Today I’m going to talk about some ways you can balance your blood sugar throughout the day. It’s something I try to be aware of, and it’s not easy for me to remember to do things the right way, but it makes a big difference to how I feel, and how much energy I have.
Making sure your blood sugar is balanced first thing in the morning is the best way to have it balanced throughout the day. When we say balanced blood sugar, that means not too high and not too low. Every time you eat, your blood sugar is going to go up. If you eat things that have a higher glycemic index, like carbohydrates, they will make your blood sugar go up more, but there are things you can do, like change the order you eat things in, to help with that.
But I think it’s also important to realize that we don’t want to panic about things. Our blood sugar is meant to go up when we eat, and then it’s meant to come down again when insulin is released by our bodies, so it’s not a good idea to cut out carbs completely. Those aren’t the kind of tips I’m going to talk about. What I’m going to talk about is to help your blood sugar not go up too much, and then not crash after that, but stay more balanced throughout the day. Having a stable blood sugar, where it doesn’t go up too high, or get too low, will help you to maintain energy levels, and reduce the risk of developing something like insulin resistance, where your body overuses insulin and then it’s no longer effective.
So, one of the most effective ways to balance our blood sugar throughout the day is to do with what we eat and when we eat. Don’t skip meals, because that can cause our blood sugar levels to drop too low, and then we won’t have energy, we may feel shaky, and we may overeat later, and spike our blood sugars too much.
Eating every three to four hours is very wise, and having small, balanced meals, not a huge portion size, but a good amount to satisfy you. A balanced meal would include protein. Protein helps stabilize your blood sugar by slowing down the absorption of the glucose into your bloodstream. There are many good proteins – I’m sure you have your favorites, maybe meats, fish, eggs, legumes, or nuts.
Then of course, there’s fiber – high fiber carbs are great. They slow down digestion; they help prevent the blood sugar spikes. Sourdough, freshly ground grains, oats, quinoa, brown rice, vegetables or fruit – those are all fabulous.
Healthy fats help to balance out your meal. There’s olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, tallow, and of course the fat that comes in meat. All of those are great in a balanced meal. Remember that’s the most important thing – we want to make sure that our meals are satisfying to us, and the fat and protein help so much with that. Our bodies need carbohydrates for good energy, so having all of those things as part of the meal is very good. The fiber helps with digestion. A balanced meal is the way to go.
As well, it’s very important to have a good breakfast not too long after you wake up, and definitely don’t start the day with coffee if you want to avoid the shakes. It’s good to have a decent breakfast; one that includes good protein, healthy fat, and good fiber. So, for example, sourdough toast, blueberries on the side, and some fried eggs, and possibly even a piece of sausage or bacon if you want to make sure to get a good amount of protein. You could have some Greek yogurt with a little bit of maple syrup.
Making your breakfast satisfying and pleasing to the body is really helpful, because then you’re not going to want to snack the rest of the day. One of the things that causes blood sugar to go up is if we’re constantly snacking, and there’s no time for it to reset in between. Breakfasts are very important.
If you’re one of those people who likes the same thing every day, then do that, and if you like a variety of things, try some different options. The Trim Healthy Mama pancakes are a favorite in this house, which are made from cottage cheese, eggs and oats. There are many different varieties of that. It’s not easy to eat a good breakfast like this within half an hour to an hour of waking up. I find as a homeschool mom that there’s a lot to do in the morning, and making breakfast for myself is not a high priority, so what I’ve done to help me, is put a snack in my room the night before. Maybe it will be a box of cashews, or some fruit. When I wake up I have a small amount of that, and then I have a second breakfast like in Lord of the Rings. This will be my main meal for the morning. I know that it’s good for the metabolism to eat early in the morning, and so I’ve tried to do that.
Here’s some ideas for what you could do for breakfast. I mentioned eggs. I sometimes like to do a vegetable and egg scramble. I don’t really like bread, so instead of that, I’ll do zucchini and tomatoes. I’ll just fry up a little bit of zucchini in some coconut oil, and then add some scrambled egg with milk and some herbs, and then I’ll fry a little bit of tomato, and sometimes some mushrooms on the side.
I mentioned the Trim Healthy Mama pancake. Those are great to have with cheese, or a little bit of maple syrup and cinnamon. You can add berries to the Greek yoghurt, and perhaps some nuts, along with your honey or maple syrup, and some homemade granola. Some people like chia pudding, and adding protein powder to it. I’ve never done that, but you might like to do that.
