Secret to Sleep bettersustainable energy, hormonal balance, and less mood swings? Stable blood sugar. Blood what? Also known as blood sugarBlood sugar comes from the food you eat. It is your body’s main source of energy. Unfortunately, most of us go around with little (if any) understanding of its impact on our overall health. One moment, you feel fine — the next minute, you’re hungry or lightheaded. That is blood sugar. You put down your plate of French toast, energizing for one hot second — the next, you’re in a sleepy food craving. Blood sugar, friends.
That said, blood sugar affects our health in other not-so-subtle ways. Today, we’re going to dive into the basics: what blood sugar is, why it’s important, as well as a 7-day eating plan to balance blood sugar.
Featured image of Teal Thomsen
A Beginner’s Guide to Blood Sugar
If you don’t know exactly what it means, you may have heard of the term. Blood sugar balance is key – it plays a role in energy, feeling, cognitive function and more. In fact, you may be used to blood sugar spikes. Hello, coat hanger! That said, few people realize its effects on a daily basis.
High-level, blood glucose is the amount of sugar (or glucose) in your blood at any given time. As mentioned, it is the body’s main source of energy. Sugar is created when we break down any form of carbohydrate. Be it fruitone a piece of cakeor piece of toast, that carb is absorbed into our bloodstream. Immediately or eventually, carbohydrates are used as an energy source.
How does blood sugar work?
Here’s the best way to visualize and think about blood sugar:
Step 1: You eat food.
Let’s assume you ate a balanced combination carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Your digestion breaks down your food. Carbs are broken down into glucose. This is your body and brain’s main priority energy source.
Step 2: High blood sugar.
Glucose enters your bloodstream and blood sugar rises naturally. How a lot of Their growth depends largely on the breakdown of macronutrients in the meal. More carbs = higher blood sugar. More protein + fat = reduced blood sugar spikes.
Step 3: Insulin is released.
As soon as your body senses a rise in blood sugar, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin is an important hormone involved in blood sugar management. We want not too much, but not too little.
Step 4: Blood sugar drops.
Insulin acts as the key to opening your cells and transporting glucose from the blood into the cells. Glucose is either used immediately for energy or stored for later use. Insulin is what keeps blood sugar from getting too high.
Goal: Gradually increase blood sugar
Like cortisol and inflammation inherently not bad (in fact, they’re vital to keeping us alive), the same goes for blood sugar. Glucose is not the enemy and neither is insulin. Ultimately, it’s a matter of eating and drinking to keep your glucose and insulin levels in a good, average range. It’s not about avoid carbs and sugar, absolutely. Instead, it’s about maintaining a healthy balance and celebrating the foods that make us feel our best — most of the time!
The goal is to have a gradual increase in blood sugar after we eat, and decrease slowly and steadily over the following hours. We want to avoid large spikes in blood sugar. Why? Because they lead to a very strong and significant drop. In other words, it’s not just about high blood sugar. We also want to minimize low blood sugar and crashes.
How to achieve stable blood sugar — and why is it important?
This will vary from person to person, but in general, stable blood sugar comes from fully nourished and balanced meals. You also want Try to avoid these habits tends to cause blood sugar spikes. So why is balancing blood sugar so important? You want to keep your blood sugar level target range, as often as possible. This helps prevent or delay serious, long-term health problems. Every day, it’s equally important to stay within your goal range. It can improve your energy, hormonal balance, and stabilize your mood. Research shows it fertility help, too. Speaking of hormones, if you struggle with intensity Symptoms of PMSThis can be the result of mismanagement of blood sugar.
What causes blood sugar imbalance?
Truth be told, more than you realize! But armed with the knowledge of how to maintain blood sugar balance, you can minimize imbalances.
- Macronutrient deficiency: We want to eat protein, fat and complex carbs in every meal. The source and amount of each will depend on many factors and will be unique to each individual, but the balance of these macros is really important for blood sugar balance.
- Stress: High cortisol can spike blood sugar levels. This gives the body what it needs to fight or flee.
- Inconsistent meal times: Not eating enough or not eating enough can both put stress on the body. Remember, food is fuel. No food means low blood sugar. Low blood sugar can be just as harmful as high blood sugar.
- Poor sleep: Insomnia can lead to blood sugar imbalances. In fact, just one night of poor sleep can decrease insulin sensitivity, affecting our food choices and cravings.
- Exercise: A sedentary lifestyle – or too much work – can affect blood sugar levels.
- Gut health: The process of digestion determines the extent to which food is broken down. In turn, this affects how quickly sugar enters the bloodstream. An unbalanced microbiome can negatively impact blood sugar levels.
- Liver function: The health of the liver determines how well our cells can absorb insulin, as well as how the body stores excess glucose for later use.
Fortunately, you can control your blood sugar with these simple instructions!
Foods that help balance blood sugar
While there are many foods that help lower and regulate blood sugar, here are some of the best! They cause minimal blood sugar spikes (for most people), support sustained energy, and help keep you full.
Animal protein
Protein is needed to control blood sugar. It helps slow digestion and prevent spikes in blood sugar after meals, as well as increasing feelings of fullness. Eat lots of fatty fish, like salmon and sardines, which have been shown to improve blood sugar regulation. That said, organic chicken, pasture-raised eggs and grass-fed beef are also good for blood sugar.
Butter
Creamy, delicious and versatile, avocados are low carb, high in fiber, great for stabilizing blood sugar. Plus, the healthy fats in avocados can help you use insulin more efficiently.
Nuts
Nuts and nut butters are ideal for stabilizing blood sugar because healthy fats don’t cause blood sugar spikes. Interestingly, in a learn Of people with type 2 diabetes, consuming both peanuts and almonds throughout the day (as part of a low-carb diet) lowers blood sugar both fasting and after meals.
Pumpkin seeds
Colorful and packed with fiber and antioxidants, pumpkin seeds are packed with healthy fats and proteins, making them a great choice for blood sugar control.
Chia Seeds and Flax Seeds
Both chia seeds and flaxseeds (specifically ground flaxseeds) are rich in fiber and healthy fats. In turn, they can help lower blood sugar levels. Adding chia and flaxseeds to smoothies, oatmeal, and yogurt is an easy way to increase fiber and help stabilize blood sugar.
Beans and legumes
Beans and lentils are rich in nutrients, such as magnesium, fiber, and protein. All of these help lower blood sugar levels. They are particularly rich in soluble fiber and resistant starch, which slow digestion and may improve postprandial blood sugar response.
Kimchi and sauerkraut
Fermented foods, like kimchi and sauerkraut, are packed with probiotics, minerals, and antioxidants. Eating them has been linked to improved blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.
Eating plan to balance blood sugar
Ready for delicious, nutrient-rich meals to help balance blood sugar, boost energy, support hormones, improve digestion, and fuel your busy lifestyle? Click here for my 7 Day Blood Sugar Reset Guide!
