sometimes be mistaken for healthy living, but it is a key symptom of undiagnosed diabetes where your body starts burning fat because it isn’t getting the energy it needs from your blood glucose. This weight loss won’t only be thanks to losing fat cells, but it will also be muscle mass which is not a desirable outcome and can even lead to things like extreme hunger.

Conclusion

The important thing to remember about all of these common symptoms and unusual symptoms alike is that, while pointing towards the diagnosis of a chronic disease, it isn’t always going to be the case.

If you do experience any of the above and don’t have a specific reason for it, then you should take it as a warning sign to seek medical advice and attention. It may be the case that you are not yet at the full blown diabetes stage, and therefore an early diagnosis is the best possible thing that you should want.

If left untreated, things like high blood pressure, digestive and kidney diseases, gestational diabetes, slow healing wounds, increased urination and overall too much sugar can lead to progressive illness that is very hard to come back from.

Unmanaged diabetes will make it much harder to fight infections, and mixed with other problems like poor circulation, polycystic ovary syndrome, and more, excess sugar and a failure to produce insulin properly is only ever going to lead to a whole slew of more serious complications as you age.

The symptoms outlined above might not be the most common, but you should regard them as some of the most important risk factors to remember. It isn’t all about high blood pressure and ruined blood vessels, the rarer symptoms of diabetes are much more wide ranging than that.

Menopause comes with some big changes. When people think of menopausal symptoms, they probably imagine unpleasant side effects like mood swings, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, and hot flashes. Beyond these side effects, research shows that women tend to experience weight gain during the transition to menopause. Because of weight gain and other changes that occur during this time of life, menopause and diabetes can also go hand-in-hand, but there are ways to manage menopause symptoms to prevent progression to type 2 diabetes.

Prevalence of Menopause and Diabetes

There is evidence that women undergoing menopause are at higher risk of health issues like diabetes. So, just how common is the co-occurrence of menopause and diabetes? It is difficult to pinpoint an exact prevalence, but research suggests that diabetes during menopause is linked to a condition called metabolic syndrome, which involves the development of abdominal obesity (excess belly fat), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Severe cases of metabolic syndrome can lead to increased blood sugar levels and the occurrence of diabetes in menopausal women.

In a recent study involving over 8,000 women, doctors found that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was about 13% in women of menopausal age. In particular, being postmenopausal and experiencing conditions including high blood pressure and high triglycerides was linked to diabetes during menopause. This suggests that postmenopausal women are more likely to experience type 2 diabetes than women just starting the menopause transition.

Research findings are somewhat mixed, but in totality, they suggest that weight gain during menopause can alter the body’s insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, increasing the risk of developing diabetes. Combined with the elevated risk of metabolic syndrome during menopause, the body may become more insulin resistant, which can increase blood glucose levels and lead to increased diabetes risk.

Hormonal Changes Linked to Menopause and Diabetes

Increases in body weight, and more specifically body fat, can occur during menopause, leading to increased risk of both metabolic syndrome and diabetes. It turns out that hormonal changes during this time of life may be to blame for all of this. Unfortunately, changes in hormones can cause both physical and emotional symptoms, as women may have difficulty coping with the changes in body weight that occur during this time. For this reason, hormone therapy has been identified as a potential solution for diabetes prevention and for other issues that arise during menopause.

There is some evidence that hormone replacement therapy can reduce the accumulation of belly fat and therefore lower the risk of diabetes and other weight-related problems like cardiovascular disease. While there are some benefits associated with hormone replacement therapy, experts do not recommend this form of treatment to reduce diabetes risk, as it can elevate the risk of stroke. If you’re looking for a way to manage menopausal symptoms, including weight gain, you may consider talking with your doctor about whether hormone replacement therapy is a suitable option for you, given your family history and risk factors.

