As moms we have to keep our blood glucose stable. So many things are coming at us at any given point during the day. (And night.) Speaking from experience as my almost 3-year-old randomly started waking up at night again after a good year of sleeping through the night.
The point is, we don’t have time for low energy. Yet when I talk to other moms, low energy almost always comes up in conversation. We’re not sleeping well, we’re probably not eating well, and we’re just getting by from day to day.
Balancing your blood sugar can get you out of that cycle of poor energy.
Blood sugar or blood glucose is a way to measure glucose (sugar) found in your blood, and it’s your main source of energy. If you picture a graph with a wavy line of peaks and valleys representing your blood sugar, the more like a rollercoaster with high highs and low lows it is, the more worn out you will feel, and you’re probably always going to be craving your next sweet snack. The more stable or balanced that line is, the more stable your energy levels are throughout the day, and you’re probably not going to think about snacks much at all.
The higher your blood glucose goes after a meal, the more insulin your body will release to mop it all up and re-stabilize levels. But like a rubber band, then blood sugar dips too low quite fast, leaving you uncomfortable and needing something sweet to get through to the next meal.
The best way to find out your blood sugar levels is to test throughout the day with an at-home glucose monitor (finger prick) for several days to get snapshot of your ups and downs. You will want to test upon waking, before each meal, 30 mins after each meal, and 2 hours after each meal.
Optimal ranges would be:
- upon waking: 75-85 mg/dL
- before meals: 75-90 mg/dL
- 30 mins after meals: <120-140 mg/dL
- 2 hours after meals: <100 mg/dL
Symptoms of imbalanced (rollercoaster highs and lows) blood sugar:
- Brain fog
- Mood swings
- Short bursts of energy followed by fatigue
- Cravings for sweets
- Midafternoon energy slump
- Irritability
- Shaking or trembling, weakness
- Dizziness
- Trouble concentrating
You can help keep those spikes after eating lower by doing one of several things:
- Eat a breakfast high in protein (30g+)
- Eat fiber first: if there are veggies on your plate, eat them first. Raw carrots, a salad, steamed broccoli, any type.
- Eat carbs last: the fiber/veggies and protein on your plate will slow the absorption of carbohydrates, making your blood glucose spike lower and smoother
- Eat carbohydrates with protein and fat (instead of just crackers, eat cheese or a hard boiled egg with crackers)
- Drink 1 T. apple cider vinegar before meals
- Take digestive bitters 10 mins before meals
- Eat dessert right after a meal, so the meal you ate will slow absorption of sugar from dessert (think of dinner and dessert as one big meal, not two seperate events)
- Walk after meals for just 10 minutes
Any one of these tips will help stabilize your blood glucose and your energy levels, but you can also stack them. Try eating fiber first, then walking after the meal. Experiment with these tips to find out which ones will be sustainable for you. Balance blood sugar can help your kids have a clear mind and stable energy too – making for better grades and and easier time focusing on schoolwork or chores, with fewer mood swings. While they may not like to drink apple cider vinegar before meals, I bet they would be happy to play outside for 10 minutes after lunch or eat dessert immediately after dinner instead of waiting!