What You Can Do To Stop The Blood Sugar Rollercoaster
If you find that your blood sugars often fluctuate from too high to too low (and vice versa), you’re on the blood sugar rollercoaster. To learn how to eliminate the extremes, you’ll have to do a little sleuthing on your own. Get out your blood glucose meter, and for a week try testing before and after a variety of meals, activities, and destressors to figure out what’s making it go up and down to stop it for good! Your blood sugars are affected by a large number of things, including what you ate (especially refined “white” carbohydrates), how long ago you ate, your starting blood glucose level, physical activity, mental stress, illness, sleep patterns, and more. If you take insulin and use it to treat highs, you can easily end up overcompensating and developing low blood sugars. If you develop a low, it’s easy to overeat and end up high again. Large fluctuations in blood sugars may make you feel cruddy and are bad for your long-term health, so it’s time to learn how to stop the rollercoaster! Physical Activity Effects: During this week, your goal is to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on three days at varying times of day, and check and record your blood glucose levels before and after the activity. Physical Activity Trial #1: For this first activity, pick one that you normally do (like walking or cycling) and try to do it at your usual time of day. Check and record your blood sugar immediately before starting and within an hour of completing the 30 minutes of activity. You will find that your body responds differently to varying types of physical activities, particularly when the time of day varies as well. If you exercise first thing in the morning (before breakfast and medications), it is not unusual to experience a modest increase in blood s Continue reading >>
Healthy Foods That Do Not Spike Blood Sugar
Your blood sugar levels rise when you consume foods with easily accessible carbohydrates, potentially increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity or other health problems. Selecting foods based on their glycemic index, a system that ranks foods based on their potential effect on your blood sugar levels, helps you to find foods that keep your blood sugar levels low; the lower the GI ranking, the less of an impact on your blood sugar levels. Glycemic Index of 20 or Lower Foods without carbohydrates, including meats, eggs and fish, do not have a GI index ranking and do not have a notable impact on your blood sugar levels. Ranked foods with a score of less than 20 also have minimal impact. Such foods include carrots, eggplant, cauliflower, green beans, broccoli, peppers, onions, lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes, peanuts and walnuts. These foods are generally safe for you to eat at each meal without spiking your blood sugar. Cooking raw vegetables makes their carbohydrates more bioavailable and increases their GI ranking -- eat vegetables raw for the smallest impact on your blood sugar. Glycemic Index of 21 to 40 A GI ranking of 21 to 40 represents a small impact on your blood sugar levels. Many vegetables with an otherwise low GI ranking, such as carrots, jump into the 21 to 40 category when cooked. Examples of foods in this small-to-moderate category include peas, beans, lentils, whole wheat pasta, egg noodles, wheat tortillas, pearled barley, rye, cherries, plums, grapefruit, apples, apricots, milk, yogurt and soy milk. Enjoy these foods in moderation to keep your blood sugar in check. Glycemic Index of 41 to 60 Foods with a GI rank of 41 to 60 have a moderate impact on your blood sugar. Examples include rolled oats, kidney beans, chickpeas, popcorn, sweet potatoe Continue reading >>
8 Tips To Avoid Blood Sugar Dips And Spikes
If you have type 2 diabetes and your blood sugar levels are racing up and down like a roller coaster, it's time to get off the ride. Big swings in your blood sugar can make you feel lousy. But even if you aren't aware of them, they can still increase your risk for a number of serious health problems. By making simple but specific adjustments to your lifestyle and diet, you can gain better blood-sugar control. Your body uses the sugar, also known as glucose, in the foods you eat for energy. Think of it as a fuel that keeps your body moving throughout the day. Blood Sugar Highs and Lows Type 2 diabetes decreases the body’s production of insulin, which is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Without enough insulin, sugar builds up in the blood and can damage nerves and blood vessels. This increase of blood sugar also increases your risk for heart disease and stroke. Over time, high blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, can lead to more health problems, including kidney failure and blindness. "Keeping blood sugar stable can help prevent the long-term consequences of fluctuations," says Melissa Li-Ng, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Dr. Li-Ng explains that high blood sugar can cause a number of symptoms that include: Fatigue Increased thirst Blurry vision Frequent urination It's also important to know that you can have high blood sugar and still feel fine, but your body can still suffer damage, Li-Ng says. Symptoms of high blood sugar typically develop at levels above 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). "You can have high blood sugar that's between 150 and 199 and feel perfectly fine," Li-Ng says. Over time, your body can also get used to chronically high blood sugar levels, so you don’t feel the symptoms, she says. On the flip side, if you Continue reading >>
