Keeping your blood sugar in balance is one of the most important (yet often overlooked) areas for lasting health. Stable blood sugar and insulin levels can determine whether you’re facing your day with energy and vitality, or sluggishness and unpredictability.
I know from my own experience, watching my blood sugar has been a game-changer. You see, you can even eat healthy, avoid sugar, and exercise daily, but STILL have problems with your metabolism and insulin sensitivity!
These are all issues that go hand-in-hand, but with a few simple changes, you can bring balance back to your body.
It’s About More than Just Diabetes
I come from a long family history of diabetes, so I’ve known for years that I am at risk for it. This has driven me to be super careful about my own blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. But along this journey, I’ve also uncovered lots of other alarming statistics:
Did you know…
- Insulin resistance and unstable blood sugar are some of the biggest precursors to heart disease, PCOS, and weight resistance, as well as diabetes
- HALF of US adults have some level of insulin resistance (and up to 80% may have it)
- Over 65% of women over 40 have insulin resistance
- 88% of Americans have some level of metabolic dysfunction where they do not process fat and carbs efficiently into energy
- A majority of stubborn weight in women over 40 isn’t caused by eating too much sugar—it’s because of insulin resistance and blood sugar instability
I’ve taken a deep dive into my own blood sugar levels over the past couple years by wearing a continuous glucose monitor to see the things that were impacting my health in real-time. But the reality is, I could have told you a lot of what the CGM confirmed.
Certain foods put me on edge, while others left me satisfied. On the days I rushed through meals, was on-the-go, or had some less-than-healthy food choices, my blood sugar levels suffered. On the days I primed my body with nourishing foods and supplements, I thrived.
These aren’t huge changes, but they are life-changing!
How Blood Sugar, Insulin, and Your Metabolism Are Connected
Before I go too far, I just want to take a minute to explain how these terms are related. They are thrown around a lot in similar situations, but I’ve found that a lot of us can benefit from really understanding the interplay between blood sugar, insulin, and your metabolism!
Essentially, your metabolism is your ability to convert food to energy. This happens at a cellular level in every part of your body. Your cells’ primary fuel source is glucose from your blood (aka, blood sugar).
You don’t have to eat sugar to get glucose in your blood. Your digestive system converts protein, fat, and carbs into the basic elements that your cells need for energy. Insulin is a primary hormone (among others) that signals your body to either use the glucose in your blood for energy or to store it as fat.
When insulin resistance happens, your body becomes numb to insulin’s promptings. This causes sugar to continue to circulate in your bloodstream instead of being taken in by your cells. This is a primary cause of weight resistance and stubborn belly fat for women (even if you eat healthy and avoid sugar!)
Blood Sugar Balance and Your Overall Health
As I mentioned above, maintaining optimal blood sugar balance is important for all areas of your health. It affects mood, reproductive health, heart health, brain function, energy, weight, and so much more.
Your body is one unit, and there are lots of factors that can lead to becoming insulin resistant. Some of these things include:
- Poor liver health
- Imbalanced estrogen and progesterone (estrogen promotes insulin sensitivity, so as your estrogen levels decrease in menopause this becomes more of a risk)
- Obesity
- A lack of physical activity
- Poor sleep habits and a disrupted circadian rhythm
- High levels of stress
Even if you exercise daily and eat healthy, the non-stop life we live can still drive your body into insulin resistance and blood sugar instability. If you feel triggered by a stressor, your body sends out an influx of glucose to energize your cells for a fight.
This is great for a hand-to-hand with a tiger like our ancestors may have dealt with, but it’s not so good when your “threat” is an influx of emails or a tight deadline or screaming kids.
Instead, this stress response causes greater insulin resistance because of the chronically elevated levels of glucose that are circulating day-in and day-out in your body.
Supplements and Herbs for Blood Sugar Stability
While eating healthy foods, consuming plenty of protein and fiber, and exercising daily continue to be critical tools for regulating your blood sugar, for many of us these will not be enough on their own.
We all know that jittery feeling that comes with a blood sugar spike and the whole-body exhaustion that comes with a crash, but many of us write off some of these feelings as “normal” instead of doing something about them!
You CAN face each day with energy and vitality. You CAN feel good in your body. You CAN lose weight, even if nothing you’ve tried seems to be working.
Hacking into your metabolic health by focusing on insulin sensitivity and blood sugar balance can go a long way to helping you feel like yourself again!
Beyond healthy eating and exercise, here are some important supplements that can help keep balance in your body:
Beyond healthy eating and exercise, here are some important supplements that can help keep balance in your body:
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that our cells simply can’t do without. This macromineral is involved in 600 chemical processes in the body, and it helps protect us from stress, keep us calmer, and aids sleep. Beyond these benefits, magnesium is also critical for maintaining insulin sensitivity and signaling your body to use glucose for energy. THIS is the best magnesium to gently raise your body’s levels so you get all the benefits without the laxative side effects of some forms!
Berberine
This herbal compound is highly regarded for its ability to support healthy blood sugar balance. Studies show that berberine helps with this by:
- Promoting insulin sensitivity
- Supporting healthy insulin production
- Regulating metabolism
- Improving your body’s ability to break down unused glucose
- Slowing carb absorption in your gut
Some studies have even found berberine to be as effective as other blood sugar medications for lowering blood sugar and maintaining healthy insulin sensitivity.
Cinnamon
Delicious and nutritious! Cinnamon is a potent antioxidant and also contains the mineral chromium. Your body needs chromium to properly detect and respond to insulin at a cellular level. These insulin receptors moderate your body’s blood sugar by determining if it is used as energy or released for circulation (and potential fat storage).
While adding a pinch of cinnamon to your coffee, tea, and recipes is absolutely beneficial, supplementing with a high-potency cinnamon is the way you’ll get the most benefits!
Fenugreek, American Ginseng, Gymnema Extract, and Kudzu Extract
These are all unique herbs that play a role in balancing your blood sugar. They determine how well your cells take in glucose to be used for energy, and they may also help maintain healthy cholesterol.
Banaba Extract
The corosolic acid that is found in banaba extract can act like insulin in your body. This is a HUGE benefit for many people with metabolic dysfunction because it helps get the glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells to be used for energy.
GlucoSupport: My Top Recommendation for Balancing Blood Sugar
While you can do some shopping around to try to find these unique herbs in supplement form, I’m so excited to offer them all in one place in my Essentially Whole® GlucoSupport supplement!
GlucoSupport combines the power of each of these herbs and, when combined with Magnesium Restore, creates a full-spectrum blood sugar-supporting regimen that will help you maintain energy and vibrant health!
Balancing your blood sugar and supporting insulin sensitivity is a critical step to help you:
- Have energy that lasts all day (without crashing at 3pm)
- Get better, more restful and restorative sleep at night
- Maintain a healthy metabolism so stubborn weight no longer clings to your midsection
- Protect your reproductive, heart, and metabolic health
- And more!
GlucoSupport, along with lifestyle changes, is a critical tool to make blood sugar balance easy and accessible no matter how busy you are.
Click here to check it out today! >>
FREE DOWNLOAD: Dr. Mariza’s Top 11 Supplements for Hormone Health
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