Are you suffering from diabetes? Or your family has a history of diabetes? You should be aware as you might be at risk as well.
Diabetes is a severe disease which cannot be taken lightly at all. Diabetes was the seventh leading causes of death in the U.S.A. according to the cause of death i.e., diabetes mentioned in the death certificate of about 79,535 people. The trend over the years hasn’t changed much. It is even observed that more and more people have diabetes or pre-diabetic condition.
In the past years, the elderly are more prone to this disease, but now the scenario is changed. Even if you are less than 12 years, you need to take care of the intake of sugar level into the body; otherwise, you can also be prone to this disease. About 0.24% of youth are estimated to be diagnosed with diabetes, which are having age less than 20 years, in numbers they are approximately 193,000. 1.5 million people are diagnosed with this disease every year. The number is shocking yet, real.
Now you must be wondering, what is diabetes and how you can save you and your family from this disease?
When the sugar levels increase beyond the limit in your blood, the condition is called diabetes. The food you engulf daily, including vegetables and fruits, contain glucose, which is the primary source of energy in your body. Our body has a mechanism to control the glucose levels by the secretion of a hormone called Insulin.
Sometimes, Insulin is secreted in insufficient quantity. Because of this, glucose is not broken down to convert into energy, and it stays in the blood and doesn’t reach the cells. When overtime, you accumulate too much level of sugar in the body, and your cells don’t get sugar. This condition is termed as increased sugar levels in the body, which is also known as diabetes.
Now, diabetes is a disease which can’t be reversed but you have to very seriously control it. Your primary goal should be to keep diabetes under control as a high blood sugar level can lead to silent heart stoke. It can also lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and many more problems.
SIX NATURAL WAYS TO KEEP DIABETES IN CONTROL ARE:
1. Eat a balanced diet: The first and foremost thing is to say NO to sugar. As your body is not able to break down sugar; with your sugar intake, your insulin levels will instantly shoot up and can cause you serious problems. Once you have left sugar, you must be wondering why your sugar levels are still high. It is because of all the other foods you are intaking daily. So for this try to have at least half of your platter filled with non-starchy vegetables like cucumber, broccoli, carrot, tomato, asparagus, squash, etc.
- Have less of carbohydrates and more proteins in your diet is vital to tackle diabetes.
- Have low fat or non-fat dairy products.
- Take less processed food, which is having a lower glycemic index.
- Have whole grains in your diet like brown rice, popcorn, whole wheat, oats, bulgur, quinoa, sorghum.
2. Exercise: If you are having type 2 diabetes, exercise is must for you. Through a healthy diet and exercise routine, you can lose weight which will help you to normalize your blood sugar naturally and lower your chances of having heart strokes and dementia.
Try to start slowly and then increase it with time. Try to go for a 30 mins walk a day. Increase physical activity in your daily routine like instead of going in lift opt for stairs. Have realistic goals rather than doing an intense workout on day 1 and then resting the rest of the week.
3. Reduce stress: When in stress, your body opts for fight or flight response. Due to the release of the hormone adrenaline, your sugar and fat levels in blood increase, providing you enough energy in case of any emergency. This is very dangerous for people having diabetes, so it should be kept at bay.
4. Stay hydrated: By drinking sufficient amount of water in a day, you can have reasonable control over diabetes. Water flushes out the excess of sugar level in blood with the help of the kidney through urine. It also keeps blood hydrated, which reduces the risk of high sugar level in the body.
5. Opt for natural remedies: With the intake of regular medications, you should start taking natural remedies which can lower your sugar level. But, never leave medicines without the advice of a physician even if you are taking these natural remedies. Some of the natural remedies for controlling diabetes are:
- Drinking Watermelon juice
- Consuming Aloe vera pulp/juice
- Cinnamon tea/ supplements
- Bitter melon (Momordica charantia)
- Fenugreek seeds
- Ginger
- Gymnema Sylvestre herb
6. Quit Smoking and cut back on alcohol: Quit smoking as it can elevate your problem and there is a higher chance of complications from diabetes. It can lead to complete blindness, heart and kidney diseases, nerve damage and much more.
Also, you are taking some oral medications or insulin, intaking alcohol with it can lower your sugar to dangerous levels. Try to switch by slowing to light beer and then to water or low-calorie drinks.
The biggest advice for anyone who is pre-diabetic or diabetic patient is not to take this disease lightly. Also, it can be genetical too, so if any your family member in blood relation has diabetes, then you have to start taking precautions as soon as possible.
