Are you feeling irritable, anxious or having difficulty concentrating?
Are you experiencing mood swings, sugary cravings or midday drowsiness?
Are you finding it difficult to get adequate sleep or lose stubborn belly fat?
Blood sugar instability is one of the most overlooked foundations of living a healthy life. When you have poor blood sugar control, you will feel like you are riding the energy roller coaster complete with intense cravings, unwanted weight gain, and chronic inflammation.
When it comes to your blood sugar, It’s a Balancing act!
In this article discover some of the best ingredients and uncover How to eat for energy & balance blood sugar levels.
One of the biggest problems with high blood sugar is that the sugar molecules bind to proteins and enzymes in the bloodstream and create AGEs. These are highly unstable and break down structural proteins throughout the body and accelerate the ageing and degenerative processes of all organs and tissues in the body.
There are a few giveaway signs that your body is not stabilizing blood sugar effectively, some of the most common include Cravings, Weight Gain, Brain Fog, Unstable Energy Levels, Sudden Intense Hunger. If this sounds familiar, it’s best to test blood sugar levels periodically as these symptoms can be effectively controlled by doing so.
Taking steps to balance blood sugar has a tremendous impact on overall health and certain foods are fantastic for this purpose.
Incorporating these blood sugar-regulating nutrients into your daily nutrition plan is a great place to start;
1. Coconut
- Coconut is an excellent source of healthy fats, particularly medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). Your body easily converts these fats into a source of energy called ketones. When you burn ketones for energy instead of sugar, you naturally stabilize blood sugar and improve fat burning. These fats are found in coconut-based oil, butter, and milk.
- Coconut flour, butter, and coconut flakes are all excellent sources of fibre which are essential for stabilizing blood sugar. Coconut flour is also extremely low in carbs so it’s also a great alternative for baking.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemons & Limes.
- These contain acetic acid which helps to control fluctuations in blood sugar when combined with meals. Use them to improve fat burning, improve digestion, and reduce carbohydrate cravings.
- Consume a small amount of apple cider vinegar before meals or find ways to incorporate it into meals.
*Try a dish that incorporates coconut oil, turmeric, black pepper, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. This combination decreases the glycemic load of the meal drastically.
3. Turmeric
- Improves insulin sensitivity which allows the body to deliver glucose to cells more effectively and prevent massive fluctuations in the blood
Acts on the liver to regulate epigenetic and enzymatic factors that all work together to stabilize blood sugar and triglyceride levels in people with diabetes.
- Fantastic at lowering inflammation throughout the body. Chronic inflammation can be a contributor to blood sugar imbalances as it can stimulate cortisol release and spike blood sugar.
4. Cinnamon For Blood Sugar Stability
- Not only is it one of the most antioxidant-rich foods on the planet, but it tastes amazing and is excellent for stabilizing blood sugar.
- Cinnamon improves insulin sensitivity and allows glucose to be transported from the blood and into the cells much more efficiently.
5. Raw Chocolate
As if we needed more convincing to eat it – Chocolate in its raw form is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. It is packed with antioxidants, minerals like magnesium and chromium, and can even be a decent source of vitamin C.
- Chromium helps to improve the function of insulin to stabilize blood sugar and can also help reduce sugar cravings.
- Raw chocolate is also a decent source of dietary zinc which can help to improve blood sugar stability as well.
*Only buy raw chocolate or “cacao” as it would be written on the label. This is to ensure the highest nutrient density and beneficial effects.
Want more on the healing power of chocolate? – In this article, Discover All you need to know about Ceremonial Cacao & its Incredible benefits
6. Complex Carbohydrates
- Whole oats, barley and rye provide slow-releasing sugars, which support balanced energy, calm and concentration throughout the day.
- Eat these early, encourage your children to eat three meals and three snacks daily, combining protein and carbohydrates, to help support this balance.
7. Organic Coffee and Blood Sugar
- To boost brain function, increase fat burning, and protect the body from a whole list of chronic diseases from heart disease to cancer. As long as you are consuming high-quality organic coffee in moderate amounts.
- Caffeine intake in the morning massively boosted ketone production to almost twice the amount.
