Focus On Foods That Reduce Inflammation
Some of the foods that have been associated with an increased risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease are also associated with excess inflammation, says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health
Choose healthy fats, like nuts/seeds, olive oil, fatty fish, and grass-fed butter, as well as green leafy vegetables.
What Is Diabetes And What Are Its Types
Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases that cause high blood sugar levels. This may happen due to inadequate production of insulin by the pancreas or when the cells of the body do not respond to the insulin produced. Type-1 diabetes is a situation where one’s body is unable to produce insulin. It usually develops in childhood or adolescence, but it may occur at any age. The other is a condition in which the cells in the body fail to respond to the insulin produced. This is called type-2 diabetes and about 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type. Other than these two types, there is also a third kind, gestational diabetes, which affects females during pregnancy.
Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases that cause high blood sugar levels: Natural Remedies For Diabetes
Home Remedies To Manage Diabetes
Much thanks to our changing, unhealthy lifestyle, stress and lack of physical or mental exercise, world is now engulfed by a widespread disease known as diabetes like never before. This phenomenon is also observed to slowly deteriorate the overall health of a person, reducing his/ her life span.
Diabetes is a genetic as well as a lifestyle disease in which the blood sugar level is too high in a human body. Since it is a chronic disease and once affected, patients are usually on anti-diabetic medicines for life. Even though it is very difficult to completely stop taking the medication completely, here are some natural and Ayurvedic home remedies to help you keep your sugar levels in control naturally. But, do consult your Ayurveda physician before starting on any remedies listed below to avoid complications.
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Gestational Diabetes Is Manageable
Is diabetes during pregnancy serious? Absolutely! But its a manageable condition. In most cases, mamas with gestational diabetes have a little extra work to do, but theyll go on to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Follow the tips above and listen to your caregivers. And always get extra support if you need it.
Checking Your Blood Sugar Level
You’ll be given a testing kit that you can use to check your blood sugar level.
This involves using a finger-pricking device and putting a drop of blood on a testing strip.
You’ll be advised:
- how to test your blood sugar level correctly
- when and how often to test your blood sugar most women with gestational diabetes are advised to test before breakfast and one hour after each meal
- what level you should be aiming for this will be a measurement given in millimoles of glucose per litre of blood
Diabetes UK has more information about monitoring your glucose levels.
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Ways To Manage Diabetes
Following are the two essential changes you can make to beat diabetes at home.
Exercising regularly
Balanced Diet
One of the most effective home remedies for diabetes is to have a balanced diet. Here is a comprehensive list of the food items that you should consider including in your diabetes diet.
Decrease Your Caffeine Intake
If you have a habit of drinking coffee it is good to decrease the caffeine intake. Caffeine is diuretic, which means it increases urination, which leads to fluid loss hence dehydration. You can try drinking chamomile or peppermint tea, both the tea contains potassium and minerals which are good for health.
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Do Eat Carbohydrates On Your Gestational Diabetes Meal Plan
Brace yourself: Carbohydrates are an important part of your gestational diabetes diet. They are fuel for your body and for your growing baby. The average person needs 135 grams of carbohydrates daily, but if you have gestational diabetes, that increases to 175 grams a day, says registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Meredith Nguyen, RD, who is a member of the diabetes self-management program staff at Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Dallas. Pregnancy hormones can make it hard to control morning blood sugar, says Nguyen, so you might be spreading carbs more through lunch and dinner. Eating a wide variety of foods, including whole grains, fruits , vegetables, and dairy products, will give you the carbs you need. High-fiber or low-glycemic foods will help keep your blood sugar more even and help you feel full longer as well.
How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Gestational Diabetes
There are no guarantees and about half of women who get gestational diabetes dont have any risk factors. But its always a good idea to adopt healthy habits.
- Watch what you eat: Your doctor or a nutritionist can help you make healthier choices in your diet. In general, eat less sugar and refined carbohydrates . Add more fiber to your diet .
- Step up your exercise: Talk to your doctor about what activities are best for you, but typically walking, swimming, yoga and other low-impact exercise is best.
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Indian Gooseberry Or Amla
Indian gooseberry or amla is one of the richest sources of vitamin C and helps your pancreas to produce optimum so that your blood glucose levels remain balanced.
How to use:
Consume raw amla every day
Other Steps For A Healthy Pregnancy
Its not just food alone that can help you stay healthy with gestational diabetes. In addition to maintaining a well-balanced diet, there are other things you can do to have a healthy pregnancy:
- Exercise regularly. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. Dont be afraid to incorporate a wide range of activity, both for your health and for enjoyment. Just remember to speak to your doctor before starting any new exercises .
- Dont skip meals. To regulate your blood sugar levels, aim to eat a healthy snack or meal every 3 hours or so. Eating nutrient-dense foods regularly can help keep you satiated and stabilize blood sugar levels.
- Take your prenatal vitamins, including any probiotics, if theyre recommended by your doctor.
