One of the foundations of good health is maintaining a balanced blood sugar as it plays a role on our mood, energy, weight and metabolism, hormone balance, sleep, stress management, inflammation and so much more.
Here are some general dietary steps to follow to maintain balanced blood sugar. Start with as little as one step or as many as you’d like and gradually incorporate each one into your daily health habits. Remember to aim for balanced nutrition, not perfect nutrition as perfect does not exist!
Bon appétit!
Step 1: Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast
When we skip meals, especially breakfast, we end up in a lower blood sugar state and we end up eating more later on in the day, which causes an exaggerated insulin response.
Breakfast should be eaten within 2 hours of waking up.
Practical tip:
When choosing your breakfast, make sure you include protein, healthy fats and fibre. Also make you are eating enough. For example, having one large boiled egg will provide approximately 7g of protein and 70 calories - this won’t get you very far and you will likely be starving by lunchtime.
Some ideas:
Overnight chia pudding (1/4 cup chia seeds + 1 cup oat or nut milk + toppings of your choice)
3/4 cup greek yoghurt with fruit and seeds/nuts
2 eggs with wholegrain, sourdough or spelt toast and avocado and/or fruit.
Smoothie with added protein (15 to 20g), an added source of fat (1/4 avocado, 1 Tbsp almond or peanut butter, 1/4 cup hemp hearts), vegetables and fruit (spinach, zucchini, berries, banana), fibre (chia seeds, flax seeds), unsweetened oat, soy or nut milk or water as liquid.
What you’ll notice is that none of these suggestions contain a lot of sugar or a lot of flour-based foods (breads, muffins, cereal). They all contain protein, fat and fibre.
Step 2: Eat when you are hungry, avoid grazing
Every time food goes into your stomach, insulin production is triggered by stomach stretching. It’s best to have regular meals and snacks if necessary.
Practical tip:
Tune into your hunger cues. We don’t often eat because we are hungry. Sometimes we eat because it’s time to eat, out of boredom or to respond to an emotional trigger. If you tend to graze, start by structuring your meal and snack times. Aim to eat you are hungry, not for any other reasons.
Step 3: Include protein with every meal
Protein helps to stabilize our blood glucose/blood sugar levels, meaning we will have less of an insulin response to food. Protein can come from animal and/or vegetable sources. The recommended amount for the average person is 15 to 20g of protein per meal.
Practical tip:
Examples of 15 to 20g of protein:
3 to 4 oz animal protein (chicken, fish, seafood, beef, pork, etc)
3/4 cup Greek yoghurt, depending on the product.
2 to 3 eggs
1/2 cup tofu
1 scoop protein powder (read product label)
1/2 lentil or beans + 1/2 cup quinoa
Step 4: Increase the amount of fibre you are consuming
Fibre also helps to stabilize our blood sugar levels and blunts our insulin response from food. Fibre is abundant in fruits and vegetables, nuts (almonds, walnuts), seeds (chia seeds, flax seeds, legumes, oats and other whole grains, psyllium, etc. The recommended daily amount is 25 to 35g.
Practical tip:
For ideas on fibre sources and amounts found in foods, check out this article. Try to spread it out during the day to help keep you feeling full in between all meals.
Step 5: Have insulin lowering foods every day
1 to 2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/4 cup walnuts or almonds
Step 6: Increase your intake of vegetables and fruit
Include one (or more) servings of vegetables at every meal throughout the day. Have more vegetables than fruit, limiting fruit intake to 1 or 2 servings per day and favouring lower sugar fruit such as berries.
Every single fruit and vegetable offers health benefits, including fibre and polyphenols, supporting our overall health. Eat the rainbow!
Step 7: Reduce your intake of processed foods
Processed foods like cookies, cereals, crackers, candy, chips, bars, etc. typically contain added sugars and/or chemicals that increase blood sugar levels and insulin response. Treat these foods like a treat. They should be consumed infrequently and even avoided for a short period of time, but are not off the table forever - you are human!
Step 8: Avoid artificial sweeteners
They contribute to insulin resistance despite being sugar-free.
Step 9: Reduce or avoid alcohol
Alcohol increases our blood sugar level, causing a spike in insulin production, so it is best to avoid or limit to a few drinks per week.
Practical tip:
Although it’s best to avoid alcohol if you are going to have a drink, have it with a meal to blunt the insulin response, and/or choose low sugar drinks. Try to avoid drinks mixed with pop or juice as these contain the most sugar. If you are going to have a drink, have it with a meal to blunt the insulin response, and choose low sugar drinks.
Step 10: Limit saturated fats
These are also a trigger for insulin release. Saturated fat is especially found in high-fat red meat and pork, butter, and coconut oil. It is best to limit these.
Bonus Step: Try intermittent fasting
Fast for a minimum of 12 hours per day. This includes the time you are sleeping. Over time, increase the number of hours you are fasting, to 14 or 16 hours per day, depending on your nutrition needs.
*Remember that diet plays a major role in blood sugar balancing and it is an important tool to implement as a lifestyle. Other factors to keep in mind are stress, lifestyle, sleep, exercise and genetics. These tips are based on general guidelines but are not meant to replace medication or advice from your healthcare provider.