Health Center - Diabetes
About eight percent of all Americans have diabetes, and the rate is increasing. Learn more about this prevalent and life-threatening disease, including common symptoms, how it affects your health, tips to manage it and prevent complications and ways to reduce your risk factors.
Diabetes Guide
How to Maintain a Healthy Blood Sugar
Blood sugar problems don't happen overnight. And, as your blood sugar rises, not only does your risk of developing diabetes increase, but so does your risk of coronary heart disease. But, there are things you can do to keep your blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
10 things you can to do to maintain a healthy blood sugar
1. Take a 30-minute walk every day. Come on, if you have time to watch Friends reruns, you have time for a walk. Strengthening your muscles makes them more receptive to insulin—and helps them use more glucose.
2. Eat several small meals throughout the day rather than three large meals. You'll avoid the blood sugar ups and downs that can come when stuffed or starving.
3. Fixate on fiber. The more fiber in your diet—from whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes—the slower carbohydrates are digested and the steadier glucose moves into your bloodstream. You'll avoid blood sugar spikes and you may even find you lose a few pounds: fiber fills you up, but because it's not digested, it doesn't fill you out.
4. Sprinkle some cinnamon on your high-fiber breakfast cereal, whole-grain toast or skim-milk cottage cheese. Cinnamon helps make insulin more effective while stimulating production of enzymes that burn up glucose.
