Living With Diabetes

A healthy diet and exercise are important components to managing Diabetes

This section gives you guidance on how lifestyle interventions, along with insulin therapy (for Type 1 Diabetes) can help control your blood glucose.

When you have Diabetes, how do you stay healthy?

When you have Diabetes, it is important to eat a healthy diet, be physically active, lose extra pounds if you are overweight or obese and maintain your target weight if you are already there.

Checking your blood glucose, taking your Diabetes medicines, and seeing your medical providers regularly are also a part of managing your Diabetes.

Find a medical team to help you understand and control your blood glucose

This includes medical providers such as nurses, educators, dietitians, pharmacists, and doctors. Consult your team regularly, and get your questions answered. See your healthcare providers regularly even when you are well, so they can help you stay current with screening tests that can help you stay well.  

Learn about Diabetes

Everyone with Diabetes needs diabetes education. Why? Because everyday activities affect your blood glucose. For example, what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat (and what you are doing at the time), all affect your blood glucose. Similarly, if you exercise, what exercise you do, how long you do it, and when you do it will also affect your blood glucose. Insulin also affects your blood glucose. The dose, the type of insulin, and when it is taken in relationship to eating, exercise, and resting all change your blood glucose levels.

The more you know, the easier your health will be to maintain. These are just a few of the topics covered in this website curriculum, as well as in the self-care classes at UCSF’s Diabetes Teaching Center. Diabetes treatment is evolving all the time. Keeping up to date with the latest information will help you make better choices, prevent complications and get early treatment if complications do arise.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will help you control your blood glucose. Your food choices, level of activity and weight can make a critical difference in your blood glucose.

Recognize how emotions, illness, and travel affect your blood glucose

Stress and any change in your daily routine can affect your blood glucose control. You need to understand how to stabilize your blood glucose when you are emotionally upset, sick, or traveling.

Keep up to date with Diabetes research

Diabetes treatment is evolving all the time. Keeping up to date with the latest information will help you make better choices, prevent complications and get early treatment if complications do arise.

Key strategies to manage your Diabetes