High blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, is a potentially serious health problem that must be properly treated, especially if you have diabetes since it can induce nerve damage, kidney disease, heart disease or heart attack, skin rashes, and other problems. Blood sugar control is something everyone should learn how to do. Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani is a professor of public health at New Mexico State University who teaches us the correct measures to take when trying to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.
1 — Consume Less Sugar
“Sugar is one of the most commonly used ingredients in meals,” Dr. Khubchandani notes. “Based on average daily per capita consumption, Americans rank first with more than 100 grams of intake. To decrease blood sugar levels, consume less sugar is the best option.” This implies that individuals should have a sense of their blood sugar levels and get tested on a regular basis.
2 — Switch Up Your Diet
Dr. Khubchandani adds, “Replacing sugar-rich meals with alternative foods might also help lower blood sugar levels. Replace cakes and pies with fruits, for example, or switch soda and sweetened beverages for water to reduce excessive sugar intake and maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Sweetened beverages have the potential to soon become the world’s most significant sources of sugars in our diet, according to recent research. Consuming a lot of sweetened beverages on a daily basis boosts the risk of heart disease-related fatalities by 10 to 30 percent (particularly via disrupting metabolism and raising the risk of diabetes.)”
3 — Exercise
“One of the most serious public health issues nowadays is a lack of adequate physical activity and exercise,” says Dr. Khubchandani. “Exercise is critical for burning calories and keeping one’s body weight healthy. Exercise helps to keep blood sugar levels stable by allowing sugar to enter muscle cells and be utilized there instead of being absorbed into the bloodstream. It also increases insulin sensitivity, which is important for diabetes prevention and blood sugar management.”
4 — Manage Your Stress
“The most recent Stress in America research, for example, revealed that stress has increased in our society. Also, our previous study discovered that adult Americans have grown sleep deprived over the last several decades. High blood sugar can be induced by stress and poor or inadequate sleep thanks to irregular eating habits, more junk food eating, stress hormone release, and reduced insulin sensitivity and secretion. As a result, it’s critical to maintain a good sleeping pattern and reduce stress levels to minimize the chance of high blood sugar,” according on Dr. Khubchandani.
5 — Portion Control and Timing of Meals
According to Dr. Khubchandani, “Eating smaller amounts (limiting portion size) but more frequently and incorporating specific types of meals to daily diets have been found to be advantageous in lowering blood sugar levels and the risk of diabetes. Timing, frequency, type of eating are all crucial for sugar management. Adding extra fiber, probiotic foods, nuts, whole grain products, beans and lentils, legumes and other non-starchy vegetables has been shown in studies to aid with sugar control and reduction of sugar spikes in circulation.”