How to Control Blood Suger

Diabetes is a disease that causes excessive levels of blood glucose, or sugar. It results from the body's inability to produce or properly use the hormone insulin. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, get to know how you can control your blood sugar with the help of medications and strategic lifestyle choices. Proper blood sugar management can help reduce your risk of the complications associated with diabetes, which include kidney, nervous system and eye disease, as well as stroke and heart attack.

Things You'll Need

• Prescribed diabetes medications
• Fruits and vegetables
• Low-fat dairy products
• Whole grains and legumes
• Lean meats
• Egg substitute products
• Fish
• Olive or canola oil
• Nuts and seeds
• Low-fat substitutes for butter, margarine and shortening
• Glycemic index of foods
• Exercise

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Instructions

• 1

  Take your diabetes medication as prescribed by your doctor. Doctors generally prescribe insulin for diabetes patients. Insulin is administered orally, via injection or using an insulin pump. Follow your doctor's instructions regarding the method you should use, dosage and frequency.

• 2

  Get into a routine of eating meals at around the same time and consuming the same amounts of food every day. Consistency is important, because sudden dietary variation causes spikes in blood sugar levels. Variation in intake of carbohydrates makes it particularly difficult to control blood sugar. Carb counting, or distributing your daily carbohydrate requirement evenly among the foods you consume, can help.

  Make fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains and legumes such as lentils, beans and peas an integral part of your diet. In addition to being the more healthful carbohydrates available to us, these foods are rich in fiber, which also helps to manage blood sugar.

• 3

  Decrease your intake of calories and fat. Limit your intake of cholesterol by choosing lean meats such as poultry over organ meats such as liver. Opt for egg substitute products instead of egg yolks, and skim milk rather than whole milk. Use fish as a substitute for high-fat meats. Examples include halibut, tuna and cod, which contain relatively less cholesterol, total fat and saturated fat.

• 4

  Reduce your consumption of trans and saturated fat. Decrease your intake of margarine, butter and shortening, which are a source of solid fat. Instead, use low-fat alternatives such as plain yogurt or sugarless fruit spread. Make monosaturated fats, such as olive or canola oil, or polyunsaturated fats, found in nuts and seeds, your main sources of fat. Remember that while these are healthier alternatives to polysaturated fats, all fat should be consumed in moderation.

• 5

  Consider using the glycemic index (GI) to help you choose healthy foods. Many foods with a high GI are linked to higher blood sugar increases than those from low-GI foods. Keep in mind that some low-index foods are high in fat; take fat content into account when using the GI index to make food choices.

• 6

  Incorporate exercise into your blood sugar management plan. Regular exercise, particularly resistance training, can help increase the body's absorption of blood sugar and improve its ability to metabolize the sugar.