Make these simple lifestyle tweaks to minimize blood sugar swings and control your sugar levels.

Here are a dozen tips that will help your blood sugar and your overall health.

Read More:Best Foods for Diabetes

1.

Pizza Pistachios

Jennifer Causey

Walk It Out

Walking is agreat way to lower your blood sugar levelsand keep them stable.

Even taking a few minutes break to walk each day can add up.

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

Combine Your Macronutrients

Carbs plus protein or fat is a super combo when it comes to controlling blood sugar.

The protein or fat you eat slows down digestion, thus buffering a blood sugar spike.

(That’s especially true if you have bang out 1 diabetes.)

That’s the exact opposite of what you want to happen after you’ve eaten a meal.

Next time you grab some fruit (carb), pair it with a hard-boiled egg (protein).

Or try beans (carb) with chicken (protein) and/or a slice of avocado (fat).

Go for Whole Fruit over Juice

A glass oforange juiceis not the same as eating a whole orange.

Plus, you get more fiber from the whole fruit.

A small amount of juice is OK, but it shouldn’t be your go-to beverage, she says.

The walk-it-off strategy is especially helpful after eating carb-heavy meals, particularly dinner, other research has found.

Staying active improves insulin sensitivity and helps your cells remove glucose from your bloodstream.

Get those walking shoes ready, it’s only 10 minutes.

Pick Veggies Wisely

You know vegetables are good for youbut they’renot all equal when it comes to carbs.

If you are deficient,supplementing with vitamin Dand calcium can help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Scientists think the sunshine vitamin might impact insulin resistance.

Drink More Water

Yes, sipping water can affect your blood sugar.

But you don’t need to glug a ton.

You should generally drink water when you’re thirstywhether you have blood sugar problems or not, says Wylie-Rosett.

For instance, an ounce of almonds contains 164 calories and only 6 grams of carbs, per theUSDA.

Aim for five 1-ounce servings a week of nuts like pistachios, almonds and cashews.

Pictured Recipe:Pizza Pistachios

11.