The topic of blood glucose (otherwise known as blood sugar) levels has gained a lot of attention recently, so I thought I’d give a brief overview of what blood glucose levels are, how they impact our bodies and what we can be doing to stabilise them.

When we eat a meal containing carbohydrates, this is broken down into glucose molecules, which can then be absorbed into the bloodstream and used as energy. In order to prevent blood glucose levels getting too high, any excess glucose is then stored within the body as glycogen. If blood glucose levels are starting to fall, this stored glucose can then be released into the bloodstream. This balance is controlled by two hormones: insulin and glucagon.

Throughout the day, our blood glucose levels will rise and fall within a 'normal' range, as demonstrated in green on the graph below. This is because our energy requirements change throughout the day depending on what activities we are doing, what foods we are consuming and how often we are eating.

While these small fluctuations are to be expected, what we want to avoid is any large sugar spikes or crashes, as these can lead to side effects such as fatigue, mood swings, cravings and irritability. This can often create a vicious cycle, whereby this dip in energy can have us reaching for something sweet to boost energy levels and mood, causing blood glucose levels to spike again before crashing back down below the normal range. In the longer term, this rollercoaster effect can result in more serious health consequences, including disruption to our insulin sensitivity.

Depending on the type of carbohydrate, glucose is absorbed at different speeds - this is a food’s glycemic index (GI). Higher GI foods, such as sugary cereals, white bread and baked goods are all simple carbohydrates. Due to the lack of fibre, vitamins and minerals, these are broken down faster and glucose is released quicker into the bloodstream, causing a spike in our blood glucose levels.

Lower GI foods, such as brown rice, green veg and chickpeas are examples of complex carbohydrates, which are broken down more slowly due to their higher fibre content. As a result, glucose is released more slowly, causing a flatter glucose curve and keeping blood glucose levels stable over a longer period of time.

Unfortunately, carbohydrates already have a pretty bad rep when it comes to people’s perceptions of ‘healthy’ foods and although it’s great to see this topic being spoken about, it could be easy to assume that avoiding carbohydrates would be the only way to avoid these spikes and dips.

This is definitely not the case.

Whilst being mindful of the different types of carbohydrates we consume is important (you can read more about this here), understanding that our blood glucose levels will naturally rise and fall, rather than stay static, will hopefully be reassuring.

In order to keep blood glucose levels within a normal range, here are some of the top tips I share with clients:

Eat regularly throughout the day to avoid sharp dips in glucose levels, as this tends to be when we reach for something sugary to boost our energy, causing a sharp increase in blood glucose levels and a subsequent decrease, creating a rollercoaster effect.
Opting for wholegrain over white varieties as these naturally contain more fibre eg. brown rice, pasta and bread.
Try to include a source of protein, fibre and healthy fats in your meals and snacks as this will help to ‘dress’ your carbs, reducing the speed at which glucose is absorbed into the body.
Aiming to consume a higher proportion of complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice/pasta, dark green leafy veggies and beans is a great way of ensuring that the glucose extracted from these is released slowly, preventing a sharp rise in blood glucose levels.