I’ve been going on and on about the importance of blood sugar over on Instagram, so it’s about time we sit down and get into the details about blood sugar—or more specifically, your metabolic health—and why you should even care.
What is metabolic health?
Every action you perform demands energy.
Whether you’re engaged in a physical activity like running or jumping, exercising your cognitive abilities through thinking, or simply maintaining a quiet seated posture, your body relies on a consistent power source to sustain these functions.
To obtain this energy, our bodies convert food into usable energy through a series of biological processes. Together, we refer to these processes as metabolism.
When a person is thought to have “optimal” metabolic health, this means that their body can efficiently produce and utilize energy. In turn, this enables both your cells and your body to operate at peak efficiency.
Now, on the other hand, if you have poor metabolic health, your cells are likely not receiving the necessary energy they require to function optimally, which can result in various mental and physical challenges (which we’ll chat about).
In other words, our cells need energy. When our metabolic health is in tip-top shape, we’ll receive the energy we require, and subsequently, feel energized. When our metabolic health is not as optimal, our cells won’t receive the energy they require, and we’ll likely feel more sluggish and fatigued.
So, why does metabolic health matter?
Well, hopefully the answer is obvious, but let’s dive a little deeper into the specifics of why everyone should prioritize their metabolic health.
Too often, many of us look at blood sugar as something that is only relevant to those with diabetes, but honestly, that couldn’t be further from the truth, and it’s my mission to help more of you see just how important your blood sugar is and how impactful it can be for your overall health goals.
So, first things first, let me make one thing abundantly clear: Type 2 diabetes doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It unfolds progressively, marked by subtle changes in the body’s ability to extract energy from food.
In other words, well before receiving a clinical diagnosis, this decline in metabolic health can affect physical well-being, energy levels, mood, and general daily life actvities. This means you might not have a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, but if you pay attention and know what to look for, you could prevent yourself from ever reaching the point of Type 2 diabetes. BUT, you need to be proactive in order to get to this point.
Beyond just Type 2 diabetes, keep in mind that poor metabolic health heightens the risk of chronic conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, fatty liver disease, heart disease, and stroke. Remember, while some of these things might not initially seemed connected, the body doesn’t operate in separate systems. It works as a unit and when one thing is off, it can have many downstream effects on the rest of the body.
But here’s the good news!
When we’re proactive and catch poor metabolic health early, damage can be slowed and even reversed.
This will result in an enhanced ability for the body to produce and utilize energy. In addition, it will also bring about benefits such as improved memory, balanced mood, increased physical endurance, reduced anxiety, clearer skin, enhanced sexual health, and a strengthened immune system (just to name a few).
And, don’t forget, this sentiment holds true not only for individuals with diabetes or prediabetes but for everyone striving to maintain optimal health.
Can you see why I’ve become so passionate about helping people with their metabolic health? It truly is at the root of SO many health conditions.
Let’s nail the basics of blood glucose
Okay, so you’re on board with me that metabolic health is important, but if you’ve never really thought about your blood glucose, you still might be like, “But Andrea, what do you even mean when you say blood sugar? What is blood glucose?”
Let’s get into that.
The primary source of the body’s energy is glucose.
Glucose is a type of sugar derived from the food you consume, which circulates in your bloodstream.
When you ingest carbohydrates (so things like bread, sweet potato, oatmeal, rice, fruit, etc.), your body breaks the carbs down into glucose, which is then released it into the bloodstream. Subsequently, cells absorb this glucose, utilizing it to generate the necessary energy for whatever functions you currently need energy for (i.e. muscle contraction, transmitting brain signals, combating infections, etc.).
Okay, so glucose is fuel for the cells? Cool.
BUT what happens when you have excess fuel? Is this possible?
Absolutely!
An excess of glucose in the bloodstream can have many negative effects. In particular, if sugar is consumed more rapidly than cells can absorb it, blood glucose levels rise to unhelpful and ultimately unhealthy levels.
When this happens, the excess sugar might stick to cells, which makes them less efficient at producing energy. As a result, we get a range of both short-term and long-term health issues.