Preventing Diabetes Through Exercise

exercise with diabetes during menopause
Diabetes may be more likely during the menopausal years, but living a healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk. Incorporating regular physical activity into your routine can promote weight loss and keep blood sugars under control, resulting in reduced diabetes risk. A recent study found that high-intensity interval training increased muscle mass and reduced body fat among menopausal women. This type of training was also found to increase insulin sensitivity, which can help women to manage blood sugar.

High-intensity interval training involves alternating periods of intense exercise, such as sprinting, with recovery periods of lower intensity. For example, a 20-minute high-intensity interval workout may begin with 5 minutes of walking to warm up and end with a 5-minute walking cool-down. During the middle 10 minutes, you might alternate one minute of running at maximum effort with one minute of walking to recover.

Adding some weights to your exercise regimen can also assist with keeping blood glucose levels in check. A second study found that when postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes completed a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training, they lost both weight and body fat after 12 weeks. This exercise program also increased muscle mass among the women in the study, which in turn reduced insulin resistance. A quality exercise program not only lowers diabetes risk by reducing body fat and insulin resistance; it can also prevent diabetes complications.

In summary, you can reduce your risk of diabetes during menopause by losing weight. Based upon several studies, older women can lose weight and improve their health by engaging in a combination of aerobic exercise and weight training. If you are unsure of how to begin an exercise program, it may be helpful to work with a personal trainer. As always, consult with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.

Preventing Diabetes with a Healthy Diet

While physical activity can reduce blood sugar readings and prevent diabetes during menopause, a healthy diet is also important to help you manage menopause risks. While everyone’s dietary needs will vary slightly, large clinical trials provide information about what types of eating plans are generally effective for reducing the risk of diabetes. For example, one study found that high-fiber, low-fat diets were effective for weight loss, and they reduced the risk of diabetes among overweight middle-aged adults experiencing difficulty with glucose homeostasis. Additional research has shown that the consumption of whole grain products reduces the risk of diabetes.

Based upon research findings and medical knowledge, experts recommend making lifestyle changes and incorporating the following foods into the diet to prevent diabetes:

  • Plenty of fruits
  • Non-starchy vegetables, including peppers, broccoli, and spinach
  • Whole grains such as quinoa and brown rice
  • Low fat dairy like yogurt
  • Lean proteins, including tofu, fish, eggs, and chicken

At the same time, processed foods, including sweets, potato chips, and fast food should be limited among those trying to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Sugary drinks, packaged baked goods, and fried foods are also poor choices, as they can lead to weight gain and high blood sugar.

What Do I Do If I Develop Diabetes During Menopause?

While lifestyle changes can help you to reduce the risks that come along with hormone changes and weight gain during and after menopause, some women will develop type 2 diabetes during this time of life. Perhaps they have a family history of the disease, or they live with a health condition that makes it difficult to manage risk factors through exercise or other methods.

In this case, there are things that can be done to manage type 2 diabetes. If you develop the condition during menopause, your doctor will work with you to help you create a healthy eating plan that manages blood sugar levels and assists with disease control. Fortunately, a healthy diet can reduce risks associated with both diabetes and heart disease, so the silver lining is that the required lifestyle changes that come along with diabetes management can improve your health in other ways.

Women with diabetes will work with their medical provider to develop a treatment plan. Your doctor may refer you to a nutritionist to help you devise a diabetes diet that meets your needs. If you are physically able and your doctor clears you for exercise, you might also begin a workout routine. Sometimes, it can be as simple as taking a walk a few evenings a week after dinner. Or, you might enjoy exploring yoga classes or a group aerobics class if this is your preference. The truth is that any kind of physical exercise is helpful, and you can find something that is safe for you and sparks your interests.

In addition to diet and exercise changes, your doctor may prescribe medications, including insulin, to help you manage your blood glucose levels. You will have regular appointments with your doctor to ensure that your diabetes management plan is working for you. At home, you will need to follow your diabetes diet and check your blood glucose levels to ensure they stay within your target range.

