20 Easy Ways to Lower Your Blood Sugar Naturally

With the many side effects of taking diabetes medicines, a lot of people are searching for ways to lower their blood sugar naturally.

There are several natural ways to keep your sugar level stable. I’ve gathered 20 things you can do now to make this happen.

What is more, these are tips that you can practice every day. If possible, make them your everyday routine.

A word of caution. When your sugar is already dangerously high, then please let your doctor give you medicines to stabilize it first.

After you’ve normalized your sugar, you can now follow the tips here.

It is important to note that these points are not meant to replace your medications or to be used as a form of treatment.

Use this knowledge to make the right decisions for your diabetes journey.

Alright, let’s get to the first point on my list.

1. Reducing your carb intake would lower your sugar naturally

The body needs carbohydrates. Because when broken down, carbs become sugar (glucose) and that serves as fuel for the body.

The amount of sugar you consume each day increases your overall sugar level. That is why people with diabetes should be mindful and if possible, drastically reduce their carbs consumption.

Having this in mind would help you better plan your diets to improve your sugar level over time.

It’s important to note that not all carbs are the same. There’s something called the glycemic index which determines how fast carbs are digested and absorbed in the body.

It is best to consume carbs with a low glycemic index. I’ll talk about it later in this post.

So now that you know it’s a bad idea to consume too many carbs, what should you eat instead?

That leads to my second point…

2. Eat healthy fats and proteins

It is known that carbohydrates raise sugar levels. That’s why you often hear doctors say to people with diabetes that they shouldn’t eat white bread and all.

But what about fats and proteins?

The main function of protein is to build and repair body tissues. But in the absence of carbs, excess protein is converted into glucose (sugar) and used as energy in the body.

Fats and oils also insulate the body against heat loss and help the body absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K. Also in the absence of carbs and protein, excess fat is converted into glucose used as fuel in the body.

So eating healthy fats and proteins instead of carbs would help to prevent your sugar from spiking too high.

The next best foods are foods that contain fiber.

3. Consume more fiber

Fiber is the chaffy rough and sometimes thread-like substance in food. Take for instance the hard brown parts of wheat, also known and wheat bran.

Or that spongy substance that remains after you squeeze out the juice in orange.

Fibre, especially the one that dissolves in water, slows down the rate at which your body absorbs glucose. This ensures that your blood sugar doesn’t spike up too quickly after you eat.

Apart from that, fiber on its own doesn’t digest when you eat it.

It passes through your stomach into your small and large intestines, and then it comes back out, just as you put it in.

And it’s a good thing.

Why?

Because of its bulky nature, it makes you feel so full when you eat it with other kinds of food. And when you eat a lot of it, it makes you consume only a small amount of carbohydrates.

For people with diabetes type 2, consuming more fibrous foods would not only ensure that your sugar doesn’t spike up too high, but would also prevent you from consuming too much sugar that could raise your sugar level.

Foods that contain fiber are everywhere. You can get fiber from fruits like oranges, nuts, vegetables like broccoli, cereals like oats, wheat, whole grains, and many, many more.

One easy way to incorporate fiber into your diet is to add about one to two tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to your cereals.

Sometimes, you may need to complement dietary fiber with fiber supplements.

Normally, natural fiber is the best. But when your condition requires processed fiber, then why not go for it.

Some people have noticed that they experience gassiness when they consume fiber. Based on your digestive system’s condition, please speak with your doctor to help you choose the right kind of fiber.

4. Eat foods with a low glycemic index

In simple terms, the glycemic index (GI) is a system of grouping food according to how fast they digest in the body. It’s a scale between 1-100.

Foods that have a low glycemic index take a longer time to digest, hence they prevent your blood sugar from spiking up too quickly after food.

On the other hand, higher glycemic index foods break down quickly in the body. And that’s why those foods make it difficult to lower your sugar level.

Foods that have a glycemic index of 55 and below are considered the best for diabetes.

Generally, whole and fresh foods have a low glycemic index. Whereas processed foods like the ones in tins and sachets and various packaging have a high glycemic index.

So beans, nuts, oats, wheat, various vegetables, fruits, and the likes have lower GI compared to sausages, soda, cakes, cookies, chips, sweetened drinks, and anything else in-between.

