Tips to Improve Blood Sugar Control.

First don't be to drastic in any changes you try as you may over do it. Especially if you use drugs or insulin and are subject to blood sugar lows.

Smaller changes may be easier to keep up too but if a tip works for you, go for it. Good luck with any changes you try.

Peter.

If you monitor your results - write down both the result (good or bad) and what you did to achieve it. If you compare the results after several evening meals for instance, try and make the other factors that can change the results the same. These are factors like -
  • When you test - Test at roughly the same time after finishing the meal.
  • If you use drugs or insulin - Again try and take them at the same time.
  • If you exercise - How long you exercise for & the time of day you exercised.
  • Amount of Alcohol taken with the meal.
  • How you feel - Avoid this sort of comparison if you are ill as blood sugar levels are naturally higher then.
Okay, over the top I know but it will make it clearer what works and what doesn't work!

To share any tips that work for you use the feedback button below -

Ways to Improve Sugar Control What to do/How it works More Information
Eat Regular Meals. Eat regular and moderately sized meals throughout the day - do not miss meals.

Reduces peaks in blood sugar caused by large quantities of food and the dips caused by missing meals.

 
Have Meals that are a Mix of all the Food Groups. Aim to have a mix of carbohydrate, fat and protein in all meals. Fat, protein and fibre all slow the absorption of sugar into the blood. Particularly avoid meals that are all or mainly carbohydrate.

The main carbohydrate sources are sugar, potatoes and grains (bread, pasta, flour, rice and cereals). Root vegetables, beans and even fruit can have moderate amounts of carbohydrate too.

Food Groups
Include Foods that are High in Fibre in your Meals. Eat meals that are high in fibre. Foods high in fibre convert to blood sugar more slowly with the fibre slowing down the absorption of food.

Some forms of fibre also can help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.

Fibre
Include Foods that are High in Fibre in your Meals. Try wholemeal bread or flour rather than white bread or flour. Pasta, rice and pitta bread have wholemeal versions (high fibre forms) too.

For a low calorie, high fibre alternative try Ryvita. Ryvita's are very high in fibre - I love the crunch too!

Grains and Bread.
Include Foods that are High in Fibre in your Meals. Try that Apple with its skin. Where possible don't peel or skin fruit and vegetables, wash or scrub instead.

The skin of most fruits and vegetables is high and fibre and slows down the foods conversion to blood sugar.

Fruit, root, green or salad vegetables.
Use less Processed Foods in your Meals. Try granary or seed breads in preference to white Try granary bread or seed bread rather than white bread. Foods with some wholegrains and seeds are converted more slowly to blood sugar.

Also like high fibre foods they are thought to be good for the heart.

Grains and Bread.
Use less Processed Foods in your Meals. Try Wholegrain Cereals Try whole grain cereals such as rolled oats, shredded wheat, wheatabix or muesli.

Also like high fibre foods they are thought to be good for the heart.

Cereals
Use less Processed Foods in your Meals. Take care with 'Instant Snacks', typically de-hydrated 'just add boiling water'. At a minimum check the ingredients and see how they affect you.

Many instant foods are highly processed with fibre removed. They frequently have added salt and sugar or even glucose.

Processed Food
Use less Processed Foods in your Meals. Don't filter out the fibre in Fruit Juice. Try cloudy or unfiltered fruit juices, the filtering process removes the healthy fibre.

Not to much fruit juice, the whole fruit is a better option.

Fruit Juice.
Replace some Bulk Carbohydrates with Beans and Fruit. Replace some of the bulk carbohydrate foods like bread, pastry, rice and potatoes with fruit, beans or root vegetables but not potato.

Vegetables and fruit are both high in fibre and have other health benefits too.

Peas and Beans, Fruit and Root Vegetables.
Get to Know the Foods that Convert Quickly to Blood Sugar. Potatoes can quite quickly raise blood sugar levels Avoid eating (or drinking) foods that quickly convert to blood sugar on their own or in large quantities. Have meals that mix these with foods that have a low effect on blood sugar like most salad vegetables, green vegetables & beans/peas in the pod. Quick Conversion to Blood Sugar, Green Vegetables, Glycemic Index
Eat less Sugar, Sugary Foods and Drinks. On processed foods: canned, frozen, dried, check the ingredients!