Are You Non-diabetic? Your After-meal Blood Sugar Spikes May Be Killing You Softly
Something millions of people don’t realize is that non-diabetics do experience blood glucose spikes after meals. Yes, non-diabetics get blood sugar highs believe it or not. They just don’t know it and this phenomenon has implications for your health. Your doctor won’t tell you how important your blood glucose control is as a non-diabetic. I will. The reason your doctor fails to tell you this is mainly because it is generally thought that until a diagnosis of diabetes is made, you are assumed to be metabolically competent. But that is not always the case. In actual fact, this is the reason why a lot of prediabetes cases are missed. Prediabetes is the abnormal metabolic stage before type 2 diabetes actually bites. And before the prediabetes stage, you also develop insulin resistance which is largely silent as well. Doctors don’t pay attention to metabolic health in a run-of-the-mill consultation even if the consultation is for a wellness overview. There are so many individuals with insulin resistance, prediabetes and frank type 2 diabetes walking around totally unaware they have any of those conditions. If only we paid just a little attention to our metabolic health, we could prevent millions of cases of type 2 diabetes raging around the globe like a wild summer forest fire. Do non-diabetics have blood sugar spikes? I often get asked about whether non diabetics have blood sugar highs i.e blood sugar spikes. The short answer is they do but there is a caveat there. Not every non diabetic does. It all depends on what I call metabolic competence along with other variables. Before I talk about the variables involved, let me draw your attention to this study carried in Ulm University in Germany. They recruited 24 healthy volunteers into the study and made them eat simil Continue reading >>
10 Things That Can Spike Your Blood Sugar
When you first found out you had diabetes, you tested your blood sugar often to understand how food, activity, stress and illness could affect your blood sugar levels. By now, you’ve got it figured out for the most part, right? But suddenly — BAM! Something makes your blood sugar zoom up. You try to adjust it with food or activity or insulin, and it dips low. You’re on that rollercoaster no one with diabetes wants to ride. Knowledge is power! Look out for these surprising triggers that can send your blood sugar soaring: 1 – Heat Extreme heat (in baths or hot tubs) can cause blood vessels to dilate, which makes insulin absorb more quickly and could lead to low blood sugar. 2 – Artificial sweeteners More research needs to be done, but some studies show that they can raise blood sugar. 3 – Coffee Even without sweetener, coffee can raise blood sugar, due to the caffeine. Some people are extra-sensitive to caffeine. 4 – Losing sleep Just one night of poor sleep can make your body use insulin less efficiently. 5 – Skipping breakfast Going without that morning meal can increase blood sugar after both lunch and dinner. 6 – Time of day The later it gets, the harder blood sugar can be to control. 7 – The “Dawn Phenomenon” People have a surge in hormones early in the morning, whether they have diabetes or not. For people with diabetes, this means blood sugar can spike. 8 – Dehydration Less water in your body means a higher blood sugar concentration. 9 – Nasal sprays Some sprays have chemicals that trigger your liver to release more sugar into your bloodstream. 10 – Gum disease It’s both a complication of diabetes and a cause for blood sugar spiking. Watch out for other triggers that can make your blood sugar spike. If an activity, food or situation Continue reading >>
Taming The Post-meal Blood Sugar Spike
by Gary Scheiner MS, CDE Postprandial spikes are temporary high blood sugars that occur soon after eating. It is normal for the blood sugar to rise a small amount after eating, even in people who do not have diabetes. However, if the spike is too high, it can affect your quality of life today and contribute to serious health problems down the road. The reason blood sugar “spikes” very high after eating for many people with diabetes is a simple matter of timing. In a non-diabetic, consumption of carbohydrate results in two important reactions: the immediate release of insulin into the bloodstream, and production of a hormone called amylin. Insulin produced by the pancreas starts working almost immediately and finishes its job in a matter of minutes. Amylin keeps food from reaching the intestines too quickly (where the nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream). As a result, the moment blood sugar starts to rise, insulin is there to sweep the extra sugar into the body’s cells. In most cases, the after-meal blood sugar rise is barely noticeable. However, in people with diabetes, the situation is like a batter with very slow reflexes facing a pitcher who throws 98 mph fastballs: the timing is all fouled up. Rapid-acting insulin that is injected (or infused by a pump) at mealtimes takes approximately 15 minutes to start working, 60-90 minutes to “peak”, and four hours or more to finish working. And don’t forget about the amylin hormone effect. In people with diabetes, amylin is either produced in insufficient amounts or not at all. As a result, food digests even faster than usual. This combination of slower insulin and faster food can cause blood sugar to rise quite high soon after eating. This is followed by a sharp drop once the mealtime insulin finally kicks Continue reading >>
