Even if you are not diabetic, balancing the blood sugar is important. It can boost energy levels, reduce inflammation and even help lose weight. Below are natural ways to help keep the blood sugar on an even keel and restore balance in the body.
Ignore the “Calorie In, Calorie Out” Rule
Most people believe the myth that simply eating less and exercising more is the key to losing weight. However, not all calories are created equal. 100 calories of broccoli will do much more for your body by way of fiber, nutrients and antioxidants than 100 calories of crackers, for instance. Learning what foods will help keep the blood sugar in balance is more important than actual caloric intake.
Don’t Rely on Your Doctor for a Quick Fix
Many doctors feel more comfortable with prescribing pills than they do with sitting down and talking to their patients about lifestyle changes to lose weight or control blood sugar. Nutritional therapy is simply not as emphasized in medical training as it needs to be. Most patients will have to education themselves and find out what foods will help them to get healthy and balance out their sugars.
Avoid Foods that Make Your Body Store Fat
When you eat foods that are high in sugar or refined flour, these foods break down quickly in your system, insulin levels spike up and this causes your body to store those sugars and carbohydrates as fat. When this energy is stored, you start to feel hungry, and if you eat more simple carbohydrates, the cycle simply starts all over again. Avoiding simple carbohydrates like those found in sugars and refined flour is important to a stable blood sugar.
Reduce Bread
Whether it is white or wheat, bread can is one of those foods that will spike up your blood sugar –especially since most store-bought breads contain sweeteners anyway to enhance their flavor. Try to reduce the bread in your diet and if you are craving a sandwich, wrap up the fillings in Romaine or other leaf lettuce to make a low-carb “wrap”.
Cut Back on Dairy
Dairy is another food which can spike up the insulin in the body, lead to higher blood sugar levels and cause an inflammatory response. If you think about it, it makes sense: milk is designed by nature to make things grow big, like a calf growing into a cow. Unfortunately, it also has that same effect on human beings. Consider nondairy alternatives like almond milk, which are a much healthier choice for stabilizing the blood sugar.
Don’t Believe the Lie that Fat is Bad for You!
The problem with trying to follow a low-fat diet is that low-fat foods tend to taste flavorless or bland, so manufacturers will replace those fat calories with additives like sugar to enhance the way the food tastes. This is the very last thing you want to do in your diet. Fat is ok – just make sure that you are eating the “good”, monounsaturated fats. These are found in avocadoes, olive oil and some nuts, just to name a few.
Following these guidelines can help you balance out your blood sugar and lose weight naturally. It will also boost overall energy levels and having you feel better in very little time at all.
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