Exercise: According to the American Diabetes Association, a combination of cardio exercise, like walking, jogging, or biking, plus strength training, helps lower blood sugars.

Eating regular meals and snacks also prevents us from getting too hungry and makes it easier to manage portions. Skipping meals can lead to overindulging later, resulting in blood sugar lows and spikes, which leaves us feeling lethargic.

Regular meal routine: A routine of three meals a day with one or two high-protein or high-fiber snacks helps keep our blood sugars stable.

These foods are low in fiber and are quickly digested, releasing sugar into our blood, which causes blood sugar spikes. Also, try to limit simple carbohydrates, like white flour, white rice, white pasta and sugar. Stick to drinks that have zero calories, like water, seltzer and unsweetened tea.

Cut back on sugar and simple carbohydrates: Because sugary drinks can pack in a ton of sugar, avoiding them is often the best first step to improve your blood sugar control.

Typically, if we focus on healthy nutrition changes to lower our blood sugar, like increasing protein and eating more vegetables, weight loss tends to follow on its own.

Weight loss: If you're overweight, losing 5-10% of your body weight has been correlated with better blood sugar control, according to a 2019 study published in the journal Diabetic Medicine.

High-fiber foods include whole grains (quinoa, whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, whole-wheat pasta), plus fruits, vegetables, beans and lentils. Like protein, it's broken down slowly and prevents blood sugar spikes. Fiber: Fiber, a type of carbohydrate that isn't digested, helps improve our blood sugars.As a general rule, aim to include a protein every time you have a carbohydrate food. So, the next time you opt for a slice of toast for breakfast, consider topping it with natural peanut butter or an egg, instead of jam, for better blood sugar control.

Protein also helps increase satiety, helping you feel fuller longer. Protein slows down the digestion of carbohydrates and the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream, which means your blood sugars will stay more stable. Protein: Eating protein, like meat, chicken, eggs, fish, Greek yogurt, nuts or other vegetarian proteins with most of your meals helps improve your blood sugars.

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