How To Prevent Blood Sugar & Triglyceride Spikes After Meals
Previously, I’ve covered the effect adding berries to a meal has on blood sugar responses in If Fructose is Bad, What About Fruit? That raises the question: How Much Fruit is Too Much? In addition to the all-fruit jam question, in my next video I’ll cover The Effects of Avocados and Red Wine on Postprandial Inflammation. Vinegar may also help: Can Vinegar Help with Blood Sugar Control? Maybe this explains part of the longevity benefit of nut consumption. See Nuts May Help Prevent Death. I also talked about that immediate inflammatory reaction to unhealthy food choices in my recent video, Best Foods to Improve Sexual Function. Surprised by the chicken and butter reaction? Same thing happens with tuna fish, and other meat. Check out Paleo Diets May Negate Benefits of Exercise. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. Continue reading >>
How To Lose Weight By Balancing Your Blood Sugar (5 Easy Ways)
All of these years, you’ve been told that counting calories, following point systems, and choking down fat-burning pills are the ultimate solutions for weight loss. And as one of America’s most profitable industries, fad-diet quick-fixes make tall promises, which only yield short-term (and often disappointing) results. 1 Worst Carb After Age 50 If you're over 50 and you eat this carb, you will never lose belly fat. HealthPlus50 The truth is, there’s an easier way to lose the weight—and it has nothing to do with miracle nutrients, detox teas, or dieting. Instead, sustainable weight loss can be achieved by learning how to balance your blood-sugar levels. What is Blood Sugar, and How Does it Work? You may want to hit the snooze button when it comes to blood sugar 101. But having imbalanced blood-sugar levels could be the exact reason why you’re not losing weight—especially if you feel like you’ve tried everything else to no avail. Blood sugar simply refers to the amount of sugar (or glucose) in your blood, which comes from carbohydrates. Whenever you eat, your body receives an influx of nutrients, including carbohydrates. During digestion, carbohydrates are broken down into sugar molecules and sent to your bloodstream, which naturally raises your blood-sugar levels. The hormone insulin is then released to bring the sugar out of your blood—and into your cells to be converted into energy. That sounds simple enough, right? Just a regular biological process… No big deal. But here’s where the connection between blood sugar and weight gain comes in. How Imbalanced Blood-Sugar Levels Can Make You Fat You see, your body only needs so much energy at once. So if your energy stores are already full at the time of digesting the carbohydrates, any excess sugar from Continue reading >>
Myth: All Grains Make Your Blood Sugar Spike
“I’m not eating any carbs, because they make your blood sugar spike.” “Nobody should eat grains; they all have a high glycemic index, especially pasta.” If you’ve heard — and believed —statements like these, the truth may surprise you: many grains have a very low glycemic index – including pasta. And a large body of research ties whole grain consumption to reduced risk of diabetes and inflammation. It’s true that blood sugar levels matter. Researchers link many chronic diseases, from diabetes to heart disease, with eating too many foods that send your blood sugar on a roller coaster ride. Indeed, when you eat such foods, especially those made with highly processed grains and sugar, your blood sugar can spike then quickly plummet, leaving your energy depleted and causing damage to essential bodily systems, potentially affecting everything from cancer risk to brain health. It’s healthier to choose foods that provide a steady, slow release of glucose (blood sugar). The Glycemic Index rates how quickly carbohydrate foods are converted into glucose – and you may be surprised to learn that many grain foods have a low GI score (considered 55 or less on the 1 to 100 GI scale). Virtually all intact whole grains have a very low GI score. Check out these typical scores: Grain Food GI Score Whole grain barley 25 Rye berries 35 Buckwheat 45 Brown rice 48 Whole wheat pasta 37 “White” pasta 45 Even if you’re aware that whole intact grains – eaten in porridges and pilafs, grain salads and soups – have a low glycemic index, you may be surprised to see pasta keeping good company with these intact grains. Pasta has a low GI score, with whole grain spaghetti rating about 37, and even “white” pasta coming in at 42-45. That’s because the starch struc Continue reading >>
Common Causes Of Blood Sugar Spikes
