Everyone struggles with diets, their weight, low energy, and brain fog from time to time. While there are a number of factors that can contribute to these issues, blood sugar levels are the most common offenders.
Blood sugar levels that are too high or too low can contribute to a number of health factors and interfere with daily living. The good news is that by following a few rules, you can control blood sugar and stay in control of your wellbeing.
How to Control Your Blood Sugar
Controlling blood sugar levels is easier than people realize. Several foods affect blood sugar levels without our knowledge, so it is important to learn the most effective ways to control blood sugar in the healthiest possible ways.
1. Eat Healthy Fats
When you eat the right amount of healthy fats, you can change your body from a sugar-burning machine to a fat-burner instead. Sugar is known to give quick bursts of energy, but it soon fades and you crash.
With fat as your main source of fuel, you get sustained energy levels and controlled blood sugar levels. Healthy fats also help curb your cravings for sugar, making it easier to avoid junk foods. You want to stick with the fats in avocados, coconut oil, fish, and eggs rather than polyunsaturated fatty acid oils, like corn or canola.
2. Be Wise About Sweeteners
Limiting sugar intake is essential when trying to control blood sugar levels, and this can be difficult when those sweet cravings occur. By choosing the right natural sweeteners, you can satisfy your sweet tooth without spiking blood sugar levels.
Unprocessed monk fruit extract and stevia are the best options for natural sweeteners.
3. Take a Break From Eating
Fasting, when done intermittently, can be beneficial to your health and blood sugar levels. It has been a popular method for reducing inflammation for centuries and also works to lower blood sugar.
It is advised to start small and find a fasting practice that works for you comfortably. Never start out with a lengthy fast, as this can put your body in shock.
4. Be Wary of Fruit
As healthy as fruit is for you, it is also full of natural sugars, so moderation is the key. In large amounts, fructose can affect your blood sugar levels, meaning you need to be mindful about how much fruit you eat in any serving as well as each day overall. You also should stick with low fructose fruits, like berries, lemons, and limes.
5. Reduce Your Carbohydrates
This may seem obvious since carbohydrates are broken down into sugars. What people forget, though, is that this applies to healthy carbs as well as unhealthy ones. You may pass up the bread and pasta but still consume starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes. These are also considered carbs and can affect blood sugar levels.
Moderation is key when it comes to starchy vegetables, as they are also beneficial for you. When you pair them with non-starchy options, like spinach and leafy greens, you can reduce the overall impact on your blood sugar levels.
6. Give Yourself Full Support
Your body consists of several interworking parts that rely on each other. You need to remember that changing anything significantly for one system will alter the function of others.
Your gut health, for example, is strongly linked to bacterial imbalances, which can cause blood sugar problems. To effectively manage blood sugar levels, you need to be sure you are taking care of all the systems in your body.
7. Make Sure Your Diet Works for You
Everybody is different, so not every diet will work for everyone. There is no such thing as a universal diet that benefits everyone. There are some diets that are more efficient at lowering blood sugar than others, though, so you should pick what works for you.
Diets that can benefit blood sugar include the keto diet, paleo diet, and AIP diet. You need to try them and see what works best for your metabolism and your body. The low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet has proven most effective at controlling blood sugar and may even reverse symptoms of type-2 diabetes.
8. Medicines From Nature
Food is always going to be the best way to control blood sugar, but there are also natural, plant-based medicines you can try for additional support. Cinnamon can help to lower triglycerides and blood sugar due to the bioflavonoid proanthocyanidin.
Adaptogenic reishi mushrooms also help by regulating the enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar. By adding these natural medicines to your diet, you can get additional support in lowering blood sugar levels.
9. Control Your Stress
Stress is not good for any system in your body when it becomes chronic. Stress increases the release of the hormone cortisol, which impacts system function and spikes blood sugar. Constantly elevated blood sugar levels can be dangerous, but reducing stress can help alleviate this threat.
Practice deep breathing, yoga, and mindfulness meditation each day to lower stress and promote health.
10. Keep Moving
Regular exercise is a necessity for overall health and maintenance. As you exercise, your muscles utilize more glucose for energy, so be sure to move around every day. Be it a regular gym routine, a daily walk, or swimming, moving everyday can help your blood sugar levels stay regulated. Exercise also helps to reduce stress.
Waking Up To Wellness
Most people are aware of the dangers of consuming too much sugar, and the potential impact this can have on health. The trouble is that many people have the right intentions but still eat the wrong foods unknowingly.
Society often labels foods as healthy, and we usually buy into this. In reality, however, they are dangerous to blood sugar levels. It is essential to follow the rules above and keep control over blood sugar, so it doesn’t control your health.
