Maintaining a balanced blood sugar level is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. Not only does it have a positive effect on your energy and mood, it also helps prevent serious chronic illnesses and conditions.
According to Kate Kanner, RD, a roller coaster with constant blood sugar spikes and crashes can make it difficult to efficiently move glucose from the bloodstream to energy-hungry cells. This is known as insulin resistance. Over time, glucose levels in the bloodstream that remain elevated for extended periods of time can damage blood vessels, nerves, and even organs.
“Unmaintained blood sugar levels increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, hormonal imbalances, brain fog, insulin resistance, and low energy,” said Elizabeth Allensberg, MS, RD. .. “Food plays a major role in balanced blood sugar levels. The best way to prevent crashes is to eat a balanced diet. Fill half of the dish with vegetables and divide the other half evenly into protein and starchy vegetables, or whole grains containing healthy fats. “
If keeping your blood sugar within your goals is a top priority, here are some eating habits that experts absolutely want to avoid. Then, for healthier tips, there are the best breakfast habits to lower your blood sugar.
This is probably not to mention, but according to Dana Ellis Hunnes, Senior Registered Dietitian at the UCLA Medical Center, she regularly eats candies, processed grains with sugar, or other foods consisting of straight sugar with few nutrients. That’s not a big deal.Author of Survival recipe..
for example, It’s much better to put eggs and avocado in toast as well as jam, or a bowl of oatmeal with banana and peanut butter instead of plain banana. The latter option increases blood sugar levels very rapidly, while the former contains major major nutrients such as fiber, protein and fat, making glucose release slower and more gradual.
“Eating large amounts of carbohydrates and sugars releases large amounts of glucose into the bloodstream,” says Allensberg. “Blood sugar spikes and is much higher than the body can handle. Next, the pancreas needs to excrete large amounts of insulin to manage glucose spikes, which lowers high blood sugar levels. And the energy is sluggish. “
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According to StartRowing founder David Brendan, RD, pastries and other foods made from white bread, tortillas, pasta, and white flour are not ideal for regulating blood sugar levels.
“Most refined grains are deficient in protein and fiber,” said Katie Tomaschko, MS, and RDN, contributors to Sporting Smiles. “Therefore, if you eat too much refined grain without doing anything special, your blood sugar will spike or drop.”
As a rule, Tomaschko says it’s always best to choose whole grains whenever possible. For example, choose brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice, whole wheat bread instead of white bread, and oatmeal instead of refined grain breakfast cereals.
“If you don’t eat a meal or snack for too long, your blood sugar will drop too much,” says Kanner. “This is also known as hypoglycemia. The body literally lacks the energy to perform all its normal functions, resulting in lethargy and malaise. The brain’s preferred energy source is glucose, which is mental. Cognition can also be hit. When blood sugar levels drop. “
According to Allensberg, this is especially true if you skip breakfast.
“”When you wake up, you need to fuel your body and supply it with the major nutrients it needs to make energy.“She explains. “Skipping breakfast is more likely to be moody and frustrating. Eating a protein- and healthy fat-rich breakfast within the first hour of waking up is a good way to start your day with stable energy. It’s the best way. “
If you know you’re going to have a busy day, keep protein and fiber-rich snacks, such as apples and almonds, whole grain crackers and hummus, to keep your blood sugar from getting too low. have not eaten. Also, if you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, it is highly recommended to have a balanced light meal in the evening. Otherwise, your blood sugar may be too low overnight.
“When the body recognizes this, it has a mechanism that begins to break down the sugar stored in the liver,” she says. “Therefore, the body goes into panic mode and relies on backup methods to get sugar into the bloodstream, which can lead to high blood sugar levels in the morning. Eating a balanced treat in the evening helps keep your blood sugar levels more stable throughout the night. “
Did you know that dehydration has a negative effect on blood sugar levels? According to Tomaschko, if you don’t drink enough water, your body produces a hormone called vasopressin. Vasopressin keeps the kidneys hydrated and prevents the body from washing away excess sugar in the urine.
Drinking water consistently throughout the day will help stabilize your blood sugar. Remember: The ideal intake depends on your size, diet, level of physical activity, health, and other factors. However, the National Academy of Science and Technology Medicine recommends that men drink 125 ounces (3.7 liters) a day and women drink 91 ounces (2.7 liters) a day.
Dieters say drinking sugared beverages such as soda, sports drinks, and some fruit juices is one of the worst habits when it comes to blood sugar levels. Again, this is because these drinks are essentially “empty calories” and do not provide other nutrients such as fiber, fat, and protein that slow the absorption of sugar.
To make matters worse, liquids are digested and absorbed much faster than solid foods, so they can raise blood sugar levels dramatically, at least faster than cakes and muffins that contain starch.It ’s a 2018 study BMJ I found that Drinks sweetened with sugar have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes than most other foods that contain fructose.
According to Harvard Public Health School, the average can of sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch packs 150 calories, almost all of which is sugared. Also, according to a 2010 study published in Diabetes Care, participants who drank 1-2 servings of sweet drinks daily developed type 2 diabetes more than participants who drank less than 1 serving per month. The risk is 26% higher.
