Tired? Irritable? Let's Talk Blood Sugar
You always wake up in the middle of the night a few hours after falling asleep for no reason.
You crave sugar or coffee in the afternoon.
You get irritable or shaky if your meals are skipped or delayed.
You have a huge appetite and can binge easily.
You crave sweets all the time.
You’re always thirsty or always running to the restroom.
Do any of these sound like you? If so, you may need help regulating your blood sugar.
Blood sugar regulation involves numerous organs in our body, impacts everything, and is one of the most important foundations of optimal health. Our ancestors (hunters and gatherers) had unpredictable and inconsistent food supples that forced their bodies to be able to store fuel for the long term in case food was scarce. In modern times, that problem is reversed: we have food in abundance, and more specifically, we have simple carbohydrates at our instant use/disposal. Let’s take a look at the basics:
*Carbs = Kindling
Carbohydrates burn fast and hot, perfect for short, intense activity and need to be replenished frequently if used as a primary fuel source (every 1.5-2 hours)
Fats = Logs
Fat burns more slowly and requires less refueling. Perfect for longer, low intensity activity (3-4 hours)
Protein = Cellular fuel/building materials
Can be converted into glucose OR can be used to create muscles, ligaments, red blood cells, enzymes, and hormones
Ideally, our daily intake of calories should be 40% healthy fats, 30% protein, and 30% carbohydrates. (Please note: this range is a generic range. Optimal ranges are bio-individual (different for everyone). Nutritional therapy work covers this area, so if you are interested in how to fuel for performance, please reach out to me!)
Stress & Blood Sugar
Stress is perceived by the body to be an emergency, so our stress hormones send signals to our body to put a rush of glucose into our blood stream. All of a sudden, our liver, pancreas, and fat stores are all being told to send glucose into the bloodstream to deal with this emergency situation! But, our "emergencies" are not true emergencies (usually). It's chronic stress. It's getting startled when our little ones fall, or managing competing priorities, or work and relationship stress. This is why lowering sugar intake is like giving our bodies a MASSIVE hug. It is removing the additional burden of having to regulate something while it is spending so many resources elsewhere already keeping us balanced and strong.
Packaged/Processed Foods
Pre-packaged/highly processed carbohydrates are designed to be hyper-palatable to activate the brain's reward center and bypass the satiety cues from our body, which leads us to eat more. Did you catch that? That means that you should stop shaming yourself when you find yourself halfway through a package of Oreos. IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT. These foods are designed to trick our bodies. If we eat these types of foods consistently, our bodies will never be able to figure out when it is actually full. They cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, which our bodies see as an emergency that must be dealt with immediately. So what does the body do?
The pancreas releases insulin to bring sugar levels down
The pancreas can often release too much insulin, causing an overcorrection resulting in hypoglycemia, which the body also sees as an emergency
The central nervous system then signals the release of stress hormones to bring blood sugar levels up again
If this cycle repeats over and over, it causes long term blood sugar disregulation.
So what is the answer?
When I do this work with clients, they see the best results when they: reduce sugar to less than 15g per day, eliminate processed foods, and increase high quality fats and protein. When you start the day with higher fat and protein, you set the stage for balanced blood sugar throughout the rest of the day. So instead of a bagel or cereal and coffee, aim for: eggs and avocado, animal protein (bacon, sausage), full fat/low sugar yogurt, or cottage cheese with some nuts and fruit. (If you need more ideas, let’s chat! I have tons of them!)
Hidden Sugar:
A quick note here - hidden sugars can be found in SO many modern foods. Some less obvious examples include things like bread (Wonder Bread can contain up to 10% sugar), store bought salad dressings (check your bottles), sports drinks, and cigarettes (sugar makes tobacco smoke more acidic, which makes it easier to breathe more deeply into the lungs and increases the uptake of nicotine). Common sources of added sugar include soda, fancy coffees, fruit juices, bagels, breads, pasta, yogurt, cereal, and protein/breakfast bars.
I hope that this was informative and helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions. And please remember: a little bit of effort in this area goes a LONG way for your body! Progress, not perfection!
-Jennifer
*Concept of macronutrients as fuel for fire taken from the Nutritional Therapy Association, 2019.