What's Important to Know About Blood Sugar Health
Our bodies need sugar to survive.
But, as with everything, our bodies like balance. And the same goes with sugar.
Our bodies naturally regulate blood sugar to find that perfect range through the use of hormones. When our blood sugar drops, the hormone Glucagon is released to signify to the body that we need to find food. And likewise, when we do eat, the hormone Insulin is released to help balance the sugar in the blood so it’s optimal for energy and you stay well within the healthy range.
There is a lot of fear and fear-mongering around sugar these days. So what I want to do is take a look at what’s most important to know about sugar and our health and help you have a calm & relaxed approach to caring for your body and blood sugar, specifically.
WHAT WE EAT & BLOOD SUGAR
When we eat, our blood sugar increases in different ways based on the food that. we eat. Something that is more protein-forward won’t increase the blood sugar as much as something that is more carb-forward (just a fact that doesn’t mean carby foods are bad).
“Simple” carbs are carbohydrate foods that are known to not have fiber. These are great for a quick boost of energy through a quick release of glucose. These foods are easy for our body to get energy from so they’re great if you need sugar quickly. “Simple” carbs include “white” carbohydrate products like white rice, pasta, white bread. “Complex” carbs are carbohydrate sources that include fiber which makes them not as easy to draw glucose from so they’re great for longer-lasting energy. These include whole-wheat or whole-grain products.
WHAT INFLUENCES BLOOD SUGAR?
As I mentioned, our bodies need sugar to survive. Glucose (aka sugar) is what gives our cells energy and our brains rely mostly on energy from glucose.
When we eat anything with glucose in it, naturally and without us needing to think about it, insulin is released to keep our blood sugar in a healthy range. And likewise, when we need more sugar, glucagon is released to signal to our liver that we need more glucose released.
So, what we eat impacts our blood sugar BUT for healthy human beings, our body does the work to get our blood sugar where it needs to be to be healthy.
Another factor that influences blood sugar is stress. Yep, you heard me right. Stress signals to your liver that it needs to release more glucose as a way to protect us… It always comes back to our bodies working to keep us safe! So, could we even say that stressing out around food and sugar can also be a culprit in higher blood glucose levels?
And lastly, illness. Just like with stress, your body senses that something is off and releases more glucose as a protective mechanism.
3 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PROMOTE HEALTHY BLOOD SUGAR
I don’t want to gloss over the fact that for healthy human beings, our body has our back when it comes to blood sugar and we really don’t need to overcomplicate or try so hard to “control” our blood sugar.
But, there are some basic gentle nutrition things to consider that will support you feeling good & your blood sugar staying pretty regulated. It is totally normal for blood sugar to have ups and downs as you go through your day. When you eat, blood sugar increases and as you use that energy, blood sugar decreases. This is NORMAL.
What we want to consider, though, is how can we decrease the ups and downs so that they aren’t extreme. And how you do this is by…. wait for it… honoring your hunger and fullness!
EAT REGULARLY USING HUNGER & FULLNESS CUES
The BEST way to promote healthy blood sugar is by eating according to your hunger and fullness cues. When you let yourself get too hungry and your blood sugar drop, your body is going to release more stored glucose. And then, when you do eat, you may overeat and reach for “quick” carbohydrates (or simple carbohydrates) that are great for certain circumstances. But, they will spike your blood sugar up even more since they lack the fiber that complex carbohydrates contain.
MOVE YOUR BODY CONSISTENTLY
Another great way to promote healthy blood sugar is regular physical activity. Moving your body in any way, shape, or form is going to promote insulin sensitivity meaning your body is better at using insulin to decrease your blood sugar level when you do eat. This is why joyful movement is so important! When you find movement that you love and that you can be consistent with you are that much more inclined to do it regularly!
PAIR HIGHER CARBOHYDRATE FOODS WITH PROTEIN AND/OR FIBER
There is nothing wrong with having a slice of birthday cake or any cake for that matter. But, something to think about that will not only make you feel better and not have those sugar highs and lows is pairing carbohydrate foods with protein or fiber. This is a little “gentle nutrition” tip that will help your blood sugar not spike quite so high when you do eat.
So, for example, if you are eating a bowl of pasta, throw some chicken or turkey meatballs or vegetarian protein source on top. When you eat a snack, consider having something with carbs & protein or fiber. Not only will you feel more energized longer because you’re not going to get that high boost of energy that will crash you in an hour, but also your blood sugar won’t spike so quick.
What I hope you gain from this post is that your body is smart & you can do some very simple things to care for your body & blood sugar. With just a little body & nutrition knowledge, most people can have healthy blood sugar without stressing about it.
So, I’d love to know… did you learn anything from this? Do you feel more empowered with taking care of your blood sugar?
PS: If you want this in podcast form, come check out the Redefining Health Podcast.
Click to listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, or Google.