Reflection on Being Diabetic - Essay Example

Being diabetic changed my life a lot. The first thing I had to do was to learn about carbohydrates count. That had been the biggest challenge. I had a wrong estimate of the foods that I thought had lots of carbohydrates. I exercised for thirty minutes a day and kept my blood sugar level below 200. It was an overwhelming task and sounded impossible because I had a busy schedule. Also, the only thing I knew was to go to the grocery shop when I had plenty of time. I spent a couple of hours reading labels.

If that was the type of food that I wanted or thought I might need in future, I read the label. I knew I would not be able to remember all the information I was reading, but I would get an idea about the food items having more carbs and what I should avoid, if possible. The most difficult part of this assignment was that I had to monitor my intake of carbohydrates, fat and fiber. All these interacted and influenced blood sugar levels. I read the labels of all the food items that I was going to consume.

In the absence of labels, such as fresh foods, I had a carbohydrate chart. On some days I did not take the correct type of diet. I craved French fries often. I succumbed to that craving on rare occasions. I made sure that I counted it in my eating plan but it was hard for me. This experience has made me understand the difficult life of diabetic people. I have really come to appreciate this assignment as it has enlightened me how lucky I am to be healthy and do not have diabetes. Also, this assignment has provided me with the details about this life-threatening condition by giving me a stimulus for self-improvement and for obtaining perfect health.

I hope that I can change my food habits for the sake of my health. There are resources available to educate one. Now I believe that if someone has symptoms of diabetes, he has to undergo tests right away and if found diabetic, take steps to control it and remain well-informed on this illness. They need not wait until they get too sick because they can reduce the damage and the effect of the disease or in some cases they might prevent its onset. Studies have shown that by following proper eating habits and regular exercise people can control diabetes, it if it’s not hereditary.