Top 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Sugar

Hyperglycemia, also known as high blood sugar, is commonly associated with prediabetes and diabetes. The body regulates blood glucose levels by secreting a hormone called insulin, which allows cells in tissues to use blood sugar for energy. Therefore, insulin is one of the most important regulators of blood sugar levels.

However, several factors can impair the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, heading to hyperglycemia.

Some of the internal factors that may lead to high blood sugar levels include when the body produces too little insulin, when the liver produces too much sugar, or when the body is unable to use insulin effectively (insulin resistance).

External causes include certain medications, stress, dietary choices, and a sedentary lifestyle.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that about 13% of American adults are living with diabetes and another 34% have prediabetes.

Blood sugar management is extremely important for diabetes patients, as consistently high blood glucose levels can lead to a variety of life-threatening complications.

How To Lower My Blood Sugar Naturally

1. Regular physical activity

Exercising regularly can help you increase insulin sensitivity and achieve and maintain moderate weight. Increasing insulin sensitivity helps the cells in your muscle and tissue use the available sugar in your bloodstream more effectively. Moreover, exercise can help muscles use blood glucose for muscle contraction and energy.

If you’re having any problems managing your blood glucose levels, be sure to keep track of your levels before and after working out. This will help you understand how your body responds to different activities and help maintain your blood sugar levels within the target range.

Moreover, experts recommend doing regular “exercise snacks” to prevent the problems that may arise as a result of sitting all day. Exercise snacks mean breaking up your sitting routine every 30 to 45 minutes for about 10 minutes throughout the day. You can engage in exercises such as light walking, leg raises, or squats. You can also beat a sedentary lifestyle by doing other useful exercises such as dancing, swimming, hiking, weightlifting, biking, and more.

2. Control your carbs intake

Carbs strongly influence blood sugar levels because they are broken down into sugars and used or stored for energy. Therefore, if you have insulin function complications or eat too many carbohydrates, this process can fail, and blood sugar levels can rise.

This is why the ADA (American Diabetes Association) strongly recommends that diabetes patients control their carb intake by consuming the amount recommended by their doctor. Being aware of how many carbs you need helps you in planning meals and further improving blood glucose management.

Studies show that a low-carb diet can help prevent blood sugar spikes by reducing blood sugar levels. However, it is important to keep in mind that no-carb diets and low-carb diets are vastly different.

Have a closer look at the different carb counter apps available HERE!

3. Eat more fiber

Research shows that soluble fiber slows carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption, thus promoting a gradual increase in blood sugar levels. A high soluble fiber diet improves the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels, which could aid in managing type 1 diabetes.

Some of the foods that are rich in soluble fiber include:

Whole grains
Fruits
Legumes
Vegetables

Eating a high-fiber diet has been shown to improve blood glucose management. However, when it comes to blood sugar management, it is essential to keep in mind that soluble fiber has been shown to be more effective compared to insoluble fiber. The recommended intake of fiber is 14 grams per day for every 1,000 calories.

4. Stay hydrated

In addition to preventing dehydration, drinking enough water helps keep blood sugar levels within the target range. Moreover, it helps the kidneys get rid of excess glucose through urine. In fact, recent studies show that people who drink more water have a significantly lower risk of developing hyperglycemia.

Water and other non-caffeinated and zero-calorie drinks help lower blood sugar levels, rehydrate the blood and reduce the risk of diabetes. Avoid sugar-sweetened drinks as these have been shown to drive weight gain, raise blood glucose and increase diabetes risk.

5. Adhere to portion control

Portion control helps you maintain moderate body weight and control your calorie intake.

Tips for implementing portion control to lower blood sugar levels naturally:

Use smaller plates
Keep accurate food journals
Weigh and measure your portions
Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets and restaurants
Check serving sizes
Read food labels
Eat slowly

In addition to promoting healthy blood sugar levels, studies show that weight management also reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. It is also important to monitor your serving sizes in order to prevent blood sugar spikes.

6. Choose foods with a low GI (glycemic index)

The GI (glycemic index) is a measure of how quickly carbs are digested and how fast the body absorbs them. Therefore, the GI affects how rapidly blood sugar levels rise.

The GI categorizes foods into high, medium, and low GI by ranking them on a scale of 0 to 100. A ranking of less than 55 is considered low GI.

Both the type and amount of carbs consumed determine how food affects blood glucose levels. Studies show that eating low GI foods helps reduce blood glucose levels, even in people with diabetes.

Foods with a moderate to low GI include:

Barley
Beans
Lentils
Bulgur
Unsweetened Greek yogurt
Oats
Non-starchy vegetables
Legumes
Whole wheat pasta

Moreover, adding healthy fats or protein to your diet helps reduce the risk of blood sugar spikes after meals.

7. Manage your stress levels

Stress has been explicitly shown to affect blood sugar levels. When stressed, the body secrets cortisol and glucagon hormones which cause blood glucose levels to rise. Studies show that relaxation, meditation, and exercise can help reduce stress, thereby lowering blood sugar levels.

Relaxation methods and exercises like yoga may also help improve insulin secretion problems among diabetes patients.

The bottom-line

There are many different natural ways to lower blood sugar. Most of them typically involve making lifestyle changes, such as managing stress levels, sleep quality, weight, staying hydrated and exercising.

However, it is essential to consult your doctor before trying new supplements or making lifestyle changes, especially if you are under medication or are having problems managing your blood sugar.

