Are you worried about your blood sugar regulation? Don't wait until diabetes, act now!
Blood sugar regulation is extremely important for our overall health. You are not going to feel any different at the beginning of the disease. So it’s important to do regular doctor’s visits to know what your blood glucose levels are. Especially if you have a family member with diabetes or if you are overweight. Why bother if you don’t feel anything? Because when blood sugar is elevated even slightly, it starts sticking to the tissues inside your body and interfering with their functioning. That accelerates aging and increases the risk of heart disease. High blood sugar can damage your sight and peripheral nerves. It’s also strongly associated with degenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. And the list goes on…
According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report from 2017, there were 30.3 million Americans with diabetes in 2012, and 84.5 millions with pre-diabetes. In addition, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that, if we do not change course, 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes by 2050. Neither statistics nor predictions for blood sugar regulation of American people are very cheerful.
Blood sugar regulation breaks down gradually
When I talk to my clients about blood sugar regulation breakdown I emphasize that the process is very gradual and it takes a long time to transition from health to disease. The process can be divided into 3 parts. Here is the visual that I use and I talk more about it in this article.
- Green zone. Most of us are born with healthy blood sugar regulation and remain healthy for a very long time.
- Yellow zone. For various reasons, the metabolic pathways can start working less efficiently and you can see an increase in your blood sugar numbers: fasting glucose above 100mg/l, HgA1C above 5.6. Unfortunately, you are now in the yellow zone (pre-diabetic). This is certainly the time to make changes in your diet and lifestyle that will bring you back to the green zone.
- Red zone. If you miss this opportunity you’ll most likely move on to the red zone: diabetes. It is estimated that by the time we are diagnosed with diabetes we have already lost 60% of the pancreatic beta cells that secrete insulin. We won’t be able to regenerate them, not quite yet, although scientists are working on it. But it doesn’t mean that there is nothing we can do for you diet wise! You can, in most cases go back to the yellow and even green zone.
Learn more about normal blood sugar regulation and how different macronutrient affect your blood sugar. Should you rely on Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of foods? Or you can use my 5 simple dietary changes that can help you get your blood sugar under control.
How I can help you with blood sugar regulation
If you have diabetes in your family and don’t have it yourself, you are at a higher risk for getting it later in life. I encourage you to talk to me about prevention.
If you have discovered that your blood sugar is already higher that the normal level should be please don’t wait. Make lifestyle and diet changes to bring your blood sugar under control. The higher your numbers the faster you need to act!
If you are in the pre-diabetes or yellow zone we’ll work on your eating habits to:
Reduce the carbohydrate load of your meals
Improve insulin sensitivity of your cells
Give your pancreas a chance to recuperate
Support your healthy liver functioning
Lose weight if needed
If you have diabetes, I can work together with you and your doctor to lower blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C and, hopefully, reduce your medication.
Above all, you don’t have to deal with this alone. I am here to help.