Because you have diabetes, you know it’s a must to keep your blood sugar levels under control. But do you know what makes them spike? Check this list of common culprits, plus ways to help you stay healthy and feel great. 1. Your Diet Watch what you eat, since that's one of the most important things you can do to control your blood sugar, also called glucose. That’s because of the impact that carbohydrates -- the sugars and starches in foods -- can have. It’s fine to eat them in moderation. But choices that have too many carbs can cause your blood sugar to soar -- white rice and pasta, and highly processed or fried foods are examples. Some fruits are high in sugar, such as bananas. It’s OK to have fruit, just not too much. Choose good carbs, like whole-grain bread and cereal, unprocessed grains such as barley or quinoa, beans, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, fruit, yogurt, and vegetables. Fiber helps, because it lowers blood sugar. Good choices are whole grains, fruits that are lower in sugar (apples and blueberries), veggies, and legumes. 2. Too Little Sleep Not getting enough rest does more than make you groggy. It also affects how well your body can control and break down blood sugar. In one study, researchers asked healthy adults to sleep just 4 hours a night for 6 days. At the end of the study, their bodies’ ability to break down glucose was 40% lower, on average. Why? Doctors believe that when you enter deep sleep, your nervous system slows down and your brain uses less blood sugar. Get your shut-eye. Remember all the things that help: Stick to a regular schedule, don't use your phone or tablet close to bedtime, and relax before you hit the hay. *CGM-based treatment requires fingersticks for calibration, if patient is taking acetaminophen, or if symptoms/e Continue reading >>
Carbohydrates And Blood Sugar
When people eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the blood. As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage. As cells absorb blood sugar, levels in the bloodstream begin to fall. When this happens, the pancreas start making glucagon, a hormone that signals the liver to start releasing stored sugar. This interplay of insulin and glucagon ensure that cells throughout the body, and especially in the brain, have a steady supply of blood sugar. Carbohydrate metabolism is important in the development of type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body can’t make enough insulin or can’t properly use the insulin it makes. Type 2 diabetes usually develops gradually over a number of years, beginning when muscle and other cells stop responding to insulin. This condition, known as insulin resistance, causes blood sugar and insulin levels to stay high long after eating. Over time, the heavy demands made on the insulin-making cells wears them out, and insulin production eventually stops. Glycemic index In the past, carbohydrates were commonly classified as being either “simple” or “complex,” and described as follows: Simple carbohydrates: These carbohydrates are composed of sugars (such as fructose and glucose) which have simple chemical structures composed of only one sugar (monosaccharides) or two sugars (disaccharides). Simple carbohydrates are easily and quickly utilized for energy by the body because of their simple chemical structure, often leading to a faster rise in blood sugar and insulin secretion from the pancreas – which can have negative health effects. Complex carbohydrates: These carbohydrates have mo Continue reading >>
8 Fruit Smoothie Ingredients That Won't Spike Your Blood Sugar
They pack tons of nutrition into a small transportable cup, and often, they taste more like a dessert than a healthy snack or meal, but smoothies aren’t without their faults. If you concoct or order the wrong blend, your refreshing drink can spike your blood sugar, leaving you queasy and feeling overall blah, rather than satisfied. Unfortunately, I discovered this the hard way. I’ve tried numerous times to hop on the smoothie bandwagon. They seem like the perfect post-workout snack when I can’t go home to eat, or an easy option when I need to have breakfast on the run. But no matter what I order, smoothies always seem to leave me feeling nauseous—like I’ve just taken a very bumpy ride in the back of a car while reading a book. (You know the feeling.) And being that I’m a full-time health editor, I was determined to find out what could be going on. So I turned to the pros: According to Lori Zanini, RD, CDE, the creator of the Free 7 Day Diabetes Meal Plan, even if a smoothie is overflowing with healthy foods, it can cause blood sugar levels to spike if it isn’t made with the right blend or ratios of ingredients. This, of course, leaves you feeling not-so-awesome. “When blood sugar levels rise and fall quickly, the body's metabolism may get interrupted which can lead to feelings of nausea,” Zanini says. What’s more, the insulin that rushes to get excess sugar out of your blood and into your cells can cause a blood sugar crash. This can leave you feeling fatigued and hungry, explains Alissa Rumsey MS, RD, CSCS, owner of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness in New York City. Those with diabetes will have different, but just as uncomfortable side effects. “If you have diabetes and spike your blood sugar with a smoothie, or any other food or drink for th Continue reading >>
50 Foods That Won’t Spike Blood Sugar
