control blood sugar

Controlling Your Blood Sugar

The long-standing war against diabetes in the US slowly turns into a massacre. One in four Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetes. For those with diabetes, pre-diabetes, or insulin resistance, we see your struggle with controlling your blood sugar. Understanding how your foods influence your blood sugar levels is key to making the right choices. 

The Effect of Blood Sugar on Neuropathy

We recommend maintaining a normal glucose range (70-99 fasting) to prevent long-term damage. 

Through digestion, food breaks down into small molecules that the bloodstream absorbs and every cell utilizes for energy. Foods containing carbohydrates convert into sugars during digestion and cause glucose levels to increase shortly after a meal. Starchy foods, fruits, and sweets are among the main sources of carbohydrates.

There are a few carbohydrates that affect the blood sugar in a variety of ways:

Grains and Blood Sugar

Grain products range from:

  • Wheat
  • Corn
  • Oats
  • Barley
  • Spelt
  • Millet
  • Buckwheat
  • Rice

For example, all breads, tortillas, cereals, pasta, oatmeal, and crackers are grain-based foods. Grains naturally contain high amounts of starches and elevate glucose levels after eating them. 

Some grains also contain added sugar. According to the USDA, once digested, one slice of whole wheat bread releases close to 4 tsp of sugar into the bloodstream. A large bagel contains the equivalent of over 17 tsp of sugar.

Starchy Vegetables

There are two main types of vegetables–starchy and non-starchy. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green peas, pumpkin, acorn squash, and butternut squash, raise blood sugar levels.

The stomach digests starches found in starchy vegetables and converts them into sugars with enzymes found in the gastrointestinal tract. The sugars from the digestion of starches enter the bloodstream and elevate blood sugar levels. 

For example, one cup of mashed potatoes or a large baked potato has about 35g of carbohydrates, equivalent to 9 tsp of sugar. 

Fruits and Blood Sugar

When eating fruits, the carbohydrates quickly convert into sugars within the body. Even fruits containing natural sugars can significantly influence blood sugar. Fresh fruit, canned fruit, frozen fruit, dried fruit, and fruit juices all contribute to raising blood sugar levels. 

A medium apple has the equivalent of 4 tsp of sugar, while a 16-oz glass of unsweetened orange juice has over 13 tsp of natural sugar. 

Sugars and Sweeteners 

Sugar from foods and beverages easily converts into smaller molecules that the body rapidly absorbs, creating a large spike in blood sugar (glucose) levels. The more sugar you eat, the higher your blood sugar levels will rise. 

Jams, syrups, table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and brown sugar all convert into simple sugar in the body. Even natural sweeteners, such as raw honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar, spikes the levels. 

Spikes in glucose levels lead to chronic inflammation, which may damage peripheral nerves and blood vessels. Habitual spikes eventually lead to insulin resistance, which can develop into diabetes–it is only a matter of when, not if. 

Regarding neuropathy, chronically elevated glucose levels can damage blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. The damage can lead to anoxia–a lack of oxygen to the nerve cells and blood vessels–resulting in poor circulation and nerve damage.

Most severe neuropathy sufferers have pain and abnormal skin changes on the legs due to the anoxia. These changes include purple discolorations, extremely dry, flaky skin, and extremely taut skin. All of these are signs the skin lost popper circulation, oxygenation, and nutrients. Furthermore, it signals the skin is dying. 

For this reason, we recommend foods that do not cause rapid spikes in blood sugar levels when making good food choices. Check out the Glycemic Index (GI) to learn more about better food selections.