What is Happening to My Body??? An Intro to Blood Sugar Spikes
Last month, I told you about The Ultimate Diet That Works for Everyone.
In the post, I tested out Robb Wolf’s 7 Day Carb Test to find out if I was one of only 12% of Americans that have a healthy metabolism.
I’ll tell you the results of my test in this month’s series Continuous Glucose Monitor. But before that, I want to make sure we’re all on the same level and understand what exactly glucose is and why you probably don’t have a healthy metabolism.
Before you think Blood sugar spikes? That’s for people with diabetes. I don’t have diabetes - stop! Blood sugar spikes occur in almost EVERYONE and if you’re one of those people, it means your metabolism is not working correctly. So let’s talk about the relationship between glucose, blood sugar spikes and insulin.
So that’s glucose. Just remember glucose is important because it is the primary fuel that makes your muscles, organs, and brain work properly.
Now, insulin and blood sugar spikes:
glucose cannot be used as fuel until it enters your cells
insulin is the hormone produced that unlocks cells so that glucose can enter them
without insulin, glucose keeps floating around in your bloodstream. When this happens, your blood sugar levels rise
BAD: in the short term bc it causes fatigue, frequent peeing, headaches and blurry vision
BAD: in the long term because it causes damage to organs, nerves, and blood vessels.
Why the long term damage? When your blood sugar is constantly elevated or you see huge spikes all the time, your body can become insulin resistant, which means your body does not respond to insulin and therefore cannot use glucose from your blood for energy.
This damage over time manifests into Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, thickened carotid artery walls, liver disease, obesity, stroke, cancer, and even death.
Equipped with the knowledge that blood sugar spikes and chronically elevated blood sugar levels are bad, I became more interested in what foods (aside from the 7 I tested) spike my blood sugar.
Online there was mention of a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) from a company called “Levels” that supplies a CGM for a month and an app which shows how my glucose levels respond not only to my meals, but to my sleep, exercise, and supplements. SIGN ME UP was my immediate response. So, my CGM is on its way and I will be sharing my experience with you all here in the coming weeks!