Eating to Balance Blood Sugar (Part 2)

Your diet should consist primarily of whole foods sourced directly from the earth. When shopping at the grocery store, try to stay on the perimeter of the store to ensure your cart contains of mostly food items that aren't processed (i.e fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and organic free rage meats, if you eat animals). I also recommend experimenting with eliminating gluten from your diet. Personally, I’m not celiac or anything, but feel much better without wheat or gluten containing foods in my diet.

Eating to balance blood sugar starts with breakfast. It’s a big misconception to miss this meal. If you’re not hungry upon rising, I’m a big advocate of first and foremost listening to your body and starting with food when you feel ready. With that said, when you are ready to eat, make sure this meal consists primarily of healthy fats, protein, and fiber, as this is setting you up for success for the remainder of the day. Some examples of good breakfast options include oatmeal with nut butter & berries, a smoothie with chia or flax seeds, fruits, veggies, and protein added, or sprouted grain toast with avocado and a side of fruit/ sautéed veggies.

Another huge tip that has helped me is practicing mindfulness while eating. This not only slows you down so you can more naturally feel hunger cues, but it also gives you the opportunity to find what works with your body. For example, if eating an orange as a snack makes you feel good for 15 minutes then leaves you feeling shaky, don’t do it. A handful of nuts or some veggies and hummus may be a better snack option for you. Also, try to be in touch with true hunger and have awareness with what best serves you. Some people do really well with 2-3 larger meals a day, whereas others are better off with 5 smaller meals. Find what works best for you and listen to your intuition.

My final tip that has been super helpful in my own blood sugar journey, is committing to eliminating sugar completely for a period of time. I did this for about a month and have noticed that when I slowly started having sugar again, I consume much less and no longer experience intense cravings for it. I feel like when I have a piece of dessert now, it feels like a real treat and I am satisfied with a few bites, whereas before a pint of ice cream disappeared before I even knew what hit me. The issue with sugar is that an overconsumption of it can actually make you feel hungrier, so you keep eating and eating even though you’ve probably had enough. There’s no reason to be too strict or hard on yourself… just fill your body with whole foods, mostly plants, 80% of the time, then allow yourself some soul nourishment for the rest of the time.