You Likely Have These Symptoms of Blood Sugar Imbalance
Blood sugar control is at the foundation of our health. While commonly thought to only impact diseases like type 2 diabetes, in reality, it affects SO much more. In fact, all systems in the body are impacted by blood sugar (and insulin) stability, from your brain and mental health, to your stress hormones, to your digestion and sleep.
First, let’s talk about what blood sugar is and how it affects the body on a physiological level:
When you eat food containing natural or processed carbohydrates, they contain sugars that are broken down during the digestive process into smaller chains of sugars and eventually into glucose.
This glucose is used to fuel the body and brain and I am in no way saying that it is inherently bad. We need glucose to run our bodies (unless you’re in ketosis and are running on ketones, but that’s a whole different topic).
BUT, when we have too much glucose in the bloodstream at once, or too much overtime — such as when we are eating all day long, snacking on high sugar or carbohydrate foods or eating meals high in carbohydrates and low in protein, fat and fibre, this creates issues with blood sugar disregulation.
When blood sugar levels become elevated on a more chronic level, a person will become prediabetic and eventually diabetic, which is a disease state. There are numerous signs and symptoms that begin to pop up well before this happens though that are important to pay attention to.
Common Symptoms of Blood Sugar Imbalance:
Headaches
Sugar or carb cravings
Poor sleep (waking at 2-3am)
Feeling jittery, shaky or anxious when meals are missed
Irritability or anger
Needing to eat frequently
Brain fog, poor memory or focus
Anxiety or depression
Skin tags
Alzheimer’s disease (known as type 3 diabetes)
Frequent urination
Acne
An important thing to note is that regulating insulin is much more important that simply looking at your blood sugar levels on a blood test. Insulin can be disregulated for decades before anything even shows up in the blood because the blood is an excellent regulator. (You can thank it for keeping you alive and in normal levels!)
There are MANY things that influence blood sugar regulation, not just food, which I’ll share more about in my next article. For now, here are some a few unconventional ways you can begin supporting your blood sugar through diet (other than simply lowering sugars!)
Change The Order You Eat Your Foods
Eat your fibre FIRST, then your protein and healthy fat, then your carbs. Eating fibre-rich foods like vegetables first help to slow the release of blood sugar into your system, lowering the spike of blood sugar and insulin during and after meals. This is a good tip for someone just starting out eating healthier or who maybe isn’t quite ready to ditch the carbs just yet.
ALWAYS eat protein, fat and fibre in any meal or snack
The second thing I recommend is to always include protein, fat and fibre in all meals and snacks (if you’re eating them). Eating a carb-heavy meal such as pasta (even gluten free pasta) or a snack like fruit alone is a recipe for blood sugar disaster. Always remember to add to a good source of protein, such as beef or chicken, and plenty of healthy fats such as olive oil, seeds and avocado.
Eat 3 main meals a day and try to avoid snacking
A myth that’s been debunked in the nutrition world is that we need to eat 5-6 small meals a day in order to balance blood sugar levels. This couldn’t be further from the truth for most people! Why? Every time you eat, blood sugar and insulin is raised. Now, what goes up must come down and that includes your blood sugar. Eating small meals frequently throughout the day won’t provide you with enough nutrition to sustain you to the next meal, especially when these meals and snacks are high in sugar and carbs. Because of this, blood sugar spikes and then drops shortly after a meal, leaving you riding the blood sugar rollercoaster all day long and feeling hungry, jittery, anxious and often with severe sugar cravings.
I will say that in rare cases, some people may need to eat this way for a short period of time depending on the severity of blood sugar and cortisol imbalances they’re dealing with (I was one of these people). But the goal should be to extend the time between meals overtime without triggering the stress response, as stress will further affect blood sugar. Working on stress is KEY.
Bulk up your meals!
Too many women are trying to cut calories and lose weight by eating wimpy salads with some nuts on top with a side of inflammatory seed oils (aka “dressing”. Let me tell you, that won’t cut it! Your body NEEDS enough fuel and nourishment to sustain, build, detox and heal. Don’t be afraid to bulk up your meals with enough protein, fats, fibre and the right type of carbohydrates in moderation.
Pick a couple of these tips to focus on this week and get moving towards better blood sugar regulation! Looking for more support? Join my 6-Week 1:1 Gut Restore Program here!
Asher Kleiber
Registered Holistic Nutritionist
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