Insulin resistance is an increasingly common problem that people are facing today. It can lead to prediabetes, diabetes, and an array of other health issues. The good news is that it’s possible to prevent diabetes and stabilize your blood sugar through dietary and lifestyle changes and through supplementation. Insulin is made by your pancreas and is needed by your cells so they can absorb and use glucose for energy. Insulin resistance happens if your body is unable to respond to and use the insulin produced by your body. Maintaining balanced insulin levels is important for your overall health and well-being. Here are some things you can do to balance your blood sugar naturally.
Optimize Vitamin D Levels
Vitamin D is an essential for your overall health and it is also needed to stabilize your blood sugar. Sun is the best source of vitamin D because your skin is actually able to synthesize vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. But most people do not get enough vitamin D from the sun alone. Eating vitamin D rich foods is the next best option. This includes foods such as fatty fish, eggs, and mushrooms. If you’re not able to get enough vitamin D naturally, supplementation may be necessary. Look for a vitamin D supplement that contains vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol. Some doctors recommend taking a D3 supplement that also contains K2 for better absorption. Labdoor has tested and rated the best selling vitamin D supplements. Functional medicine doctors are another good source of quality supplements.
Improve Digestive Health
About 80 percent of your immune system is located in your gut. It is basically the foundation of your overall health. Having an imbalanced gut flora can result in a compromised immune system, inflammation, infections, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and autoimmune disease. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet provides your body with a healthy balance of fats, protein, and carbs, while also providing you with necessary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, that will help stabilize your blood sugar levels.
To lower inflammation in your body and stabilize your blood sugar, you need to remove toxic foods, such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, caffeine, GMOs, trans and hydrogenated fats, artificial ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, and processed foods. Instead, you should fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods and healthy fats, including avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, pasture raised eggs, and grass-fed butter. You can get plenty of antioxidants to protect your health from free radical damage through herbs, non-starchy vegetables, and low-glycemic fruits, such as berries, lemons, and limes. For protein, you should consume high-quality protein, such as grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, pasture-raised poultry, and wild game.
If your gut is unhealthy, you probably will want to add beneficial bacteria known as probiotics. Probiotics can balance your gut and help protect against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Fermented foods, such kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, and kombucha can help to add more probiotics to your diet.
Reduce Stress and Get Good Sleep
When you are under stress, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Over extended periods of time, cortisol can create inflammation and increase your blood sugar levels. Chronic stress can also increase emotional eating and cravings for sugary junk foods and other unhealthy ‘comfort foods’, which can increase inflammation in your body and further increase your blood sugar. So one way you can stabilize your blood sugar levels is to reduce stress. To reduce stress, try deep breathing, meditation, relaxation exercises, yoga, journaling, coloring, using essential oils, creating some ‘me-time’, taking a relaxing bath, spending time in nature, or connecting with loved ones.
Being well-rested is absolutely essential in maintaining overall health, including stabilizing your blood sugar, improving insulin sensitivity, and reducing the risk of diabetes. A lack of sleep can increase your stress levels and appetite hormones and makes you more likely to reach for sugary snacks and inflammatory foods. To improve your sleep quality, reduce sugary foods and caffeine in your diet, especially in the evening. Develop a regular sleep schedule with an evening routine. Avoid blue light exposure and electronics in the evening. Choose relaxing activities such as reading, board games, a relaxing bath, and sipping on herbal tea.
Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients
Glutathione, Turmeric, and Omega-3 supplements will reduce inflammation and help stabilize your blood sugar levels. Glutathione is absolutely essential to maintaining a healthy immune system. It is not technically an “essential nutrient” because the body can create it from the amino acids. It is often called the master antioxidant because of its ability to help maintain exogenous antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E in their active form.
Turmeric is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory herbs and has been used for thousands of years as a staple in Indian cuisine, and a natural remedy in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. Its anti-inflammatory properties lie in its active compound called curcumin. Curcumin is a potent antioxidant with fantastic benefits to reduce inflammation and pain just as well as ibuprofen without harmful side-effects.
Omega-3 fatty acids are some of the most important nutrients your body needs. They play an important role in reducing inflammation and contribute to the health of your nervous system and brain. If you are not getting enough omega-3s in your diet, your risk of chronic illnesses, including diabetes, can increase greatly. Omega-3s can improve cellular health, depression, anxiety, stress, sleep, immunity, bone, joint, eye, heart, and brain health. You can get high amounts of omega-3 fats from fatty fish, algae and several high-fat plant foods. Most people can benefit from additional supplementation to reduce inflammation and health problems.
Regular Exercise
Regular exercise is associated with countless health benefits, including weight loss, maintaining a healthy weight, heart health, and mental health. According to the National Diabetes Association, regular exercise can help you manage your blood sugar. Even short duration exercise can help your muscle cells to take up more glucose to be used for energy and tissue repair which will help lower your blood sugar. Research has shown that exercise has an effect on insulin sensitivity through multiple adaptations in glucose transport and metabolism.
About 30 to 60 minutes of exercise on most days can help you lower inflammation, increase insulin sensitivity, manage stress levels, and improve your immunity. Exercise may include a walk in a park, playing outdoors with your kids, yoga, pilates, easy swimming, and more. For example, resistance training can increase your strength and endurance, whereas high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts improve your cardiovascular health while also building strength at the same time.
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