If you find yourself exhausted everyday struggling to cam even though you’ve gotten enough sleep the night before… glucose spikes may be the problem.
What is glucose and why is it important?
Glucose is the sugar your body extracts from your food. It takes that sugar and turns it into energy. You need glucose to function and it’s especially needed for brain health. But what you don’t need are spikes. That’s when your blood glucose rises drastically right after you eat then crashes because of bad choices.
Glucose spikes can have detrimental effects on how you function from day to day and can hurt your career.
Negative consequences associated with glucose spikes include cravings, chronic fatigue, constant hunger even though you’ve eaten plenty of calories that day, sleep issues, mental health problems, and weight gain to name a few nasties.
In addition, if you have high glucose, you can be courting hyperglycemia and diabetes.
As explained by WebMD:
“Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose from your blood into the cells for energy and storage. People with diabetes have higher-than-normal levels of glucose in their blood. Either they don’t have enough insulin to move it through or their cells don’t respond to insulin as well as they should. High blood glucose for a long period of time can damage your kidneys, eyes, and other organs.”
This is why it’s important to get glucose under control, not just for your career, but for your health.
How to start?
By adding more fiber into your diet, pairing your food correctly, going low-carb, drinking enough water, exercise, and avoiding refined carbs as discussed in this article by Healthline. In addition, check out this terrific book by biochemist Jessie Inchauspé – The GlucoseGoddess Method. It talks about some great ways to control the spikes, is easy to read, and easy to follow.
Inchauspé’s advice includes what she calls “Glucose Hacks” – having one tablespoon of vinegar a day with water, enjoying a savory breakfast in the morn vs. sweet one, eating vegetables first, protein second, then carbs third, and taking a ten-minute walk after a meal once a day. I will attest that her suggestions all work having tried them. She also has super easy recipes that are easy to follow and quick to make – and this comes from me – who hates to cook. Best of all her diet doesn’t cut out anything you want to eat – you can have desserts and cocktails if you consume them the way she suggests and still avoid glucose spikes.
Check with a doctor before trying any new dietary plan and keep an eye on your glucose so you to have the most productive and happy year possible.
Main photo credit: iStock.com/Artystarty
Second photo credit: iStock.com/art is me
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Alyssa Collins hails from Minnesota, where snowy days were the perfect excuse to stay warm inside and write. Over the years, she turned that joy into a career and has authored numerous articles for various publications (under pen names). Email Alyssa via alyssa@ynot.com.
