Blood Sugar Balance
Why balance your blood sugars?
For a diabetic person, managing blood sugars is a daily routine, and more than often, a chore.
Non-diabetic people don’t know their luck. Their blood sugar levels are kept levelled without them even taking notice: neither too high as too much sugar in the blood is of no use to the body, nor too low as it needs enough energy to perform its many functions.
However, sometimes things get a little out of balance.
If at least one of these statements applies to you, it’s probably a good idea to support your body with helpful food and lifestyle choices.
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You’re more likely to develop insulin resistance if your diet and lifestyle aren’t supporting balanced blood sugars.
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This could be a sign of imbalanced blood sugars.
Regardless whether diabetes runs in the family, your diet and lifestyle might make it difficult for your body to balance blood sugars. -
Chronic inflammation reduces insulin sensitivity (more on this below in the Q&A). This means it’s more difficult for your body to balance your blood sugars.
Many factors can cause your body to be inflamed - such as autoimmune disorders, exposure to pollution or industrial chemicals and untreated infections or injuries.
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Low oestrogen levels reduce insulin sensitivity, making it more difficult for your body to balance your blood sugars.
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This could be a sign of imbalanced blood sugars.
Regardless whether diabetes runs in the family, your diet and lifestyle might make it difficult for your body to balance blood sugars.
Q&A
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Insulin resistance is when body cells don't respond properly to insulin.
Because the body cannot use the insulin as it should, increased levels of glucose stays in the blood.
Reducing insulin resistance helps lower blood sugar levels.
Insulin sensitivity describes how sensitive the body cells are to the effects of insulin.
The more sensitive, the less insulin is required to efficiently lower blood sugars.
Improving insulin sensitivity helps lower blood sugar levels.
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When insulin resistance (IR) creeps in, glucose is removed less efficiently from the bloodstream. Blood sugar levels tend then to be higher.
If IR isn’t addressed, it can lead to type 2 diabetes.
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Having sugar cravings doesn’t mean you have diabetes. But if you feel you rely on sugar to keep going, and experience symptoms of type 2 diabetes, consult your GP for a screening test.
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Proteins and fats on their own (so not mixed with carbs) don’t increase blood sugars.
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Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients in our diet, the others being fats and proteins.
When we talk about carbs, we often refer to a certain type of carbs: bread, pasta and starchy carbs, such as rice, beans and potatoes.
However, carbs are a much broader nutrient category and include all vegetables, fruits, cereals / grains (e.g. wheat, rice, quinoa, oats, barley) and pulses (e.g. chickpeas, beans, peas, lentils).
Processed foods are categorised according to the main ingredient they contain. For instance bread contains mostly flour made from wheat, buckwheat, corn, rice or potato starch. So it’s labelled as carb.
Carbs contain fat and protein in various amounts. Quinoa and peas for instance are protein-rich carbs.
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During digestion all carbohydrates are broken down to the simplest form of sugar: glucose.
Glucose is absorbed through the intestine and released into the bloodstream.
Blood glucose, also called blood sugar is what the body primarily uses to produce energy.
Blood sugar levels reflect the amount of glucose circulating in the bloodstream at a given point of time.
These go up and down throughout the day, mostly influenced by the food we eat.
In an ideal scenario, they go gently up and down, like rolling hills. They also consistently stay within a “healthy” range. However, in some people, the rolling hills become rollercoasters.
It’s the sudden spike and crash of blood sugar levels that cause sugar craving.
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High or low GI carbohydrates is another way of referring to fast or slow-release carbs.
The higher the GI, the more the food increases blood sugars.
Each food has its specific GI.
The way a food is prepared / cooked can influence its GI.
Pasta is a processed products so GIs tend to vary but usually it is a slow release carb food.
For lower GIs: Cook pasta and rice “al dente”, cook pasta and reheat or eat chilled.
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Fast-release carbs quickly increase blood sugar levels.
Slow-release carbs on the other hand have a lesser impact on blood sugar levels.
Note that preparation / cooking methods and time influence the GI of a food.
You’ll find a list of slow-release carbs further down.
Over time, imbalanced blood sugar levels can lead to insulin resistance, which is a concern. But with the right food and lifestyle choices, this can be avoided.
It’s never too late to start balancing your blood sugars. With my 1:1 personalised guidance, you could get off the sugar rollercoaster within six weeks.
What’s causing blood sugars to peak?
Fast-release carbs are a major trigger.
When we eat fast-release carbs, our blood sugar levels tend to peak. As a response to high levels of glucose in the bloodstream, the pancreas releases enough of the hormone insulin to rapidly bring sugars down. So much that they suddenly dip.
We may then feel shaky, moody, weak, sometimes even confused.
This leaves us craving - and reaching for fast-release carbs as we need an urgent boost of energy. And so does the rollercoaster go on.
Other factors causing blood sugars to increase
Higher cortisol levels induced by mental and physical stress, including infections and any conditions that cause inflammation
Low oestrogen levels, for instance in menopausal women
Lack of sleep
A genetic predisposition*
This means changing your food habits alone may not be sufficient to restore your blood sugar balance.
*This can be detected with a specific DNA test, get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
Tips to balance your blood sugar levels
The short of it:
Reduce the quantity of fast-release carbs you eat daily.
Eat meals that sustain your energy.
If you need extra energy between meals, choose snacks that don’t make your blood sugars spike.
