Being a type 2 diabetic for over 20 years now, I initially spent 6 years on 3 daily insulin shots among other meds only to see myself get progressively worse. Sick and tired of being sick and tired, one day I made a momentous decision. I set out to learn what really makes type 2 diabetes tick; why I got it and what continues to fuel it every day of my life! It’s a long story, one best left for another time but in a nutshell after approximately 10 years of on and off research and self experimentation, I learned what I’m about to share with you now. These top 10 tips for lowering blood sugar naturally are so effective that eventually I came off my medications. I’ve not used any diabetes medications for at least 4 years as of this writing. Quite frankly, it’s actually longer than 4 years but I don’t recall the exact year and month I came off them. What I am sure about is that has been at least that long and these tips work a lot better than any medication I’ve ever taken! Now, I am NOT saying you should come off medications. As I am not a doctor, that is not for me to advise. I am a highly analytical 20-year veteran of the information technology industry. In very simple terms, my job is break down both simple and complex problems and find solutions for them. In a manner of speaking, it’s breaking something down to put it back together. I work hard to fully understand it or reverse engineer the problem to solve it, if you will. That’s the approach I’ve taken with type 2 diabetes. Coming off medications is such a momentous event worthy of all the effort required. But it’s a decision for you and your doctor only. Definitely consult him or her with any questions or concerns. But YOU CAN DO IT! I did and honestly this isn’t rocket science but it seems no one shares this information with us. Almost all of the information that is widely available is regurgitated from one media outlet to another and worst of all, it just doesn’t work. This needs to change. I had to go find the right information on my own and there’s so much of it out there that it turned into an overwhelmingly daunting task but now I’m ready to share what took me a few years to piece together. I will explain each item briefly as this article is not meant to be an exhaustive explanation of each. If you’d like to get more information, you can start by requesting my free ebook at the end of this post.
The only order these top 10 tips are in is one that makes sense as you implement them from the start of your day to the end of it. However, the number #1 tip is the most important and you’ll understand why at the end of this article. That said, if you try to implement them all at once you my be overwhelmed and not even start. My suggestion is to try one tip at a time and do it repeatedly until it starts to become a habit and increase the amount of tips you take advantage of over time. Wherever you see red text it is actually a link to other resources including my previously written blog posts.
is quickly becoming an effective way of not only dealing with blood sugar but also the underlying issue of type 2 diabetes which is insulin resistance. Basically, we all do this already, overnight fasting; the period between dinner and breakfast that we are not feeding. As a result of not feeding we are also not secreting insulin from our pancreas and this is a good thing. The longer you wait to have breakfast, the more time you’re not making your pancreas work. For type 1 diabetics, this translates into not needing an insulin injection to cover food. As type 2s, we certainly want this as well.. As icing on the cake, know this; as long as we don’t eat we’re in a fat burning state!
I know! How could I suggest a thing? Hear me out. Type 2 diabetics almost by definition wake up with high blood sugars due to what’s called the effect. Essentially this happens due to a disruption in signaling in our livers. It becomes insulin resistant and in fact researchers now believe it starts to become resistant first before other areas of the body in type 2 diabetics. Dawn phenomenon manifests itself in the early morning hours (dawn) when the liver generates glucose even though it’s not needed. Like I mentioned, a disruption in signaling is at work here. In the morning, the last thing you want to do is keep elevating our blood sugar even more by having the one macronutrient that raises blood sugar the most; carbohydrates! In terms of type 1, no carbs equals less insulin required.
As we eat and for several hours after, the body is digesting our meals and insulin is busy trying to put away digested nutrients into our fat and muscle tissues as a future energy reserve. If you’ve ever observed your belly fat get bigger after a large meal, you know this. In essence, we gain weight because we do not burn off the excess energy and it sits there in our fat tissue. Now, add in the fact that as diabetics, we are also adding glucose through food consumption (usually the wrong kind) that will not get burned off. Instead those nutrients (glucose) are stored in our bloodstream and what you end up with is high blood sugar! Exercise helps burn this excess stored energy without a doubt but only if you do not eat in the time before and after surrounding your workout. Otherwise, you’re only trying to burn what you just ate. For non-diabetics this may be ok but not for us. After a good solid workout, you’re in blood glucose and fat burning mode. Don’t interrupt it by eating right away. Wait as long as possible. This is hard at first but as your diet changes, this gets easier every time. Trust me. Again, start of with less time, like 30 minutes then try an hour followed by however long you can safely handle. Obviously, if you feel weak or faint have a snack. No one wants to pass out. If you’re on medications, please time them appropriately to avoid hypos. Work with your doc on that if you need to.
