By Faith Christensen, ND
After a meal, your body responds to rising blood sugar by releasing insulin, which lowers glucose by helping cells throughout your body take it up faster. When blood sugar drops — from fasting or exercise — your body releases glucagon instead, which pulls stored glucose (glycogen) back out of your tissues. If blood sugar drops sharply, or you’re under stress, your adrenal glands can also release epinephrine and cortisol, which break down stored glucose quickly for extra energy when you need it most.
A lot of Americans put real strain on this system through diet and lifestyle. The average American eats roughly 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day, which works out to around 60-70 pounds a year, plus another 37 pounds or so of high fructose corn syrup, according to CDC and USDA data. That’s two to three times what the American Heart Association considers a healthy limit, and diabetes and hypoglycemia have become increasingly common as a result. Refined sugar has been associated in research with mood and behavioral changes, PMS, migraines, atherosclerosis, intermittent claudication, angina, Syndrome X, and hyperactivity in children. Balancing your blood sugar well is central to both treating and preventing these conditions.
I offer blood sugar testing and natural approaches to blood sugar regulation, including phone consultations. Contact me today to get started.
Obesity and Blood Sugar
Obesity and blood sugar problems are closely linked, because obesity decreases your sensitivity to insulin. When your body stops responding to insulin properly, blood sugar stays elevated, and that alone can drive weight gain even without overeating. Obesity precedes about 90 percent of adult-onset (Type II) diabetes. Signs of diabetes include excess urination, hunger, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, vaginal itching, vision changes, poor wound healing, hyperpigmented skin tags, and chronic candida. Low fiber intake, too much sugar, excess iron, and free radical damage can all wear down the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas over time, contributing to Type II diabetes.
When you’re dealing with insulin resistance and high blood sugar, fat tends to accumulate around the midsection, your body holds onto more salt and water, food cravings increase, acne and polycystic ovaries become more common, blood vessels narrow, your liver ramps up cholesterol production, atherosclerosis and plaque buildup increase, and vitamins K and C get suppressed, weakening blood vessels and connective tissue. When insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and elevated blood lipids all show up together, that combination is known as Syndrome X.
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia happens when a blood sugar spike triggers enough insulin to push glucose down lower than your body actually wants it. This can also happen first thing in the morning, after skipping a meal, or after intense exercise. Symptoms include headaches, foggy thinking, extreme fatigue (especially a few hours after eating), shakiness, sweating, irritability, fear or panic attacks, dizziness when standing, angina, extreme hunger, crying spells, anger, and heart palpitations. Most patients with hypoglycemia feel noticeably better after eating.
Ways to Balance Your Blood Sugar
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals — at least every 3 hours — balanced with protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
- Avoid simple sugars, saturated and hydrogenated fats, and starchy vegetables.
- Include protein at every meal. Aim for at least 20 grams at breakfast.
- Eat plenty of fiber to slow down blood sugar spikes. Legumes, oat bran, nuts, seeds, psyllium husks, pears, apples, and most vegetables are all good sources — try to include some with every meal.
- Consider supplementing with chromium or glucose tolerance factor (GTF), which helps improve insulin sensitivity so glucose moves in and out of cells more easily.
- Start exercising. It improves nearly every part of glucose metabolism — boosting insulin sensitivity, improving glucose tolerance even in existing diabetics, and increasing tissue chromium levels. If you’re dealing with blood sugar issues, aim for some form of movement every day.
- If you tend to wake up hungry in the middle of the night, have a balanced protein and complex carbohydrate snack before bed.