When you understand how to balance blood sugar, you can avoid mood swings, fight cravings, and prevent diabetic episodes. You may know that an imminent glucose spike comes after eating your favorite dessert, but it’s difficult to resist the temptation all the time. Is there a reason that you should avoid indulging if you have type 2 diabetes? Is there, perhaps, a way to have your cake and eat it too?
A good portion of living a happy lifestyle is savoring the foods you love. You may be happy to learn that there are ways that you can regulate blood sugar levels without having to give up everything you love to eat. According to Jessie Inchauspe, a biochemist, it’s possible to implement blood sugar-balancing habits that curb glucose spikes. The best part is that you don’t have to go on an extreme diet!
If you want to unlock the door to balanced blood sugar levels, you must create synergy within the body. Eat slow energy-releasing carbohydrates and allow insulin to do its’s job. Only then can your body start working like a fine-tuned machine. You have the power to reduce inflammation, moodiness, and keep your health in check with the following tips that balance your blood sugar.
Beware Of Sneaky Spikers
Did you know that there are certain healthy foods that can spike your blood sugar? For example, many people enjoy yogurt, but sweetened yogurts or ones that have fruit purees or concentrates are straight sugar. Snack bars with lots of dates or agave syrup will cause a big glucose spike. Let’s not ignore rice cakes, which are purely starch and can cause a blood sugar spike. You may think you are choosing a healthy food option, but that isn’t always the case. Do a little more digging and you may see that those “health” foods are not so healthy.
Get Quality Shuteye
When you don’t get enough sleep, you disrupt the body’s natural chemistry. Too often do people neglect sleep or ruin it for themselves by looking at screens up until bed time, drinking too much caffeine, and the poor bedtime habits. Getting more sleep can actually help control your blood sugar. According to a small 2015 study, participants who slept four hours for three nights in a row had higher levels of fatty acids in the blood. That reduced insulin’s ability to regulate blood sugar by about 23%. The participants who slept more experienced more balanced blood sugar levels.
Eat Your Meal In Order
Research states that if you eat the components of a meal in a specific order, you help reduce glucose spikes by 75%. What does it mean to eat your meal in order? When you sit down for your meal, eat your vegetables first, protein and fats second, and sugars and starches last. Let’s say you have a plate of salmon, spinach, and brown rice with a small piece of dessert for later. Eat your spinach first and then gobble up the salmon. Only then do you direct your focus to the rice and then the dessert after. If you go to a restaurant that puts bread on the table, do not eat it before you eat vegetables and protein.
Buffer Your Carb Load
Rather than putting away a large plate of pancakes, buffer your carb load with protein, fiber, or healthy fats to balance your blood sugar. If you eat something starchy, dietitians suggest that you eat it with a buffer. This can reduce the glucose spike that a starchy or sweet food creates. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid all sweet treats. If you want a stack of pancakes, for example, enjoy it with almond butter, blueberries, hemp hearts, or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. The idea is to add protein, fiber, and healthy fats to the dish. You still get to enjoy the starches and sweets without experiencing the short-term side effects of cravings, hunger, or fatigue.
Don’t Forget To Move
After every meal, move your body for at least 10 minutes. This can be as simple as walking your dog, dancing to a few of your favorite songs, walking the neighborhood, or mopping the floor. By activating your muscles with acute or casual exercise, you can have a better blood sugar response. One study monitored two separate groups: one remaining sedentary and one becoming active for five minutes, 35 minutes after they finished eating. The group that exercised was able to regulate blood sugar levels more efficiently. By contracting muscles, you use glucose in the bloodstream for energy. Use this to your advantage!
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
