Hi all and welcome back to another Tradie article with Exercise Physiologist Janey Goedhart.
This month we will be discussing the importance of blood glucose/sugars and some tips to help control this. Blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels are usually referring to the amount of glucose molecules that are circulating in the bloodstream. Blood glucose is our bodies primary source of energy, from fuelling our muscles right down to helping red blood cell production.
Our bodies convert food we eat into blood glucose for energy. We have some glucose stored in our muscles and liver too, or we can change fat and protein into glucose through a process called glucogenesis. Once the glucose gets into our bloodstream, our bodies release insulin to help glucose access the places that needs energy. If someone has diabetes or pre-diabetes, one of two things can be happening. Either the pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin or the cells have become resistant to the insulin. This means the body can’t access the energy circulating in the blood stream, leaving you feeling like you have low energy and potentially feeling hungry all the time.
If you have high blood glucose, over time it can cause chronic damage to blood vessels, nerves, and organs like the kidneys, eyes, and heart. Even without diabetes, a constantly fluctuating blood glucose level can also leave you feeling tired and hungry. What we eat will change the way our body releases insulin. If we eat a carbohydrate (Sugar, pasta, rice, flour, bread) our body reacts fast because the carbohydrate is rapidly changed to glucose in the blood stream. This means the body releases a big dump of insulin and the energy gets absorbed into the cells quickly, but because it does this so quickly, it often causes a ‘crash’ about 2 hours after eating, where the blood glucose levels are low again. This will make you feel hungry and tired.
If you eat something high in protein or fat, the process is much slower. It won’t give you an instant rush of energy (which is why carbohydrates can be so addictive) but it will give you prolonged energy. So where do we start to help stabilize our energy and blood glucose levels?
Two major factors are exercise and diet. Exercise will help you use up the energy/glucose in the blood and cells, and diet will help you regulate the incoming energy.
EXERCISE TIPS FOR REGULATING BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS:
- Do 10-20 minutes of activity after dinner. This is usually our biggest meal, and regulating glucose overnight is really important for our health and sleep quality
- More muscle=more energy being used at rest. This means the stronger your muscles are, the more glucose the body will use at rest, so strength training for long term glucose control is essential.
NUTRITION TIPS FOR REGULATING BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS:
- Have more protein and healthy fats in your diet than carbohydrates. This could be swapping out a lunchtime sandwich for a low carb wrap with Tuna, cheese and salad (vegan friendly try your favourite marinated Tofu and salad)
- Have dinner as early as you feel like you can. This will help with sleep and glucose control.
- Don’t snack after dinner. Try drinking plenty of water and a herbal tea. If you feel this isn’t possible, have something healthy like Greek yoghurt with some protein powder mixed through it.
If you are worried about your blood glucose levels, please see your doctor for a blood test. If you’d like to see if your blood sugar is up and down throughout the day, you can order a ‘Continuous glucose monitor (CGM)’ online- I would suggest Dexacom One+ for accurate readings. This will continuously track your glucose throughout the day through a small disc that is placed on the back of your arm (Don’t worry, you don’t feel it!). Lets make 2026 about looking after you!