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Maintaining proper sugar regulation -

We've all experienced the profound impact our blood sugar levels have on energy and mood, and it's no fun. Like when you eat too many sweets. For a few minutes, you are flying high, happy as can be. Then comes the equally intense crash, leaving you exhausted, cranky, and craving another sweet treat.

But beyond being an energy-draining annoyance, imbalanced blood sugar can seriously impair your ability to meet the demands of daily life, and—if chronically elevated—wreak havoc on your long-term health.

Here's how to tell if you have a healthy blood sugar level and simple ways to keep it that way, naturally and effectively.

Even if you think you lead a relatively healthy lifestyle and have your blood sugar level under control, not everyone's good at spotting the warning signs. When you don't manage your blood sugar level appropriately, hyperglycemia high blood sugar and hypoglycemia low blood sugar can occur as the level rises and falls drastically.

This is a serious issue that requires medical attention and comes with a number of unpleasant side effects , including:. Suboptimal blood sugar balance can lead to common complications, including fatigue, weight gain, and sugar cravings.

The good news: With the right lifestyle and dietary tweaks, maintaining healthy blood sugar is easier than you think. Your first dietary step toward a more balanced blood sugar level: ditching most of the packaged foods and focusing on high-quality whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains , beans, nuts, seeds, and quality meats and fish.

Many processed foods are high in sugar, refined grains and carbs, and artificial ingredients and flavorings while being low in blood-sugar-stabilizing fiber and protein.

Of course, it's also important to be realistic. You're probably not going to be able to nix packaged foods completely, so just make a point to select those that are made from mostly whole-food ingredients, like an energy bar that lists just nuts, seeds, and dried fruit on its label.

Your minimally processed diet should be heavy in nonstarchy, fiber-rich vegetables and fiber-rich fruit and whole grains. That's because fiber slows down the digestion of carbohydrates 1 and the absorption of sugar, which means you experience a more gradual rise in your blood sugar level after meals.

Good sources of fiber include leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, artichokes, raspberries, pears, beans, lentils, peas, avocados, pumpkin seeds, and oatmeal. Like fiber, protein tempers insulin secretion 2 , leading to a more gradual rise in blood sugar after a meal.

It also fills you up better than any other nutrient. Eating a protein-rich breakfast is particularly important because it helps set the tone for the rest of the day. The amount of protein you need in your diet depends on a number of factors, but the general protein recommendation for healthy adults is 0.

Good animal sources include wild-caught fish , grass-fed beef, and pasture-raised chicken and eggs. If you're vegetarian or vegan, not to worry, we rounded up 54 sources of plant-based protein. Like fiber and protein, fat buffers blood sugar spikes. In fact, unsaturated fats have been specifically linked to improved insulin resistance.

Just be sure to avoid refined fats, including trans fats and processed vegetable oils , like corn, soybean, and safflower oils, which can be pro-inflammatory. Sources of quality fats to consider adding to your diet include nuts, olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, avocado, and fatty fish like salmon.

Lowering your overall intake of carbohydrates can also be helpful for balanced blood sugar , but you don't need to cut them out completely they're still a crucial source of fuel for your body.

Whenever possible, simply swap out refined carbohydrates like bread, white pasta, and candy for fiber-rich, whole-food sources such as whole grains, sweet potatoes, and fruit, which contain a number of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants essential for health.

Eating some protein, fiber, and healthy fat with each meal can help stabilize blood sugar and manage your appetite. Each of these nutrients helps balance blood sugar on its own, but they're even better together.

We love a good kale salad topped with avocado and a protein of choice. Greens powders are dried, powdered forms of various vegetables and fruits. Specialty greens blends will sometimes include prebiotic fibers too.

These antioxidant-laden superfood plants and slow carbs are blood sugar-friendly. If you struggle to stick with salads or you're looking to up your veggies game, then greens powders can help you deliver some greens goodness and help maintain a healthy blood sugar level. In fact, one study found that adding a vegetable powder to a high-carbohydrate diet helped buffer the short-term glucose and insulin response 3.

A giant, late-night dinner is your blood sugar's worst enemy. The risk of low blood sugar is greater if the activity is new to you. The risk also is greater if you start to exercise at a more intense level. Be aware of symptoms of low blood sugar.

These include feeling shaky, weak, tired, hungry, lightheaded, irritable, anxious or confused. See if you need a snack. Have a small snack before you exercise if you use insulin and your blood sugar level is low. The snack you have before exercise should contain about 15 to 30 grams of carbs.

Or you could take 10 to 20 grams of glucose products. This helps prevent a low blood sugar level. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water or other fluids while exercising. Dehydration can affect blood sugar levels. Be prepared. Always have a small snack, glucose tablets or glucose gel with you during exercise.

You'll need a quick way to boost your blood sugar if it drops too low. Carry medical identification too. In case of an emergency, medical identification can show others that you have diabetes.

It also can show whether you take diabetes medicine such as insulin. Medical IDs come in forms such as cards, bracelets and necklaces. Adjust your diabetes treatment plan as needed.

If you take insulin, you may need to lower your insulin dose before you exercise. You also may need to watch your blood sugar level closely for several hours after intense activity.

That's because low blood sugar can happen later on. Your healthcare professional can advise you how to correctly make changes to your medicine. You also may need to adjust your treatment if you've increased how often or how hard you exercise. Insulin and other diabetes medicines are designed to lower blood sugar levels when diet and exercise alone don't help enough.

How well these medicines work depends on the timing and size of the dose. Medicines you take for conditions other than diabetes also can affect your blood sugar levels.

Store insulin properly. Insulin that is not stored properly or is past its expiration date may not work. Keep insulin away from extreme heat or cold. Don't store it in the freezer or in direct sunlight. Tell your healthcare professional about any medicine problems. If your diabetes medicines cause your blood sugar level to drop too low, the dosage or timing may need to be changed.

