Hypoglycemia And Physical Activity
People taking insulin or insulin secretagogues are at risk for hypoglycemia if insulin dose or carbohydrate intake is not adjusted with exercise. Checking your blood sugar before doing any physical activity is important to prevent hypoglycemia . Talk to your diabetes care team to find out if you are at risk for hypoglycemia.
If you experience hypoglycemia during or after exercise, treat it immediately:
Eat Smaller More Frequent Meals Throughout The Day
Think breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and well, yes, maybe another snack!
Large, infrequent meals will cause bigger shifts in blood sugar, than smaller more frequent meals. This means smaller portions throughout the day with simple snacks will help maintain steadier blood sugar levels. Be prepared, plan your meals and bring snacks with you.
Low Blood Sugar Levels In Diabetes
People with diabetes can have low blood sugar levels because of the medicines they have to take to manage their diabetes. They may need a hormone called or diabetes pills to help their bodies use the sugar in their blood.
These medicines help take the sugar out of the blood and get it into the body’s cells, which makes the blood sugar level go down. But sometimes it’s a tricky balancing act and blood sugar levels can get too low.
People with diabetes need to keep their blood sugars from getting too highor too low. Keeping blood sugar levels in a healthy range means balancing when and what they eat, and when they exercise with when they take medicines.
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Drink Plenty Of Water
Drinking water helps your kidneys flush out excess blood sugar through your urine. One study found that people who drank more water had a lower risk of developing hyperglycemia .
Can’t seem to drink enough? Or is water is just too plain for your taste buds? Try this R.D.’s go-to hydration strategies.
Choose Your High Gi Foods Carefully
Candy, sugar-sweetened beverages, graham crackers and many other sugary foods can quickly raise your blood sugar, but they have few essential nutrients. You may need to quickly raise your blood sugar after exercise or if you have diabetes, but frequent consumption of foods that quickly raise your blood sugar levels can lead to insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for diabetes. Most foods in your diet should be low GI to help you maintain stable blood sugar levels.
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What Foods Can Help Raise Blood Sugar Fast
Because your blood sugar comes from the foods and beverages you consume, one of the easiest ways to raise your blood sugar fast is to grab a quick snack.
The American Diabetes Association recommends the 15-15 rule if your blood sugar dips below 70 mg/dL: Eat at least 15 grams of carbohydrates, then wait 15 minutes to recheck your blood sugar.
If youre still below 70 mg/dL, have another 15 grams of carbs, wait 15 minutes, and check your levels again.
Among the foods you can try for a quick blood sugar boost are:
- a piece of fruit, like a banana, apple, or orange
- 2 tablespoons of raisins
- 1 tablespoon of sugar in water
Foods that contain protein or fat, such as peanut butter, ice cream, and chocolate, may be helpful if your blood sugar level has dropped but isnt below 70 mg/dL.
These higher-fat foods, as well as whole-grain bread and other high-fiber foods, take longer to absorb into your bloodstream. Because of this, these foods wont raise your blood sugar as quickly as foods that have more simple carbohydrates.
How Weight Loss Helps
If you are overweight, losing weight will help your body use insulin better. Talk to your doctor about a healthy weight goal. You and your doctor or dietitian can make a safe meal plan for you.
These options may help you lose weight:
- Use a portion-control plate
- Use a prepared meal plan
- Eat a Mediterranean-style diet
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In Case Of Low Blood Sugar Levels
For a low blood sugar level, the underlying cause must be known. People with low blood sugar levels should consume healthy food or drinks containing natural sugar, such as juices, honey, syrup, glucose tablets, etc. For treating severely low blood sugar levels is to give injectable glucagon, a kit available on prescription.
You can introduce the following remedies into the routine of people dealing with low blood sugar level issues:
- Routine regular exercises such as running, walking, and swimming
- Proper diet and focusing on low carb intake
- Include high fibre soluble food in the diet such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes
- Drink lots of water and keep yourselves hydrated
- Chewing the food properly and eating slowly
- Focusing on quality and quantity of sleep is both very important to have a healthy body and a mind
Diabetes And Sleep: What Research Says
A study suggests that 7-8 hours of sleep is recommended for an adult for their body to function correctly. Nowadays, most health issues have one common cause: an irregular sleep cycle. Excess sleep and sleep deprivation both adversely affect your health.
One of the adverse health problems directly linked to irregular sleep is the bodys blood sugar levels. Constant disruption in blood sugar levels can increase diabetes risk. Other health problems that can occur due to sleep issues are obesity and heart-related concerns. A study says that people with diabetes are more prone to kidney, eye, or heart diseases. A stable blood sugar level reduces the likelihood of chronic health issues, particularly heart disease and stroke. Research reveals that people with diabetes have an increased risk of heart attack.
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Control Blood Sugar To Avoid Diabetes
Maintaining normal blood sugar levels is essential if you want to reverse or avoid diabetes. But diabetes and heart disease are so closely related that you need to take both of these diseases into consideration.
