Tag Archive for: food
Elusive Blood Sugar Management
Do you ever feel like regardless of what you do, your blood sugar is still all over the board?
Once you received the diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you should have been told to check your blood sugar several times each day to prevent complications that can develop from elevated blood sugar over a long time. Striving for normal blood sugar readings can feel extremely elusive and frustrating, but it doesn’t need to be. Checking your blood sugar level is like checking the speedometer on your car. It gives you information and tells you if you need to make adjustments. Blood sugar levels do not reflect personal character or intelligence.
There are many factors that affect your blood sugar. What you do or don’t eat has a huge impact on your blood sugar level, but it is not the only factor involved. Here are some other factors that can affect your blood sugar.
Stress:
We may not be attacked by predators nowadays, but we seem to be under constant lifestyle attack. Stress produced by a lion or your lifestyle will cause an increase in the hormones glucagon and cortisol, which increases blood sugar. Sleep deprivation also causes stress and increases cortisol levels. The good news is exercise, relaxation, meditation, and adequate sleep can reduce stress and lower blood sugar levels.
Exercise:
Insulin sensitivity is increased with exercise, which means your cells are better able to use the sugar in your bloodstream. Thus lowering your blood sugar level. Is your blood sugar high? Vacuum the floor, mow the lawn, clean out the garage, wash the windows, go for a walk or bike ride – these are all free, effective treatments to lower blood sugar.
Food:
Are you tired of hearing the long litany of foods you shouldn’t eat because you have diabetes? Are there foods you might want to eat more of to improve your health and lower your blood sugar?
Carbohydrates (“carbs”) are to be managed, not eliminated. Your body breaks down carbs into sugars (mostly glucose) and then insulin helps your body use the sugar for energy. When you eat too many carbs or have insulin-function problems, this process fails and blood glucose levels can rise. A dietitian can assist you in identifying the appropriate amount, distribution, and type of carbs to manage your blood glucose. You need complex carbs at least for a third of your carb intake. If you are taking insulin, your dietitian can also calculate the appropriate carb-to-insulin ratio so you can be pro-active and determine how much insulin to take based on how many carb grams you ate at your meal.
Fiber, specifically soluble fiber, has been shown to improve blood sugar management. Fiber slows carb digestion and sugar absorption. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are a great source of soluble fiber. Incorporating these foods in your diet would be very beneficial and effective for your blood sugar management. It is a balancing act to determine the appropriate amount because each of these foods also contributes to carbs.
Consult a dietitian who is also a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) to find the answers tailored to your specific health needs and goals. CB
Intuitive Eating
Are you tired of dieting and being confused by all the latest diet trends? Do you feel like you don’t know how to get on track and establish a consistent eating pattern? Are you unsure of how food connects with your mental and physical health? If you answered yes to any this, the concept and practice of intuitive eating will be great to apply to your lifestyle.
Intuitive eating in a nutshell is a mindset or philosophy that honors internal body cues that we are innately born with such as eating when we are hungry and stopping when we are satisfied, and it rejects the diet mentality that is heavily marketed. There is more that is involved in becoming an intuitive eater but here are the 10 principles that were first developed by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in their book titled intuitive eating.
- Reject the Diet Mentality – Avoid fad diets and all the rules surrounded about eating
- Honor your Hunger – Listen to the cues your body gives you to tell you to fuel up. Keep yourself fed.
- Make Peace with Food – Give yourself permission to eat and enjoy all foods. Restriction leads to overeating which creates a poor relationship with food
- Challenge the Food Police – Stop the thoughts in your head that make you believe your “good” for eating low calories or “bad” for having some ice cream.
- Respect your Fullness – Listen for the signals your body gives you to tell you that you are no longer hungry. A hunger scale can be great to use for this.
- Discover the Satisfaction Factor- Enjoy the food and meal experiences you encounter. Remember that food is to be both nourishing and satisfying.
- Honor Your Feelings without using Food – Find ways to cope with emotions you may struggle with. Practice guided mediation, talk with a friend, or dive into a great book.
- Respect your Body – Accept your genetic blueprint and be proud of the skin you’re in! Your worth is not determined by your size.
- Exercise, Feel the Difference – Get active in an activity you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be at the gym to be considered exercise. Go on a walk or get some yard work done. It all counts. Shift your focus from solely burning calories to how energized you may feel. It’s a great stress reliever too!
- Honor your Health – Avoiding diets doesn’t equate to not being aware of or caring about what you eat. Choose nutrient dense foods the majority of the time also knowing that’s its totally fine to have some indulgences
Remember that intuitive eating doesn’t happen overnight and it takes consistent practice and time. You can work with any of the dietitians at BN to help apply these principles into your way of life long-term.
UC
Feeding Your Metabolism
Metabolism refers to the energy produced to perform all functions of the body. Improvements in metabolism can help with weight management, increase overall energy and lead to a healthier lifestyle. Here are the top tips to give your body that extra boost:
- Get adequate water intake:
Water is required by the body to work more efficiently. You wouldn’t run a car without gas or oil, so why would you deprive your body of water? Drink 8 ounces when you first wake up to help cleanse your body and allow for a more favorable environment for nutrient absorption. Aim for a minimum of 64 ounces per day.
- Eat a balanced breakfast:
Breakfast is a great way to get your metabolism started in the morning. Aim for a balanced meal including lean sources of protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Alternating your breakfast meals and eating within 90 minutes of waking can work to boost your metabolism.
- Build lean body mass:
The more lean body mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate. Incorporate weight or resistance training into your workout routine to help build lean muscle. This will cause your body to burn more calories at rest and help with weight loss.
- Even out caloric distribution:
Waiting till the evening meal to consume the majority of your calories, can lead to increase in insulin levels, promote fat storage and result in weight gain. Your metabolism works more efficiently in the morning and slows down as the day progresses, so aim even calorie distribution.
- Improve sleep:
Lack of sleep leads to increase in hunger hormone, ghrelin and decrease in fullness hormone, leptin. No wonder your feel so hungry on the day after only 4 hours of Zzzs!! To promote a more efficient metabolism and prevent weight gain, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
- Fuel properly:
Skipping meals will actually slow down your metabolism, so eat every 3-4 hours to promote a more efficient metabolism. Getting a variety of foods and adequate amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat from your diet is important for proper metabolism and nutrition.
Wondering what your metabolism is? Banister Nutrition performs metabolic testing for patients to provide more individualized care and recommendations for proper nutrition. Help your metabolism by implementing these tips!