Managing blood sugar: Your Key to Balanced Wellness
When it comes to your overall health, the single most significant factor is undoubtedly keeping your blood sugar well regulated. This practice helps us avoid these common chronic conditions that we see around us today:
Risk of Diabetes
Cardiovascular Issues
Alzheimers/ Dementia
Obesity leading to Inflammation
Unfortunately...many of us mistakenly believe our blood sugar is within a safe range, leading to a lack of concern. But there's a bigger picture to consider.
In conventional medicine, two blood markers assess blood sugar: glucose (current blood sugar level) and HbA1c (average blood glucose over three months). Yet, these markers alone are insufficient for understanding your blood sugar levels. Let's delve into why.
Your body requires about 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of glucose circulating at any given time. Having more, like 2 teaspoons, would categorize you as diabetic. Surprising, right?
Elevated glucose damages blood vessels significantly, linking diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Excess blood sugar prompts cholesterol to repair blood vessels, often leading to elevated cholesterol levels.
Processed foods and sugars (refined carbs) quickly break down into glucose. Anything beyond 1 teaspoon must exit the bloodstream to prevent blood vessel damage. Where does this excess glucose go? It finds its way into fat cells, a protective measure against high glucose levels.
Another storage area of glucose is found in our liver and muscles which store around 2000 calories' of glucose for quick access. Once the initial teaspoon of glucose in circulation is used up (which only lasts a few minutes), the liver releases stored glucose into the bloodstream to keep glucose levels stable. This highly regulated process keeps your liver continually busy, managing blood sugar fluctuations triggered by meals and drinks.
Insulin, acts like a key and allows glucose entry into cells in order to reduce its levels in the bloodstream.
Elevated blood sugar requires more insulin. Over time, especially with age, this demand for insulin increases. Eventually, cells become resistant to the effects of insulin and this prevents glucose from leaving the bloodstream. Blood sugar levels rise, leading to pre-diabetes or diabetes diagnosis and we can often feel as if the diagnosis came out of nowhere.
This condition isn't sudden; it develops over many years. This emphasizes why relying solely on glucose and HbA1c measurements isn't effective—damage might have already occurred when these markers indicate a problem.
Here are some easy steps you can start today:
Monitor with Early Warning Blood Markers
Balancing Blood Sugar Beyond Diet
Enhancing Blood Sugar Regulation with Food
Decoding Food Labels for Blood Sugar Impact
Monitor with Early Warning Blood Markers
Ask your Dr to test fasting insulin in addition to glucose and HbA1c. Insulin will increase long before blood glucose (for at least 5-7 years). An optimal insulin level should be around 5.
Understanding this marker gives you the power to take action and make early changes that help prevent problems with your blood sugar.
It's always smarter to prevent rather than treating later on.
Balancing Blood Sugar Beyond Diet
When we're stressed, our body releases glucose because it thinks we need extra energy to handle the stress. It's a survival instinct.
Guess what causes most of our mental and emotional stress? Our thoughts! Seriously.
Here's a quick way to calm down that works for me - deep breathing.
Here's how: Breathe in through your nose for 4 counts. Hold it for 4 counts. Then breathe out through your mouth for 8 counts. Try this 5 times.
When you breathe out longer than you breathe in, it activates the vagus nerve which helps us move from a stressed to a relaxed state.
Find what works best for you.
Enhancing Blood Sugar Regulation with Food
Incorporate beneficial elements such as fats / fibre / protein into every meal and snack, giving special attention to breakfast for a day with steady energy and moods.
These essential components work wonders in slowing down the release of glucose, effectively preventing those troublesome spikes.
Consider introducing a handful of nuts, a spread of peanut butter, a drizzle of olive oil, a few olives, perhaps some hummus, a hard-boiled egg, or even a selection of crisp raw vegetables – you get the picture. This is particularly important when having a carb-rich meal.
Our objective is to have a gradual, wave-like pattern in your blood sugar levels, avoiding sharp peaks and dips. Spikes? Let's pass on those; they tend to lead to persistent cravings, plummeting energy, and an uncooperative mood throughout the day. A steadier journey sounds much more appealing, doesn't it?
Decoding Food Labels for Blood Sugar Impact
When you look at a food label, check how many carbs it has. Keep in mind, your body only needs 4 grams (which is teaspoon) of carbs or glucose to work well. Compare labels of different products and pick the one with the least ingredients (try for 5 or less) and the lowest amount of carbs.
Well, there you have it.
Some simple steps you can take to better manage your blood sugar.
Use an early warning marker
Have tools you can use to manage your stress
Include fibre/fat/protein at every meal/snack
Learn to read labels
You could also consider using a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) which is a small wearable device that keeps a constant check on your blood sugar levels by measuring the glucose in the fluid beneath your skin.
This smart device talks wirelessly to a receiver or an app on your smartphone. It gives you real-time updates and handy alerts, helping you stay on top of your blood sugar trends. This means you can make informed choices about your food, medications, stress and daily activities to manage your levels effectively and keep yourself feeling your best.
Interested in finding out more? Send a message or book a call.