Dietary Strategies for Blood Sugar Control

Are you caught on the blood sugar roller coaster and want to get off?
Are pharmaceutical medications no longer helping in keeping your blood sugar levels under control?

Much of the problem with metabolic syndrome comes from the way our body stores, processes and utilises the glucose released from the carbohydrates we consumed in our diet. A properly structured, low carbohydrate, dietary plan allows our body to restore cellular insulin sensitivity and naturally lowers blood glucose levels. Better yet, a low carbohydrate diet, offers effort free maintenance of healthy blood glucose levels without daily medication.

It is important to consult with our Naturopath when making dietary changes to avoid any vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Call us on 07 3800 1993 or Click here to book online.

What Should I Eat?

A low carbohydrate diet emphasises the use of proteins and good fats as our major sources of energy. A typical, Australian diet on the other hand, emphasises refined and processed carbohydrates as a major energy source: breakfast cereals, breads, pastas, rice and grains, are all high in carbohydrates and leads to glucose, and subsequent insulin spikes, in the blood stream.

Carbohydrates

a low carbohydrate diet is not about eliminating carbohydrates. Rather, it is choosing low calorie, nutrient rich, carbohydrate options….

On a low carbohydrate diet we don’t completely remove carbohydrates, rather we focus on mineral rich, but low calorie carbohydrate options. Green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables and salad vegetables replace grains, cereals and more starchy vegetables such as potato and pumpkin.

By emphasising vegetables as the main source of carbohydrates we are eating a diet that is closer to nature, much less refined and much higher in fibre. This not only encourages good bowel health, but also helps with the elimination of toxins and provides higher levels of essential nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, selenium, vitamin a and vitamin c.

Fats

Our low fat culture has convinced many people that fats are bad. This could not be further from the truth.

Trans fats, or partially hydrogenated fats found in processed foods, puff pastry and bakery goods are the culprit behind cardiovascular disease and raised blood cholesterol levels. On the other hand, good fats have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels, protect us from cardiovascular disease, improve our ability to remove heavy metals and other toxins from the body, and to protect sensitive central nervous system cells from damage.

Good fats include those from avocado, coconut oil, coconut cream, olive oil, nuts, flaxseeds and sunflower seeds, butter, eggs, soft cheeses, yoghurt, ghee and fish especially salmon.

Protein

The building blocks of life, amino acids, come from the protein that we eat in our diet. Regardless of whether plant, or animal origin, our body breaks all proteins down to amino acids where it is re-used as our muscles, skin, organs and many other cells in the body.

We recommend high quality, lean proteins including lamb, fish, eggs and soft cheeses such as haloumi. If choosing to use meat, avoid processed meats such as sausages, luncheon meats and frozen options such as chicken nuggets, or strips. Processed meats often contain high levels of dangerous additives that have been linked with many adverse health conditions.

How Much Should I Eat?

Often the hardest part of any diet is knowing how much to eat.

There are many different calculations and formulas that can be used for calculating portion sizes. We like to say that portion control is as close as the end of your hand. It is one of the only forms of portion control that is easy, and is available anywhere you go!

Main Meals

Each of your mail meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, should consist of one palm sized portion of protein and three handfuls of vegetables.

naturopath brisbane - portion contorl in the perfect meal

For example:

Breakfast might consist of two boiled eggs and a lightly steamed vegetables or a salad; lunch, a piece of grilled chicken and salad, while dinner might be a piece of lamb, or fish, and steamed vegetables.

Snacks

While we don’t promote the use of snacks in the long term, for many it is a necessary part of getting blood sugar levels under control in the short term.

If you choose to use snacks we recommend no more than what would fit on three fingers. Good examples of snacks include nuts, carrot or celery sticks and hummus.

Where to Find More Information

It is important to consult with our Naturopath when making dietary changes to avoid any vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Call us on 07 3800 1993 or Click here to book online.