Managing blood sugar with diet podcast

Published 14 Nov 2024

Blood sugar isn’t just controlled by simply adding or removing teaspoons of sugar from our diet. Everything we eat can have an impact on our blood sugar levels. Nutritionist Mel Bald takes us through what blood sugar is, its causes and the simple steps we can take to support our blood sugar levels in our latest podcast.

 

HT podcast tile - What to eat if you have high blood sugar

Listen to the 30 minute podcast here.

 

What is high blood sugar?

The food we eat is broken down to glucose (or sugar). Glucose is essential for fuelling our cells and providing them with the energy they need to do their job. However, we can have too much glucose in our blood and when we do, this can start to cause issues. The good news is that hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) can be managed through diet and other lifestyle factors like exercise, reducing stress and making sure you get sufficient sleep.

Why is high blood sugar a concern?

When blood glucose is elevated over a certain level, it can be classified as type 2 diabetes. If not controlled, it can start to cause damage to the organs of the body and the blood vessels, which can lead to heart attack, stroke, and problems with the kidneys, vision, gums, feet and nerves.

Aside from these more serious problems, glucose spikes can lead to fatigue and brain fog, and can also lead to cravings. When blood sugar levels are consistently elevated, the body produces more insulin to help cells absorb glucose, and this excess insulin promotes fat storage, especially around the belly.

How do we know if we have high glucose?

Many people have no signs or symptoms of high glucose levels. If there are signs and symptoms, some of the common ones that can occur as the blood sugar gets higher and can potentially also be an indicator for type 2 diabetes are:

  • Feeling thirsty
  • Feeling tired
  • Feeling hungry
  • Needing to go to the toilet more often to pass urine
  • Infections
  • Skin rashes/itching
  • Headaches
  • Blurred vision
  • Cuts that heal slowly
  • Tingling and numbness of feet

 

Of course, lots of these symptoms can be due to other reasons so it's important to discuss any concerns with your doctor.

The amount of glucose in your blood can be measured in several ways, via:

  • A urine glucose test
  • A finger prick blood test, or
  • An intravenous blood test that’s sent to a pathology lab (this provides the most accurate measure)

Are some people more susceptible to having high blood glucose?

Yes, there are a few risk factors that increase a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes:

  • Age – the risk increases as we get older, and more so for those that are overweight
  • Sex – men are at higher risk of diabetes than women
  • Family history – if you have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, child) with type 2 diabetes
  • Women who have gestational diabetes in pregnancy
  • Cultural background – people from some backgrounds are at higher risk, such as aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, Chinese, or South Asian backgrounds

What causes high blood glucose?

Aside from the risk factors mentioned above, there are a number of other causes:

  • A diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugars, and low in fibre can lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar.
  • Type 2 diabetes occurs when blood sugar levels become consistently high, through regular exposure to sugars and carbohydrates in the diet, and our hormone insulin has to work double time, as it has the job of lowering our glucose in the blood. Eventually the insulin doesn’t work as effectively as it should, and glucose levels stay high in the blood.
  • The autoimmune condition type 1 diabetes results when the body stops making the hormone insulin. Insulin’s role is to transport the glucose from the blood to the cells, and therefore the blood sugar stays high if there’s no insulin.
  • Certain medications such as corticosteroids and some diuretics can cause blood sugar levels to increase.
  • Illness or infection can cause the body to release stress hormones that can increase blood sugar levels.
  • Stress can also trigger the release of hormones like cortisol, which raises blood sugar levels.

If someone has high blood glucose, but it’s not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes, is it possible to lower their levels through lifestyle changes?

Yes, it sure is. By making some tweaks to your diet and other lifestyle factors like exercise, stress management techniques and improving sleep, blood glucose levels can be reduced and often come back into range.

What are the key dietary principles for managing high blood sugar?

  • Carbohydrates (like bread, rice, pasta, potato, cakes, biscuits, etc.) have the most significant impact on blood sugar levels. Choosing the right types and amounts is crucial. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which directly affects blood sugar levels. Choose complex carbohydrates and low GI foods which are digested and broken down to sugars and absorbed more slowly, such as whole grains and legumes, over simple carbohydrates like white bread and sugary snacks. This leads to more stable blood sugar levels.
  • Choosing foods that are high in fibre is another way to help balance blood sugar levels. Fibre slows down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, leading to a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels. High fibre foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
  • Protein is key to managing blood glucose levels and keeping them nice and even. Protein takes longer to digest, so when you eat it with carbohydrates in a meal, it slows the absorption of carbohydrates. Lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, and legumes are all great options to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
  • Healthy fats are another macronutrient that take longer to digest and don’t spike glucose levels, so adding avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil into your diet can help.

