Three Steps That Will Help
Step 1: drink water, not any other beverages that are made with water, like coffee, tea, or diet soda. Im speaking of water, plain or iced. This will help with rehydration because when your blood sugar is running on the high side, it can be from being dehydrated and can dehydrate you. We also eliminate excess blood sugar through urine.lots of water, of course, speed that process along.
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Step 2: Stick to a very low-carb diet if your reading is running on the higher side. Choose foods that are protein like cheese, chicken, beef, pork, or eggs. These are straight protein foods that do not contain any carbohydrates. Once your blood sugar starts coming back to the target range, you can include carb-containing foods. This will just be a short period of time that you will need to go very low carb.
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How To Prevent High Blood Sugar And Type 2 Diabetes
There are two key factors that will help regulate your blood sugar and greatly reduce your risk of Type 2 Diabetes. You guessed it: diet and exercise. These elements are key to overall good health and the prevention of most chronic disease, including Diabetes. Lose excess weight, eat a healthy, well balanced diet, and exercise regularly. Below are some tips to help you out.
Beware Of The Label Sugar
Grocery shopping can be confusing, since at first glance, many foods may seem healthier than they are. Smart food choices can be hard to make. Watch out for sugar-free alternatives, which are better than the real-sugar versions, but hardly healthy.
In addition, says Champion, just because a food is labeled sugar free, reduced sugar, or no sugar added doesnt mean its carbohydrate free, too. This means the food can still cause your blood sugar to rise. Your best bet is to look at the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient label on the back of the package, she says. Dont rely on advertising claims on the front of the package.
The ADA suggests that rather than just looking at the sugar content, always check the total amount of carbohydrates in a product which includes the amounts of starch, fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohols. This total will give you a more accurate idea of how a food may actually affect your blood sugar levels.
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Why Is My Blood Sugar High
Several factors can lead to you consistently having raised blood sugar levels. Being sedentary, carrying around more weight than you should, genetics, and stress all play a part.
And while you cannot control genetics and stress is often hard to get a handle on you can eat a healthy diet, which is also instrumental in maintaining your blood sugar levels.
Its important that you stay away from refined sugar and learn where hidden sugars lurk in foods you may have thought to be healthy. Concentrate on eating whole food like vegetables, protein, and full-fat dairy. Avoid processed foods, and dont even keep them in the house if they are too tempting!
Manage Your Carb Intake
Your body breaks carbs down into sugars , and then insulin helps your body use and store sugar for energy.
When you eat too many carbs or have insulin-function problems, this process fails, and blood glucose levels can rise.
However, there are several things you can do about this.
The American Diabetes Association recommends managing carb intake by counting carbs and being aware of how many you need .
Some studies find that these methods can also help you plan your meals appropriately, further improving blood sugar management (
The recommended daily intake of fiber is about 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Thats about 14 grams for every 1,000 calories .
Summary
Eating plenty of fiber can help with blood sugar management. Soluble dietary fiber is the most effective.
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What Is Your Blood Sugar
To put it simply, your blood sugar is the glucose content in your blood.
When we eat, our body gets sugar from the food we take in. The sugar changes to glucose. Then, the glucose is converted to energy for our body, including the muscles, nervous system, and organs.
The pancreas, liver, and small intestine work together to regulate the blood sugar throughout your body. The endocrine system regulates processes like tissue function, reproduction, and metabolism. Almost every cell and organ in the body are affected by the endocrine system.
The endocrine system is assisted by the organs like the kidney and heart, which have what are called secondary endocrine functions. One of the most common endocrine diseases is diabetes. This is when the body does not process glucose properly.
Why does this happen? There is either a lack of insulin in the body, or in the case that insulin is present, the body is not using it as it should. If there is not enough insulin in the body, glucose cannot enter the cells because insulin makes the cells ready to receive the glucose.
Sounds rather complicated, doesnt it? Lets look at a few questions that will simplify things. Then, well look at the best foods to lower your blood sugar.
Diabetes: Here Are 4 Drinks That You Can Include In Your Diet To Manage Blood Sugar Levels Better:
1. Karela Juice
Karela juice is said to be great for diabetics. It helps regulate the blood sugar levels in your body. According to Nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood, Karela juice tends to make your insulin active the sugar would be used adequately and not get converted into fat, which could also help in losing weight. Moreover, karela juice contains active substance known as charantin that is known as blood-glucose lowering agent. A glassful of karela juice in the morning could help regulate and manage blood sugar levels effectively.
2. Methi Water
One of the most effective natural remedies is methi dana. A study found that a daily dose of 10 grams of fenugreek seeds soaked in hot water may help control type-2 diabetes. Methi dana water has the ability to lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. It contains fibre and helps in slowing down digestion process, further regulating the absorption of carbohydrates and sugar. The fenugreek water also helps in improving the way your body uses sugar.
