Are you maintaining a healthy blood sugar level?
Let’s talk about sugar handling – not too high of sugar, which is diabetes, but something that is equally as important and what used to be called hypoglycemia. I think the better word is neuroglycopenia, which is a fancy way of saying if your blood sugar is too low, your nerves freak out. This is really important if you get hyperirritability, mood swings, or are one of those afternoon yawners. It usually means that your pancreas isn’t working right. What happens is, if you stabilize the pancreas and your blood sugar levels you have a lot more energy in the afternoons and you don’t have the tanking feeling around three o’clock.
One of the biggest reasons why we have blood sugar problems is the high consumption of the terrible poisons known as refined white sugar and high fructose corn syrup. In 1821 we were typically consuming 10 pounds of sugar per year. In 1999, we were having 170 pound of sugar, so 17 times what we were having before, per person, per year. If you think about that for kids, that’s 170 pounds for kids and 30 pounds of that comes from candy. If you don’t think you eat very much sugar, you may not, but I want you to be aware and check labels because it might be hiding in foods you don’t even realize. Products like soda, chocolate cake, fig newtons, life savers, and processed foods all have a large amount of sugar.
The glucose metabolism and blood pressure is also a factor. If you get too much sugar in your system, it really increases your hearts output capacity and causes a lot of problems with blood pressure.
Many patients ask me, what about the sugar in fruits and vegetables? The main difference is, the sugar in vegetables and fruits is mixed in with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all which moderate any negative metabolic effects. So, be careful what you eat and drink. Choose to eat fruits and vegetables over candy bars and chips.
The way to take control and handle this is by having everything balanced in your body chemistry, particularly with pancreatic function. Also, eat consistently at the same times every day and don’t skip meals. If you need a snack in between meals, reach for some veggies instead of a candy bar. This will really help boost your mood, increase energy levels, end mood swings, and help increase your afternoon performance.
There are some things that we can do to prevent a burned out pancreas, which could lead to diabetes down the road.
Dr. J recommends:
Blood Sugar All-In-One – This is a wonderful sugar metabolism product I take daily. 
Chromium – Included in Blood Sugar All-In-One
Essential fatty acids – typically 2,000-4,000 mg per day – My favorite is Ultimate Omega Balance because it absorbs really well and doesn’t give you those awful fishy burps.
We also have a wonderful Low Blood Sugar Program at The West Clinic. For those that are interested, call us at 208-232-3216 for more information.
Good Food
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