Blood Sugar Balance

Look for the mention “of which sugars” on food labels.

Compare similar products and choose those with the least sugar. You’ll be surprised to see how much sugar there is in a ready-made soup for instance. Here are my top recommendations but the list is of course non-exhaustive:

• Avoid breakfast cereals with more than 10% sugar. 5% even better!

• Avoid juices and smoothies, choosing fresh fruits instead (see slow-release fruit list at the bottom of the page).
  Smoothies may have a lower impact on blood sugar levels as they contain the fruit/vegetable fibre, but they also tend to be high in sugar.
  Again, check the labels.

• Choose natural yogurts over fruit yogurts. If they’re not palatable (yet), you may want to top them with a bit of stewed or fresh fruits.

• Choose chocolate with more than 80-85% cacao. Compare the amount of sugar in chocolate with less cacao, you might be surprised!


Of course the quantity you eat influences the impact on your blood sugar so if you do choose foods higher in sugar, limit your intake to very small portions, e.g. a square or two of chocolate.

The good news is: it only takes a few weeks for your taste buds to appreciate less sugary foods.

• Whole foods rather than refined foods, e.g. wholemeal bread, brown rice and pasta over white.
  
  Pasta is a processed product so its GI tends to vary depending on the ingredients, but usually it is a slow release carb food.

  The way a food is prepared / cooked can influence its GI.

  For lower GIs: Cook pasta and rice “al dente”, cook pasta and let cool, then reheat or eat chilled.

• Non-starchy vegetables, e.g. green vegetables.

• Fruits that don’t increase blood sugars quickly.

This includes honey, syrup and any other type of sugar.

• In your drinks: Reduce added sugar progressively to cut it out completely.

• When baking, reduce sugar by 20-30%.

• Avoid artificial sweeteners altogether as they increase appetite, amongst other “less desirable” effects.


This will slow down the release of sugar in the bloodstream, reducing the peaks and dips.

If you do need to snack, oat cakes and/or banana with peanut butter, yogurt with fruits and nuts are a good carb-protein combo choice.

Caffeine is a stressor to the body.
As mentioned above, stress increases cortisol levels, which in turn increases blood sugars.

Herbal teas are a good choice. Green tea stil contains some caffeine.

• Follow the recommendations above for your food choices.

• Consider your portion sizes: if they’re too small, even with helpful food choices you’re likely to go hungry before your next meal 4-6 hours later.

Added benefit: Not snacking between meals supports insulin sensitivity.

Intermittent fasting has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity so you might want to give it a go.

Start with 12 hours fasting and progressively increase to 16.

Note that caffeinated drinks are likely to break the fast because of cortisol increasing blood sugars, so opt for herbal teas if you like a hot drink in the morning.

Intermittent fasting isn’t recommended for people with low blood pressure, nor people who are trying to put on weight. Reach out if you have any questions.

Physical activity has a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity.

Consider adding regular exercise to the mix to support your body even more in balancing blood sugars.

You may not be aware that your body is inflamed.

Implementing a personalised nutrition and lifestyle can help reduce chronic inflammation, for instance by improving gut health.

If you’re unsure whether you suffer from chronic inflammation and would like to investigate its cause(s), simply reach out.

You might also find my blog post about food intolerance helpful.