Eating to Balance Blood Sugar Levels

Eating to Balance Blood Sugar Levels

Blood sugar balance is best achieved when you hit it from a few different angles. That includes some dietary and lifestyle modifications.

Below is a practical list of ways to improve blood sugar balance.

DIETARY FACTORS

Consume Low Glycemic Foods

The glycemic index (GI) is a measurement of how food affects our blood sugar. It’s based on how fast the body breaks any carbohydrate-containing food down into glucose. Higher numbers (from about seventy to one hundred) indicate that a food will cause a faster increase in blood sugar levels, while lower ones (under fifty) represent foods that cause a more gradual rise—and typically a softer fall. Consuming lower glycemic whole foods will cause minimal glucose and insulin spikes in the average person, which will improve metabolic health over time. Good choices for foods that are unlikely to cause a big spike in most people are those that are <40 on the standard glycemic index scale.

— Unrefined, whole foods

— Vegetables

— High-quality protein sources

— High-quality fats

Avoid High Glycemic Foods

These foods will often cause a large spike in glucose and insulin levels.

— Refined sugars

— Processed carbohydrates

— Alcohol

Consume Whole Foods Rich in Phytochemicals

It is thought that the phytochemicals and antioxidants that exist in unrefined versions of plant foods can enhance the cellular processes that lead to optimal glucose regulation, particularly polyphenols.

Load up on Fiber

High-fiber foods, especially those packed with soluble fiber, have been shown to improve glycemic control in individuals. This is because fiber slows down the release of glucose into the bloodstream.

‘Preload’ Carbs with a Fat, Protein and/or Fiber

Remember, carbs are not bad. In fact, carbs coming from whole plant foods contain lots of micronutrients that are extremely healthy for the body. For a healthy and balanced diet it is important to incorporate all macro-nutrient groups. However, in terms of glucose levels, carbs alone will completely spike glucose levels. But by following a few simple guidelines, it is completely possible to eat carbs without causing huge spikes in your blood sugars. “Preloading” meals with fat, protein and/or fiber can minimize the quick absorption of glucose into the bloodstream and cause a smaller blood glucose spike.

Incorporate Foods that Lower Glucose Spikes

There are various foods that have a positive effect on our glucose and insulin levels, including:

Drink Apple Cider Vinegar

Vinegar is known to have a glucose-lowering effect when taken before or with a meal.

Cinnamon

Compounds in cinnamon have been found to improve insulin signalling and glycemic control through several potential mechanisms.

Limit Saturated Fat

Try not to overdo it on saturated fat, as it seems to be associated with lower insulin sensitivity. Favouring unsaturated fats is likely better for metabolic function.

Start your Day with a Balanced Breakfast

Starting out the day with stable blood sugars is extremely important in keeping blood sugars stable throughout the day. This is because if you start the day with a huge glucose spike, the glucose spike will eventually lead to a huge fall and will likely keep you on a glucose rollercoaster the whole day.

Eat Foods in the Right Order

The best order to eat food for minimal glucose spikes is: vegetables, proteins and fats, and lastly carbohydrates. When we eat fiber (from vegetables) before carbohydrates, the fiber has time to coat our intestinal lining, which reduces the amount of glucose we absorb from carbohydrates. Eating fat and protein slows down how quickly food goes from the stomach to the intestine, which also lowers the glucose spike.

Address any Micronutrient Deficiency

Micronutrients include vitamins, minerals, trace metals, and antioxidants that together play a synergistic role in carrying out our bodies functions. Most are crucial links in chain reactions that involve proteins, enzymes, and hormones that regulate every part of your body’s metabolism. They can act as activators of critical chemical reactions, building blocks of key proteins, and more. If one of the links is weak or missing, the entire system malfunctions. Research connects micronutrient deficiencies to insulin resistance.

Time-Restricted Eating

“Time-restricted feeding” means consuming all your day’s worth of calories in a relatively short window of time and abstaining from eating the rest of the time. Studies showed that engaging in time-restricted feeding can significantly lower fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and mean glucose levels. What’s more, is that time-restricted eating causes lower post-meal glucose peaks.

Eating Earlier in the Day

Timing of food intake matters: our bodies are naturally more insulin resistant at night, so the same food eaten in the morning tends to have much less of a glucose spike than food eaten at night. One study showed that eating food later in the evening will cause a significant increase in both insulin and glucose levels compared with eating the same meal consumed in the morning.

Intermitting Fasting

Intermittent fasting means restricting food intake for longer periods of time. Intermitting fasting is thought to increase the expression of genes, hormonal pathways, and cellular physiology that improve metabolic health and insulin sensitivity.

OTHER FACTORS

Exercise

Exercise of pretty much any form improves metabolic health, glucose control and insulin sensitivity. This is because moving your body requires energy, which usually means your cells have to use the sugars available in your bloodstream (thereby decreasing blood sugar). Short, frequent bursts of exercise seem to be more effective than longer isolated chunks of exercise. Try to be active throughout the day to keep blood sugar well-regulated.

Exercise after a carbohydrate-rich food/meal

If you do decide to indulge in a carbohydrate-rich food/meal, make sure to do some exercise (walking, jogging, weights) after eating to lower the glucose spike.

Prioritize sleep

Sleep is absolutely critical to glucose regulation and good metabolic health. Studies show that sleep deprivation significantly decreases glycemic control, insulin sensitivity and metabolic health. In fact, partial sleep deprivation generates metabolic responses in otherwise healthy individuals that appear to be similar to people with clinically impaired glucose tolerance. Just a short stint of sleep deprivation can send the body into pathologic metabolic states.

Stress

Stress of any kind can negatively impact glucose levels. This is because, in a stressful situation, your body prepares to react to a perceived threat by dropping insulin levels and ramping up stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol, all of which increase blood sugar. In a real fight-or-flight situation, this process ensures that you have enough energy immediately available to survive whatever threat you might be facing. But if your stressor is a pile of work tasks—not a threat to your life, even if it sometimes feels like it—you probably aren’t burning off the excess blood sugar. If you’re under chronic stress, it’s possible that your blood sugar could be chronically elevated, too. Fortunately, stress management techniques can be effective at reducing glucose levels. Some good stress management options include meditation, deep breathing, self-care, spending time with friends, exercising and laughing. Whatever works for you. For extreme chronic stress, larger interventions are probably needed, such as therapy, change of jobs or living situation.

Stay Hydrated

Low water intake is associated with high blood sugar risk. Drinking plenty of water will help keep your blood hydrated and keep that risk low. Interestingly, multiple studies have shown that drinking a large amount of water with a meal will increase the glucose and insulin peak after a meal, likely because the fluid load speeds entry of food into the small intestines for rapid glucose absorption. With that said, good hydration is an important part of overall health, so it’s very important to drink lots of water throughout the day, just try and be smart about when to drink water in relation to your meals. Try and space out large amounts of liquids an hour or two from meals.

SUPPLEMENTS

Supplements that Support Blood Sugar Levels

There are a number of supplements that can assist your body in balancing blood sugar levels.

Herbs

Bitter melon
Cinnamon
Fenugreek
American ginseng
Cinnamon
Turmeric
Green tea
Aloe vera
Gymnema
Berberine
White mulberry leaf
Juniper berry
Milk thistle

Vitamins

Vitamin D
Vitamin K
B vitamins
Biotin

Minerals

Magnesium
Chromium
Zinc
Selenium
Manganese

Nutrients

Omega 3 fatty acids
Alpha-lipoic acid
Probiotics