Foods that Balance Blood Sugar
Balanced blood sugar levels are crucial to a healthy and prosperous life. Balanced blood sugar levels prevent disruption of your body’s functions and help your overall health. Keeping blood sugar levels within healthy ranges keep our brain healthy, our energy levels stable and our mood balanced. When disrupted or out of balance, our blood sugar can lead to increased sugar cravings, irritability, poor sleep, brain atrophy and that foggy feeling, anxiety, severe dips in energy and weight gain.
Including these foods to our diets help balance our blood sugar:
GREENS
Add just one cup of greens like spinach, kale, and broccoli. Greens are rich in protein, calcium and magnesium, which help your body in multiple areas. Raw greens, particularly spinach have little flavor on their own and I usually blend a cup in my morning smoothie.
Beginning the day with greens is particularly effective as leafy greens are packed with chlorophyll, antioxidants B vitamins, folic acid, and carotenoids. These nutrients help with mental clarity, memory, focus, immunity, and digestion.
LOW FRUCTOSE FRUITS
Fruit is always a must, but for blood sugar-specific management, choose fruits that are low fructose, such as strawberries, cantaloupe, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapefruit, peaches, nectarines, honeydew, oranges and blackberries. You can snack on them throughout the day, or toss them in your salad, or blend in smoothies.
PROTEIN
Protein is essential for slowing down glucose absorption in your body, which helps regulate your blood sugar levels. Add foods to your diet that are packed with protein, like wild salmon and other types of fish, beef and other types of lean meat, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, and protein shakes.
HERBS AND SPICES
Herbs and spices are natural supplements for balancing your blood sugar levels. They not only add flavor to your dishes, but they may also help your hormone’s lower your blood sugar.
Some spices, like turmeric, contain anti-inflammatory properties, which help in balancing out your sugar. Also consider adding cinnamon, garlic, rosemary, ginger, curry, and clove.
LOW-CALORIE DRINKS
Cut out sugary, high-calorie drinks from your diet. This includes sodas, fruit juices. Filtered water is always our best!
WHOLE GRAIN FOODS
Whole grain foods that are also rich in protein, like quinoa, provide and store energy without causing spikes in your blood sugar levels. Also making the list are whole oats, ancient grains or sprouted wheat bread and brown rice.
BEANS
Beans, though they are considered a carbohydrate in most diets are a decent source of protein and fiber. Protein and fiber are both important factors in balancing your blood sugar. Hummus, lentils and beans are good examples and great dietary choices.
NUTS
Nuts like almonds and walnuts contain healthy amounts of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and are a low carb snack idea. A serving size of nuts is much smaller than we realize when we are snacking away so read labels to avoid overdoing it.
Andriana xx
Including these foods to our diets help balance our blood sugar:
GREENS
Add just one cup of greens like spinach, kale, and broccoli. Greens are rich in protein, calcium and magnesium, which help your body in multiple areas. Raw greens, particularly spinach have little flavor on their own and I usually blend a cup in my morning smoothie.
Beginning the day with greens is particularly effective as leafy greens are packed with chlorophyll, antioxidants B vitamins, folic acid, and carotenoids. These nutrients help with mental clarity, memory, focus, immunity, and digestion.
LOW FRUCTOSE FRUITS
Fruit is always a must, but for blood sugar-specific management, choose fruits that are low fructose, such as strawberries, cantaloupe, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapefruit, peaches, nectarines, honeydew, oranges and blackberries. You can snack on them throughout the day, or toss them in your salad, or blend in smoothies.
PROTEIN
Protein is essential for slowing down glucose absorption in your body, which helps regulate your blood sugar levels. Add foods to your diet that are packed with protein, like wild salmon and other types of fish, beef and other types of lean meat, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, and protein shakes.
HERBS AND SPICES
Herbs and spices are natural supplements for balancing your blood sugar levels. They not only add flavor to your dishes, but they may also help your hormone’s lower your blood sugar.
Some spices, like turmeric, contain anti-inflammatory properties, which help in balancing out your sugar. Also consider adding cinnamon, garlic, rosemary, ginger, curry, and clove.
LOW-CALORIE DRINKS
Cut out sugary, high-calorie drinks from your diet. This includes sodas, fruit juices. Filtered water is always our best!
WHOLE GRAIN FOODS
Whole grain foods that are also rich in protein, like quinoa, provide and store energy without causing spikes in your blood sugar levels. Also making the list are whole oats, ancient grains or sprouted wheat bread and brown rice.
BEANS
Beans, though they are considered a carbohydrate in most diets are a decent source of protein and fiber. Protein and fiber are both important factors in balancing your blood sugar. Hummus, lentils and beans are good examples and great dietary choices.
NUTS
Nuts like almonds and walnuts contain healthy amounts of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and are a low carb snack idea. A serving size of nuts is much smaller than we realize when we are snacking away so read labels to avoid overdoing it.
Andriana xx