Reduce stress to the body with helpful food and lifestyle choices.
Try intermittent fasting to increase insulin sensitivity.
Balancing your blood sugars requires a holistic and personalised approach. Try implementing these recommendations and see what works best for you - everyone is different!
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Look for the mention “of which sugars” on food labels.
Compare similar products and choose those with the least sugar. You’ll be surprised to see how much sugar there is in a ready-made soup for instance. Here are my top recommendations but the list is of course non-exhaustive:
Avoid breakfast cereals with more than 10% sugar. 5% even better!
Avoid juices and smoothies, choosing fresh fruits instead (see slow-release fruit list at the bottom of the page).
Smoothies may have a lower impact on blood sugar levels as they contain the fruit/vegetable fibre, but they also tend to be high in sugar.
Again, check the labels.Choose natural yogurts over fruit yogurts. If they’re not palatable (yet), you may want to top them with a bit of stewed or fresh fruits.
Choose chocolate with more than 80-85% cacao. Compare the amount of sugar in chocolate with less cacao, you might be surprised!
Of course the quantity you eat influences the impact on your blood sugar so if you do choose foods higher in sugar, limit your intake to very small portions, e.g. a square or two of chocolate.
The good news is: it only takes a few weeks for your taste buds to appreciate less sugary foods.
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Whole foods rather than refined foods, e.g. wholemeal bread, brown rice and pasta over white.
Pasta is a processed product so its GI tends to vary depending on the ingredients, but usually it is a slow release carb food.The way a food is prepared / cooked can influence its GI.
For lower GIs: Cook pasta and rice “al dente”, cook pasta and let cool, then reheat or eat chilled.
Non-starchy vegetables, e.g. green vegetables.
Fruits that don’t increase blood sugars quickly.
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This includes honey, syrup and any other type of sugar.
In your drinks: Reduce added sugar progressively to cut it out completely.
When baking, reduce sugar by 20-30%.
Avoid artificial sweeteners altogether as they increase appetite, amongst other “less desirable” effects.
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This will slow down the release of sugar in the bloodstream, reducing the peaks and dips.
If you do need to snack, oat cakes and/or banana with peanut butter, yogurt with fruits and nuts are a good carb-protein combo choice.
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Caffeine is a stressor to the body.
As mentioned above, stress increases cortisol levels, which in turn increases blood sugars.Herbal teas are a good choice. Green tea stil contains some caffeine.
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Follow the recommendations above for your food choices.
Consider your portion sizes: if they’re too small, even with helpful food choices you’re likely to go hungry before your next meal 4-6 hours later.
Added benefit: Not snacking between meals supports insulin sensitivity.
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Intermittent fasting has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity so you might want to give it a go.
Start with 12 hours fasting and progressively increase to 16.
Note that caffeinated drinks are likely to break the fast because of cortisol increasing blood sugars, so opt for herbal teas if you like a hot drink in the morning.
Intermittent fasting isn’t recommended for people with low blood pressure, nor people who are trying to put on weight. Reach out if you have any questions. -
Physical activity has a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity.
Consider adding regular exercise to the mix to support your body even more in balancing blood sugars.
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You may not be aware that your body is inflamed.
Implementing a personalised nutrition and lifestyle can help reduce chronic inflammation, for instance by improving gut health.
If you’re unsure whether you suffer from chronic inflammation and would like to investigate its cause(s), simply reach out.
You might also find my blog post about food intolerance helpful.
Slow-release carbs
Vegetables
Artichokes
Asparagus
Aubergine
Bamboo shoots
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Butternut squash
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Chard
Chicory
Courgette
Cucumber
Kale
Fennel
Leeks
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Pak choi
Peppers
Radicchio
Salad (any kind)
Spinach
Sugar-snap peas
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips.
Fruits
Apples
Avocados (yes, it’s a fruit!)
Berries
Cherries
Citrus fruits
Kiwis
Grapes
Mangoes
Passion fruits
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Rhubarb.
Cereals, rice, pasta & noodles
Jumbo oats
Brown, parboiled and wild rice
Buckwheat noodles such as soba
Egg durum wheat pasta
Wholemeal durum wheat pasta
NB: The way a food is prepared / cooked can influence its GI. Pasta is a processed product so GIs tend to vary, but usually it is a slow release carb food. For lower GI: Cook pasta and rice “al dente”, cook pasta and reheat or eat chilled.
Pulses & legumes
Chickpeas
Lentils
Beans (except broad beans).
Start with whatever change in your diet and lifestyle feels easiest for you.
When you’re comfortable with your new habit, introduce the next change. Keep notes on how you feel along the way, this will help you realise what works best for you.
Perhaps save the list of slow-release carbs on your phone so you can refer to it when grocery shopping.
Bear in mind that many factors influence blood sugar balance and it could take a few weeks for you to start noticing changes.
It also takes a few weeks to form a new habit even if you’re dedicated to it.
Avoid becoming obsessed with your goals, or stressing about your progress as this would be counterproductive.
Persevere with implementing new habits but be kind to yourself.
Balancing your blood sugars could be the start of a significant transformation and I hope you find this information helpful as a starting point.
Don’t hesitate to email me if you’d like to share feedback and ask questions, I’d love to hear from you.
And for those who prefer 1:1 guidance, feel free to check out my sugar detox programme.