5. Drink a lot of water to stay hydrated

Water is what keeps things moving in the body, and it is also responsible for flushing away waste.

Like you know already, liquid waste comes out in the form of urine and sweat. So even though everyone needs to drink as much water as possible each day, people with diabetes have to be very particular about it.

The reason is simple.

The more water you drink, the more sugar is flushed out of your system. Research has shown that people who drink a lot of water have a better chance of maintaining healthier sugar levels than those who don’t.

That’s why you should hydrate frequently.

Some people prefer other liquids to water. As much as those fluids also hydrate the body, it is recommended to drink our normal unsweetened and zero-calorie water instead.

It is sometimes difficult to constantly remember to drink water.

I found on the Play Store some interesting apps that’ll help you track the amount of water you drink each day. Hydro Coach, Water Minder, and Aqualert are all great examples of hydrating apps.

Download any one of your choice to start tracking your water. Your diabetes would thank you later.

6. Cut down on sugar

These days refined sugars are everywhere. They are in candies, sodas, cokes, and the likes. Sometimes we add sugar to our meals.

The body doesn’t require these refined sugars. They are simply empty calories.

These sugars have a high glycemic index. In other words, the body digests them very quickly, and this causes your blood sugar level to rise.

If you want to lower your blood sugar naturally, then you’d have to avoid these refined sugar products and use sugar alternatives instead for your cereals and stuff.

Examples of sugar alternatives are honey, dates, stevia, etc.

7. Try herbal teas

Herbal teas are a great source of antioxidants that help to get rid of free radicals in the body.

And people with diabetes can benefit from them. According to WebMD, antioxidants help to lower blood sugar levels. So drinking them every day could help lower your sugar naturally.

Examples of useful herbal teas for diabetics are green tea, turmeric tea, hibiscus tea, lemon balm tea, and black tea.

For details about how each of these teas can help, kindly check out this post on the Everyday Health blog.

8. Don’t eat too much

What do you think normally happens when you have a conversation with a bunch of friends over a mind-blowing delicious meal?

I don’t know about you, but for me, I normally eat about double or three of my normal portion.

You’re so happily conversing with your friends that you don’t focus on how much you’re eating. And that’s how come you end up eating so much.

Not only that, but when you choose a large plate for a meal, you normally eat a lot. I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced that.

These overeating-inducing situations may be a harmless activity for normal healthy people. But for we mortals who have diabetes, we should never take these risks.

The more food you consume, the more sugar you introduce into your system, and the higher your sugar would rise.

My dear friend, if you want to lower your blood sugar naturally without taking many grams of medicines, then please ignore your taste buds a bit to control how much food you eat.

And when you’re in a situation that could make it hard to control your ration, there are a few tricks you can use to “trick” your brain and help you reduce the amount of food you consume at a time;

1. Use a small plate or bowl for food
2. Chew your food slowly and thoroughly
3. Concentrate on your food, not the TV or any distraction
4. Measure and weigh your food portions before you eat
5. Avoid all-you-can-eat restaurants

After you’ve exercised portion control, it’s time to exercise.

9. Exercise, exercise, and exercise again

Everyone knows that exercise is good for the body. But how can exercise help control blood sugar?

According to PubMed, exercise increases your body’s sensitivity to insulin. What this means is that exercise helps your body to better recognize the insulin and use it effectively.

This is good, because if your body is using insulin properly, then you wouldn’t have any problems with your sugar.

Time, health, work, or other responsibilities may prevent you from regularly exercising.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours in the gym before you can reap the benefits of exercise.

Do you see the couple in the picture above? They are exercising at home. And this wouldn’t take too much of their time.

You can partake in simple and fun exercises like walking, swimming, biking, dancing, skipping, aerobics, or anything else in-between.

The bottom line is to get your body moving every day. If you don’t have much time, you can exercise with everything you do. In other words, it can become a part of everything you do.

For instance, if you work in an office that’s a few floors up, you can choose to use the stairs instead of the elevator.

Some people also decide to park their cars at the far end of the parking lot and then walk to the office or wherever they’re going.

