Maintaining blood sugar stability in the body is paramount for keeping energy and weight within the desired level, thereby preventing other body imbalances. Glucose, the natural form of sugar, is a vital food for the brain. A sudden plummeting of blood sugar can result in loss of consciousness and coma. The body cells also need it, but in moderate levels in the bloodstream, to produce energy. However in excess, it converts into fuel for short-term storage in the liver and muscles or body fat as reserve. With low-sugar level in the bloodstream, we feel fatigued and irritable, lose concentration and energy, and develop headaches and digestive problems. We will see why it is important to maintain blood sugar balanced.

As glucose rises in the bloodstream, the pancreas unleashes insulin to transfer it from the blood into body cells to make energy. Insulin controls sugar levels and prevents its build-up in the blood. But when the cells are gorged with fat or there is too much fat circulating in the blood due to a fat-rich diet, insulin effectiveness is minimized or even inhibited. The cells become deprived of energy while the blood becomes flooded with glucose. This condition also results in reduced energy levels and insulin resistance, leading to Type II diabetes onset.

Because excess sugars convert to fat in the body, refined carbohydrate and simple sugar consumption leads to the condition, too, leaving high levels of insulin and glucose circulating in the bloodstream. Refined sugars and carbohydrates are also stripped of their natural fibers and minerals. Whole foods delay the digestion of sugars and carbohydrates while vitamins and minerals normalize blood sugar levels. Stimulants such as coffee, tea, chocolate, cola drinks, smoking, refined sugars, concentrated sweeteners, alcohol, and prolonged stress and its hormones adrenaline and cortisol are culprits which raise blood sugar levels uncontrollably. All these should be avoided to prevent the sparking of insulin resistance that leads to the onset of diabetes.

Juvenile diabetes Type I, on the other hand, is caused by insulin insufficiency, allowing glucose to flood the bloodstream. This type is triggered in children due to injury or infection in the pancreas. A balanced nutritious diet free of refined sugars and carbohydrates and fatty food is essential. Due to insufficient insulin production, juvenile diabetes should be supplemented with adequate doses of insulin.

Hypoglycemia is a blood sugar imbalance caused by excessive production of insulin. This also leads to the exhaustion of the pancreas and thereby insulin, leaving the individual equally exposed to diabetes. This condition requires a balanced sugar diet free of denatured refined foods and rich in minerals and nutrients to metabolize sugars efficiently. Hypoglycemia leaves the affected person with fast pulse and poor concentration as well as experiencing sweatiness, irritability, restlessness, and dizziness. The condition also wastes whatever minerals available in the body, causing fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels.

All three types of blood sugar imbalances need total and radical changes in one’s old behavioral patterns. The diet is to control metabolic activities and insulin production while a healthy lifestyle consisting of regular exercise and stress management is to support a balanced nutrition. Vigorous daily activity reduces sugar in the bloodstream, resulting in lower insulin production and allowing more blood flow in the arteries and extremities. Controlling stress minimizes hormone secretions, which raise insulin level.

A healthy diet should comprise whole foods, which are rich in vitamins and minerals, especially chromium, zinc and manganese, to manage blood sugar levels. Bran in whole grains provides such minerals. Moderation, however, is the key to a healthy nutrition.

(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected].)