The negative consequences of not properly managing your diabetes are very severe. Amputated limbs, blindness, and even possible death are what you have to look forward to if you do not manage your disease. Make sure you read this article and work hard to manage your diabetes while you still can.

If you have Diabetes then alcohol is not your friend. Alcoholic drinks are full of sugar and that will not help your blood sugar levels. A glass of wine has more sugar than hard liquor and beer will has less sugar than wine but more than liquor.

Be VERY careful with any advice you receive online about diabetes treatment. It is fine to do your research online, and even to find out what other people are doing to take care of their disease, but you need to take any new information you want to act on to your doctor, to make sure that it’s medically sound.

If you are diabetic and sick with a stomach infection or diarrhea, call your doctor right away for advice on whether you should continue with your medications or not. For example, some diabetics have been advised to not be taking Metformin if they have any sort of gastrointestinal upset as it could cause more harm than good.

Make sure to regularly check your blood sugar and write it in a log if you are diabetic. It is important that you do this because your blood sugar may be fine and a few hours later it could be dangerously high. Blood sugar that is consistently high raises your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Following the USDA Food Guide Pyramid will help you to live healthier with diabetes. The food guide pyramid was developed as a guide for healthy eating for everyone. It works for people with diabetes, too. The shape of the pyramid tells you how much to eat of different foods.

If you are a diabetic and also smoke, it is in your best interests to quit. Smoking is harmful to your blood sugar levels, as well as its other harmful effects to you and others. Your doctor can help you figure out techniques to stop smoking, or prescribe medications to help reduce nicotine cravings if you are struggling to stop smoking.

If you have diabetes, it can be difficult to go out to eat. Research menus ahead of time so that you can plan your meal. If a menu is not available online, you can stop by the restaurant ahead of time and ask for a copy, or you can call and have it read to you by phone. Knowing what the restaurant serves will help you to become more prepared for how you can eat healthy at the restaurant.

Always make sure that you’re doing whatever you possibly can to avoid the severe complications that can arise from diabetes. You can live a long, full, and illustrious life with this disease, especially if you’re using tips like the ones you’ve just read here to help you out along the way.