When we hear people discussing high blood sugar levels, the first thing most of us think of is diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most dominant health problems of the modern era, and it affects more than 29 million people in America only.
It is an extremely serious condition but long before someone is diagnosed with diabetes, their body will show signs that their blood sugar levels are too high. By educating ourselves on these signs of high blood sugar, we can avoid causing irreversible damage to our bodies.
Anyone can experience spikes in their blood sugar levels when they eat certain foods that are loaded with sugars. However, when the levels of glucose become too high for too long, serious damage is caused to your kidneys, blood vessels, nerves, and eyes.
With processed and artificial food making up a significant portion of many people’s diet, the number of people suffering from high blood sugar is increasing. But, if you know some of the symptoms of high blood sugar and recognize them, it can motivate you to take the necessary steps to keep it under control.
Signs of high blood sugar
If you are able to identify the early symptoms of high blood sugar, you can be safe from diabetes and all the negative effects that accompany this disease.
When a person has high blood sugar, it doesn’t always mean they have diabetes. Below is a complete list of symptoms that indicate that you may have high blood sugar:
- Frequent urination and urination during the night
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dry mouth
- Impotence
- Recurrent infections
- Slow healing of cuts and wounds
- Stomach problems
- Constant fatigue or extreme tiredness
- Increased thirst
- Dry and itchy skin
- Constant hunger
- Excess abdominal fat/weight gain
- Nerve problems
If blood sugar is a concern, there is the Glycemic Index (GI), which indicates the number of carbohydrates in food products, in order to highlight those foods to avoid and which to eat. The GI measures food from 0-100, based on a system of the lower the number, the lower the glucose content.
Three high-sugar foods to avoid
If you recognized some of the symptoms or you’re looking to avoid diabetes, certain foods should be removed from your diet immediately. Alongside the obvious advice to avoid processed sweets and fizzy drinks, these three foods should be banned from the house of anyone suffering from high blood sugar.
- One slice of white bread (GI score 70) – Consuming white bread could be significantly raising your blood sugar levels. Switch it out for brown!
- Rice cake (GI score 78) – Eating them if you are already suffering from high blood sugar is extremely dangerous.
- Baked potato (GI score 85) – Avoid at all costs if you are suffering any of the symptoms on the list above.
Three low-sugar foods
For those of you who are serious about reducing your blood sugar levels and maintaining them at a healthy rate, you should look to manage your diet effectively. That means eating low sugar foods, and the three here are some of the best for the job.
- Walnuts (GI score 15) – Walnuts are low in sugar and have a range of other health benefits including boosting reproductive health (for men) and heart health.
- Broccoli (GI score 10) – Broccoli helps repair the damage caused to your blood vessels by high blood sugar.
- Eggs (GI score 0) – With absolutely no carbohydrates at all, a diabetic could dine on them all day every day if they so pleased.
