Should You Pay Attention to Your Blood Sugar?

 

If you’re someone who feels like you’re doing everything right but you’re STILL hungry all the time, this episode is for you. 

Ofter, our first instinct is often to assume we need more willpower or that we’re just someone who has a bigger appetite. But there’s something else I want you to understand because the way your blood sugar responds to your meals can influence your hunger, energy, and cravings throughout the day.

So today, I want to talk about some signs that your blood sugar might be fluctuating throughout the day and share a few simple habits that can help you create more balanced meals.

What I discuss:

  1. How fiber will impact on your sense of fullness and when to eat them

  2. How to combine protein and fat in a meal

  3. The importance of protein first

  4. How to calibrate carbohydrate portions

  5. How to snack intentionally

And if you want a couple more strategies for managing your hunger, including how fiber can help, I think you’ll love Episode 466: Still Hungry After Hitting Your Macros? Do This… 

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

Transcript

(0:00) Hey, hey beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? (0:04) I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. (0:08) You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter.

(0:13) I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. (0:19) Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Real. Let's get it, let's go.

(0:32) Hello and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. (0:37) Okay, so I want to talk about something that I think more women should understand when it comes to their nutrition because (0:42) if you're someone who feels like you're doing everything right but you're still hungry all the (0:46) time, this is honestly one of the things that I hear most even from women who are consistently (0:50) counting their macros. They're eating balanced meals, they're prioritizing protein, but somehow (0:55) an hour or two after eating they're already looking for something else to snack on or maybe (0:59) they finished lunch feeling like perfectly satisfied but by two or three in the afternoon (1:03) they're just suddenly craving something sweet, feeling exhausted, and struggling to focus.

I (1:08) think our first instinct is to assume that we just need more willpower or that we're someone (1:13) who just has a bigger appetite but there's something else I want you to understand because (1:17) the way your blood sugar responds to your meals can really influence your hunger, your energy, (1:21) and your cravings throughout the day. Now I want to be clear that blood sugar naturally (1:25) rises after we eat, especially when we eat carbohydrates. That's completely normal and (1:30) that's a normal part of digestion so I don't want you to think that every increase in blood (1:35) sugar is something that you need to prevent but if you are experiencing like significant fluctuations (1:40) especially sharp rises followed by drops those changes can sometimes contribute to feeling (1:45) hungry or tired or craving food again shortly after eating.

I want to talk about some signs (1:50) that your blood sugar might be fluctuating throughout the day and share kind of some (1:54) a few simple habits that can help you create more balanced meals. Here's what I really want (1:59) you to remember as we go through these like sometimes it's not what you're eating but how (2:04) you're eating it. First though, I want to share this review.

She gave a five-star review and said (2:09) empowering, inspiring, and educational. I'm so happy I stumbled upon the Embrace Your (2:13) Podcast this year. I was always on the hunt for a new podcast to listen to while I walk my dog (2:18) the past few weeks.

Every walk has been with Julie. Her episodes are helpful and uplifting. (2:22) Julie also speaks extremely well and clearly researches her stuff.

She puts a lot of effort (2:27) into each podcast so you know you're getting incredible information as well. As someone who (2:31) has worked out for years using dumbbells it's also refreshing to hear the benefits of not only (2:36) those types of workouts but also working out at home. I only wish I found Julie sooner.

I love (2:42) how she literally thinks of everything such as speaking of seasons of life. She includes things (2:48) she hasn't even experienced but she knows her audience likely includes some in every category. (2:53) I'm 37 and a mom of two school-aged kids and this podcast has helped me in so many ways.

(2:59) I highly recommend it to all women no matter what stage of life they're in. Thank you Julie. (3:03) I love this so much.

Thank you so much for taking time out of your day. (3:06) I try my best to do that. Now obviously I'm always going to be speaking like you know (3:12) this is what I heard or this is what I researched but for certain stages of life like I'm just not (3:17) there yet or I haven't experienced and so I will always come at it from you know trying to (3:22) get a well-rounded picture but for things that have experience again this is just my (3:27) point of view on things and so I'm grateful that it's helped you and so thankful to be (3:32) accompanying you on your dog walks and you know I love a good dog walk or run like I do those (3:38) every day.

I love them so much. So thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send (3:42) in this review. All right we're just going to dive right into it.