Also, instead of constantly sitting, you can opt to stand most of the time when working. That’ll go a long way to improve your general health.

It is worth mentioning that everyone reacts differently to exercise. Like I always say, no two people are the same.

So whenever you’re doing any exercise, listen to your body for subtle clues whether the exercise is good for you or not.

Another important thing to do is to check your sugar before and after any exercise. Doing so would give you a deeper insight into how your body is responding to the exercise.

It’ll also help you track your progress and may give you the extra motivation to continue exercising.

10. Go green on your diet

Green foods are foods that are alive. It also means unprocessed food. Most fresh foods have high fiber content and a low glycemic index.

Hence consuming more of them would prevent your sugar from spiking up too high. The easiest way to eat green is to consume food in season.

Making it a habit to plan your meals around fruits and vegetables or staple foods would help keep your sugar in check. And it’s a healthier option even if you don’t have diabetes or blood sugar problems.

11. Monitor your blood sugar (glucose) level

If you have diabetes, then you have to own a glucometer or whatever appliance you prefer to check your sugar regularly.

But checking your sugar morning and evening isn’t enough to control and lower your blood sugar.

The next most important thing to do is to record the readings in a logbook. (You can download a free one here)

Normally the logbook contains columns that’ll help you record your sugar readings before and after each meal of the day.

It’s very important to keep such a log because it helps you to know how your body is reacting to various kinds of foods, medications, and exercise.

What is more, when you show your logbook to your doctor, he’d be able to make informed decisions about the modifications needed in your medications.

The bottom line is to know in detail how your body is reacting to everything you put inside. And this knowledge would help you and your doctor to decide what activities, meals, and medications that’ll suit your condition.

In the end, you’d master how to keep your sugar at a stable level.

12. Have enough sleep

Having enough rest has been shown to help manage sugar levels. Here’s why.

When your body is under stress, it releases a hormone called glucagon and cortisol.

Research from Science Direct shows that cortisol makes your sugar level rise faster.

So the more stressed out you are, the more cortisol is released. And the more difficult it becomes to lower your blood sugar.

There are so many things that affect your stress. The most effective way to manage stress is to identify what’s causing the stress in the first place.

Stressors differ from person to person. But here are a few real-world examples and how to handle them.

If staying in traffic gives you stress, why not leave home earlier or use that traffic period to catch up on your audiobook?

What if you have a lot of tasks to complete and it’s overwhelming you? Why not delegate them to focus on what’s most important to you?

Sometimes we worry about things we can do nothing about. Stress and worry don’t help lower sugar levels at all. It can even raise your blood pressure.

One effective way to handle stress is to take good care of your mental health.

The good news is there are great apps that can help. For me, I use Balance. It’s a meditation app that helps me relax and focus on the tasks at hand. And it has everything I need, including a lullaby to help me sleep faster.

Sure, there are many great meditation apps out there. Headspace, Calm, and Aura are all awesome examples.

If you don’t use meditation apps already, select the one that best suits your needs and get started right away. Your mind would be grateful.

13. Check and control your weight

Studies have shown that being overweight or obese makes it difficult for your body to use insulin properly. That is why over the years, obesity has been associated with type 2 diabetes.

But exactly how it happens is not so clear. I’m sure with time our awesome scientists would bring the knowledge to broad daylight.

Until then, it is wise to maintain a healthy body mass index.

You can’t lose weight properly if you don’t understand how weight gain occurs. According to my nutrition lecturer, when the energy you eat is equal to the energy you burn, you’d remain the same.

Similarly, when the energy you consume is less than the energy you burn, you’d lose weight.

And when the energy you consume is more than what you burn, guess what… you’d gain weight.

Pretty simple, right?

Since weight gain is a result of excess fat stored in the adipose tissues, the best way to lose weight is to get rid of or burn that fat.

And how do you do that? There are several ways.

Some people decide to drink herbal teas to burn off the fat. Others would prefer to spend a lot of time in the gym. Still, other people would experiment with all kinds of diets.

If you ask me, I’d say it’s best to stop putting in more energy or fat. And instead, burn what’s already in the body.

That’s where intermittent fasting comes in. So far, I think it is the best way to lose weight and to lower blood sugar naturally.

