Prediabetes: Can You Prevent Diabetes?

by Ingredia USA | Aug 23, 2021 | Blood Sugar Management

About 70% of people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes. The progression between the two isn’t inevitable, though. In fact, making certain lifestyle changes could prevent diabetes from developing.

Otherwise, type 2 diabetes could lead to kidney failure, heart disease, blindness, and other problems. 

Before diabetes develops, your doctor might notice a period where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal. They might diagnose you with prediabetes. With these easy tips, you can learn how to prevent diabetes from progressing.

Read on to discover the 10 tips you need to avoid getting diabetes today.

1. Avoid Refined Carbs and Sugar

Your diet can have a big impact on whether or not you develop diabetes. If you want to stop diabetes in its tracks, consider what you’re eating. For example, sugary foods and refined carbs could increase your risk.

Your body will break these foods into sugar molecules. The bloodstream absorbs these molecules, which can cause a rise in blood sugar levels.

This leads your pancreas to produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone designed to help sugar get out of the bloodstream and into cells.

If you have prediabetes, your cells will resist insulin’s action. Your sugar levels will remain unnecessarily high as a result.

This could cause your pancreas to produce even more insulin as it attempts to reduce your blood sugar levels. 

The process can lead to higher blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to type 2 diabetes.

Before that can happen, try reducing your sugar and refined carb intake. It could reduce your risk.

2. Stay Hydrated

Are you prone to drinking sugary sweet beverages? Consider replacing your favorite soda for water instead. Otherwise, beverages with sugar, preservatives, and questionable ingredients could impact your health.

Your risk of type 2 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA) could rise.

Instead, start drinking more water. Water can lead to better blood sugar control. It might improve your insulin response, too.

In one study, people on a weight loss program who replaced diet sodas with water experienced decreased insulin resistance. They lowered their fasting blood sugar and insulin levels as well.

Make sure water is your primary beverage of choice. Otherwise, consider adding coffee and tea to your routine.

Both contain antioxidants called polyphenols, which could protect you against diabetes. Green tea also contains EGCG, which could reduce blood sugar release. It might increase insulin sensitivity, too.

3. Work Up a Sweat

Physical activity could help prevent diabetes as well.

Exercise boosts your body’s insulin sensitivity. You’ll need less insulin to keep your blood sugar levels under control. People with prediabetes who exercised experienced increased insulin sensitivity by 51%. 

Those who completed high-intensity exercises increased it by 85%.

Try adding high-intensity interval training, strength training, and aerobic exercise to your routine. Find an exercise you love and stick to it!

4. Quit Smoking

Smoking can increase your risk of:

• Heart disease
• Lung, breast, prostate, and digestive tract cancer
• Emphysema

Smoking and second-hand smoke could increase your risk of diabetes, too.

If you want to prevent diabetes from developing, try quitting. 

5. Shed Some Pounds

The majority of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Meanwhile, people with prediabetes tend to carry weight around their midsection. They also have visceral fat around abdominal organs like the liver.

Excess visceral fat can promote inflammation and insulin resistance. Your risk of diabetes could increase as a result.

Losing even the smallest amount of weight might reduce your risk.

Try adjusting your diet and exercising. For example, you can try a low-carb, Mediterranean, paleo, or vegetarian diet. Try to stick with the change long-term to help you maintain your weight loss. 

6. Go Low-Carb and High-Fiber

As you start making lifestyle changes for diabetes prevention, consider your diet. A ketogenic or low-carb diet might prevent diabetes. 

A low-carb diet could help:

• Increase insulin sensitivity
• Lower blood sugar levels
• Reduce other diabetes risk factors

Minimizing your carb intake will keep your blood sugar levels from rising too much after you eat. Your body will then need less insulin to maintain your blood sugar levels.

A low-carb or ketogenic diet might reduce your fasting blood sugar, too.

Try adding more fiber to your diet, which could benefit your weight management and gut health. Fiber could keep your insulin and blood sugar levels low as well. 

Don’t forget dairy! Consuming low-fat dairy products helped study participants reduce their risk of diabetes. Consider adding plain yogurt to your routine.

Otherwise, minimize your intake of processed foods. Processed foods can increase your risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Avoid refined grains and additives, too.

7. Avoid a Sedentary Lifestyle

If you want to learn how to prevent diabetes, get on your feet. A sedentary lifestyle could increase your risk. Instead, try to get more physical activity into your routine. 