When we exercise the body releases adrenal gland hormones that in effect raise blood sugar. This is perfectly normal but it does take some time, post-exercise to subside. So don’t worry about checking your blood sugar immediately after working out. This is why you want to work your way up to 2 hours (or more) and in time you’ll see results.
The underlying cause of high blood sugars in type 2 diabetes (not in type 1 diabetes) is insulin resistance. Type 1s produce little to no insulin in the pancreas. Regardless, this hormone stores nutrients in the body including the muscle tissues. Insulin stores glycogen, which is a form of sugar used for energy, into the muscle tissues. Also, insulin stores amino acids in the same tissues to rebuild them after a workout, in other words for muscle growth. In essence, to rebuild muscle you have to break it down. And what helps rebuild that muscle? Actually, not only does it help, but it is absolutely a crucial requirement for the rebuilding process…INSULIN! Every time we workout particularly with resistance training, we force insulin to work its magic. This tidbit applies to all humans as a matter of fact. Even non-diabetics develop some level of insulin resistance as they age. Obviously, not to the same degree as diabetics. What are some of the best ways to exercise to enable this process? Two of the most widely known examples are using free weights or weight machines in a gym. There are other methods you can use to apply resistance to the muscles as well, such as Crossfit or whole body workouts like or . In any case, after the breakdown the muscle tissues need to rebuild using glucose and proteins. This has the effect of improving insulin resistance because muscle will look for those nutrients and insulin will oblige. In fact insulin is forced to work in these scenarios, as I already mentioned. Not only that, part of the replenishing process is to take blood circulating glucose (helloooo! AKA blood sugar!) as a source for that rebuilding process. This is awesome! It means that, effectively it lowers blood sugar if you wait to eat long enough after a workout. I’ve seen this happen in myself hundreds of times over the years when my blood sugar slowly drops after a workout and I don’t eat. BUT, it goes out the window if you eat because now the body has to digest and store those nutrients you just gobbled up. Not only that, but you still have excess glucose floating around from before (damn diabetes). Conversely, non-diabetics can eat because their insulin function is fine. An exception to this would be if they were trying to lose weight. Then they should wait like us.
In a very small nutshell, HIIT involves short bouts of a high intensity exercise for a set period of time followed by a much less intense period. For many reasons too numerous to get into here, this has many benefits including for diabetes. I really can’t do it justice in this short space but to get you going. The good thing is you can scale this no matter where you are in your fitness level. In other words, you can start small and work your way up. Your pancreas will thank you in the long run. If you haven’t worked out in long time, one way to start is to use any staircase in your own home. Go up the flight of stairs as quickly and safely as you can. Now go down slowly to catch your breath. Repeat and work your way up every day. Feel the burn in your legs and embrace it. It’s all good! When you’re not used to working out, HIIT can be hard in the beginning but very well worth the effort, I assure you. I can’t even explain what it feels like to finish a hard workout. It feels really, really good. But HIIT is something you can and should work your way towards to include in your conquer diabetes plan. In the meantime, it is more than ok to get started slowly. What matters most is to get started. That said the is a great way to do that. My wife and I use it and love the workout as it is simple and effective. The program even includes a container system for meal and macronutrient portion control. Click on the image below to learn more.
For diabetics, no matter what the mainstream says, carbohydrates in general are the enemy. They indisputably raise your blood sugar higher than fat and protein. If you don’t buy it, it’s ok. Go ahead and test it with your glucose meter. I can’t make you believe anything but hopefully your meter can. For us diabetics, carbs must be restricted. That said, you absolutely have to replace the excess carbs with good fats and fiber. They’re more filling and will not raise your blood sugar anywhere near what carbs do. I realize this is very hard if you’ve eaten a certain way all of your life. But if you want a change you need to change. Above all else, what you eat is the most important for our condition; specifically focusing on carbohydrates.
