A blood sugar imbalance can cause a range of health symptoms and, as a clinician, I am seeing more and more of these complications arise. It is important to balance our blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance is the other health concern with having unbalanced blood sugar levels long-term, which can make it very difficult to lose weight, and eventually lead to Type 2 Diabetes. If you already have Type 2 Diabetes you can reduce the health damage caused by this disease by learning how to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
Symptoms of a Blood Sugar Imbalance
Some significant signs and symptoms can be caused by blood sugar im
balances in our bodies. These may just be mild or in some cases can be debilitating. Following are some warning signs that you may be experiencing blood sugar imbalances include:
- Craving sugary foods
- Feeling hungry only a few hours after you have eaten
- Feeling fatigued especially 1–2 hours after you have eaten
- Mood swings
- Waking in the middle of the night
- Not feeling satisfied with a meal
- Feeling faint, shaky, or dizzy
- Feeling hot and/or sweaty
- Gaining weight easily especially tummy fat
- Having no energy to exercise
- Recurrent yeast infections
- Frequent urination or thirst (may be a sign of diabetes)
You may experience some or all of these symptoms and they can be present daily or just on occasion. The cure to reducing or eliminating these symptoms is to stabilise our blood sugar levels.
Foods that Stabilise Blood Sugar Levels
Foods that have a glycaemic index of less than 50 help to stabilise blood sugar levels. These foods are absorbed slowly into our bloodstream and therefore do not spike our insulin levels. By eating these foods we feel more satisfied with our meals, feel less hungry between meals, have less mood swings, and have more sustained energy levels. Foods that help to stabilise blood sugar levels include:
- Bran, wholegrain cereals and bread
- Wholegrain gluten-free products (if gluten intolerant)
- Wholemeal pasta
- Basmati or Dongara rice (brown rice is still high glycaemic index but is less processed than white rice. If having brown rice mix with low glycaemic index vegetables)
- Wholegrain crackers
- Hummus or guacamole dip
- Fruits such as apples, pears, berries, and oranges
- Vegetables other than white potato
- Yoghurt, smoothies and other dairy products (do choose unsweetened)
- Dark Chocolate (do choose dark chocolate containing 70% cocoa or more)
The key feature with all of these foods are that they are either high in fibre (‘roughage’) or contain protein such as dairy products. Look for foods that are higher in fibre and where possible eat the peel of fruits and vegetables. The peel adds roughage and therefore fibre, thus lowering the glycaemic index further.
#healthyhabits #healthyliver
Dr Cris
Holistic Medical Doctor, Author ‘Healthy Habits, 52 Ways to Better Health‘ and Healthy Liver
