High blood sugar level: what to do to lower your blood sugar quickly?

There blood sugar corresponds to the sugar (glucose) level in the blood. Hormonal activity, physical activity ordiet affects blood sugar. Some people have to lower their blood sugarnotably the diabetics. “It really means something to them. Otherwise, there is no real use or need to regulate your blood sugar if you do not have diabetes or insulin resistance.” immediately assures Caroline Seguin, dietician-nutritionist. Excluding diabetesthe pancreas functions properly and naturally produces insulin, a hormone that plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels. “There is therefore no reason to focus on blood sugar regulation. Nevertheless, adopt a good balanced diet naturally helps control blood sugar levels“, continues our interlocutor.

What foods lower blood sugar?

To regulate your blood sugar when you don’t have diabetesoverall, we will have to combine a diet with foods with a low glycemic index (the glycemic index has an effect on blood sugar) and complex carbohydrates (the complexity of the carbohydrate has an effect on blood sugar levels).

► Consume complex carbohydrates which are present in:

• The cereals (rye, oats, wheat, corn, spelled…)
• Rice
• Cereal products (pasta, polenta, semolina…)
• Oatmeal
• Bread and rusks : it is however preferable to opt for breads with a high fiber content (traditional bread, brown bread, country bread, wholemeal bread, bran bread, etc.) and to limit sandwich breads
• Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, dried beans…)
• THE potatoes

At the same time, we will pay attention to reducing fast sugars (candies, biscuits, cakes, prepared meals, chocolate, jam…). It is also advisable to limit the intake of added simple carbohydrates (sugars). less than 100g/day (excluding fructose, sugar naturally present in fruits and galactose, sugar present in milk).

► Consume foods with a low glycemic index : avocado, zucchini, broccoli, tofu, raw carrot, wholemeal pasta cooked al dente, plain cottage cheese, eggplant, green lentils, raw apple, almonds, beetroot, seeds chia, konjac, unsweetened petit-suisse…

►Des additional factors must be taken into account because they can modify the glycemic index :

• Cooking time (for the same food, the cooking time will vary its glycemic index): overall, the more you cook a food, the more its glycemic index increases. It’s better to cook less than overcook! For example, tagliatelle well cooked have an average GI of 55, while the same tagliatelle, cooked al dente, will have a GI of 40. carrots Cooked carrots have a GI of 85 while raw carrots have a GI of 30.
• The texture (an applesauce with pieces or a mixed compote does not have the same glycemic index): overall, the larger the pieces, the lower the glycemic index which is to be preferred.
• Industrialization (all freeze-dried, dehydrated, grilled, puffed foods, etc. have a higher glycemic index than raw foods): overall, the more industrial processes a food undergoes, the higher its glycemic index will be.
• Maturity (a very ripe fruit is more concentrated in sugar and its glycemic index will be higher than a green fruit)
• The association of foods with each other (combining a vegetable with a starchy food, for example, increases the glycemic index of the food bolus).

What plants can lower blood sugar?

“According to research from a pharmacy thesis on the effect of plants on type 2 diabetes, four plants stand out as having a convincing effect on blood sugar levels.“, reports our interlocutor. Plants that would lower blood sugar:

• Garlic
• Fenugreek
• Psyllium
• Ispaghul (pink plantain)

For the artichoke, oats or cinnamon, the effects on blood sugar could be shown but “would, however, require nuance”.

What drinks lower blood sugar?

“I am not aware of any drinks that could lower blood sugar. On the other hand, what is proven is that all sugary drinks of the type fruit juices, nectars, sodas, syrups and of course the alcohol, make it soar“, lists Caroline Seguin. “L’epigallocatechin 3 gallate (EGCG), a component green tea which could play an important role in the reduction of blood sugar peaks”, reports the French Federation of Diabeticsciting a 2012 scientific study. “This molecule (equivalent to the quantity found in a cup and a half of green tea) consumed at the same time as foods high in starch (like bread or potatoes), would reduce the blood sugar peak that occurs after a meal. On the other hand, EGCG would have no effect when the meal is composed of glucose or maltose.”

“For people who have diabetesrather than moving towards foods with a low glycemic index, we recommend that they ensure a good nutritional balance, based on the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates. The glycemic index is linked to the blood sugar level. But it would be too simplistic to focus only on the glycemic index“, advises the dietician. When you are diabeticthree rules must be respected:

• Avoid consuming simple carbohydrates to avoid blood sugar peaks: cakes, biscuits, sweets, prepared meals, honey, jams, pastries, fruit juices, sodas, etc.
• Consume complex carbohydrates with every meal (morning, noon and evening) to stabilize blood sugar levels. Complex carbohydrates (starchy vegetables, legumes, wholemeal bread, etc.) will break down more slowly in the body and provide energy continuously.
• Split food intake. Instead of having 3 meals a day, we will prefer to have 3 mini meals and between meals snacks. So, instead of having three blood sugar peaks in the hour following the meal, we will have five or six mini blood sugar peaks (see the diagram below).

Simple, complex, low GI carbohydrate: what are the differences?

Overall, it is difficult to differentiate between a food with a low glycemic index (a term that appeared in the 1980s) and a food that contains simple or complex carbohydrates. These notions can easily be confused, but they are not the same thing.

► The fact that a carbohydrate is simple or complex refers to the molecular construction of sugar. “You have to see this as a necklace, the more pearls the carbohydrate contains (complex carbohydrate), the longer its chain, the more difficult it is to cut and synthesize in the body. Conversely, the fewer pearls the necklace contains (simple carbohydrate), the shorter its chain, the easier it is to cut and synthesize in the body..

► The fact that‘a food has a low or high glycemic index refers to the speed of digestion of sugar. “Currently and used alone, the level of evidence of the benefit of foods with a low glycemic index is not sufficient to make “health” recommendations for the general population […] However, the glycemic index remains a useful parameter and may be of interest to diabetic subjects and facilitate their food choices, subject to that they also consider the overall composition of their diet“indicates ANSES in its report.

These two notions are not identical, but rather complementary. For example : white bread baguette or the potato are by definition made up of very complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) and yet their speed of digestion (therefore their glycemic index) is very high, therefore to be avoided if you need to lower your blood sugar. So, “lowering or increasing blood sugar combines these two parameters. And the whole challenge of a balanced diet is to manage to combine these two factors“, as seen above.

“Carbohydrate is the popular term for carbohydrates which are more or less complex particles with a chemical formula which is written C(H2O)not. In this formula, the “not” corresponds to degree of polymerization (DP) and is variable depending on the carbohydrate. And depending on the DP, we define whether the carbohydrate is simple or complex“. The higher “n”, or the DP, is, the more complex the carbohydrate (its molecular chain is long).

Thanks to Caroline Seguin, dietician-nutritionist.