Diabetics have a 400% higher risk for heart attack or stroke. And cardiovascular disease hits earlier in life and is more likely to end in death for a diabetic.
Many people with diabetes and prediabetes take medications that control their blood sugar levels, but dont change their diet and lifestyle to both control blood sugar naturally AND prevent heart disease.
Yet high blood pressure contributes to many diabetes complications and 80% of diabetics die from circulation problems like heart failure.
This is why making natural healthy lifestyle changes are so important.
Skip The Healthy Whole Grains To Balance Blood Sugar
Gluten free is the new in-diet but its not enough. I strongly believe gluten free diet is always the way to go, due to the genetic composition of modern wheat and the methods of wheat preparation. However, a gluten free diet does not automatically quality as a healthy diet, because it often includes extremely inflammatory ingredients like vegetable oils, soy, refined sugar and other grains.
While going gluten free didnt bring significant results, eliminating all grains from my diet changed my life. Why did going grain free transform my health?
The consumption of grains perpetuates carbohydrate malabsorption and blood sugar imbalances. This is because the starches in grains damages the vili and microvilli in the small intestine, which are the finger-like projections responsible for absorbing nutrients. As discussed in The Gut and Psychology Syndrome, this creates a permeable gut lining and fosters the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. Both these factors damage your blood sugar balance by instigating sugar cravings and inflammation.
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Is Sugar Bad For You
If you love sweets, don’t despair. You don’t have to give them up forever. Sugar will raise your blood sugar levels more quickly than other carbs, but diabetes experts now say the total amount of carbs is most important. So keep your serving sizes small and take into account the total carbs and calories.
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Take Care Of Your Emotional Health
Personal freedom and inner peace are very important for your overall health.
There are many techniques to achieve a strong emotional health. One of the most important things, though, is to not take things personally.
Consider this example where you meet the same person in two different situations.
In the first case, this person has had an amazing day, maybe a productive workday or a personal achievement.
If you approach this person, she will probably treat you very well.
Now think of a different situation. She lost her job or had a car accident, or whatever bad could happen it did happen.
If you approach this person, how will she treat you? Probably very differently compared to the first scenario. Yet nothing in you changed.
So never take things personally. The way people treat you says a lot about them, not about you.
We have analyzed for important areas for stabilizing your blood sugar level. Remember, this is not an easy task, but its definitely possibleespecially if you face the problem before it becomes too big.
Your health is your greatest wealth! Take care of it.
Guest post by Fabrizio.
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What Is Blood Sugar
Blood sugar, or glucose, is your body’s main energy source. We get glucose from the food we eat, and our blood carries it around to all the cells in the body to give them energy to function. Glucose mainly comes from the carbohydrates we eat, though our bodies can convert protein and fat into sugar too if needed.
Glucose from protein is typically stored in the liver and doesn’t enter the bloodstream, so eating protein-rich foods won’t raise your blood sugar too much. Fats slow down the digestion of carbohydrates, which causes a delayed rise in blood sugar. High blood sugar can be an issue because it usually leads to sugar crashes, which are no fun — symptoms include fatigue, headaches and the jitters. So, eat meals balanced with protein, fat and carbs to avoid this.
Blood sugar is closely related to insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas that helps your body use glucose that’s in the carbohydrates you eat. Insulin helps regulate your blood sugar levels — if you eat more sugar than you need in the moment, the hormone helps store the glucose in your liver until it’s needed for energy.
You probably also know about blood sugar in the context of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which people are unable to make insulin, so they need to inject the hormone in order to keep their blood sugar levels stable. People with Type 2 diabetes, which usually occurs later in life, either don’t secrete insulin or are resistant to it.
Never Skip Eating Breakfast
Cameron Whitman/Stocksy
Weve all heard that breakfast is the days most important meal. This is especially true for those who have diabetes. I think eating breakfast is important, especially with potential risk for hypoglycemia and avoiding potential highs related to fasting for too long a period of time, Crandall Snyder says.
A high-protein breakfast has an edge over breakfasts that are high in carbohydrates, according to research from The University of Missouri-Columbia. In the research, women ages 18 to 55 consumed meals with similar calories, fat, and fiber contents but differing amounts of protein. Researchers monitored the amount of glucose and insulin in the participants blood for four hours after they ate breakfast. The best breakfasts contained 39 g of protein and led to lower post-meal glucose spikes than the meals with less protein, the researchers found.
Besides, eating breakfast may help overweight people with type 2 diabetes shed extra pounds. Of the participants in the National Weight Control Registry who maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for at least one year, 78 percent said they eat breakfast daily.
