10 Ways to Improve Glucose Metabolism

Our metabolic health is greatly affected by what we ingest. Whilst sugar is a great source of energy, excess amounts typically found in everyday products can be detrimental to our health, raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 

It's important to regulate our intake and do everything we can from exercising and eating and drinking healthy to manage and improve our insulin resistance. Insulin helps our metabolic system burn away the fats and sugars found in foods, which then regulates our blood sugar levels. If you're looking to improve your diabetes care, or are simply looking to improve your body weight, this article is for you. We'll go through the beneficial effects of routine physical activity, eating and drinking healthily as well as understanding how our body regulates glucose. 

1. Exercise regularly 

Maintaining a healthy exercise routine is one of the best ways to manage your glucose metabolism levels. When you exercise your muscles use glucose as fuel and burn, which is why your blood sugar levels are low after going to the gym. 

Doing regular exercise gives your body the chance to maintain a healthy insulin level which is a hormone that helps the muscles burn glucose. If you're wondering how to improve glucose metabolism, then exercise is a great start. Even 30 minutes a day will be a step in the right direction. 

2. Maintain a healthy sleep routine

Poor sleep negatively affects blood sugar levels, which can cause not only mental stress, but also develop a risk of type 2 diabetes. Try to get around 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Without adequate sleep, your body can't properly process glucose levels and maintain the hormone cortisol, which can lead to unwanted body weight gain.

However, it can be hard to find the time to get in 7-8 hours of sleep. A lot of us live busy lives, whether that's because of work, or priorities at home, you still need to maintain your own personal health. If you find that you're struggling for time or are having trouble falling asleep, make a schedule for each day. Remember to allocate time to regular eating, physical activity routines, and sleeping hours.

3. Manage stress 

High stress can be just as harmful as bad sleep. With high stress, much like with bad sleep, your glucose metabolism will be negatively affected, and the risk of type 2 diabetes raises. 

There are a number of ways to reduce stress levels, through a combination of exercise, good sleep and meditative exercises. Studies have found that those with or at risk of diabetes that entered a program of a daily 20-minute breathing exercise, had their bodies able to regulate blood flow and glucose metabolism. 

4. Avoid added sugars

A great way to manage your glucose uptake is by regulating what you eat. Food products with added sugars overload your system with glucose, which damages insulin receptors, and is bad for your metabolic health. High sugar count, not only raises the risk factors for diabetes, but also cardiovascular disease and liver failure. 

When purchasing food, check the back of the packaging. There should always be a label that has a value next to "added sugars" and make sure this is always at a zero. There isn't really any need for added sugars in products, except for taste. Natural sugars found in fruits and foods are more than enough for your glucose level. 

5. Avoid processed food

Much like with added sugars, stay away from processed food. Basically, anything in a plastic package or in a tin will be processed. Not only are processed foods filled with added sugar, but also trans fat, and additives to keep a longer shelf life. This longer shelf life makes it worse for healthy blood flow as well as digestive and metabolic health. 

6. Avoid saturated fat

Saturated fat is the fat that you find in red meat, palm oils, and butter. When cooled saturated fat hardens it becomes a creamy white colour with a butter-like consistency. This is an easy way to tell if a food has saturated fat. People who intake high amounts of saturated fats will have very high blood sugar levels and thus high glucose levels, as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. 

This doesn't mean all fats are bad for your body, as unsaturated fats found in avocados, nuts, and pumpkin seeds are very good for you. Studies indicate that unsaturated fat actually works to lower your cholesterol, lower heart disease risks, and improve your blood flow. 

7. Eat magnesium-rich foods

Adding magnesium-rich foods to your diet is a great way to control blood glucose levels. Magnesium adds a number of benefits to your body, among which is building insulin sensitivity, controlling blood sugar levels, which in turn affect your metabolic health positively. There are a number of foods that contain magnesium including; nuts like cashews and almonds, leafy vegetables including spinach and kale, pumpkin seeds, bananas, and dark chocolates.  

8. Implement probiotic foods into your diet

Probiotics are found within many foods with a healthy bacteria culture. Bacteria may sound gross to the uninitiated, but good bacteria is essential in boosting our immune systems, as well as regulating our metabolic systems. They help with insulin resistance as well, and prevent other bad bacteria found in unhealthy foods from entering our system. Probiotic-rich foods are mostly fermented and include; yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, and healthy cheeses, like cottage cheese. 

9. Add more fibre to your diet

Eating foods that are high in fibre is great for glycemic control. Fibres are what make you feel full, and help to clean your system out. Fibres help to clean out bad bacteria in your system, think of it as a scrubbing brush that comes in and cleans your system out. If you're looking to maintain a healthy diabetes care, then consider adding fibre to your diet. Some foods that are high in fibre include a lot of vegetables, fruits and legumes, including; chickpeas, lentils, berries, pear, banana, whole-wheat products, barley and chia seeds. 

10. Drink low D water

Our bodies need to stay hydrated at all times, especially when we're trying and wondering how to improve glucose metabolism. Deuterium is known as heavy hydrogen and is found naturally in water and bacteria, which help to activate growth. Studies indicate that tap water has been found to contain an excessive amount of deuterium, which accelerates ageing, as well as raises blood pressure. 

Consider drinking some water that has been through a deuterium depletion process to help you hydrate better and feel more alive. On our website, you can find Low D - Deuterium Depleted Water, plus a load more of natural health products. NourishMe Organics is your one-stop destination for all organic health products, from prebiotics to probiotics, food and gut health supplements great for weight loss and digestive/metabolic health.