Some women with diabetes worry that they will not be able to enjoy life when they live with this health condition. They might be worried they will have to give up eating out with friends, or eat foods that they do not enjoy. The truth is that many women with diabetes still enjoy the foods they love. You may have to make some alterations, such as using sugar-free versions of your favorite foods, but there are plenty of tasty diabetes recipes that make it easy to stick to a healthy eating plan.

Eating For Type 2 Diabetes

menopause diet for women with diabetes
If you are among the postmenopausal women who live with type 2 diabetes, you will likely have to change the way you eat, but it doesn’t mean giving up everything you love. Your doctor will refer you to a nutritionist to help you learn healthy ways of eating for type 2 diabetes, but there is no single diet that works for everyone. Your nutritionist will help you develop an eating plan that meets your unique needs.

While everyone’s nutritional needs will vary, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides the following general dietary guidelines for those with type 2 diabetes:

  • Limit added sugars and refined grains like white pasta and bread.
  • Consume more non-starchy vegetables like broccoli and spinach
  • Incorporate mostly whole foods, rather than processed foods, into the diet
  • Eat balanced meals and include protein and fiber when consuming carbohydrates
  • Choose fresh fruit in favor of fruit juice
  • Be conscious of portion sizes

Given these guidelines, there are plenty of appealing meals you can make to promote your health and manage type 2 diabetes. For example, at a restaurant, you might order a grilled chicken salad and ask for the dressing on the side. You can also prepare this meal at home and use a dressing with no-added sugars. A meal such as grilled chicken fajitas, served with a low carb wrap, or with no wrap, is also a suitable option. There are many more diabetes recipes that promote good health, but these are just some examples.

The Bottom Line: Managing Diabetes Risk During Menopause

A combination of a regular exercise routine an an appropriate diet can help you lose weight and manage diabetes, even in the face of menopause symptoms. Learning that you have a diabetes diagnosis isn’t easy, but the truth is that you can still lead a healthy, productive life. It may be challenging to make significant changes to your habits, but in the end, these changes will improve your health.

Even if you haven’t developed diabetes, keep in mind that the risk of this and other health problems increases later in life. For instance, heart disease risk increases during menopause, largely because the body makes less estrogen. Hormone therapy may be an option for treating low postmenopausal estrogen levels, but a healthy lifestyle is also effective. Fortunately, the same healthy choices that protect you from diabetes (nutritious diet and regular exercise) can ward off heart disease. If you’re undergoing menopausal symptoms like vaginal infections, hot flushes, and urinary tract infections, now is the time to make some positive changes to keep yourself as healthy as possible.

It’s a no-brainer that food gives sustenance energy and promotes good health. Every human can only survive if they receive nourishment from food, and this is why healthy eating is often encouraged. However, determining what foods are healthy is highly subjective and unique to individuals and their current state.

While there are globally and nationally recommended daily nutrients that are considered appropriate for consumption to maintain good health, some people do have an underlying condition (like diabetes). As such, what one person considers healthy foods won’t be the same as another.

This article focuses on food varieties and their roles in providing sustenance and ensuring better health.

Food Definition

Food is a substance that provides nutrition for the body, ensuring sustenance and improving health. Most foods are digestible and offer beneficial outcomes to humans. Foods are divided into components with different functions that could benefit the body and cause certain side effects if over consumed.

There are globally accepted foods that are consumed across different cultures and races. Rice, for example, is one of the popular foods enjoyed by many people. Also, some foods are unique and peculiar to certain populations, and these groups of foods are more paramount than the more generally accepted ones.

Basic Food Components and Their Functions

food variety for diabetes

When considering food varieties, it’s important to start from the basic nutrients and components that define the importance of food. The ability to identify these components determines which type of food is worth eating at a particular condition and which isn’t.

As stated in the sections above, food doesn’t just ensure survival but can play a very important role in giving and maintaining good health. Studies have shown that food is classified into six major basic components in respect to the latter fact. A food must have at least one of these components to qualify as such.

