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Your blood sugar rises when your body cannot produce enough insulin or can not process it efficiently enough. As a result, you may experience symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue. Elevated blood sugars can, in extreme or prolonged cases, lead to diabetes. It just doesn’t end there. High blood sugar levels are also linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, kidney failure, and dementia. An important part of the work to prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, kidney failure, and dementia is, therefore, intensive blood sugar lowering treatment for diabetics. Fortunately, there are some foods that have been shown to be very effective in reducing blood sugar levels including gluten free bakery.
What Leads To High Blood Sugar Levels
There are many different factors that can lead to high blood sugar levels, but the main reason is a lethargic lifestyle coupled with a poor diet with excessive consumption of sugar and carbohydrates. High blood sugar levels can also occur as a result of stress as well as lack of physical activity, genetics, and certain diseases. The good news is that you can control, prevent or even reverse the problem of high blood sugar levels by making some changes in your lifestyle and including some blood sugar-lowering foods. We list a few of them:
Blood Sugar Lowering Foods
Cinnamon
This spice has proven to be very effective when it comes to dealing with high blood sugar. According to nutritionist Richard Anderson, just one teaspoon of ground cinnamon a day can help lower blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes.
Cinnamon has been found to increase insulin sensitivity by decreasing cellular insulin resistance. Cinnamon can reduce blood sugar levels by up to 30% when consumed regularly, according to studies.
Cinnamon inhibits the digestion of carbs in the gastrointestinal system, decreasing the rise in blood sugar after a meal. People are encouraged to consume 1-6 grams of cinnamon per day, but not more than that, as too much cinnamon might be harmful.
Fibers
Research carried out by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center showed that people who consumed 24-50 grams of fiber a day experienced major improvements in their blood sugar levels. A diet rich in fiber is as beneficial as taking diabetes medication. At least 25-30 g of fiber per day, most of which is soluble fiber, is recommended. Soluble fibers are found in oats, barley, root vegetables, and fruits, among others. If you eat at least 500 g of fruit and vegetables per day, you are well on your way.
Garlic Can Lower Your Blood Sugar
Another food that should not be excluded by people who want to reduce blood sugar is garlic. It has been shown that if you eat this food regularly, you can reduce your blood sugar. Garlic can normalize glucose metabolism, and also contains substances that have an effect similar to those of insulin
Prickly Pear
Various studies have shown that prickly pear can be very effective in reducing blood sugar. The vegetable contains a lot of fiber and other substances that control and normalize sugar metabolism, and, therefore, it is ideal for those suffering from elevated blood sugar levels.
Apple Cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar offers several health benefits. Some believe that apple cider vinegar lowers blood sugar levels, probably through lowering sugar (glucose) generation in the liver. In addition, studies show that vinegar significantly affects the body’s response to glucose and improves insulin sensitivity.
You may incorporate apple cider vinegar into your diet by adding it to salad dressings or mixing 2 tablespoons in a glass of water.
Fruits
Many diabetics are afraid that fruits will raise their blood sugar and avoid it; but according to a new study, fresh fruit can actually help diabetics live longer. Researchers from China and the United Kingdom studied people with diabetes, and it turned out that those who ate fruit more than three days a week reduced the risk of dying prematurely by 17 percent. They also had a 13–28 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease as a result of diabetes than those who ate fruit less than once a week.
The only thing that you need to take care of is to limit your intake or avoid certain types of fruit with a high GI. To make it easier for you, here are some fruits that are low in GI:
- Berries
- Plum
- Kiwi
- Grapefruit
Fruits with high GI that you should avoid include oranges, bananas, mangoes, grapes, dates, and raisins
Celery
Raw celery is a zero on the GI scale, which is the perfect number for the diabetic or those who have a problem with high blood sugar levels. Because celery is not broken down and converted into sugar in the bloodstream, it is an excellent choice of vegetable for the diabetic. One serving of celery contains only 1.2 grams of digestible carbohydrates, and half of these carbohydrates come from dietary fiber. Dietary fiber helps to curb appetite and slow down cravings for food. In addition, celery contains very little natural sugar, and all this sugar is burned during digestion so that it does not enter the bloodstream. Like carrots, the nutrients in celery have also been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Its high vitamin K content together with its ability to block the Helicobacter pylori bacterium from growing in the digestive tract contributes to this factor.
Conclusion
Diabetes is more of a lifestyle disease and the problem starts with high blood sugar levels. An active lifestyle and healthy food choices can not only help us regulate our blood sugar levels but prevent many other life-threatening diseases as well.
