1. The First Defense Against Hyperglycemia
Doctors recommend a diet to lower your blood sugar as the first defense against hyperglycemia. The pancreas simply doesn't create enough insulin to digest all the sugar, and the blood sugar rises when you have hyperglycemia, so a low-sugar diet helps correct this. Frequently, surgery or tumors can create a type of hyperglycemia that needs to be treated in other ways than diet alone.
2. Plan Meals and Snacks with a Glycemic Index
You can either count carbohydrates or use a glycemic index that measures the amount of sugar in foods and snacks. Your goal is to maintain the blood-sugar level at a low, so you need to keep the sugar and carbohydrate level down. You can also use an exchange list where foods are grouped in categories and an outline of the diet is given.
3. Eat from Categories
You should eat at least six servings of starches daily. Starches include cereal, starchy vegetables like corn, starchy beans like garbanzo beans and bread. You should also have at least five fruits and vegetable servings a day. You can use the fruit as a snack and add extra vegetables to soups or chili for variety. Limit the amount of sweets that you eat to once or twice a week and use low-sugar and low-fat forms. You should include protein in your hyperglycemic diet, but make it low-fat protein, as too much fat causes problems for diabetics.
4. Browse Throughout the Day
Most Americans have rushed to the point that they only stop and eat once a day. After all, if it's good enough for the family dog, shouldn't it be OK? Not with hyperglycemia. Eating a few meals over several sittings can be a huge benefit to stabilizing the blood-sugar level. The body has a need for a slower, more constant flow of energy that doesn't explode all at once. Choose a planned time to eat three meals and three snacks and stick to the plan. Create a schedule and prepare meals and snacks ahead of time to make it easy for you to stick to your schedule.
5. Add Fiber
Fiber, like that found in vegetables and fruits, is soluble and is excellent for those with diabetes. Everyone benefits from this type of fiber since it actually slows the absorption of the sugar (glucose) in the intestines. Non-soluble fiber found in bran and some fruits can aid in cleaning out the intestinal tract. Include both types in a hyperglycemic diet.
