Alternative Ways To Control Your
High Blood Sugar

It can lead to diabetes. Diabetes can lead to various health complications like cardiovascular diseases, kidney problems, organ damage, nerve damage, and even cancer. Many diabetics die not because of diabetes itself but due to these complications.

Having high blood sugar also increases your risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a name for a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Info bits: According to World Heart Federation:

• If you control your blood glucose you can reduce your risk of a cardiovascular disease event by 42% and the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease by 57%.
• If you control your blood lipids you can reduce cardiovascular disease complications by 20% to 50%.

Info bits: According to the World Health Organization, "Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. 50% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke)."

1. Lose weight

   Lose weight until you reach your healthy weight level. You can have healthy weight and body mass index (BMI) but be overweight or obese at the same time. Measure your body fats. There are weighing scales that can also measure your body fats. Get one to help you monitor your progress.

   Use a nutrition-based weight management program to achieve your ideal weight and healthy body fat percentage. This way, you also ensure that you ensure proper nutrition to each of the trillions of cells in your body.

   Burn unwanted fats! Control your hunger and appetite!

   Lose weight now and change your life!

2. Have a healthy breakfast daily!

   Start each of your day with a healthy balanced breakfast! It helps to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Click here to find out how this helps you control your blood sugar.

3. Eat small. Eat often.

   Your body does much better eating smaller portions of food, more often throughout the day. This also helps you control your hunger and appetite. It's easier on your intestines, pancreas, and digestive enzymes.

   Don’t wait to be hungry before you eat for better portion control.

4. Eat low glycemic index (GI) foods.

   Glycemic index is a measure of how fast a carbohydrate triggers a rise in circulating blood sugar. The higher the number, the greater your blood sugar increases. A low GI food causes a small rise. A high GI food triggers a big spike. Develop a diet with low and medium GI foods to keep your blood sugar down.

5. Avoid sweets and sweet food!

   Refined sugar and corn syrup dramatically increase your blood sugar. This forces your pancreas to produce large amounts of insulin. Insulin removes extra sugar from your blood and turns it into fat. This causes a dramatic drop in blood sugar. Then you body craves for more sweets and you feel very hungry. You eat more sweets again. It becomes a vicious cycle. Pretty soon you will high blood sugar and may even lead to diabetes. Learn how to control this.

   Click here to know more about sugars and sweeteners.

6. Eat more fiber!

   Fiber helps you control your hunger and appetite. If you already have type 2 diabetes, you benefit from better high blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity. Know the other benefits of soluble and insoluble fiber!

7. Eat protein!

   Eating more protein naturally increases your metabolism. This burns your body fats and blood sugar.

8. Drink thermogenic green tea

   Some special teas are scientifically blended and fortified with herbs to boost metabolism and may give you lower blood sugar and other health benefits. Know more about this kind of tea.

9. Improve insulin efficiency.

   Insulin primarily transports glucose to your cells. Your cells metabolizes glucose into energy that facilitates cell functioning.

   Chromium improves the way your body uses insulin. It stimulates the activity of insulin for better metabolism of blood glucose and body fats. Chromium is used for improving blood sugar control in people with prediabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and high blood sugar due to taking steroids. Take chromium picolinate dietary supplement for better blood sugar control.

10. Blend cinnamon and salacia into your diet

    Cinnamon can lower fasting blood sugar levels, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol. Cinnamon is recommended at amounts of 1 gram a day and if taken for 40 days will continue to promote benefits for an additional 20 days.

    Info bits: Published in Diabetes Care journal in 2003, a study concluded that people with Type 2 diabetes, consuming daily low levels of cinnamon that is between 1 to 6 grams (or approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons) reduced blood sugar levels.

    Salacia is an herb that helps break down carbohydrates in your body.

    Info bits: Ohio State University researchers saw insulin levels drop 23 percent and blood sugar levels drop 29 percent in patients who took a 1,000-mg dose of salacia.

11. Control your blood pressure

    Since many people who have high blood sugar also have or have high risk in developing high blood pressure, it is best for you to control your blood pressure.

    Click here to know more.

12. Have a healthy daily diet!

    A healthy diet is one that helps you maintain or improve your health through proper nutrition. It is a lifelong diet. It is part of your healthy lifestyle. Feeding the trillions of cells of your body on a daily basis helps you prevent many health risks like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.

    Check the nutrition facts of food items you before you put them in your grocery cart. Eat fewer canned and processed foods. Eat more fresh foods.

13. Be active! Exercise!

    Your muscles are glucose burners. Develop and maintain your muscles, especially your heart. Be active everyday! It’s the easiest way to lower blood sugar.

    Exercise and take charge of your high blood sugar!

    Info bits: According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you need to do aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities every week. Know more about this for better blood sugar level and heart health.

14. Sleep

    Sleep deprivation raises the production of your hunger-producing hormones. It also greatly increases your appetite. You may develop cravings for sweets, starches, and salty snacks.

    Info bits: A study presented in an American Heart Association's Annual Conference showed people who get less than six hours of shut-eye per night are more likely to develop impaired fasting glucose, or prediabetes.

15. Gene Therapy

    Take advantage of today's biotechnology. Know more about gene therapy and how it can help you improve your health at the gene / chromosome level.

16. Relax!

    Avoid stress and anxiety. When you are stressed, your body produces more cortisol hormone. High level of cortisol leads to increase in abdominal fat (or visceral fat) and loss of muscle tissues. What you need is to reduce abdominal fats and build muscle tissues! Cortisol increases blood pressure and blood sugar – both of which are related to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It also weakens the immune system.

    Take time off from your stress sources. Spend time on different activities that help you unwind and relax. Blend in activities that also help you improve your health like aerobic exercises, yoga, sports, dancing, or biking.

    Relaxing can probably be one of the easiest ways for you to deal with your high blood sugar.

17. Stop smoking

    If you smoke, quit. Smoking destroys every part of your body. It shortens your lifespan. It's simply bad for your health!

18. Control alcohol consumption

    Moderate or, better yet, stop drinking alcohol. This can also help you lose weight and lessen risk of some major health problems.

Proceed from High Blood Sugar to Diabetes.