Employee Health Screening

High blood sugar levels can raise anybody’s chances of gaining weight, aging faster or being at risk for stroke, cancer and heart disease. Here are some tips to help you keep your blood sugar in check, naturally.

Blood sugar naturally rises after having a heavy meal, but having a glass of cold beer or wine or even gin and tonic with dinner can blunt that effect by 37 percent. Alcohol slows down gluconeogenesis, the process that changes starches into sugars in the body, decling the amount that’s released by the liver into the blood.

Pick a vinaigrette-based dressing for your salad, and the rise in your blood sugar levels (after eating) will be 55% lower than usual. The acetic acid in vinegar seems to block the enzymes that break down carbohydrates, decreasing the amount of glucose that can enter cells. To get the most blood sugar control from vinegar, check the labels and select red or white wine vinegars that contain at least a 5% concentration of acetic acid.

Make sure to eat the right bread. Switching from white to whole grain breads can lower a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 30%. There is another option; sourdough bread. Swedish research suggests that lactic acid (the same natural compound that gives this bread its unique tang) slows starch digestion, heading off the blood sugar spikes and crashes that contribute to overeating, diabetes risk, and more.

Cook tastier rice. Plain old white rice can raise blood glucose levels faster than eating straight sugar. Does that mean you should give up rice altogether? No, just switch to more fragrant basmati rice instead. It is study- proven to increase sugar levels only half as much as regular or white rice. The difference is that amylose- a type of starch that gives basmati its longer, straighter texture and form – is more difficult for the body to digest, stopping it from hiking up blood sugar so dramatically.

A few studies have proven that cinnamon has the power to help even kind 2 diabetics keep blood sugar levels in check. A compound in cinnamon helps activate insulin in healthy people, stopping glucose highs. When scientists dusted cinnamon over a dessert, study participants didn’t experience the same rise in blood sugar that normally happens when you snack on a sweet treat. Consuming just 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon daily for 40 days can lower triglyceride levels by 30 percent. If you do not like the taste, attempt taking two 500 mg. cinnamon supplements daily.

Eating low glycemic foods, rich and slow digesting carbs, can reduce your blood glucose levels by 30% in one month.Here are some healthy switches to make –

Instead of instant oatmeal, use slow cooking oats.

Instead of pita bread, use a corn tortilla.

Instead of potato chips, consume nuts.

Instead of jelly beans, snack on peanut M&Ms.