How are our sugar-rich diets affecting our health and what steps can we take to reduce blood sugar? Kirsten Harvig offers us insight on risks and solutions.
Our relationship with sugar
Stress and anxiety are the main causes of low blood sugar because the brain needs sugar to think, and muscles need it to be in a state of action. As the brain and muscles consume all available sugar in the blood, a craving for more develops, and as the state of emergency makes it impossible to make the body’s sugar reserves available soon enough, we reach for the quick fix snack out of necessity. This is why it is so smart and unfair of supermarkets to place the sweets at the checkout when you’ve just been stressing over what to buy in the limited time available, and the price of it!
The repeated seesaw of rapidly falling and rising blood sugar can lead to chronic high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia or high blood glucose), which is associated with a risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Diabetes was found to affect 537 million people worldwide in 2021, of which type 2 diabetes made up 90% (1). Type 2 diabetes tends to appear in middle or late middle age, usually after years of inactivity and eating the wrong foods. However, in recent years, type 2 diabetes is increasingly seen in younger people as more foods with a high glycaemic index (a measure of how quickly the ingestion of a carbohydrate causes an increase in blood sugar) are consumed and obesity spreads.
Obesity
According to the WHO, there are now more than two billion overweight adults in the world, more than double the prevalence in 1990 (2). The increasing incidence of child obesity is particularly concerning because of the risk to their present and future health and quality of life.
Obesity is a complex condition caused essentially by overconsumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods high in saturated fats and sugars (such as highly processed meats and carbohydrates — bread and biscuits, as well as fried foods and dairy), combined with a lack of physical activity. As with many chronic conditions, obesity won’t go away by itself and there is no quick fix available. To be effective, weight management needs to be part of an integrated life approach to daily eating habits and behaviour patterns.
How do we make a change?
The easiest way to make a positive diet change is to look at what is eaten instead of how much is eaten. Changing from energy-dense, sugar and fat-filled, low-nutrition foods to lighter, fibre-containing, plant-based nutrient rich foods provide plenty of energy and nourishment to help the body function better, with a more stable blood sugar.
For most of us, empty calories form a substantial part of our daily diet, making it hard to hear the quiet voice of healthy appetite. White buttered toast with jam, and coffee or tea with milk and sugar for breakfast, followed by chocolate bar snacks, burgers and chips, cakes and biscuits with more tea, and a processed meal for supper accompanied by a drink or two, is a typical diet for many. Although it provides plenty of calories, it is high in saturated fat and refined carbs, and contains few micronutrients. It does not serve the body’s 30 trillion cells with the nourishment they need.
Processed foods that combine carbs with fats are popular because they produce a feeling of immediate satisfaction. However, these feelings don’t last because the calories are not accompanied by other nutrients the body needs, and the blood sugar soon falls as the release of extra insulin speeds up its uptake into body cells, and its conversion into more body fat. In fact, it only takes four hours for excess calories to be converted and deposited as body fat and rendered unavailable for immediate energy (3). When blood sugar levels fall, we are soon tempted to eat more easily available and empty calories, thereby risking being trapped in a vicious circle of poor nutrition and increasing weight.
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) is a disease where the body either doesn’t make enough insulin or body cells have a problem responding to the insulin that is produced and released into the bloodstream. Once sugar from the carbohydrates we eat enters our blood, the role of insulin is to make sure glucose is taken up from the bloodstream by our body cells and stored (particularly in the liver and muscle) in its insoluble form, glycogen . Glycogen can then be later converted back to glucose and used as energy. If not enough of the blood sugar is absorbed into cells, it accumulates in the blood, causing persistent high blood sugar, which in turn causes a variety of health problems (4).
Diabetes is clinically classified as type 1 or type 2:
Type 1 diabetes is where the body does not produce enough insulin and regular insulin injections are needed. It is an autoimmune disorder that usually develops in childhood. Breastfeeding is thought to reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes (5).
Type 2 diabetes is where the body does produce insulin in normal amounts, but the individual body cells become less able to react to it and are thus not able to take sugar out of the bloodstream. As time goes on, the pancreatic cells that produce insulin in response to increased blood sugar become less sensitive, creating a vicious circle of poor blood sugar control. Obesity can cause insulin insensitivity because fat cells of obese people appear to have fewer insulin receptors than individuals with lower body weights (6).
Both types of diabetes result in an inability to control carbohydrate metabolism. Increased blood sugar levels can cause excess thirst, ‘acetone breath’, and a host of long-term health problems, including heart and circulation problems, eye disease, kidney damage, neuromuscular symptoms, and increased susceptibility to viral, bacterial and fungal infections (7).
Effective treatment exists for both types of diabetes mellitus, but weight loss and careful attention to diet and lifestyle can reverse type 2 diabetes in the early stages (8). There is also a variety of herbs suitable for diabetics, as well as foods, and drugs that can be used to restore blood sugar control. Since the discovery of insulin in 1921, type 1 diabetes can also be managed with regular daily injections. The goal for all types of diabetic treatment is to restore health and improve life quality, and to avoid the cardiovascular and other health complications that go hand in hand with the disease.
