Maintaining a normal sugar level is the key to living healthy with diabetes. Moreover, it is especially important to manage sugar levels post meals, known as postprandial blood glucose. Your daily meals lead to a spike in blood sugars, as depicted in the sugar test. However, it can be easily managed with basic changes in your diet and lifestyle. Read on to learn a few tips to balance blood sugar levels.
Why is it important to manage blood sugar levels? Glucose levels should remain under control as, over a prolonged period of time, high sugar in the blood can cause damage to vital body functions and complications like heart disease, stroke, kidney problems, or other problems.
8 Helpful Tips to Balance Blood Sugar Levels
Being aware of the glycemic index of the foods that you eat is important in order to ensure that your sugar levels remain balanced.
Portion size control is the key to eating with diabetes in order to maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Also, eating at regular intervals throughout the day can drastically slow down the digestion process.
Increase physical activity and stay energetic throughout the day. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle has a significant impact on maintaining not only your blood glucose levels but also your overall health.
Have fiber-rich meals to boost your metabolism and maintain healthy sugar levels naturally. Some common fiber-rich foods are fruits like apple, whole wheat bran products, beans, and legumes.
Lower your carb intake as these foods are easily digested, thus releasing glucose into the blood. However, intake of complex carbs is still preferable, as they break down slowly.
Getting enough sound sleep is essential when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle with or without diabetes.
Regular monitoring is the basic necessity when it comes to managing diabetes in order to be able to plan your diet and lifestyle. It is important to know the pattern of your readings.
Watch your medications and insulin use as these directly affect your blood sugar spikes. Consult your diabetes healthcare provider to assess what is best for you.
As recommended by diabetes monitoring authorities worldwide, it is advisable to measure your glucose levels before meals and at least a couple of hours post a meal.
Apart from keeping track of your readings, record the food items in your diet. Use a compact smartphone glucometer to keep monitoring blood sugar from the comfort of your home or while on the go.