You’ll feel better. Live longer. Have more vigor and vim!
Blood sugar. I’m talking about blood sugar. What were you thinking??? Cheeky!
I know, pretty boring…but it’s not. It’s actually super important to know about. It’s not just something diabetics need to know. It affects all of us.
When your blood sugar is swinging up and down you’re putting everything under stress: body, mind, emotions and spirit.
Blood sugar stabilizing (stopping it from swinging up and down) is important for reducing stress. And for lessening feelings of anxiety. Plus, there are many other benefits you will find from maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Go here for how you can learn more.
Blood Sugar Defined…
As defined in the dictionary, blood sugar is the glucose (sugar) in blood that rises and falls depending upon what we eat. All carbohydrates are ultimately converted to glucose to be used by the body as fuel for the brain and muscles.
When we are feeling low on energy (the dip) we often crave sugar or caffeine. Caffeine appears to release stored glucose. And we instinctively know that these substances will raise our energy (or sugar) level quickly.
So, what’s wrong with that?
The problem is that this high concentration overloads the body, causing the levels to swing up above normal. Woot woot! We get a lift. The boost of energy we crave. But, then the body is out of whack. Our energy level falls rapidly to way below normal. Then we feel even more tired and crave more sugar or caffeine…so, we have another cup of coffee, glass of coke, sugary snack…our energy swings up again and crashes down again…over and over!
It’s all about the body chemicals, or hormones, that are released. What the body is trying to do, is to be in balance. Not too high, not too low. Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears…just right!
So, riding on the chemical roller coaster leads to irritability, depression, anxiety, confusion and fatigue. And if that isn’t sucky enough, it then becomes an addiction cycle! (By the way: We are not nurturing and taking care of ourselves when we are in this pattern.
What do we need? Balance. When do we want it? NOW
Ideally we want a strong, steady level of energy all day long. Because we want to avoid the swings up and down by eating healthy food in healthy amounts. So, we need to avoid sugar and caffeine, and instead eat whole foods that are digested slowly.
These are complex carbohydrates: fruits, vegetables, grains. (I know, I know, you’ve gone Keto. Just eat the fruits and veggies if you must, but no one can cut out carbs altogether and be healthy. And yes, of course you lose weight when you take out one food group. But we’ll talk about that another time.)
Because complex carbs slowly release their energy into the body.
Whole foods, with simple, easy to pronounce names, like carrot and squash–well, they’re slow burning fuel.
As a Natural Health Consultant I suggest most people need to:
Eat three meals a day and two to three snacks, so your body is receiving quality energy all day
Here’s some simple ways to start making sure your body has happy blood sugar levels:
- Start replacing sugar with fresh fruit. Whenever you crave something sweet try eating an apple. Apples are nature’s fast food–easy to carry with you and easy to eat! You may feel deprived at first, but you will adapt and eventually find those sugary snacks too sweet.
- Start kicking coffee by using good quality decaffeinated coffee. The taste without the caffeine. If you are a heavy coffee user, wean yourself off by cutting the number of cups you drink daily. Caffeine withdrawal produces bad headaches which may be an excuse to give up. Go slowly, this is a process of loving, not punishing you. Try herbal teas. Buy sample packs and find your favorites. Try coffee substitutes, you may find you like them. And seriously, one or two cups of joe a day isn’t going to kill you. It’s the constant replenishing the caffeine buzz that will! Bullet Proof? The lovely butter fats are slow fuel and so good for the brain, and it’s harder to over-dose.
- And drink water! At least six glasses daily. (Although I prefer eight to ten myself.) Don’t like water? Try fizzy spring water with ice and a slice of lemon in a beautiful glass. Put some pleasant tasting chlorophyll into the water. (Nature’s Sunshine has a spearmint oil added.) Take a 1.5 liter bottle of water with you in the morning. Promise yourself you’ll finish it by bedtime, then finish it by noon and feel pleased with yourself!
If you would like to learn more about “Eating Well as Part of Loving Yourself” and integrating good eating habits into your life, give me a call or drop me a line and we’ll set you up with an appointment and get you started on a personalized wellness program or take the fabulous SchoolofCT Course Nutrition 101.
And remember the important thing about blood sugar ~ keep it up!
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