How Does Eating Affect Your Blood Sugar?
Blood sugar, also known as blood glucose, comes from the food you eat. Your body creates blood sugar by digesting some food into a sugar that circulates in your bloodstream. Blood sugar is used for energy. The sugar that isn’t needed to fuel your body right away gets stored in cells for later use. Too much sugar in your blood can be harmful. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that’s characterised by having higher levels of blood sugar than what’s considered within normal limits. Unmanaged diabetes can lead to problems with your heart, kidneys, eyes, and blood vessels. The more you know about how eating affects blood sugar, the better you can protect yourself against diabetes. If you already have diabetes, it’s important to know how eating affects blood sugar.
What happens when you eat?
Your body breaks down everything you eat and absorbs the food in its different parts. These parts include:
carbohydrates
proteins
fats
vitamins and other nutrients
The carbohydrates you consume turn into blood sugar. The more carbohydrates you eat, the higher the levels of sugar you’ll have released as you digest and absorb your food. Carbohydrates in liquid form consumed by themselves are absorbed more quickly than those in solid food. So having a soda will cause a faster rise in your blood sugar levels than eating a slice of pizza. Fibre is one component of carbohydrates that isn’t converted into sugar. This is because it can’t be digested. Fibre is important for health, though. Protein, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals don’t contain carbohydrates. Carbohydrates have the greatest impact on blood glucose levels. If you have diabetes, your carbohydrate intake is the most important part of your diet to consider when it comes to managing your blood sugar levels.
High-carbohydrate foods
The foods that generate the biggest spike in your blood sugar are those that are high in processed carbohydrates. These foods include:
white grain products, such as pasta and rice
cookies
white bread
cold processed cereals
sugared drinks
If you’re watching your carbohydrate intake, you don’t have to avoid these foods. Instead, you’ll need to be careful about portion size and substitute with whole grains when possible. The more food you eat, the greater the amount of sugar you’ll absorb. Eating mixed meals is helpful. Protein, fat, and fibre help slow down the digestion of carbohydrates. This will help reduce spikes in blood sugar after meals. How often you eat during the day is also important. Try to keep your blood sugar levels consistent by - ideally - eating every 4 to 5 hours. Three nutritious meals a day plus a couple of healthful snacks can usually keep your blood sugar steady. If you have diabetes, your doctor may recommend the amount of carbohydrates you can have for meals and snacks. You may also work with a dietitian familiar with diabetes who can help plan your meals. Its is important not to skip main meals (and build in consistency) if you are on any medication, such as metformin. Your health, age, and activity level all play a part in setting your dietary guidelines.
Exercise and blood sugar
Exercise can have a big effect on your blood sugar levels because blood sugar is used for energy. When you use your muscles, your cells absorb sugar from the blood for energy. Depending on the intensity or duration of exercise, physical activity can help lower your blood sugar for many hours after you stop moving. If you exercise regularly, the cells in your body may be more sensitive to insulin. This will help keep blood sugar levels within normal ranges. (Exercise is much more of a consideration for people with Type 1 diabetes, as they will more easily succumb to a hypo. So having a sweet snack to hand will be a prudent consideration). General rule of thumb is that aerobic exercise (eg running, keep fit classes) will encourage a blood glucose drop, whereas anaerobic exercise (eg weight lifting) will encourage a blood glucose rise.
Insulin and blood sugar
Insulin is an important hormone that helps regulate your blood sugar levels. The pancreas makes insulin. It helps control your blood sugar levels by assisting the cells that absorb sugar from the bloodstream. If you have type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin. This means you have to inject insulin every day. If diet and exercise aren’t enough to manage blood sugar, those with type 2 diabetes may be prescribed medications to help keep blood sugar levels within target ranges. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body produces insulin, but may not use it properly or produce enough of it. Your cells don’t respond to insulin, so more sugar keeps circulating in the blood. Exercise can help the cells respond better and be more sensitive to insulin. The proper diet can also help you avoid spikes in blood sugar. This can help keep your pancreas functioning well since high blood sugar levels decrease pancreatic function.
Knowing blood sugar levels
If you have diabetes, the frequency of testing your blood glucose level depends on your treatment plan, so follow your doctor’s advice on the appropriate times for you. Common times to check are in the morning, before and after meals, before and after exercise, at bedtime, and if you feel sick. Some people may not need to check their blood sugar daily. For people who live with Type 1 diabetes, even rises in temperature is a consideration, the difference between a hot summer’s day as opposed to a mild cloudy day will be something for them to monitor and evaluate in order to offset the risk of a potential hypo. What you eat and what you do for physical activity affect your blood sugar. But there’s no way to know what effect they have unless you test your blood sugar. Blood glucose testing kits are used to test blood sugar levels so you can see if your levels are within the target range. Your doctor should also work with you on your individualised range.
Watch what you eat
Carbohydrates are the component in food that affects blood sugar the most. It’s not the only component that provides calories. Foods also contain proteins and fats, which provide calories. If you consume more calories than you burn in a day, those calories will be converted into fat and stored in your body. The more weight you gain, the less sensitive your body becomes to insulin. As a result, your blood sugar levels can rise. In general, you want to avoid or minimise your intake of sweetened beverages and foods that are highly processed and high in carbohydrates and unhealthy fat, and low in healthy nutrients. For example, a brownie may have as many carbohydrates as a banana, but the fruit also has fibre, potassium, and vitamins your body needs. Brownies don’t have those benefits. Having a handful of nuts (protein source) with the banana will also offset the potential speed of a sugar spike (NB this is ONLY appropriate if you do not have a nut allergy). If you have diabetes or you’ve been told you have high blood sugar levels, talk with your doctor or a dietitian about what you can do to eat smarter and healthier.
Extracts taken from James Roland from www.healthline.com