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Lower Blood Sugar Levels Naturally

Updated: Mar 2, 2024



What is Hyperglycemia or High Blood Sugar Levels?


Hyperglycemia, or high blood glucose, occurs when too much sugar is in the blood. It usually happens when your body has too little insulin, a hormone that transports glucose into the blood. It also happens if your body can’t use insulin properly. These conditions are most often linked with diabetes.


  • Hyperglycemia is fasting blood glucose greater than 125 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). A person with fasting blood glucose greater than 125 mg/dL has diabetes.

  • Having impaired glucose tolerance, or pre-diabetes, with a fasting blood glucose of 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL.

  • A person has hyperglycemia if their blood glucose is greater than 180 mg/dL one to two hours after eating.

If you have hyperglycemia and it’s untreated for long periods, you can damage your nerves, blood vessels, tissues and organs. Damage to blood vessels can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. Nerve damage may also lead to eye damage, kidney damage and non-healing wounds.


High Blood Sugar Levels: Causes in Patients with Diabetes

  • The insulin or oral diabetes medication dose you are taking is not adequate per your needs.

  • Your body isn’t using your natural insulin effectively (in case of type 2 diabetes)

  • The number of carbohydrates you are eating or drinking is not in sync with the amount of insulin your body is making or the amount of insulin you inject.

  • Lack of physical activity

  • It can also be due to physical stress from illness, a cold, the flu, an infection, etc.

  • Emotional stress

  • Steroids you are taking for another condition.

  • The dawn phenomenon is a surge of hormones the body produces every morning.

Other Possible Cause

  • Endocrine conditions, such as Cushing syndrome, that cause insulin resistance

  • Pancreatic diseases such as pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and cystic fibrosis

  • Certain medications like diuretics and steroids

  • It can be due to gestational diabetes, which happens in 4% of pregnancies. It is due to decreased insulin sensitivity.

  • Surgery or trauma


High Blood Sugar Levels and Foods

Foods play an essential role in almost all functions of our bodies. Just like foods are responsible for causing several health issues, they can prevent many of them. Similarly, your dietary and lifestyle habits play a crucial role in helping you manage blood sugar levels. Therefore, the primary component to look for in your foods is their glycemic index.

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index determines the spike in blood sugar levels after eating a particular food. For example, your blood sugar levels rise a lot after you eat sugary treats. That is because these foods are rich in sugar, a refined carbohydrate. However, when you eat a bowl of oats, the blood sugar level does not increase as much as after eating sugary treats. The glycemic index monitors these spikes in blood sugar levels.


A glycemic index is an effective tool to help you monitor and control your blood sugar levels. The GI of any food item ranges between 0 to 100, 0 being no sugar spike and 100 representing sugar spike due to pure glucose. Based on these numbers, there are three kinds of food groups:

  • Low GI foods have a glycaemic index of 55 or less.

  • Medium GI foods have a glycaemic index that ranges from 56 to 69.

  • Finally, high GI foods have a glycaemic index of more than 70.

Glycemic index is one of the best ways of categorising carbohydrates, particularly starchy carbohydrates. Eating many high-glycemic-index foods will cause significant spikes in blood sugar. It can increase your chances of getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and weight gain. In addition, high-glycemic diets lead to age-related macular degeneration, ovulatory infertility, and colorectal cancer. Low-glycemic-index foods aid in the management of type 2 diabetes and weight loss.


What Influences Glycemic Index?

The glycemic index of a food can influence by several factors, including the following:

  • High Processing: Grains that have been milled and refined (removing the bran and germ) have a higher glycemic index than minimally processed whole grains.

  • Physical Form: Finely ground grain digests more quickly than coarsely ground grain. Eating whole grains in their “whole form,” such as brown rice or oats, is better than highly processed whole grain bread.

  • Fibre Content: Since high-fibre foods contain less digestible carbohydrates, they slow down digestion. It results in a more gradual and lower rise in blood sugar.

  • Overripe fruits and vegetables have a higher glycemic index than ripe fruits and vegetables.

  • Fat and Acid content: Foods high in fat or acid convert to sugar more slowly.

So, if you want to control your blood glucose levels, you should consume more low and medium GI foods. However, it does not make high GI foods unhealthy or less nutritious. You can have them occasionally and in moderation.


