Does Drinking Dried Hawthorn Berries in Water Help Lower Blood Sugar?
Drinking water infused with dried hawthorn fruit does not lower blood sugar. The infusion primarily serves to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, aid in digestion, but does not lower blood sugar. If there is high blood sugar, one should eat lighter foods and consume easy-to-digest items. Appropriate exercise can promote metabolism and assist in lowering blood sugar. If necessary, blood sugar-lowering medication should be taken under a doctor's guidance. Drinking water infused with dried hawthorn fruit does not lower blood sugar, but diabetic patients can consume it moderately. Hawthorn has the effects of lowering blood pressure, reducing blood lipids, and promoting blood circulation, which can serve as an adjunctive treatment for diabetes and improve complications caused by diabetes. Currently, the primary treatment for diabetes is the oral administration of western medicine hypoglycemic agents, while traditional Chinese medicine treatment only serves as an adjunctive therapy.
1. Increase Activity: Patients with type 2 diabetes can achieve better blood sugar control through enhanced exercise. Even simple exercises like walking for 20 minutes every day, if maintained consistently, can effectively improve insulin resistance and reduce weight. Studies have confirmed that through reasonable exercise, diabetic patients can indeed reduce the dosage of hypoglycemic drugs or even completely rely on exercise instead of medication.
2. Avoid Overly Processed Grains: Controlling the level of refinement of grains is crucial. Taking bread as an example, white bread has a GI of 70, while bread with 75%~80% barley has a GI of 34. Therefore, it is recommended to use coarsely processed grains instead of refined grains.
3. Use Smaller Plates: Choosing smaller tableware can reduce food intake, lower food cravings and calorie intake, and maintain a healthy weight.
4. Switch Breakfast to "Thicker" Foods: As porridge is cooked for a long time, starch easily converts to dextrin and then breaks down into glucose. Additionally, porridge is semi-liquid, so it empties from the stomach faster, making it easier to raise blood sugar levels after meals compared to staple foods. Therefore, it is best not to only consume porridge for breakfast, but to eat "thicker" foods and prioritize staple foods.
