Why you should care about your blood sugar and where to start.
Blood sugar (or blood glucose) comes from the food we eat. Our bodies create it by digesting food into glucose, so that it circulates our bloodstream and can be used for energy now or stored in cells for later use.
It's absorbed by almost every cell in our body and by combining with oxygen (to form ATP), it powers our cells and fuels cell growth - it's important, fam.
The American Diabetes Association estimates 100 million+ people in the U.S. have health problems related to blood sugar imbalances AND that more than 80% of these people don’t even know it (whoof).
Signs include...
- Cravings
- Fatigue
- Resistant fat loss
- Decreased mental acuity
- Irritability
A little energy drop around 2p is pretty normal, but if we've got a full-blown crash that's a cry for help.
This can be an integral piece of our overall health affecting body composition, hormones, performance, sleep and hunger.
If you notice those things happening throughout the day and between meals, thennnn it's a good bet the following suggestions will be helpful.
1. Balance your plate with protein, veggie, starch & fat
Protein keeps levels steady, fat slows the absorption of your meal (which helps prevent spikes), & fiber slows the absorption of nutrients, specifically glucose. Starches are more tolerable when eaten in this combo as well - remember if you lift/exercise you'll likely need some starch for best results, so don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
2. Eat every 3-5 hours
Will prevent those crashes and encourage more consistency
3. Exercise
Walking after meals and resistance training have been found to lower blood sugar for several hours.
4. Minimize ADDED Sugar
Sugar is not the devil, but context is everything. Face slamming gummy bears is not the same thing as a whole fruit.
5. Sleep
Studies repeatedly show too little sleep is associated with higher A1c and blood glucose, weight gain, carb cravings, depression, hunger, even lower quality of life (yikes). Get ye to bed, fam
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Let's return to health, together.