The six basic components of foods are:

  • Carbohydrates
  • Fat
  • Protein
  • Minerals
  • Vitamins
  • Water

These components are also termed as all the nutrients in food. A particular food containing all of these nutrients is termed a balanced diet. However, the definition of a balanced diet goes a bit above the simple definition of a variety of foods that contain all the identified different nutrients.

Firstly, a meal can only be a balanced diet if it’s a varied diet containing all the right proportions that eventually contribute significantly to the recommended daily value. Also, newer studies have shown that the basic components of foods are up to seven, with roughages, also known as fiber, being a new addition following its unique addition to meals. Roughages generally contribute to weight management and won’t raise blood sugar.

The foods identified as roughages aren’t new additions and have existed for centuries. However, they’re grouped as roughages because they don’t fit as pure carbohydrates. Still, certain schools of thought categorize them under carbohydrates.

The following sections examine in detail the basic components of food:


Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are arguably the most popular components of foods. Globally, most meals are higher in carbohydrates than any other type of food. They’re more easily sourced and provide the body with energy for performing tasks.

Other nutrients like fats and some protein sources can also pass as energy-giving foods. However, carbohydrates stand out because their consequences are less heightened than others when consumed equally.

Rice, maize, white bread, bananas, potatoes, junk food, and most legumes are all considered carbohydrates. You’ll easily find carbohydrates as part of major components in an average food.

It’s important to note that there are concerns about carbs’ contribution to raising cholesterol and blood sugar levels. These concerns have generally led to carbohydrates being classified as bad and good carbs.

Fiber—a separate food component—is the major type of good carb. We’ll discuss more on the effect of carbohydrates in the sections to come.


Protein

Protein is an essential component and plays a very important role in maintaining the continuous functioning of the body. Protein food sources are responsible for building the body and repairing worn-out tissues.

If you’re interested in gaining muscle mass, then upping your protein intake can help you achieve your goal quickly as it strengthens the entire body improving your overall physique.

There aren’t any significant side effects associated with consuming protein as long as you eat in the right amount. However, the main side effects of excessive protein consumption are intestinal discomfort and gut movements. We’ll treat other major conditions in some other parts of this article.

Many major protein foods do have a good amount of carbohydrates. Those that are mostly or purely protein aren’t main diets and aren’t consumed as much as carbohydrates. Main protein sources include milk, pulses, gram, meat, eggs, fish, chicken, etc.


Fat

Fats are like carbohydrates and perform almost similar functions. Fat isn’t a good addition for many people, and the reasons are justifiable. Weight gain is the major effect fats are known for. A deeper look into the function of this nutrient shows that it holds many benefits.

Fat is a good source of energy and can easily replace the function of carbohydrates for a considerable while if a person is struggling with blood pressure. Fat doesn’t convert to glucose as easily as carbohydrates and will provide energy without risking blood sugar spikes.

Good fats also play a major role in maintaining a healthy weight. Namely, lean fats won’t increase weight when you consume them moderately. Moreover, fats enhance the ability of the body to absorb essential vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E, and K.

It’s important to state that fat isn’t a healthy long-term source of energy because it can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis — subsequently triggering the same complication that consuming fats instead of carbs prevents (diabetes).

Some major fat sources in foods include fish, butter, vegetable oils, walnuts, and meat.


Fiber

As stated under the carbohydrate section, fiber is a major food component that does everything right in the body.

This food component is classified under carbohydrates. However, due to its significantly different function from normal carbohydrates—especially in improving a person’s health—it’s usually termed a good carb.

In other words, fiber is carbohydrates that aren’t digestible by the body. When eaten, they settle as a thick mix in the body. It’s in this state that they play their role.

Consumed fiber cleanses the digestive system and reduces the risk that other carbohydrates would typically cause. Namely, it takes along with it those impurities not needed by the body when leaving the body. This helps reduce the symptoms of constipation that come from consuming too much food.