So how do you know (3:45) if your blood sugar might be fluctuating? Well one of the biggest things I want you to (3:49) pay attention to is how you feel after eating. Beyond feeling hungry again soon after a meal (3:55) or crashing in the afternoon maybe you notice that when you eat something sweet or you have (4:00) a carbohydrate heavy snack by itself you suddenly want more of it or maybe you experience (4:05) shakiness or irritability or difficulty concentrating when you haven't eaten for a (4:10) while. Now these experiences don't automatically mean that you're having like an unhealthy blood (4:15) sugar spike but they can happen for several different reasons but if they're occurring (4:20) regularly they are worth paying attention to.

So when you eat carbohydrates your body is going (4:25) to break many of them down into glucose which enters your bloodstream. Your pancreas releases (4:30) insulin to help your cells use or store glucose and your blood sugar generally returns towards (4:36) the usual range afterwards but the competent composition of your meals how much you're (4:42) eating and your individual metabolism can really influence how quickly your blood sugar rises (4:46) and falls. So if you're experiencing reoccurring crashes in energy or hunger soon after eating (4:53) I want you to look at how you're building your meals before assuming that you need (4:56) to completely overhaul your diet.

Here are five simple ways that you can kind of build (5:01) your meals to support a steadier blood sugar response and really help you feel more satisfied. (5:07) Number one eat a few bites of vegetables before your meals. This is a really simple (5:11) thing that you can try to start doing before a meal is just a few bites of non-starchy vegetables (5:16) especially things maybe like leafy greens.

Maybe you have a small salad or a few bites of broccoli (5:21) or some cucumbers or celery sticks before moving on to the rest of your meal. Vegetables are going (5:26) to provide fiber which can also help slow the absorption of carbs and support a more gradual (5:32) blood sugar response. Some studies actually show that eating vegetables before carbohydrate rich (5:38) foods might help reduce the rise in blood glucose after a meal and I love this because you're adding (5:44) something beneficial to your meal without needing to eliminate the foods that you enjoy.

Number two (5:48) pair your carbohydrates with protein or fat. Now this is one of the easiest things that you can (5:54) start doing especially if you're someone who tends to get hungry shortly after eating. (5:58) Even whole food carbohydrates like sweet potatoes they can raise your blood sugar (6:02) when you eat them on your own although refined carbs like a muffin tend to raise it faster and (6:08) for some people that can lead to feeling hungry or tired soon after eating.

Pairing those carbohydrates (6:13) with protein fat or fiber that's going to help slow digestion and make your meal or snack more (6:19) satisfying. So instead of having like a piece of toast by itself add some eggs peanut butter (6:24) instead of grabbing an apple and feeling hunger again shortly afterwards maybe pair it with some (6:29) cheese or Greek yogurt if you love having maybe chips as a snack. I want you to know that you can (6:33) absolutely still enjoy your chips but instead of eating a handful and then wondering why you want (6:38) another 10 handfuls try pairing them with something that provides protein or fat like cheese or (6:43) protein rich dip.

You don't have to eliminate carbohydrates to support healthier blood sugar (6:48) responses just learning how to combine foods can make a meaningful difference in how satisfied you (6:53) feel after eating. Number three prioritize eating your protein first. Now this one kind of builds on (6:59) pairing but it's less about what you're eating together and more about the order that you're (7:04) eating it.

Now you guys know how strongly I believe in prioritizing protein not only does it support (7:09) muscle maintenance and recovery but it also plays an important role in helping you feel full and (7:13) satisfied after meals but here's another reason why I think it's such a valuable habit. Some (7:24) post-meal blood sugar response so let's say that you're having chicken and rice for lunch (7:28) start with some of your chicken before moving on to the rice rather than immediately eating all of (7:33) your carbohydrates at first. You're still enjoying the exact same meal and you're still giving your (7:38) body the carbohydrates that it needs for energy but you're simply just being a little bit more (7:42) intentional about the order in which you eat them and again you don't have to eat all of your (7:46) chicken before your rice but just eat maybe a fourth of the serving that you have there (7:51) before your rice.

Number four pay attention to your portions especially your carbohydrates. So yes (7:57) carbohydrates are an incredibly important macronutrient and I absolutely want you eating enough (8:03) to support your energy your workouts and your overall health but the amount of carbohydrates (8:07) in a meal can really influence how much your blood glucose rises afterwards and sometimes (8:12) we're serving ourselves much larger portions than we realize. Maybe you're pouring a huge bowl of (8:17) cereal or serving several cups of rice or grabbing crackers straight from the box (8:21) without really knowing how much you're eating and this is where measuring your food can be (8:25) helpful because it really does give you a better understanding of what your portions actually look (8:30) like.

