If you have been suffering from diabetes, whether Type 1 or Type 2, it is very important to regulate your blood sugar levels so that the excess sugar does not affect your organs. While medicines and insulin help in keeping blood sugar in check, but, there are many natural ways to keep diabetes under control which doesn’t have any side effects.
In the last decade, the Diabetes has become one of the most common diseases among people across the globe. As per the global statistics, over 400 million people are suffering from this disease.
Earlier, the prime causes of diabetes used to be the genetic susceptibility, heredity, and insulin resistance, but, now, many people are getting diagnosed with Type II diabetes, which is a lifestyle induced disease. Our sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, and excessive stress are the common reasons behind it.
After you get diagnosed with diabetes, the physicians recommend the regular medication to control the blood sugar levels, but you can also use the natural ways to achieve the same results. The natural and Ayurvedic home remedies for diabetes are very safe and keep the blood sugar under control.
The natural ways of controlling diabetes include making some changes in your lifestyle, such as regular exercising, avoiding fast food and eating the food items which naturally control the blood sugar. You can choose from the list of foods that lower blood sugar and make them a vital part of your daily diet.
What Happens When We Eat Sugar?
Sugar or glucose present in the bloodstream is a vital source of energy for cells which make up the tissues and muscles in our body.
Normally, a hormone named insulin is secreted by the pancreas in our body which helps the sugar in the blood to enter our cells in order to give us energy. Due to the presence of insulin, the sugar from the blood stream gets absorbed by the cells and thus, the sugar levels in the blood stay regulated.
But, when you become diabetic, the sugar does not get absorbed by the cells in the body and stays in the blood. As the concentration of the sugar increases in the blood, it starts creating problems for the other organs in the body.
What Causes Diabetes?
There are two types of Diabetes and the factors which trigger both of these differ from each other.
Type 1 Diabetes
While the exact cause of the Type 1 diabetes is unknown, but, what happens is that our immune system (which generally fights harmful viruses or bacteria to keep us safe) starts attacking and destroying the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This is known as the autoimmune reaction.
As the exact cause is unknown, it is believed that type 1 Diabetes may be triggered by:
- Bacterial or Viral Infection
- Chemical toxins present in our food
- Unidentified components triggering an autoimmune reaction
Type 2 Diabetes
This is the most common form of diabetes, and there can be multiple factors behind this type of Diabetes.
In Type 2 Diabetes, our cells become completely resistant to the action of insulin, and the pancreas becomes unable to make enough insulin that is required to overcome the resistance.
Again, the exact causes behind Type 2 Diabetes are unknown, but, owing to the ever increasing cases of this disease, it is believed that our sedentary lifestyle and the environmental factors cause it. Obesity is considered as one of the common causes of Type 2 Diabetes.
While no study has been able to establish a direct relation between obesity and diabetes, but, most of the obese people are found to be suffering from this blood sugar disorder.
There is a third type of diabetes as well, the Gestational Diabetes, which occurs in women during the pregnancy. In this, the insulin receptors are not able to function properly.
Early Symptoms of Diabetes
The early signs of diabetes come as a warning, and thus, one must not ignore them. If the signs remain unnoticed, the blood sugar levels may gradually build up and affect your overall health badly.
Here are some of the top early symptoms of diabetes:
- Constant headache
- Fatigue
- Dryness of mouth
- Increased hunger
- Increased thirst
- Sudden weight loss
- Craving for sugary food
- Frequent urination
- Blurred vision
- Itching in various parts
- Numbness of limbs
10 Best Ways to Control Diabetes Naturally
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, the worst thing you can do to yourself is stressing about the situation. Instead, you should work on getting diabetes under control. If you can naturally regulate your blood sugar levels and keep them under control, diabetes will not create many problems for you.
Here are the 10 best ways to keep diabetes under control naturally without depending on any medications.
1. Become More Physically Active
This is probably the best thing you can do to keep your blood sugar levels in check. Diabetes slows down the blood flow in the body’s extremities, and it gets worsened due to obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
Staying active boosts your metabolism, enhance the blood flow and enhances the insulin uptake processes which lowers down the effect of diabetes on your body significantly.
