Wisdom Wednesday!!

Blood Sugar

Last month on the Today show they had a segment on blood sugar and how it effects your body and your mood. They were not talking about Diabetics. They were talking about everyone. It really is amazing how much blood sugar effects your body and your mood.
To start off with today I wanted to talk about what blood sugar is. It actually is called glucose. Your body gets glucose from the food that you eat. Not just from the sugar you eat but every food that goes into your body. Your body breaks it down and makes glucose out of it. Some foods it takes your body longer to break down than others. Remember we talked a little bit about gylcemic index? The gylcemic index is a way of measuring how quickly your body breaks down the food into glucose and is absorbed into your bloodstream. Glucose is carried to each of your cells though your bloodstream. Glucose helps your cells to grow and gives them energy. So it's important to your body.
If your blood sugar is too high or too low for long periods of time, it can cause your body harm. Some of the symptoms of your blood sugar being too high include: having to go to the bathroom often, being thirsty all of the time, and losing weight without changing your food intake or exercise routine. Some of the symptoms of your blood sugar being too low include: feeling anxious or being confused, feeling numb in the arms and hands, a shaking or dizzy feeling, being cranky and irritable for no reason, pale or gray skin color, headache, blurred or double vision, tired, sweaty, and being hungry sometimes even after eating a meal. If your blood sugar drops too low a person can lose consciousness or may experience a seizure. If you are having these symptoms often it would be wise to go see your Doctor and get a check up. The only way to truly measure your blood sugar levels is to get it checked out.
The main point that I wanted to bring across today is that when and what you eat are important to your body. And if you know some of these symptoms along with what times and what kinds of food you are eating you can better manage your health. Just as long as you remember to be eating the right kinds of foods. First and most important is to stay away from refined sugars, soft drinks, and things that are not healthy for your body. You could keep a food journal of the foods that you are eating, what times you are eating them, and see how you feel. If you are irritable or really tired in the afternoon maybe your blood sugar or glucose levels are low and you need to eat a healthy snack. It could be you are going too long in between meals. I found it interesting on the segment how they talked about combining different types of food to maintain a more stable blood sugar. One example they use is to combine high-quality carbohydrates with lean protein such as: "an egg-white omelet loaded with veggies for breakfast" or "grilled chicken and peppers in a whole-grain tortilla for lunch". So pay attention to what your body is telling you and what you are putting into your body. Doing this can be a quick fix for a happier and healthier you!! Happy Healthier Eating!

Sources:
www.joybauer.com/healthy-living/good-mood-food.aspx
www.angelfire.com/hi/TheSeer/bloogsugar.html
www.kidshealth.org/teen/managing_diabetes/living/hypoglycemia.html
www.kidshealth.org/teen/diabetes_basics/what/high_blood_sugar.html