Some people believe it can help you reverse your diabetes.

I’ll touch on it later on in this post. But here’s the basic rationale behind intermittent fasting. When you decide to fast, you end up forcing your body to burn the stored fat into energy.

As it keeps burning, the amount of fat in the body reduces. And with time, you’d lose all that excess weight.

If you want to know more about intermittent fasting, follow Dr. Jason Fung on Youtube.

He’s a world-famous diabetes specialist and the author of The Diabetes Code. He talks a lot about intermittent fasting and how to practice it correctly.

Apart from checking your weight, there are other things you should start doing now. That includes eating more vitamins and minerals.

14. Consume foods that are high in vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are needed by everyone. But people with diabetes need to take them seriously. The reason is that some diabetes medicines cause vitamin and mineral deficiency.

For example, studies have shown that long-term use of metformin could lead to vitamin B12 deficiency.

It is common knowledge that people with diabetes suffer from nerve damage. It gets worse when your body is vitamin B12 deficient. That’s why you should eat foods high in vitamin B12.

Sure, this is just one example. Other deficiencies go on in the body when you have diabetes.

Eating fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, meat, spinach, broccoli, and anything else in-between would go a long way in helping you to naturally lower your blood sugar.

Apart from dietary vitamins and minerals, there are other sources of minerals that I’d like to tell you about.

15. Including dietary supplements in your diet can help you naturally lower your blood sugar

Dietary supplements make up for the nutrients that couldn’t be obtained from food.

Almost all the nutrients, spices, and seeds that’s been mentioned in this post can be found in supplement form.

But there’s this supplement that the Chinese have used for several thousands of years to treat diabetes.

That supplement is Berberine. It is extracted from various kinds of plants.

One research on berberine showed that the effects of berberine on diabetes are similar to metformin and troglitazone (TZD).

Generally, berberine is a safe supplement. But a few people have complained about having diarrhea or constipation after taking berberine.

That’s why you have to ask your doctor before taking it.

Apart from berberine, two other supplements are my all-time favorite when it comes to diabetes supplements.

They are chromium and magnesium.

Both supplements have been found to lower blood sugar immensely.

What is more, they increase insulin sensitivity. Magnesium in particular strengthens the immune system, the bones, and regulates heart rate. Studies even show that taking magnesium supplements can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

My grandma, 86 years old, has a normal sugar level of around 5.5 mmol/L. I couldn’t believe how it was possible until she told me she’s been eating cashew fruit lately.

My research found that cashew is rich in magnesium. That explained why her sugar has been so stable.

You can eat a lot of cashews to lower your blood sugar naturally. Or you can take magnesium supplements. That’s an individual decision.

It’s best to take chromium and magnesium supplements together. Because they are stronger together and more effective that way.

Let’s move on to the next least expected way to naturally lower your blood sugar.

16. Introduce vinegar to your diet

It’s such a surprise that our good ol’ vinegar could help lower blood sugar naturally. I didn’t believe it at first, until I read the study that was conducted at Lund University, Sweden.

In the study, four volunteers were selected. After an overnight fast, they were each served white bread. But vinegar (acetic acid) of varying concentrations ( low, medium, and high concentration of vinegar) was added to three of the four volunteers. The fourth person was left out as a control for the experiment.

After two hours, their blood glucose was checked, and guess what happened.

The three who added vinegar had lower sugar levels compared to the guy without vinegar. And like you may have suspected, the one given the highest concentration of vinegar had the lowest glucose level.

What’s the conclusion?

Simply adding vinegar to your meals can reduce the glycemic index (GI) of your meals and would help keep your sugar in check.

You can add vinegar to your vegetables by pickling them in a vinegar solution.

Like my dad, you can add a few drops of vinegar to your salads. Apart from lowering the GI, adding vinegar to the salad makes it extra delicious.

You can also mix it with water and drink.

These are all ways you can use vinegar. But like any other thing to be consumed, please ask your doctor if it might conflict with your medications.

There’s another thing that helps with lowering sugar levels naturally; spices.

17. Spice up a little bit

Spices in general are very good for the body. They may have antioxidants and other features that can enhance circulation and all.

