7 Ways to Manage Diabetes Naturally

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease that affects more than 420 million people worldwide. It is characterized by an elevated level of blood sugar (glucose) that leads to deterioration of most of the body’s organs over time, so much that it has earned the nickname “mother of all diseases”.

Mainstream medication and treatment for diabetes can be expensive and may come with side effects such as kidney and liver damage. These difficulties have led many people to explore natural methods to manage diabetes – with many finding success and a renewed chance at fighting the dreaded disease and its complications.

Here are seven ways to manage diabetes naturally.

Carb Intake Management

When you consume carbohydrates, your body breaks it down into sugars, and then insulin helps you transform these sugars into energy. However, a body that suffers from insulin-function problems may not be able to utilize carbs properly, thus leading to an elevation in blood sugar levels – that is why carb intake management is important in any successful natural diabetes management plan.

Manage carb intake by knowing how much you need, and how much carbs the food you eat contains. The advice of a dietician/nutritionist is a great starting point. For a lot of people, staying on top of diet recommendations for diabetics can be difficult, tracking every little carb and amount of glucose you consume. It’s worth checking out companies that offer meals tailored for diabetics, to take some of the guesswork out of the equation.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking water in adequate amounts every day may help you manage diabetes by keeping your blood sugar within healthy levels. Water helps your kidneys remove excess sugar from the bloodstream through urination. It also helps rehydrate your body and keep all systems in top working condition. 

Sleep and Exercise 

Regular exercise is important in natural diabetes management as it can help diabetics to achieve and maintain a moderate and healthy body weight, which in turn may help increase insulin sensitivity, making the body better able to transform the glucose in the blood into energy, thereby keeping blood sugar levels within normal limits.

Good quality sleep in healthy amounts can help in natural diabetes management by giving the body much-needed rest so it can heal itself, and by helping increase the release of growth hormones and reducing cortisol levels, which play very important roles in blood sugar management.

Stress Level Management

When you are stressed, your body produces the hormones glucagon and cortisol. These are responsible for blood sugar level spikes. It is therefore important to make stress level management a part of your natural diabetes management plan.

Studies have shown that relaxation and regular exercise significantly reduce blood sugar levels. You may want to try yoga, meditation, and mindfulness exercises to help lower stress levels. Developing a new hobby, a change of scenery, and removing unnecessary stressors may also help significantly in your natural diabetes management journey.

Turning to Nature

One of the joys of natural diabetes management is that you can turn what you eat into your medicine, and turn your medicine into what you eat. There are many natural remedies for diabetes which have been honored by time and culture, as well as recently-discovered naturally-occurring substances that we can find in fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

The benefits of the bitter melon (Momordica charantia) in natural diabetes management is widely recognized in the Philippines and many parts of Southeast Asia. Cinnamon, fenugreek seeds, berberine, and apple cider vinegar may also help lower glucose levels. Consult with your physician when trying any new supplement to ensure that it is right for you.

Making The Switch To Low-Glycemic Index Food

The glycemic index is a measurement of how the body absorbs food and its effect on blood sugar levels, making it an essential tool in natural diabetes management programs. The consumption of low glycemic index foods have been observed to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels in diabetics. Some great examples are bulgur, barley, oats, green leafy vegetables, and yogurt. 

Diet Management

From all the tips listed above, it is obvious that diet management plays a very important role in managing diabetes naturally. Along with regular monitoring of blood sugar levels and a shift to a healthier lifestyle, diet management is key to winning the battle against diabetes.

This is where meal tailoring for diabetics comes in handy. If you want to manage diabetes naturally but struggle with what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat, a food delivery service that helps you customize your meals to your needs is a very important addition to the arsenal.

Conclusion

The fight against diabetes is an uphill battle, but every day, we discover – and rediscover – natural methods to manage the disease. Consult with your physician when trying any supplement, diet, or method to ensure that whatever you practice or put into your body will benefit you and help you in achieving your goal.