You are most likely familiar with the term “Insulin Resistance” or “Pre Diabetes”. These are problems many Americans are facing. So many people are walking around with blood sugar handling issues. Diabetes.org estimated, in 2018 that just over 10% of the American population has diabetes. It costs us over $327 Billion a year in medical costs and is listed at the 7th leading cause of death. [1] It’s a big deal!
Type 2 Diabetes is, for the most part, a lifestyle issue. High carbohydrate diets, which are the norm for most people, are fueling this problem. Poor food choices and lack of activity are huge players when it comes to diabetes. Constantly eating foods high in simple carbohydrates creates a roller coaster ride of insulin release. Over time, the pancreas simply does not respond as well as it used to and your body becomes “Insulin resistant”. This shows up on blood tests as increased fasting blood glucose. Over time, an official diagnosis of diabetes in made. It may seem to happen overnight, but it’s been happening for years. Most people are just unaware of what’s going on.
Since this is such a big problem, you might be wondering what you might be able to do about it? There are several things that help improve blood sugar handling are reverse this trend. The first is to consume a diet that contains moderate amounts of protein and carbohydrates and higher amounts of fat. For most people, this means that about 25% of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates. Another 25% of your calories should come from Protein and about 50% fat. Based on a 2000 Calorie diet, that breaks down to approx. 125 grams each of carbohydrate and protein and 111 grams of healthy fat. You can adjust that based on your calorie need.
Exercise is another important part of achieving and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Exercise helps utilize sugar, so if you have extra sugar coursing through your veins, this is a great way to use it. Research suggests about 30 minutes per day of exercise is recommended.
One surprising thing you can do to help improve and maintain healthy blood sugar is to consume Vinegar. Yes, you heard that right! The acetic acid in vinegar has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels. According to research studies, vinegar has been show to decrease carbohydrate absorption and, if taken at bedtime, to decrease the production of glucose. [2]
I like to use apple cider vinegar as part of my homemade salad dressing. That’s an easy way to get it into your diet. If you aren’t doing that, you can simply take a teaspoon before bed followed by a good rinse with water (the acidic acid can be tough on tooth enamel). Apple cider vinegar is also a great digestive aid, so if you suffer from poor digestion issues like heartburn, consider taking your teaspoon a few minutes prior to eating to help encourage healthy stomach acid pH.
The benefits of apple cider vinegar are many. Most people know about the digestive benefits, but I thought I would take a bit of time to talk about it’s effect on blood sugar. Research has shown that diet and exercise is more effective than medicine in the management of diabetes, so if you are struggling with this issue, take heart, you have the power to turn it around!
Wishing you good health and happiness!
Dr. Jeni
[1] https://www.diabetes.org/resources/statistics/statistics-about-diabetes#:~:text=Prevalence%3A%20In%202018%2C%2034.2%20million,of%20the%20population%2C%20had%20diabetes.&text=Undiagnosed%3A%20Of%20the%2034.2%20million,and%207.3%20million%20were%20undiagnosed.
[2] Mitrou P, Petsiou E, Papakonstantinou E, et al. Vinegar Consumption Increases Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Uptake by the Forearm Muscle in Humans with Type 2 Diabetes. J Diabetes Res. 2015;2015:175204. doi:10.1155/2015/175204
