How To Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels Naturally ~ smartme

How To Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels Naturally

Hyperglycaemia (otherwise known as “high blood sugars”) occurs when your body is unable to utilize the sugars it consumes by turning them into energy. Although it mainly occurs with people who have the serious condition diabetes, there can be other causes. Hyperglycaemia can cause serious symptoms and lead to potentially-dangerous complications, but the good news is that it can be tackled, with effort and a few simple lifestyle changes.

What Could Cause High Blood Sugar?

There are two predominate types of hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar). These are:

· Fasting hyperglycaemia, which is blood sugar levels higher than 130mg/dL (that’s milligrams of sugar per decilitre of blood) after not eating or drinking (other than plain water) for eight hours.

· Postprandial (after-meal) hyperglycaemia, which is blood sugar levels higher than 180 mg/dL two hours after you eat.

· A diabetic can have hyperglycaemia for a large number of reasons. The most common reasons are: forgetting to take your insulin or other glucose-lowering medication at the right time, eating too many carbohydrates for the amount of insulin you did take, or being less physically active than usual.

· However, there are other causes that are less obvious. Being under the weather, feeling stressed, or having an infection could all affect your blood sugars, making them more prone to rise where they wouldn’t normally.

What Are The Common Symptoms Of Hyperglycaemia/High Blood Sugar?

There are two stages of symptoms in hyperglycaemia. If you are experiencing a large number of the early symptoms, take notice and monitor your blood sugars attempting to lower them if they are too high, as the later symptoms are particularly serious and uncomfortable, leading to a risk of dangerous complications. Don’t take chances with your health.

Along with blood sugars of more than 180mg/dL (130mg/dL fasting), other early symptoms include:

· Blurring vision

· Increased thirst

· Frequent urination

· Severe headaches

· Fatigue (a feeling of being weak and tired all the time)

· Unexplained weight loss

· Difficulty concentrating

Later symptoms include:

· Skin infections, particularly of the skin around the vagina

· Thrush

· Cuts and sores being slow to heal

· Cold and insensitive feet, due to nerve damage

· Erectile dysfunction in men

· Loss of pubic hair

· Weakening vision

· Constipation and diarrhea

· Damage to eyes, and kidneys

How Can I Lower My Blood Sugar Levels?

If your blood sugar levels are high, your priority should be to lower them, safely, effectively, and naturally. There are many simple ways to lower your blood sugar, and they can all fit easily into your lifestyle.

Ensure You’re Taking The Correct Insulin

If your blood sugar levels are consistently high, you may be taking the wrong levels of insulin for your lifestyle. Work with your specialist to ensure you’re taking enough insulin. But don’t alter your insulin levels on your own. Taking too much insulin could lead to hypoglycaemia, a potentially-dangerous condition where your blood sugars go too low, potentially leading to coma.

Walk

A bit of gentle exercise can help lower blood sugars, andhaving a walk is a perfect form of gentle, blood sugar regulating exercise that you can do without investing in expensive equipment. Make walking a part of your daily routine, walk to get a newspaper in the morning; walk the dog at sunset… A thirty minute walk a day will lower your blood sugars in a pleasant way that you can maintain long-term.

Don’t take part in strenuous exercise, as some diabetics find that can raise their blood sugars by causing biological stress.

Drink More Water

As we discovered earlier, hyperglycaemia can cause excess urination. This will leave you with the need to replace your fluids. Replace them with pure water, rather than sugared or caffeinated drinks. This will prevent dehydration while “flushing” the glucose from your blood.

Relax

Stress is one of the major non-food causes of hyperglycaemia. So put your feet up, watch a favourite movie, and be calm. Avoid situations you know place you under unnecessary stress. Just think, now you have the perfect excuse to not visit your mother-in-law!

What Foods And Drinks Can Help Lower My Blood Sugars?

No one food should be regarded as a magic potion. There is no food that, if eaten, will instantly lower blood sugar levels, curing hyperglycaemia and leading to perfect health. There are, however, a number of foods that help keep blood sugar levels controlled and should be eaten regularly as part of a balanced diet.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a really useful carbohydrate for diabetics and anyone seeking to control their blood sugar levels and feel fuller for longer. It’s full of terrific slow-burning, soluble fiber to help you regulate your hunger. Because of this, it will keep your blood sugar levels stable over a long period of time. Have this for breakfast for slow-burning energy.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been in the news recently, found to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. But I bet you didn’t know that it could reduce your blood sugar levels. A 2013 review found that consumption of Cinnamon lowered fasting blood glucose levels, and raised good cholesterols (HDL), while lowering bad cholesterols (LDL). So sprinkle some in your apple compote today.

Buyer beware: Saigon Cinnamon contains risky amounts of the blood-thinner Coumadin. Ceylon Cinnamon may also contain the blood-thinner. Do not consume cinnamon in large quantities.

Vegetables

A diet high in non-starchy vegetables (such as spinach, green beans, and broccoli) is high in fibre and low in fat, helping lower blood sugar levels and maintaining them at a healthier level. There is also value in starchy vegetables (such as potatoes and corn), however these are higher in carbohydrates and need to be considered as part of your daily carbohydrate allowance.

A study found that 43% of patients with Type 2 Diabetes who followed a vegan diet for twenty-two weeks found an improved reaction to their diabetes-control medication.

