Managing Blood Sugar

Managing BLOOD SUGAR

Leveraging your blood sugar is EASY and worth your attention...

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.

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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 & 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:

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.

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Eat every 3-5 hours

This will prevent those crashes and encourage more consistency.

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Exercise

Lifting in particular can help lower blood sugar for several hours. Walking after meals is a great tactic.

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Minimize ADDED Sugar

Sugar is not the devil, but context is everything. Face slamming gummy bears probs won't end well, but you shouldn't be afraid of whole fruit.

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Sleep

Studies repeatedly show too little sleep is associated with higher A1c & blood glucose, weight gain, carb cravings, depression, hunger, even lower quality of life (yikes). Get ye to bed, fam.