7 Tips to help balance your blood sugar during the day

Added sugar can be found in many processed foods, from pasta sauces to peanut butter.  Reaching for quick meals and consuming too many processed foods can lead to sugar being a significant proportion of people’s daily caloric intake.

Consuming too much sugar can impact the health of both our bodies and our brains.

1. Always eat Breakfast: 

Eating a healthy breakfast that includes protein sets you up for the day and helps you make better food choices at lunch time.

Examples of a healthy breakfast include:

• Oatmeal and fresh fruit
• Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts
• Eggs scrambled with vegetables & cheese
• Avocado on whole grain toast

2. Aim for at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables each day. 

Fruits and vegetables of different colours provide a wide variety of antioxidants beneficial to your health. Strive to eat the rainbow each day.

Aim for 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit each day.

3. Cook everything from scratch if possible:

Cooking with raw ingredients and preparing your meals from scratch ensures you are aware of the ingredients you are eating and is a great way to avoid hidden sugars.

Sugars exist in many forms on food labels:

• • Sucrose
  • Glucose
  • Fructose
  • Maltose
  • Fruit juice
  • Molasses
  • Corn syrup
  • Honey

4. Include plenty of fibre or fermented foods to support gut health:

Foods that are high in fibre include:

• Whole grains
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Oats
• Beans
• Quinoa

There are a number of benefits to including fibre in your diet including promoting weight loss, lowering blood sugar, fighting constipation, boosting heart health and encouraging friendly gut bacteria.

5. Avoid low fat foods:

Low fat foods are often high in sugar to replace the flavour lost from the fat.  Healthy foods can be beneficial to include in our diet; to keep us feeling fuller for longer.

6. Cut down on sugary drinks:

Many added sugars in a persons diet come from sugary drinks such as sodas, sugary teas, flavoured coffees, and sports drinks. Calories and the sugars in these drinks result in a rapid rise in your blood sugar level.

7. Eat whole foods:

Whole foods are in their natural state and haven’t been processed or refined, which means they are free from added sugars, sweeteners and other additives.

Whole foods include:

• Whole vegetables
• Grains
• Legumes
• Whole fruits
• Meat on the bone