One of the most effective ways to control blood sugar levels naturally is to eat a diet rich in fibre. One of the best sources of fibre is beans. High-fibre foods take longer to break down, thus releasing glucose into your blood more slowly . This provides a steady amount of energy rather than the huge flood of glucose you would get when you eat sugary and refined foods. If you are diabetic – eating a high fibre diet is important for your health. Eating high fibre will help you to control your blood sugar more effectively and prevent  fluctuating blood glucose levels.

Mixed Beans

Include 20-35 grams ( approx 1/2 cup) of the following beans in your diet a day:

• Baked beans,
• Black beans,
• Great northern beans,
• Kidney beans,
• Garbanzos,
• Pinto beans,
• White beans

Lifting weights – Whether you are hefting light dumbbells in your living room or using weight machines at the gym – can significantly reduce high blood sugar, research shows.

For instance – In a six-month study of 36 people ages 60 – 80, Australian researchers found that those who ate a healthy diet and followed a weight lifting program saw blood sugar fall three times further than those who simply dieted. Plus, they lost body fat. Their 3-day-a-week program was quick and easy: Nine exercises that targeted the major muscles in the upper and lower body, with 8 to 10 repetitions of each exercise.

Older-man -lifting-weights

In another study by American researchers, overweight people with high blood sugar improved their glucose levels when they took part in a simple weight-training program. After 16 weeks, those who pumped iron had better blood sugar control than those who did not.

Resistance training helps cells throughout your body become more sensitive to insulin, the vital hormone needed for glucose to enter cells. But that’s not all, since other compounds can prompt the same response. One, called, Glut-4, binds to the cell membrane and then helps glucose into muscle cells. People with high blood sugar have suboptimal levels of glucose transporters like Glut-4. Weight training can increase their number, helping muscles absorb sugar and remove sugar from the blood.

Research also shows that strength training promotes heart health in people with high blood sugar. This is an important benefit because high blood sugar can double or quadruple the risk of heart disease, You’re never too old to start pumping iron. Miriam E. Nelson Ph.D., director of the Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston and author of Strong Women Stay Slim and Strong Women Stay Young, has worked with women in their nineties.

We all lose muscle with age, and rebuilding it with weight training is critical for almost everyone over the age of 35. All it takes is two or three at-home sessions a week. You can even break up the sessions into smaller workouts. Best of all, you will see dramatic changes in your body in about a month, and most women get a big energy boost right away.