Ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I have tried my best to find tips and tricks that make my management of it easier. It’s taken quite a bit of effort over the years, but I’ve come up with a few tried-and-true methods that I think could be beneficial to any person with diabetes.
My first life hack involves carb calculations. It’s definitely one of the harder parts of diabetes, especially where restaurants and fast food come into play. After one too many times of “eyeballing” my food order and guessing how many carbohydrates it contains, and then suffering from a low or high blood sugar hours after the meal, I threw my hands up in the air out of frustration. I asked myself, is there any way I can look up nutritional information to nix the guessing game?
Turns out, there is! In this day and age, it’s easy to turn to the internet and ask the almighty Google about restaurant foods and carb content. Nine times out of ten, you can search for whichever restaurant you plan on going to and navigate the restaurant’s website for nutritional information. Places like Panera bread and Dunkin Donuts have nutrition calculators that provide access to calorie, fat, and protein content in addition to carbohydrates. Although this method requires some planning ahead by selecting a meal before going out, it proves to be very effective.
What if you took a spontaneous trip out and don’t have time to browse around online? If you have a smart phone, there are numerous apps available for free that can give you accurate information regarding fast food. Personally, I use the Lose It app, which functions as a weight-loss and calorie counting guide. In a pinch, it will tell you the nutritional information of brand name and restaurant foods. It is fairly inclusive and features a long list of both, making it a useful tool when trying to find out the information you need as quickly as possible.
Okay, so maybe you don’t have the carb counting troubles that I sometimes do. Maybe you’re seeking a life hack that has to do with how to correct low blood sugars. I know that I get sick of chalky glucose tablets sometimes, but what other alternatives are there? Recently, a friend with diabetes told me that she uses starburst candies to remedy a low. They are just as fast as glucose tablets, but much more palatable. Also, four starbursts contain 16 grams of carbohydrates – just like glucose. The same can generally be said for juice boxes, which I rediscovered as a nifty and portable low blood sugar fix.
I’m hoping that some of these life hacks are helpful to some of my fellow people with diabetes. I can’t wait to read about any ideas you have to share with me. After all, I’m totally a fan of anything that makes diabetes easier to take care of on a daily basis.
That is great to know the sunburst hack, they are just as convenient! and easy to find. I was looking at Glucolift, which is a glucose tablet I was looking at ordering because I am trying to reduce the genetically engineered content of my food. I just started blogging, and I must have a life hack to share, so I’ll write something soon! What a great topic :)
I love these hacks, thanks for sharing!