There is a normal and healthy range of sugar levels in our blood. The problem doesn’t start until these levels become too high for too long.

When we eat food containing carbohydrates, our digestive system breaks down the sugar and/or starch into smaller sugars, like glucose. These smaller sugars are then absorbed into our bloodstream. This naturally raises our blood sugar level. When our blood sugar gets too high, the pancreas (a gland in our digestive system) sends out insulin. Insulin is a hormone that tells our muscles, liver and cells to grab that sugar from the blood. These cells use the sugar they need for energy now, and store the rest for later.

The amount of sugar in your blood is constantly flowing up and down. Up when we eat; and down as it’s used or stored. This is all good and healthy!

Blood sugar imbalance (insulin resistance & type-2 diabetes)

The problem begins when the “ups” get too high, and stay there for too long.

A common culprit of high blood sugar is processed sugar, like in sweetened beverages and desserts; or refined carbohydrates like white bread, rice, and pasta.

Over the years, if we frequently eat a lot of sugar and have increased body fat, our bodies can change. The muscle and liver cells start ignoring insulin’s call to absorb sugar from the blood. They become “insulin resistant.” When this happens, the sugar stays in the blood for a lot longer than normal. Blood sugar levels become too high for too long.

The pancreas continues to release even more insulin. When this happens you have the paradox of high blood sugar and high insulin.

• Some symptoms of insulin resistance are:
• Fatigue after meals
• Sugar cravings that don’t go away, even if sweets are eaten
• Increased thirst
• Weight gain around the abdomen

Insulin resistance puts you at risk of weight gain, makes it very difficult to lose weight, and of course, increases the likelihood of type 2 diabetes.

The good news about blood sugar imbalance

The good news is, blood sugar balance can be improved with simple changes to nutrition and lifestyle! What you eat, how much exercise, getting good rest, and how you handle stress are all factors that can influence blood sugar levels.

10 tips for keeping blood sugar balanced

Here are 10 strategies to help you better balance your blood sugar:

1. Stop eating and drinking things that are mostly sugar

First things first. Reduce sugar. I’m talking sweetened beverages, many desserts, breakfast cereal, and even seemingly-healthy choices like some granola bars and flavoured yogurt. Significantly reducing these will give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to better blood sugar levels. That’s why it’s my number one recommendation.

2. Reduce Refined Carbohydrates

Your body digests starches by breaking them down into sugar. By reducing the amount of refined carbohydrates you eat (bread, pasta, white rice, baked goods), you can reduce that blood sugar spike that happens right after you eat. Studies have shown that one of the strongest predictors of blood sugar response is the total amount of carbohydrates in a meal so reducing your overall carbohydrate intake is an important piece of the puzzle.

Choose low glycemic foods that are higher in fibre, fat and protein. Examples are meat, seafood, eggs, legumes, sweet potatoes, avocado, nuts and most fruit and non-starchy vegetables.

NOTE: Eating a low glycemic food along with a high glycemic food will help to slow down the blood sugar rise from the higher glycemic food. It’s not just the single food that matters, but the rest of the meal also affects your blood sugar.Which leads us to:

3. Eat more fibre

You’ve heard that “fibre makes you regular,” right? It’s so healthy. Most people don’t eat nearly enough. The recommended daily intake of fibre for adults is 25g – 35+ g per day.

This nutrient is not just for “regularity” and gut health, but also for blood sugar balance too.

It works by slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates from your meal. Some of the highest fibre foods include beans, lentils, and whole grains.

4. Eat your protein and non-starchy veggies first

Since blood sugar is affected by the amount of carbohydrates you eat, studies have also looked at the order in which you eat different foods.
A few small studies looked at adults with type 2 diabetes. They all had the same meal, but some were asked to eat their protein and fibrous (i.e. non-starchy) vegetables first; while others ate their carbohydrates first. They found that people who ate the protein and vegetables first had better blood sugar control.

