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Stand on a streetcorner and ask people if they know what insulin is, and many will reply, "Doesn't it have something to do with blood sugar?"  Indeed, that is correct, but such a response is a bit like saying "Mozart? Wasn't he some kind of a musician?"

Blood Sugar and Your Body, Part 1
A 3-part Look at Your Body's Relationship with Sugar

I t's 8:30pm. I'm sitting around the table with my family, enjoying some ongoing conversation and a card game. We ate dinner at 7pm and digestion has now run its course. Dad gets up from the table and finds his way to the kitchen. It's time for dessert. No matter the size or flavors of dinner, this seems to be his routine. It was my routine for years as well. Some of us have called it a "sweet tooth" and dubbed it completely normal.  However, the NEED for SWEET after a complete meal is NOT indicative of a healthy blood sugar cycle.  Is this YOUR routine too?  

The Cycle: Eat Food. Make Insulin. Get Energy. Repeat.
A perfectly healthy body makes energy from the food we eat through a  process that looks like this: 
     

Consumed carbohydrates turn into glucose in our blood, which then increases our blood sugar. This  release of   blood sugar prompts insulin production and insulin,  our energy building hormone,  is responsible for escorting the glucose into our body's cells, which then use it for energy .  It also helps your  body store it in your muscles, fat cells, and liver to use later, when your body needs it.  Insulin  helps keeps your blood sugar level from getting too high (hyperglycemia).

  A small amount of insulin SHOULD be all that is necessary to help the body turn glucose into energy and to feel full and satisfied. However, many of us have altered this process in our body by the way we eat, therefore bringing about small and large issues such as weight gain, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, and ultimately, a SUGAR ADDICTION.

It's All About Insulin.
The key to blood sugar management isn't just about the amount of glucose, but even more so about  the amount of insulin. If you eat in a way that provokes too much production, over time the insulin receptors on each cell can become resistant to the effects of insulin.  Energy production is compromised and glucose builds up in the body.  The cells then become insulin resistant.  

Unfortunately, Insulin resistance is a major, but very common problem in modern health, which is why we want to talk about it in three parts:
  • Symptoms & How We Become Insulin Resistant 
  • Serious Sugar Addiction & Insulin in Our Brains
  • Is Weight Gain & Weight Loss Related to Insulin Resistance?
Stay with us through this multi-week series as we learn about our body's energy cycle & all the ways we can hurt and help it!
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 Universal Wellness Associates | 916.961.0676 | info@uwanutrition.com| www.uwanutrition.com      LInda Clark, MA, CNC