How to lower your A1c below 5.7

Summary

This video offers practical advice for reducing A1C levels below 5.7, a key indicator for diabetes risk. It emphasizes the importance of hydration, eliminating processed foods, and adopting a diet rich in natural proteins and healthy fats. Regular cardiovascular exercise, particularly walking, is recommended to improve fat metabolism. Additionally, the video suggests avoiding eating close to bedtime to enhance sleep quality, which aids in weight loss and A1C reduction. Lastly, it highlights the benefits of magnesium supplementation for better sleep and overall health.

Takeaways

• 😀 An A1C test measures your average blood glucose levels over the past three months and is a key indicator of chronic health problems.
• 📉 A1C levels between 5.7 and 6.4 are considered pre-diabetes, while levels over 6.5 are indicative of diabetes.
• 💧 Hydration is crucial for health and lowering A1C; drink water until your urine is a light yellow color.
• 📝 Keep a food diary to track your daily intake and identify areas for improvement in your diet.
• 🚫 Eliminate processed foods and focus on natural, unprocessed options to improve your health and A1C levels.
• 🥩 Shift towards a diet high in protein and healthy fats, such as steaks, chicken, fish, and eggs, potentially following a carnivore or keto diet.
• 🥑 Choose healthy fats like olive oil, avocado oil, and grass-fed butter to support a balanced diet.
• 🚶 Incorporate daily walking or other cardiovascular exercises to help your body metabolize fats and lower A1C levels.
• 🌞 Engage in morning walks to kick-start your metabolism and improve your body's ability to process fats.
• 🛌 Improve sleep quality by avoiding eating at least three hours before bedtime, which can aid in weight loss and A1C reduction.
• 💊 Consider taking supplements like magnesium, as featured in the video by Optimizers, to support sleep and overall health.

Q & A

What is an A1C test and why is it important?

An A1C test is a blood test that measures your average blood glucose levels over the past three months. It's important because it helps identify if you have chronic blood sugar problems, indicating the presence of pre-diabetes or diabetes.

What is the A1C range considered for pre-diabetes?

The A1C range of 5.7 to 6.4 is considered pre-diabetes, indicating higher than normal blood sugar levels but not yet in the diabetic range.

What is the A1C level that defines diabetes?

An A1C level of 6.5 or higher is considered to be diabetes, which typically requires medical intervention and lifestyle changes.

Why is drinking water important in managing A1C levels?

Drinking water is crucial for managing A1C levels because it helps to flush out excess sugar from the body and ensures that you are fully hydrated, which is essential for overall health and the effectiveness of other measures.

What does the video suggest to avoid in terms of beverages to lower A1C levels?

The video suggests avoiding sodas, coffee, and teas, and instead focusing on drinking water to help lower A1C levels.

How can keeping a food journal help in lowering A1C levels?

Keeping a food journal helps in identifying and eliminating processed foods from your diet, which can contribute to higher A1C levels, and promotes healthier eating habits.

What dietary changes are suggested to help lower A1C levels?

The video suggests eliminating processed foods, reducing carbohydrates, and increasing the intake of natural foods like steak, chicken, fish, and eggs, which can help in lowering A1C levels.

What types of fats are recommended in the diet to lower A1C levels?

The recommended fats to include in the diet for lowering A1C levels are olive oil, avocado oil, and butter from grass-fed animals, avoiding margarine and processed oils.

Why is cardiovascular exercise beneficial for lowering A1C levels?

Cardiovascular exercise is beneficial because it helps the body learn to metabolize fats as an energy source, which can lead to a decrease in A1C levels, regardless of diet.

What is the significance of walking in the morning for A1C management?

Walking in the morning is significant because it helps to kick-start the body's metabolism early in the day, which can improve the body's ability to utilize fat as an energy source and lower A1C levels.

How does sleep relate to A1C levels and what supplement is mentioned in the video to improve sleep?

Good sleep improves the body's ability to utilize fat as an energy source, which can help in lowering A1C levels. The video mentions magnesium as a supplement that can improve sleep quality.

What is the role of magnesium in managing A1C levels according to the video?

Magnesium, as mentioned in the video, can assist in improving overall health and specifically help in lowering A1C levels by promoting better sleep and aiding in the body's rejuvenation process.

