Now we may hear the term ‘blood sugar’ and not really take much notice of it; often, a lot of the time people only correlate blood sugar with diabetes, so they don’t feel the need to worry about it themselves.
Blood sugar dysregulation can play a large role in our overall health, directly correlated to insulin and inflammation. With inflammation being one of the most influential factors for various diseases, it’s important we all take it seriously.
What is blood sugar, and why does it affect my health?
When you eat, your pancreas will release what is called ‘insulin’ – insulin is essential in maintaining normal blood sugar glucose levels. However, if you are eating a poor diet that is too high in sugar or are putting yourself through continuous high blood sugar spikes, your body will begin to resist the insulin, and you can become insulin resistant. Resulting in elevated levels of glucose in the blood (which we do not want). Leading to type 2 diabetes and metabolic conditions.
When it comes to blood sugar, the goal is to maintain a somewhat steady state throughout the day (not a completely flat line all day); however, a consistent level of baseline to return to. The issues begin when your blood sugar spikes constantly and quickly throughout the day, leading to dysregulation and an increased chance of insulin resistance.
So what does this mean, how do I achieve this?
1: The quality of our food matters regarding blood sugar. Sugar also plays a large role here, which may be no surprise. Reducing your overall sugar intake would be the most important starting point. Take the time to address your diet, and look into where all of your sugars may be creeping into the day.
2: Include all macronutrients. Understanding the differences within your macronutrients is a great place to start. Macronutrients consist of protein, fats and carbohydrates. You will find information and videos about all of these within your app. The pairing of these macronutrients is beyond important when factoring in blood sugar regulation. Carbs on their own? You’re asking for a big spike here, as carbs alone have nothing to assist with the gradual, slow incline that we are hoping for and will show quick, instant spikes with a hard come down. This is why when we eat carbs, we are often hungry again within an hour.
The goal would be to include a source of carb, fat and protein all within a meal or snack, to create that long-lasting, consistent steady increase. Allowing for a gradual decline and ideally keeping you full for 3-4 hours.
3: Fiber, first! Fibre has been shown to play a dramatic role in controlling blood sugar levels as the body cannot absorb and break down fibre as quickly as it would for a carbohydrate, meaning it doesn’t cause as high of a spike. Eating your veggies or salad at the beginning of a meal ensures that you have given yourself a chance to work through the next part of your meal whilst keeping your blood sugar levels in range.
4: Move! Walking in any capacity has decreased the blood sugar spike substantially. Even as short as 5 minutes can help, however the more, the merrier. If you can’t walk, using your muscles will also help. Think calf raises at your desk, twiddling your thumbs in a meeting or being that person who always shakes their leg!
5: Eat a savoury breakfast. When you think about this one, it makes sense! Eating a sweet breakfast triggers our blood sugar response to drop back down, and then crave the sweets again. Eating a sweet breakfast can lead you on a blood sugar rollercoaster for the day, which consistently, over time can be detrimental to our health. If you are consuming a sweet breakfast, ensure you’ve got an adequate amount of protein and fat and a small amount of carbohydrate.
E.g. yoghurt with protein powder and collagen, a handful of nuts and seeds.
A handful of oats cooked in almond milk with protein powder, chia seeds and nut butter.
Start with one thing today, and gradually increase these habits over time!
Hijikata, Y., & Yamada, S. (2011). Walking just after a meal seems to be more effective for weight loss than waiting for one hour to walk after a meal. International journal of general medicine, 447-450.
Rahman MS, Hossain KS, Das S, Kundu S, Adegoke EO, Rahman MA, Hannan MA, Uddin MJ, Pang M-G. Role of Insulin in Health and Disease: An Update. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(12):6403. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22126403
Tsalamandris S, Antonopoulos AS, Oikonomou E, et al. The Role of Inflammation in Diabetes: Current Concepts and Future Perspectives. Eur Cardiol. 2019;14(1):50-59. doi:10.15420/ecr.2018.33.1
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