Talking blood sugar balance is something I’ve long been passionate about and I’ve done some incredible interviews with experts such as holistic nutritionist, Bianca Osbourne, on the impacts of blood sugar on inflammation and aging. However, I wanted to create a resource you could easily pull up and read through to help you understand this important wellness topic.
That’s why I recently shared a post all about the importance of balanced blood sugar flow glowing skin where I talked about everything you need to know about this important health concept. I shared the role of blood sugar balance in our body, how our bodies balance blood sugar, and the short and long term effects of constant blood sugar spikes and crashes. If you haven’t read it yet, make sure you check it out here.
Today I want to share some of my favourite simple and effective tips to help you keep your blood sugar stable so you can support glowing skin, lower inflammation, support digestive and immune function, and ward off constant cravings for sugar and sweets. This post will outline the steps you can take starting today to support glowing health and balanced blood sugar from the inside out.
1. Eat healthy whole foods in the right combination
As you know, diet is one of the the pillars of joyous health and when it comes to keeping blood sugar balanced, this tip is the foundation upon which all others can be built. If you’ve been around the joyous blog for any length of time then you know that I focus on anti-inflammatory, whole foods as a starting point. However, when it comes to blood sugar there is an extra step that you can take to keep things balanced.
As I mentioned in my previous post, when we eat a meal that is mostly carbohydrates it leaves the stomach quite quickly and can cause spikes in blood glucose. That’s why I recommend ensuring every meal and snack provides a combination of protein, healthy fats, and fibre in addition to complex carbohydrates in order to slow digestion and prevent the glucose spikes and crashes that can lead to negative short and long term effects.
In practice this can look like adding nut butter to your snack of an apple or other fruits; creating a dinner plate that contains animal or plant-based protein, veggies to balance starchy carbohydrates like pasta or rice; or adding avocado and egg to your toast . You can also read about my favourite healthy fats that I stock in my kitchen to help you decide which ones you might enjoy using in your cooking.
Many, if not all of the meals on my blog provide a great combination of these important macronutrients, so check out my recipes here for some blood sugar balancing inspo!
2. Reduce refined sugar intake
It’s probably no surprise that a diet high in refined or white sugars can put you onto a blood sugar rollercoaster, but I wanted to include it in this list as a helpful reminder. This point doesn’t mean you need to go low carb or keto, it’s more about being mindful about the quality and quantity of sweets that you enjoy.
It’s easy to decrease the amount of sugar in a recipe, use natural sources such as coconut palm sugar or maple syrup, and add protein and healthy fats to your recipes. These crowd-pleasing, kid-approved Banana Bread Cookies use only banana and chocolate chips as a sweetener. And since I love a sweet little treat, my blog has you covered with a ton of delicious, healthy treats and desserts you can find here.
3. Move your body after every meal
When I interviewed the Glucose Goddess, Jesse Inchauspé about her favourite hacks to balance blood sugar , one of my favourite suggestions she made was to take ten minutes after every meal to move your body in some way to help utilize the glucose from your meal.
It doesn’t need to be a full workout after a meal, but can be something simple such as taking a short after dinner stroll, doing a few pushups or squats, or any other short burst of movement that feels great in your body.
This activity helps to draw glucose from your blood stream right into your muscles to prevent large spikes after you eat.
4. Try apple cider vinegar
Another great tip to help prevent glucose spikes after eating is to consume a tablespoon of vinegar before you eat. I love apple cider vinegar because it has many other awesome health benefits, but anything with acetic acid will do (be cautious with balsamic vinegar because it often has added sugar). Some research suggests that consuming vinegar before a meal can increase insulin response and lower your glucose spikes.
You can try adding it to a vinaigrette or adding a tablespoon of vinegar to water and sipping through a straw before your meal.
5. Add cinnamon to your sweets
Cinnamon is one of my favourite spices to use in baking and other recipes. It adds a homey sweetness that tastes great and, as it turns out, has benefits for blood sugar balance! I’ve written a whole post about the benefits of cinnamon, including how to shop for the best quality that you can read here.
If you suffer from prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, or PCOS cinnamon can be a true lifesaver! It has been shown in studies that even small amounts, as little as ½ tsp/day, can help lower your fasting glucose levels, HbA1C, and blood pressure by improving your insulin response.
I don’t think I’ve written a post about improving health that doesn’t include adequate hydration because it is such an important part of our bodies’ overall functioning. When it comes to blood sugar balance you might be surprised to learn that dehydration can actually contribute to or increase glucose spikes.
When we are dehydrated our bodies create a hormone called vasopressin which tells the kidneys to retain water and prevents the release of excess sugar through your urine.
This study found that people who drank approximately one litre of water per day were 21% less likely to have high blood sugar than those who drank less than half a litre per day.
The amount of water you’ll need to drink daily will depend on a variety of factors such as your activity level, how much you sweat, and your body size, but getting at least a litre a day, plus fluids from the fruits and veggies you eat is a great place to start. If you’re looking for a delicious way to up your fluid intake try my Avocado Lime Refresher , one of these delicious mocktails , or sip on a cuppa my favourite tea.
7. Make sure you get enough magnesium
One of my favourite minerals to discuss is magnesium! I’ve written a full blog post and interviewed Dr. Barb Woegerer about the important role magnesium plays in our bodies.
It’s responsible for over 300 enzymatic functions in the body and plays a crucial role in blood sugar balance.
One of its roles is regulating insulin, the main hormone responsible for keeping blood sugar stable. It has also been shown that people with diabetes are more likely to be deficient in magnesium than those without blood sugar issues.
Some of the best food sources of magnesium are cacao , leafy greens , tempeh , fatty fish , legumes , and pumpkin , chia or flaxseeds. Check out the post I linked above for information on what to look for in supplements.
Another pillar of joyous health is getting enough restorative and deep sleep. Its role in blood sugar balance is connected to hormones such as insulin, ghrelin, and cortisol. Even a couple of nights of bad sleep can decrease your insulin sensitivity and increase your appetite, leading to spikes and crashes the next day.
I’ve written several posts with tons of helpful tips to help you increase your sleep quality and improve your evening routine that you can check out here.
I hope these tips have inspired you to take some simple steps today to start balancing your blood sugar so you can live a life of joyous, vibrant health!
Xo Joy