Unprocessed vs processed foods
The calories contained in almost any unprocessed food are well-balanced and make it easier to maintain good blood sugar levels and more difficult to overeat. This is because the act of food processing takes the nutrients out of their natural context and makes them more easily available. Think of eating unshelled nuts as opposed to nut butter, or a carrot instead of a chocolate biscuit. The fact is that more people pig out on chocolate biscuits than on carrots! But were you to have a carrot binge, the damage in terms of calories would be minimal: four chocolate biscuits contain over 500 kcal, while four carrots contain just 35 kcal. So, it is easy to see that making the simple change from chocolate biscuits to carrots — from calorie-dense, micronutrient-deficient empty calories to micronutrient-rich, high-quality calories — is vital for maintaining a good blood sugar balance, and weight.
Eating more unprocessed food will improve the nutritional quality of your diet and make it easier to keep up your energy levels with fewer calories overall. Simply by basing your diet on unprocessed foods, you will become healthier and find it easier to maintain an optimum blood sugar balance in the long term.
Unprocessed foods are high in fibre, complex carbs, polyunsaturates and essential fatty acids. They are also an excellent source of protein and essential amino acids, and rich in micronutrients and antioxidants, while being low in cholesterol, bad fats, and refined carbs. As an extra bonus, they are also free from harmful additives.
Root vegetables (such as carrots, parsnips, beetroot, potatoes and swedes), pulses (peas, beans and lentils), whole grain (especially oats, quinoa, amaranth, barley and rye) all contain complex carbohydrates which are released slowly, supplying good steady energy and a stable blood sugar level. Furthermore, raw unprocessed foods take longer to release their sugar content than cooked foods, because their cell walls are not broken down by cooking or processing, though they can be harder to digest and are therefore not suitable for everyone, especially those with digestive issues.
Lifestyle changes for stable blood sugar
- Stop smoking (9)
- Avoid/reduce high blood pressure
- Eat three regular meals per day
- Exchange chocolate and biscuits for fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and carrots
- Take moderate exercise — and have a healthy snack afterwards
- Eat foods rich in fibre, especially soluble fibre
- Reduce saturated fat from meat and dairy in your diet
- Restrict calorie intake
- Replace processed foods with unprocessed alternatives
- If you eat bread, choose organic wholemeal bread, and eat rye instead of wheat
- Avoid sweets and sugary foods and drinks
- Avoid foods and drinks containing artificial sweeteners (such as diet coke)
- Go for a walk every day
- Chew liquorice root sticks and raw carrots
- Drink 1–2 litres of water every day
- Exchange caffeinated drinks (such as coffee and black tea) with herbal tea
- Choose foods and herbs that help balance blood sugar (see list)
- Base your diet on fresh, unprocessed fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Eat as many of them as you like
- Cut the amount of fatty, sugary foods you eat — cakes, sweets, butter, cream, desserts, white bread, sweet cereals, crisps or fast foods
- Move away from eating foods containing saturated animal-based fats. Exchange them with unsaturated plant-based fats
- Wean yourself off using sugar by adding a little bit less each day until you are down to nothing
Blood sugar-stabilising foods, herbs and spices
| Foods | Herbs | Spices |
|---|---|---|
| Açai berries Alfalfa sprouts Apples Bilberries Blueberries Caper berries Dates Garlic Globe artichoke Leafy greens Mushrooms, in particular maitake Oats and millet Onions Peas, beans and lentils Psyllium seeds Raspberries Rosehips Tomatoes Unsweetened plant-based yoghurt | Barberry Burdock Comfrey Damiana Dandelion leaves and root Elderberries Eucalyptus Ginkgo Ginseng Goat’s rue Green tea Gurmar Liquorice root Milk thistle Nettle Olive leaves Peppermint Periwinkle Rosemary Sage White horehound | Allspice Bay leaf Chilli Cinnamon Cloves Fenugreek Ginger Sweet sumach Turmeric Vanilla |
Blood sugar balancing tea mixture
To make 1 pot (approx. 750 ml)
Ingredients
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp peppermint
- 1 tsp gingko
- 2 tsp nettle
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp freshly grated turmeric
- 1 slice of unwaxed organic lemon
Method
- Place all the herbs in a teapot. Fill with boiling water. Infuse for 15 minutes.
- Strain, and drink throughout the day, hot or cold.
References
- Diabetes Facts & Figures. International Diabetes Federation. May 7, 2024. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://idf.org/about-diabetes/diabetes-facts-figures/.
- Obesity and overweight. World Health Organization. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.
- Frayn KN, Humphreys SM. Metabolic characteristics of human subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue after overnight fast. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2012;302(4):E468-E475. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00527.2011
- How secreted insulin works in your body. WebMD. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/insulin-explained.
- Lucier J, Weinstock RS. Type 1 Diabetes. [Updated 2023 Mar 3]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507713/
- Kahn BB, Flier JS. Obesity and insulin resistance. J Clin Invest. 2000;106(4):473-481. doi:10.1172/JCI10842
- Diabetes UK. What is DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis)? Diabetes UK. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/diabetic_ketoacidosis.
- Lemieux I. Reversing Type 2 Diabetes: The Time for Lifestyle Medicine Has Come!. Nutrients. 2020;12(7):1974. Published 2020 Jul 3. doi:10.3390/nu12071974
- Bornemisza P, Suciu I. Effect of cigarette smoking on the blood glucose level in normals and diabetics. Med Interne. 1980;18(4):353-356.
