In diabetes management, technological advancements have transformed how individuals monitor and manage their condition. Healthy eating, being active, monitoring, and healthy coping are four essential self-care behaviors for effective diabetes self-management. Several mobile applications serve as comprehensive tools to assist individuals in tracking various aspects of their health. These include:
- MyFitnessPal for tracking macronutrients and some micronutrients
- Nike training club for engaging in physical activity.
- Glucose buddy/BG Monitor Diabetes for tracking blood glucose levels, medications, insulin, food
- Calm/Smiling Mind for supporting sleep/medication/mental health.
Let’s explore how patients with diabetes use these applications to manage their diabetes.
Scenario 1- Russian woman with Diabetes
Anna, a busy teacher from Russia, recently diagnosed with diabetes, juggles her career and caring for her two children. Balancing her traditional Russian meals with her dietary needs proves challenging. Aware of the importance of tracking her carbohydrate intake for managing her insulin dosage, she also focuses on losing weight and staying active in managing her diabetes.
Exercise and Diabetes Management Apps
Anna’s day starts at 6 am, navigating the morning rush to get her kids ready for school and herself prepared for work. Despite the chaos, finding time for breakfast is a struggle. Fortunately, she recently discovered MyFitnessPal, a helpful tool providing recipes with detailed nutrition info. With this resource, Anna plans her meals ahead and takes advantage of meal prep in advance. She also effortlessly tracks her daily intake of essential nutrients like protein, carbs, and fats and ensures that she budgets her carbohydrates. Her doctor advised to monitor her blood glucose throughout the day, so Anna relies on Glucose Buddy Diabetes Tracker to see enter her insulin and blood glucose and see her blood glucose trends over time. She can see when she has been on target and when she has been below and above target. Looking at her trends helps to analyze how she can minimize her hypoglycemic episodes first.
Despite her hectic schedule, Anna prioritizes physical activity to manage her diabetes. During lunch breaks, she fits in workouts using Nike Training Club’s free version, appreciating its varied programs for an energy boost. On busy days, she turns to the 7 Minute Workout app for quick and very intense routines, and on weekends, she diversifies her workouts with FitOn’s free classes from home. She notices how her blood glucose drops after her exercise routine and she alerts her doctor, who reduces her basal insulin.
Carb Counting App for Diabetes
One evening, when her kids request pelmeni, a traditional Russian dumpling made with flour filled with meat or mushrooms. Anna’s unsure if she can enjoy the dish because of her diabetes. Using MyFitnessPal, she quickly finds detailed nutritional info for pelmeni, and a checkmark ensures the information has been verified. She finds that one piece has 8 grams of carbohydrate, and she serves 4 dumplings on her plate because she is going to add other carbohydrate foods to her meal such as fruit and cooked vegetables to her meal. She successfully counts her carbs for her meal and adjusts her insulin intake based on her insulin to carbohydrate ratio. She also looks up borscht, a soup prepared with beets, and other vegetables. She checks the amount the amount of carbohydrates and plans her lunch meal. The app’s extensive database encompasses a myriad of traditional foods from various cultures worldwide, providing users with accurate macronutrient information crucial for effective diabetes management. Sometimes Anna finds she can navigate better in Russian. Her friend from Guatemala, who uses MyFitnessPal in Spanish, showed her how to change the settings and change it into Russian.
Apps to Reduce Stress
As stress builds during her demanding workday, Anna finds relief in apps like Smiling Mind, offering guided meditations and stress-relieving exercises. With a balanced approach to work and wellness, Anna confidently manages her diabetes, setting a positive example for others. Supported by accessible apps, she achieves harmony between her career and health, improving her overall well-being.
Scenario 2-Turkish – Diabetes, Hypertension and Hypercholesterolemia
AyÅŸe, a 42-year-old Turkish woman, has recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. Her doctor has emphasized the critical importance of monitoring her sodium intake, decreasing her saturated fat intake, and managing her diabetes as her A1C was 9.3% Despite facing budget constraints and lacking a gym membership, AyÅŸe is determined to manage her weight, cholesterol and blood glucose levels and her blood pressure while enjoying home-cooked meals and socializing with her friends.
AyÅŸe’s weekly tradition of hosting a Turkish breakfast for her friends presents a challenge. Traditional Turkish breakfasts, rich in bread, cheese varieties, olives, and other traditional delights, offer comfort and camaraderie but can pose risks because of their high sodium and saturated fat content. Accurate nutrient information is vital for AyÅŸe to navigate her dietary choices effectively.
MyFitnessPal App Helps with Carb Counting, Saturated Fat, and Sodium Content
MyFitnessPal is an invaluable resource for individuals like AyÅŸe seeking to manage their health conditions without sacrificing cultural culinary delights. AyÅŸe checks various Turkish cheeses and finds that 1 ounce of Turkish Labneh cheese has 5 grams and 1 gram of saturated fat and 0 grams of trans fat. This is a good choice because excess intake of saturated fat is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. Labneh cheese is also low in sodium. She also finds several Turkish bread options she can incorporate into her breakfast. Managing appropriate portions is very important, so adding tomatoes, celery and radishes to the dish will add fiber without adding extra calories.
Now, AyÅŸe can incorporate her beloved Turkish breakfast into her management plan with confidence. By utilizing MyFitnessPal, she can accurately calculate the carbohydrate content of the meal besides the saturated fat and sodium, allowing her to make informed decisions about her meal composition. Whether it’s choosing lower sodium, lower saturated alternatives, or modifying recipes, AyÅŸe can enjoy a nutritious and flavorful breakfast while managing her dietary restrictions.
From gözleme (flatbread filled with either cheese, spinach, potato or meat) to sucuk (Turkish sausage) with eggs, simit to a variety of olives and jams, and even kaymak (clotted cream), MyFitnessPal ensures that AyÅŸe can indulge in her cultural culinary heritage while safeguarding her health. With the app’s support, AyÅŸe can look up the nutrition composition of these foods and decide which foods she can include in her meal plan and how she can modify the recipes so she can reduce the sodium and saturated fat. This way, she can navigate her diabetes journey with culinary creativity, enjoying the flavors of tradition without compromising her well-being.
AyÅŸe’s commitment to managing her chronic disease while embracing her cultural traditions is further supported by the integration of the Nike Training Club and Calm apps into her wellness routine.
Despite not having a gym membership, AyÅŸe is determined to maintain her physical fitness. The Nike Training Club app offers her a diverse range of workout routines that she can easily do from the comfort of her home, fitting perfectly into her budget-conscious lifestyle. With the app’s guided workouts, AyÅŸe can engage in tailored exercise sessions that cater to her specific needs and preferences, helping her achieve her fitness goals with no expensive equipment or memberships.
Peace of Mind App
Besides prioritizing her physical health, AyÅŸe recognizes the importance of managing her stress levels to support her overall well-being. The Calm app provides her with a variety of meditation and relaxation exercises that she can incorporate into her daily routine. By dedicating time to mindfulness practices, AyÅŸe can reduce stress and promote mental clarity, enhancing her ability to cope with the challenges of living with a chronic condition. She wants to understand how stress impacts her diabetes. She monitors her blood glucose levels and she can see how stress is directly associated with hyperglycemic episodes. She uses her commute time in the morning and her afternoon break to use the app to relax.
By seamlessly integrating the Nike Training Club and Calm apps into her lifestyle, AyÅŸe creates a holistic approach to her health management. With the support of these digital tools, she can prioritize both her physical and mental well-being, allowing her to navigate her diabetes journey with resilience and grace.
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