Balance your blood sugars naturally with these tips
Do you ever find yourself having energy highs after eating, only to crash a short time later? If so, your blood sugar level could be to blame.
While we often hear about blood sugars in the context of health concerns like insulin resistance and diabetes, blood sugar regulation can affect all of us.
So understanding how to keep your levels steady can help you to feel healthier on a daily basis.
What are the benefits of balancing your blood sugar?
First up, let’s look at why you might like to work on ways to keep your blood glucose steady:
Better energy throughout the day – instead of highs and lows, you’ll have a slow feed of energy into your system
Improved cognitive function – including better concentration and less brain fog
Reduced cravings – particularly for high carbohydrate and sweet foods
Improved mood – you’re less likely to feel anxious (during highs) and depressed (during lows) as a result
Lower levels of inflammation and oxidative stress
Reduced risk of developing insulin resistance
Greater awareness around hunger cues and when you need more fuel (compared to eating out of habit or emotional eating)
And all of these are benefits we can all reap – it’s not just those with impaired blood glucose regulation.
Simple tips to get you started
Pair your choices with fibre and protein
You might have heard of the term ‘naked carbs’ before. And no, it’s nothing inappropriate – it simply refers to carbohydrates that you consume without any other nutrient source. Most often, it refers to simple carbohydrates that are low in fibre.
While we can enjoy a variety of foods in moderation, the key to a balanced blood sugar is to never leave your carbs ‘naked’. Instead, pair them with a source of fibre and/or protein. This will slow down the absorption of the carbohydrate, leading to steadier blood sugar over a period of time.
For example, if you were to eat plain pasta, you would have a naked carbohydrate that would give you a big surge in glucose uptake. And to balance that out, your body would produce lots of insulin to store it away. This would drop your blood sugar rapidly and leave you feeling fatigued, cranky and likely hungry again!
But if you served that pasta with a big scoop of bolognaise sauce and a side salad, the protein and fibre of the additions would slow the absorption. Your body wouldn’t produce as much insulin, so you would have access to that energy in your system over several hours instead.
Eat your meal in order
While the research is still in early stages, the order that you eat your meal in may have an impact on how your blood sugar responds.
Some research supports starting with dietary fibre sources (such as salad), while other studies recommend beginning with protein. But the key is to eat your major carbohydrate source at the end of your meal.
By ‘pre-loading’ with protein, fibre and fats, you can slow the rate that your body takes up sugar into the bloodstream. And as a result, your blood sugar will rise at a slower rate over a longer period of time.
Get moving
One of the easiest ways to keep your blood sugars steady, even after an indulgence? Add some physical activity in.
This can be as simple as going for a gentle walk around the block – ideally within an hour of eating your meal. Exercising moves sugar into your muscles, keeping your blood sugar level from rising too quickly.
If you have a condition such as insulin resistance, diabetes or PCOS, this can be particularly useful to keep your post-prandial blood sugars in check.
Of course, you don't want to go overboard with intensity. Gentle movement for 15-20 minutes is plenty to reap the benefits (and avoid downsides such as feeling sick!)
Don’t skimp on sleep
Another lesser-known factor in blood sugar regulation is how much sleep you get (and the quality, of course!)
In fact, a single night of partial sleep deprivation, or 4hrs of sleep, can temporarily induce insulin resistance in healthy people. This is why you might find yourself making less healthy food choices after a late night!
Over time, this can lead to the development of insulin resistance. Unfortunately, women are particularly prone to this effect. One study found that getting under 6.2hrs sleep per night for 6 weeks saw insulin resistance increase by nearly 15%. For post-menopausal women in the study, it increased by 20%!
So if you want your blood sugar to stay stable, make sure that you’re getting plenty of shut-eye most nights.
Need to work on your sleep? These tips will help you do just that.
Remember to manage your stress
Yes, stress affects everything – even your blood sugar regulation! This is more commonly seen in people who have insulin resistance or diabetes, but it can affect anyone.
When we are under stress, we produce hormones such as adrenaline. These hormones will increase blood sugar levels to allow us access to quick energy. But if this continues to happen over time, it can lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
If you struggle to control your stress, this article can help you get started.