8. Green Tea
- Similar to coffee, green tea is loaded with its own array of powerful antioxidants that help to fight inflammation, cancer, and all-cause mortality.
- Another benefit of green tea is that it improves fat burning and helps to stabilize blood sugar and protect you from diabetes and heart disease
*Matcha is pulverized green tea leaves that can be consumed in their entirety for maximum extraction of nutrients.
9. Olives & Olive Oil
- Olives and olive oil are a source of antioxidants that have been shown to protect the body from the damaging effects of diabetes such as neuropathy and heart disease.
- Olive oil contains oleocanthal which is a powerful anti-inflammatory that acts on the COX enzyme system that has been associated with helping to reduce cancer risk, heart disease, and many other chronic diseases.
10. Free-Range Eggs
Eggs from free-raised chickens are one of the most complete nutrient-dense foods you can eat. Eggs have minimal impact on blood sugar. Similar to grass-fed butter, these eggs are also a good source of CLA, making them great for blood sugar control. Compared to eggs of the commercial hens, free-range eggs have twice as much long-chain omega-3 fats, some of the most important nutrients your body needs. They play an important role in reducing inflammation and contribute to the health of your nervous system and brain.
11. Avocados and Blood Sugar Balance
- Avocados are loaded with minerals, fibre, and healthy fats that all help to stabilize blood sugar levels. Avocados are also a significant source of B vitamins which are important for energy production.
- They contain a special type of sugar molecule called D-mannoheptulose. These have the ability to lower insulin levels.
It’s not only what you can eat for a boost of energy but when to eat them for best results;
Make the most of your morning and daytime nourishment.
The best daytime proteins are those that are fast absorbing and put minimal stress on the bodies digestive system. By reducing stress on the digestive system, our body conserves energy and that results in us having a more high energy physical state.
Green vegetable juices, sprouted seeds and algae such as chlorella and spirulina. raw, grass-fed milk or fermented dairy sources like kefir, & yoghurt from grass-fed animals. Make use of collagen powder or bone broth protein during the day to make shakes to keep your amino acids up.
Daytime eating should consist of light foods that help to hydrate the body and provide easy to digest nutrients to support a high energy lifestyle, here are some;
- Clean water with freshly squeezed lemon
- Herbal teas
- Raw fruits and Veggies.Berries, coconut milk, cinnamon.
- Small amounts of raw, grass-fed cheese
- Salad with a small amount of olive oil or MCT oil.
- Raw nuts, sprouted seeds, or soaked nuts
- Cacao and raw chocolate may be consumed in small amounts, It naturally enhances sympathetic nervous system activity and stimulate energy.
Foods with high hydration levels like celery, watermelon cucumbers and tomatoes.
Evening eating to digest and rest.
Foods that work in harmony with the body during nighttime hours are warmer, thicker and heavier. When your body is physically less active more energy can be assigned to the digestive processes.
High-quality proteins and healthy fats that depend on adequate bile to be metabolized are eaten at night. Combine these high-quality proteins with healthy fats that supply great long-lasting amino acid release and keep the body in an anabolic phase of healing and repair through the nighttime hours.
- Perfect Nighttime Nutrition items include;
- 100% grass-fed beef, Wild meats, lamb, goat, Organic chicken, turkey, & duck
- Organic eggs
- Steamed veggies such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, beets, carrots, etc.
- Raw cheese
- Raw nuts, sprouted seeds and soaked nuts
Of course, in addition to considering these factors and introducing these awesome ingredients, actually monitoring your blood sugar simultaneously is the best way to know that the choices you are making are creating a positive impact.
This one aspect of health could be the single thing holding you back from reaching their health goals.
Working with a functional medicine or nutrition practitioner to monitor your metabolism can be a game-changer for your health. Once you are armed with the knowledge of your own blood sugar control, you can take steps to get it back where it needs to be. There are a number of blood sugar markers that can be observed to determine the current state of your health. Interpreting these values to create a really solid plan to get your body healthy and balanced based on your lifestyle choices.
Book a call or set an appointment and let’s work together to design a plan best suited for you!
