In my practice, I have found that about 50% of my clients have a problem with their blood sugar and something called insulin resistance.
Yes – 50%! It is the root cause of many health symptoms and diseases.
Yet many people don’t know they are walking around with insulin resistance because their doctors check their blood work and tell them they are “fine.”
Even if you are an ambitious health-seeker, a fitness junkie, or maybe follow a low-glycemic diet without processed foods, you could still be spiking your blood sugar and not know it.
Years ago, I didn’t realize that I had an insulin problem. After all, I ate healthy, exercised, and certainly didn’t eat any packaged foods or sugar. But my sleep was horrible! I regularly stayed up late working and went on 2-3 hours of sleep a night. This along with my genetics put me in a state of insulin resistance.
I found out one day when I did a simple finger prick test one day and discovered that my blood sugar shot way high- 180 from my baseline fasting level, which was in the healthy mid-80s at the time. I watched it hover above 150 for about two hours until it finally dropped rapidly down to the 70s- lower than it should have been. I knew my body was pumping out more insulin and my cells weren't responding to it anymore.
What is happening in your body with insulin resistance
Insulin is a hormone produced by the body to get the glucose (sugar) you eat out of your body and into cells where it can be converted to energy. If insulin is not working properly, the glucose cannot move from bloodstream into the cell and you will see high blood glucose readings if you measure it.
Insulin is produced every time you eat but it's particularly elevated when you eat foods high in carbohydrates (because that means more glucose). It is also elevated when you are stressed and during other instances (I’ll talk about those below).
High blood sugar has serious consequences for your health- but let's focus on the dangers of high insulin for now. Chronic, high insulin levels makes the cells less sensitive to this hormone. Imagine how loud music damages your hearing over time, until your ears need louder and louder sounds in order to hear anything at all. That is exactly how cells lose their sensitivity to constant, high insulin.
After a while, you body can't produce enough insulin to help shuttle glucose into the cells and your blood sugar starts to rise (leading to diabetes).
What can you do to keep insulin under control?
You need to be your own health detective to look at what might be happening in your particular body to raise your blood glucose and demand more insulin release from your body time after time. Blood sugar can rise due to meal timing, diet, stress, exercise, sleep, and more.
Unfortunately, a lot of us have been misinformed by the diet, health, and fitness industry about stabilizing blood sugar. Don’t listen to people who tell you to eat little meals throughout the day (to control blood sugar). NO! That just asks your body to release insulin all day- not a good idea!
That's why I created a guide to eating in a way that includes plenty of healthy vegetables and low-glycemic, plant-based options. Claim the free guide here.
If you want your body to function its best, and want to put together a plan that will give you sustained energy, help your stay trim for life, and keep you mentally sharp into your old age, your blood sugar cannot be ignored.
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