Diabetes: Ayurveda expert on easy tips to control blood sugar in just 15 days

Consequences of unmanaged blood sugar levels in diabetes patients could be disastrous and the disease can silently affect nearly all your organs causing the most debilitating and life-threatening illnesses. However, keeping your sugar levels in control can offset many of these risks and help you lead a healthy and long life. (Also read: Best and worst breakfast choices for people with diabetes)

Apart from diabetes medication, tweaking your lifestyle a bit and steering it in a healthy direction could help you manage your sugar levels effectively. A sedentary lifestyle must be avoided at all costs apart from the unhealthy snacks that one eats mindlessly. Eating dinner early and hitting the bed on time are among the factors that could work wonders for your glucose levels.

Dr Dixa Bhavsar in her recent Instagram post talks about some home remedies that could help one manage blood sugar levels in just 15 days.

* Amla, turmeric, lauki-moringa soup

The Ayurveda expert says having amla and turmeric daily could help diabetes patients. She also advises drinking lauki-moringa soup on alternate days or twice a week for breakfast or dinner.

* Limit deep fried food, sugar, replace your flour

Dr Bhavsar suggests limiting sugar, curd, deep fried food, fermented food and white flour. Besan, ragi and jowar flour in meals can be healthy additions or substitutes.

* Sit in Vajrasana post meals to manage your blood sugar levels.

* Fruits and veggies

Having more veggies like palak, methi, lauki, tomatoes, karela, moringa and fruits like jamun, apple, amla, papaya, pomegranate, papaya and kiwi could help.

* Yoga for diabetes

Dr Bhavsar says Yogasanas like Mandukasana, Shashankasana, Bhujangasana, Balasana, and Dhanurasana must be practiced by diabetes patients while pranayamas like Kapalbhati and Anuloma-Viloma too are beneficial for controlling blood sugar levels.

* While walking at least 5,000 steps daily is considered good, walking 10,000 steps is the best.

Things to remember

- Amla-turmeric mix: Mix 1 tsp of amla and 1 tsp of turmeric and have it one hour before meals.

- Keep your dinner light like besan/ragi/vegetable chilla, veggies soup, lentil soups.

- Spend 20 minutes under the sun before 9 am.

- Practice Yoga and pranayamas for at least 45 minutes daily.

- Consume Guduchi, giloy, ghan vati juice/powder/decoction daily.

Dr Bhavsar advises one of avoid these things when pre-diabetic or diabetic

1. Sedentary life: Regular 40 minutes movement like walking, cycling, cardio or yoga and 20 minutes breathwork (pranayamas) is mandatory. It's mandatory to stay active and not sedentary if you want to prevent or manage diabetes.

"Staying active keeps your blood circulation optimum, provides enough oxygen to each and every cell of your body, promotes optimum liver detox and helps in the proper secretion of insulin," says the Ayurveda expert.

2. Avoid white sugar, maida or processed food, curd and gluten

Dr Bhavsar suggests eating natural sugar from fruits and veggies. People with diabetes can also have cow milk and ghee in moderation. Millets like Jowar, Ragi, Amaranth are recommended.

3. Late dinner

Having early dinner is one of the easiest ways to reduce your sugar levels and risk of cardiovascular diseases.

It is best to have dinner before sunset if and whenever possible. If the work schedule doesn't allow it, then it is best to have dinner before 8 pm.

4. Sleeping right after meals

Day sleep is strictly prohibited for people with high sugar levels. Day sleep increases Kapha Dosha in body and must be avoided in case of diabetes or madhumeha as it is considered as a kapha disease as per Ayurveda and could lead to high sugar levels in blood and must be avoided. The best time to sleep for people with diabetes is 3-4 hours of dinner.

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