Natural ways to prevent diabetes - what are they?

Just how much of a problem is type 2 diabetes ? The number of sufferers of type 2 diabetes symptoms is set to rise from 463 million worldwide in 2019 to 700 million by 2045. This disease was responsible for a healthcare expenditure of $720 billion in 2019 alone. From these statistics it is evident that any natural ways to prevent diabetes would be invaluable,

But hey! In every situation of dire adversity there are always winners – the pharmaceutical companies have disclosed sales figures for diabetes drugs of $48.75 billion in 2018, while reveling in the projected annual figure of $78.26 billion by the end of 2026.

The only healthy aspect of this awful situation are these profits!

Surely, it’s not cynical to suggest this is delighting in the misfortune of the many.

So, inevitably pharmaceutical products are deemed the treatment of choice for type 2 diabetes, the most widely used of these being metformin (in the form of proprietary brands such as Fortamet, Glumetza et al). This product is intended to chemically alter liver metabolism to reduce hepatic production of glucose and to chemically enhance the body’s response to insulin.

Why is type 2 diabetes medication not the answer?

The problem here is two-fold:

● This not a guaranteed means of controlling blood sugar to acceptable levels

● Metformin potentially carries a number of unpleasant side effects

Taking the first point – once again pharmaceutical intervention is entirely missing the point as to how and why the disease state happened in the first place. This crucially needs to be addressed – I will cover this in more detail later when I outline natural ways to prevent diabetes.

So what are the side effects of metformin?

Common side effects

● Nausea

● Vomiting

● Diarrhoea

● Stomach ache

● Loss of appetite

● Metallic taste in mouth

● Fatigue & weakness

● Headache

Less common and serious side effects

● Lactic acidosis – potentially very serious and may lead to heart attack or kidney failure

● Hypoglycaemia

● Vitamin B12 deficiency

How can you regulate blood sugar levels and stay healthy naturally?

The key to natural ways to prevent diabetes and circumventing any need for toxic and damaging pharmaceuticals is regulating your blood sugar levels and ideally increasing your body’s sensitivity to insulin.

Achieve this in a number of natural ways:

Exercise

Physical exercise is of great benefit as your muscles metabolise excess blood sugars and insulin sensitivity is increased.

For maximum benefit try aiming for reasonably short sessions – for instance, try 3 x 10 minute sessions per day for 5 days of the week. There is plenty of scope regarding the type of exercise – try any that appeal to you. Examples may include brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming to name but a few.

Reduce your carbohydrate intake

Eating too many carbohydrates will raise your blood sugar levels, this being a particular problem if you have insulin sensitivity problems. Reducing this intake will be of particular benefit to regulating to regulating your blood sugar levels.

Eat more fibre

Dietary fibre slows down sugar absorption resulting in a very much more gradual elevation of blood sugar levels.

While there are 2 types of dietary fibre – soluble and insoluble – only soluble fibre has this effect.

Drink plentiful quality water

Drinking adequate amounts of water is essential for keeping your blood sugar levels within healthy ranges. This happens because water re-hydrates your blood, thereby lowering blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of diabetes.

Food portion control and weight management

Weight management is crucial to the prevention or management of type 2 diabetes symptoms and this requires regulating the size of food of portions you eat. This requires a good degree of self-discipline and should involve the following:

• Using smaller plates

• Weighing your food portions

• Eating smaller and more frequent meals

• Eating slowly

Remember, even a weight reduction as small as 5% from your starting weight may have a significant effect on regulating blood sugars.

Plenty of good quality sleep

This is important as a lack of quantity and quality of sleep is directly linked to raised levels of the hormone cortisol which is integral to blood sugar level management. This will negatively affect blood sugar levels and sensitivity to insulin, thereby increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or aggravating existing diabetes.

There are a number of ways your improve your sleep.

Eating foods rich in chromium and magnesium

Deficiencies of the micro-nutrients chromium and magnesium are associated with the incidence of raised blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes.

Foods rich in chromium include:

• Fruits

• Vegetables

• Whole grains

• Nuts

Foods rich in magnesium include:

• Whole grains

• Beans

• Dark leafy greens

• Bananas

• Avocados

Eating foods with a low glycaemic index

The glycaemic index (GI) is used a measuring device to determine how quickly your body metabolises carbohydrates and absorbs them – this indicates how rapidly your blood sugar level rises.

Low GI foods are beneficial as they will lower blood sugar levels. Examples of such foods include:

• Oats

• Beans, lentils and legumes

• Non-starchy vegetables

• Bulgur

• Soya bean

Manage your stress levels

Increased stress results in the secretion of the hormones glucagon and cortisol which results in raised blood sugar levels.

Clearly, in considering the natural ways to prevent diabetes or the management of the existing condition it is important to manage stress. Achieve this by such methods as mindfulness-based stress reduction, yoga and meditation.

Increasing your intake of probiotics

The “good” bacteria (probiotics) that inhabit your digestive system are integral to a multitude of essential health benefits including the regulation of blood sugar levels. Boost these with the addition of probiotic-containing foods and/or probiotic supplements to your diet.

For a lot more information on this fascinating area, be sure to check out my accompanying article on probiotics.

In summary, there are a multitude of ways to naturally regulate your blood sugar levels, including a number of lifestyle changes. It is true to say that some of the most profound changes will come from changing your dietary habits.

All of these changes will need a commitment and a level of self-discipline, but trust me, it will all be very much worth it!

Please feel free to leave a comment on this article and please share this with anyone you know who may be interested.