You don't have to weigh and measure every single thing that you eat forever but really (8:34) learning what an appropriate portion looks like for your body and your goals that can help you make (8:39) more intentional decisions throughout the day. This is also something that I teach inside my (8:43) macrokinemaid symbol because I want you to understand how much protein how many carbohydrates (8:48) and fat that your body needs rather than constantly guessing. I will again leave that link for you in (8:53) the show notes below if you want help figuring out what your body needs but last but not least (8:57) number five be mindful of how you're snacking throughout the day and I want to talk about (9:01) snacking because I know some women feel like they need to completely eliminate snacks to be (9:06) healthy and I absolutely do not believe that that's necessary.

There is nothing inherently (9:10) wrong with snacking and snacks can be incredibly helpful depending on your hunger (9:14) your activity level your daily schedule but I do want you to pay attention to how you're snacking. (9:19) If you're constantly grabbing a few handfuls of chips crackers candy and other foods throughout (9:24) the afternoon you might notice that they satisfy at craving temporarily but they leave you wanting (9:29) more shortly afterwards. So here's what I want you to try to do focus on eating three balanced (9:34) meals that contain adequate amounts of protein carbohydrates and healthy fats.

When your meals (9:40) provide enough food for your needs you might find that you don't feel the same urge to constantly (9:45) snack throughout the day and if you do want a snack that's perfectly fine. I just want you to (9:50) make it more intentional something that you can actually sit down and enjoy rather than grazing (9:55) on whatever is in the pantry all afternoon. All right let's quickly recap I want to quickly go (10:00) back through the five habits that we talked about because I really want you to see how simple (10:04) supporting your blood sugar can be.

Number one start your meals with a few bites of vegetables (10:09) fiber-rich vegetables they can help you support a more gradual blood sugar response. Number two (10:14) pair your carbohydrates with protein or fat combining foods that can help slow digestion (10:20) and make your meals and snacks more satisfying. Number three prioritize eating your protein first (10:25) eating it before carbohydrate rich foods might help moderate your post meal blood sugar response.

(10:31) Number four pay attention to your carbohydrate portions understanding how much you're actually (10:36) eating can help you build meals that support your individual needs. And last but not least (10:40) number five be intentional about your snacks focus on eating balanced meals so that you're not (10:45) constantly grazing throughout the day. I want you to leave you with one final reminder because I (10:50) think so many women need to hear that you don't necessarily need to eliminate more foods or (10:54) create more nutrition rules to feel better throughout the day.

Sometimes it's just about (10:59) making like small adjustments to how you build and how you eat meals to help you feel more (11:04) satisfied and energized throughout the day. And if you want to learn how to build balanced meals (11:09) that work for your body macro kind of meat simple walks you through that you can find the link for (11:13) that in the show notes below. And if you want a couple more strategies for really managing your (11:18) hunger including how fiber can help I think you will also love episode 466 still hungry after (11:24) hitting your macros do this I will link that show in the show notes for you to easily go (11:29) tune into that.

But here's the big question should you pay attention to your blood sugar (11:33) yes in the sense of noticing how your meals make you feel but blood sugar increases after eating (11:40) that's completely healthy so I don't want you to become afraid of carbohydrates or feel like you (11:44) need to obsessively monitor every glucose fluctuation and if you're constantly feeling hungry (11:49) despite eating adequate balanced meals or you're regularly experiencing like shakiness or (11:54) dizziness or significant energy crashes I would encourage you to talk with your healthcare (11:58) provider but those symptoms can have several causes and checking your blood glucose when (12:03) appropriate is more reliable than guessing based on how you feel if this episode helpful I would (12:09) love for you to share it with another woman who might be struggling with constant hunger (12:12) or just like confusing nutrition advice you can copy the link send it to her in a text message (12:16) you can also post this up on your instagram story I love hearing from you guys that is all (12:21) that I have for you today I love you so much I made it and I'll talk to you next one (12:34) all right sister that's all I got for you today but I have two things that I need you to do (12:40) first thing if you are not already following me on the gram be sure to do so Julie A lead better (12:45) yes it's within a in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk healthy tips and tricks (12:51) and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check the second thing be sure to (12:56) subscribe to apple podcast to never miss an episode thank you so much for joining me it (13:03) means the absolute world and I'm going to leave you with one last thought the most beautiful (13:07) women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being (13:13) authentically themselves remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface (13:19) so go out there and embrace a real because you're worth it

 
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