The Top 5 Ways You Can Keep Your Blood Sugar Regulated

Diabetes has been one of the leading causes of death for years, and has become more prevalent in all ages. Diabetes is caused from the body’s insulin hormone becoming overworked. If it is constricted to the point to where it can’t function properly it can lead to problems such as excessive weight gain, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, brain fog, & cardiovascular disease. In today’s article I am going to share with you why your blood sugar is important and the top 5 ways that you can keep your blood sugar regulated.

What does it mean to regulate our blood sugar?

Our blood sugar is glucose in our blood, it comes from the food you eat. Glucose comes mainly from carbohydrates (and this is your bodies main source of energy). Your blood carries glucose to all of your body’s cells. When our blood sugar is too low or too high our body gets out of a state of homeostasis, which is our bodies state of balance. The way we stay in a state of homeostasis is we keep our blood sugar regulated. When glucose enters the blood it is first processed in the liver and turns into glycogen. Glycogen is then either stored as energy for later or is processed and used as energy to repair tissue in the body.

What is good/bad blood sugar?

Our blood sugar is based on a scale of 0-200 mg/dL (describe mg/dl) and if our blood sugar is above 140 then it is considered prediabetes, and above 200 is considered diabetes. The average blood sugar that is considered healthy is between 75-90 mg/dL.

How does sugar process in the blood?

When we eat sugary foods and foods that have been heavily processed, it processes differently in our blood giving us a higher insulin response. Some examples, on average 1 bagel can raise your blood sugar 33 mg/dL and 1 donut can raise it 17 mg/dL. That doesn’t seem like much, and it isn’t if we only consume those foods in a moderate amount. It’s when we have these foods in excess that gradually causes our blood sugar to become higher and higher. When we have foods like these and other processed foods, they cause insulin resistance, where your insulin hormone becomes constricted and cannot communicate to your liver to process the sugar as a fuel source.

The top 5 ways to keep your blood sugar regulated

Eliminating certain foods from your diet

If we want to keep our blood sugar regulated we want to make sure that we stay away from any processed foods, fast food, unnecessary sweets such as cookies, cake, doughnuts, bread, and sodas.

Sticking to whole foods

Incorporating more organic fruits and vegetables will help you to maintain a healthy blood sugar. If you struggle with prediabetes or diabetes, it’s a good idea to stick to a “ketoish” style diet. This is where your diet consists of higher fat, moderate carb, and moderate protein to get your blood sugar back down to a normal level and improve the function of your insulin hormone. By looking at this article you might think that carbs are BAD, well the carbs that are considered bad are the simple carbs like the ones listed above. There are however good carbs that are actually better for you and help with keeping your blood sugar regulated. Some of those foods are:

Fats:

- Good cooking oils such as: Avocado oil, Coconut oil, ghee, & grass-fed butter.

- Nuts and seeds such as: Pumpkin seeds, Walnuts, Cashews, Macadamia nuts, Chia seeds, Flaxseeds

- All organic and natural nut butters

- Avocados

Complex Carbs:

- Sweet potatoes

- Butternut squash

- Spaghetti squash

- Beans and legumes

- Gluten free oatmeal

Proteins:

- Grass-fed beef

- Fatty fish

- Organic chicken

- Turkey

Vegetables/Fruits:

- Dark leafy greens: Kale, Swiss chard, Bok choy, spinach,

- Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, asparagus, Brussel sprouts

- Colorful vegetables: Bell peppers, Beets, Carrots.

- Berries

- Grapefruit, Oranges

- Apples

- Kiwis

With following a “Ketoish” approach you should track your blood sugar to see what foods are spiking it. The ones that are not spiking you can keep them in your diet. Fun fact, fruit should be eaten in moderation, because some spike your blood sugar more than others.

What exactly are seed oils and how do they affect our blood sugar?

Seed oils such as canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, vegetable oil, and even olive oil if heated can cause your insulin hormone to become constricted. When your insulin hormone becomes constricted it cannot communicate to your liver properly. Think of it like trying to tell someone where to go with duct tape over your mouth. So it is crucial to read the labels of the foods and snacks your buy to make sure you are not consuming these seed oils in your diet.

Create a consistent exercise routine

Exercise has been shown overtime to lower your blood sugar levels and help your insulin hormone work better. Just going for a 15-30-minute walk can benefit you. The way this works is when your heart rate is elevated your body uses glucose as energy and by doing this it allows your insulin hormone to work properly.

Track your blood sugar

Eliminating the sugary foods, implementing the proper diet, reading the labels, and creating a consistent workout routine all can help you to maintain a healthy blood sugar. But one tool I and other functional medicine practitioners recommend is tracking your blood sugar on a daily basis. One of the best tools out right now on the market is called Levels, it is a continuous blood glucose monitor that helps you see what affects your blood sugar throughout the day. If you are interested in checking them out, visit the hyperlink above.

Summary

Our blood flows all throughout our body. If it is compromised by unnecessary chemicals & sugar it can create illness, stress, financial strain, and so many other complications that we wouldn’t want to have to deal with. If you are struggling with high blood sugar and don’t know how to begin your journey, I would start with elimination, implementation, read the label, and move your body. Overtime, with consistency and small changes you will see the results!

It’s never too late to take control of your health!