2 Ways to Lower Your A1C Levels Without Medication

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My Mom is 93. She was diagnosed with diabetes type 2 a year ago. I got her blood sugar numbers down to 5.5 in her A1C test by diet alone. She is unable to do much if any exercise because of other physical problems. I have her on a low carb diet. She gets plenty of protein and vegetables. Rarely do I give her fruit. If I do, it is a small amount and berries. She does get one piece of high fiber rye bread toasted with her egg in th emorning. No potatoes. No rice. No noodles. No other breads. Once a week she has half of a sweet potato. Her weight has come down over a period of 4 years from 178 to 137.
Low carb is the way to go.

Brenda of MI 11:12AM March 21, 2009

Great article, especially the point about strength training. Most of the time focus is placed on aerobic exercise which is crucial but only part of the solutions for a diabetic.
As for diet, not enough is said about the importance of complex carbohydrates. Make whole grains, starches and beans a central focus of your meals. Per DiabetesHealthLink.com, 40 percent of your diet should be from carbohydrates, including at least 20-35 grams of fiber. The best carbohydrate/high-fiber sources: fresh vegetables, fruits, beans and whole-grain foods. Eat less of these carbs: pasta, white bread, white potatoes and sugary cereals. Protein is also an important part of a diabetes diet.
Finally, I agree with the insanity comment above. I use various artificial sweeteners with cream in my coffee. There's enough sugar in our food we don't know about or can't avoid without voluntarily adding it to our diets!

Mick of LA 11:04AM March 20, 2009

The ADA says sugar is better than cream? What?? For a diabetic? Feed sugar to a diabetic? Sometimes I think the ADA is actually trying to ensure people become ill and stay ill.

Geekay 10:20PM March 19, 2009

my husband have diabetic and is trying to get his a1c level down but is having a hard time doing so

jean of NY 7:42AM February 27, 2009

Virtually anyone trying to manage diagnosed type 2 diabetes will find that switching to a low carb (NOT zero carb) low glycemic index plan will cut A1C levels dramatically, perhaps as much as 2-3 A1c %, and regular exercise like fast walking for 1/2 hour/day (can be split into segments) plus some strenght training (20 minutes 2-3X week) can knock off another percent. I went from 10.7 to 5.5 in 8 months, and have maintained at around 5.5-6.1 seasonally for 4 years. Current wisdom indicates that these numbers will naturally deteriorate with aging and beta cell decay at about 1%A1C every 5 years, but with active management this can probably be slowed to 1%A1C every 10 years, and the longer you can avoid medications or heavier mnedications, the better off in my view.

SweetTooth of NJ 9:29AM February 14, 2009

I agree that simple carbohydrates are jeopardizing the health of Americans -- the refined carbohydrates, sugars, and the packaged/processed foods and NOT the whole-grains that provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. I believe the real culprit in America's diet is animal food because, among other things, it increases the acidity of the body, which creates a breeding ground for disease.

Peggy Kraus of NY 10:18AM February 03, 2009

The low carbohydrate way of eating is the most effective way of lowering your A1C. Just lowering your caloric intakes is not nearly as effective. Please refer to Dr. Bernstein's book "Diabetes Solution". This way of eating is a proven method for level, normal blood sugars. We are finally awakening to the fact that our high carbohydrate diets are ruining our health! High carbohydrate diets are the basis of our Type II diabetes epidemic.

Roger M. Moery of FL 11:24AM February 01, 2009