If you’ve been experiencing symptoms like roller coaster moods, an extra roll of fat tissue around the mid section, sugar cravings, trouble sleeping, or lowered immune function this video is for you. In todays video I’ll discuss maintaining a healthy blood sugar balance and some herbal medicine that can help. Even if you’re not experiencing readily apparent blood sugar issues integrating these suggestions will help keep you on the road to health and longevity.
In ancient times we moved our bodies constantly and ate small portions of whole foods. This kept our blood sugar steady and healthy. Today most of us consume more sugar and get less movement than our body needs and this can lead to imbalance.
Even if you eat a fairly healthy diet, we may still have higher than healthy blood sugar levels.
Your body needs sugar to survive. When you eat food it’s broken down into sugar and used for energy. In order for your body to use the sugar and turn it into energy it needs a hormone called insulin. Insulin acts like a key allowing the sugar you eat into your cells. So when you have more sugar in your system your body tries to catch up by producing more insulin. Basically, problems arise when you have too much sugar and/or insulin circulating in your body.
The highs and lows associated with these high levels of sugar and insulin can be pretty damaging over time resulting in inflammation, higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), recurring UTI’s, moodiness, weight gain, and nerve damage.
Movement
Before talking about other remedies its really important to remember that the single most important solution to blood sugar concerns is getting as much movement as you can! It’s important that you move every day to help your body use the sugar energy it has circulating.
Healthy Diet
The second most important remedy is diet. I could talk for a very long time about diet options when it comes to this topic, but for the purposes of this post just remember to eat a whole foods diet with plenty of fresh vegetables, a small portion of healthy carbs (like whole grains), some healthy fat and protein.
If you’re consuming smoothies or fresh squeezed juice please be sure they’re not full of high sugar foods like carrots, beets and fruit like bananas. A little is ok, but your smoothie or juice should be mostly greens and other ingredients like your favourite protein or fat addition. Only add a small amount of flavour or something sweet to make it tasty like a small apple, some berries, squeezed lemon or fresh ginger. Learn more about juicing here.
Both remedies I want to mention today can be easily incorporated into your diet. Try to take both remedies during meals instead of on an empty stomach. as this will minimize the risk of lowering your blood sugar too much!
The first remedy I’d like to discuss is cinnamon! Cinnamon is a really easy to use plant that is very effective at gently lowering blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity. Use about 1/2 tsp of powdered cinnamon a day. I like to add it to my oatmeal in the morning but you can also make a tea using cinnamon sticks. Just place the sticks in a pot with a lid and simmer for about 15-20 min. Strain and enjoy.
The next remedy is blueberry. You can use blueberries to help support your body if your blood sugar balance is a concern. This amazing plant has the ability of not only helping to lower your blood sugar but it also supports a lot of other systems that are negatively affected by blood sugar imbalance and inflammation. Eat a handful of fresh or frozen berries daily for best results.
I hope that helps you to find more balance and even out your cravings. Keep moving, eat a diet of whole foods with lots of fibrous vegetables, and use cinnamon and blueberries regularly to balance blood sugar.
Let me know in the comments below what kind of movement practice you like to do to stay active or which remedy you chose to integrate into your life.
I promise to keep providing you information that helps you to reconnect to how capable you are of finding your true health potential. Take care and I’ll see you next time on Wellness Wednesday.
