What is the benefit of managing blood sugar?
I am experimenting with reducing my sugar intake.
And for some reason, it feels SO anti my brand… and also just like, anti my identity.
I LOVE SUGAR.
And I’ve been able to lose almost 20 lbs paying zero attention to how much sugar I’m eating (although I did focus on macro counting, by tracking protein, calories and fiber - learn more about my approach here)
So on the one hand… I have improved my sense of health without changing my sugar intake.
And on the other hand, I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on blood sugar balance to better support my clients & understand hunger and cravings and a lot of research is showing (as you may expect) that added sugar just doesn’t serve our bodies as well as other forms of carbs.
Why does blood sugar balance matter?
For me & my clients: to reduce cravings & control appetite
To summarize why it leads to that, put very simply: our bodies want to maintain a consistent level of glucose in the blood to have available energy to power cells (all the cells in your body prefer glucose for fuel)
Our bodies do not like when blood sugar rises too fast in our blood stream. When this happens, our pancreas releases insulin. Insulin sends a message to the cells to store glucose (aka remove it from the bloodstream because blood sugar is high)
But if our blood sugar rises very fast, our body releases so much insulin that sometimes, our blood sugar drops too low, too quickly… and that makes our body send our brain the message “hey our blood sugar is too low, you need to eat something ASAP”
This is essentially blood sugar crashes in a nutshell.
Therefore we want blood sugar to rise slowly and we want insulin to be released slowly (this summary describes something who is not diabetic & who’s body can release insulin naturally)
The gist is this: if you’re a non-diabetic like me, we can avoid blood sugar crashes by managing how quickly our blood sugar rises
And what makes our blood sugar rise the fastest?
Processed sugar & naked carbs. These foods let sugar fly into the bloodstream, which raises blood sugar quickly. Unless you’re mid-run and your muscles need this sugar ASAP, your body will not have much to do with all of it besides release a lot of insulin and store it for later.
And to be honest, I was resistant to accepting this - I LOVE SUGAR.
And also because it’s sometimes scary to change our minds, right?
We get so comfy with one way of doing things and that feels familiar.
I believe so wholly in a restriction-free way of living and I just can’t decide if reducing sugar will make me feel restricted OR if it will improve my sense of vitality and energy
But - I do want to feel in control of my appetite & my cravings, and I believe that managing blood sugar will help that. I also think it will help my overall sense of wellness, feelings of anxiety, and supporting sleep quality!
So the scientist in me… she feels like it’s worth experimenting
Even if the donut lover in me is like “girl, no way.”
I also know that I am allowed to love sugar AND at the same time, try to reduce it in my diet to see how things feel.
Change is scary - and altering the way we see the world is scary. But, learning is really freaking cool and - even cooler - is our ability to experiment on our own bodies in real time and continuously make little tweaks to become our best selves.
I don’t have any results to share yet, though I do have a big belief that it will work based on the science. So stay tuned!
If you are wondering “what are the symptoms of blood sugar imbalance?” - here’s a place to start:
Cravings for sugar after big meals
Cravings consistently even when you know you’re eating enough calories for your needs
Feeling a sugar high 30-60 minutes after meals - or a sense of jittery feelings after a meal
Sluggishness 1-2 hours after eating
Irrational irritability and mood swings
Learn more in this great blog titled “5 things everyone needs to know about blood sugar (even if you're not diabetic)” from ZOE: link!
