Diabetes usually requires routine visits with GPs, endocrinologists, dieticians, and other members of the care team. However, as social distancing and stay-at-home measures were put in place, it’s been more challenging to make these visits. Telehealth has been used in lieu of face-to-face consultations and check-ups. This means that people with diabetes have become just as responsible for treatments as physicians and caregivers. Even if you can speak to these care providers virtually, it’s ultimately up to you to be diligent in everyday diabetes monitoring and management.

Adopt Healthier Habits

Great eating and exercise habits can do wonders for diabetes management. We urge you to ditch sugary food and beverages, which can spike blood sugar levels. Beers, wines, and mixed drinks are common culprits. But we’re not saying to cut out sugar entirely. Have healthy, balanced meals that have the right amount of good carbs, fats, and proteins that come from natural and unprocessed foods. And apart from healthy eating, it’s a good idea to get active. Getting a decent amount of physical activity and exercise makes your body more receptive to insulin, boosting your body’s ability to process sugar from food and convert it into energy.

Create a Wellness Plan

Knowing that your care team isn’t as accessible as before, you should be proactive and work with professionals to create a holistic wellness plan. Consulting with physicians, dieticians, and nurses will prove extremely useful and they’re all online now. What’s more is that thanks to telemedicine and tele-education, there are more of these professionals who not only work online but who have also studied online. These online programs are offered by accredited institutions and you can be confident that they’re just as valid as traditional degrees. Registered dieticians who hold an online bachelor’s degree in nutrition are approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration and can map out diet plans to improve your health outcomes. Meanwhile, online RN to BSN programs produce nurses that specialize in fields like diet and genetics, crucial in diabetes management. These online courses teach the latest industry trends, discuss recent studies, and foster digital literacy, ensuring that these graduates are able to provide care remotely. It’s important to work with registered professionals who are adept and knowledgeable about diabetes when creating your wellness plan. And thanks to how medical training has evolved there are now more to choose from than ever before.

Prepare for Emergencies

While consistent diabetes management could lessen the chances of you needing to see the doctor, planning for emergency incidents is still important. Even if you’re feeling at the top of your game today, you should have contingency plans for when you feel unwell and need to seek out face-to-face care. For individuals who struggle with long-standing diabetes, risks for myocardial infarction and ischemic strokes are greatly increased. In the eventuality that these things happen, you should have a clear action plan with step-by-step procedures that you can follow. Consider setting up emergency notifications in place for your care team, family members, and friends on their mobile devices. Another option is to have an emergency system in place with your primary care provider alerting them of the situation, while also automatically sending emergency medics to your location. Diabetes management is a continuous, everyday process. You need to build on good habits, healthy eating, and regular exercise among many other things, but it can be done. Successfully managing the condition lets you live a fulfilling and fruitful life.

– Writer Brea Joyce for shrewdfood.com