You’ve probably heard so much about your blood sugar levels that you’re sick of thinking about it, my friends. But I have to tell you, this is an important figure. Not only does high blood sugar lead to diabetes, but high or wildly varying blood sugar levels can have an impact on how you feel, too, and your overall health. Controlling your blood sugar better isn’t as difficult as you may think it is, especially when you use the simple tips below.
Avoid foods that majorly spike your sugar
This is easy to do with a little effort. Unfortunately, pastas, white breads and white sugar all cause your blood sugar to spike, along with some other foods. If you’re not sure what to avoid, check out the The Glycemic Index (https://www.glycemicindex.com/).
This handy index scales foods by numbers to tell you how quickly and how much a specific food can raise your blood sugar. The lower the number, the less that food will impact your insulin and blood sugar levels. There are some great foods to enjoy with low GI numbers, including seeds, nuts, lentils, broccoli, grapefruit and apples. If you need some quick energy and don’t want to spike your blood sugar, look for foods with a medium GI score such as peas, sweet potatoes, oatmeal and brown rice.
Plan your meals out in advance
When you plan meals out ahead of time instead of trying to tackle it when you’re already hungry, you’ll be able to make better GI choices and avoid fast food, which is often filled with sugars and is bad for you in general. You’ll also save money by cooking at home in many cases.
Eat small meals throughout the day
When you eat bigger means infrequently, such as a big breakfast, lunch and dinner only, you’ll have bigger spikes in blood sugar. Instead, try to have smaller meals with simple snacks in between. This will help you maintain a more steady blood sugar level throughout the day. Of course, as with planning meals, you’ll need to prepare snacks in advance, too, so you don’t end up eating sugar or carb-filled snacks that will cause your blood sugar to jump.
Steady blood sugar levels are key to warding off diabetes and extra weight, and you’ll feel better once your levels are under control, too!
