We are moving closer to the end of November, and the month of November is a National Diabetes Month. This is the reason why most of my posts this month are centred on the prevention and management of diabetes. According to reports, more than 100 million adults in the United States of America are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes. This alone should attract the attention of many towards this
blood sugar problem. Let me show you some tips on how to control diabetes with diet and exercise alone.
How To Control Diabetes With Diet and Exercise Alone
1. Moderate your daily sugar intake
The adequate amount of sugar you should consume per day should fall between the range of 25 to 35 grams. To avoid yourself the mistake of consuming too much, you should always check on your nutrition label and ensure that you aim for 5 grams or less per serving. You can also check the list of ingredients in any food you purchase, and check for words that have the same effects as sugar even though they seem healthier. Such words includes molasses, fruit juice concentrate, agave nectar, and brown rice syrup.
Must read:
9 Simple tips to help you quit your sugar habitLearning how to control diabetes naturally means you should monitor your sugar intake. There are high content of sugar in many foods that people term healthy today. There are many examples of drinks and products that are packed with sugar but you might not know. They include:
- Sports drinks have up to 36 grams of sugar per serving
- Juice smoothies can have up to 51 grams of sugar per serving
- Flavored lattes can have up 51 grams of sugar per serving
- Fruit flavored yogurt can have 30 grams or more of sugar per serving, while plain yogurt only has 8 grams. Milk and fruit sugar are natural, so these sugars are OK in moderation.
2. Increase your intake of plant-based diet
Too many discussions and points have been made about plant-based diets, but some people still care less about it. But the truth of the matter is that plant-based diets has the potency to lower your risk of many diseases, including diabetes. Plant foods are made up of more nutrient and fibre compared to meat and dairy. With these, it helps to control weight, blood lipids and blood sugars. When planning your daily meal, you should always include foods like vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grain and nuts.
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Top 6 health benefits of pistachios3. Exercise more often
Controlling diabetes with exercise is also achievable, because it is a great means of regulating your weight and blood sugar level. You should enrol in classes that incorporate high intensity interval training (HIIT) for a quick but intense workout. If you do not have much time to visit the gym, you try these exercises below three times a day with very little rest.
- Push ups- 15 reps
- Squats- 20 reps
- Plank- hold for a minute
- Lunges- 15 reps each leg
- Mountain climbers- 20 reps
4. Allow some moment for recovery
Recovery from exercise is just as important as exercise itself. You should stretch after exercise and allow your body to get enough rest time between each activities. If you don't allow some moment for recovery, you might experience body pain or tightness. You can also experience inflammation when you do not give your body enough time to rest after exercise. Pain or tightness can also lead to something detrimental like chronic diseases. You can alleviate your inflammation by using a tennis ball to massage and break up tight muscles and increase circulation.
Since foot health is also important for diabetics, you should try rolling a tennis ball slowly on the bottom of your foot and hold it on spots that are tender, This is like a mini foot massage.
Must read:
Tips on how to control gestational diabetes during pregnancy naturallyControlling diabetes with diet and exercise can be achievable if you play by the rules. Simply follow this few tips explained in this post and you can also ask your doctor for more useful ones.
