American Heart Association
Life's Simple 7

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How to Manage Blood Sugar

Understand Blood Glucose

The first step to managing your blood sugar is to understand what makes blood sugar levels rise.

In type 2 diabetes glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells because:

The result can be a high blood glucose level.

Track Levels

Health care providers can take blood glucose readings and provide recommendations. If you're diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you will need to monitor your blood sugar level regularly.

Fasting Blood Glucose Level, Diagnosis and What It Means:

Tips for Success

Eat Smart: Eat a healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, lean proteins and fish. Limit sweetened drinks, added sugars, fatty foods, processed meats and sodium.

  1. Move More: Being physically active can lower your risk of developing diabetes and help you manage the disease if you already have it.
  2. Manage Weight: Stay at a healthy weight to help prevent, delay or manage diabetes.
  3. Don't Smoke: Smoking, vaping or using tobacco can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, many cancers and other chronic diseases. It may also make prediabetes and diabetes harder to manage.