Five Tips to Promote Healthy Blood Sugar Metabolism

In another article, I shared the proof that diabetes can be fully reversed within a matter of 30 to 60 days. And the studies show it doesn’t take a herculean effort to put this deadly disease into remission.

In fact, all it takes in most cases is a low-carbohydrate diet leading to weight loss of 10% or more (compared to starting weight). That’s it. And there are a number of studies that show this works in about 90% of cases to eliminate the diagnostic markers for diabetes.

But there is certainly MORE you can do to prevent a future diagnosis or reverse the condition if you already have it. And when you consider that nearly HALF of the US population is pre-diabetic or already diagnosed… there is a good chance that YOU need the information I’m about to provide!

Today, I’ll share five additional tips to help you prevent or reverse diabetes and to improve your blood sugar metabolism so you can live your healthiest life!

Engage in Intermittent Fasting for Healthy Blood Sugar Metabolism

Intermittent fasting refers to a defined period of fasting. Typically, you would eat very little or nothing at all for intermittent periods 16 to 24 hours. For most people, this would mean eating dinner in the early evening… and then not eating again until noon or the early afternoon the next day. This is generally referred to as a 16/8 intermittent fast, where meals are consumed during an eight-hour window and 16 hours elapse without eating.

This way of eating is perfectly aligned with your ancestral past. After all, our ancestor didn’t have continual access to food. Their bodies (and genetically speaking, yours too) adapted to handle times of scarcity and times of plenty. When food is not available, your metabolisms taps into stored glycogen and body fat to be used for energy.

And of course, most of us have PLENTY of body fat to be used for energy.

Intermittent fasting provides major benefits for insulin resistance and helps reduce blood sugar levels.

The British Journal of Diabetes and Vascular Disease published a study showing that Type 2 diabetes could be effectively managed and even reversed through intermittent fasting! The study showed an improvement of pancreatic function, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity.

“Indeed, intermittent fasting might achieve much of the benefit seen with bariatric surgery, but without the costs, restriction on numbers and risks associated with surgery.”

Intermittent fasting can also improve various risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including inflammatory markers, blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides, and blood sugar levels.

From a study published in the FASEB Journal:

“Dietary restriction (DR) has been shown to increase life span, delay or prevent age-associated diseases, and improve functional and metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in rodents and other species.”

A 16/8 compressed eating window is an effective (although moderate) intermittent fast. Greater benefits can be achieved with longer periods of fasting, including an eating window of just 4 hours and / or a full 24-hour fast one day each week. Start slowly and work your way up, and always discuss with your doctor if you have pre-existing conditions.

Avoid Fructose

While blood “glucose” gets all the attention, research proves that fructose is much more insidious when it comes to diabetes. In fact, when researchers want to induce metabolic syndrome in lab mice – they feed them fructose!

Experts now believe accumulation of fat in the liver – caused by fructose – is the number one driver of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, pancreatic malfunction and diabetes!

In fact, just six days of excess fructose can cause insulin resistance! Eight weeks can result in pre-diabetes!! Think about that. Eating too much fructose – even for only a few weeks – can cause a deadly disease. And this ingredient is pervasive in our modern world.

Of course, avoiding soda, candy, cookies and other sweetened “junk” foods is step number one. But it’s also important to watch your intake of the foods marketed as “healthy” like juices, smoothies and fruits. If you want to enjoy fruit, opt for small amounts of low-fructose, high-antioxidant fruits like strawberries and blackberries.

Get Active

Exercise has long been known to reduce inflammation and improve glycemic control in diabetes and cardio-metabolic diseases.

If you’re not already active, start simply by walking at a brisk pace. Add weight training, bodyweight exercises and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to further improve insulin sensitivity and benefit metabolic health. Anything that helps to use, build and grow skeletal muscle will make you more sensitive to insulin and improve metabolic health.

Get Regular Sunlight Exposure

Natural moderate exposure to sunlight is the best way to optimize your vitamin D levels. And vitamin D is absolutely vital for every aspect of physical and mental health.

Research shows that vitamin D exerts a positive influence on the cells that produce insulin (beta cells). It also increases insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation. It’s no wonder that vitamin D deficiency has been found to set the stage for diabetes.

In addition to metabolic benefits, sunlight exposure also improves your mood. In fact, the “Sunshine Study” found that optimizing vitamin D resulted in significant mood improvements in a group of 50 women, diagnosed with diabetes.

Blood-Sugar Balancing Nutrients

If you follow a low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet and focus on the tips above, you don’t necessarily “need” additional supplements. However, there are a number of nutrients and medicinal foods that have proven benefits blood sugar and metabolic health. Let’s take a quick look at these and how they may help:

Chromium – A mineral that improves triglycerides and HDL cholesterol levels in diabetics. 200 mg daily is a typical dosage.
Magnesium– A mineral vital to metabolic health. Magnesium improves glucose parameters and insulin sensitivity in those at risk for diabetes.
Cinnamon – An ancient spice, known for its ability to lower fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while boosting HDL. Therapeutic effects are seen at 6 grams per day.
Omega-3s – An anti-inflammatory essential fatty acid that reduces LDL, VLDL, triglycerides, and A1C. Boosts healthy HDL levels. Enjoy clean-sourced wild fish and consider taking a fish oil supplement like Vital Choice Sockeye Salmon Softgels.
Alpha Lipoic Acid – A potent antioxidant with insulin-mimicking and anti-inflammatory activities that may help prevent cardiovascular and nervous-system disease that occur alongside diabetes.
Curcumin – Derived from the golden turmeric root, this phytonutrient has been found to delay diabetes development, improve β-cell functions, prevent β-cell death and decrease insulin resistance in animal studies.

Reversing type 2 diabetes isn’t rocket science. Eat the diet your ancestors enjoyed – one that is low in carbs, adequate in protein and rich in healthy fats. Move your body. And enjoy regular sun exposure.