Foods to Naturally Lower Blood Sugar Levels

1. Complex Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate sources like wheat, Jowar, Bajra etc., are complex carbohydrates. It means their chemical structures are complex, and they do not break down quickly to form sugar. In addition, they contain fibre and essential vitamins and minerals.

As a result, they take longer to digest. Hence, they have a slower impact on blood sugar levels and do not create a high spike in blood sugar levels. Instead, they help lower blood sugar levels. In contrast, refined carbohydrates like maida, sugar etc., spike blood sugar levels.

2. Low GI Fruits

Cherries: Cherries are bright red due to the food pigment anthocyanin and choline. Additionally, cherry is high in vitamins A, C, K and fibre. Moreover, they are high in potassium and antioxidants. As a result, they help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, protecting your body from inflammatory diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular diseases etc. High antioxidant content also helps get younger and healthy-looking skin. Since cherry’s glycemic index is 20 units, it ensures healthy glucose regulation in the body. It also reduces the risk of diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity. It is primarily due to the abundance of anthocyanin in cherries.


Avocado: Avocado is high in fibre content, offering two benefits. First, it helps you feel satiated for a long. As a result, it curbs unnecessary cravings, promoting weight loss. Second, it helps maintain gut health because fibre helps promote the growth of healthy bacteria.

Avocado is a versatile fruit, which is easy to incorporate in low-calorie diets, keto diet, paleo diet etc. In addition, avocado has a low glycemic index and high fibre. These two properties make it an ideal fruit option for people with diabetes. Furthermore, the healthy fat in avocados helps improve insulin sensitivity, which helps control blood sugar levels.


Plum: Plum is low in calories and has good soluble fibre content. It makes plum an excellent option for snacking. The nutritional properties of plum help reduce weight, aids in digestion and relieves constipation. In addition, plums are rich in antioxidants, making them an effective remedy against anxiety. The phytochemicals in plums help reduce inflammation which triggers heart diseases. It also contains potassium, suitable for blood pressure control and prevents stroke.

Inflammation triggers many degenerative diseases in our body like diabetes, heart diseases, cancers, pulmonary diseases, Parkinson’s disease etc. The antioxidants and phytochemicals in plums help stop the ongoing inflammation in your body. As a result, it helps protect you from all kinds of degenerative diseases.

Plum fruit has a glycemic index of 40 units, and it is rich in fibre content. Thus, it is suitable for people who have diabetes. Apart from the benefits mentioned above, plum boosts the production of a hormone called adiponectin, which helps reduce blood glucose levels.


Kiwi: Kiwi is a low GI food with a GI of 50. In addition, its Glycemic Load is as low as 7.7. Therefore, moderate kiwi fruit consumption does not result in an instant insulin spike. Instead, the blood sugar levels rise steadily and to a minimal extent. Furthermore, the kiwi skin is full of insoluble fibres and a compound ‘inositol’, which makes your body more sensitive to insulin and thus, helps cure diabetes.

Kiwi is also low in calories and has mostly water weight. Therefore, kiwi consumption can also help in weight loss and weight management. Optimum weight is the best way to keep sugar levels under check.


Papaya: Papaya has a low glycemic index and offers a wide range of health benefits. It is a powerhouse of antioxidants. In addition, it is low in calories. It has high amounts of essential vitamins like A, B, C and E, and minerals like copper, magnesium, folate, lutein, pantothenic acid, potassium and lycopene.

These nutritional properties make papayas suitable for people with diabetes. However, you should always eat them in moderation.


Apple: With a GI of 36 and a Glycemic Load of 6, apples have very low sugar content. In addition, their nutritional properties make them very healthy. Furthermore, according to a study, people who eat apples regularly have a 28% lower possibility of suffering from type 2 diabetes. That is because polyphenols in apples prevent the wear and tear of beta cells responsible for insulin production.

Weight loss is one of the best ways to manage diabetes. Apples are excellent for weight loss as they are not calorie-dense yet full of fibre and volume. Their probiotic properties also aid weight loss.


Oranges: Oranges pose no threat to a diabetic patient. On the contrary, with their high fibre and nutrient content, oranges should be your go-to fruit. In addition, the GI of orange is as low as 31-51. These values indicate that oranges are safe for diabetic people, and their consumption will not affect their blood sugar levels.

