How do you best manage diabetes? Let's talk about it.
More than 130 million adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes in the United States. Diabetes is associated with obesity and malnutrition, particularly overconsumption of calories, especially carbohydrates.
So, how do you manage diabetes once you're diagnosed?
If you have type one diabetes in which your pancreas makes no insulin usually because of an autoimmune attack on the beta cells, you need very careful glucose monitoring. If you have type two diabetes, your hypothalamus is not properly controlling your glucose metabolism. So you develop insulin resistance, in which your cells do not allow insulin to escort glucose in for nerdy production, the extra glucose is packaged up by your liver into triglycerides to be stored in your fat cells. Your pancreas keeps making more and more insulin and eventually becomes worn out.
Managing diabetes effectively means you are committed to doing five things:
1. Monitor your blood glucose
Wearing a glucose monitor can help you see how your food choices affect your blood sugar. It’s a great eye-opener because most people don't realize that the foods they're eating are high glycemic causing sharp rises in blood sugar. Now you can see how your blood sugar responds to white bread versus oatmeal.
2. Eat a low glycemic index diet
What you eat is super important in managing your diabetes. One of the most vital things you need to learn is the glycemic index. The glycemic index of foods basically means how fast the food is turned into sugar. If you consume 100 grams of glucose, you will see it in your bloodstream right away. Glucose has a glycemic index of 100. A high glycemic index is anything 50.
All sweets, starches, white flour, white potatoes, white rice, are all very high on the glycemic index scale and need to be avoided. So choose whole grains and legumes which have a much lower glycemic index.
3. Exercise regularly
If you're not exercising, both aerobic exercise and weight resistance, you're not able to burn the calories that you're consuming. You end up having higher blood sugar levels, higher insulin levels, and greater insulin resistance. Being sedentary is the new smoking - it's eventually going to shorten your life. At least 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three to five times a week is recommended to help manage diabetes. Plus twice a week do weight resistance exercises. High-intensity training or HIT three times weekly can reduce insulin resistance, help you lose body fat, and control blood sugar.
4. Get enough sleep
If you are not getting enough sleep, it’s going to be very difficult for you to lower your blood sugar and decrease insulin resistance. When you're sleeping, melatonin helps desensitize your cell receptor sites to insulin. It's very important that you get at least seven to nine hours of sleep. Be sure you're sleeping in a dark room otherwise, you don't make enough melatonin.
If you have any questions about managing diabetes, please join me in our Hormone Support Group where I answer your questions live. You can access it by signing up for my free Hormone Reboot Training.
5. Support your hypothalamus
Your hypothalamus controls your blood sugar, by managing your glucose metabolism including pancreatic production of insulin. It also directs your liver to package up the extra glucose into triglycerides to store in your fat cells. Your hypothalamus also controls your metabolism which is how much energy your cells create. The higher your basal metabolic rate is, the better managed your diabetes will be. My patients with insulin resistance and type two diabetes are able to get their blood glucose levels under control and get their hemoglobin A1C down by supporting their hypothalamus with Genesis Gold®.
HGBA1C is a measurement of how high your blood sugar has been over the last couple of months. The goal is to keep your HGBA1C under 5.7%. I've even had insulin-dependent type one diabetics start using Genesis Gold® and notice better blood sugar control. With hypothalamus support, you’re much more tolerant of the foods you eat. While you still have to avoid high glycemic index carbs, you’re less likely to experience insulin reactions or hyperglycemia.
I recommend my patients follow an insulin-resistant diet. If you're interested in accessing my insulin-resistant diet, please join our free Hormone Reboot Training.
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How do you manage type 2 diabetes?
Managing type 2 diabetes effectively centers on five consistent habits: monitoring your blood glucose, eating a low glycemic index diet, exercising regularly with both aerobic and resistance training, getting seven to nine hours of sleep in a dark room, and supporting healthy hypothalamus function, since the hypothalamus governs glucose metabolism. Because type 2 diabetes involves insulin resistance, these lifestyle measures work together to help the body use insulin more effectively. Always manage diabetes under the guidance of your healthcare provider.
What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas makes no insulin, usually because of an autoimmune attack on the insulin-producing beta cells, so careful glucose monitoring and insulin are required. In type 2 diabetes, the body still makes insulin but the cells become resistant to it, so glucose isn't properly escorted into cells for energy. The excess glucose is then stored as fat, and the pancreas overproduces insulin until it becomes exhausted. The two types require different medical management.
What is a low glycemic index diet?
A low glycemic index diet emphasizes foods that are converted into blood sugar slowly, helping avoid sharp spikes in glucose. The glycemic index ranks foods from 0 to 100: low is 55 or below, medium is 56 to 69, and high is 70 or above. Sweets, white flour, white potatoes, and white rice rank high and are best limited, while whole grains and legumes rank lower and are better choices for blood sugar control.
What foods are high on the glycemic index?
Foods high on the glycemic index include sweets, starches, white flour products, white potatoes, and white rice, all of which are converted to blood sugar quickly and cause sharp spikes. Pure glucose has a glycemic index of 100, the reference point for the scale. Choosing lower glycemic alternatives such as whole grains and legumes helps produce a slower, steadier rise in blood sugar, which supports better glucose management.
Does sleep affect blood sugar?
Yes, sleep has a meaningful effect on blood sugar and insulin sensitivity. During sleep, melatonin helps desensitize cell receptor sites to insulin, so getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep makes it easier to manage blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance. Sleeping in a dark room is important because darkness is needed to produce adequate melatonin. Insufficient sleep can make blood sugar harder to control.
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