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Healthy Tips About the Food, Blood Sugar, and Mind Connection
When you think about blood sugar, you usually think about diabetes or hypoglycemia and watching your diet so you don't get overweight. But did you know that your blood sugar levels have a direct connection to your mood and mind? As someone who personally has had to deal with hypoglycemia for over a decade, I understand how difficult it can be to manage diet and lifestyle.When you do not manage your blood sugar levels, you might find that you become forgetful, lethargic, angry, depressed, moody, or shaky. Your mood swings might follow your eating patterns of the day, your exercise and activity patterns, or even your sleep habits. Feel like you are spinning out of control but you do not know why? I can understand. When I was in college my mood swings were erratic and I had a number of health professionals give me advice that made my hypoglycemia worse. Now I have learned to listen to my body and my hypoglycemia is under control and so is my life! Follow these tips to help manage your life and blood sugar.
Good Eating Habits
This might be a no-brainer, but how many of us really pay attention to what we are eating? If you have blood sugar problems, your healthiest option is to sit down with a licensed dietician and discuss what eating habits are best for your body. Not everyone has a cookie-cutter solution. For example, I feel best when I have a small meal of eggs in a wrap and some almond milk or a protein-packed smoothie. Breakfast is an important meal if you have hypoglycemia since your blood sugar plummets overnight leading to irritation, shakiness, and even depression if you do not address it immediately with a good breakfast (and that doesn't mean coffee and a doughnut!).
When I was in college I ate a diet of Ramen noodles, sticky buns from the snack machine, and a caffeine sugar-packed soda called Surge. Not only was I irritable every few hours as my body attempted to process massive amounts of sugar and caffeine, I also passed out between classes as my blood sugar crashed. I was unable to keep my eyes open and just slept for hours, waking up shaky and hungry, which meant more carbohydrates and caffeine. And the cycle continued all through college. It took several years before I met a dietician who helped put me on a better path, and that included reading labels and avoiding anything with carbohydrates greater than 15 grams a serving. I also had to learn how to read the servings, since some packaging will split up a product into several servings to make the nutritional information look better. For example, a bottle of juice cocktail may actually have three servings with 25 grams of sugar each. If you drink the entire bottle, like most of us would, then you are actually ingesting 75 grams of sugar! Someone get me some water instead.
Sleep
Your sleep patterns affect your blood sugar because the longer you are awake the more energy your body needs, or thinks it needs. If you are a night owl like me, you might find that nighttime munchies hit around ten or twelve at night. Instead of munching on some Cheetos and dip or a pizza, find a healthier option like organic yogurt with nuts or a banana with peanut butter. This gives you a nice combination of carbohydrates and protein to last you throughout the night. If you have insomnia or sleep too much, this might be an indication that something is out of whack. Visit your doctor immediately to manage your sleep patterns. You might find that something as simple as turning off the TV at night will help you get restful sleep.
Cook Your Food Finally, learn how to cook your own food. You can remain the master of your blood sugar by cooking your food from home. You don't need to create fanciful meals. In fact, the simpler meals like salmon with a salad or chicken tacos with homemade salsa are often the healthiest because they involve less sugary ingredients. Bring homemade snacks like homemade peanut butter granola bars and a bottle of water or a protein shake with you when you are on the go to avoid stopping at the snack machine or gas station. Pack your own lunch. A grilled chicken breast in a low carbohydrate wrap with lettuce and some cut up celery sticks is both filling and good for you and will prevent you from hitting that afternoon slump at work. You might even find that your job performance improves when you are in a better mood!
Wrap-Up Take care of your hypoglycemia and diabetes by managing your diet and sleep patterns. You can reduce irritability, lethargy, depression, and even anger by managing your food intake. By controlling what you eat you can help your body overcome the mood swings brought about by a blood sugar roller coaster. Eat better and enjoy your life.
