Diabetes: Myth or Fact (3)

QUESTION: Not sure where to start…?
ANSWER: Aim for a portion no bigger than a quarter of a 9-inch plate.
MYTH: Can you catch diabetes from someone else?
FACT: No. Although we don’t know exactly why some people develop diabetes and others don’t, we know diabetes is not contagious. It can’t be caught like a cold or flu.
MYTH: Are people with diabetes more likely to get colds and other illnesses?
FACT: You are no more likely to get a cold or another illness if you have diabetes. People with diabetes are advised to get flu shots. This is because any illness can make diabetes more difficult to control, and people with diabetes who get the flu are more likely than others to go on to develop serious complications.
MYTH: Only medication can control my diabetes.
FACT: Lifestyle changes such as good nutrition, increased physical activity, weight loss and limiting alcohol/cigarette consumption can have a positive effect on diabetes and its complications, including high blood pressure.
MYTH: Once you have diabetes, there is nothing you can do to prevent other health problems.
FACT: Keeping glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol on target can help prevent complications, especially cardiovascular disease and eye-related problems.
MYTH: Proper foot care includes soaking my feet every day.
FACT: Soaking your feet daily can cause the skin to become dry and is not recommended.
MYTH: Diabetes will make you go blind.
FACT: While eye-related problems can result from diabetes, good control of blood glucose levels can reduce the risk for blindness and other complications.
MYTH: By drinking water, I can wash away extra sugar in my blood.
FACT: High glucose levels cannot be controlled or reduced by drinking water. The best way to reduce glucose levels is to eat healthy food, be physically active, control your weight, monitor your glucose level and know what to do if it is too high or too low, take prescribed medications, and get regular medical care.
MYTH: Only people with diabetes need insulin.
FACT: Everyone needs insulin. It is naturally produced in the body, but people with diabetes either don’t make any, don’t make enough, or their bodies cannot use it properly.
MYTH: People who follow their treatment plan never have high blood sugar readings.
FACT: Even when diligently following your treatment plan, glucose levels can be high because it is influenced by diet, exercise, stress, illness or infection, and medication.