The main message here is to aim to have balanced meals with a mix of slow digesting carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. For example, a meal could include grilled chicken (protein), quinoa (complex slow digesting carb), and steamed vegetables (fibre).

Are there any other tips for the way we eat our meals?  

Regular, balanced meals are really important for our blood sugar – no skipping meals or delaying meals too long. Our blood sugar naturally goes up when we eat, and down when we are in between meals. If we leave it too long between meals, then our blood sugar will keep dropping and this can lead to increased cravings for high-calorie, high-sugar foods to quickly replenish energy levels. 

In most cases, you also don’t want to be snacking throughout the day – aim for three well-balanced meals. Every time you eat food it causes insulin to be released. It doesn’t matter whether you are eating a carrot stick or a chocolate bar, insulin will be released with all food, although more insulin will be released with higher carbohydrate foods.

What foods should be avoided or limited to manage high blood sugar?

It is important to reduce sugary foods like chocolate, sweets, ice cream, soft drinks and energy drinks. These foods will spike your blood sugar levels the fastest. Refined carbohydrates such as pastries, cakes, biscuits, crackers and packaged snacks will also break down quickly to glucose.

It is also best to limit high glycemic index foods like white bread, rice, pasta and potatoes. You can make switches to wholegrain versions to help reduce the impact they have on your blood glucose – for example choosing brown rice instead of white. Although this helps reduce the impact, they are still higher carbohydrate foods so will still push your blood sugar levels up. To minimise the impact they have, make sure to eat protein alongside these foods – for example, having an egg (which has protein) on your wholegrain toast rather than jam.

How about lifestyle changes – how do these complement dietary management of high blood sugar?

There are a few ways that lifestyle changes can help with blood sugar. Exercise, stress, sleep and hydration are all important.

Regular physical activity has benefits for blood sugar control and improving insulin sensitivity. Increased insulin sensitivity means your cells can use the glucose in your bloodstream more effectively. There have even been some studies showing that regular exercise can lower blood sugar levels to a level that is on par with diabetes medications.

Trying to break up your day from sitting can help – ideally standing or moving every half hour. In a systematic review and meta-analysis they found that walking for 5 minutes after main meals helped to lower the glucose uptake of that meal. The muscles need glucose to function, so when you are walking, the sugars are cleared from the bloodstream and the need for insulin is reduced. It’s also important to look at doing strength activities 2-3 times per week to help increase muscle mass. Muscles are one of the primary sites for glucose uptake. With more muscle mass, the body has a larger capacity to store glucose as glycogen. This means that after meals, more glucose can be taken up by the muscles, reducing the amount of glucose circulating in the blood.

Stress triggers the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which increase blood glucose levels to provide quick energy for the body's "fight or flight" response. Chronic stress can lead to sustained high levels of these hormones, causing prolonged periods of elevated blood sugar and potentially contributing to insulin resistance. This is why it is important to incorporate stress management techniques into your lifestyle such as meditation, deep breathing exercises or even just going for a walk.

Sleep is crucial for maintaining optimal blood sugar levels, as it helps regulate the body's insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. Lack of sleep can also influence our appetite-regulating hormones, and this leads to carbohydrate-rich and sugary food cravings that of course further disrupt our blood sugar control.

Keeping hydrated helps your kidneys flush out excess sugar through urine. It also helps you to maintain optimal blood volume, which allows glucose to be effectively transported and used by the body's cells.

What are some of the common myths and misconceptions about blood sugar?

  • “All carbs are bad”
    We need to focus on quality (“complex”) carbohydrates that are found in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These release glucose more slowly than simple carbohydrates and provide essential nutrients and fibre that supports our overall health.

  • “People with high blood sugar can't eat fruit”
    Yes, fruit has natural sugars, but whole fruit also has fibre packaged up with it. The key is to choose whole fruits over fruit juices or dried fruits, and to monitor portion sizes to avoid excessive sugar intake. You can also choose lower glycemic index fruits like berries, pears and oranges and mix up the types of fruit you have.

  • “Avoid sugar altogether”
    When people are trying to reduce sugar, they often look for recipes with no added sugar. However some of these recipes still add dried fruit or dates which are very high in natural sugars. Your body still reacts the same with these sugars and they will cause blood glucose to elevate, so even though they’re natural, they’ll still cause a glucose spike.

 

To recap, what are the top tips for managing blood glucose?

  • Balance your plate – have a mix of protein, fibre and slow-digesting carbs
  • Eat regular meals (no skipping)
  • Reduce snacking
  • Read labels – for packaged goods, make sure the sugars are no more than 15g per 100g (ideally aiming for less than 5g per 100g), and fibre is more than 3g per serve
  • Reduce sugary foods
  • Reduce the amount of bread, rice, pasta and potato
  • Exercise
  • Reduce stress
  • Stay hydrated

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Further information:

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