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When it comes to high blood sugar, many people immediately think of some seemingly boring health warnings and cumbersome dietary restrictions.
Speaking of high blood sugar, many people immediately think of some seemingly boring health warnings and tedious dietary restrictions.
Shall we approach this topic from a different angle? Let’s start with a butterfly fluttering by. When a butterfly dances gracefully, it not only reminds people of a healthy blood sugar level that should be equally carefree but also not weighed down by high blood sugar.
Alright, that’s what we’re going to talk about today: how to manage high blood sugar through some simple lifestyle habits without letting it become a burden in our lives.
Firstly, imagine this – if you accidentally consume too much sugar in your daily life, the result is that your blood sugar level keeps skyrocketing. Here, we have a very simple principle to help you manage blood sugar: “2 don’t eat, 3 don’t do.”
Why “2 don’t eat”? Firstly, don’t eat high-sugar foods.
This doesn’t just mean avoiding sweets like candies, cakes, but also being cautious about sugary drinks, fruit juices, and even some seasoning sauces.
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Take the experience of Xiao Liu, a young white-collar worker, for example. He cannot go a day without multiple cups of coffee to maintain work efficiency, but each cup of coffee is filled with two spoonfuls of sugar, often accompanied by a piece of chocolate.
As a result, his blood sugar spikes, and his body issues warnings. To understand this example, we can look at it from a medical perspective – excessive sugar intake can lead to excessive insulin secretion, which over time can decrease the sensitivity of insulin receptors, potentially leading to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
So, what is the second “don’t eat”? Avoid high-fat foods.
While it may seem unrelated to blood sugar, the reality is different.
High-fat foods not only increase weight but also affect the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Lao Wang, a middle-aged man, loves fried foods like fried chicken, fries – they are his favorites.
As a result, not only did his weight increase, but his blood sugar remained high.
Xiao Zhang is a female college student with a heavy academic workload, often pulling all-nighters to study, and she noticed abnormal fluctuations in her blood sugar levels.
Zhang Auntie is a retired elderly person who rarely exercises, enjoys watching TV at home, snacking, and her blood sugar just doesn’t go down.
From a medical perspective, exercise can increase muscle glucose utilization, promote the action of insulin, and help control blood sugar within normal ranges.
The last “don’t do” is not to be overly stressed. Prolonged high-stress levels can lead to excessive cortisol secretion, affecting blood sugar stability.
Xiao Li is a busy young female worker, her stress is so high that she often suffers from insomnia at night, resulting in erratic blood sugar levels.
From a medical perspective, stress can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, releasing a large amount of stress hormones, which can promote the breakdown of liver glycogen into glucose, leading to elevated blood sugar levels.
To better understand this knowledge, let’s take the example of a fictional patient, Grandma. She enjoys sweets, eats several pieces of sugar daily, likes fried foods because they taste good.
When she was young, life was tough, often working late into the night, and she doesn’t exercise much now that she’s older, usually taking care of her grandchildren, and she has significant stress. Consequently, her blood sugar levels have always remained high. Based on Grandma’s situation, we can deduce the importance of the “2 don’t eat, 3 don’t do” mentioned above.
To further support these points, we can cite some data. For example, a study indicates that people who consume more than 50 grams of sugar per day have a 30% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Additionally, a 10-year follow-up study found that sedentary individuals have a 50% higher risk of insulin resistance compared to those who exercise for at least 30 minutes daily.
Next, based on these points, we can pose a derivative question: Why does a high-fat diet affect blood sugar control?
From a scientific perspective, there are multiple reasons why a high-fat diet makes blood sugar control difficult. Firstly, free fatty acids in adipose tissue competitively inhibit insulin signal transduction, preventing efficient glucose entry into cells for utilization.
Furthermore, a high-fat diet is likely to cause obesity, which in itself is a major risk factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Moreover, hormones like leptin and adiponectin secreted by fat cells are also influenced by a high-fat diet, and these hormones play a critical role in insulin sensitivity regulation.
A high-fat diet may also alter the gut microbiota composition, further impacting glucose metabolism and insulin function.
In conclusion, having healthy dietary habits and lifestyle choices is crucial for blood sugar control. Let’s hope that everyone can have a light and carefree healthy life like a butterfly.
Building upon the foundation of the aforementioned “2 don’t eat, 3 don’t do,” let’s delve deeper into specific dietary and lifestyle adjustments.
Firstly, let’s discuss how to choose foods. To control blood sugar, choosing foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI) is crucial. The lower the GI value, the lesser the impact on blood sugar.
For example, whole grain foods, legumes, vegetables, and certain fruits are good choices. Let’s analyze with a specific story – imagine a young male white-collar worker, Xiaochen. He used to love fast food but then found his blood sugar fluctuating significantly. To help understand, let’s visualize a young male white-collar worker deciding to opt for low GI foods.
His breakfast switched from sugary donuts and coffee to oatmeal and fruits; lunch was whole wheat sandwich with some vegetable salad; dinner included brown rice with fish and a variety of green vegetables. After some adjustment, Xiaochen’s blood sugar noticeably improved.
From a medical perspective, low GI foods digest and absorb slowly, resulting in a gradual rise in blood sugar levels, avoiding rapid spikes, which helps maintain blood sugar stability by minimizing large insulin secretion.
Next, let’s explore the impact of exercise on blood sugar management.
Scientific studies show that exercise not only helps lower blood sugar but also improves insulin sensitivity.
Imagine a fictional patient, Xiaoli, a young woman.
She’s extremely busy at work, rarely has time for exercise, and noticed her blood sugar levels gradually rising. Later, she decided to brisk walk for 30 minutes every morning and attend yoga classes on weekends.
After a few months of persistence, her blood sugar levels significantly decreased, and her overall health improved greatly.
What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to discuss in the comments section!
Article by: Gulu Oasis
Note: Original content, any plagiarism will be pursued!
References
[1] Li Lirong. Nursing and diet for brittle diabetes[J]. Family Living Guide, 2024, 40(04):147-148.
