Hello Beautiful Friend,
Today I want to talk blood sugars and how properly maintaining your blood sugars can lead to reduced cravings and hunger, less fat, better energy and sleep, and ward off diseases like diabetes.*
All food is broken down into sugar which gets taken into your cells (by insulin) and used for energy.
However, all food is not created equal. And if you don’t take care of yourself and overeat, skip exercise and over pack your schedules, your system starts to breakdown.
Sweets, liquid sugar (juices, sodas, and some coffee drinks), and refined carbohydrates (white breads, pasta, crackers, chips) when eaten alone can spike your blood sugars. And with every spike there comes a crash.
This blood sugar (BS) roller coaster of spikes and crashes can lead to extreme cravings, low energy, fatigue, weight gain, and binge eating despite your best willpower efforts.
Overtime this BS roller coaster can lead to insulin resistance, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), obesity and even diabetes.
Have no fear because below is a method to get you off the BS roller coaster for good.
I’ve witnessed the power of this method first hand because I suffered from extreme hypoglycemia. My cravings for sweets were crazing, my hunger was out of control, and my weight kept increasing despite my best efforts. Diabetes runs in my family and hypoglycemia is a precursor to diabetes so I knew I had to make changes fast. Thankfully the body wants to heal and changing my eating patterns and lifestyle I overcame my hypoglycemia and its symptoms.
Here is how to get off the blood sugar roller coaster. The beauty of eating this way is weight naturally falls off, energy levels improve and cravings vanish. Wahoo!
4 Ways to Get Off the BS Roller Coaster
1. Eat a protein and fiber filled breakfast. Protein and fiber slow down the digestive process which slows down the rate sugar reaches your blood stream. Try a protein packed green smoothie, eggs with sautéed veggies, or an Ezekiel English muffin with peanut butter.
2. Avoid drinking coffee of an empty stomach first thing in the am. Caffeine is dehydrating, can suppress the appetite and can wack your blood sugars for the rest of the day. If you must have your morning cup of joe, drink it after your smoothie.
3. Swap refined carbohydrates for ones filled with natural sugars and fiber. Switch out your white bread for 100% whole grain bread with at least 4 grams of fiber. Substitute your sweets treats for fruits or a square of 75%+ dark cocoa chocolate. My favorites: Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta as an alternative to refined pasta noodles and Ezekiel Brand Breads and muffins.
4. Pair all carbs with protein and a bit of healthy fat. Eating a protein with a carb will slow down digestion therefore keeping your energy high and cravings low. A pinch of a health fat (avocados, flax seed, olives, nuts and seeds) signals your satiety mechanism and will leave you feeling fuller for longer.
Following the 4 tips above is a great place to start. This is a big topic so I plan on re-visiting it in future posts.
In the meantime I want you to check out The Blood Sugar Solution: The UltraHealthy Program for Losing Weight, Preventing Disease and Feeling Great Now,” by Mark Hyman MD.I used this book as reference for my Step Up for Diabetes presentation since it contains cutting edge, science based, a program for getting your blood sugars back on track and shocking facts on diabetes.
Did you know?
Diabetes effects 80% of overweight people AND 40% of people of normal weight. And is the #4 killer of Americans. Scary! However, it is preventable through diet and lifestyle changes.
Knowledge is power so put on your nerd cap and read up.
Take action now:
Choose one of the 4 tips above it start implementing this week. Make sure to share what you are going to do in the comments section below for extra accountability.
In health,
Jackie
*Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependent diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is when there is a metabolic breakdown where the body does not produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars. In this post I am referring to type 2 diabetes.
PS: We are in week 2 of the Step Up for Diabetes Pedometer Challenge at ms consultants. When we reach 58 million steps by the end of the 8-week challenge ms consultants is going to donate $10,000 dollars to local diabetes chapters. Follow out progress #msSUD.
Curious about how using a pedometer can help you lose weight? Check out this blog post.