Your healthcare professional also might adjust your medicine if your blood sugar stays too high. Be cautious with new medicines. Talk with your healthcare team or pharmacist before you try new medicines.

That includes medicines sold without a prescription and those prescribed for other medical conditions. Ask how the new medicine might affect your blood sugar levels and any diabetes medicines you take.

Sometimes a different medicine may be used to prevent dangerous side effects. Or a different medicine might be used to prevent your current medicine from mixing poorly with a new one. With diabetes, it's important to be prepared for times of illness.

When you're sick, your body makes stress-related hormones that help fight the illness. But those hormones also can raise your blood sugar. Changes in your appetite and usual activity also may affect your blood sugar level. Plan ahead. Work with your healthcare team to make a plan for sick days.

Include instructions on what medicines to take and how to adjust your medicines if needed. Also note how often to measure your blood sugar.

Ask your healthcare professional if you need to measure levels of acids in the urine called ketones. Your plan also should include what foods and drinks to have, and what cold or flu medicines you can take.

Know when to call your healthcare professional too. For example, it's important to call if you run a fever over degrees Fahrenheit Keep taking your diabetes medicine.

But call your healthcare professional if you can't eat because of an upset stomach or vomiting. In these situations, you may need to change your insulin dose.

If you take rapid-acting or short-acting insulin or other diabetes medicine, you may need to lower the dose or stop taking it for a time. These medicines need to be carefully balanced with food to prevent low blood sugar.

But if you use long-acting insulin, do not stop taking it. During times of illness, it's also important to check your blood sugar often. Stick to your diabetes meal plan if you can. Eating as usual helps you control your blood sugar. Keep a supply of foods that are easy on your stomach. These include gelatin, crackers, soups, instant pudding and applesauce.

Drink lots of water or other fluids that don't add calories, such as tea, to make sure you stay hydrated. If you take insulin, you may need to sip sugary drinks such as juice or sports drinks. These drinks can help keep your blood sugar from dropping too low.

It's risky for some people with diabetes to drink alcohol. Alcohol can lead to low blood sugar shortly after you drink it and for hours afterward.

The liver usually releases stored sugar to offset falling blood sugar levels. But if your liver is processing alcohol, it may not give your blood sugar the needed boost. Get your healthcare professional's OK to drink alcohol.

With diabetes, drinking too much alcohol sometimes can lead to health conditions such as nerve damage. But if your diabetes is under control and your healthcare professional agrees, an occasional alcoholic drink is fine.

Women should have no more than one drink a day. Men should have no more than two drinks a day. One drink equals a ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1. Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach. If you take insulin or other diabetes medicines, eat before you drink alcohol.

This helps prevent low blood sugar. Or drink alcohol with a meal. Choose your drinks carefully. Light beer and dry wines have fewer calories and carbohydrates than do other alcoholic drinks. If you prefer mixed drinks, sugar-free mixers won't raise your blood sugar. Some examples of sugar-free mixers are diet soda, diet tonic, club soda and seltzer.

Add up calories from alcohol. If you count calories, include the calories from any alcohol you drink in your daily count. Ask your healthcare professional or a registered dietitian how to make calories and carbohydrates from alcoholic drinks part of your diet plan.

Check your blood sugar level before bed. Alcohol can lower blood sugar levels long after you've had your last drink. So check your blood sugar level before you go to sleep. The snack can counter a drop in your blood sugar.

Changes in hormone levels the week before and during periods can lead to swings in blood sugar levels. Look for patterns. Keep careful track of your blood sugar readings from month to month. You may be able to predict blood sugar changes related to your menstrual cycle. Your healthcare professional may recommend changes in your meal plan, activity level or diabetes medicines.

These changes can make up for blood sugar swings. Check blood sugar more often. If you're likely nearing menopause or if you're in menopause, talk with your healthcare professional.

Ask whether you need to check your blood sugar more often. Also, be aware that menopause and low blood sugar have some symptoms in common, such as sweating and mood changes. So whenever you can, check your blood sugar before you treat your symptoms. That way you can confirm whether your blood sugar is low.

Most types of birth control are safe to use when you have diabetes. But combination birth control pills may raise blood sugar levels in some people. It's very important to take charge of stress when you have diabetes. The hormones your body makes in response to prolonged stress may cause your blood sugar to rise.

It also may be harder to closely follow your usual routine to manage diabetes if you're under a lot of extra pressure. Take control. Once you know how stress affects your blood sugar level, make healthy changes.

Learn relaxation techniques, rank tasks in order of importance and set limits. Whenever you can, stay away from things that cause stress for you. Maintaining well-balanced blood sugar is also a key to long-term health. Lena Beal, MS, RDN, LD, a therapeutic dietitian at Piedmont, shares why healthy blood sugar levels are important and how to stay balanced.

Heart disease is the No. This can lead to stroke, heart attack, blindness, nerve damage and amputations. Low blood sugar can be caused by:.

Your lifestyle has a significant impact on your blood sugar. Avoiding extreme highs and lows will leave you feeling more energized and focused. To maintain healthy blood sugar levels, Beal recommends to:.

Exercise regularly. This also improves the way your body uses insulin [insulin sensitivity]. Maintain a healthy body weight. Reduce your sugar intake. Dietary sugar spikes blood sugar, which can send you on a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Beal recommends limiting sugary beverages, cakes, cookies, pies, candy and other sweets.

Check your food labels since sugar can show up in sneaky places, like ketchup, pasta sauce and salad dressing. Limit refined carbohydrates. Like sugary foods, refined carbohydrates can also spike blood sugar.

These include potato chips, white pasta, white bread, many types of cereal, pizza and crackers. Choose high-fiber foods.

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