Post Time: 2025-09-01
Maintaining Healthy Blood Sugar Levels: A Comprehensive Guide
When it comes to monitoring blood sugar levels, there are various methods and tools available. However, before we dive into those details, let's first understand what constitutes a healthy blood sugar range.
The Ideal Balance: For adults without diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends keeping fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels below 100 mg/dL and postprandial (after meal) levels below 140 mg/dL. These targets are slightly different for children and pregnant women, but these general guidelines provide a solid foundation.
To maintain your blood sugar range within healthy limits, it's essential to understand the impact of diet on blood glucose control. The Right Foods: Incorporating foods with a low glycemic index (GI) can help stabilize blood sugar levels. Examples include non-starchy vegetables like broccoli and leafy greens; whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa; lean proteins including poultry, fish, and legumes; and healthy fats found in nuts, seeds, avocados, and olive oil.
Understanding Insulin Sensitivity: When we consume foods that are high on the glycemic index (GI), they can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. Over time, this repeated exposure to these spikes can lead to insulin resistance – a condition where your body becomes less responsive to insulin. This is why managing stress and getting adequate sleep also plays an important role.
Stress has been shown to have a significant impact on our ability to regulate blood sugar levels effectively. The Body's Response: When we experience stress, the hormone cortisol increases in response. Elevated cortisol can cause your liver cells to release stored glucose into the bloodstream, leading to higher blood sugar levels and increased risk of insulin resistance.
A healthy diet rich in fiber is another essential element for managing blood sugar levels. Fiber helps slow down carbohydrate digestion and absorption, reducing peaks in postprandial glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion – a hormone that regulates glucose uptake by the liver after meals. Good sources include fruits like berries, apples; leafy greens including spinach, kale; vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes.
The Science of Sleep: Poor sleep quality can disrupt your body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels effectively. When we don't get enough restful sleep, cortisol production increases along with glucose release from the liver – leading to higher morning fasting plasma glucose (FPG) readings. Getting at least 7-8 hours each night is essential.
Why Tracking Matters: Regular monitoring of your blood sugar range provides invaluable insights into how specific activities and factors are impacting your levels. This includes keeping track of when you eat, physical activity level, sleep patterns – all crucial for maintaining a healthy balance between these variables to effectively manage diabetes risk.
When it comes to managing high blood sugar ranges safely and effectively, A Comprehensive Approach must be taken into account. Lifestyle adjustments that incorporate diet modification (focusing on low GI foods), regular exercise (including both aerobic activities like jogging or cycling as well as strength training exercises for muscle development) and adequate sleep have shown considerable promise in promoting sustained glucose control over time.
It's equally important to acknowledge the impact of specific supplements, such as berberine extracts that may contribute positively by improving insulin sensitivity – a natural response facilitating better regulation.
SUBSCRIBE for weekly episodes + more: This week on The Less Stressed Life Podcast, I am joined by Isaac Pohlman who is best foods for low blood sugar levels a registered dietician. In this episode, Isaac tells me how his personal health story led him to helping adults with type 1, 2, and prediabetes. Isaac tells us why everyone should be concerned about blood sugar, what biomarkers he looks at with clients, and why regulating stress is so important. You are going to love Isaac's detailed explanations! KEY TAKEAWAYS: Type 1 diabetes conspiracy theories Why should everyone care about blood sugar? What biomarkers signal blood sugar dysregulation? What blood markers signal that iron is being stored in the body? It’s not the stress that kills us, but our perception of it. ABOUT GUEST: Isaac is a dietitian originally from a small rural town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is currently residing in Chicago. During his formal education in undergrad and grad school, he studied human physiology and nutritional sciences and has since gone through a series of trainings, including internships to become a Registered Dietitian, mentorship programs under Josh Rubin and Morley Robbins, and independent research. Despite his formal education, his personal experiences with health and working with clients 1:1 have been just as if not more valuable to his work. He was inspired to pursue nutrition after developing a series of health issues, including hypothyroidism, low testosterone, chronic fatigue, cystic acne, and type 1 diabetes, during his high school and early college days. Isaac currently helps adults with type 1, type 2, and pre-diabetes improve their blood sugar control without cutting out carbs, in his coaching program, The Balanced Blood Sugar Roadmap. WHERE TO FIND: Website: Instagram: YouTube: _________________ ***WORK WITH CHRISTA***: EPISODE SPONSOR: A special thanks to for sponsoring food that will lower blood sugar this episode. Get a discount on any of their products using the code lessstressed10 ________________ ABOUT CHRISTA BIEGLER, RD, LN, CLT PRACTIONER & PODCAST HOST Christa Biegler has been a registered dietitian for over 10 years, author of The Eczema Relief Diet & Cookbook, host of top-rated Less Stressed Life podcast and was awarded Dietitian of the Year for South Dakota in 2020. She worked in a variety of clinical settings, school nutrition, and behind the scenes for a food company and fitness celebrity before starting her private practice focusing on food sensitivities and eczema for adults and pediatrics, which quickly expanded to all aspects of gut health. She lives in the middle of nowhere with her unicycling husband, children and a flock of chickens. ________________ Hang Out + Learn With Me... Instagram • Blog • Shop • Listen to The Less Stressed Life podcast here: Direct link • iTunes • Google Play• Spotify • Stitcher • Podchaser • Amazon Music • DISCLAIMER: Christa Biegler is a clinical nutritionist who offers health, wellness, and nutritional information for educational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It also does not create a client-practitioner relationship between yourself + Christa. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should consult with a physician or other healthcare professional first before making any changes. Do not disregard, avoid, or delay obtaining medical or health related advice because of something you may have seen in these videos. NOTE: This description may contain affiliate links that allow you to easily find the items discussed in this video that support my channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when you use the links, you (the viewer) blood sugar level 67 before eating are in NO WAY obligated to use these links. Either way, I appreciate you for your support! ___________________ #bloodsugar #insulinresistance #diabetes #diabetesmanagement #type1diabetes #type2diabetes #prediabetic #autoimmunedisease #stress #stressmanagement #iron #ironoverload