How to keep your blood sugar steady

Most of the times when we experience blood sugar swings we are unaware of where these uncomfortable strange feelings come from. All it takes is to make some simple adjustments to our diet and lifestyle to avoid those lousy feeling.

Our bodies use sugar (glucose) from foods as an energy - a form of fuel that keeps our bodies moving throughout the day. It is important to keep our sugar levels at check, meaning not too high neither too low, to help prevent any long-term consequences of fluctuations.

HIGH BLOOD SUGAR SYMPTOMS:

• Fatigue
• Increased thirst
• Blurry vision
• Frequent urination

LOW BLOOD SUGAR SYMPTOMS: (hypoglycemia)

• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Sweating
• Weakness
• Lack of coordination

HOW DOES YOUR BLOOD SUGAR GET OUT OF CONTROL?

Whenever your body notices raised blood sugar levels — be it from eating sweets or simple carbohydrates, your pancreas is told to release insulin (a hormone that is in charge of transporting glucose - sugar into cells, so it can be used as energy), which brings blood sugar levels back down.

This is usually the natural process, however what is not natural is the excessive amount of sugar and carbohydrates the average person consumes nowadays. This forces our blood glucose levels spike to unhealthy levels.

When this happens the body is naturally trying to help, as its supposed to by releasing insulin. But instead of blood sugar levels normalising - they crash (you know - sugar rush & crash). Meaning your blood sugar level falls below normal and you experience “hanger” (hunger + anger) as well as fatigue. This alarms the brain, and so in a natural response your body wants to get its blood sugar levels balanced, by telling you (yes you guessed it) to eat another sugar or carbohydrate rich food!

And so the viscous cycle of imbalance continues. Therefore, maintaining balanced blood sugar levels is very important for all of us — not just diabetics.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR BLOOD SUGAR AT CKECK:

EAT:

• NUTS
  Nuts contain healthy fats that help to slows down the body's absorption of sugar. But all in moderation, don't forget that nuts are high in calories due to their fat richness. 28g is a recommended amount of nuts per day.
• WHOLE GRAINS
  Such as oats, barley, and rye are super rich in soluble fiber. Meaning the amount of time it takes for your stomach digest foods after eating gsoluble fibre increases, hence prevents spikes in blood sugar.
• VEGETABLES
  Also full of fibre like whole grains. Aim for non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, cucumber, and spinach.On the other hand you can use starchy and fibre rich vegetables and fruit to be the primary source of carbohydrates.
• LEGUMES
  Legumes feed the healthy bacteria in the gut and therefore can help decrease insulin resistance.
• SPICES
  Spices such as cinnamon, oregano, curry and cumin that helps stimulate insulin.

DON'T:

• skip meals
• drink alcohol on an empty stomach

Did you know?
Slurred speech and dizziness, could actually be sing of low blood sugar rather than drunkenness!

DO:

• BE PREPARED
  If you are facing a busy day ahead prepare and carry some healthy snacks with you to prevent your blood sugar level to drop too low.
• MOVE
  Building up some muscle mass will helps us use more glucose (the sugar in your blood stream). So in the long run, exercise and becoming stronger can lower your blood sugar levels. It also makes the insulin in your body work better.
• SLEEP
  This is not only an important tip for overall health, but is also for maintaining a regular blood sugar levels. Lack of sleep can drastically reduce glucose tolerance.
• EAT OR SNACK HEALTHILY
  Three healthy meals a day with two nutritious snacks in between can help maintain stable blood sugar. Always start the day with breakfast, and remember that consuming large amount of foods in one sitting can causes greater fluctuations in you blood sugar levels. People often avoid snacks because they are afraid that snacking will promote weight gain. However, a healthy snack can offer health benefits. The only trick is to choose snacks with about 100-200 calories. A mix of protein, carbohydrates, and some healthy fats. A healthy snack in between meals will help you control your hunger, so that you reach our for unhealthy junk food.

BEST SNACK IDEAS TO KEEP  YOUR BLOOd SUGAR STEADY:

• 1 apple + handful of almonds
• 1/2 coconut yogurt + handful of berries
• 1 tbsp peanut butter + 2 celery sticks
• 3 crackers + 1/2 avocado
• 1 apple + 1 tbsp peanut butter + 1 square of dark chocolate
• 1 banana + handful of cashew nuts
• 1/2 greek yogurt and handful of oats
• 1 hard boiled egg + 6 cucumber slices
• 1 carrot sticks + 1 tbsp of hummus
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese + handful of walnuts
• 84g tuna + 2 celery sticks
• 28g of trail mix
• chia pudding

Snacking your way to weight loss? YES! It' possible, read more HERE...