Eating for a Normal Blood Sugar Level
One challenge in keeping a normal blood sugar level is eating a balanced diet that promotes a blood sugar level that swings between a narrow band—never too high and never too low. Making sure that your meals are balanced and have a low glycemic load because of the different sorts of foods included in each one is a worthy goal, but not one that is easily attained.
Attention to the glycemic load of a meal is important because that what determines how much and how quickly a particular meal will raise blood sugar levels. While an increase in blood sugar after eating is a normal event, a meal of mainly sugar-filled treats or starchy foods that convert quickly to sugar is one that will quickly send your blood sugar level rocketing.
Your body’s response to a rocketing blood sugar level is too secrete insulin to do its work of moving the sugar into the cells that use it for energy, and if your blood sugar doesn’t respond quickly enough, more insulin is sent out into the bloodstream to deal with the sugar. Unfortunately often this process is not regulated as well as it should be and the resulting increase in insulin secretion results in a bottoming out of blood sugar levels and a return to feeling a need to snack on something, usually sweet to fell good again.
Meals with a low glycemic load balance out the response to the food being digested and sugar makes its way to the blood stream slower and over a longer period of time. Thus there is less to deal with at any one time and the rocketing and resulting bottoming out never happens. The sugar level rises slightly and lowers slightly in response to insulin secretion. You don’t feel that sugar high and miss out on the following sugar cravings from the bottoming out of blood sugar levels.
Thinking before you eat and about what you are eating is a good strategy for getting control of your diet and keeping a normal blood sugar level.
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