We continue on Fitness.ee with the Frillice monthly magazine, which brings you the hottest topics from the world of health and biohacking.
Blood sugar swings are one of the main factors affecting your energy level, fat burning and overall well-being
Blood sugar swings – the hidden brake on fat burning
In the fitness world, carbohydrates are talked about constantly. Some people recommend holding back on them, while others say they are “manna from heaven” – the best way for the body to get energy.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the topic is far more nuanced. What matters more than whether or not you charge through the waves of life on an abundance of carbohydrates is whether, and by how much, they raise your blood sugar level.
If your blood sugar curve looks like a roller coaster – up and down – the hormone called insulin rears up on its hind legs in your body, too.
Think of insulin as a food courier whose job is to deliver the carbohydrates you’ve just eaten to the customer’s doorstep. Your body sends these couriers out every time you’ve eaten something (especially) carbohydrate-rich.
Its sacred mission is to get that food delivered, but also to hand it over to the customer. In other words, to get those carbohydrates in through the cell’s door.
But if you’ve constantly bombarded your cells with an excess of carbohydrates (think constant “recommended” sweet snacks), your body’s insulin–blood sugar system is somewhat broken and your cells become stubborn, so the doors may stay shut to that glucose.
And your body thinks, “aha, let’s send more couriers.” Apparently the courier that was sent was a bit on the frail side and couldn’t make enough noise at the door.
So it just keeps shipping in more of these couriers (insulin). After all, that food still has to be pushed in through the cell’s door.
For you, this situation is rather poor, because the excess insulin raging in your blood locks your body fat firmly behind bars – it becomes untouchable. Excess blood sugar turmoil also causes energy dips, cravings and hunger. You know how it goes – what comes fast goes fast.
That’s why you want to make sure, at all costs, that carbohydrates enter your bloodstream from food in moderate amounts at a time. And what does get there should above all be rich in dietary fiber and not too easily converted into glucose by the body. Think low-starch vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, etc.).
Partly so that you don’t permanently wreck your body’s systems, and partly so that less insulin is released.
If you ask where the line is, it depends very much on your physical activity.
If you’re constantly on the move, work out and are otherwise active too, your body is far more inclined to burn those carbohydrates efficiently. But if your best companions are the couch, Netflix and the TV remote, it’s worth holding your horses. Either way, it pays to build your meals primarily around protein, dietary fiber and good fats, and to treat carbohydrates like dessert.
In that case, you’ve already taken a big step toward healthy cells and a well-functioning insulin–blood sugar system.
The Frillice platform
We’ll see you in the Frillice platform, where we’ll put what’s written here into practice.
What is Frillice? The Frillice platform helps you lower your body weight and improve your health without counting calories. It’s a science-based health system built on your body’s biology – hormones, sleep, stress, the monthly cycle. Not on calorie calculations. And we do it in a playful, fun way.
You can get the Frillice platform here. Use the discount code FITNESS and get 20% off right away.
New ideas in the new month.
Heikki Mägi
frillice.com
Come and train! ArtGym
