My top tips to balance your blood sugar levels
Slow-release carbs are your best friends
Slow-release carbs, also called low-glycemic index (GI) foods, have a low effect on blood sugar levels while providing sustained energy.
Here are some low GI carbs to focus on:
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, sugar-snap peas, peppers, radicchio, all sorts of salads, spinach, 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.
Pulses & legumes
Chickpeas, lentils, beans (except broad beans)
Bread, cereals, rice, pasta & noodles
Jumbo oats, porridge, fresh egg pasta, soba noodles, semolina, wholemeal pasta, wild rice. Brown rices and most wholemeal breads have a medium GI (eat smaller portions).
Eat meals that sustain your energy
✴ If you’re not cooking from scratch, choose processed foods with less sugar - look for “of which sugar” on the labels.
✴ Choose breakfast cereals with less than 10% sugar. Under 5% even better! Your biggest sugar intake may well come from your breakfast cereals. How much added sugar does yours have?
✴ Avoid juices and any sugary drinks.
✴ Replace caffeinated drinks for decaf. They don’t contain sugar but increase your blood sugar levels because they’re stressors to the body.
✴ Combine carbs with protein. This will slow down the release of sugar in the bloodstream.
✴ Ensure your meals provide you with sufficient energy: If your portion sizes are too small, even with helpful food choices, you’re likely to go hungry before your next meal 4-6 hours later.
✴ When baking, reduce sugar by 20-30%.
✴ If you do need to snack: oat cakes and/or banana with peanut butter, natural yogurt with apple and nuts are a good carbs-protein combo choice. The less ripe the banana, the lower its GI.
Reduce stress to the body with helpful food and lifestyle choices
Stress impacts our blood sugar levels. When we’re stressed, our sympathetic nervous systems get activated to provide us with the energy we need to fight or flight. This means our blood sugar levels increase.
I cannot stress out enough how impactful stress is on our health and well-being, its negative effects go well beyond increasing our blood sugar levels. Reduce stress as much as you possibly can is as important as finding the right nutrition for you.
As mentioned above, try and avoid caffeinated drinks as they stimulate the release of the stress hormone cortisol.
Any inflammation in your body causes stress so if you suffer from chronic inflammation, even low-grade, it’s a good idea not to aggravate it with nutrition. This is another area where personalised nutrition can make a real difference.