For as long as I can remember, I have had to carefully watch how much sugar I eat. Long before weight was an issue for me, I still carried extra weight in my abdomen. I would also feel shaky soon after eating too much sugar or starch and very tired an hour or so later. And if that’s not enough fun, I would also get migraines, mood swings, and become very forgetful. This is because I have a form of pre-diabetes known as Insulin Resistance. Many of you have heard it called Hypoglycemia.
It is exactly what the name implies. The body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin produced by the pancreas, requiring the body to produce greater amounts of insulin to metabolize carbs and sugars. When the body cannot metabolize the sugars, it simply stores them in the abdomen. This creates a series of conditions which are not healthy:
- is often the precursor to diabetes
- results in an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease
- leads to fatty liver, which can be the precursor to liver cancer or cirrhosis of the liver
- can lead to infertility
- can lead to hypothyroidism
- results in digestive issues and the buildup of bad flora and fauna that thrive in sugar
As I have gotten older and my other hormones are not clipping along as efficiently as they once were, the insulin resistance has become more of an issue. In order to keep it in check, I have taken a few steps:
- Exercise, exercise, exercise…3-6 times per week for 45-60 minutes per session. I often walk on Saturdays for 90 minutes on a mountain trail that is fairly challenging
- A diet that has lots of snacks and small meals with a low glycemic index: lean meats, non starchy vegetables, beans, cheeses, healthy eggs (Egglands Best or Omega-3 eggs from chickens who are fed vegetarian and flax only diets, salads and little to no cookies, cakes, pies, pasta and pizza. I will treat myself to beef and pork on occasion but most of the time, I stick to turkey, chicken and healthy seafood.
- From time to time, I will enjoy a diet coke or some kind of snack with artificial sweetener. For the most part, I use naturally derived sweeteners such as Stevia or Truvia
- At least 64 ounces of water per day
- Supplements for blood sugar support (Holy Basil, Gymnena, Cinnamon Bark Biotin, Chromium and Gingseng). Who’d have thought that adding a little cinnamon with your sugar could actually help to metabolize the sugar in your coffee?
- I clearly understand the role of stress in my health…and it ain’t pretty!
- I have blood sugar levels, thyroid levels and cholesterol levels checked at least twice each year. More frequently if I have symptoms.
When I am good, I have very little trouble keeping weight off, I feel great, sleep well. am alert and headache free. When I am not, there is a price to be paid. It’s just that simple.
