Stabilizing your blood sugar is THE best way to slow down the visual aging process (like preventing wrinkles and fine lines), maintain a strong immune system, sleep really well, have lots of great energy, a positive happy mood, ward off disease, and get/stay slim!
On an everyday basis, I bet your blood sugar doesn’t typically cross your mind. It’s more the underlying factor to things people think about more often like those examples above. In addition, most people end up eating a LOT more sugar per day than they realize. Check out the example I gave in this post to see where sugar might be lurking in your food.
So what is blood sugar exactly?
It is glucose, the form of sugar that’s in our bloodstream and is our body’s primary source of fuel that provides the energy for our muscles, metabolism, and brain.
After we eat, glucose (a natural molecule found in sugar and simple carbs) enters our bloodstream quickly which causes a spike in our blood sugar level. This is what causes the release of the hormone insulin to help absorb glucose and use it to function.
Fun side note: glucose also releases two other hormones: leptin (appetite suppressor) and ghrelin (appetite increaser). Whole grains, proteins, healthy fats, and foods low in sugar suppress ghrelin which helps us feel fuller longer.
Certain foods cause a much bigger spike than others, especially processed foods like white bread, pasta, cookies, and chips. With chronic high insulin levels over time, it can cause fat storage, insulin resistance, and diabetes.
What are signs your blood sugar is too high?
If you notice any or multiple of these symptoms, your blood sugar may be spiking. Use some of the tips below this top help bring it down as soon as you can:
- Your heart rate suddenly speeds up
- You’re very thirsty
- You start sweating for no reason
- You feel strangely anxious or nervous
- Your vision is blurry
- You’re fatigue, weak
- You’re having a hard time concentrating
- You get a headache
How can you easily lower your blood sugar naturally?
The good news is that it doesn’t take a lot of work to stabilize your blood sugar and improve your overall health and well-being now – and into the future!
These are all simple tips but really do make a huge impact. Pick one, two, or a couple to try on a regular basis:
Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day
Dehydration can drive up blood sugar by increasing the hormone: vasopressin. This hormone boosts glucose levels in the blood stream.
Eat breakfast…include protein/fats
Breakfast is an important part of the day to balance blood sugar. If you are not hungry for breakfast (any time before 9:30am, doesn’t need to be the second you wake up), it indicates that you may suffer slow digestion due to inadequate stomach acid. It can also be a sign that your stress hormones are out of whack.
When we skip breakfast, the body increases production of stress hormones and starts to break down muscle to use for energy. It’s a very stressful situation for the body and wreaks havoc on blood sugar balance for the rest of the day.
Focus on fat and protein at breakfast, rather than carbs. Save those for later in the day.
Keep your gut bugs happy
We have good bacteria in our gut that helps stabilize blood sugar, so it’s important to keep your intestinal gut flora healthy. Do this by eating fermented foods and/or taking a quality probiotic.
Don’t snack right before your workout
When you exercise, your muscles take glucose out of your bloodstream for fuel. When you’ve used up your available glucose, your body burns fat for fuel.
BUT if you eat too much/close to your sweat session, your body never needs to burn that fat. This applies to most situations where people workout 30 to 50 minutes.
Everyone’s body is different for what they can handle before working out. For me personally, I exercise first thing in the morning after a glass of room temp lemon water and feel fabulous! If I waited until later in the day and had eaten within 2 hours of trying to jump around, I feel awful.
Get moving after lunch
If you eat then sit for hours at your desk, the sugar from your meal builds up. If you do something active though, like taking a walk outside or my old favorite: some squats in the bathroom, your cells will use that glucose as fuel so your blood sugar level stays steadier. Give yourself at least an hour before you do even a light movement activity.
Skip the artificial sweeteners
Even the fake stuff increases your blood sugar! They affect gut bacteria in a way that makes the body more intolerant to glucose, which boost blood sugar. They also have been shown to increase sweet cravings too!
Load up on healthy fats
Quality fat slows down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream and prevents sugar highs and sugar crashes. This keeps us full longer so we can reach or maintain a healthy weight.
I used to literally live off of a fat-free or low-fat diet for YEARS. What I didn’t realize was all of that fat that was traditionally in the foods I ate was replaced with sugar and refined carbohydrates. This set me up for a mega sugar addiction with cravings and constant hunger. My top 2 favorite sources for healthy fats: avocado and coconut oil.
Be consistent with your zzz’s
Sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on our blood sugar in lots of ways. In one study, sleep deprived participants experience a decrease of cortisol that was 6 times slower than usual. The higher evening cortisol levels are linked to insulin resistance. It also drastically reduces glucose tolerance making it more difficult for cells to uptake glucose, creating higher blood sugar. See how it affects your metabolism too here!
Avoid sugar, simple carbs, and stimulants
Last but not least the no-brainer. They’re the main culprits of blood sugar spikes. Caffeine, nicotine, and even alcohol (though it’s not a stimulant) also all cause our blood sugar to rise due to a spike in adrenaline.