For example, you might consider standing up from your desk throughout the day if you work at an office. Try to walk around for a few minutes each hour.

Otherwise, go for a walk during lunch. 

Here are a few more tips that can help you combat stress and weight gain.

8. Adjust Your Portion Sizes

In addition to considering what you eat, you might want to look at how much you’re eating. It’s not enough to follow a ketogenic or low-carb diet. If you’re eating too much, you could still lead to diabetes.

Eating too much in one sitting can cause higher blood sugar levels. Your insulin levels might rise as well.

Instead, take the time to adjust your portion sizes.

Take the time to look at the labels of the food you eat to determine the right serving size. Consider using smaller plates, too. A few minor changes can help you better manage your portion control.

9. Choose Vitamin D

Vitamin D could impact your blood sugar control. If you’re not getting enough vitamin D, it might increase your risk of diabetes.

Instead, consider taking vitamin D supplements. Make sure to talk to your doctor, first. Some vitamins can interact with any medications you’re taking.

10. Try Herbs

Adding a few natural herbs to your routine might help with diabetes prevention as well. Talk to your doctor about curcumin and berberine. They’ll help you determine if these herbs are safe for you to take.

Stop Prediabetes Progression: 10 Tips to Help Prevent Diabetes

Your prediabetes doesn’t have to progress any further. Instead, use these 10 tips to prevent diabetes. With these diabetes prevention tips, you can take control of your health and future. 

Looking for more ways to promote better health? Consider ethically sourced, high-quality dairy ingredients.

Contact us today to discover how we can help.

How to Naturally Lower Your Blood Sugar

by Ingredia USA | Aug 9, 2021 | Blood Sugar Management

About 13% of adults in the US live with diabetes. Another 34.5% have prediabetes.

If your body doesn’t make or use insulin properly, you could develop high blood pressure. High blood pressure is often associated with diabetes. If your blood sugar levels continue to rise, it could cause serious problems.

For example, too much glucose can damage your kidneys, nerves, and eyes. It could cause heart disease, stroke, and other complications, too.

Don’t let it get that far. Instead, consider these 13 easy ways to naturally lower your blood sugar.

With these tips, you can keep your blood sugar levels in check without stress. Your overall health could improve as a result. 

Discover how to lower your blood sugar with these tips today.

1. Work Up a Sweat

Grab your favorite pair of running shoes and head outside! Regular exercise could help you lower your blood sugar. It can also help you maintain a moderate weight.

Meanwhile, your insulin sensitivity could increase, too. Increased sensitivity means your cells are able to use the sugar that’s available in your bloodstream.

Once you start exercising, your muscles can use blood sugar for energy.

It benefits muscle contraction, too.

Try different forms of exercising, including walking, running, and biking. Consider swimming and weightlifting as well. 

Your muscles will use glucose more effectively, which could reduce blood sugar levels.

2. Reconsider Carbs

As you learn how to naturally lower your blood sugar, it’s important to consider your diet. Your diet can have a major impact on your blood sugar levels.

After all, your body breaks carbs down into sugars. Insulin then helps the body use and store that sugar for energy.

If you eat too many carbs, however, the process won’t work properly. Your blood glucose levels will rise instead.

Try to manage your carb intake. You might need to begin counting carbs. Try planning your meals before you eat to make sure you’re on track.

A low-carb diet can help reduce your blood sugar levels. It could help prevent blood sugar spikes, too.

3. Stay Hydrated

Grab a bottle of water and fill it up! Drinking enough water each day could keep your blood sugar levels at a healthy limit. Otherwise, you could experience dehydration.

Drinking water will help your body flush out excess sugar through your urine.

In one study, participants who drank more water had a lower risk for developing high blood sugar levels, too.

Try to avoid beverages that are sweetened with sugar. Otherwise, those beverages could increase your diabetes risk. They might raise your blood glucose and lead to weight gain as well.

4. Get More Fiber

Remember, your diet can have a major impact on your blood sugar levels. Take a moment to consider your fiber intake, too. Fiber can slow carb digestion and sugar absorption.

In other words, fiber triggers a gradual rise in blood sugar levels.

There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber could help improve your blood sugar management.

A higher fiber diet might help patients manage their type 1 diabetes. It could help improve the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. It might help reduce blood sugar lows, too.

5. Look for a Low Glycemic Index

The glycemic index measures how we digest foods. It can impact the rate your blood sugar levels rise, too. Try eating low-glycemic-index foods to naturally lower your blood sugar instead.