Fiber also reduces the effect of high glycemic carbohydrates and subsequently controls a rise in blood sugar — a very important function for people with diabetes and prediabetes.

Fiber can be found in fruits, beans, legumes, peas, vegetables, nuts, and many whole grain products.


Vitamins

Vitamins play a very important role in rejuvenating the body. Namely, they help close up both the internal and external injuries sustained in the body and provide high nourishment. The major foods with very high vitamin concentrations include nuts, leafy vegetables, eggs, meat, oily fish, soya beans, plant-based oil, and dairy products.


Minerals

While they aren’t exactly a major focus when people think of a balanced diet, we can’t underestimate minerals’ functions. Minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium contribute to a healthy and stronger body. Additionally, they build up the bone teeth and improve blood formation and circulation.

Many foods contain minerals one way or the other. Some major ones where you’ll find important minerals like phosphorus, iodine, potassium, magnesium, and chloride are fish, cereals, meats, vegetables, nuts, and fruits.


Water

Water’s basic importance is well known. Humans can’t survive without water as it accounts for 60% of our bodies. Water aids digestion and increases the rate at which waste is eradicated from the body.

Experts have stated that water plays an important role in ensuring the body’s proper functioning and also enhances bowel movements when needed.


Recap:

In optimal health, where a person doesn’t have an underlying condition, carbohydrates should be the major quantity in food. However, this isn’t the case in reality, as some struggle with certain conditions. If you have an underlying condition (such as diabetes), contacting a food expert to help you plant the right food is very important.

What Is Food Variety and Its Relevance?

woman looking at the recipe on the laptop

Understanding food variety isn’t difficult as the name already suggests what it is. Food variety is simply a term that describes all types of food represented by their respective components or nutrients.

Based on the definition of food components already considered, we can coin the definition of food variety to be all the different food groups that are so categorized based on their respective components. For example, a carbohydrate food source and protein source are two different varieties and hold different benefits for the body.

There are many important benefits associated with food variety, and the most obvious one is that a varied diet opens people to better nutrient gains. Generally, different food National Institutes and experts advise that people eat different types of food to gain important nutrients.

On the other hand, concentrating your diet on the same food group will leave you short on certain nutrients. If you have no real justification to avoid the one you cut out, such deficiency could lead to a lack of proper functioning of your body. So, this means that the goal isn’t just to eat different foods but to eat those with varying nutrients for the best benefits.

Many people barely put real thought into the effect of food varieties, which isn’t ideal, especially if you have an underlying condition. Properly ensuring variety in your diet can become incredibly beneficial in improving your recovery rate and drastically reducing your dependency on drugs.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are solely based on varying foods. A healthy person with no underlying condition can continue to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle by following the instructions provided in the recommendation.

For people with underlying conditions, their health practitioners depend on food variety and other management and treatment methods to improve recovery. For example, a person with diabetes will generally be asked to avoid foods high in carbohydrates and glycemic index to prevent a spike in blood sugar.

People who experience blood sugar spikes are expected to slash their intake of certain foods (such as sweet potato and many cooked legumes). Instead, an alternative side dish filled with vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and lean protein would dominate their entire diet. Following this plan in the long term will minimize the crisis associated with diabetes, allowing patients to live a life close to normal.

For people looking to gain weight, their health experts are likely to recommend more fat-filled food, with the best selection made by a dietician or a digital health/meal planner app. This selection is done to minimize—to the barest minimum—the consequences that come with choosing such nutrient concentration.

It’s important to note that the definition of food varies across different National Dietary Guidelines. Notably, the definition by The American and Australian Dietary Guidelines differs significantly from those in the Middle East and Asia countries.

More significantly, what the public perceives as variety in foods is also quite different. Many people wrongly assume a variety of food to mean different types of foods rather than the different nutrients in food sources.

The next section highlights some significant definitions of variety in modern times.


