Home, Sweet Home: Set up Your Home for Diabetes Management
Make some simple changes around your home to make living with diabetes easier
Those who have diabetes know how much of a challenge it is to manage the condition. There are so many variables to consider: diet, physical fitness, dental care, caring for the feet, and more. To support World Diabetes Day (14 Nov), we examine our homes for some simple adjustments we can make to ease our loved ones’ diabetes management.
You are what you eat
Establishing a healthy lifestyle is the key to diabetes management.
Since a large part of keeping diabetes under control stems from a healthy diabetes diet, let’s head to the kitchen.
Establishing a healthy lifestyle is the key to diabetes management.
Since a large part of keeping diabetes under control stems from a healthy diabetes diet, let’s head to the kitchen.
Cooking for health
“Heathy eating always gets unfairly labelled as being boring or bland. Don’t just boil your food and call it a (healthy) day. Roasting, baking and steaming are recommended cooking methods for diabetics, as they require minimal fat to make food tasty,” says Chua Leng Leng, director of marketing at Bosch Home Appliances.
The Bosch Series 8 oven (pictured) is designed to maximise the nutrients retained in roasted, grilled, baked and even steamed food. “These ovens are also capable of enhancing the natural flavours of food by achieving the perfect crisp and the perfect succulence without using added oil,” Chua explains.
Credit: Bosch Home Appliances
“Heathy eating always gets unfairly labelled as being boring or bland. Don’t just boil your food and call it a (healthy) day. Roasting, baking and steaming are recommended cooking methods for diabetics, as they require minimal fat to make food tasty,” says Chua Leng Leng, director of marketing at Bosch Home Appliances.
The Bosch Series 8 oven (pictured) is designed to maximise the nutrients retained in roasted, grilled, baked and even steamed food. “These ovens are also capable of enhancing the natural flavours of food by achieving the perfect crisp and the perfect succulence without using added oil,” Chua explains.
Credit: Bosch Home Appliances
Keep everything in sight
Adjustment to dietary needs is so much easier if you have everything within easy reach. Store measuring spoons, weighing scales and dry foods, which one needs to swap for a healthier diet, neatly arranged in the kitchen cabinets or on shelves. And label the storage containers.
Eating a well-balanced diet is also helpful in keeping high cholesterol and high blood pressure at bay. So a little bit of extra work now (labelling and sorting out containers) will help ease the cooking process.
Cooking tips to try
Adjustment to dietary needs is so much easier if you have everything within easy reach. Store measuring spoons, weighing scales and dry foods, which one needs to swap for a healthier diet, neatly arranged in the kitchen cabinets or on shelves. And label the storage containers.
Eating a well-balanced diet is also helpful in keeping high cholesterol and high blood pressure at bay. So a little bit of extra work now (labelling and sorting out containers) will help ease the cooking process.
Cooking tips to try
Floss, brush… repeat
Keeping one’s blood sugar levels steady is one of the ways to win the battle against diabetes. And one can easily achieve this with a well-balanced meal plan. “Space out smaller portion of meals evenly throughout the day, which can help with stabilising your appetite and blood glucose levels,” Chua says.
With that many more meals eaten throughout the day, maintaining good dental hygiene is important.
“People with diabetes have a greater risk of developing gum (periodontal) disease, tooth decay, fungal infection and other problems with oral (mouth) health,” HealthXchange.sg warns.
And it helps to have a clean-lined and well-lit bathroom (see next point) with and a simple medicine cabinet to keep ample dental necessities.
Keeping one’s blood sugar levels steady is one of the ways to win the battle against diabetes. And one can easily achieve this with a well-balanced meal plan. “Space out smaller portion of meals evenly throughout the day, which can help with stabilising your appetite and blood glucose levels,” Chua says.
With that many more meals eaten throughout the day, maintaining good dental hygiene is important.
“People with diabetes have a greater risk of developing gum (periodontal) disease, tooth decay, fungal infection and other problems with oral (mouth) health,” HealthXchange.sg warns.
And it helps to have a clean-lined and well-lit bathroom (see next point) with and a simple medicine cabinet to keep ample dental necessities.
Vision care
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, getting regular eye checkups is as important as seeing your dentist as high blood sugar levels can lead to eye problems such as cataracts, glaucoma and retinopathy.
Aside from that, keep rooms you spend a lot of time in well-lit. This helps prevent accidents especially in the kitchen and the bathroom – areas where the chances of cutting oneself or slipping are high.
Plant a green wall (pictured) – the colour green is reported to soothe tired eyes, while plants in general have the ability to calm the senses.
How to Pick the Perfect Wall Colour for Dim Spaces
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, getting regular eye checkups is as important as seeing your dentist as high blood sugar levels can lead to eye problems such as cataracts, glaucoma and retinopathy.
Aside from that, keep rooms you spend a lot of time in well-lit. This helps prevent accidents especially in the kitchen and the bathroom – areas where the chances of cutting oneself or slipping are high.
Plant a green wall (pictured) – the colour green is reported to soothe tired eyes, while plants in general have the ability to calm the senses.
How to Pick the Perfect Wall Colour for Dim Spaces
Keep it moving
It’s also important to keep the body in good shape while fighting diabetes.
If you have room to spare in the home, turn it into a simple workout room. It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as the one pictured above, just a space where you’d be motivated to do at least 15 to 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Here’s how you can think of your home as a personal trainer
It’s also important to keep the body in good shape while fighting diabetes.
If you have room to spare in the home, turn it into a simple workout room. It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as the one pictured above, just a space where you’d be motivated to do at least 15 to 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Here’s how you can think of your home as a personal trainer
Don’t forget the feet
High blood sugar levels over a long period of time can bring about nerve damage and circulation issues for diabetics and these can cause or contribute to foot problems.
Lay down a rug or carpet (ensure it is anchored well to the floor and there are no curled edges that might cause tripping) on flooring that might be a tad rough to the touch – the pile under foot should help take pressure off the feet as well as prevent cuts or abrasions.
Furniture with rounded edges also help to prevent accidental bumps, scrapes and snags.
And again, well-lit areas are necessary to lower the risk of accidental trips and falls.
The ultimate buying guide for rugs
High blood sugar levels over a long period of time can bring about nerve damage and circulation issues for diabetics and these can cause or contribute to foot problems.
Lay down a rug or carpet (ensure it is anchored well to the floor and there are no curled edges that might cause tripping) on flooring that might be a tad rough to the touch – the pile under foot should help take pressure off the feet as well as prevent cuts or abrasions.
Furniture with rounded edges also help to prevent accidental bumps, scrapes and snags.
And again, well-lit areas are necessary to lower the risk of accidental trips and falls.
The ultimate buying guide for rugs
Before we put this to bed…
As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” And the best way is to start educating the young at home by helping them make healthier food choices and lead a more active life.
TELL US
If you have tips on how to make it easier to manage diabetes at home, please share in Comments below.
MORE
Are These Kitchen Trends Functional as Well?
7 Green Cures for Spaces
As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” And the best way is to start educating the young at home by helping them make healthier food choices and lead a more active life.
TELL US
If you have tips on how to make it easier to manage diabetes at home, please share in Comments below.
MORE
Are These Kitchen Trends Functional as Well?
7 Green Cures for Spaces
Sponsored
Singapore has declared war on diabetes. And none too soon.
“By 2030, the number of Singapore residents above 40 with diabetes is projected to increase by another 200,000 from about 400,000 today. As there is no cure for diabetes, keeping it under control is crucial,” notes HealthXchange.sg, Singapore’s first interactive health and lifestyle resource portal developed by SingHealth.