For example, you can try:

• Oats
• Beans
• Yogurt
• Barley
• Bulgur
• Wheat pasta
• Non-starchy vegetables
• Legumes
• Lentils

Don’t forget to monitor your carb intake.

6. Consume Chromium and Magnesium

A micronutrient deficiency could impact your blood sugar levels. Try eating foods that are high in chromium and magnesium.

For example, you can try:

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Nuts
• Whole grains
• Meats
• Dark leafy greens
• Tuna
• Avocados
• Beans
• Bananas
• Dark chocolate

These foods could reduce your risk of blood sugar problems. Otherwise, consider taking supplements. 

7. Minimize Stress

Stress could cause your blood sugar levels to spike. Your cortisol and glucagon levels will rise, which can impact your blood sugar levels.

Try meditating, exercising, or using yoga to relax. You could lower your blood sugar levels as your stress levels drop.

Here are a few ways to combat stress.

8. Get Some Sleep

Make sure you’re getting enough sleep each night. Otherwise, your insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels could fluctuate. You might experience weight gain or increased appetite as a result.

Inadequate sleep can disrupt metabolic hormones, too.

Instead, improve your sleep quantity and quality to improve your health.

9. Keep Track

How do you know if your blood sugar is low? Make sure you’re monitoring it! Monitoring your blood glucose levels could help you manage them.

You can determine if you need to adjust your medications or meals. You can see how your body reacts to certain foods, too. 

10. Use Portion Control

It’s not enough to adjust what you eat. If you want to lower your blood sugar, consider how much you eat, too. Portion control might help you maintain a moderate weight.

Managing your weight could promote healthy blood sugar levels. It could reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, too.

As you learn how to manage your portion sizes, try:

• Using smaller plates
• Reading food labels for serving sizes
• Keeping a food journal
• Eating slowly
• Measuring and weighing your portions

Otherwise, try to avoid “all you can eat” restaurants. 

11. Sip Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar could promote lower fasting blood sugar levels. It might improve your insulin sensitivity, too.

Try mixing a little apple cider vinegar with water or using it as a salad dressing.

12. Try Cinnamon Extract

Cinnamon could improve your insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels by up to 29%. It could slow the breakdown of carbs in your digestive tract, too. This process might moderate the rise of blood sugar after a meal.

13. Manage Your Weight

Above all else, make sure to maintain a moderate weight. Maintaining a healthy weight could benefit your overall health. It might prevent future health problems from developing, too.

Weight management can also help promote healthy blood sugar levels. 

In fact, a 7% reduction in body weight could decrease your risk of developing diabetes by 58%.

Watch It Drop: 13 Ways to Naturally Lower Your Blood Sugar

Your blood sugar levels don’t have to control your future. Instead, use these 13 tips to naturally lower your blood sugar. With these tips, you can stay happy and healthy without worry.

Make sure to speak with your doctor before making any major changes. They can help you develop a treatment plan with your needs in mind.

Searching for other ways to regulate your blood sugar? Learn more here.

Guide to Diabetes Self-Management

by Ingredia USA | Mar 5, 2021 | Blood Sugar Management

What if diabetes didn’t have to change your quality of life?

Whether you were diagnosed with diabetes years ago or only recently, it’s easy to imagine that diabetes will control your entire life. But you can change all of this with the right diabetes self management.

Want to manage your own diabetes better? Keep reading to discover our complete guide!

Diabetes Self Management Begins With Self Care

Our guide is here to make diabetes self management so much easier for you. And proper self management begins with proper self care.

Part of this care is staying active and sticking to a healthy diet, which we’ll dive more into later in the guide. And another part is getting your prescriptions filled at the proper times and taking all of your medicine as directed by your doctor. That may sound basic, but many issues diabetics face begin with deviating from their recommended medicine schedule.

It’s important to attend regular health visits and wear medicinal identification gear when you travel. Furthermore, you need to monitor your blood glucose level regularly and understand what the numbers mean in terms of your health.

Finally, you should know that a diabetes diagnosis may change the way you view yourself and your life. Reach out to your friends, family, and mental healthcare professionals in order to make sure that your diabetes does not lead to depression or other major issues.

Asking the Right Questions

Be honest – what does an average session with your physician look like? If they reflect on this question, most patients simply sit back and nod their heads at whatever the doctor is saying.

But when you are managing your diabetes, it is important to ask questions of your different physicians. Furthermore, you need to know the right questions to ask.

