Balance those Blood Sugars!

Wildly fluctuating blood sugars are intimately linked to overeating and bingeing.

When blood sugars are low, it can be difficult not to reach for food high in sugar and refined carbs. Think how enticing biscuits and chocolate become later in the afternoon when our blood sugars are dipping after lunch. What seemed not to be so important a couple of hours earlier is suddenly very appealing.

One way to help them is to eat protein and fat in every meal and snack.

Yes, despite what has been hard-wired into our brains by endless Special K and Flora ads, we do need fat. It is crucial to satiety. Eat fat in its most natural state as possible.

This means out with the margarine, refined oils and hydrogenated fats and in with: extra virgin olive oil, butter (organic is best), coconut oil, yoghurt (if full fat is too much, to begin with, go for half), tahini, nuts, avocado, cheese.

If fat makes you nervy, know that you don’t have to eat lots, but you do need to eat some. 

This tip also applies whenever you eat those highly sugary foods such as biscuits, cakes, sweets etc. Do not eat them on their own. If you do, your blood sugars will soar.

By making sure you include protein and fat every time you eat, you slow down the release of glucose into your blood. Therefore, instead of shooting sky-high, your blood sugars will rise gradually over a period of time. Insulin, in turn, will gradually be released and your blood sugars will gradually decline. Remember the gentle undulating ocean…

I recommend carrying raw almonds around with you:

They are full of healthy fat (similar to olive oil in its make up), protein and vitamin e, and are brilliant blood sugar balancers as well as being nourishing.

They also are a source of calcium which helps to offset any sugar you’ve been having (refined sugar leaches calcium from our bones). Not only this, they alkalise the body, which is another boon for vibrant health. You can add them as a supplement to any meal if it hasn’t been very balanced or have as a snack on their own. A small handful is enough.

Other raw nuts and seeds are super too, and also easy to carry around and nibble on when there isn’t much choice to hand, eg. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, macadamias, brazils, cashews. (Just to clarify, despite being a nut, chestnuts are considered a carbohydrate, not a protein.)

Nut-butters are great to spread on toasted sourdough, or rice cakes, as another snack idea.

Moving onto dairy: see cheeseboards as allies instead of ambassadors of ‘bad fat’, a little bit of cheese can really help not only with blood sugars, but also in curbing that ‘sweet-tooth’ that just wants more.

Yoghurt (not 0%) is also handy if you eat fruit as a snack, just a spoonful or two can make a huge difference to the need to keeping eating after.

I’m not saying this will completely offset the compulsion to binge - It won’t, But it will help.