Blood Sugar Balance is Key

Balancing blood sugar is important for everyone, not just for those with diabetes. It is particularly important for women in the perimenopause and menopause, when there is a decrease in the production of oestrogen and progesterone, which plays a major role in blood sugar fluctuations.

Balancing our blood sugar keeps us feeling energetic throughout the day, helps us cope with stress, regulates our weight, improves our mental performance and promotes a good night’s sleep. However, when disrupted, our blood sugar can lead to increased sugar cravings, irritability, poor sleep, brain fog, mood swings, anxiety, low energy and weight gain, and in the longer-term diabetes.

So, what IS blood sugar? 

The term ‘blood sugar’ simply refers to the amount of sugar in your blood at a given time. Sugar (or glucose) is produced when we break down carbohydrates from the food we eat. This is absorbed into our bloodstream to provide energy for our body.

How does balancing blood sugar work?

Every time we eat or drink, sugar (or glucose) from that food is released into our bloodstream. When our blood sugar rises, our body produces the hormone insulin, which carries the sugar out of the blood and into the cells for energy production.  Ideally, we want our blood sugar to stay within a healthy range, not too high or too low. If we’re eating a balanced meal, blood sugar will rise slightly and gradually come back down giving us a constant flow of energy. 

The problem arises when we eat a high sugar meal, as this causes blood sugar levels to spike. This leads to an over release of insulin to deal with the sudden rise in blood sugar, causing a blood sugar crash. The result is that you feel tired, irritable and hungry, craving sugary foods, or stimulants such as caffeine.

High levels of insulin also lead to weight gain, as result of all that glucose getting into our cells and any surplus glucose not used for energy production being stored as fat.

At the same time your body registers the low sugar levels and releases the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, that release sugar out of your body’s stores and into the blood. This leads to another blood sugar spike and so the blood sugar rollercoaster begins. But it’s not just sugar that can cause blood sugar imbalance. Stimulants like alcohol and caffeine, lack of sleep, emotional stress and over exercising can also trigger the release of cortisol. Over time, too much insulin can lead to insulin resistance, whereby cells stop responding to all that insulin, and in the longer term, type 2 diabetes.

Symptoms of blood sugar imbalance

These include:

• Irritability, anxiety, mood swings

• Sugar cravings (salty & sweet foods)

• Weight gain, particularly around the middle

• Poor sleep, night wakings

• Hot flushes, night sweats

• Brain fog, difficulty in concentrating

• Light headedness

• Headaches 

• Mid-afternoon energy slumps

• Headaches

• Increased Thirst 

• Blurred Vision 

• Frequent Urination
  

Ways to balance blood sugar

The good news is, disrupted blood sugar and insulin resistance can be corrected with changes in diet and lifestyle habits.

• Eat little and often. The idea is to get ahead of you hunger! Three small meals with two snacks in between will help avoid the blood sugar highs and lows that make you feel tired and low.

• Avoid ultra-processed foods, as these are high in sugar, saturated fats and additives, which are pro-inflammatory, promoting insulin resistance. These include processed meats (ham, sausages), fast foods, ice cream, breakfast cereals, biscuits, crisps, biscuits, carbonated drinks, fruit-flavoured yogurts and instant soups.

• Keep sugar and refined carbohydrates to a minimum, as these cause blood sugar to rise too quickly. These include white bread, rice and pasta.

• Eat a diet rich in fibre, including nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables and wholegrain carbohydrates (brown bread, pasta and brown rice) Fibre slows down the rate sugar is absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream, decreasing the amount of insulin released.

• Add protein at every meal and snack. Protein slows down digestion and sugar absorption.

• Include essential fatty acids. Choose oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, tuna ), nuts (walnuts), seeds (flax and chia seeds), avocados and eggs. These fats help boost insulin sensitivity and slow down the rate digestion.

• Reduce saturated fats, including read meat and dairy, as these reduce insulin sensitivity.

• Eat magnesium rich foods. This helps regulate the body’s response to stress, promotes sleep and is also essential for energy production. Add a portion of leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, broccoli or watercress to your daily meals.

• Avoid stimulants. Coffee, alcohol, fizzy drinks and cigarettes are stimulants as they stimulate your body to produce cortisol and insulin, causing blood sugar imbalances.

• Exercise daily. both aerobic and resistance training have been shown to improve in insulin sensitivity, the uptake of glucose into muscle cells, promoting blood sugar balance.

If you want help and guidance on how to keep your blood sugar balanced, please get in touch and we can have a chat about working together.