Today’s blood sugars began yesterday. Think about that. What we eat today, particularly at dinner will follow us into the next day. Add to that, the fact the liver produces glucose overnight, and it all makes for a “sugary” start to the next day. Now repeat every day. This is a self-perpetuating bad cycle! We have to break that cycle. Once you have confirmed carbs raise your blood sugar the most you will have an easier time with #4. I’m not saying it needs to be done every evening but try and eliminate carbs altogether for dinner as much as you can. When you decide to have them go for a simple salad. And I stress a very simple salad. Don’t stockpile it with all the (carb) trimmings, as you will defeat the purpose. My personal favorites are mixed veggies. You’re blood sugar will be lower going to bed and as a result it will be lower in the morning. Yes, you may still have the dawn phenomenon effect but effectively you will lower that over time as well. The net effect is you wake up with lower glucose levels. A new cycle is born! Rinse and repeat.
Unless you workout in the evenings, a long walk, bike ride, or leisure sport after dinner is in order. Not only are you using up energy but also you’ll digest your food quicker. In effect, you’re lowering your blood sugar, which will follow you into the night and into the next morning. Again, a new cycle! For many years, I would go to bed in a self-induced food coma as a result of all the “heavy” carbs I was eating. Ouch! It hurts just thinking back to those days. To help you, I wrote where you can download a PDF of 82 sweeteners you want to watch out for when shop for groceries.
Time and again, I’ve noticed that if I’m hungry by the time I retire for the night, I get my best blood sugar readings in the morning. To do this, you must have dinner early. No matter you’re schedule, make the time between dinner and bedtime as long as possible. I’m not saying to stay up into all hours of the night. You have to figure out what works for you. For me, this means having dinner on average about 5-6pm and bedtime about 9:30-10 pm. If I stay up past that window, I will get hungrier and possibly cave in to temptation and have a snack. Not good. You know this as well as I do. Go to bed! And last but not least….the overall most critical you can do to lower your blood sugar….
Without this, no amount of medications or exercise will help lower your blood sugar. I learned this the hard way. Been there done that. Carbohydrates in our diets are the single most blood sugar raising nutrient we all consume. Not all carbs are bad but every single carb counts for a diabetic! Again, don’t buy it? Test it with your glucose meter. I know, I know! Supposedly, carbs are essential everyone says. Meaning you need to eat them or you die. That’s what the word essential means in terms of nutrients. Our bodies can’t make essential nutrients so we need to consume them or else. In terms of carbs being absolutely essential for diabetics, I say hogwash. Sure the essentials are required but what I am saying is the carb is not. The miraculous human body including the brain can make use of energy produced from fats and proteins. True biological story. I go weeks consuming very little carbs. Sure a lot of days, I loosen up but for the most part it’s low carb for me. Guess what? I’m still here writing this. If all these carbs are so essential why am I still alive? Let me put it this way and then I’ll get off my soapbox. Per the , there are 387 million diabetics worldwide. As of this writing, there are 7.37 billion people in the world. That leaves about 7 billion without diabetes. I like to refer to this as Us vs. Them. In terms of what may be good for them is not good for us. In my opinion this is how we need to look at this whole situation. If you’d like to read more about this global diabetes epidemic, click . Most of the dietary advice freely available is for the non-diabetics. You know, the advice that says consume 50 (or commonly a lot more) grams of carbohydrates per meal. Or eat 5-6 small meals which will essentially keep your sugar AND insulin levels elevated all day!
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Why in the world would we eat like they can? We can but should we? The simple answer is NO! NO! NO! Let them eat their cake. We’ll do our own thing. The saddest part is, the medical community dishes out this advice of “you have to eat carbs!” also. But it’s ok; they can give us medications to lower our blood sugar back down after we are told to consume these high levels of carbohydrates because they are absolutely essential. Am I right? I mean, who is really benefitting from that? Think about it. This is where the analytical computer geek in me kicks in and says, “Hey wait a darn minute! DANGER! DANGER! This does not compute!” Essentially, the constant battle is the one created by this balancing act between high carb consumption and medications to bring down the resulting high blood sugars. Think long and hard about that folks. OK, now I’m mad so I leave you with this: If you want to ease into Tip #1, just start cutting down on carbs from each meal. Leave the rice, bun, bread, and spaghetti, sweets etc. off your plate. This will vary for people but I get my best results when I consume . My blood sugar is in normal range and I have tons of energy. My daily ritual of 2 servings of butter coffee helps me tremendously with this. I made of me making the coffee. In time, I noticed I can consume more carbs in a day and not really get affected by it. But I’m fully aware if I keep up that behavior I will not be in a good place. So I ALWAYS get back on track. Start off slow if you need to but START! Done is better than perfect! Sign up below for a free ebook to learn more about the food you’re eating and how it really affects blood sugar.
