Fighting Sugar Cravings? The Importance of Blood Sugar Balance

Fighting cravings all day is exhausting. You know that having that sugary _____(fill in the blank) isn’t in line with your health goals but you have to have it! You resist the temptation for a while, but finally, you can’t take it anymore and give in.  Repeat multiple times a day, day after day.

Rest assured that your problem is not a lack of willpower, but more likely unbalanced blood sugar that is screaming at you to eat more sweets.

Healthy blood sugar regulation is essential for energy, mood, brain function, heart health, immunity, and whole-body wellness. It’s foundational for feeling your best so it’s always part of the work I do with my clients.

It’s important to be clear that you cannot know if you have blood sugar problems strictly by how you feel. The only way to know is to test. 

That being said, here are some signs of blood sugar imbalance that you may not know 👇

▪️ Belly fat

▪️ Sugar Cravings

▪️ Energy Crashes

▪️ Brain Fog

▪️ Mood Swings 

▪️ Irritability and feeling “hangry”

▪️ Skin Tags

▪️ Disrupted sleep

▪️ Always feeling hungry

Besides leading to these less-than-desirable symptoms here's how eating too much sugar at once affects your body.

When the sugar (let's say a big gulp slushie🥤) hits your digestive tract, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream as glucose (aka blood sugar) which signals beta cells in your pancreas to release insulin into the blood as well. 

⚠️ A large spike in blood sugar triggers a large spike in insulin. 

Insulin facilitates the movement of glucose into cells so it can be used as energy.

This sounds great EXCEPT…

Because of the sudden nature and magnitude of the sugar spike and insulin spike, glucose is quickly moved into cells and blood sugar drops dramatically (the CRASH 🫨)

Cue hunger, cravings, shakiness, brain fog, anxiety, you-name-it.

In kids, this might look like craving more sugar and feeling moody, angry, agitated, hyperactive, and shaky. It can also cause trouble sleeping, crying for no apparent reason, headaches, trouble sitting still, and trouble focusing.

(For more about how to help kids with this get my free guide here)

👉 The point is that our bodies were not made to deal with excessive sugar intake. 

If repeated day in and day out, eating high amounts of sugar or refined carbs without healthy fats, fiber, and protein is the main cause of insulin resistance. This means your cells have become less responsive to insulin and less effective at using glucose from your blood as energy.

Left unchecked insulin resistance can fuel inflammation, weight struggles, and heart disease.

Besides avoiding lots of sugar what else can you do to support blood sugar balance?

❌ Stop doing these things:

1️⃣ Eating Carbs Alone

Without protein, fiber, or fat, carbs are quickly digested and cause a sudden spike in blood sugar. 

2️⃣ Eating While Stressed

Stress hormones signal cells in the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream as an energy source to face the perceived threat. That’s not helpful if real sugar is also coming in the form of food. 

3️⃣ Coffee on Empty Stomach

Coffee triggers the release of adrenaline (a stress signal), which signals cells to release sugar into the bloodstream. This can set the stage for poor blood sugar regulation for the day. 

4️⃣ Dinner Late at Night

Food is meant to be digested and then utilized for energy. If you eat a large meal right before bed, the excess energy will be stored as fat or disrupt blood sugar levels in the night. 

5️⃣ Sleep Deprivation

Studies show that even one night of sleep deprivation can worsen insulin resistance the next day. 

Nutrients to Support Blood Sugar ⬇️⬇️

While blood sugar responds to the macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbs) in your diet, it also depends on 💥micronutrients💥 for regulation. 

Such as (in no specific order)...

✅ B Vitamins

✅ Magnesium

✅ Chromium

✅ Zinc

✅ Omega-3’s

✅ Vitamin E

✅ Vitamin  D

Each of these nutrients carries out specific functions related to blood sugar.

This means that eating nutrient-dense foods is just as important as balancing carbs with protein, fat, and fiber. 

I'd love to help you get your blood sugar back into balance so that you can feel the benefits. Healthy blood sugar regulation can translate into...

✅ Sustained Energy

✅ Mental Clarity

✅ Fewer Cravings

✅ Better Sleep

✅ Stress Resilience

✅ Clear Skin

✅ Stable Mood

And those are just some of the effects you’ll notice. 

Because over time, healthy blood sugar regulation supports your hormones, brain, heart, and healthy aging 🙌

If you're ready to get your cravings under control, schedule a free call here. I'd love to help!