2. Eliminate Unhealthy and Oily Fast Food From Your Diet
The levels of blood sugar increase when we consume sugar or oil-rich fast food. Enhances intake of calories can make it very difficult for maintaining the blood sugar levels.
Th fast food may also contain excessive salt, and as per the recent studies, it has been concluded that high-salt diet in diabetes considerably increases the risk of the cardiovascular ailments.
3. Soothe the Stress
Stress can make the blood sugar levels very hard to control. So, if you often feel stressful, then try various relaxation techniques such as Tai-Chi, massage, meditation and the soothing music to chase away the stress.
Stress relief also helps you sleep better, and a sound sleep for 7 – 8 hours is very important for people suffering from diabetes. Sleeping for less than six hours may result in impaired glucose tolerance.
To sleep better and bust the stress, you can try deep breathing before the bed, and develop a sleep schedule.
4. Have A Cup Of Coffee Every day
Coffee is known to offer many health benefits, and it can also help in lowering down the blood sugar levels too. As per the new research studies, it has been concluded that having more than one cup of coffee everyday helps in reducing the glucose in the blood.
Though, you might experience an increase in blood glucose levels in the short term, but, the prolonged consumption of coffee enhances the insulin sensitivity while lowering the blood glucose levels.
Certainly, you have to let go of sugar, cream, and milk to keep your diabetes in control.
5. Increase Your Green Tea Intake
If coffee is not your thing, then you might need a couple of cups of green tea to keep your blood sugar in control. The polysaccharides and polyphenols present in the green tea enhance the insulin activity and reduce the blood glucose levels.
The enzyme amylase converts the starch into the glucose and the polyphenols present in the green tea reduce the production of amylase.
Research shows that people who consume more than 2 cups of green tea, without sugar or milk, have a lower risk of developing the Type II diabetes as compared to those who don’t drink green tea.
6. Opt For Fibre Rich Vegetarian Diet
The low-calorie vegetarian diet significantly helps in regulating the blood glucose levels and help in keeping diabetes under control.
A vegetables and whole grains rich diet possess much higher levels of insoluble and soluble fiber which keeps you satiated for longer. Moreover, as it takes a time to break down, it does not result in increases sugar in the blood, instead, it keeps the blood sugar levels under control.
7. Stay Hydrated
Drinking plenty of water helps in regulating the blood sugar and controlling diabetes. Blood sugar and water consumption are interrelated and is also related to the hormone vasopressin which is responsible for controlling the water levels in the body.
When we get dehydrated, the vasopressin indicates the liver to increase the glucose production in the body, which in turn results in increased blood glucose levels.
So, drink 10 – 12 glasses of water every day.
8. Exercise Regularly
Obese and physically inactive people are at a greater risk of Type II diabetes. Also, the people suffering from diabetes are always asked to lose weight and exercise regularly.
The workout sessions help in burning the stored glucose in the body, and when this stored glucose gets exhausted, our body starts using the glucose present in the bloodstream for deriving energy. That’s why regular exercise helps in keeping diabetes under control.
9. Eat Smaller Meals More Often
When we eat smaller meals 5 – 6 times a day, our body remains active in the digestive processes and it increases the insulin sensitivity.
Furthermore, smaller meals mean less blood sugar spikes and spread of the sugar intake over the course of the day.
Also, try to indulge in a rich breakfast and a low-calorie dinner to keep your diabetes under control.
10. Bitter Gourd Juice
The juice of the bitter gourd is known to naturally reduce the blood sugar levels and keep diabetes under control.
Try having 50 – 100 ml of bitter gourd juice at least once or twice a week. The more you drink, the better benefits you will get.
The above-mentioned ways can help you incredibly in controlling your diabetes. Not only this, Type 1 diabetes prevention is also not difficult if you take the right steps and live a healthy lifestyle. Being physically active and eating the right food is the key to stay away from diabetes, and effectively control the blood sugar.
So, now as you know how to control diabetes naturally, you must introspect that which of your day to day habits are responsible for increasing the sugar levels in the body, and you must take the right measures to control it.
While the given measures can control diabetes, but, you should constantly monitor your blood sugar levels and if there is a sudden spike in it, you must consult your physician immediately.