3. Protein-Rich Foods Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Protein intake can boost insulin sensitivity without raising blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, you should not use high-protein carbohydrate sources to treat or prevent hypoglycemia.

Research suggests that meal plans with slightly higher protein levels (20–30%) help increase satiety. As a result, it effectively helps manage type 2 diabetes. However, people with diabetic kidney disease (albuminuria and a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate) should aim to consume no more than 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of desired body weight per day.

You should also not keep dietary protein intake below the recommended daily allowance because it does not affect glycemic control, cardiovascular risk, or the rate at which glomerular filtration rate declines.


Plant-Based Proteins:

-Beans such as black, pinto and kidney beans

-Hummus and Falafel

-Lentils like brown, green or yellow

-Soy Nuts

-Nuts and Spreads like almond butter, peanut butter and cashew butter

-Tempeh and Tofu


Proteins from Fish and Seafood:

You should try to consume these foods at least twice a week.

-Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids like Albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, rainbow trout, sardines and salmon

-Other fish like catfish, cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, orange roughy and tilapia

-Shellfish like clams, crab, imitation shellfish, lobster, scallops, shrimp and oysters


Other Protein-Rich Foods:

-Cottage cheese

-Whole Eggs

-Chicken, Turkey, Cornish Hen

-Lamb, Veal and Pork


4. Good Fat

The quality of fats you consume is more important than the quantity. Although the adequate total fat intake for people with diabetes is unknown, you can tailor your goals as per your body’s requirements.

You should eat foods high in long-chain omega3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish (EPA and DHA) and nuts and seeds (ALA). Apart from controlling blood sugar levels, they help prevent or treat cardiovascular disease. Some good fat sources are flax seeds, tuna, mackerel, cashew, almonds, etc.

5. Supplement with Moringa

Powerful plant compounds found— in moringa leaves act similar to insulin, lowering blood sugar naturally. When balancing your blood sugar levels is easier, you can enjoy the freedom of life WITHOUT the stress of constantly managing your blood sugar.


The combination of high blood sugar and cholesterol levels can pose a threat to a person’s health. In fact, this is the most significant indicator of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.


When sustained over time, these levels increase the risk of a variety of serious health issues. In light of this, it is essential to maintain a blood sugar level well within the boundaries of what is considered healthy. Studies indicate that the plant known as Moringa Oleifera may be able to assist in lowering blood sugar levels.


In a study involving 30 women, daily consumption of 1.5 teaspoons (7 grams) of moringa leaf powder for three months resulted in an average of 13.5% reduction in fasting blood glucose levels.


Adding fifty grams of moringa leaves to a meal reduced the subsequent rise in blood sugar by 21%, according to a study on diabetes. Scientists suspect that isothiocyanates and other plant compounds are responsible for these effects.




Lifestyle Changes to Naturally Lower Blood Sugar Levels


Active Lifestyle

Keeping yourself physically active imparts several health benefits to your body. Similarly, it helps lower blood sugar levels. It is one of the best ways to lower blood sugar naturally. For example, exercise helps to regulate insulin function, which helps reduce glucose.


Examples of physical activities to consider:

-Stretching, yoga, meditation 60 minutes a day

-Brisk walking for 45 minutes a day

-Jogging for 35 minutes a day

-Running every day for 30 minutes

-Aerobic exercise such as rebounding on a trampoline for 10 min a day


Sleep Hygiene

Lack of adequate sleep prohibits natural healing and compromises the body metabolism, which leads to weight gain. An increase in weight leads to the impaired working of insulin. It, in turn, spikes the blood sugar levels.



The Bottom Line

High blood sugar levels or hyperglycemia is prevalent worldwide. It is spreading like wildfire nowadays. But, as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”. Therefore, you should keep your blood sugar levels in check to remain fit and healthy. As the article explains, your dietary habits, healthy and active lifestyle and optimum sleep can help you lower blood sugar levels. Hence, you should eat fibre-rich foods, good quality protein and fat. In addition, follow a healthy lifestyle with physical activity, and get optimum sleep. These fundamental changes are essential to lower blood sugar levels naturally.



 
 
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