- See your doctor as often as they recommend they want you healthy.
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What Causes Swelling To Occur
Before heading to the cure for swollen feet, lets understand the reason for the swelling in feet.
First Trimester- The most important and crucial trimester. In this trimester, your body starts changing for good. Your digestion slows down, and you will have morning sickness. Since your body is adapting to the new change in the body, you can see slight puffiness around your hands, feet, and face, but it wont be that noticeable.
Second Trimester- The second trimester begins with week 13 or the fourth month of pregnancy. At this time, if you stand on your feet for long and do not give it proper rest, you may see swollen feet till the fifth month. This swelling is caused due to an increased volume of blood and fluids in the body. As your baby grows, the blood in the body of the mother increases by 50%, which is the reason for swelling.
Third Trimester- The third trimester starts with week 28 of pregnancy. Up until this time, you might be familiar with the swollen feet. As you move forward in Pregnancy, you will notice the swelling in your feet increases, this is natural as the baby is growing, your uterus is becoming much heavier and the increased supply of blood and fluids contributes to the swelling.
So, all in all following are the reasons for swelling during pregnancy-
- Increased fluid and blood
- Heavy Uterus
Checking Your Blood Sugar
Your body changes as the baby grows. Because you have diabetes, these changes will affect your blood sugar level. Pregnancy can also make symptoms of low blood sugar hard to detect.
During pregnancy, your diabetes control will require more work. The blood sugar checks you do at home are a key part of taking good care of yourself and your baby before, during, and after pregnancy.
Blood sugar targets are designed to help you minimize the risk of birth defects and miscarriage, and help prevent your baby from getting too large. If you have trouble staying in your target range or have frequent low blood sugar levels, talk to your health care team about revising your treatment plan. Target blood sugar values may differ slightly in different care systems and with different diabetic teams. Work with your health care team on determining your specific goals before and during pregnancy.
We suggest the following targets for women with preexisting diabetes who become pregnant. More or less stringent glycemic goals may be appropriate for each individual.
- Before a meal and bedtime/overnight: 60-99 mg/dl
- After a meal : 100-129 mg/dl
- A1C: less than 6%
*Postprandial glucose measurements should be made one to two hours after the beginning of the meal, which is generally when levels peak in people with diabetes.
Check your blood sugar levels at the times your diabetes care team advises this may be up to eight tests daily and will probably include after-meal checks.
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Will Gestational Diabetes Affect My Baby
Your baby will probably be healthy, if you and your doctor manage your blood sugar while you have gestational diabetes.
Right after you give birth, doctors will check your newborn’s blood sugar level. If itâs low, they may need to get glucose through an IV until it comes back up to normal.
Gestational diabetes raises the chance that you will have a baby who is larger than normal. It’s also linked to jaundice, in which the skin looks yellowish. Jaundice generally fades quickly with treatment.
Although your child will be more likely than other kids to get type 2 diabetes later on, a healthy lifestyle can cut that risk.
Take Epsom Salt To Soak Foot
Epsom salt is very beneficial for our body. It draws out toxins from the body and gives body relaxation. It is well known to reduce the swelling and inflammation of the body. This is one of the amazing swellings during pregnancy remedy.
How to use:
- Add ½ cup Epsom salt in it
- Soak your swelled feet in the warm water
- Let your feet be soaked for 15 minutes
- This will give you relaxation and will also help in reducing swelling.
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What Exactly Is Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a condition when a woman develops high blood glucose or sugar levels during her pregnancy. We all know that our bodies turn the food we eat into glucose or sugar, which further enters our bloodstream. In response to that, our pancreas produces insulin to help move that glucose to our cells, where it is used as energy. Without a sufficient amount of insulin, our blood sugar levels can rise, which is an issue that should not be ignored or left untreated.
Home Remedies For Gestational Diabetes
It is estimated that around 9.2% of women suffer from Gestational Diabetes during their pregnancy. Gestation period is a period that occurs during pregnancy among all mammals and a few non-mammals: the period of embryo development within the vagina. If youre wondering what if I have gestational diabetes? or what causes gestational diabetes? and more information on the same, this article is for you. Keep reading.
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Natural Remedies For Gestational Diabetes
Medically Reviewed By Dr. Amanda Olson,DPT, PRPC
If you are pregnant and have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you probably have a lot of questions, fears, and anxieties.
While it can be overwhelming to process, the good news is that the condition can be managed without diabetic medication in most cases, and making healthy lifestyle changes can reduce your long-term risk of developing diabetes after pregnancy.
Do Get Plenty Of Sleep With Gestational Diabetes
Research published in BMC Womens Health shows a strong correlation between not getting enough sleep and the risk of gestational diabetes. Snoring is also related to poor blood sugar control, which can be a consequence of not following your gestational diabetes diet. Although many women accept that poor sleep is part of pregnancy and raising children, you should let your doctor know if youre finding it impossible to sleep well.
