5 Ways to Stabilize Blood Sugar During the Holidays!

by Dr. Grace Downs

The holidays are here and that often means celebration and indulgences. While our favorite holiday foods and treats can bring us joy and may be a way to connect with those we love, they can also affect our blood sugar regulation. So, I want to share some strategies you can use to still enjoy the holiday festivities while also supporting your blood sugars and overall well-being.

Blood sugar regulation plays a large role in how we feel in our day-to-day life. If blood sugar is low we can feel tired, irritable, dizzy, and have brain fog. Issues with blood sugar regulation long term can eventually lead to things like pre-diabetes and diabetes where the body has a hard time regulating blood sugar due to insulin resistance. It can also play a role in our mental health and can contribute to anxious or depressed feelings.

Below are five ways to stabilize your blood sugar without having to skip out on Holiday treats!

1. Eat well balanced meals:

Eating meals that contain protein, healthy fat, fiber, and carbohydrates can help your body to slow the absorption of glucose to avoid a blood sugar spike you can get from eating less balanced meals. This will also provide a nutrient dense meal that supports healthy blood sugar regulation and allow you to stay feeling fuller for longer while still allowing us to enjoy Holiday treats.  

2. Choose protein, fiber, and fats FIRST: 

The order you eat your food can also help to regulate blood sugar. By eating the protein, fiber, and healthy fats first and eating the carbohydrates last (if you still want or need them), this can slow down the absorption of glucose from our food which can further help stabilize our blood sugar. 

3. Walk after meals:

Our body does a great job of converting the food we eat into energy in the form of glucose. Walking for 10-15 minutes after a meal can help our bodies move the glucose from our blood stream into the muscles to use for energy. This reduces the blood sugar spike we can experience after eating. 

4. Get Adequate and Restful Sleep:

When we aren’t sleeping well, our stress hormones increase which can cause an increase in blood sugar. Poor sleep also tends to trigger cravings for more simple carbohydrates to help give us energy to make it through the day. Getting restful sleep can be very supportive in avoiding these issues with blood sugars. 

5. Support Stress:

Like with sleep, stress causes changes in our hormones. For example, cortisol which is one of our main stress hormones increases when we are experiencing stress. Cortisol causes an increase in blood sugar. Using stress management techniques like yoga, breathwork, and or your favorite adaptogenic herb can be helpful to regulate blood sugar. 

If you are wanting to better understand your blood sugar balance and ways that you specifically can support or improve it, I invite you to schedule an appointment with me or one of the other Neighborhood Naturopathic physicians!

Happy holidays! Here’s to more balanced blood sugars and overall improved well-being.

warmly,

Dr. Grace Downs