diabetes

manage diabetes to stay healthy

The National Diabetes Education Program, which is a joint effort of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offers a three-part action plan to help you live a long and healthy life.

1. Know your diabetes ABC numbers.

Manage your A1C (blood glucose), blood pressure, and cholesterol. You will lower your chances of having a heart attack, a stroke, or other diabetes problems.

Ask your health care team:

What are my A1C (blood glucose), blood pressure and cholesterol numbers?

What should my numbers be?

Following are the ABC goals for most people with diabetes.

   A1C: 7 or less (A1C shows how your blood glucose has been over the last three months.)
   Blood pressure: 130/80 or less
   Cholesterol: LDL 100 or less

2. Reach your diabetes ABC goals.

Follow your diabetes food plan. If you do not have one, ask your health care team.

Eat fruits and vegetables (5 to 9 servings a day), fish, lean meats, dry beans, whole grains and low-fat milk and cheese.

Eat foods that have less salt and fat.

Get 30 to 60 minutes of activity on most days of the week.

Stay at a healthy weight by being active and eating the right amounts of healthy foods.

Stop smoking — seek help to quit.

Take medicines the way your doctor prescribes. Ask if you need aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke.

Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, red spots and swelling. Call your health care team right away about any sores that won't heal.

3. Keep your diabetes ABCs under control.
Make a list of all the reasons to control your diabetes for life. Create a plan to deal with diabetes and use these tips to keep at it.

Set goals you can reach and break a big goal into small steps.

Make changes that you can stick with.

Try to figure out what tempts you to slip up in reaching your goals.

Reward yourself for staying in control.

Disclaimer

This material was prepared by the West Virginia Medical Institute, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for West Virginia, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. Publication No. 8SOW-WV-1D-06-19.