And, with that in mind, I can hear your next question from a mile away.
What is a normal amount of blood sugar?
It’s a great question, and it’s question that there is debate about, so I’ll try to break it down.
So first, we need to understand that it is totally normal for blood sugar levels to up and down. It would be unrealistic, and probably unhealthy, to try and keep our levels completely steady.
For instance, if you eat carbs—even “healthy” ones like brocoli and other vegetables—your sugar is going to rise. And then, once your cells start taking up the sugar from the carbs, naturally, you’re going to see your blood sugar levels fall.
Totally normal.
The goal isn’t to eliminate the spikes. The goal is to reduce glycemic variability. Or, in other words, blood sugar goes up and down, but the peaks and the valleys aren’t dramatic (i.e. a small change).
On the other end of the spectrum, if you have a lot of glycemic variability, this probably means you’re spiking high and then crashing low. The result of this crash is often fatigue, hunger, and irritabiliy (hanger anyone?).
To give you some numbers, from my understanding, staying between 70mg/dL and 120 mg/DL is a good range for most of the day. If you’re going above 140 mg/dL frequently, that’s when we might want to start paying attention.
But wait, what is insulin?
If you’ve thought about blood sugar at all, then you’ve definitely heard of insulin, so let’s briefly break down its role in metabolic health.
Insulin is a hormone that functions as a chemical messenger. One of its primary roles is providing instructions for cells to absorb sugar from the bloodstream.
To get a little deeper into that…
When you eat carbohydrates, the pancreas releases insulin, signaling specialized cell receptors to open. Once these receptors are activated, they facilitate the entry of sugar into the cells.
When you eat large amounts of sugar or carbohydrate-rich foods, the body responds by releasing additional insulin to handle the sugar load. This is good. We want this to keep blood sugar levels steady.
But here’s the issue…
If large amounts of insulin are released too frequently, cells may gradually become insensitive to insulin. We call this insulin resistance, and it’s something we DON’T want to happen.
Why?
Because when cells are resistant to insulin, they struggle to open their receptors, even as blood sugar and insulin levels escalate. This predicament can lead to severe health implications, including the development of Type 2 diabetes.
How can you improve your metabolic health?
That sounded like a lot of doom and gloom there for a ‘sec, but don’t worry, there’s a solution and we absolutely CAN get your metabolic health onto a better track.
It’s all about consistently making choices that help your cells function optimally.
With regards to nutrition, this might mean:
- Limiting foods with added sugar and refined flour (think white bread, pasta, cereal, and cookies), which can cause sharp increases in blood glucose.
- Avoiding ultra-processed food, which is full of additives and stripped of important nutrients ike fiber (which can help reduce blood sugar spikes). When in doubt, eat real, minimally processed foods.
Keep in mind, though, diet is just one component of optimal metabolic health. You can further support your cells by getting adequate sleep, minimizing stress, and exercising regularly.
How to know where your blood sugar is at
Traditionally, monitoring your blood sugar was only done by diabetics.
But, in recent years, you might have started to notice more and more people talking about their blood sugar levels.
Perhaps you’ve even seen people wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on the back of their arm.
Why?
Because with a deeper understanding of the various effects of dysregulated blood sugar, a growing number of people without a diagnosed condition are interested in improving their blood sugar levels to they can improve their overall health.
In particular, I love the use of a CGM because it provies real-time insight into individual glycemic variability.
Having said that, not everyone is going to know how to read data from a CGM, but that’s where I come in!
In Canada, where I live, anyone has access to a CGM. You can simply walk into a pharmacy, buy a CGM, and start monitoring your blood sugar levels, which I always encourage my clients to do so I can get deeper insight into where their metabolic health is at. Plus, use of a CGM gives a clearer picture into changes I can help the client make to help support more optimal ranges of blood glucose.
If you want to learn more about my services and how you can work with me to improve your metabolic health, check out my services pages and feel free to book a free discovery calls.
I would love to support you on your journey to improved metabolic health!
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