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Medication And Supplements May Contribute To Blood Sugar Changes
Illness itself can increase blood sugar levels, but so can illness-fighting medication. A number of over-the-counter and prescription drugs even some vitamins and supplements can raise blood sugar. Examples include corticosteroids, asthma medication, birth control pills, certain antidepressants, and some medication for severe acne, Dodell says. While the exact causes arent completely clear, research suggests that changes in blood flow as well as direct effects on insulin release and receptors may explain why blood-pressure-lowering medication has the potential to spike blood sugar.
Its therefore important to let your doctor know about each and every medication you take, whether OTC or prescribed by another doctor, he says. They may be able to help you find an alternative medication that is better for your blood sugar levels or, alternatively, simply help you manage your blood sugar despite any sugar-increasing medicine.
Broccoli And Broccoli Sprouts
Sulforaphane is a type of isothiocyanate that has blood-sugar-reducing properties.
This plant chemical is produced when broccoli is chopped or chewed due to a reaction between a glucosinolate compound called glucoraphanin and the enzyme myrosinase, both of which are concentrated in broccoli .
Test-tube, animal, and human studies have shown that sulforaphane-rich broccoli extract has powerful antidiabetic effects, helping enhance insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar and markers of oxidative stress .
Broccoli sprouts are concentrated sources of glucosinolates like glucoraphanin, and theyve been shown to help promote insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes when supplemented as a powder or extract (
11 ).
Keep in mind that the best way to enhance the availability of sulforaphane is to enjoy broccoli and broccoli sprouts raw or lightly steamed, or to add active sources of myrosinase like mustard seed powder to cooked broccoli (
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Keep Track The Blood Sugar Levels
The last but not less important tip on how to control blood sugar levels is keeping track your blood sugar levels readings. It is a good and also necessary thing for you to take your readings. If you are experiencing highs or lows, then follow the above tips or call the health-care provider to discuss some adjustments in your current routine.
If you or someone you love is coping with the risk of diabetes due to raised blood sugar levels then you can check out some methods to get diabetes under control.
16. Eat Oatmeal
Oatmeal helps control blood sugar but dont eat sweetened kind. According to nutrients, though oatmeal is a carbohydrate, but a good kind. In addition, oatmeal is a great source of fiber thats slower for you to digest and keep your blood sugar in control. Because oatmeal contains soluble fiber so that it helps you feel full longer. Besides, oatmeal offers a source of energy that is steadier than that in white bread.
For those who suffer from type II diabetes and have the risk of obesity, its important for them to pay attention to improve their glucose levels by eating more soluble fiber in green leafy vegetables, fruits, too.
If barley is available in your living place, use this grain, instead of oats. The nutritionists from USDA suggest that whole grains like barley and oats are great choice for diabetics. And people can add boiled pearl barley in their daily meals, in place of white rice.
17. Eat Fish
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18. Eat Strawberries
Drink Water And Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water could help you keep your blood sugar levels within healthy ranges.
In addition to preventing dehydration, it helps your kidneys flush out any excess sugar through urine.
One review of observational studies showed that those who drank more water had a lower risk of developing high blood sugar levels (
34 ).
You can do so at home using a portable blood glucose meter, which is known as a glucometer. You can discuss this option with your doctor.
Keeping track allows you to determine whether you need to adjust your meals or medications. It also helps you learn how your body reacts to certain foods .
Try measuring your levels regularly every day and keeping track of the numbers in a log. Also, it may be more helpful to track your blood sugar in pairs for example, before and after exercise or before and 2 hours after a meal.
This can show you whether you need to make small changes to a meal if it spikes your blood sugar, rather than avoiding your favorite meals altogether. Some adjustments include swapping a starchy side for non-starchy veggies or limiting them to a handful.
Summary
Checking your blood glucose and maintaining a daily log enables you to adjust foods and medications when necessary to better manage your blood sugar levels.
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Preventing Low Blood Sugar Levels
Here are some other tips to help you avoid low blood sugar levels:
- Eat all your meals and snacks on time and try not to skip any.
- Take the right amount of insulin.
- If you exercise longer or harder than usual, have an extra snack.
- Don’t take a hot bath or shower right after an insulin shot.
- Stick to your diabetes management plan.
- Check your blood sugar levels regularly, so you can tell if your blood sugars are running too low and your treatment plan needs adjustment.
- Carry something containing sugar with you at all times and take it right away if you have symptoms. Don’t wait to see if the symptoms will go away they may get worse!
Alcohol and drugs can cause major problems with your blood sugar levels, so avoiding them is another way to prevent diabetes problems. Drinking can be particularly dangerous even deadly for people with diabetes because it messes up the body’s ability to keep blood glucose in a normal range. This can cause a very rapid drop in blood glucose in people with diabetes. Drug or alcohol use is also dangerous because it may affect someone’s ability to sense low blood sugar levels.
Learning how to recognize the signs of low blood sugar levels and get them back to normal is an important part of caring for diabetes. Keeping track of your blood sugar levels and recording lows when they occur will help you and your diabetes health care team keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range.