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Remedies To Treat Diabetes At Home
PintrestdiabetesType I diabetesType II diabetes1. Refined sugar – 2. Whole grains – 3. Alcohol – 4. Cows milk –5. GMO foods – What to eat and doCinnamonHow to consume cinnamon– –Aloe veraJamunVitamin CExercise3 ways to reduce your risk of diabetesChoose water as your primary beverageLose weight if you are overweightQuit smoking
Other Treatment Options For Gestational Diabetes: Emerging Options
Research is currently exploring the use of myo-inositol as a treatment strategy for gestational diabetes. Myo-inositol is a naturally occurring sugar found in cereal, legumes, corn, and meat and has been found to lower insulin resistance, which means that it helps the body use insulin more effectively.
A small pilot study found that the use of a myo-inositol supplement may reduce the need for insulin in women with gestational diabetes . A recent review showed promise for the use of myo-inositol in pregnancy to prevent gestational diabetes, though the evidence is still too low to recommend it for routine use .
However, a clinical trial is currently examining its effectiveness in women with gestational diabetes on a variety of outcomes, which could provide more evidence for this new treatment option.
Additional research suggests that Vitamin D supplementation may play a role in preventing gestational diabetes as well as improving maternal and neonatal outcomes.
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Manage Your Carb Intake
Your carb intake strongly influences your blood sugar levels .
Your body breaks carbs down into sugars, mainly glucose. Then, insulin helps your body use and store it for energy.
When you eat too many carbs or have insulin-function problems, this process fails, and blood glucose levels can rise.
Thats why the American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes manage their carb intake by counting carbs and being aware of how many they need .
Some studies find that this can help you plan your meals appropriately, further improving blood sugar management (
Foods that are high in fiber include:
- vegetables
- legumes
- whole grains
The recommended daily intake of fiber is about 25 grams for women and 35 grams for men. Thats about 14 grams for every 1,000 calories .
Summary
Eating plenty of fiber can aid blood sugar management. Soluble dietary fiber appears to be more effective than insoluble fiber for this purpose.
Avoiding Highly Starchy Foods
Starchy foods are high in carbohydrates and can have a significant effect on blood sugar, so it is important to eat them only in small portions. It is best to avoid or limit very starchy foods, including:
- white potatoes
- white rice
- white pasta
Although whole grains, such as whole wheat pasta and brown rice, are more nutritious, they are still high in carbohydrates. As a result, these foods may also be best in moderation.
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Tips For Controlling Blood Sugar Level During Pregnancy
If you think you are at risk of developing gestational diabetes or find out that your blood glucose levels are indeed high, there are several things you can do to control your blood sugar levels naturally. The following general guidelines can help pregnant ladies keep their sugar levels under control:
1. Watch what you eat
The food you eat has an important role to play in keeping your blood sugar levels steady. While some foods can help stabilise and lower your blood sugar during pregnancy, others can cause your blood glucose levels to spike.
It is crucial, therefore, to watch every bite of food that you put into your mouth. Collaborate with your doctor or health care practitioner to create a diet that is healthy for you. Try cutting back on carbs, have smaller and frequent meals, and increase your fibre intake.
2. Include physical activity
Regular and moderate physical workout is both important and beneficial during pregnancy. While it can ease a number of your pregnancy discomforts, exercise is also an effective way to reduce your blood sugar levels. Try to incorporate walking, swimming, prenatal aerobics, or light running in your daily routine.
However, do not begin any physical activity without consulting your doctor first. Health conditions like asthma and heart disease make it unsafe to exercise during pregnancy and could lead to complications.
3. Maintain a healthy weight gain
4. Keep a daily record of your blood sugar levels
5. Get enough sleep
Managing Gestational Diabetes Naturally
The incidence of gestational diabetes is increasing. With up to 10% of pregnancies affected this is becoming a major health concern in North America. Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes It is standard practice in North America to screen all women for gestational diabetes using the oral glucose challenge test While this universal screening is controversial it is still common practice for women to be screened between 24 and 28 weeks. Not every pregnant woman needs to be screened for gestational diabetes. You have the option to decline this screening test. However, all pregnant women with risk factors for developing gestational diabetes should be screened with the GCT. Risk factors include: Glucose in the urine Diabetes in a first-degree relative History of glucose intolerance, including gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy Obesity Previous infant with high birth weight A high blood sugar level after the GCT is not diagnostic and does not mean you have gestational diabetes. A diagnosis can only be made after a 100g three-hour oral glucose tolerance test . In Canada, to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes following the 100g three-hour OGTT you must exceed two or more of the following blood sugar values: Fasting: 95mg/dL or 5.3mmol/L One hour after glucose load: 180mg/dL or 10.0mmol/L Two hours after glucose load: 155mg/dL or 8.6mmol/L Three hours after glucose load: 140mg/dL or 7.8mmol/L Complications of GestationContinue reading > >
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