Diabetes is a disease characterized simply by having too much sugar, or glucose, in the bloodstream. Diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin in the body, which is a hormone that works naturally to keep blood sugar under control. It can also involve the development of resistance to the insulin that the body does produce. Keeping blood sugar low can be controlled by medication that adds insulin into the body, or by a controlled diet that is low in simple carbohydrates, which break down quickly into sugar in the body.
Step 1
Avoid foods that cause blood glucose to rise. Foods high in simple carbohydrates break down most quickly in the body. Since carbohydrates are converted into glucose in the body, a diet high in these simple, quick-to-break-down carbohydrates will cause a sudden spike in blood glucose. Refined grain products such as white rice, white bread, white flour products, cakes, candy, cookies and muffins are all in this group. Unrefined foods such as barley, brown rice, rye bread, and fiber-dense foods are slower to breakdown in the body and provide a slower, more consistent source of energy the body, and lessen the sudden spike in blood glucose.
Step 2
Count carbohydrate content in meals. Limiting carbohydrates lowers the amount of glucose created in the body and keeps blood glucose under control. Talk to your doctor about a healthy amount of carbohydrate grams per meal that is right for you and your individual health state.
Step 3
Monitor blood glucose throughout the day. Checking blood glucose levels throughout the day can help you understand what foods and meals caused the blood glucose to rise. Becoming aware of situations and factors which effect blood glucose help to gain more control over diabetes.
Step 4
Use the glycemic index as a tool to know which foods can spike blood sugar. The glycemic index is a ranking system for carbohydrate foods that rates foods based on their effects on blood sugar in the body. Foods are given a number rating between 1 and 100. Foods that are rated high on the glycemic index raise blood sugar quickly and cause a rapid decline in blood sugar within an hour or two after eating. Foods that are rated low on the glycemic index raise blood sugar levels significantly less, raises them slower, and keep them raised at a stable rate until they slowly decline. You can find a link to the glycemic index in the Reference section.
Step 5
Get more physical activity on a daily basis. Including physical activity into the daily routine can help lower blood glucose because as the body uses glucose from the blood for energy there is more being used up than there is left in the blood. To further this benefit, a body that is healthy and active burns more glucose throughout a normal day than a body that is sedentary.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Diabetes; March 9, 2011
- Wellness.com: Diabetes
- ''Diabetes & Hypoglycemia: Your Natural Guide to Healing with Diet, Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, Ecercise, and Other Natural Methods''; Michael Murray, N.D.; 1994
- ''Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition''; Paul Pitchford; 2002
- The Glycemic Index: About GI