Bananas

Some people think being diabetic means you can’t eat bananas anymore. However, that pleasantly-sweet fruit is a perfect dessert for diabetics, as it is bursting with fiber, helping you feel fuller for longer, as well as being full of that necessary workhorse of the vitamin world, vitamin C – necessary to fight disease and to build a strong nervous system and healthy skin.

Just remember that bananas are a form of carbohydrate, so count them in your daily total.

Garlic

t’s a bad time to be a hyperglycaemic vampire, because (according to one 2012 study) garlic reduces blood sugar. It may also increase the amount of insulin available for use in diabetics. So dice up that garlic, and whip-up a delicious garlic and tomato sauce today; not only will it taste just scrummy, it will also be wonderful for helping to lower your blood sugars.

Grapefruit Juice

A study found that grapefruit juice increased insulin-sensitivity and lowered blood sugar levels in mice, suggesting it may be helpful for patients with diabetes. However, grapefruit juice can interact with a number of medications, so check your medication leaflets, or consult your doctor or pharmacist, before you add grapefruit juice to your diet.

Avocados

Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, an antioxidant that protects against obesity, which can be a major cause of Type 2 Diabetes. Blueberries are also full of soluble fiber. Adding simple blueberry smoothies to your daily diet for only six weeks has been found to make your body more sensitive to insulin, lowering your blood sugar levels, and stabilizing them over a longer period.

Try adding a handful of blueberries to your oatmeal for a sweet, sustaining treat.

Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a popular health food, reputed to have many health-assisting properties and to change gastrointestinal enzymes. But, did you know that there may be some facts to support this theory?

A 2010 study by Liatis et al found that when individuals with Type 2 Diabetes add vinegar to a meal with a large glycaemic index (in this case, mashed potatoes with low-fat milk), postprandial blood sugar levels do not rise as much as they do in individuals who consume the same high G.I meal without the addition of vinegar. The Liatis et al (2010) study suggests that the consumption of vinegar may be helpful in attempts to fight hyperglycaemia.

If you want to use apple cider vinegar, it’s not unpleasant-tasting. It’s a little sweet and a little tart, and will go very nicely in a vinaigrette dressing, a marinade, or even to help give tomato sauces a kick.

Yogurt

Yogurt can be a healthy natural dessert for patients with hyperglycaemia, if you choose a yogurt with added probiotic. Probiotics can aid blood sugar control. But make sure you choose yogurt with no additional sugar, and (as yogurt contains milk) count the carbohydrates towards your daily total.

Honey

It seems counter intuitive that something so sweet would help to lower blood sugars, but there is evidence that it may do just that. Honey has been found to improve control of blood sugars in a patient with diabetes. Choose natural honey products, and add it to your oatmeal, or spread some honey on some toast for a tasty way to stabilize your blood sugar levels.

Popcorn

Popcorn itself is a very healthy snack, full of fiber that helps you feel fuller for longer. Because popcorn is made with a whole grain (corn), it doesn’t cause your blood sugars to spike as much as other snack foods might. However, be aware of what you put on your popcorn. Don’t load your popcorn with butter, salt or sugar. Instead, use a natural sugar-free alternative, such as stevia.

Peanut Butter

A study found that consuming peanut butter not only leaves patients with diabetes feeling fuller for longer, but also keeps blood sugars stable at a lower level throughout the day. This is true, even if the patient has a meal with a high glycaemic index for lunch.

Try adding peanut butter to toast for a healthy breakfast that will see you through until lunch, and keep your blood sugar levels stable all day.

Foods And Drinks To Avoid

Coffee

Unfortunately, research by Lane et al (2007) has shown that regular consumption of caffeinated coffee reduces the ability of a patient of with Type 2 Diabetes to control their blood sugar levels. The same is true of other caffeinated beverages. So it may be time to trade-in your caffeinated drinks for decaffeinated alternatives and give your blood sugars a helping hand.

Milk (In Excess)

Milk contains protein, which is essential for stabilizing blood sugars, and can be used in an episode of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels) to help raise and stabilize blood sugars. However, if your blood sugar levels are consistently high, look at the amount of milk you drink, as one cup contains 15 grams of carbohydrate. Don’t avoid milk entirely, as it is an essential provider of Calcium, but ensure you add the carbohydrates from the milk you drink into your daily allowance.

Protein Bars

Protein bars claim to offer the nutritional value of a meal in a compact bar. Ignore the hype. They are, more often than not, little more than candy bars, bursting with sugar and saturated fat. To avoid appearing to have high-levels of carbohydrates, many protein bars use sugar alcohols, which cannot be completely digested, leading to bloating and diarrhoea, and raising your blood sugars levels.

Sugar-Free Food

Most foods labelled sugar-free will cause a spike in blood sugar levels. This is because they contain a large number of carbohydrates. Also watch out for sugar alcohols such as xylitol and sorbitol, which cause uncomfortable dietary symptoms and raise blood sugars.

Dried Fruits

Fruit makes for a healthy snack. But be aware that dried fruits pack a huge amount of carbohydrates into a tiny serving, and that will make your blood sugars spike. Only three dates contains 15 grams of carbohydrate, the same as one cup of milk or a 1/3 cup of pasta.

Sports Drinks

Some sports drinks contain as much sugar as cola. It’s not necessary to drink sports drinks to replenish after a short work-out; just take a long drink of plain water.

Tuesday, 31 May 2016