How can you tell if your blood sugar is balanced and healthy?

Before we can fix blood sugar we need to know what it is and how it works. Blood sugar, is glucose traveling in your blood providing energy to your cells.  You are probably thinking, “But I thought sugar is bad for you?”. Well it is, however we do need some sugar to power our bodies. It’s not the most efficient fuel but certain amounts are necessary for organ and muscle function.  This is why blood sugar is such a difficult balancing act.

The brain, nerves, GI tract, kidneys, and cells in the immune system need glucose on a daily basis. But not a lot. These organs can run off of low amounts of carbohydrates. The ideal amount of carbohydrates for an active adult is between 100-200g per day. The body can derive glucose from sources other than carbohydrates.  Other glucose producing sources include gluconeogenesis (the process by which the liver converts amino acids into glucose) and glycerol, a byproduct of fat metabolism.  This happens in a deep fasted state.  You can read more on this here, but for simplicity purposes the body needs much less carbohydrates than the standard American eats.

Why is sugar bad and why is balancing blood sugar important?

When sugar or refined carbs are digested, they are initially absorbed in the small intestine. However, they do not enter the blood directly but go through the liver first. Though hormone regulation, the liver will release an appropriate amount of sugar into the blood stream for other cells to use as energy.

The amount of glucose in the blood is monitored by the pancreas and regulated by multiple hormones (insulin, glucagon, cortisol, and catecolamines). Insulin lowers the blood sugar while the cortisol and catecholamines increase it.

Insulin pulls sugar out of the blood and tells it to enter the cells where it is used for energy or stored as glycogen (sugar energy stored in the liver and muscles).  If you hear the term “insulin resistance” this is bad.  It means your cells aren’t as sensitive to the insulin signal to enter the cell they’re “resistant”.  As a result your body produces more insulin to get the sugar into your cells. High levels of insulin are bad for the body.  If there is insulin constantly flowing in your blood telling your body to burn or use sugar, you do not enter fat burning mode.  This is an example of how problems with blood sugar make it difficult for weight loss.

Problems associated with blood sugar imbalance:

• Free Radical Damage: High blood sugar –> Causes gylcation –> causes free radical damage
• Hormone Disruption: High Insulin messes up hormones.  When glucose is too high women will convert estrogen to testosterone and conversely men will convert testosterone to estrogen
• Thyroid and Cholesterol Problems: Blood sugar problems can’t convert T4 to T3.  T3 is needed to break down cholestorol.  Cholesterol is a building block it is needed for DHEA, growth hormone, progesterone, and testosterone

How do I know if I have blood sugar problems?

Symptoms of blood sugar imbalance include:

• Cravings for sweet food
• Low energy & fatigue
• Lightheadedness
• Brain fog
• Headaches
• Moodiness & irritability
• Poor concentration & memory

How to test your blood sugar:

1. Fasting Gluose – your fasting glucose should be between 70-90 (ideally between 70-75)
2. Hemoblobin A1c – this will give you 90 days of your blood sugar Optimal Range: 4.8-5.3
3. Functional Glugose Test – Test your blood sugar with a glucose monitor after eating.
   1. 1 hour < Less than 140 (under 110 even better)
   2. 2 hours < Less than 120
   3. 3 hours  < Less than 100
4. Triglyceride/HDL Ratio – Triglycerides should not be over 100 ever and ration should not be above 2.0
5. Fructosamine – Optimal Range: low 200s
6. Fastin Insulin – Optimal Range: not greater than 7

If it turns out your blood sugar is high not to worry we will give you some tips on how to fix it. The first step in managing blood sugar would be to manage insulin sensitivity. Remember insulin is produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar. You want low insulin resistance and high insulin sensitivity. If you are having blood sugar problems it is likely due to high insulin resistance.

Tips to fix your blood sugar and insulin resistance:

1. Workout More:

• Sprint Intervals: Sprinting burns the glycogen stores leaving you with an empty cell, thus leaving it highly sensitive to insulin.
• Lift Weights: Weight lifting improves insulin sensitivity because immediately after the workout your muscles replenish glycogen without insulin.
• Exercise in a fasted state.

2.  Clean up your Diet:

• Eliminate bad carbs: refined sugar, wheat, and other processed carbs.
• Eat more vegetables: fresh vegetables should be the majority of you food.  Eat the rainbow.
• Add more cinnamon to your diet.
• Increase magnesium.  Try this drink Calm Magnesium on Amazon.
• Go low carb: Warning don’t do low carb too long to the point where you enter Ketosis.  When you eat too few carbs your body uses ketones and fatty acids for energy, and your tissues can enter an insulin resistant state.  It’s a biological mechanism to preserve glucose for the brain.  For more on Ketosis check out our 101 series post here.
• Drink Green or Pu-erh Tea.
• Tumeric: Add it to everything… (you can also add curcumin to coffee).

3. Rest and Recover

• Sleep.  Make sure you get adequate sleep. Most people need 7-9 hours especially if you are active and working out.  (Which you should be to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin resistance).
• Meditate
• Release Oxytocin:  This is your feel good hormone. You can get this from a wide variets of sources including activities like hugging, sex, strong conversation, hanging out with friends, breast feeding.

This was a lot to digest ;-).  Hopefully you learned a thing or two.

Peace Out & Stay Chill,

DYBP