Healthy Blood Sugar Balance

Blood sugar imbalance is a major problem for many people with the level of sugar in the blood often appearing normal on blood test but fluctuating roo rapidly too frequently within "normal" ranges resulting in irritability, anxiety, low mood, energy slumps, shakiness or headaches before meals, PMS in women, cravings for sugary foods and stimulants.

When carbohydrate foods i.e. grains, fruits, vegetables are eaten, they are converted to sugar during the process of digestion.  This means that the level of sugar in the blood increases and a hormone called insulin is produced to move the excess sugar out of the blood and into the cells of the muscles and liver where it is stored as glycogen for short-term energy storage. In a healthy situation you will see from the graph above that the sugar levels return to normal without any kind of dip.

What Goes Wrong?

The problem occurs when too much sugar and refined foods are being eaten which results in the pancreas being over-stimulated.  In this situation the pancreas can over react  releasing an excess of insulin and cause too much sugar to be passed into the cells of the muscles and liver and too little being left in the blood stream resulting in an uncomfortable drop and many of the symptoms mentioned at the beginning of this handout. This situation can also encourage weight gain.

The Impact of Stress

Stress/worrying can have a negative effect on blood sugar levels due to adrenalin being released which in turn causes the body to convert glycogen in the liver to glucose which then circulates in the blood stream ready for ‘fight or flight’ – your body doesn’t know you are not going to fight a tiger! – this causes stored sugars to be released and be dumped back into the blood stream causing a rapid rise in blood sugar levels and the whole vicious cycle of insulin being produced starts again!

Nutritional Management of Blood Sugar Imbalance

Because protein foods are digested more slowly than carbohydrate foods, combining these two food families together slows down the digestion of the carbohydrate resulting in a slower release of sugars from these foods and less rapid rises in blood sugar levels.

Reducing or avoiding refined foods which are converted to sugar rapidly during the process of digestion and replacing with whole grains which contain more fibre and are thus digested more slowly can also help to improve blood sugar balance.

Avoid sugar, honey and sweeteners.

Eat small, frequent meals and always combine protein and carbohydrates.

Always eat breakfast

Dilute fruit juice 50/50 and ideally avoid.

Limit intake of dried fruit – best ones are apricots, prunes, peaches, pears and apples.

Avoid convenience foods as likely to contain refined foods.

Avoid alcohol.

Decrease citrus fruits.

Avoid tea, coffee and cigarettes if you have them.

Take regular exercise.