As a diabetic, you already know how it important it is to eat right to keep your blood glucose, or blood sugars, within a normal range. If your blood sugars are higher than normal, you may think skipping your next meal is the best way to bring your blood sugars down. But while you may need minor modifications to your usual diet when blood sugars are high, you still need to eat. Knowing what to choose can help you bring your blood sugars down safely.
Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia is the medical term for high blood sugar. It occurs when your body either does not make enough insulin or cannot properly use it, which is what happens in people with diabetes. Insulin is the hormone that brings the sugar from your bloodstream into your cells to supply its energy. If you have diabetes, your blood sugars can increase if you eat more than you should, did not exercise enough, are experiencing more stress than usual, or are sick. Allowing your blood sugars to remain elevated increases your risk of complications related to diabetes such as heart disease, kidney disease and eye disease.
Diet and Blood Sugar
What you eat, specifically foods with carbohydrates, affects your blood sugar. Carbohydrates are macronutrients found in a number of foods, including bread, starches, fruits, milk and sweets, that your body metabolizes into glucose to use as energy. If you eat too many carbohydrate-containing foods at a meal, your blood sugars will rise. The American Diabetes Association suggests you eat a specific amount of carbohydrates at each meal to keep your blood glucose under control. Your doctor or dietitian can help you determine your meal carbohydrate needs. Most people can maintain normal blood glucose levels consuming 45 g to 60 g of carbohydrates at each meal.
Treating Hyperglycemia
While carbohydrates contribute to your blood glucose levels, it is not recommended that you skip them at mealtime to gain better control over your blood sugars. In fact, you should continue your usual diet, and make adjustments only after consulting with your doctor or dietitian, who may suggest you decrease the amount of carbohydrates you consume at each meal. Exercise can also help bring down your blood sugar, but only if you are not spilling ketones in your urine. Having ketones in your urine means you are using fat as a source of energy, not carbohydrates, and exercise will not improve your blood glucose levels -- it may actually cause them to increase. Talk to your doctor about exercise for high blood glucose before starting a program.
Foods for Hyperglycemia
When your blood glucose is high, drinking several glasses of water or sugar-free beverages may help bring your numbers down, according to the Vermont Department of Health. At meals and snack times, if you've been advised to decrease your carbohydrate intake, add noncarbohydrate foods to satisfy your appetite without raising blood glucose levels. Healthy noncarbohydrate choices include nonstarchy vegetables, low-fat cheese and lean meats such as poultry and fish.
