5 Ways to Lower Your Blood Sugar While Still Indulging
Hooray for all the treats! But you don’t want them to wreak havoc with your blood-sugar control. Indeed, keeping blood glucose steady boosts energy, sharpens focus and protects against type 2 diabetes. Even more, it energizes immune cells, cutting the risk of COVID-19 complications by as much as 65 percent, says Mark Hyman, M.D., author of Food Fix. To indulge, worry-free…
Turn your plate.
Next time you sit down to a plate of favorites, try this: Spend the first five minutes nibbling on some protein-rich turkey or chicken and the vegetable sides before digging into starchier fare like potatoes and rolls. According to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, waking up your insulin-producing pancreas with a few bites of protein and veggies can lower your post-meal blood-sugar spike by 40 percent.
Laugh about it.
Taking 15 minutes twice daily to enjoy a sitcom or funny book can heighten your blood-sugar control by as much as 45 percent, suggests research in PLOS ONE. Happiness quashes the production of cortisol, a stress hormone that stops muscles from burning blood sugar.
Go nuts.
If you get the munchies between meals, don’t go hungry — nibble on a handful of nuts instead! British scientists say nuts brim with vitamin E and plant fats, nutrients that cut your risk of immunity-weakening blood sugar disruptions in half, plus boost your stamina, focus and moods by 55 percent if you enjoy 1⁄3 cup daily during the holidays.
Couch ‘dance’.
Love that tune? Swing your arms! Doing so for five minutes every half hour can heighten blood-sugar control by 55 percent in a week, British researchers say. Turns out moving even small muscles in your arms switches on genes that boost your ability to burn blood glucose for fuel.
Try this sleep aid.
Taking 400 mg. of magnesium at bedtime can cut the risk of blood-sugar troubles by 60 percent, Italian scientists say. Explains endocrinologist Martha Moran, M.D., magnesium strengthens and heals your pancreas while you sleep, helping this hardworking gland produce sugar-controlling insulin during the day.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine.