It’s thought that when we eat carbohydrates first, we start digesting them right away. But, if we eat them after our protein and fibrous vegetables, they have a chance to mix in with the rest of the food in your stomach. This can slow down their absorption, which slows down how fast and high our blood sugar gets after we eat.
The effects of changing food order hasn’t been tested in many big studies, but it seems to be a simple and safe habit to get into to help our bodies better regulate blood sugar levels So why not try to eat your protein and fibrous vegetables first, and starches last. It can’t hurt!

5. Fruit is ok, especially dark berries

Unless your doctor or health practitioner has said otherwise,fruit and the fruit sugar “fructose” are generally ok. A diet high in fruits and vegetables is great for your health. They contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Eating whole (not processed or juiced) fruits can help with blood sugar balance. Berries are particularly good, as they contain a lot of fibre and not a lot of sugar. Not to mention that they’re delicious!

Berries, especially dark berries, contain pigments known as “anthocyanins.” These dark-coloured pigments have lots of health benefits including helping sugar metabolism in people with insulin resistance.You can get enough anthocyanins from a regular serving of dark berries, so give them a try!

6. Try these blood-sugar balancing flavourings (vinegar & cinnamon)

Try having two tablespoons of vinegar shortly before or with a meal that contains sugars or starches.

Why? Because a recent analysis of several studies (a meta-analysis) showed that vinegar can lower blood sugar by up to 60% and the insulin by up to 130% compared to the same meal without vinegar. This worked for insulin-resistant people. Even healthy people had a significant benefit.

Cinnamon can help to lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. This effect can happen with even less than one teaspoon per day.

It’s thought that cinnamon works by slowing the emptying of the stomach. Slower emptying means slower absorption and slower blood sugar rise after a meal. Cinnamon also contains antioxidant polyphenols (plant chemicals) that may improve insulin sensitivity.

7. Get enough good quality sleep

Our bodies are wired to work along the sun’s schedule. The objective is to wake up when the sun comes up, and get tired when it goes down. Not enough sleep can affect many of our body’s systems, including blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. It can also increase appetite and promote weight gain.

Even one or two nights of poor sleep can affect our blood sugar levels.

8. Exercise

Insulin signals your muscle cells to store fuel (glucose) for later use. Guess what it’s storing it for? Exercise!

Exercise will improve your health in many ways, including reducing blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity. Exercise causes your muscle cells to absorb and burn more sugar from the blood. This goes for both medium- and high-intensity exercise. Remember, the sugar that doesn’t get burned as energy will be stored as fat! It is a great idea to get up and move after your meals – this will stimulate uptake of glucose into your cells.

9. Reduce your stress

Stress activates our fight or flight response. Stress hormones, like cortisol, cause stored sugar to be released into our bloodstream. Your body needs fuel (sugar) to be physically ready to deal with stress. The problem is chronic stress and chronically elevated blood sugar increases inflammation in our bodies and contributes to disease formation.

Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga can help to reduce stress and lower blood sugar levels.

10. Lose excess weight

This is kind of a big and super-complex one, so I left it until the end. Research shows that belly fat, overweight, and obesity are linked with blood sugar balance issues like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Weight loss and reduced waist circumference can work as well as, if not better, than medications. If you’re concerned this might be a factor for you, start by reading about my framework for sustainable weight loss in this article A Weight Loss Strategy That Works.

Summary

If your blood sugar is creeping up, there are some nutrition and lifestyle upgrades you can make for better health. You have power to help manage your blood sugar with these key strategies:

• Stop eating and drinking things that are mostly sugar
• Reduce refined carbohydrates
• Eat more fibre
• Eat your protein and fibrous vegetables first
• Fruit is ok, especially dark berries
• Try these blood-sugar balancing flavourings (vinegar & cinnamon)
• Get enough good quality sleep
• Exercise
• Reduce your stress
• Lose excess weight

If you are unsure where to start or need a little help navigating these nutrition and lifestyle changes, contact me. The right support will make healthy eating taste great, keep you motivated, and will help you make sustainable changes that your whole family will enjoy.