For those who do not know, blood sugar is nothing but the glucose level that is determined in our blood and it serves as a vital source of energy for our body. During the digestion process, carbohydrates which contain starches, fibre, and sugars are converted into glucose. Our body then uses this glucose in the form of energy and stores whatever is not used in our cells for later consumption.
The blood sugar of the body is highly influenced by the food that we consume, stress levels, our age, the physical activities that we carry on, alcohol and smoking habits. The levels of a blood sugar directly impacts our heart and if it is not maintained, it could lead to cardiovascular problems or even diabetes which are all caused because of glucose buildup in our blood.
In this particular article, we will explore the various glucose level ranges and how it affects after we consume food. Read on and understand more.
Firstly, why should we be monitoring blood sugar levels?
If a person has type two or even type one diabetes, tracking down their blood sugar levels on a regular basis becomes important as it helps in understanding how the medication is performing, and how food and physical activity fracture the condition.
People who normally track the blood glucose levels regularly are — people who are pregnant, those who take insulin, those who have a very hard time in controlling the glucose levels in the blood, once which has low blood sugar levels, and those who have ketones.
After eating, what should be your normal blood sugar levels?
It is best to keep your blood sugar levels in check and measured at least one or maybe two hours after you have eaten. This will help you in analysing how your body‘s blood sugar is reacting to the food that you are consuming. It also helps in offering insight into what should be the right dosage of insulin for your body. And if you see that the insulin dose HU are taking is a little off, you will have to reach out to your doctor immediately.
A general rule says that blood sugar levels should be kept below 180 mg/dL especially after one-two hours of eating. However, the blood sugar range that is targeted highly depends on– Your age, your diabetes complications, if you have other health conditions such as a heart problem, for the duration you have been fighting diabetes, hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar levels.
How should one be measuring their blood glucose levels?
One can measure the blood glucose levels by either creating a small prick in the tip of your finger and inserting the test strip into what we call as glucometer, a device that is used to measure blood sugar levels. One can also take help of a glucose monitoring device which is of continuous nature that has a sensor inserted right below the skin and it automatically keeps checking your blood glucose levels every few minutes.
How does the food that we consume affect a blood sugar levels?
When we consume food, our body begins its work of breaking it down into proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and fats. All of these are required for a healthy diet but carbohydrates on the other hand are extremely important as it enters your blood glucose level. Examples of foods that fit into the various carbohydrate categories:
- Starches – complex carbohydrates: dried beans, grains, and starchy vegetables.
- Cyber-chickpeas, berries, lentils, Brussels sprouts, whole wheat products, and pears.
- Sugars: baked goods, fruits, beverages, and processed foods such as cereals.
It is the glycaemic index which helps in ranking the carbohydrates from a range of 0 to hundred and helps in finding out how consuming it affects your blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that have high index were processed quickly and results in a spike in the blood sugar levels. Foods which are lower index a process more slowly by a body and leads to smaller glucose changes in our blood.
How can one manage blood sugar levels?
There are numerous ways through which one can manage their blood sugar levels and keep it consistent. Eating smaller meals throughout the day when compared to 2 or three huge meals will also help. Below are some of the methods you could try:
The plate method
It is a very simple way of planning well-balanced meals. Take a plate which is see about 9 inches or even a select let would do. Just imagine a line that is drawn down the centre of this plate and dividing the plate into two equal parts. You can add an additional line across one2 of the place so that you had three sections and total. The largest section needs to be filled with non-starchy vegetables so that you get a healthy mix of vitamins, Phiber, and minerals. Next fill 1/4 of the plate with low fat or lean proteins. And then fill the remaining water of the plate with carbohydrates that I known to have the greatest effect on your blood sugar levels.
Counting your carbohydrates
It is always a good practice to count the amount of carbohydrates in grams that you are consuming for me. The next question that pops in your head would be how much of carbohydrate should I be consuming, well, it depends on various factors, One of them being mealtime insulin. Whether you are a type one or a type two diabetic, your meal time insulin is calculated by ICR which is insulin to carb ratio.