Blood sugar stabilisation
The importance of a stable blood sugar level is to avoid becoming insulin resistant. Insulin resistance occurs when your body is unable to respond to the amount of insulin (a hormone) it is producing, which could lead to diabetes2.
Insulin is made by your pancreas and protects your body from getting too much sugar (glucose). Glucose gives you energy, however, too much is harmful to your health. If you have insulin resistance, but your pancreas still can increase insulin production to keep your blood sugar levels in range, you won’t have any symptoms. Unfortunately, over time, insulin resistance can get worse, and the cells in your pancreas that make insulin can wear out. Eventually, your pancreas is no longer able to produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance, leading to elevated blood sugar (hyperglycemia), which does cause symptoms.
Insulin resistance occurs when your body is unable to respond to the amount of insulin it is producing. The two main factors that seem to contribute to insulin resistance are excess body fat, especially around your belly, and a lack of physical activity.
To help you regulate your insulin levels, you can a.o. limit the total carbohydrates you eat and choose more whole food forms of carbohydrates instead of processed or refined ones. Choose whole grains like steel-cut or rolled oats, brown rice, quinoa, and barley instead of flour products like bread, pastas and crackers.
The carbohydrates that you get through your diet are converted in your body into glucose, which is absorbed into your blood and causes a rise in your blood sugar. This increase gives your pancreas a signal to start making insulin in order for your cells to absorb the glucose.
The speed at which your body breaks down and absorbs carbohydrates determines whether your blood sugar rises quickly or gradually. Simple sugars are more easily broken down and absorbed than complex carbohydrates and therefore cause a faster blood sugar rise. Blood sugar that rises too fast causes too much insulin production, which in turn causes your blood sugar levels to drop too quickly. Nowadays, most people tend to eat too often, too much of the wrong things and we keep creating new blood glucose spikes and fluctuations, as is shown in the image at the top of this page.
