I normally like to keep my blog posts short and sweet. Not only because I believe that “less is more”, but it seems that in this digital age, our attention spans are shrinking. This post will be a bit longer because it is about a confusing subject: insulin resistance (or pre-diabetes) and carbohydrates. I’d like to take the time to go over the basics so that you can understand what’s going in your body AND how tweaking your diet and exercise can make a big difference. If you are not insulin resistant, this blog will give you a better understanding about how carbohydrates function in the body.
CARBS, GLUCOSE AND INSULIN
Of the three macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs), carbohydrates are the most perplexing. Carbohydrates range from incredible healthy (kale) to is-this-even-food? (Twinkie). They include what we commonly think of as carbs: bread, pasta, baked goods, cereals, and grains. But also include foods that you might not even consider to be carbs: fruit, vegetables and dairy. (Yes, dairy! One cup of milk has almost as many carbs as in a slice of bread.)
Whether you’re eating a bowl of green beans, a muffin, or a piece of fruit, carbs break down into glucose, which is a simple sugar. The glucose, goes into the bloodstream, raising blood sugar.
So, after we eat a meal containing carbs, blood sugar rises. When the body senses this rise, the pancreas comes to the rescue by secreting a hormone called insulin. Insulin is magical! It takes the sugar, that is in the bloodstream, and pushes it into the cells. Our cells need this glucose to function. In fact, glucose is our primary source of fuel.
When you become insulin resistant, there is some impairment with this process. Some 
sugar goes into the cells but not all of it, leaving extra glucose in your bloodstream. Having elevated blood sugar is NOT a good thing for a variety of reasons. First, the body will still sense the elevated blood sugar and will try to bring it down causing the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Not only will insulin levels rise, but this will eventually be taxing to the pancreas, and over time, can cause damage to it. Second, the liver stores excess glucose (as glycogen) for later use. If there is too much to store, the liver converts that sugar into fat and that fat spills into the bloodstream as triglycerides. The body then stores the triglycerides in the fat cells. This is how too much sugar can make us fat! Third, having elevated blood sugar can lead to damage to the blood vessels. And since blood vessels go everywhere in your body, damaged blood vessels can greatly affect the vessels to your heart (greater risk of a heart attack), the kidneys (greater risk of kidney disease and dialysis), the brain (greater risk of a stroke), and the eyes (greater risk of blindness). Often times insulin resistance leads to type 2 diabetes. But it doesn’t have to if you watch your diet and if you exercise, which will keep blood sugar stable.
THE SPEED OF CARBS
Carbs raise blood sugar at different rates depending on the what you’re eating. We know that all carbs aren’t created equally. Jellybeans, which are all sugar, will convert into glucose much faster than a full fat Greek yogurt, which is high in protein and contains fat. Fat, protein and fiber will slow down how fast the carbs break down. In fact, that’s the premise of the glycemic index. It ranks carbs on a scale from 1-100, based on how quickly blood-sugar levels rise.
HEALTHY V. BLOOD-SUGAR HEALTHY
If you are insulin resistant or diabetic your goal is to have stable, controlled blood sugar. This can be very confusing because it might conflict with your notion of what’s “healthy”. You can eat a very “healthy” meal that might not be optimal for blood glucose control. Here is an example: a bowl of oatmeal, made with fat-free milk, topped with blueberries and drizzled with honey. While I can rave about the beautiful nutrients in this breakfast, there are too many carbs in one sitting for someone with impaired glucose function. A healthier breakfast, for blood-sugar control, should have a better balance of protein, fat and carbs (with fiber). Here’s a better option: one slice of high-fiber-whole-grain-bread with some avocado slices and an egg on top. Both the avocado and egg contain fat and along with the protein in the egg, will slow down the absorption of the carbs. Another option would be to have a smaller bowl of oatmeal and top it with chopped nuts, instead of fruit and milk. The fat and fiber in the nuts will slow things down.
Most people think grabbing a piece of fruit, is a perfectly “healthy” snack. I’m certainly not saying otherwise. However, fruit alone WILL raise blood sugar quickly. Instead, consider having an apple with some peanut butter, an orange with a slice of cheese, or a pear with a few almonds. If you want a few whole grain crackers for a snack, don’t eat them alone—spread on some cream cheese, hummus, avocado, cheese, turkey, chicken or nut butters.
OH, AND START MOVING!
I can’t possible finish this blog without talking about moving your body. Our muscles NEED glucose to work. If there is excess blood sugar and we are exercising our muscles will pull that excess sugar into the cells. This happens when we lift weights, garden, vacuum, clean the house, dance, or walk. We just have to MOVE. Just like eating less carbs with protein and fat throughout the day, the more you move throughout the day, the more stable your blood sugar will be. In fact, there was a great article I read about taking a 10-minute walk after meals. Just 10 minutes makes a big difference!
https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/lower-blood-sugar-take-10-minute-walk-meals-study-says/
I’M DONE!
I know this was a long one but I think you now have a better understanding of how carbs work and how you can make little tweaks in both your diet and exercise to help you maintain healthy blood sugar.
day. He is not a snacker. I, on the other hand, do NOT like eating large meals so I AM a snacker. I can’t understand how he can eat so much in one sitting and he’s perplexed because I always seem to be eating. I don’t want to eat like him, and he certainly doesn’t want to eat like me.