Diabetes: It helps regulate the blood sugar levels in your body
3. Barley Water
Barley or jau water is high in insoluble fibre, which makes it good for diabetics. It is recommended for diabetics as it helps stabilise blood glucose levels. Make sure you drink unsweetened barley water to get effective results. The antioxidant properties of barley water also helps keep many diseases at bay.
4. Green Tea
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Preventing High Blood Sugars
Everyone with diabetes experiences high blood sugars sometimes there are simply too many variables in the human body out of your control to prevent them altogether.
That being said, there are a few guidelines we can all follow to minimize the frequency of high blood sugars:
- Avoid full-sugar beverages including soda, juice, coffee drinks, iced tea, etc.
- Choose your carbohydrates carefully starchy carbs from pasta, candy, bread, desserts, etc. will spike your blood sugar the most
- Take your medications as prescribed and contact your healthcare team if you miss a dose to determine if you can take it late
- Exercise daily even a 20-minute walk makes a big difference on a daily basis
- Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration
And of course, if youre experiencing high blood sugars are a daily basis and youre unsure of the cause, talk to your healthcare team about making adjustments in your diabetes management regimen. A slight increase in your medications can have a big impact!
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The 10 Best Foods To Control Diabetes And Lower Blood Sugar
If you have diabetes, you know how difficult it can be to manage your diet and control your blood sugar levels. Certain foods cause massive spikes while others actually lower blood sugar, but many people go through years of trial and error before they find out what works for them. Luckily, thanks to years of scientific findings, weve been able to determine what foods are better than others. In this article, well discuss the 10 best foods to control diabetes and lower blood sugar.
To get the most out of your food, consider diabetic meal planning. Planning and preparing meals ahead of time will reduce the likelihood of snacking or unhealthy eating and will help you save time and energy throughout the week.
Non-starchy vegetables are one of the best foods you can eat as a diabetic. Not only will they fill you up, but theyre full of essential vitamins and minerals that help regulate your blood sugar. Since theyre a whole food with trace amounts of sugar and high levels of fiber, you can eat as many non-starchy vegetables as you want without having to worry about high blood sugar spikes. To get the most out of your non-starchy vegetables, choose fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables that have no added salt or sauce.1 Some examples of non-starchy vegetables include the following:2
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Take A Correction Dose
For those who take fast or rapid-acting insulin Novolog, Humalog, Apidra, Fiasp, Admelog, Afrezza you can take a correction dose to bring a high blood sugar down.
A correction factor is determined with support from your healthcare team. This number tells you how much 1 unit of fast or rapid-acting insulin will lower your blood sugar. For example, a correction factor of 1:50 means that 1 unit of insulin will lower your blood sugar by 50 points.
Its important to keep in mind how much insulin you may already have on board in your bloodstream before taking an additional dose of insulin.
Most fast and rapid-acting insulin stays in your system for approximately 3 to 4 hours, which means taking an additional dose of insulin to correct a high could lead to a severe low blood sugar if you already have a significant amount of insulin from your most recent dose still in your bloodstream.
Also, remember to give that correction dose of insulin at least two hours to make an impact on your blood sugar before getting frustrated and taking another injection. You wont see a significant improvement in your blood sugar until its been in your system for at least 2 to 3 hours .
Drink Drink Drink Some Water
Dehydration can cause high blood sugars, which means getting hydrated can help prevent and reduce high blood sugars.
Your blood consists partly of water. When you dont drink enough water throughout the day, the other things in your blood become more concentrated! And thus, higher blood sugar levels.
You know that uncomfortable thirst you feel when your blood sugars are high? Give in to it. This is how your body helps flush excess sugar out through your urine, and how you replenish the necessary fluid balance in your bloodstream.
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Highest Rates Of Diabetes Worldwide
Among Pima Indians over age 35 in Arizona, the rate of type 2 diabetes is eight times the national average. In fact, the prevalence of diabetes on the reservation is the highest recorded anywhere in the world. By age 50, nearly 60% of the Pimas in Arizona have type 2 diabetes.
I am in awe of how quickly peoples health improves at Pritikin within days! says Kimberly Gomer. Its a beautiful thing! Knowing that Im a part of their success is a privilege.
Eat Foods Rich In Chromium And Magnesium
Chromium and magnesium play an essential role in carbohydrate and fat metabolism. So their deficiency is linked to carbohydrate intolerance and impaired blood glucose levels. Chromium also has long term blood sugar control .