Outlines

00:00

💧 Hydration and Diet Changes for Lowering A1c

This paragraph focuses on the importance of hydration and dietary changes to reduce A1c levels below 5.7. It explains that A1c is a blood test reflecting average blood glucose over the past three months, and high levels can indicate chronic issues. The video suggests eliminating sodas, coffee, and teas, replacing them with water, and observing urine color to gauge hydration. It also emphasizes the need to avoid processed foods and increase the intake of natural foods, particularly proteins and fats from sources like steak, chicken, fish, and eggs. The paragraph introduces the concept of a low-carb diet, possibly a ketogenic or carnivore diet, and recommends using healthy fats like olive oil and avocado oil. Lastly, it touches on the benefits of morning walks for improving metabolism and A1c levels.

05:00

🚶‍♂️ Incorporating Exercise and Sleep for A1c Management

The second paragraph continues the theme of health improvement by discussing the role of exercise and sleep in managing A1c levels. It suggests incorporating daily walks, regardless of duration, to engage in cardiovascular activity that helps the body metabolize fats and lower A1c. The paragraph also advises against eating at least three hours before bedtime to enhance sleep quality, which is crucial for the body to utilize fat as an energy source effectively. Additionally, it mentions the video's sponsor, Optimizers, and their product 'Magnesium Breakthrough,' highlighting the benefits of magnesium supplementation for sleep and overall health, with a personal anecdote of the speaker taking it at night for better rest.

Keywords

💡A1C

A1C, also known as glycated hemoglobin, is a blood test that indicates the average blood glucose levels over the past 2-3 months. It is crucial for diagnosing and managing diabetes. In the video, A1C is the primary focus, with the goal of lowering it below 5.7 to prevent or manage diabetes.

💡Pre-diabetes

Pre-diabetes refers to blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. The A1C range for pre-diabetes is 5.7 to 6.4. The video script emphasizes the importance of addressing pre-diabetes to prevent the progression to diabetes.

💡Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by high blood sugar levels due to the body's inability to produce or effectively use insulin. An A1C level of 6.5 or higher indicates diabetes, which is a central concern in the video as it discusses strategies to prevent or manage this condition.

💡Hydrate

Hydrate means to drink enough fluids to maintain proper body function. The video emphasizes the importance of hydration for health and suggests that drinking water is essential for lowering A1C levels, using the color of urine as an indicator of proper hydration.

💡Processed Foods

Processed foods are foods that have been altered from their natural state through canning, smoking, or adding of preservatives and other ingredients. The video advises against consuming processed foods and encourages a diet of natural foods to help control A1C levels.

💡Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a macronutrient that includes sugars, starches, and fibers, providing energy to the body. The video suggests reducing carbohydrate intake as part of a strategy to lower A1C levels, indicating a potential low-carb or ketogenic diet approach.

💡Protein

Protein is a nutrient essential for growth and repair of body tissues. The video recommends increasing protein intake, suggesting foods like steak, chicken, and fish, as a way to help lower A1C levels by possibly promoting satiety and stabilizing blood sugar.

💡Fat

Fat is a macronutrient that provides energy and supports cell growth. The video encourages the consumption of healthy fats, such as olive oil and avocado oil, and advises against processed oils, suggesting that a high-fat diet may help in managing A1C levels.

💡Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, strengthens the heart and improves circulation. The video script recommends walking as a form of cardiovascular exercise to help lower A1C levels by improving the body's ability to metabolize fats.

💡Sleep

Sleep is a natural state of rest for the mind and body. The video mentions the importance of sleep in health and suggests that improving sleep quality can help the body utilize fat as an energy source, potentially aiding in weight loss and lowering A1C levels.

💡Supplements

Supplements are substances added to the diet to increase the intake of nutrients. The video mentions 'magnesium breakthrough' as a supplement that can help improve sleep and overall health, which may indirectly contribute to lowering A1C levels.

Highlights

The A1C test measures average blood glucose levels over the past three months, indicating chronic blood sugar problems.

A1C levels of 5.7 to 6.4 are considered pre-diabetes, while levels over 6.5 are indicative of diabetes.

To lower A1C below 5.7, the video suggests starting by drinking plenty of water and avoiding sugary drinks and coffee.

Hydration is key, and urine color can be an indicator of proper hydration levels.

Keeping a food diary and eliminating processed foods can significantly impact A1C levels.

A diet high in natural foods, such as steak, chicken, fish, and eggs, is recommended for lowering A1C.

Reducing carbohydrate intake, including fruits and vegetables, is part of the strategy to lower A1C.

Healthy fats like olive oil, avocado oil, and grass-fed butter are preferred over processed oils.

Incorporating daily walking or cardiovascular exercise can help lower A1C levels.

Morning walks are suggested for better metabolic benefits and starting the day right.

