Do you have blood sugar problems? I sure do. If I don't eat some protein or healthy fat every few hours I am exhausted, grumpy, impatient and jittery. I lose all patience for my children and start to blame my problems on the world around me. When in reality I simply need to eat some food!
I then get on this cycle: blood sugar dips, eat a quick snack, blood sugar rises, feel great, blood sugar dips, eat food and lose patience, blood sugar rises, feel great and happy, blood sugar dips,and that's it. At that point I am too exhausted to deal with every day life.
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| Ever feel like this? |
I then get on this cycle: blood sugar dips, eat a quick snack, blood sugar rises, feel great, blood sugar dips, eat food and lose patience, blood sugar rises, feel great and happy, blood sugar dips,and that's it. At that point I am too exhausted to deal with every day life.
At first I just thought it was my problem, being grumpy and all. My cross in life. Well, yes and no. I can choose to "offer" it all up and still complain about how hard life is and how tired I am or I can offer it up and do something about it.
I need to work on uniting my sufferings with Christ' sufferings, but I also need the humility to realize that I can and should do something for my blood sugar problems. This is taking care of myself.
What helps most with blood sugar regulation?
Healthy fats, healthy fats and healthy fats. I can't say it enough. Healthy fats are released slower into your body during digestion, therefore causing your insulin to regulate. If you eat enough with all of your meals your blood sugar will not dip.
What are my favorite healthy fats?
Coconut Oil - a super great fat but not everyone likes coconut oil. I understand!
Butter - yes, it's a healthy fat! Full of vitamin A. We eat lots of butter with our veggies. If you disagree, read this article. I used to eat margarine and avoid butter like the plague. It didn't do me any good!
Lard - yup, good 'ol pig fat! Turns out that it's full of vitamin D. We buy ours from a local pig farmer, it's very inexpensive and taste great! Read more about it here.
Nuts, cheese, avocado, extra virgin olive oil - these are the more obvious ones, I have to carry nuts in my purse. Because of that my kids love them!
I havn't always eaten heatlhy fats, in fact I avoided them for so long. Much to the detriment of my health. We had thousands of dollars in health bills those few years! I feel great when I eat better and my energy levels are amazing. Once I jump back on the vicious cycle of insulin rushes I get so down and grumpy, it's no fun! It takes a bit to recover and gain the extra motivation to eat more healthy fats.
What does our typical day look like?
Breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins, butter and cream. Eggs with LOTS of butter and cheese, bacon, homemade sausages, sauteed spinach in butter.
Snack: Cheese, nuts, avocado, muffin loaded with butter.
Lunch: Leftover meat, some veggies fried in lard or butter, raw milk.
Snack: Nuts, carrots and hummus, cheese, tomatos in olive oil, raw milk, fruit, full fat yogurt.
Dinner: Meat with all the fat, veggies and tons of butter or lard, rice with butter, potatoes cooked in lard. Beans with sour cream or cheese.
Snack: Popcorn with coconut oil or butter, celery and peanut butter, full fat yogurt and honey, fruit.
Every day is different but what is not different is the amount of fat I need for my blood sugar. Anytime I stray from eating this much fat I can tell a huge difference in my energy level and mood. On another note, butter is so tasty I don't mind eating so much! Just ask Julia Child, she will tell you all about butter!
For further reading:
Stomp The Weight Loss Accelerator Using Coconut Oil - Healthy Home Economist
Good Fats, Bad Fats, and Why I eat plenty of Butter - Keeper of the Home
Why You Need to Eat More Lard - Rodale
Books on the topic:
Eat Fat, Lose Fat: - Sally Fallon and Mary Enig
Let me know your tips on how to deal with Blood Sugar problems!
So goad to see you talk up butter! It us SO good for you and so natural and. . .SO yummy. :-)
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Sarah. I also have these cycles. Thanks for this, esp. The menu sample. Well written too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nick!
DeleteI love the info on healthy fats. God won't have put the bounteous goodness that is butter on earth if it wasn't good for you! You have now proved my point! I read the coconut oil for weight loss and find it very interesting. I will give it a go and keep a record. This should be interesting!
ReplyDeleteLet me know how it goes! I heard of a study where they tried giving different oils to pigs to see what would make them gain weight. On coconut oil they actually lost weight. Mom and Fran take it by the spoonful!
DeleteLove love love, Sarah! I also have a special relationship with sugar, that is, we don't really talk anymore! Sugar is a wild hog that I never let loose out of the cage. The only sugar I do is strawberries, honey, very small amounts of dark chocolate, and agave occasionally. It has changed me for the better! How do you regulate your children's sugar intake as far as bringing them to friend's houses where sugary items are served? Just curious for the future! :)
ReplyDeleteI usually bring snacks everywhere we go. Gianna is at the age where she understands that some things will hurt her tummy and to always ask first. There is always the occasional slip up where she will sneak something but as long as it's not too much sugar (or gluten, or dairy) then we are ok! Good for you fo being so disciplined!
ReplyDeleteLove the menu plan! We have only recently begun to enjoy the goodness of coconut oil and we're loving it!! I also eat it by the spoonful :P
ReplyDeleteHow did you guys start going sugar less? Did you just go cold turkey? I want to do this but I'm scared, lol.
ReplyDeleteslowly! It's really hard and I still struggle with eating sugar. Its one of those things that's nearly impossible to avoid so we limit it instead of eliminate it. I eat honey as a replacement in all my baking - that's my compromise. Honey is expensive so I find myself limiting my consumption for that reason alone. I would not worry too much about it, do what you can and offer the rest to God. :) In the end we cannot add another day to our lives that God doesn't plan for us, no matter how healthy we eat or how much we worry. :)
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