Eat Your Way to a Lower Blood Sugar Level

Blood sugar levels are partly dependent on how your body processes foods and partly dependent upon what kinds of food you eat. Carbohydrates are not all created equal. Quite to the contrary: The chemical make up of different carbs substantially impacts how the body handles them. We may have little or no control over how our body responds to specific foods but we have a great deal of latitude for deciding what we choose to eat.

Tips to Lower Blood Sugar Naturally

Refined white flour and white sugar cause worse blood glucose spikes than unrefined or whole versions of the same foods. The unrefined foods contain more complex carbohydrates, which means the body takes longer to process them. Refined foods are generally more readily turned into blood sugar by the body, which amounts to suddenly dumping high levels of sugar into the blood stream. Even normal, healthy metabolisms can have trouble coping in the face of such a situation and can experience a sugar high or buzz. Similarly, liquid sugar is absorbed at an extremely high rate. Consuming sweet drinks, such as non diet colas, is probably the single best way to cause a blood glucose spike.

So if you want to lower blood sugar naturally, first avoid or limit over processed foods and sweet drinks. Next, eat a high fiber diet. This is known to help stabilize blood sugar. Include foods that are high in pectin, like apples. This naturally occurring food fiber is especially helpful in stabilizing blood glucose levels. (Remember: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away.") Some research has shown a strong link between inflammation and diabetes. Inflammation is known to be caused by excess acidity and an imbalance of fatty acids in the body. With regards to the second issue, most Americans are getting too much Omega 6 and not enough Omega 3 fatty acids. Many people take fish oil supplements to increase their intake of Omega 3 fatty acids. If you are allergic to fish, you can instead switch to cooking with olive oil and consume more walnuts.

As for the issue of excess acidity, you can gradually change your diet to include more alkaline foods. Lettuce and celery are the best alkalinizing foods available. Other options that some people find more appetizing include corn and watermelon. A quick internet search will turn up any number of websites with alkaline and acid food lists. They do not all agree but it is place to start for better understanding what works best for you as an individual.