Tips to Stabilizing Blood Sugar - Kaplan Center, McLean VA

If you need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up in the form of a sugary snack or coffee boost to get you through the rest of the day, that’s a good indicator that your blood sugar level is out of balance.

Stabilizing blood sugar is one of the easiest steps you can take to feel more energetic throughout the day, avoid unpredictable mood swings, and most importantly lower your risk of developing chronic medical conditions such as insulin resistance, pre-diabetes & type-2 diabetes.

Here are 6 simple tips to help curb your afternoon cravings and more importantly, stabilize your blood sugar:

1. Eat balanced meals that contain fat, protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, and fresh herbs. Eating regular meals throughout the day will help keep your blood sugar in check. When blood sugar is balanced -and your meal is satisfying, you are less likely to have cravings or need snacks.

2. Keep carbs to 15 grams per snack – maximum. Carbohydrate containing foods are not just grains, beans and legumes, but also include dairy, fruit, peas, potatoes, squash and sweet potato. Try these great snack combinations!

3. Always combine carbohydrates with a fat to help balance blood sugar. Fat slows the absorption of carbohydrates so try not to have any carbohydrate-containing foods without fat and protein.

4. Stay hydrated throughout the day with water and herbal, unsweetened teas. Tulsi, ginger turmeric, lemongrass, and lemon balm are all anti-inflammatory and great for the immune system.

5. Plan ahead. If you do feel the need to snack, prepare a few healthy options ahead of time using the tips above. Make individual servings to help keep portions in control and are easier to take on the road, if necessary.

6. Practice Mindful Snacking. Snack when hungry, traveling, trying to gain weight or low blood sugar vs snacking when bored or emotional. Making a list of other things that help you de-stress can shift the focus away from food.

It cannot be overstated, food is medicine. What you eat today is contributing to the shape of your future. If you would like to discuss strategies on how to improve your nutritional intake and overall health, please give us a call today at 703-532-5892; our nurses are ready to talk to you.

At the Kaplan Center, we use a functional medicine approach to treatment; our goal is to treat the “whole you” so that all areas of your health are improved.