General Background

Diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to properly use and store glucose. Glucose backs up in the bloodstream and causes ones blood glucose to rise extremely. In type 1 diabetes, the body stops producing the amount of insulin required, a hormone that enables the body to use glucose found in foods for energy. This form of diabetes usually develops in children and young adults, but can happen at any age.

Dietary Guidelines

A good guideline for diabetics is to limit total carbohydrate consumption to 45-60 grams per meal(no more than 180 grams per day).

1. When preparing your plate, fill one-half of it with non starchy vegetables, such as spinach, carrots, and tomatoes. Fill one-quarter with a protein, such as tuna or chicken. And lastly fill the remainder portion of the plate with a whole-grain item or a starchy food. And add a serving of fruit or dairy. Also drink water please. :)
2. You need to count your carbohydrates. Carbohydrates break down into glucose, they have the greatest impact on your blood Glucose levels. To help your body, control blood sugar by eating the same amount of carbohydrates each day.
3. nutrient dense carbohydrates are recommended: ex. wheat instead of white bread, whole fruits not juice etc. because fiber does not raise blood sugar.

A Sample Menu

When you are planning meals and you have to take into account your size, weight, and activity level. The following menu is made for someone who needs 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day.

• Breakfast: Whole-wheat bread with 2 teaspoons of jelly, 1/2 cup shredded wheat cereal with a cup of 1% of low-fat milk, a piece of fruit, and coffee
• Snack: 2 1/2 cups popcorn or an orange with 1/2 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
• Lunch: Cheese and veggie pita, medium apple with 2 tablespoons of almond butter, and water
• Dinner: Salmon, 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, small baked potato, 1/2 cup carrots, side salad(1 1/2 cups spinach, 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar), unsweetened iced tea

Embracing your healthy-eating plan is the best way to keep your blood glucose level under control and prevent diabetes complications.

Blood Sugar Monitoring

They vary throughout the day. For someone without diabetes, a fasting blood sugar on awakening should be under 100 mg/dl. Before-meal normal sugars are 70–99 mg/dl. sugars taken two hours after meals should be less than 140 mg/dl.

A1C Percentage Goals

Your A1C test result (also known as HbA1c or glycated hemoglobin) can be a good general gauge of your diabetes control, because it provides an average blood glucose level over the past few months.

Unlike daily blood glucose test results, which are reported as mg/dL, A1C is reported as a percentage. This can make it difficult to understand the relationship between the two. For example, if you check blood glucose 100 times in a month, and your average result is 190 mg/dL this would lead to an A1C of approximately 8.2%, which is above the target recommended by the American Diabetes Association

• 6.5 percent or less: The percent of people that have not had diabetes for many years.
• 7 percent: A reasonable A1C goal for most adults dealing with diabetes
• 7.5 percent: The goal recommended for all children having diabetes
• 8 percent: People who have had diabetes for many years and have difficulty achieving tighter control on the situation.

Excercising Helps

There are three main kinds of exercises: aerobic, strength training, and flexibility work. You need to aim to have a good balance of all three.

Aerobic exercises include:

• Walking
• Jogging/Running
• Tennis
• Basketball
• Swimming
• Biking
• aerobic exerciseYou should aim to get at least 30 minutes of most days of the week. In fact, the American Diabetes Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise a week, which works out to 30 minutes five days a week. If you think that you can't find 30 minutes, you can break up the exercise into chunks—10 minutes here and there.
• Lifting weights for 20-30 minutes two or three times a week is sufficient to get the full benefits of strength training.
• With flexibility training, you'll improve how well your muscles and joints work. You must check blood sugar before and after exercising. You do not want it to drop to low

Exercise is an absolutely vital part of type 1 diabetes treatment. Staying fit and active throughout your life has many benefits, but the biggest one for people with diabetes is that it helps you control diabetes and prevent long-term complications.

Exercise makes it easier to control your blood glucose level. Exercise benefits people with type 1 because it increases your insulin sensitivity. In other words, after exercise, your body doesn't need as much insulin to process carbohydrates.If your child has type 1 diabetes, making sure he or she gets enough exercise is not only a great way to help manage his or her diabetes but also instill healthy habits from an early age

Personal Story

Citations

1. http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/video/struggling-with-type1-diabetes
2. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes/basics/definition/CON-20019573
3. http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-1-diabetes-guide/type-1-diabetes#1