HOW TO IMPROVE BLOOD SUGAR WITHOUT GOING LOW CARB

NutritionWellness
Written By Alex Mazzurco

Picture this: You go to the doctor and find out your A1C and your fasting blood glucose are high.  Your doctor recommends cutting out carbs and suddenly you start questioning everything you are doing with your diet.  You panic message your coach and give the news that you need to go low carb.  Doctor’s orders of course - your health is on the line! Right?

While reducing carbohydrate intake MAY be valuable in certain situations, there are several other things we can do first before we jump into a low carb or keto diet.  Your lifestyle choices in addition to the type of carbs you are eating will play a large role in improving your blood glucose levels. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCED BLOOD SUGAR
 

Blood glucose or (blood sugar) typically comes from the food we eat and is the body's main source of energy. Upon eating, carbohydrates and sugars from the food we eat get broken down into glucose. This, in turn raises our blood glucose levels. Once blood glucose levels increase, the pancreas responds accordingly by releasing insulin, which helps to shuttle glucose OUT of the bloodstream and INTO our cells.  Once the glucose makes it to our cells (and out of the blood), blood glucose levels decrease to normal levels again.

That said, different foods can have different effects on our blood sugar.  A donut for example, can spike up our blood sugar levels rather quickly due to it's high sugar content. This quick spike will result in more insulin being released. Insulin will then shuttle glucose into the cells and blood glucose levels will drop as a result. However, a quick spike in blood sugar often means a quick drop in blood sugar as well.  These sudden drops in blood sugar can often leave us feeling tired, shakey, grumpy, and can even increase our cravings for more highly palatable foods.

So, what does this look like long term? Well, if we are consistently spiking our blood sugar and calling on insulin to escort glucose into our cells, those cells start to “tune out” the insulin signals (become less sensitive to insulin) and as a result, more insulin needs to be excreted to get a similar response.  This is what we call insulin resistance.  

To be clear, insulin isn’t bad, but when it’s frequently high (to aid in shuttling blood sugar into our cells), it can have a downstream effect on our health.  We tend to see this dysregulation show up in weight loss resistance, acne, some types of PCOS, adrenal dysfunction, and chronic inflammation in the body. 

However, we can see a slower rise in blood glucose by choosing balanced meals with plenty of fiber, healthy fats, and protein.  While it's likely not necessary to immediately jump to a low carb diet, the types of carbs do play a significant role in keeping blood sugar levels stable.  

So, what if you're already eating balanced meals and nutrient dense carbs but your blood glucose and A1C are registering high?  As stated earlier, there is more to blood sugar than just our food. Believe it or not, our lifestyle can have just as much of an impact on healthy blood sugar as our food.

SO… WHAT CAN BE DONE?

 

Prioritize your sleep.  According to studies, just one night of insufficient sleep can affect the body’s ability to utilize insulin effectively and can increase your fasting blood glucose levels to pre-diabetes ranges. If that becomes your “normal”, it's easy to see how this can be a recipe for blood sugar instability and eventual insulin resistance.  Not only is the quantity of sleep important (experts suggest a minimum of 7 hours), quality sleep is just as necessary for proper hormone balance including insulin sensitivity and glucose control.  

 

Manage your stress.  There is a reason we talk so much about stress at Level TEN.  It literally affects us from the inside out.  Stress itself isn’t inherently bad - it’s how we respond to stress that is important.  

When we're chronically stressed, we are telling the body to consistently secrete cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone that gives us our “get up and go”.  When cortisol is released, glucose is also released from our liver in attempts to provide the body with energy for a life threatening “fight or flight” situation.  However, if our stress is due to our modern day inconveniences like sitting in traffic, running late for a meeting, a full email inbox, etc then we definitely don’t need that additional cortisol and glucose. That said, our body's can't tell the difference between the stress of traffic or the stress of say - being chased by a bear. Meaning, our typical high stress lives, are causing an over secretion of cortisol, which is increasing our blood sugar, which is increasing our insulin.  Note: Stress isn't just running late or sitting in traffic, stress is also: underlying infections (think gut health), chronic inflammation, long term dieting, poor recovery from workouts, etc. 

 

Eat during daylight hours when possible.  We all know (or I hope we know) that we won’t magically gain weight from eating after 6pm. However, studies have shown that we are in fact more insulin sensitive during daylight hours.  Again, no need for extremes here. We don’t have to jump to crazy intermittent fasting rules or slash night time carbs, but it can be helpful to understand that the circadian rhythm that controls our sleep wake cycles can also play a role in our insulin sensitivity.  As humans, we are very sensitive to the rise and fall of the sun, and glucose metabolism is no exception.  We can see improvements in insulin sensitivity, glucose regulation and even digestion when we honor our circadian rhythm and fast for at least 12 hours each night. Note: Sleep is included in this - for example, not eating from 8pm to 8am is a “12 hour fast”.

 

Lift heavy things and build muscle.  Lifting weights a few times a week can significantly improve insulin sensitivity.  Simply put, active muscles are more insulin sensitive as they can more efficiently store and utilize glucose in the body.  Physical activity - such as weight lifting - provides a way for the body to use excess glucose in the blood without heavily relying on insulin.  

 

Stop snacking and grazing all day.  Eating larger, balanced meals with proper protein, healthy fats and fiber can improve blood sugar regulation and insulin resistance.  When we are eating frequently throughout the day, we are consistently raising our blood glucose levels and asking for insulin to be secreted to clear the glucose in our blood.  When this happens frequently and chronically, it can lead to insulin resistance and higher levels of glucose in the blood at any given time.  

REMEMBER…

Taking charge of your metabolic health doesn’t have to automatically mean saying goodbye to carbs forever. Just by making some simple lifestyle changes, you can create large improvements in your metabolic health.

WITH GOOD VIBES - COACH COURTNEY

Alex Mazzurco
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