Diet as One Part of Your Plan

Food is one part of your care. Eating changes work best alongside the other parts.

Those parts are physical activity, medicines your doctor prescribes and checkups. Regular physical activity is a core part of blood sugar management. Checkups are planned visits where your team sees how you are doing.

Some people take medicine as part of their care, and others take none. When your doctor prescribes one, it becomes part of your plan. Your doctor decides that with you.

If you take medicine, tell your care team before you change what you eat. They can check the change against your medicines.

Checkups show how your plan is working over time. Your care team may order blood tests to see the longer trend.

The A1C test is one of these blood tests. It reflects about three months of average blood sugar. Think of it as a three-month report card.

Three calendar pages fill with meter check dots, most green and a few amber for high readings. The dots flow into one jar labeled A1C, which fills to a single average level. One high dot is circled while the A1C level stays steady.

Key takeaways

• Food works best alongside physical activity, medicines and checkups.
• Prescribed medicines are part of your care, and your doctor decides them with you.
• Checkups and blood tests show how your plan works over time.

Try it

Today, list any medicines you take beside one food change you are considering, for your care team to review.