Your body uses glucose (i.e., sugar) from the foods you eat to power your cells and give your body energy. If you have too much sugar, though, it can cause inflammation, fatigue, and type 2 diabetes.
When you have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, your blood glucose levels are higher than normal. That means your body isn’t producing enough of the hormone insulin to transfer glucose from your bloodstream into the cells that need it.
Glucose that stays in your blood damages your blood vessels, leading to complications of diabetes, including neuropathy, loss of vision, or even amputation. Even if you don’t have diabetes, keeping your blood sugar stable protects your health and blood vessels.
At Low Testosterone & Weight Loss Center, located in Allen, Texas, our health specialists diagnose and treat diabetes. Although we offer insulin and other medications to stabilize blood sugar, we also advise changes to your nutrition and lifestyle to keep your blood glucose stable. Here are some tips.
Trade sugars and processed foods for the real deal
Nothing’s worse for your blood sugar than, well, sugar. Sugars and refined carbohydrates (which quickly turn to sugar in your body) spike your blood sugar. To keep your levels stable, cut out high-glucose culprits such as:
- Sugar
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Refined grains, breads, and pasta
- White rice and potatoes
- Dairy products
- Desserts
- Alcohol
- Fruit juice
Instead, switch to complex carbohydrates, low-glycemic fruits, and resistant starches. Eat plenty of:
- Leafy greens
- Cooked vegetables
- Berries
- Melon
- Beans and lentils
- Whole grains
- Cooled-down potatoes or rice (i.e., resistant starches)
- Squash
- Yams
Also add in macronutrients, such as high-quality sources of protein — wild-caught fish and pastured or grass-fed meats, poultry, and eggs. High-quality fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, make your food taste great, keep you sated, and stabilize blood sugar, too.
Get moving
Exercise in all its forms improves your circulation, burns energy, and stabilizes your blood sugar. If you haven’t been active for a while, we can design a fitness program that starts where you are and takes you where you want (and need) to go.
Aerobic exercise that ramps up your cardiovascular system is good for your heart health, too. But don’t forget about resistance training. Lifting weights or using resistance bands builds muscle, and muscle speeds up your metabolism. Try a variety of exercises to keep yourself motivated, such as:
- Walking
- Dancing
- Running
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Tai Chi
- Yoga
- Weight machines
- Stairmaster or elliptical machines
- Weight lifting
- Resistance bands
- High-intensity interval training
The combination of increasing your activity level and making healthier food choices helps stabilize your blood sugar levels. But it also makes our next recommendation even easier.
Lose the excess weight
Many women, men, and kids with type 2 diabetes have weight challenges. In fact, excess weight is a risk factor for almost every disease out there — including type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer.
If you’ve had trouble losing weight or keeping it off, you could benefit from one of our custom-designed medically-supervised weight loss programs. In addition to exercise and a healthy diet, we may recommend medications that help you quickly burn fat and build muscle to improve your metabolism. A faster metabolism helps stabilize your blood sugar, too.
Be prepared
Once you have a healthy diet and exercise program in place, you may find that you’ve reversed your diabetes or pre-diabetes. In the meantime, however, you may still experience episodes where your blood sugar goes too high or too low.
Stay on top of potential swings in your blood glucose by carrying certain items with you so that you can immediately stabilize your levels. Suggestions include raising your blood sugar with:
- Glucose tablets
- Small pack of gummies
- Piece of fruit
- One juice box
Lower your blood sugar with:
- 30 ounces of water per hour for 4-5 hours
- Walk or ride a bike for 20-30 minutes
- Insulin (prescription only)
If you have pre-diabetes, diabetes, or simply want to stabilize your blood sugar for optimal health, contact us about nutrition and weight loss today. Contact our team at 469-912-2113 or use our online form at your convenience.