If someone is among the millions of people with insulin resistance, diabetes, and prediabetes, maintaining healthy blood glucose levels can be difficult and challenging.
Even for people who are not at high risk for heart complications or developing diabetes, poorly managed blood glucose can cause common complications. Those complications are sugar cravings, fatigue, and weight gain.
In extreme cases, increased blood glucose can lead to amputations, coma, and strokes in people who had a history of insulin resistance. In fact, blood sugar is raised by glucose. Glucose is a sugar people get from consuming different types of foods which have carbs.
Although most people think that normal blood glucose is reliant upon how much-added sugar or carbs someone eats, other factors also have a role here.
What can we do to avoid diabetes symptoms and dangerous blood glucose swings? You should know that the power is in our hands.
Yes, many of the disorders activated by poorly managed blood glucose are actually avoidable and might be managed successfully and naturally by adopting some healthy habits.
5 Ways to Maintain Normal Blood Sugar
1. Get Enough Rest
Lack of sleep might raise appetite and stress hormones like ghrelin and cortisol. This will make it harder to avoid caffeine overdose, sugary snacks, and refined grain products.
Sleep, and you will be more productive and certainly healthier.
2. Get Regular Exercise
Doing from 30 to 60 minutes of exercise at least 3 times per week is also a beneficial and simple way to reduce inflammation. Also to balance hormones, improve immunity and manage stress.
We need to do simple exercises like lifting weights, running, swimming, and cycling. By being physically active, insulin sensitivity is elevated. Therefore, our cells can use available insulin to take up sugar during and after our activity.
3. Eat an Anti-Inflammatory, Low-Processed Diet
A healthy diet is key to treating or preventing diabetes and blood glucose management. This does not mean that we need to avoid sugar and carbs in order to maintain normal blood glucose.
It means that we need to balance them with fats and protein. Also, we need to make sure to get them from whole, real foods.
Consuming a source of healthy fat, protein, and fiber with all meals might help stabilize blood sugar, particularly when we consume sugar and carbs like starchy veggies such as whole grains, potatoes, and fruit.
These actually help manage the appetite and slow down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. Also, they are vital for your digestion and metabolism.
4. Switch Up the Sweeteners and Carbs
You should know that certain sources of carbs and sugar influence blood sugar levels more than other sources.
When we use suitable amounts sparingly, organic, unrefined, and natural sugar sources like those from raw honey and fruit are less likely to lead to poor blood glucose management.
This is in comparison to refined sugars like white cane sugar, and refined products produced with bleached, white wheat flour. All we need to do is to check the ingredient labels. Also, consult your dietitian and talk about this.
5. Manage Stress
Excessive stress can make blood glucose levels rise because of the elevated release of cortisol which is a stress hormone.
Therefore, we need to try natural stress relievers. We can try yoga, meditation, using essential oils for anxiety (like frankincense, lavender, and rose), and exercise.
Other ways are to connect with our friends and family more, spend more time outdoors, and join groups in our community.
Consult your doctor on how to maintain blood sugar, and he or she will also advise how to take proper care.
