You can successfully control your blood sugar. Working with your doctor and using tips from this list, you can manage your sugar levels effectively. Then you can spend more time enjoying life rather than managing complications from high blood sugar.
Change Your Diet
Your diet plays a crucial role in regulating your blood sugar.
Choose more complex carbohydrates, but don’t go overboard. Whole grains and bran are good choices. Beans help, too. They add fiber to the diet and help delay glucose (simple sugar) absorption. Fruits and vegetables add needed nutrients for the body to process sugar more effectively. Some people try only eating raw foods and they often experience great results. Avoid sugary desserts and eliminate refined sugars in the form of cake, ice cream, soda, and more.
Enlist the help of your doctor to come up with a diet plan that will complement your own body’s specific needs. It’s more about choosing to eat foods that are more healthful. They don’t have to be boring or bland.
Eat Smaller Meals More Often
Eating more frequently allows blood sugar levels to stay more level throughout the day. Nutrients need to enter the bloodstream at regular times. This also means that you should not wait too long between meals, skip them or fast. Doing this also helps to keep blood sugar from spiking too high and then getting too low once the body releases insulin.
Exercise
When you follow a regular exercise program, the effects on overall health are tremendous. Exercise has the added benefit of helping to regulate blood sugar levels throughout the course of a day. You can begin a walking routine, swim or ride a bike, among other things. Some people have difficulty incorporating a regular exercise program due to work or family obligations. If this is the case, it’s important to build in opportunities throughout the day to get more exercise. Some ideas are as follows:
use the push mower to cut the grass park far away from the grocery store entrance and then walk the basket back to the door when you’re finished take the stairs instead of the elevator walk the dog around the block twice a day jog in place while watching TV do jumping jacks before beginning your morning routine don’t make your kids get the groceries: get them yourself and take smaller loads so that you make more trips get a kettlebell, It works like a weight that will help to increase your heart rate in a smaller span of time.
Try Apple Cider Vinegar
This is a folk remedy, but many people swear by it. Get some organic apple cider vinegar (the kind with “The Mother” – it will say so on the bottle – which is the pulpy mass you see at the bottom of the bottle and is said to imbibe the vinegar with more nutrients). Start with 1 teaspoon to an 8 oz. glass of water. If you can’t stand the taste, try adding it to tea without sugar, or try organic stevia. Gradually increase the vinegar amounts in a glass of water, up to two tablespoons. Monitor your sugar levels closely – you might not need that much to maintain acceptable levels. The vinegar helps with digestion and absorption of sugar, and also has many other health benefits.
Limit Alcohol Intake
Alcohol can raise blood sugar levels because the body has to busy itself eliminating the alcohol toxins from the body. It cannot focus on regulating sugar levels as effectively. Consuming too much alcohol can cause hypoglycemia, a condition where blood sugar levels are too low. This happens because the body releases insulin to combat the alcohol sugars and can over compensate. Over time, however, the body begins to lose its ability to use insulin to reduce the amount of sugar in the blood. The opposite can develop: hyperglycemia.
Get More Sleep
You may have heard that people who often don’t get enough rest tend to weigh more and are at higher risk for being overweight. With that come the complications: diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and more. Be proactive about getting enough sleep. In general, your body functions better, which will also help your blood sugar levels. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Implementing the suggestions from this list and being proactive about managing blood sugar levels are crucial to maintaining healthy blood sugar. From revamping your diet to getting more exercise, it takes a bit of effort. It’s worth it so that you don’t develop long-term complications down the road. It’s important to work with your doctor, as well, to develop a customized plan of action so that you can live the healthiest life possible.