You can try chromium-rich foods, which include egg yolks, whole-grain products, high-bran cereals, coffee, nuts, green beans, broccoli, and meat. Magnesium-rich foods include whole grains, fruits like bananas, dark leafy greens, fish, avocados, and seeds.
However, if you are already taking enough, the suppleness of these minerals may not benefit anymore .
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Here Are 4 Ways To Lower Your Blood Sugar Fast :
- Chugging water. Drinking a lot of water quickly will dilute your blood sugar and cause you to urinate a lot of it out. Do not drink a lot of water if you have any type of kidney problems or heart problems.
- Increasing your heart rate for 15 minutes can maximize your insulin response and drop your blood sugar down. Be sure to check your blood sugar when you are finished.
- Eat a snack that is high in protein. Protein stabilizes blood sugar. Make sure that the food doesnt have a lot of sugar in it. Good choices are cheese or almonds.
- Administer a quick-acting insulin if your doctor has prescribed it, such as . Insulin is a very rapid way to lower your sugar. Be sure to check your level about 30 minutes after you administer the insulin to see if it prevented the hypoglycemia.
With any of these quick remedies, it is imperative to have a snack handy in case your blood sugar drops too low. Always discuss any plans that you have with your physician.
How can you reduce your blood sugar levels naturally without medications?
Like I mentioned above, diet and exercise are the two ways that you can to lower blood sugar. Did you know that losing just 5 pounds can reduce your need for medications or insulin?
Foods that you should consume should include lots of lean meats, fruits, and vegetables. Read on for more details about how exercise and a healthy diet can lower your sugar.
How can exercise lower my blood sugar?
Exercise can help lower your blood sugar in two ways:
How Long Does It Take To Bring High Blood Sugar Down
Taking insulin that is fast-acting through the injection can help to lower high blood sugar within half an hour. However, the effects of the insulin will actually peak somewhere around two to two and a half hours after the dose. Insulin with an intermediate action time will lower blood glucose within an hour or two, with the peak occurring much later, between four to twelve hours after intake.
Long-term acting insulins are meant to keep insulin levels stable for a full day and do not have a peak action time.
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Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar
The medical term for high blood sugar is hyperglycemia and the term for low blood sugar is hypoglycemia. Having high blood sugar occasionally usually wont result in any symptoms.
Symptoms of high blood sugar tend to occur when blood sugar is very high for a prolonged period. This is why prediabetes and diabetes can go undiagnosed for years there arent immediate, noticeable symptoms.
Some of the early signs of chronic high blood sugar, which may tip someone off enough to visit with their healthcare provider, include:
For chronic hyperglycemia, more symptoms can occur, such as:
Poor wound healing: High blood sugar delays wound healing, which is one of the many reasons long-term diabetes can increase the risk of wounds requiring amputation.
- Numbness and tingling of the hands and feet: Prolonged periods of high blood sugar can cause nerve damage. One of the more well-known nerve damage types, peripheral neuropathy, can cause numbness or tingling sensation in the hands and feet and spreading to the arms and legs. Those with neuropathy may not feel a wound on their feet, leading to diabetic foot ulcers.
- Increased infections: High blood sugar interferes with the immune system, increasing susceptibility to illness and infection.
Avoid Alcohol The Night Before And Sugar In Anything The Next Morning
Like to enjoy a tipple the night before you go to bed? Its time to cut down or back on that completely. The alcohol dehydrates the body and will mean your blood glucose level will be more saturated. The smaller amounts of glucose will affect you in bigger ways.
But this doesnt help you on a morning, right? Well, look out for drinking anything sugary on a morning. This includes your glass of orange juice. You may even want to avoid plain water!
You want to drink something that is going to keep your sugar levels to a minimum and not spart the release of insulin. That means looking for something that packs plenty of protein. Remember that protein berry smoothie? Consider that as your morning drink/breakfast. You can follow it with a glass of water if youd like.
A green smoothie would be another excellent option. It packs you full of nutrients, and you can add in the protein to get that filling element.
If you really want water, add a slice or two of lemon. You get some sweetness but without the large amounts of sugar hitting your system causing a problem.
Keeping your morning drink routine perfect will also help you reduce the stress hormones. Coffee is a stimulant and will just make your stress levels even worse. Anything with caffeine will do the same and thats usually what youll add sugar to. Opt for lemon water for a refreshing drink and then a smoothie for a no-caffeine, nutrient packed breakfast.
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So You Feel Like Turning Japanese
Like the 80s English band, The Vapors, you might feel like turning Japanese, but of course you cant. You might not be able to move to Japan or even buy sushi where you live. But you could have your own amazing miniature Japanese doll house! This one is sold as a kit from Billy, a Japanese dollhouse company.