25/07/2023
BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL 🍬
I talk about this all the time in clinic, so let’s take a moment for it…
What IS glucose? Glucose is the simplest form of carbohydrate and the human body's preferred source of energy. It’s used by every cell in our body, however, too much glucose is not a good thing.
We obtain glucose by consuming carbohydrates in the form of starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes and sugary foods such as fruit, deserts and sweets.
When we consume too much glucose too often throughout the day (in meals/snacks), we experience something called a glucose spike. This is a natural reaction to glucose, however if these spikes happen too often then it can be detrimental to both our physical and mental health.
After a glucose spike, we experience a subsequent drop (slide 2, fig. 1). The extreme oscillation of glucose throughout the day results in cravings, retention of fat, inflammation, low mood, accelerated ageing (!), type 2 diabetes, hormonal changes that exacerbate PCOS, endometriosis and fibroids and many, many more. Importantly the spike doesn’t just happen in the blood, it’s felt throughout the body, hence the impact it has on multiple systems within the body.
The good news is, we can control the way our blood glucose oscillates throughout the day, such that the peaks and throughs are less extreme. Some oscillation is completely normal, but in an ideal world we’d flatten the curve and avoid these spikes in order to avoid the negative impact that comes from continuous glucose spikes and dips (slide 2, fig. 2).
Flattening the curve isn’t a ‘diet’, it’s about learning how the human body handles carbohydrates and changing the way you eat without eradicating whole food groups or the foods you love!
Get in touch to find out more shaz@sarchamynutrition.com
P.S. Yes, I did create my own graphs and glucose molecule, thanks for noticing! 😉
