You may have read my recent blog posts about regulating your blood sugar levels and you’re wondering if you are showing signs of unbalanced blood sugar levels. How do you know if your blood sugar levels are unbalanced, and seriously enough to begin addressing them with diet?

I’m going to take you through the following symptoms of blood sugar instability. Many are symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), as high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) produces fewer symptoms and is less obvious. You don’t need to be ill or overweight to have pre-diabetes or type-2 diabetes.

If your diet is poor, it’s likely that you don’t metabolise sugar well, and will show symptoms of low blood sugar. The Standard Australian Diet (SAD) is high in processed foods and refined sugars and grains, and low in fibre and nutrition, a perfect storm for turbulent blood sugar levels.

Often, when trying to eat healthily, we replace refined carbs with high-GI alternatives, without realising. There is so much misinformation out there and crafty food marketing has us questioning what healthy food is. We all do the best we can with the information we have, so I’ve created the Balance My Sugars guide, to bring you the latest, evidence-based advice and help you regulate to normal blood sugar levels.

Spiking your blood sugar at each meal, puts significant stress on your metabolism, to produce enough insulin and push sugar through your cells, to create energy. You might not be eating lots of sugar, but any carbohydrate can spike blood sugar levels. Do white bread, rice or potatoes make an appearance in most of your meals?

When the body processes sugar optimally, it produces the hormone, glucagon, telling your liver to release stored glucose (glycogen), to maintain stable blood sugar. The problem with frequent, rapid rises in blood sugar levels, is that low blood sugar often follows – between 45 minutes to 2 hours, afterwards. This creates a vicious cycle – you’ll feel tired and grumpy during a low blood sugar episode and seek out more carbohydrates, to spike your blood sugar and pull you out of your slump. This turbulent cycle places stress on your pancreas and liver, which are tasked with regulating your erratic blood sugar levels.

Aside from diet, problematic blood sugar levels can arise due to insulin resistance, diabetes medications, too much exercise, high cortisol (stress hormone), alcohol or changes to metabolic pathways involved in blood sugar regulation.

Have you been experiencing the following?

Sugar cravings, brain fog, caffeine craving, abdominal fat, fatigue, muscle aches, dry skin, moodiness, constant thirst, hormonal inbalance, low immunity, adrenal stress or thyroid issues.
**It could be unstable blood sugars.**

Symptoms of Unstable Blood Sugar Levels

Below is an exhaustive list of symptoms, which might indicate unbalanced blood sugar levels. Some people experience several of these symptoms, but their blood sugar tests return within normal range. A ‘normal’ blood sugar reading might not be an optimal one and it does not mean that your blood sugar levels don’t fluctuate wildly.

Go by how you feel, not by the results of a one-time reading. If you’re experiencing a whole host of symptoms, you probably aren’t enjoying the best quality of life and that’s something worth rectifying. We all want to feel happy and well and live our lives to their fullest potential; eating a blood sugar balance diet certainly has a role in both.

Place a tick next to any symptom you experience:

· Sugar cravings

· Excess abdominal fat

· Energy fluctuations

· Brain fog

· Caffeine cravings

· Constant thirst

· Frequent urination

· Dry, flaky skin

· Skin tags

· Poor endurance during aerobic exercise

· Lowered strength with weight training

· Excessive anger, frustration or irritability

· Dry mouth

· Drop in energy, immediately after a meal, relieved with sweet food

· Wanting a sweet snack mid-morning/mid-afternoon, or just before bed

· Needing sugar to feel ‘normal’

· Muscle aches and fatigue

· Poor injury recovery

· Headaches

· Blurred vision

· Poor concentration

· Insatiable hunger

· Shortness of breath

· Feeling ‘hangry’

· Moodiness

· Thyroid issues

· Diagnosed female hormone imbalances

· Inflammatory markers on blood work with no explainable reason

· Low immunity

· Adrenal stress/fatigue

How did you go? If you ticked even one symptom, you could have a blood sugar balance issue. If you checked five to ten, or more, you should think seriously about lowering your carbohydrate intake, to stabilise your blood sugar levels. My guide to balancing your sugars will help you do this, the easy way. I’ve also written several articles on regulating blood sugar levels, using nutrition and low-GI swaps.

How to Balance your Blood Sugar Levels

If you scored highly on the above symptoms and you’re looking to stabilise your blood sugar, quickly, try the following:

· Drink more water, and less alcohol

· Limit processed food and replace with high-fibre, low-carb, nutrient-dense foods. For a family loving balanced blood sugar recipe

check out my delicious frittata recipe.

· Add healthy fats into your diet, like eggs, avocado and coconut oil

· Reduce caffeine intake

· Don’t over-exercise

· Eat every 3-4 hours until you’ve balanced your blood sugar

· Ensure that any medications are being taken at the correct dose for your age and weight

Proper nutrition is the simplest, cheapest and quickest way to stabilise blood sugar levels. Poor diet is the root cause of unstable blood sugar, so it makes sense to eliminate the cause of your symptoms, rather than waiting for diabetes to set in, or relying on medications with dangerous side effects.

It’s important to note that there are factors, besides diet, which impact your blood sugar levels. If you find that a low-carb, low-GI diet, doesn’t improve your symptoms, please see your trusted healthcare provider for one-on-one support.