Carbohydrate Diabetic Diet

Importance of a Low Carbohydrate Diabetic Diet

Being diabetic can be a tough thing to do and once you hear those dreaded words telling you that you are diabetic, it seems as if your world starts crashing down. A Carbohydrate Diabetic Diet really in all reality, isn’t a bad practice for any of us.

Most of us these days seem to eat way too many carbohydrates which can add on those extra pounds and cause us many more medical problems versus the standard and traditional just not eating well.

Carbohydrates are hard to breakdown which adds to those extra pounds and makes it harder for us to lose in the long run. A lower carbohydrate diabetic diet is really a major part in being able to properly maintain and safely manage a healthy blood glucose level. The main reason that a low carbohydrate diet for diabetes works is because if you have lots of carbohydrates in your diet then your body can’t breakdown the carbohydrates or sugars.

With less insulin or sugar added to your diet you can rest assured knowing that your body will start eating or breaking down the sugars or fats that your body already has stored, meaning that your fats that you eat will be metabolized instead of stored which causes those extra unwanted pounds. In other terms, the carbohydrates that you eat will either be peed away, breathed away or as we like to call it, melt away!

A carb controlled diabetic diet is a very key and essential thing to being a diabetic because without closely monitoring your carbohydrate intake you will end up being overweight, having high blood glucose readings and other medical problems to go along with it.

A carbohydrate diabetic diet is the key

and a very essential part to being able to safely manage and maintain your diabetes. For more info on healthy diabetic diet plans and pre-packaged dinners, read on!

Diets for type 2 diabetes

Are you a type 2 diabetic and often times you have trouble finding a diet that works for you? Diets for type 2 diabetes is not a hard thing to maintain but sometimes can be overwhelming in finding the right diet to work for you.

Diets are something that is tough for anyone rather you are overweight, underweight, have too much muscles, have too little muscles, diabetic or not diabetic, diets are tough to accomplish and stick to even if you aren’t diabetic.

When you first find out that you have diabetes it seems like so many emotions are running through your head because you already have to limit what you eat, how much sugar you can eat, no eating deserts, no ice cream, no candy, no chips, you even have to watch what kind of carbohydrates and meats you eat. Dieting is rough for anyone.

Diets for type 2 diabetes can be found all over the web, through your local doctor’s office, through the library, dietician and many other places as well but are they worth it? Diets of any kind are tough, we all know it and being diabetic can make it even worse but being able to have a diet for type 2 diabetes makes it a little more bearable because you know that it is catered and designed especially for you.

Diets for type 2 diabetes are designed so that you can learn how to watch what you eat as well as be able to maintain your diabetes all at the same time. People who go on a diet need to have will power and being able to go on a diet that is catered just for your specific medical needs make it all more bearable and a little easier to grasp and take control of.

General information on diabetes

Have you been recently diagnosed with diabetes and need to find general information on diabetes? General information on diabetes can be found in all sorts of places such as your local library. Your local library is a great place to find general information on diabetes because you can borrow books on diabetes, read up on how to eat, look at cookbooks and many other various items so that you can learn all about diabetes and how to live with the disease.

General information on diabetes can be given to you by your family physician or doctor which can help point you in the right direction of how insurance pays for certain diabetic supplies, foods to eat and not to eat as well as supplies and equipment that you will need to purchase in order to maintain a healthy diabetic lifestyle.

General information on diabetes can also be found online by doing a diabetes search looking for anything that you would like to know about such as what foods are good and which ones are not, which medications are the best, what your blood glucose level should be and anything else that you can dream about when it comes to living with diabetes.

General information on diabetes can be found in a wide variety of places and on various topics it is up to you to determine which topic about diabetes you are searching for and wanting to know more about. General information on diabetes is out there almost everywhere you look, it is up to you to determine which information best suits your needs and provides you with the information that you need.

So rather you are looking to find out information on diabetic diets, diabetic clothes and footwear, diabetic medications or which diabetic supplies are the best there are thousands of places out there that can offer you general information on diabetes.

Are you looking for good diabetic recipes?

It’s a fact that being overweight has become almost pandemic in most western societies, and many people are looking at specialized recipes in an effort to drop a few pounds, for diabetics however good eating habits can really make a difference in the management of their condition and diabetic recipes are the key. The key to diabetes management is glucose control, controlling the amount of blood sugar, and this can sometimes be achieved through the proper diabetic recipes and sometimes medication must be taken, but with out of control eating habits even the medications won’t work as well as they could. Diabetic recipes are generally going to be low in simple sugars and will contain only moderate amounts of complex carbohydrates and a good amount of protein.

While it is common knowledge that sugar must be greatly reduced or eliminated in most diabetic diets, the fact is that many other foods such as potatoes, rice, pastas and breads should also be eaten in limited amounts. This is because the starches and carbohydrates in these foods are readily broken down into glucose during the digestive process. Though these types of carbohydrates are better for those on a diabetic diet than simple sugars they should still be eaten only in moderation.

There are many sources of information on diabetic diets, and many places to find diabetic recipes, including health magazines, online sources, and even organizations like the American Diabetes Association can provide good advice. The best place to start getting advice on what foods ahould be included in a diabetic diet is with your physician. Your physician will be familiar not only with your diabetes, but also with any other health conditions you might have as well as your body weight and overall health, and is the go-to person when it comes to getting the right information to start compiling your own book of diabetic recipes.