Even small, inadvertent actions following eating can have a detrimental effect on your health. In particular, if a diabetic patient has a bad habit, he/she may have difficulty in managing blood sugar, and as a result, complications may occur. What are some postprandial habits that diabetic patients should be more aware of?
Avoid sitting still following eating
If you are diabetic, you should avoid the habit of sitting for long periods of time watching TV or smartphones following eating. In particular, diabetic patients may feel fatigue and drowsiness following eating, as blood sugar rises following a meal. This is because the soaring blood sugar remains the same.
You need to move your body to control your blood sugar following eating. Among exercise, ‘strength exercise’, which has the effect of regulating blood sugar and improving insulin resistance, is helpful. This is because strength training depletes the glycogen stores in the muscles and increases the use of blood glucose, which lowers blood sugar levels. In addition, if you increase muscle mass through steady exercise, you can store a greater amount of blood sugar in the form of glycogen. This helps prevent a sudden rise in blood sugar and improves insulin resistance.
Beware of sweet drinks and fruits following meals
A lot of people look for snacks following eating, but this is a very bad habit for diabetic patients. This is because if you eat a snack while your blood sugar is already high through a meal, your blood sugar level may rise excessively and put a strain on your body.
If you eat foods that raise blood sugar levels rapidly, the side effects are doubled. Examples of foods that rapidly raise blood sugar include carbonated drinks, mixed coffee, and candy. It is a simple sugar, which is digested quickly and raises blood sugar levels rapidly. A sharp rise in blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes complications as well as weight gain.
Of course, fruits are not safe either. This is because fruits also contain fructose, which makes them sweet. In particular, if you eat fruit right following a meal, sugar stagnates in the stomach and goes through the fermentation process, which can cause bloating and indigestion. Therefore, it is recommended to eat fruits up to 2 hours following meals, and eat them in an appropriate amount. On the other hand, if you eat fruits with dietary fiber, it helps to prevent a sudden rise in blood sugar. Hidak nutrition counseling nutritionist Park Ji-seong said in a health Q&A, “If you are worried regarding your blood sugar rise, you can eat it with a handful of vegetables rich in dietary fiber.”
If you can’t stop snacking, it’s better to choose nuts instead of simple sugars and fruits. Almonds are rich in dietary fiber, which helps to prevent a sudden rise in blood sugar following a meal.
Drinking following a meal is better than drinking on an empty stomach… to avoid
Drinking on an empty stomach is twice as high as drinking following a meal, which increases the risk of liver damage. Drinking following a meal is better than drinking on an empty stomach, but the best thing to do is avoid alcohol.
People with diabetes are at risk of hypoglycemia if they consume alcohol. This is because alcohol interferes with the liver’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels in the body by releasing it into the blood following making glucose. In addition, alcohol is also a risk factor for dyslipidemia and liver disease, which are common complications in diabetic patients. Therefore, if you are diabetic, you should avoid drinking alcohol as much as possible. If you have to drink it, it is better to avoid alcohol with high sugar content, such as grain wine and fruit wine.
Smoking following meals, which can cause complications, should be stopped
There are not a few people who look for cigarettes as a habit following eating, but it should be remembered that cigarettes are fatal to diabetic patients. Tobacco promotes the development and progression of atherosclerosis, which is dangerous even with diabetes itself. Therefore, if you are diabetic, you should strictly quit smoking.
Help = Hydak Nutrition Counseling Jisung Park (nutritionist)
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