Managing blood sugar is vital for your overall health, especially when you’re diabetic, in order to help prevent serious issues like vision loss, kidney damage and heart disease. High blood sugar happens when there’s too much sugar in the blood and not enough insulin, and as a result causes worrisome symptoms like blurred vision, headaches, increased urination and in some cases vomiting, rapid heartbeat, confusion and coma. High blood sugar is anything over 125 mg/dL while not eating for at least eight hours and Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with experts who share tips on how to lower blood sugar. As always, please talk with your physician for medical advice.
Get Moving
Carewell’s nursing consultant, Kiera Powell, RN tells us, “Incorporate at least 20 minutes of dancing, taking a face-paced walk, swimming, or riding a bike into your daily routine. This can help lower blood sugar.”
Get in 150 Minutes of Exercise a Week
Powell reminds us, “Exercise is an important part of blood sugar management. Getting exercise regularly strengthens your heart, allowing it to pump more blood with less effort, which decreases the pressure on the arteries and lowers blood pressure. According to the CDC, at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per week is key to blood sugar regulation.”
Check Your Blood Sugar Levels Often
Powell explains, “If you’ve been diagnosed with chronically high blood sugar, pre-diabetes, or diabetes (whether type one or two), it’s important that you regularly check your blood sugar levels and adhere to the treatment prescribed by your doctor. In some cases, blood sugar levels cannot be regulated without the help of specific medications, so taking them as prescribed is essential to preventing complications.”
Stay Hydrated
Lisa Richards, a nutritionist, and author of the Candida Diet says, “The kidneys are the primary way the body flushes out excess sugar. By staying hydrated the kidneys work more efficiently and effectively at this process. When we are dehydrated our glucose levels can begin to rise leading to high blood sugar. Drinking plenty of water also helps to rehydrate the blood, which aids in helping maintain balance in blood sugar levels rather than rapid highs and lows. Water is the preferred source of hydration, especially for those with diabetes, rather than turning to sugar-filled sports drinks. There are hydration options available on the market, but always check to ensure they do not contain added sugars or excess carbohydrates.”
Eat Fiber
Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD shares, “Foods high in soluble fiber are an excellent way to manage blood sugar by preventing or reducing glucose spikes. Soluble fiber is able to improve insulin sensitivity by being a food source for beneficial bacteria in the gut. When the gut’s microbiome is balanced these bacteria are better able to digest food and mitigate the insulin response. This form of fiber will also slow the body’s absorption of sugar and thereby prevents spikes in blood sugar. By slowing the rate of absorption the cells can adjust to insulin and thereby mitigating the rapid rise and fall of blood glucose. Food sources of soluble fiber include legumes, oats, avocados, sweet potatoes, broccoli, flax seed, carrots, and apples to name just a few.”
Healthy Fats
According to Powell, “A nutritious and well-balanced diet is an effective way to control diabetes. Avoid foods high in saturated and trans fats, like fried foods, and anything with high salt and sugar levels. Also, keep an eye out for sugary beverages as we often don’t think about how much sugar is in drinks like juice, soda, alcoholic beverages, and sports drinks. Healthy fats, like salmon, nuts, and seeds, are also great ways to help regulate blood sugar levels.”
Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.eatthis.com by Heather Newgen where all credits are due. Fact checked by Emilia Paluszek.
Disclaimer
The watching, interacting, and participation of any kind with anything on this page does not constitute or initiate a doctor-patient relationship with Dr. Farrah™. None of the statements here have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The products of Dr. Farrah™ are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information being provided should only be considered for education and entertainment purposes only. If you feel that anything you see or hear may be of value to you on this page or on any other medium of any kind associated with, showing, or quoting anything relating to Dr. Farrah™ in any way at any time, you are encouraged to and agree to consult with a licensed healthcare professional in your area to discuss it. If you feel that you’re having a healthcare emergency, seek medical attention immediately. The views expressed here are simply either the views and opinions of Dr. Farrah™ or others appearing and are protected under the first amendment.
Dr. Farrah™ is a highly experienced Licensed Medical Doctor certified in evidence-based clinical nutrition, not some enthusiast, formulator, or medium promoting the wild and unrestrained use of nutrition products for health issues without clinical experience and scientific evidence of therapeutic benefit. Dr. Farrah™ has personally and keenly studied everything she recommends, and more importantly, she’s closely observed the reactions and results in a clinical setting countless times over the course of her career involving the treatment of over 150,000 patients.
Dr. Farrah™ promotes evidence-based natural approaches to health, which means integrating her individual scientific and clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. By individual clinical expertise, I refer to the proficiency and judgment that individual clinicians acquire through clinical experience and clinical practice.
Dr. Farrah™ does not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of any multimedia content provided. Dr. Farrah™ does not warrant the performance, effectiveness, or applicability of any sites listed, linked, or referenced to, in, or by any multimedia content.
To be clear, the multimedia content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen in any website, video, image, or media of any kind. Dr. Farrah™ hereby disclaims any and all liability to any party for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental, or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the content, which is provided as is, and without warranties.
