Once you have started to Learn About Diabetes, you should establish Five Essential Habits that will provide the foundation for your success. Regardless of your dietary lifestyle (vegan, vegetarian, or Adventist non-vegetarian) or diabetes dietary protocol (ADA, LCHF, WFPB, etc.), it is vital that you establish these daily habits:

1. 1. Master Use of Your Glucometer
   2. Drink Sufficient Water
   3. Eliminate All Sugar
   4. Eat Real Food
   5. Exercise Daily, in Sunlight and Fresh Air

We recommend spending one week to master each essential habit, though you may find you need less time or more time. You may combine No. 2 with No. 3 (especially if you are replacing sugary drinks with water), or you may combine No. 3 with No. 4. But we strongly advise that No. 1 should be the first one to master!

Master Use of Your Glucometer

Mastering use of your glucose meter is perhaps the one single most important habit you can establish! When I was first prescribed a meter, my doctor ordered enough test strips for me to test three times a day. Typically, this included fasting blood glucose, which is the first thing you do after you wake up and do not do anything else except go to the bathroom and wash your hands. Once I got on insulin, it was also important for me to check my blood glucose just before bedtime. I used the third test strip at a random time during the day, pre-meal or post-meal.

Click on the link above to access the full article. Take as much time as you need to learn how to use your glucose meter until it becomes second nature to you!

Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics™ Recommends:

• • Learn how to check your blood glucose in the most efficient and least painful way.
  • Stay well-hydrated at all times. Sometimes the blood does not flow out easily from your finger stick because you are dehydrated.
  • Ideally, check your blood glucose three (3) times a day, but always check your fasting blood glucose (FBG) first thing in the morning.
  • Record your blood glucose (in mg/dL or mmol/l) every time you test. You can use a pen and notebook, an Excel spreadsheet or Word table, or an app like Glucose Buddy, mySugr, or others.
  • If you are taking diabetes medications and/or insulin, record the times and amounts taken.
  • If your fasting blood glucose (FBG) is 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/l) or more, continue to test every day. If less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/l), test once or twice a week. When your FBG is consistently 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/l) or less for 6 months or more, you could probably test once a week or once a month.
  • If you are testing to “eat to your meter,” know that one test will require 3 test strips (pre-meal for a baseline, 1 hour after the first bite (when blood glucose typically peaks), and 2 hours after the first bite (when blood glucose should be close to normal again).

The next most important essential habits are drinking sufficient water and eliminating all sugar, which we will explore in the next blog.