In addition to reducing the sugar you add to your coffee, there are many other things you can do to keep blood glucose levels from becoming a serious problem.
Diabetics should always monitor their blood sugar level with a meter and adjust their insulin dosage, if necessary. Regular checkups and doctor’s appointments are mandatory. But people without diabetes cannot live completely carefree. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that develops over time, so it is always a good idea to keep your blood sugar under control. Not only does it prevent disease, but it reduces inflammation, improves physical and mental performance, and overall health.
Carbohydrates provided by food are more or less rapidly converted into glucose. When blood levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin to reduce them, facilitating the entry of glucose into the cells.
But what happens when insulin does not sufficiently remove sugar from the blood? Reduced sensitivity to insulin is a symptom of type 2 diabetes. To prevent it from becoming a serious health problem, sugar should be kept under control with the help of remedies such as the following.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO LOWER BLOOD SUGAR?
1. A WALK AFTER A MEAL WORKS WONDERS.
A 20-minute walk after each main meal leads to a significant reduction in blood sugar levels. There is no easier way to prevent type 2 diabetes.
This practice is also used successfully in gestational diabetes to keep the mother’s and fetus’ blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
2. TRAIN ESPECIALLY YOUR LEGS
Because the legs are our largest muscle group, they consume significant amounts of sugar in the form of glycogen, which is burned during physical activities.
In addition to walking, you can do specific leg training. You can, for example, do squats regularly to deplete your sugar reserves. And always take the stairs, even if you find it difficult at first.
3. FIBER AND VINEGAR REGULATE BLOOD SUGAR.
Eat at least 40 grams of fiber. Keep in mind that this figure refers only to fiber, not to the weight of the whole fiber-rich food. For example, a pear weighs about 200 g and provides 7 g of fiber.
Include 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar in your main meals. A salad with vinegar and oil and a main meal with plenty of vegetables, whole grain cereal and legumes prevent blood sugar from spiking and then dropping again.
4. INTERMITTENT FASTING CAN HELP
If you feel lethargic or lacking in concentration, either after breakfast or after dinner, you may benefit from skipping a meal, following the guidelines of intermittent fasting.
Eighty percent of people are more sensitive to insulin in the morning and therefore can process breakfast better, however, the other 20% can metabolize dinner better.
Watch closely how your body reacts to eating at specific times and consider skipping breakfast or dinner. In any case, to metabolize carbohydrates efficiently, it is best to eat lunch before 3 p.m. and dinner before 8 p.m. (at dinner, moreover, the proportion of carbohydrates should be kept to a minimum).
5. AVOID RAPIDLY ABSORBED SUGARS
You can eliminate the following foods from your daily menu:
- Products made with white flour
- Energy bars (they usually contain added sugars and fats)
- Sweetened fruit yogurt
- Sweetened coffee with milk
- Soft drinks and energy drinks (light versions are also not recommended due to the presence of artificial sweeteners).
6. EAT MORE LEGUMES
Legumes such as beans, lentils and the like have a more positive effect on blood sugar than any other food.
According to this, legumes not only reduce the immediate increase in blood sugar, but also the increase caused by the next meal.
As a result, legumes have a preventive effect on insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
7. DRINK ENOUGH WATER
Everyone knows that drinking water is healthy. Blood sugar levels also benefit from sufficient fluid intake.
Hydration facilitates the work of the kidneys and cells, so much so that people who drink adequately have less risk of developing diabetes.
On the other hand, drinking too little aggravates the initial consequences of incipient diabetes.
It is generally recommended to drink 1.5 liters of water daily, but the right amount depends on body weight, ambient temperature and humidity, and physical activity.
These measures do not replace the medical treatment of diabetes, they can only have a preventive effect and complement the comprehensive therapy of type 2 diabetes.
If you suspect that you may have diabetes, you should immediately contact your family doctor.