We all know when we grab a chocolate bar, a soda, or candy full of sugar, we feel an initial spike in blood sugar and sense of happiness, with an immediate crash of tiredness and lack of energy and then a vicious cycle of wanting to grab another sweet snack. So, how do we control that craving for that chocolate bar or soda from the start? By managing and balancing our blood sugar through whole, real foods we can stop this vicious cycle and stop the cravings.
Refined Foods 101
Let’s start by explaining refined foods. What exactly is involved in the refining process? The refining process takes a whole food such as a grain and breaks it down.
The Grain
A grain contains 3 parts: the Endosperm, The Germ, and the Bran.
Endosperm
The endosperm is made up of mostly starch and some protein.
Germ
The germ contains unsaturated fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins B and E.
Bran
The bran contains most of the fibre and some B Vitamins.
When we refine a food we are stripping away the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm, which as I said is mostly starch. So, breaking down this food removes most of the nutritional value of the grain and how it is intended to be consumed.
Why Fiber and Protein?
The purpose of the fibre and the protein is to slow down the rate at which the glucose is absorbed into the body and to slow down the release of insulin. Most foods found in their whole form will have the fibre or protein needed to avoid blood sugar fluctuations. When we make a choice of refined and processed foods our bodies are expecting to get all of the important nutrients that work in balance together, and when we don’t provide the fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals our bodies react improperly to the food.
Does that make sense?
Misleading Labels
Also, We need to watch out for those misleading labels that read “Fortified in B vitamins”, “All Natural”, or “Real Fruit”. Companies know exactly how to market their products for consumers to buy them and think that they are making healthy choices. Click here to learn more about how to read a food label like a holistic nutritionist.
What Can We Do to Stabilize Our Blood Sugars?
Protein + Fiber
Make sure to have PROTEIN and FIBRE with every meal and snack. For example, an apple with almond butter or raw almonds, veggies with tahini or hummus, mixed nuts and seeds and fruit, yogurt and kefir with berries and almonds, etc.
Health Fats
Adding healthy fats to a meal or snack will also slow down the insulin release. For example, coconut oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts and seeds, nut and seed butters, avocados, etc.
Whole Foods
Choose Foods in their whole, natural form.
Choose WHOLE Grains in their WHOLE form: Homemade oatmeal, Steel Cut Oats, Quinoa, Brown Rice, Millet, Amaranth, Kamut, Buckwheat, Spelt, etc.
Avoid Sugar
White sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, pasteurized honey, jam, chocolate, spreads, etc.
It’s ALL SUGAR!
Choose natural sweeteners instead and try to include both protein and fibre to slow the insulin release.
Eat smaller meals more often
Snacks such as cut up fruit and veggies, nuts and seeds, dips that have veggies added to them, bean dips, smoothies, whole grain or gluten free cereals, crackers, cookies, and breads.
Choose good quality proteins
Organic and lean meats, beans, legumes, cold water wild fish, nuts and seeds, quinoa, eggs, whole grains, etc.
Add foods high in fiber
Vegetables and fruit (leave skin on when you can as most of the fiber and nutrients are in the skin), whole grains, flaxseeds, chia seeds, leafy greens, psyllium husks, etc. When adding fiber always add WATER to help cleanse and flush all of the fiber through.
This is just a small explanation of how to balance blood sugars but once you are eating a balanced diet from real foods you will get all of the nutrients, fiber, protein, and healthy fats you need. Also cutting out refined sugar, even for 3 weeks, you would notice a huge difference in how often you “crave” or even “want” sugar. Likely it will be much less if not at all!
This article was created by Laura Harvey at Fresh Senses. We at The Naked Label love to follow Laura because she’s not only a tell-it-like-it-is Registered Holistic Nutritionist, but she’s also super passionate about healthy cooking and fresh, real food. We are ALL about that! Be sure to check out Laura Harvey’s website for more great health tips, upcoming workshops and recipes: Fresh Senses.
Please feel free to ask questions, offer your own struggles or challenges, and comment on your progress. We couldn’t be more excited to hear from you! Also, invite friends and family to learn this info and let’s Be Healthy and Feel Fabulous together!
Photographs by Laura Harvey.