Avoiding eating at least three hours before bedtime can improve sleep and aid in A1C reduction.

Supplements like magnesium can improve sleep quality and potentially lower A1C levels.

Magnesium Breakthrough by Optimizers is highlighted as a beneficial supplement for sleep and health.

The importance of deep sleep for rejuvenation and health improvement is emphasized.

The overall goal of lowering A1C is tied to improving overall health.

The video provides a simplified approach to improving health and lowering A1C through lifestyle changes.

Transcripts

so how can we help you lower your a1c

below 5.7 the answer is in this video

now if you're not familiar with what an

a1c is it's essentially a blood test and

instead of measuring your blood glucose

right now it measures your blood glucose

on average throughout the last three

months or so it's a way to find out if

you're having chronic problems now the

numbers are this 5.7 to 6.4 is

considered pre-diabetes anything over

6.5 is considered diabetes and now

you're going to have a talking to with

your doctor in regards to the

medications that you're going to be

consuming hopefully hopefully

you're going to have a conversation with

your doctor about your diet and you're

going to start getting serious about it

but that's what this video is really

about here is essentially in simplified

terms how to lower your

a1c to below 5.7 the first thing that

you're going to do is you're going to

start drinking a lot of water you're not

going to drink pepsis you're not going

to drink cokes you're not going to drink

sodas of any kind you're not going to

have coffee anymore you're not going to

have any teas just eliminate everything

to begin with and drink water

when you know you've drank in enough

water is when you go to the bathroom and

the urine is a light yellow if you're

going to the bathroom right now and

you're going number one and your urine

is a bright orange yellow or kind of an

extremely dark then you're not doing

yourself any favor so you must be fully

hydrated

for any of the other things to work so

you're going to start drinking water the

second thing that you're going to do is

you're going to look and

see what is it that i eat throughout the

day you're going to start taking a

journal write down everything that you

normally eat

and essentially anything that comes in a

box

you're going to eliminate it stop eating

processed foods the more natural the

food is that you eat the better health

you're going to be in the easier you're

going to have with

controlling your a1c as time goes on

you're going to have to not just be

eating healthy foods but you're going to

have to be eliminating most

carbohydrates which means temporarily

you're probably going to be limiting the

fruit that you eat and you're going to

be eliminating most of the vegetables

that you eat as well you want to start

eating steaks you want to start eating

chicken you want to start eating fish

and you want to start eating eggs we can

name this diet something like carnivore

we can name it keto or we can name it

there's a million things you can name it

but essentially you need to stop eating

processed foods and very often that will

make a tremendous difference right there

but if you can start eating vegetables

and then cutting down the vegetables and

increasing your protein and fat content

then you're on your way towards lowering

your a1c now the fats that you're going

to be using you don't want to be taking

any margarine or any corn oil or

processed oil olive oil is okay avocado

oil is okay and butter that comes from a

grass-fed animal is okay the last thing

that you're going to do and this is

really significant is you're going to

start doing some walking

every single day whether you walk 10

minutes 20 minutes whatever you your

body can tolerate and there is no rule

that says you must walk for 30 minutes

every day if one day you walk 30 minutes

and the next day you walk 20 no big deal

but you need to start doing

cardiovascular exercise because the

research has shown that when you start

doing

cardiovascular exercise your a1c

actually

goes down and the reason why and this is

irregardless of the diet by the way

because your body starts learning to

metabolize fats as an energy source just

through that exercise when you wake up

in the morning try to hold off on eating

breakfast maybe just give your body a

little bit of time go for a walk first

the early morning is the best time to go

for a walk because you you rev up your

your uh body you start

metabolizing things much better when you

do exercise in the morning so your

routine is you can get up in the morning

go for a half hour walk

have some water wait a little bit before

you eat and then as you eat your food

throughout the day

try not to eat anything at least three

hours before bedtime and the reason why

is because when you can improve your

ability to sleep your body will start to

utilize fat as an energy source much

better and you'll start to lose weight

and

lower your a1c

now i mentioned sleep and there are some

supplements that you can take one of

them as today's video sponsor is by

optimizers and they have a wonderful

product called magnesium breakthrough

and if you take magnesium this will also

assist you in improving your health and

improving things like your a1c i

personally take two tablets at nighttime

it's 500 milligrams of magnesium there's

seven different types of magnesium in it

so your bases are covered and it really

helps with sleep the deeper the sleep

you get the more your body is going to

feel rejuvenated

the next day because ultimately what it

boils down to

in simplified terms is getting your a1c

lower is simply getting your health to

go up

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