4 Mistakes I see People Make When trying to Balance their Blood Sugar
-
There is a lot of confusion around carbs, how they work, the impact they have, which ones are helpful, and which one cause hinderances. I call this phenomenon “carb confusion.”
The category of carbohydrates is a little vague for my liking. When I say “carbohydrates,” most people think cakes, cookies, and potato chips.
But the thing is, unless the food is a animal protein or whole healthy fat, the food is almost guaranteed to have some kind of sugar (aka carbohydrate in it).
Next, not all carbs (sugars) are created equal. Some have a huge insulin triggering impact, other’s barely hit the release button. 2-3 cups of broccoli versus one sweet potato or even rice can mean the difference of a 10-20 post meal insulin spike versus a 60 point post meal spike, even when paired properly.
AND THEN there are the density (high glycemic, or starchy) and dosage (portion size) considerations.
A person could eat as much lettuce as they wanted and barely see blood sugar or insulin budge, but consume 3 cookies and the wave will spike again. No one I know eats one chip or 1 cracker.
The more impactful (or dense) the sugar + increasing quantity cannot be protected by even the best layering or balancing approach.
So to recap, when people are talking blood sugar balancing and insulin sensitivity (including when counting macros), I find not enough people are paying attention to how the glycemic index and load are influencing their sugar trends (whole or processed).
Would you consider yourself carb confused or carb conscious?
Do you pay attention to your blood sugar trends for metabolic health?
Click this link to listen to the Instagram Live I did covering this Blood Sugar Balancing Mistake.
-
This is a huge step that many of my clients try to minimize at first. Often, they will not start seeing best results they seek until they start incorporating safe eyeball AND skin and daylight exposure at the right times in the right amounts.
Every cell in your body has a circadian gene that directly impacts your endocrine system, especially your hunger hormones, your insulin, and melatonin.
Click this link to listen to the Instagram Live I did covering this Blood Sugar Balancing Mistake.
I even had one client share she no longer had restless legs at night after she started getting morning sunshine on her face and eyes.
This one is easy to miss in our fast paced world, but essential to incorporate if you want to start seeing your hormones balance themselves out naturally.
-
Many people think more is more, when less might be more valuable for performance and longevity.
At any given time, unless we are in rest and replenish mode, we are likely moving through one if the stages of the General Adaptation Stress (GAS) response.
Prolonged stress is a primary cause of dysregulated blood sugar and fat redistribution (from the pear to apple shape) due to adrenaline spikes followed by cortisol flows, which can result in insulin sensitivity, a decrease in metabolic health, and a decrease in immune function.
“Stress” can be an illusive term because individual responses vary. A person or body’s response are dynamically relative to beliefs, genetics, and perceptions of reality.
EXAMPLES of stress that many people ignore:
Mental stressors
Experiencing the world as a dangerous place
Learning something new
Taking a test
Emotional stressors
Fear of failure, need to succeed at all costs
Naysayers and negative Nancy’s
Relational disconnections and dysfunctions
Attention demands (aka multi tasking)Rescuing & people pleasing
Grief
Physical stressors
Excessive exercise
Blue lights
Environmental toxins
Infection
Pain
Lack of sleep
Dehydration
Spiritual stressors:
Disconnection from God
Loss of identity and original design
Cumulative load + length of time will determine how and if a person individually resolves or moves through the stages into Distress.
Ways to moderate stress include increasing internal mental and emotional capacities and resilience through:
gratitude
spending time in nature
listening to soothing music
incorporating proper breathing techniques, engaging in inner prayer healing
practicing paradigm shifts (renewing of the mind),
and control the controllable (which sometimes means eliminating the triggers).
A person can also mitigate SOME of the risk factors of cortisol ravaging through nutrition by removing “fuel from the fire” and balancing blood sugar with the right kinds of foods, consumed at the right times, in the right amounts!
Click this link to listen to the Instagram Live I did covering this Blood Sugar Balancing Mistake.
-
Hormesis can be a really great thing!
But for a human who is already buried under a cumulative load of stressors and possibly headed into the Distress staging of the stress response cycle, good things can quickly become harmful if not navigated wisely.
Trending healthful things that I have seen do more harm than good if not implemented wisely:
Excessive fasting
Excessive or too low temp cold therapy
Skipping sleep
Not getting enough protein (which can happen with prolonged keto not implemented properly and can lead to muscle wasting)
Like we discussed in the video for Mistake 3a, when a body is in a flight or fight state and extra stressors are added, cortisol is turned on and kept on which can lead to an over ride on insulin and cause high blood sugar trends as well as other inflammatory responses.
The body can only handle so much pressure without rest, refresh, and replenish periods.
This is why I am a huge fan of nervous system regulation practices as as well as cycling extreme interventions in and out seasonally and individually.
Humans are not machines. We need eb and flow cycles to be able to move from surviving to thriving. The pendulum of life never stops in the middle and stays. It keeps swinging which means we need to be able to continue adjusting to the time and season that matches our individual journey and goals.
Click this link to listen to the Instagram Live I did covering this Blood Sugar Balancing Mistake.
Blood sugar balancing by CGM Spring 2023.
All of these mistakes can be avoided with the right education and guidance! That’s why I created the 9 Health Foundations Program where I walk clients through the necessary steps it takes to have a balanced blood sugar for optimal metabolic health and complete Tri Dimensional Integration!
If you would like to learn more about working with me so you can bypass these common mistakes, check out my Services and Offerings page or sign up for a Free Discovery Call today!