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Higher concentrations of glucose in the blood can cause many harmful changes in your body. If blood sugar is over 180 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl), one will be diagnosed with a condition called hyperglycemia or high blood sugar. This might lead one to suffer from a condition called diabetes. When the glucose-regulating hormone insulin isn’t produced enough or the cells might be not responding to it, then more sugar will remain in the blood for a longer period of time, resulting in pathological outcomes like heart disease, stroke, renal failure, eye problems, nerve damage, and others.
India is called the capital of diabetes owing to the number of people suffering from the condition in the country. The disease though not curable can be managed well with lifestyle and dietary changes. What doctors called the ‘metabolic memory of insulin’ is a way to manage blood sugar levels in a targeted and controlled way such that the complications associated with the condition can be delayed for a fairly long period of time.
Risk factors or causes of diabetes, or high blood sugar levels depend on the type of diabetes the patient is diagnosed with. However, some of the common causes of diabetes can include:
Signs of symptoms of diabetes, caused by high blood sugar levels can include:
Speaking to TheHealthSite.com,Dr Rohini Patil, MBBS, Nutritionist and CEO of Nutracy Lifestyle suggested some dietary habits that can effectively help in controlling high blood sugar levels.
Fiber can help in controlling the blood sugar level as the body is unable to absorb and break down fibre, which doesn’t result in a spike in blood sugar like the way other carbohydrates can. This helps in keeping blood sugar in a target range. Additionally, foods rich in fibre help in regulating digestion. It also keeps your gut health healthy and can reduce blood cholesterol, which decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Intake vegetables like dark leafy greens, and yellow veggies. Vegetables are usually low sugar, low fat, fiber foods which provide an excellent rich array of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. For example- Broccoli, Cauliflower, Tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers can effectively manage diabetes
Fat is high in calories and eating it regularly beyond a limit can lead to intaking more calories than your body needs which results in weight gain and can affect your diabetes and overall health. You can replace saturated fats with unsaturated (polyunsaturated or monounsaturated) fats that improve insulin control. Fats are satiating which makes you feel full for longer, and then you are bound to intake fewer carbs, which is great for diabetics.
It’s very important to eat smartly. If you have diabetes eat the right amount of food every day. This will include how much you eat, and what you eat so that you can have the right amount of carbs in each snack or meal. Additionally eating at the right time is important. Have the right amount of carbs daily which will surely help you. Eating smartly takes some effort but it’s worth it. The high-carb foods or drinks you should not have are Juice with added sugar, regular soda, energy drinks, white rice, bread, pasta, and starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn and peas.
Low GI foods increase glucose slowly in your body whereas foods with a high GI increase blood levels quickly. Different carbohydrates are digested and absorbed at different rates, and GI is a ranking of how quickly each carbohydrate-based food and drink makes blood sugar level rise after eating them. Eating low GI foods can help in gaining tight control over blood sugar. Include low GI foods in an everyday meal by choosing foods like whole grains, protein-rich foods and fiber-rich foods.
Having a healthy eating plan makes sure you consume proper nutrition and helps in controlling blood sugar levels, which controls the heart disease factors and also manages your weight. Not only focus on diet but be more physically active. It may be challenging at first, but eventually, you’ll get habitat to it
