the importance of regulating your blood sugar (PLUS) 10 snacks to keep it in check throughout the day
Regulating blood sugar is absolutely imperative to not only your overall health, but your hormone health in particular. Let's talk about why that is!
So what is blood sugar anyway and why is it important to be mindful of?
When we eat, our body breaks that food down into various energy sources: fats, protein and carbohydrates. When we eat carbohydrates specifically (starches, fiber, and sugar), this increases the amount of "glucose" or sugar in our blood
The pancreas releases a hormone called insulin that shuttles that glucose OUT of our blood and into our cells for energy to ensure that our blood glucose levels don't remain elevated
Chronic elevated blood glucose levels can be detrimental to our overall health and it's imperative (especially for hormonal health) that we keep our blood sugar levels in normal range as much as feasibly possible. When blood sugar levels are too high or mainly too LOW, this signals a release of a stress hormone called cortisol to help regulate it. When cortisol is in our system, all other sex hormone production (like estrogen, progesterone, thyroid, testosterone, etc.) get temporarily shut down. (Other factors like intermittent fasting, stress, inflammation, etc. can increase our blood sugar as well)
Because of this, it is IMPOSSIBLE to balance hormones and address any PMS symptoms without addressing blood sugar balance first. We have to assure our body that it is "safe" in order to expect normal hormonal processes to take place
Clear signs that your blood sugar needs support:
You wake up with a headache in the morning
You experience sugar cravings often (especially in the afternoon)
You feel shaky, cranky, irritable/hangry in between meals
You experience headaches in between meals
You wake up frequently in the night (even just 1+ times) to pee
You experience binge or uncontrolled eating
You RELY on coffee to get you through the day
Frequent thirst
Frequent urination
It’s very common for you to experience that 2-3pm energy crash
One imperative habit to implement when trying to keep blood sugar regulated throughout the day:
*ANY TIME you have a carbohydrate, always pair it with a fat or a protein* to slow the absorption of sugar into your blood. This will prevent HIGH highs after you eat and the LOW lows in between meals!
Carbohydrate examples: Fruit, fruit juices, crackers, bread, muffins, potatoes, granola bars, squash, noodles, oatmeal, pretzels, candy/chocolate, chips, honey, etc.
Even if they are high quality carbs like organic produce, sprouted grains, etc. (which are absolutely needed in a healthy diet) they still need to be balanced with a protein and/or fat!
So let's get to the good stuff. If you feel overwhelmed by creating blood sugar friendly snacks from scratch, here are 10 simple ideas for you to start with! (Ironically, I hate cooking) so everything on this list is quick and easy but also incredibly nutrient dense!
Grass-fed turkey or beef stick (I love Paleovalley, Nick’s Sticks or Chomp Sticks) + dried mango or other fresh fruit
Pear + pistachios or brazil nuts
Organic, whole-fat cottage cheese + sea salt and pepper on Simple Mills almond flour crackers
1 or 2 hard boiled eggs + an orange
Wild-caught tuna mixed with Primal Kitchen Avocado Mayo, sea salt and pepper on sourdough toast
Dates stuffed with goat cheese/grass-fed cheese + sea salt
Cantaloupe + prosciutto (or nitrate-free deli meat)
Plantain chips + organic/homemade salsa or guacamole
Organic string cheese + peppers and hummus
Gelatin Gummies
I use Perfect Supplements Gelatin for mine and you can use my code "KELSIE10" for a discount!
*Pro-tip for all of these (including your meals): Always try to eat (at least a few bites) the protein/fat prior to the carb. This trick will also help slow the absorption of sugar into your blood!