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How to control blood sugar levels

bigstock-Morning-Breakfast-924306Balancing your hormones and blood sugar levels is an extremely important component to keeping weight off, moods stabilized and basically just keeping all the engines in the body functioning in concert with one another. Unfortunately in this day and age food addictions and eating disorders are at an all time high amongst American women thereby creating chaos with the hormonal system. We live in a country of increasing obesity and health problems due to issues related to food addictions. “A 1999 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 61 percent of adults in the U.S. were overweight, and that 26% were obese. A government study in October 2002 published by the Joural of the American Medical Association gives an obesity rate of 31% – nearly 1 in 3 American adults.” That was over 10 years ago and today it is so much worse.

Food cravings and compulsive overeating are complex issues, with various causes that can stem from emotional, stress, escape, or comfort. This problem is usually worse during hormonal times of the month for women or, menopause in which women take comfort in something from the refrigerator that may be making the symptoms worse, creating a cycle that is neverending. It is very important to figure out what the emotional causes are but, for our purposes here we will only address the physical so that perhaps it can help alleviate some of the triggers.

I’m sure you’ve all heard of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia but did you know that it is common among food addicts? Yes, indeed! When the body has low blood sugar it will release stress hormones or corisol. Cortisol is released to try to restore the balance, it will work to maintain blood sugar levels by converting stored glycogen and fat to glucose. Have you ever felt dizzy, weak, muscles shaking, rapid heartbeat, anxious or panicky? These are the symptoms of low blood sugar and typically people will grab something sweet to stop this however, eating sweets or refined flours actually causes a worsening of sypmtoms. Glucose rises too much and the pancreas will put out too much insulin and then the blood glucose level falls too low or too quickly thereby triggering another sugar craving and thus, the vicious cycle is maintained. Ugh!

Packaged and processed foods contain chemicals and additives that cause addictions and cravings to them as well. The manufacturers add taste emulsifiers to make the packaged foods taste better to your palate. Otherwise, you probably would not want them. As you start to cut out these foods, your cravings for them will cease as well but, you must first stop buying them and yes, that includes fast foods. These types of foods contain chemicals that affect our moods and behaviours in a very negative way and causes food cravings and addictions. If you stop buying them, the manufacturing who care nothing about your health will be out of business. It is up to you to create change.

Tips on how to control blood sugar levels

  • Buy ‘real foods’ like organic fruits, vegetables, pasture fed eggs and meats that come from a good source. If you can find a good farmers market and butcher that gets the meats from a local farm if possible. It’s easy and quick to throw together a salad or scramble some eggs with vegetables for an omelet or to grab a piece of fruit. I hear people complain all the time about how expensive it is to buy ‘healthy’ foods but, it simply is not true, your health is priceless not to mention, fruits, eggs and vegetables are not that expensive.
  • Stop buying packaged/processed foods –  not only do they keep people unhealthy and throw off your blood sugar levels but, those people also end up being a burden on our health care system and thus to every individual who pays taxes, us.
  • Eat sugar! Yes, that’s what I said, your body needs sugar for energy so, eat it but get it in the form of fruits and a bit of honey.
  • Don’t diet, just change your lifestyle habits by incorporating real foods and balance your macronutrients – protein, carb and fat specific to your needs.
  • Moderate exercise. The body is made to move so move it! 🙂

Look at the bigger picture, it’s not just about you as the individual, we are all connected, it’s about the whole. Change come from each of us as individuals so stop worrying about what someone else is doing, wearing or saying and start paying closer attention to how you can create change to cause that rippling effect and thus, a better world.



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