Omelettes with cheese and vegetables inside are great. You could have a protein smoothie that includes Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with the fruit. There’s avocado on toast with egg, and if you want to get fancy, smoked salmon with cream cheese and a little bit of lettuce. I’ve enjoyed that on occasion. Or there’s eggs benedict – make the hollandaise sauce the night before, and then add it to your eggs with a little bit of bacon or ham underneath. You can also make your vegetables; your mushrooms and your zucchini the night before, and keep it in the fridge, and then just warm it up in the morning – it’s much faster. I’m also more likely to make something if I have part of it already prepared. So, enjoy your breakfasts.
I like to have some chamomile tea after breakfast, or green tea, although green tea is best if you wait an hour or two before having it, so that it doesn’t affect your absorption of things like iron from your meal. Green tea is great, though, in between meals, and does help with digestion too. Otherwise, peppermint tea is great after your meal. That definitely helps with digestion, and chamomile tea is great as a calming drink for the day. All of those teas definitely help to balance your blood sugar. So, herbal teas and green tea are great options to help with blood sugar balance during the day.
Then, another tip is to add some apple cider vinegar to your meal, or to have a little capful that you just down. That’s supposed to help insulin sensitivity, and reduce your blood sugar spikes after eating.
Staying hydrated through the day, with perhaps a bit of lemon or salt in your water, can help your blood sugar stay balanced. Of course, regular physical activity helps. It doesn’t have to be a whole big workout, but just moving all the time. If you’re sitting, every hour you should bounce on a mini trampoline, swing your arms, do some jogging on the spot, or do some star jumps. All of those things help very much with your blood sugar not spiking too much.
It’s really helpful to make sure that your sleep is good and that you get to bed early enough. This really affects blood sugar regulation. The first half of the night counts double, as they say – any time before midnight is a very good contribution to your sleep time.
Then, of course, it’s not wise to consume a huge amount of carbohydrates, especially on their own. As we mentioned earlier, eating protein, fat, and fiber with your carbohydrates is very helpful. You should manage the amount of carbohydrates that you eat at one time.
Managing stress is important – deep breathing, just being aware of when you’re stressed, and helping yourself to relax. Try to go for a little walk, to have a change of scenery, to hug a tree. They say that touching anything in nature helps your body to not be so stressed, and helps balance your blood sugar.
Adding cinnamon to your food also helps with insulin sensitivity and balancing your blood sugar. So, sprinkling a little bit on your pancakes, or mixing some into your oatmeal is a good thing.
At night, we don’t want our blood sugar to drop too low. If your blood sugar drops a lot, you often wake up, and your liver runs out of fuel, so you can’t sleep. It’s a good idea to eat a balanced evening meal, as well as a good breakfast. Eat a meal that includes protein and healthy fats to help slow the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. You can probably eat the least carbs at dinner time. The more good protein and fats you eat at night, the better you’ll be able to sustain your energy through the night.
Perhaps, if you struggle with low blood sugar overnight, you can even have a small bedtime snack, like a little Greek yogurt, a small handful of nuts, a banana, or something like that. They say that cheese is great. Even if you wake up in the night, have a small nibble of cheese. It’s supposed to help you get back to sleep. Cheese is good because it’s got protein and fat and carbohydrates all in one.
Also, avoid big heavy meals at dinner time – that can affect your sleep. Slow digesting carbs are good for night time – things like whole grains, sweet potatoes, beans, or lentils. Those are helpful in balancing your blood sugar at night.
Again, chamomile tea is great at bedtime to help soothe you, help you relax, and be ready for bed. There are many other great teas, like dandelion tea, nettle tea, and red raspberry leaf tea. Try some variety.
Lastly, try not to worry about your blood sugar. Let it be something that you’re aware of, and that you mindfully work on, but don’t let it be a stress. Enjoying our meals to the point where we feel satisfied and energized, and we have a good amount of all the macronutrients, is definitely the best and wisest way to feel good, to balance our blood sugar, and to be healthy. It’s definitely the best way to avoid wanting to snack all the time, but to use the rest of our day for productivity, and keep the eating for mealtimes.
We can also look at improving the quality of each of our macronutrients. We should ask ourselves: “Are we having good quality protein? Are we having good quality fruit and vegetables? Are we having good quality fats?” Sometimes it’s hard when there’s a tight budget or we just don’t feel like it. I have that now and then.
If you are going to eat a treat like a dessert or a chocolate bar, try to have a small amount, and try to have it after a meal or with protein and fat. Sometimes I’ll grab some olives, and have some dried mango with it, or if I’m going to have some chocolate, I’ll have some olives and some cheese with it, and it helps to balance the blood sugar.
Also, I find that how I eat one day will affect how I feel and the health of my blood sugar the following day. Just be mindful of that. Sometimes you may not feel good from the previous day, but just keep doing what you’re doing and things will get better. Have fun with your meals, and try not to stress about them too much, and hopefully you’ll feel great with a balanced blood sugar.
Thanks for listening. Have a good week! I’ll see you next time.