Processed sugar (Sucrose and worse Glucose) is already incorporated into many processed foods so you may be eating more of it than you think!

Take special care with sugars dissolved in liquids, they are absorbed particularly quickly into the body and they raise blood sugar levels quickly.

Sugar and Sweeteners
Eat less Sugar, Sugary Foods and Drinks. Replace sugar used for sweetening with fresh or dried fruit. Raisins and sultanas are okay but prunes and dried apricots are better for diabetes and generally healthy too. Fruit
Watch your Weight. Check your weight Excessive body fat means you need more insulin to remove sugar from the blood. Makes you more susceptible to Heart Disease too. Body Mass Index Pop-up
Include Exercise as Part of your Weekly (or Better Daily) Routine. Are you apple shaped ...? See the Insulin Resistance Link ... or are you pear shaped? See the Insulin Resistance Link Most diabetic's can use exercise to lower or prevent blood sugar peaks going to high. Regular exercise can also improve the health of the heart and improve cholesterol levels.

Type 2 diabetic's who exercise regularly often also reduce their insulin resistance. making the insulin they use work more efficiently.

Exercise and Insulin Resistance
Keep Alcohol to 'Safe Limits'. Alcohol is not a food, but in effect it is another source of calories to the body. It has a major effect on the liver and will block the release of blood sugar from the liver and raise blood pressure. Alcohol
Other Tips What to Do More Information
Have a Diet Low in Saturated Fat. Heart Disease is the main concern for fat in the diet, especially for the over weight.

Foods that are high in fat are also high in calories. For anyone over weight, insulin works less efficiently.

Saturated fats and Hydrogenated fats in particular increase the risk of heart disease. Include Oily Fish in your diet, as the Omega 3 fats are beneficial to the heart.

Heart Disease, Fat
Have a Diet Low in Saturated Fat. Try grilling, excess fat drips off. Try oven, grilled or microwave chips rather than fried or deep fried chips.  
Have a diet low in saturated fat. Go for 1/2 or low fat versions Try semi skimmed or skimmed milk instead of full fat milk, reduces fat content from 4% to 2% for semi skimmed or 4% to virtually nothing for skimmed. Also try low fat or ½ fat yoghurt, cheese & cream. Dairy Foods
Have a Diet Low in Saturated Fat. Choose lean cuts of meat. Trim any visible fat from meat.  
Have a Diet Low in Saturated Fat. What's in a Burger? Try replacing high fat burgers, pies, sausages and breaded/battered food with leaner meat - or better still with fish and poultry.
Note that the bread, batter or cereal in these products are often quick acting carbohydrate too.
Fish, Meat
Have a Diet Low in Saturated Fat. Can't resist a tasty sausage?If you can't resist sausages: Turkey or poultry based sausages are a lower saturated fat option. Prick the sausages too, pricking allowing a little fat to escape while cooking, then grill without adding fat. Whats in a Sausage.
Have a Diet Low in Saturated Fat. Do not eat the skin on chicken or turkey. A lot of the fat in poultry is in the skin.  
Have a Diet Low in Saturated Fat. Skim the fat off liquids when they cool after cooking.  
Have a Diet Low in Saturated Fat. Try replacing animal fats like butter with vegetable fats and spreads. Also avoid Hydrogenated fats found in products like margarine, pastry, chips.  
Help Reduce Blood Pressure. Try eating less Salt (or Sodium). There is a lot of salt in many processed products.

There is no need to add Salt at the table or in cooking. Reducing salt can help reduce blood pressure reducing risk of strokes and heart disease.

Salt and Sodium
Reduce Cholesterol. Increase the amount of soluble fibre in your diet. Especially oats but not to many oat cakes. Soluble Fibre.