Did you know its is extremely important to stabilize your blood sugar to help balance your hormones? It’s a snowball effect when you are having a constant elevated blood sugar and blood sugar spikes and crashes.
When your blood sugar isn’t balanced you can feel sleepy after eating, have difficulty sleeping, have sugar cravings and even had mood imbalances!
Your poor hormones are then feeling the direct result of these crashes.
HERE’S HOW:
INSULIN – allows glucose into the cell. You need insulin. The issue happens when blood glucose is too high, your body produces a ton of insulin. Constantly elevated insulin causes cells to be less sensitive, needing more of it (insulin resistance).
CORTISOL – High blood sugar increase insulin production. High insulin levels is a stress to the body and cause an increase in cortisol. This also happens when blood sugar is too low (stress!). Elevated cortisol causes a vicious circle of continuing to raise blood sugar and leads to imbalances in other hormones.
PROGESTERONE – high cortisol can deplete progesterone, putting you into estrogen dominance. This leads to symptoms like heavy periods, migraines, anxiety, acne, PMS, endometriosis, and more.
TESTOSTERONE – excess insulin can causes the ovaries to to produce androgens and elvvated testosterone. This ultimately impacts—or entirely stops—ovulation. It can also cause symptoms of PCOS.
SHBG – elevated insulin lowers SHBG, which contributes to both high estrogen and testosterone, causing symptoms like tender breasts, heavy periods, uterine fibroids and make PCOS symptoms worse.
This is why the foundation for hormone balance is blood sugar stability.
Here are some ideas to help stabilize your blood sugar!
– Start your meal with some veggies and fiber. A veggie starter can coat the small intestine and slow down gastric emptying. The glucose from the rest of the meal will be absorbed in a lesser and smaller extent and a smaller glucose spike will occur
– Pair your carbs with protein and fiber. This little hack can cause a smaller glucose spike and result in less crashing after eating, less insulin release, reduced inflammation and steadier mood to name a few!
– Adding a tablespoon of vinegar (any vinegar) can actually cause a smaller glucose spike
– Go for a walk after you eat!! Going for a short walk after you eating can actually help reduce a glucose spike as well!! Your muscles soak up the glucose producing less of a spike in our blood sugar!!
Try some of these hacks and see how you feel!