One good question is where you can learn more about diabetes. The internet is filled with information, and not all of it is accurate. But your doctor can guide you to the right resources to help you learn more.

It’s also good to ask how your different friends and family can help you manage your diabetes and help you maintain a more active lifestyle. They are likely willing to help, but many patients and their extended support network don’t know how to get started.

Finally, it’s very important to ask about the “fine print” in terms of what your insurance covers, how much everything will cost, and what your options are if you cannot pay for everything all at once. The last thing you want to worry about while managing diabetes is dealing with a surprise bill!

Carrying the Right Gear

When you get right down to it, most aspects of diabetes management are pretty straightforward. But one of the best things you can do is have the right gear on you, especially when you are out of the house.

This gear includes your glucose meter, strips, and treatment for low blood sugar. And you should have a bracelet or other form of identification that tells others that you are a diabetic.

When traveling, there are extra precautions you must take. You should have a list of your medicine, with notes on when to take each item. And you should keep insulin and medication with you so there is no risk of these things getting lost.

Don’t forget to pack extra medicine and food with you in the event of delays and other schedule changes. And make sure you have a list of your doctors and their phone numbers in the event of an emergency.

What To Do When Sick

So far, our guide focuses on getting you through a typical day. But what about days when you are sick? 

We recommend checking to see if you have a fever right away. And try to keep clear liquids with sugar on hand (everything from soda to popsicles can work).

You should have separate medicine set aside to help you deal with issues like fever and nausea. And as an added safety precaution, check your blood sugar more often throughout the day.

Staying Active

One of the very best things you can do for your diabetes management is to maintain an active lifestyle. But what does that mean for your daily life?

First of all, we recommend consulting with your physician before attempting the strenuous activity. And your physician can also let you know if your intended exercise regimen is too intense or not intense enough.

If possible, you should try to get 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week. Additionally, you should engage in strength exercises at least twice a week.

Sticking to this exercise regimen will make you healthier and happier, and all while making your diabetes easier to manage.

Stress and Diabetes

Stress plays a major role in diabetes. If you already have diabetes, your health may suffer due to the stress you experience. And if you don’t already have diabetes, there is a chance that stress could cause it!

Recent research has revealed a potential link between stress and Type 2 diabetes. This is because stress hormones may actually prevent insulin-producing cells in your pancreas from working right and limit how much insulin your body produces.

That can lead to type 2 diabetes. And if you are a “stress eater,” then packing on extra pounds due to stress you are experiencing may also cause type 2 diabetes.

Stress is also a factor if you already have diabetes. You might get hypo anxiety or simply feel overwhelmed due to having to manage so many things as a part of your condition. And a recent study discovered that stress hormones may lead to higher blood sugar levels.

Different Types of Stress and Your Diabetes

There are multiple types of stress that you may be experiencing. And these different types of stress have different effects on your diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes, mental stress may increase blood glucose levels. And if you have type 1 diabetes, mental stress could potentially lower or increase your blood glucose.

You may also experience physical stress. This may increase your blood sugar no matter what kind of diabetes you have. And your body may have the same reaction when you are sick or injured. 

Dealing With Stress

Obviously, stress can be a scary factor when it comes to diabetes. Fortunately, there are multiple ways you can deal with this stress.

Make sure you get enough sleep each night. And try to establish a regular exercise routine, as this can fight stress and also keep your body healthy.

It’s important to schedule some relaxation time for yourself each day so you don’t stress yourself by working too hard. And finally, don’t be afraid to reach out to your support network whenever you are feeling frightened or overwhelmed, and don’t be ashamed if you need to turn to therapy.

Different Solutions for Different Types of Stress

The above suggestions can help with general feelings of stress. But once you isolate what kind of stress you are experiencing, you can try out some very specific solutions.

For example, taking up yoga or other regular exercise is a great way to deal with physical stress. If you are experiencing emotional stress, try to isolate yourself for at least five minutes and breathe deeply. During this time, placing your hand on your belly while you breathe may help you calm down.

Stress from family or work basically has the same solution: setting proper limits. Don’t be afraid to say “no” to stressful family events. And at work, talk to your supervisor if you are feeling overwhelmed before things get worse.

What Next?

Now you know how to handle your own diabetes self management. But do you know who can make that process much easier?At Ingredia, we specialize in innovative ingredients that can help create healthy dairy products. To learn more about what our research can do for you, contact us today!