Balancing your blood sugar levels naturally
Do you often feel tired throughout the day? Are you constantly wanting to snack? Have you got sugar cravings? If this sounds familiar your body may be struggling to balance your blood sugar levels effectively. The food we consume, directly impacts our blood sugar levels even if we don’t suffer from diabetes. Why does this matter? Because blood sugar imbalances can lead to a multitude of symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, infertility, anxiety, acne, early aging and further down the line, chronic diseases such as PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), type 2 diabetes and heart conditions.
Let’s have a look at the basics.
What is glucose (sugar)?
Glucose is a type of sugar which you get from foods you consume, and it is the body’s preferred source of energy. When it enters and travels through your bloodstream to your cells, it is called blood glucose or blood sugar. Insulin is produced when glucose (sugar) enters the blood stream to move it from your blood into the cells for energy.
What is a blood sugar spike and crash?
Foods which are high in sugar such as refined carbohydrates, cause our blood sugar levels to spike and then crash which causes fatigue and irritability. If our blood sugar levels dip too low our body signals that we need to increase blood sugar levels again which causes cravings, in particular sweet ones because glucose is the quickest source of energy. It is a vicious cycle and a difficult one to break. Consistently eating refined carbohydrates means that our blood sugar levels, and therefore also our insulin levels, are permanently high. This can lead to our cells not responding to insulin properly, also known as insulin resistance, and increases the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Here are my top 6 tips to balancing your blood sugar levels naturally and to help you break the vicious cycle of blood sugar spikes and dips:
Consume protein at each meal. Build your meals around protein, especially your breakfast as you want to start your day right. Think omelette, fried eggs, sausages, beans, chicken, smoked salmon and pair it with some vegetables. If you prefer porridge or smoothies, make sure to add lots of nuts, nut butters, seeds and protein powders to reduce the blood sugar spike.
Consume complex carbohydrates. These tend to release sugar more slowly and steadier, reducing the blood sugar spike and therefore they will help you feeling full for longer. Complex carbohydrates include fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and legumes.
Avoid hidden sugars, especially in drinks. Always check the labels and avoid anything with sugars and sweeteners. Why not try adding lime, lemon, strawberries or cucumber to some water with ice instead?
Swap sweet snacks, for a protein rich snack such as 2 boiled eggs, hummus with veggie sticks or pair fruit with nut butters.
Make sleep a priority. Getting sufficient sleep every night helps the body to manage blood sugar levels and reduces cortisol, the stress hormone. We make much better food choices when we are not feeling tired after a bad night sleep.
Move/exercise within 90 minutes of consuming a meal, even if its just a 10 minute walk around the block. As you move around, your muscles are soaking up the glucose from your bloodstream, reducing the spike of it and avoiding a crash later on.
Linnéa Skea, WholeBeing Health & Nutrition