Blood sugar (or blood glucose) is most dependent on carbohydrate sources. But since carbohydrates embraces a wide variety of foods (whole grains, produce, milk, pastries, etc.), controlling blood sugars may be confusing and complex to manage. And with the effects of high blood sugar being harmful to health, regulating them takes high precedence. Effects of High Blood Sugar Though blood sugar spikes are oftentimes inevitable, they should not be a consistent phenomenon. Initial signs of high blood sugar (also known as hyperglycemia) consist of increased thirst and frequent urination. But constant and long-term spikes can create much bigger consequences and include cardiovascular (heart) disease, nerve damage (neuropathy), kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy) or failure, damage to the retina's blood vessels (diabetic retinopathy), poor blood circulation to the feet (potentially leading to infections or amputations), mouth and skin infections and non-healing wounds, along with bone and joint complications. More severe complications require emergency attention and include diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome. How to Control Blood Sugar Spikes As mentioned above, constant high blood sugar and spikes can startle and damage the body and its systems. The glycemic index (GI) measures how foods affect blood sugars, based on a one to 100 number scale. Low GI foods have a mild effect on blood sugars while high GI foods have a much greater impact. So to keep blood sugars unshaken, stray away from highly sweetened items and go for non-carbohydrate or lower GI foods. Non-Carbohydrate Foods Meats, fats and oils are essentially absent of carbohydrates. Importantly, be mindful of the preparation method as breaded and battered meats will mostly contain some sort of Continue reading >>
10 Ways To Balance Blood Sugar Naturally
Blood Sugar Balance in Plain English Before we get started with tips to balance your blood sugar, I want to cover some basic blood sugar terms that I will be using in this discussion. Blood sugar/blood glucose – Glucose is the form of sugar that is in our bloodstream. Glucose is the body’s preferred source of fuel. Insulin – the pancreas secretes insulin, a hormone that shuttles glucose from the blood into body cells. It knocks on the cell and says, “Open up, I’ve got some glucose that I need to get out of the bloodstream so take it and use it for energy.” Insulin resistance – When we consume a large amount of refined carbs with very little fat and protein, our blood sugar spikes very high and the pancreas frantically overcompensates with insulin release. This overcompensation of insulin eventually causes insulin resistance, which leads to Type 2 Diabetes if poor dietary practices are continued. The good news, however, is that it can an be reversed through a healthy diet that balances your blood sugar. Glycogen – Glucose that doesn’t enter body cells is taken to the liver where it is converted to glycogen. This is a form of stored sugar that is broken down to stabilize low blood sugar levels between meals and during the night. It is healthful for the body store of glycogen, but stress and hormone dysfunction deplete our ability to store glycogen and this can contribute to blood sugar imbalance. Hyperglycemia – Hyperglycemia is another term for high blood sugar. It is normal to have a spike in blood sugar after a meal, but chronically high blood sugar causes severe health issues. Hypoglycemia – Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar. Glycogen, the sugar stored in the liver, is responsible for raising blood sugar in-between meals and should prevent hypoglyc Continue reading >>
The Negative Effects Of Blood Sugar Spikes
The delicacy of the human body is quite a fascinating phenomenon. Our body is constantly working under very tight parameters in order to maintain equilibrium through a network of feedback loops and communication. These mechanisms deal with any abnormality that may disrupt the body’s natural rhythm. For people with diabetes, it is very common to see disruption in these things since the insulin mechanism is either malfunctioning (type 2 diabetes) or not working at all (type 1 diabetes). This can cause a very disconcerting problem such as high or low blood sugar levels. Even if diet is controlled very well and the proper amount of insulin is given for a particular meal, there can still be other underlying problems which can affect you in the long run. These are called blood sugar spikes. Let’s take a look at what causes these blood sugar spikes, why they cause concern and how to minimize or prevent them from happening to you. Blood sugar spikes (either high or low) are very dangerous for any person’s health. The consequences of these spikes have shown to increase the development of kidney disease as well as an accelerated progression to eye problems in people with type 1 diabetes. Studies also show that frequent blood sugar spikes in people with type 2 diabetes increase the risk of cardiovascular problems and may even account for slowed mental performance as well as lower attention and energy levels. So we know the consequences of these sugar spikes, but why are they so prevalent in people with diabetes??? As I mentioned earlier, the body is a very fine tuned machine, so when one mechanism fails the others will fall behind. The greatest cause of blood sugar spikes has to do with the timing of insulin delivery. With type 2 diabetes, insulin sometimes does not make it Continue reading >>
