The favored fuel in the body is sugar. Wait! Before you go out and grab a Big Gulp soda and a Snickers Bar understand that your body prefers a slow and steady flow of fuel and not the nuclear blast of sugar that comes from the aforementioned “meal”.Your body works tirelessly to respond to stress and restore balance. If your body did not do this you would die. While your body needs sugar it needs a certain type of sugar. That sugar is called Glucose. Glucose is derived from the food that we eat. We eat the food and the body converts it to glucose for our immediate needs. The excess glucose is stored as a substance called glycogen or stored as fat which the body can draw on when food and meals are scarce. When you eat something there is a rise in your blood glucose level. Your pancreas then secretes a hormone called insulin which functions to reduce blood sugar and get the sugar into the cells where it is used for fuel. If your blood sugar goes too low, a hormone called glucagon works to convert your stored sugar into glucose and raise your blood
sugar. Remember, your body is constantly striving to restore and maintain balance. Your blood sugar level is regulated by the interplay between the hormones insulin (lowering) and glucagon
(raising).
Wild fluctuations in your blood sugar put an immense stress on the body. A good analogy would be; imagine driving down the road and throwing the steering wheel violently to the left and to the right.
Sure, you would get down the road, but after hitting the guardrails repeatedly your vehicle may take a bit of a beating to say the least! Your sugar goes way up then way down. So, let’s take a look at the foods that radically elevate blood sugar.
These foods are referred to as high glycemic (sugar in blood) foods. Sugary foods like, candy, soda, lemonade, coffee drinks etc. Starchy foods like white rice, pasta, bread, white potatoes etc. These are the foods that should be avoided when working to keep blood sugar from spiking. Blood sugar fluctuations also affect our mood and energy level. Blood sugar spikes gives one good mood and high energy. But, then later the body drives the blood sugar down along with mood and energy. Continued abuse of the blood sugar leveling mechanisms of the body can lead to some direct health issues, including type 2 diabetes, and many indirect health problems. Blood sugar leveling is an area where I have worked with many patients. These patients usually have problems with weight gain, cravings, fatigue, moodiness and irritability and anxiety. Just a bit of education and the will to get one’s life back is all that is needed!