Ever get so busy that you forget or just don’t stop to eat? And then, seemingly out of nowhere you are feeling tired, irritable, shaky, anxious?
Coincidence? Not so much.
What happened?
You were experiencing low blood glucose levels. The shaking and other symptoms are your body’s way of saying “I need sustenance. Go Eat!” Unfortunately, we often focus on the fatigue and hear the message as eat sugar or drink coffee to get a lift. These temporary solutions are only going to add to the problem.
Signs of having long term problems with low blood glucose include:
• not being hungry in the morning (thus finding it hard to eat breakfast),
• difficulty staying asleep,
• afternoon fatigue
• difficulty concentrating
• frequent headaches
What are the consequences?
Low blood sugar levels, also known as insulin surges have been associated with loss of brain function, migraines, depression, anxiety, joint pain, fatigue, hormone issues (including too much testosterone in women), autoimmune conditions, allergies, poor anger management and many other conditions.
So How Do I Fix This?
The first thing to do is to change your diet and eating habits. In the beginning this may seem daunting but it is worth the effort. In general the basic diet is to eat 6 times a day. This is necessary to help the body heal your adrenal glands and relieve the pressure on your blood glucose regulating system. First begin by eating a large breakfast. The first few days may prove difficult (you may even experience nausea) but it will get
better. It would be best if breakfast consisted of high protein (think bacon and eggs) and low carbohydrates.
Cereals and breads spike your blood sugar and contrary to practice in the U.S. , do not make a good breakfast. Removing these from your diet is an important part of regulating blood sugar levels.
Snacks interspersed around 10am, 2am, and 8pm should be small and consist again of high protein and low carbohydrates. A piece of turkey, a handful of almonds, some almond butter all work well.
Lunch and dinner don't need to be too large as you may not be as hungry. If you must
have sugar eat it as soon as possible after lunch or dinner to minimize the effects.
Problems that occur as a result of low blood sugar get worse as time progresses. Take action now!
