There are more than 24 million people with diabetes in the U.S. as of 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes is a medical condition defined as the inability to process blood sugar, or glucose, you gain from eating food. Understanding blood sugars is usually the first subject you'll tackle if you are diagnosed with this condition.
Step 1
Have your blood sugar level measured at a medical laboratory. Inquire about the normal value ranges for the blood sugar tests you are having performed. Fasting blood sugar should be 70 to 99 mg/dL, according to LabTestsOnline.org, and a nonfasting glucose should be less than 140 mg/dL. Blood sugar levels higher than this may indicate diabetes, but talk with your doctor to be sure.
Step 2
Learn how your body processes the things you eat. Food is converted to glucose to be used as energy. You use this energy to move your body around doing things like walking or talking. Your body also uses energy to things like create cells, digest food or to make your heart beat. But sugar cannot get into the body cells all by itself; glucose needs insulin created by the pancreas to deliver it into body cells. Glucose levels in the blood go down as sugar is absorbed into cells.
Step 3
Identify the ways cells become unable to absorb glucose. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin to help glucose move into body cells. Type 2 diabetes describes a condition where the cells become glucose intolerant, which means the cells no longer readily absorb blood sugar. Gestational diabetes describes a temporary inability to control blood sugar that resumes to normal after childbirth. Drugs.com notes there are several medications that can cause glucose intolerance such as beta-blockers, corticosteroids, certain diuretics and psychiatric medications.
Step 4
Review your diet to understand which foods are high in calories and may be causing you to consume more calories than your body can process. Eat more food containing insoluble fiber, like vegetables and whole grain products, which add volume to your food, leaving you feel more satisfied after meals and less likely to snack.
Step 5
Make a connection between exercise and lowered blood sugar levels. Exercise requires calories, causing glucose to move from the blood stream to cells more quickly. Exercise 30 minutes a day on most days of the week to lower your blood sugar.
Step 6
Use a glucometer to measure your blood sugar levels before meals, and take another measurement about two hours after you have finished eating to judge how well your body is processing blood sugar.