Different Definitions of Variety

Unlike the more popular definition of food variety being the different components by which all foods are classified, different but similar definitions of food variety vary across different countries.

Research has shown that several health experts and people significantly consider variety as the mix in a particular meal or plate at a time. In this case, variety is determined in terms of the entire meal.

A carbohydrate source is likely to have a quantity of some other nutrients and won’t be considered as just a single variety. Hence the best way for people to determine if they’re eating enough of every nutrient is to consider the nutritional value of every meal throughout that day. If the total meal consumed meets their country’s standard daily requirement, it’ll be considered an optimal varied diet.

In other countries, people perceive food varieties in terms of their different physical characteristics. This means that countries with this idea would consider two major carbohydrate food sources as different varieties because they differ in flavors, appearance, smell, and texture. This definition is considered strange in western countries because it could lead to excessive consumption of one particular food nutrient, negatively affecting health.

Another example of this definition is seen in two high sugar-concentrated cakes (strawberry and chocolate flavored cakes) being considered different varieties because they taste and look different.

For this definition, people will therefore need to be more direct with their terms when looking to create a diet plan that has different nutrients for healthy living.

In the United Kingdom, how variety is perceived is determined by each person. The dietary guidelines of the UK rely on people to employ their discretion when choosing a meal plan. Generally, people with underlying conditions will contact a health expert to help them craft a diet with the nutrients that will improve their overall health.

Factors That Influence Our Food Variety Choice

preparing green salad

Why should we eat a wide variety of food? There are very good factors that justify these questions, and the following sections consider them.


Health

Appropriate food variety can be very beneficial in ensuring good health. Generally, it’s important that people go on a healthy diet, and this is especially important for people who have underlying conditions like diabetes.

Different National Health Institutions usually recommend specific varieties of foods that patients diagnosed with heart disease, stroke, and other conditions should eat.

Also, eating the right food can aid weight gain and weight loss depending on what a person wants. Different foods have different nutrients, so you only need to focus on those that aid your goal.


Delicacy

People don’t just choose food varieties because of their health or in an attempt to meet their daily essential nutrients. Most choose what they eat because they find it delicious. While this move isn’t the best—due to the possibility of having a lesser chance of maintaining good health— it’s still very prevalent.

Some people prefer lots of starchy vegetables, oily fish, and red meat simply because they enjoy it. However, these foods contain significant saturated fat and cholesterol; eating them as main meals may only lead to health complications.

If you prefer certain types of food but have an underlying condition, you should contact your doctor to help you with the right meal plan that accounts for the total nutritional adequacy you need daily.


Cost

Income and purchasing power affect the choice of food varieties that people go for. While people may desire eating foods that promote good health, cost and inflation usually leave them going for the less expensive options.

Conclusion

Food varieties are one of the most important considerations that you must be well aware of to ensure continuous sustenance and maintenance of your body and health. Certain food combinations will fit your body’s needs, and others won’t.

It can become difficult for you to identify the best foods that fit into your needs if you have an underlying condition, as what will be considered balanced meals may not necessarily benefit your condition. For example, people with diabetes won’t do well consuming refined grain foods, owing to a heightened risk of elevated blood sugar levels.

If you have diabetes or are struggling with high blood sugar, then getting a meal planner app, like Klinio, can help you get the best food variety and components that don’t increase blood sugar but improve nutrition.

Klinio has dropped the newest updated feature – personalized workouts!

This updated workout program is a great app feature to help users stay active and achieve their wanted weight loss results.

So, what are those updates? Well, these improved workouts are mostly adjusted for people over 40 years old, meaning that users will find a wide range of low-intensity exercises here. 

The workouts will range from pilates to simple chair workouts at home. Most importantly, every selected workout will begin with video tutorials to help users understand how to perform each exercise. 

The updated workouts will follow easy 5–15-minute exercises that will help each user accelerate their metabolism and burn calories.

So, check it out, get yourself the newest workout plan, and add it to your personalized Klinio program!