5 Tips to Combat Blood Sugar Imbalance
Blood sugar imbalances are one of the most common conditions we treat. While it may not be the primary concern, it is often part of the picture when working with many common conditions from mood disorders to hormone imbalances to insomnia. Most often blood sugar imbalances show themselves as low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, aka feeling hangry and oftentimes needing to eat every 2 hours. Other times it can show up as prediabetes, elevated blood sugars on lab work and/or feeling very tired after eating.
So how the heck do you find out where your blood sugar levels are and what can you do about it!? Ideally on blood work we want normal fasting glucose levels to be below 98 mg/dL and Hemoglobin A1c to be less than 5.7%.
Hanger, weight gain, prediabetes and diabetes are AVOIDABLE for most people who take a proactive approach to their health. Having blood sugar imbalances can be caused by diet, stress, poor sleep, hormone imbalance, gut imbalances and exercise habits.
You Can Minimize Blood Sugar Swings And Risk For Diabetes
It is important to identify your blood sugar levels and the contributing causes of imbalances in order to understand the root cause of your symptoms and how to optimize your health thereby avoiding future concerns such as diabetes.
While investigating your root causes, you can minimize blood sugar swings and risk for diabetes, and maximize your chances for a life filled with energy and health.
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Here are some simple changes you can make now, but remember, most important is to understand your imbalances so you can fix your imbalances for good!
- Fiber slows the absorption of sugars from food, especially soluble fiber found in oat bran, psyllium, and flax seeds. This keeps blood sugar from spiking and dropping rapidly after meals.
- Foods that have a lower glycemic index (like blueberries instead of bananas) are less likely to cause blood sugar swings. Here is a more complete list of low glycemic foods.
- Healthy fats (like anti-inflammatory omega-3s) help keep blood sugars stable and support insulin, which is responsible for absorbing glucose in the blood and bringing it to specific tissues where it is converted into energy for the body. It is also important to consume protein at every meal and snack to support blood sugar stability all day!
- Stress and lack of sleep can trigger hormonal cascades that make you crave sugar and disrupt blood sugar regulation. Therefore, it is a must to prioritize relaxation and stress relief practices. And remember to breathe!
- Regular exercise burns energy and decreases glucose levels (aka combating insulin resistance and diabetes). When muscle cells contract during activity they use glucose for energy, thereby lowering circulating blood sugars. Even simply breaking up your day with low impact movement can help!
If you or someone you know is dealing with blood sugar imbalances (your daughter or friend who is often moody because she hasn’t eaten in 2 hours), please share this article! Once you are able to understand the root cause of your blood sugar imbalances, then you can more specifically address the imbalances using lifestyle, diet and herbal medicine to retrain the body to stay balanced all day long without extra needed support! Can you imagine what that will look like for you?
Reach out today to set up your complimentary Discovery Call with one of our Naturopathic Medical Doctors here at Regenerate Health Medical Center to see if you are a good fit for our clinic!
