Balancing Blood Sugar for Health

• Balancing blood sugar and prioritizing overall health can empower individuals to pursue meaningful work and live fulfilling lives.

Is There a Perfect Diet?

• Experts agree that a healthy diet consists of fresh, unprocessed, chemical-free, and local foods.

Imagine This

• Imagine waking up feeling energized with a clear mind, stable moods, and mental sharpness.
• Achieving a healthy weight, toned physique, and glowing skin is possible by starting a 30-day journey.

The Link Between Carbohydrates and Sugar

• Carbohydrate-containing foods, such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sweets, vegetables, and fruits, are digested and converted into glucose.
• When consuming carbohydrates, blood glucose levels increase.
• Glucose serves as the primary energy source for the brain.

How Different Foods Impact Blood Sugar

• Proteins found in fish, lean meat, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, and pulses does not have a negative impact on blood sugar levels.
• Fats do not contribute to glycemic load.
• Mono and polyunsaturated fats coming from nuts, seeds, oily fish, avocado and olives are considered healthy.
• Saturated fats can be found in fatty meat and full-fat dairy products.
• Carbohydrates, especially bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, cake, sweets, chocolate, vegetables, and fruit, have a significant impact on blood sugar levels.

How Do We Feel on the Rollercoaster?

• Increased blood sugar levels stimulates arteries & insulin release.
• Low blood sugar leads to tiredness, low mood, concentration issues as cortisol release..
• The more the blood sugar fluctuates, the more fat is stored.
• Keeping blood sugar at a consistent level helps to prevent fat storing dips, and you burn more fat.

Food Ground Rules

• A balanced plate should consist of 25% protein-rich foods, 50% vegetables, and 25% carbohydrate-rich foods.
• Portion sizes can be measured using your hands.

BSB Starting Point

• Follow these key steps to improve blood sugar.
• Eat three meals per day.
• Include protein with every meal.
• Choose carbohydrates selectively.
• Consider Time-Restricted Eating (TRE), which includes extended fasts periodically.

Food IN and Food OUT

• Consume whole, unprocessed foods such as oats, beans, and lentils.
• Consume foods high in essential fats, such as fish, seeds and their oils.
• Consume a colorful range of vegetables.
• Avoid consuming sugar and fast-releasing carbohydrates.
• Avoid processed vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats.

Unlimited Vegetables

• Unlimited vegetables include broccoli, spinach, kale, runner beans, peas, courgettes, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, lettuce, watercress, alfalfa, cucumber, celery, peppers, fennel, mange tout, asparagus, aubergine, bean sprouts, endive, radish, rocket, spring onions, and tenderstem.

Breakfast

• Breakfast options should focus on balancing blood sugar.
• The following are some breakfast suggestions: cereal, toast, fruit, cooked meals, and on the run foods.
• Cereal options include porridge, homemade granola, overnight oats.
• Toast options include wholegrain bread, rye bread, with nut butters or marmite. avoid jams.
• Yogurt options include plain bio live yogurt with low glycemic (GL) fruit with nuts/seeds.
• A cooked option could be eggs, tomatoes, halloumi, mushrooms, avocado, and spinach.
• On the run options include smoothie, nuts, and seeds.

Lunch/Dinner

• Lunch and dinner ideas should balance blood sugar.
• Salads, sandwiches, ready meals, and carbohydrates are the primary food groups.
• Salads can include tuna, salmon, chicken, avocado, cheese, eggs, chickpeas, mixed beans, and lentils.
• Sandwich options contain wholegrain bread, wholemeal pitta, oatcakes, rye bread, or wheat tortilla.
• Ready meals should be chosen without starchy carbs, but add green vegetables or salad.
• Carbohydrates should consist of wholegrain pasta, new potatoes, brown rice, or squash and non-starchy vegetables or salad to fill half your plate.

Snacks

• Blood sugar balancing snacks include a piece of fruit with five nuts, apple with nut butter, 2 oatcakes with hummus, 2 oat cakes and peanut butter, crudités with hummus, cottage cheese with berries and kiwi, a small plain yogurt with slow release fruit, olives, and biltong.
• A sample snack could be apple with walnuts.

Drinks IN and OUT

• Drink 8 glasses of water per day.
• Drink unlimited herbal and non-caffeinated teas
• Limit or avoid caffeinated drinks (coffee, energy drinks) .
• Reduce or avoid alcohol (no more than 5 glasses of wine or half pint of beer/lager weekly).

Weeks 1 & 2

• Plan your food for the week, eat regularly, and choose the correct type and quantity of carbohydrates.
• Consume 1 tablespoon of seeds daily.
• Reduce wheat intake, substitute with oats or rye bread.
• Minimize processed foods and sugar, drink 8 glasses of water, minimize alcohol, and keep a food diary.

Fruit Comparisons

The following represent single portions of fruit:

• Berries: 600g or 1 large punnet
• Cherries: 200g or 1 punnet
• Grapefruit: 200g or 1 small
• Pear: 150g or 1 large
• Melon: 150g or ½ small/1 slice
• Peach: 120g or 1 regular
• Apricot: 120g or 4 regular
• Orange: 120g or 1 large
• Plum: 120g or 4 regular
• Apple: 100g or 1 small
• Kiwi: 100g or 1 small
• Pineapple/Mango: 80g or thin slice
• Grapes: 75g or 10 regular
• Banana: 50g or ½ small

Starchy Carb Comparisons

The following represent a single portions of starchy carbs:

• Pumpkin or 1 serving (185g)
• Carrot or 1 large carrot (160g)
• Quinoa or 2 handfuls (65g)
• Beetroot or 1 large (110g)
• Pearl Barley or1 handful ( 40g)
• Whole wheat Pasta or 1 handful (40g)
• White Pasta or 1 small handful (35g)
• Brown Basmati or 1 handful (40g)
• White Rice or small handful (25g)
• Cous Cous or 1 handful (25g)
• Broad Beans or 1 small handful (30g)
• Corn on the Cob or half a cob (60g) -Baked Potato or half a potato (60g) French Fries or 3 fries (50g)

Carbohydrate Substitutions

• Cauliflower rice can be used instead of rice and couscous.
• Mashed cauliflower, butternut squash or butterbean, and celeriac roast butternut can be used instead of mashed potato.
• Courgetti or zucchini noodles can be used instead of roast potato.
• Sliced aubergine or eggplant can be used instead of spaghetti.
• Large mushroom or large lettuce leaf can be used instead of lasagna.
• Choose options with the lowest blood sugar impact and largest portion sizes.

Bread Comparisons

• The consumption of 3 oatcakes, 1 slice of rye bread, 1 slice of wholegrain bread, or half a slice of white bread is recommended.
• The consumption of bread, half a croissant and muffin 1, or ryvita are not recommended.

Alcohol

• Focus on choosing lower sugar options.
• Opt for vodka, soda and fresh lime, vodka and tomato juice, 1 small glass of wine, half a pint of beer.
• Avoid using cider and high sugar mixers with your drinks.

Sweeteners

• Replace sugar with blood sugar balancing alternatives.
• Try using Xylitol, Stevia, date, maple syrup, or coconut.

Outcomes

• Some positive outcomes of balancing your blood sugar include energy, vitality, zest for life, better sleep, and improved sleep.
• You can expect to have less cravings, a stable mood, and a less stressful life.
• Balancing your blood sugar can result in weight loss and reduced risks for chronic diseases.

Explore the relationship between diet, blood sugar, and overall health. Learn how carbohydrates, proteins, and fats affect blood glucose levels. Discover the benefits of a balanced diet for energy, mood, and weight management.