But two types of spices stand out, especially when it comes to lowering blood sugar naturally. They are cinnamon and fenugreek.

One research conducted on healthy people showed that adding a few grams of cinnamon to your meal can reduce your blood sugar spike.

In the small town I live in Ghana, people believe that drinking cinnamon tea helps with blood sugar.

You can try adding cinnamon to your diet and see how it goes.

You only have to be careful around it, because it’s a strong spice.

The next spice to talk about is fenugreek.

For decades now, Asians have used fenugreek seeds as the traditional treatment for diabetes.

Fenugreek seeds are full of soluble fiber. And I think I’ve already discussed how fiber helps with diabetes.

Like I said earlier, fiber slows down digestion and absorption of carbs. This is good news. Because if you consume more fenugreek seeds, you’re invariably slowing down blood sugar spikes.

And it’s a natural way to stabilizer your blood sugar.

Since fenugreek seeds have a strong taste, some people prefer to take them in the form of supplements.

You can get it in powdered form and then add it to your meals.

Reducing alcohol consumption can lower your blood sugar. It’s not a strong point, but I couldn’t ignore it. Because when it comes to blood sugar management, any small step counts.

Let’s get to it.

18. Cut down on your alcohol intake

Alcohol on its own is not bad for people who have diabetes, especially when you take it in moderation. But alcohol has the power to either raise or lower your blood sugar level.

Let me explain.

Alcoholic drinks like champagne and beer have a lot of sugar added to them. They contain lots of calories that can spike up your sugar level.

At the same time, taking too much alcohol could reduce your sugar to dangerously low levels.

That’s why moderation is necessary.

Another effect of alcohol is that it increases your appetite, making you eat an enormously large portion of food at a sitting.

Alcohol could also cloud your judgment and make you make poor food choices.

These are all reasons why you should be cautious around alcohol, especially when you have diabetes.

One thing you can do is never drink alcohol on an empty stomach.

You can also make it a point to drink not more than two drinks in a day. Better still, drink slowly. And if possible, dilute your alcohol with water or soda to reduce the strength.

Again if you ask me, I’d say to drink alcohol only when it’s necessary, like at a social gathering or so where you can’t avoid it completely.

It’s time to touch on intermittent fasting as I promised earlier.

19. Try Intermittent fasting occasionally to lower your sugar level naturally

Intermittent fasting means eating within a particular timeframe and then fasting the remaining hours. In other words, intermittent fasting is the deliberate absence of food within a particular time.

There are various ways to practice intermittent fasting. You can read more about it here.

Research shows that intermittent fasting improves glucose levels and insulin control. And it makes sense.

Consider this.

Let’s say you decided to eat all the day’s meal within 8 hours and then fast for the remaining 16 hours.

Within that 16 hour fasting period, where do you think the body would get fuel from?

It’ll be from the sugar stores.

So the more you fast, the more you burn the fats and sugars hiding in your body. And what do you think would happen when you keep burning the sugar in your blood?

Your insulin sensitivity would increase, your sugar level would stabilize, and you’d lose weight. These are good results everybody with diabetes dreams of.

That’s why I’d always recommend that you follow Dr. Jason Fung on Youtube. He explains in detail whatever you’ll need to intermittent fast correctly.

Let’s head over to the last and final tip to lower blood sugar naturally.

20. Don’t obsess too much over your sugar level

That’s the problem with a lot of people having diabetes. My dad included. When you’re obsessed with lowering your blood sugar, you end up becoming overly anxious and depressed.

And then instead of being in charge of your sugar, you’d rather become a slave to it.

All these are not good for your blood pressure. It can even worsen your diabetes. Because the obsession could distort your judgment and may lead to wrong decisions.

Instead of being overly conscious and obsessed over your sugar, why don’t you relax with your sugar? In that relaxed state, you’d be able to find out what’s working, and then you’d do more of that.

You’d also avoid stress which could even worsen your sugar.

When you relax a bit with your sugar, you’d see that it’s rather easy to keep your sugar in check.

Conclusions

So now you have 20 things under your belt to help you lower your sugar naturally. In short, if you take your time to monitor how your body responds to foods and medications, eat well, take a few necessary vitamins, and exercise regularly, your sugar would be stabilized.

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