Blood glucose has become one of today’s most studied and discussed health topics. One important reason is that diabetes, a disease reaching epidemic proportions, is directly associated with blood glucose levels. Recent research has also linked blood glucose to heart disease, memory difficulties and even fertility problems.
Whether you already have diabetes, are overweight or want to prevent future problems, here are 20 health-boosting ways to make sure your blood glucose and insulin levels are as healthy as can be. Cutting down on sugar will also help stabilise your blood glucose counts. For ways to reduce your sugar intake, click here.
Drink at least two servings of low-fat dairy products a day (one serving is a 250-ml glass of skim or low-fat milk, or a 150-g pot of yogurt or fromage frais). A study of 3000 people found that those who were overweight, but also ate plenty of low-fat dairy foods, were an amazing 70 per cent less likely to develop insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes) than those who didn’t. It turns out that the lactose, protein and fat in dairy products improves blood glucose by filling you up and slowing the conversion of food sugars to blood glucose.
Buy bread products with at least 3 g of fibre and 3 g of protein per serving. Complex carbohydrates of this type slow down absorption of glucose and decrease possible insulin rises. Plus, the hearty dose of fibre and protein will keep your stomach feeling satisfied for longer.
Serve up a spinach salad for dinner. Spinach is high in magnesium, which a large study suggests can help to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. One study in women found higher intakes of magnesium (also found in nuts, other leafy greens and fish) reduced diabetes risk by about 10 per cent overall, and by about 20 per cent in women who were overweight. Another great source of magnesium? Avocados.
Sprinkle cinnamon over your coffee, yogurt, cereal and tea. Researchers from Pakistan (where cinnamon is widely used) asked volunteers with type 2 diabetes to take either 1 g, 3 g or 6 g of cinnamon or a placebo for 40 days. Those taking the fragrant spice saw their blood glucose levels drop by between 18 and 29 per cent depending on how much cinnamon they took.
Cut back on saturated fat. The reason you want to avoid saturated fat is simple: US scientists evaluated 3000 people and found that those with the highest blood levels of saturated fats were twice as likely to develop diabetes.
Walk about 1.5 km a day. That’s all it took in one large US study to slash the risk of dying from diabetes by more than a third. Believe it or not, people who walked 10 km a week were nearly 40 per cent less likely to die from all causes and 34 per cent less likely to die from heart disease, the leading cause of death in people with diabetes, during the study period. The reason? Walking makes your cells more receptive to insulin, which leads to better control of blood glucose. It also raises levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. For ideas and motivation to get walking,
Rent a funny film and watch it after dinner. A Japanese study found that people with diabetes who laughed soon after eating (while watching a comedy) had significantly lower blood glucose levels than those who listened to a boring lecture. The connection held even for those without diabetes.
Prepare your breakfast, lunch and dinner(if u have time), but then divide each meal in half. Eat half now, then the other half in a couple of hours. Eating several small meals rather than three large meals helps to avoid the major influx of glucose that, in turn, results in a blood glucose surge and a big release of insulin.
Spend 10 minutes a day tensing then relaxing each muscle in your body, from your toes to your eyes. The technique is called progressive muscle relaxation, and a study of 100 people with high blood glucose levels found that this kind of stress-relief significantly improved their blood glucose levels. To learn how to relax your body in five simple steps,
Hope it'll be useful to you, Have a nice day & Diabetes free life, Bye.
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