Blood sugar is the level of glucose in the blood. Unless you are diabetic, you probably haven't thought a great deal about this. However, glucose is to your body as gas is to your car; it's vital to your body's operational energy. Every cell in your body depends on blood sugar to stay alive and remain vital to help with your working and thinking self. The bottom line: lose your blood sugar and you soon lose your life!

Why should I care about my blood sugar?

Well, whenever you are feeling sluggish, tired, or even headachy, think about this: When was the last time you ate? What foods are you craving when you feel tired? How do you feel right after you eat a large meal? How do you feel mid-afternoon or even in the middle of the night? Do you wake up hungry and want to raid the refrigerator? Have you tried to lose weight for years and just cannot move from one number of the scale to anything lower?

All of these factors can and probably do affect where your blood sugar level is at any moment. When we have too little of this vital energy in our body, we feel sluggish, tired, and often have a headache. When we reach for a candy bar or other sugary treat to "fill us up," the result is not always what we are wishing for. Sometimes the sugared food is just the thing that tips the scales the other direction. You were hungry from too little blood sugar, but the candy bar sent you over the top and your plummets to the basement! Then, it's likely that all you want to do is take a nap!

What happens when our blood sugar makes us sick?

Our blood sugar is actually regulated by a hormone called insulin, which is naturally produced in the pancreas. You have probably heard of insulin and may even know someone who has to take insulin to regulate his or her insulin level. This is called diabetes and can be either Type 1 or Type 2. The first type is when our body cannot produce enough insulin to keep up with our blood sugar levels. The second type is when our bodies have somehow developed a resistance to insulin. Again, this means that the body is in trouble and needs the help of both a regulated diet (usually indicated by eating low carbohydrates and low sugars in order to maintain low blood sugar levels), as well as insulin supplementation, just to feel "normal."

In either of these cases, the diabetic body is lacking the fuel or gas to get the job done. If a person has too much glucose running through their system without the proper insulin conversion, the glucose acts like destructive hammer to areas in our bodies like our kidneys, eyes nervous system, etc.

The flip side is when insulin over counteracts with high blood sugar levels, leading to low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. This leads us to crave more sugar - not always the kind of sugars that are helpful, but rather the ones that crash our systems and leave us simply craving more sugar.

What happens with too much sugar in our bodies?

When we don't have a problem with insulin, then excess sugar gets stored as fat to save for a "rainy day." Our bodies want to store as much fuel as possible when there it is in abundance, always saving for the time when not enough fuel is available. This is theorized to have started with primitive man who would eat large portions when big game was caught, but only fruits and nuts in the in-between times.

The ebbing and flowing with dieting can lead to this same conclusion. Starve yourself all day, then eat a large meal followed by snacking, and you are sure to spike your insulin and your body's storage of fat.

The healthy way toward losing weight, gaining energy, and reclaiming your vitality is to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, without this dramatic ebbing and flowing. Your body will then naturally stop craving sugary foods, and you'll find that your appetite will wane, you'll gain more energy, and will begin to feel healthier.

But I'm overweight and starvation is the only diet that has ever worked for me

This is really a myth. When we starve ourselves, all we are doing is telling our body to go into automatic self-preservation mode. Essentially, not knowing when our next meal will be, our bodies automatically are very careful about converting fat to sugar. If we continue on the starvation approach to weight loss, what happens is that when we do get around to eating, the food immediately gets stored as fat rather than be used for energy.

Not only does starvation not work for weight loss, it is also quite dangerous. Just because we're not eating doesn't mean that our bodies won't still seek out sources of energy. After all, we need energy to survive. And, when there's no food energy available, our bodies begin taking energy from our muscle mass. And this yo-yo affect of eating and not eating can do such harm to our physical bodies that it becomes life threatening.

So now what should I do with this information?

Basically, helping yourself understand how important blood sugar is to your physical and mental health helps most of us make informed choices. The book, The Sugar Solution by the Editors of Prevention Magazine is one source that could help you with these choices. I have read and reviewed this book for my patients and am impressed with how helpful it can be for everyone.

Ultimately, the foods we eat greatly contribute to our blood sugar levels and so the key is to watch what you eat, as well as how much and how often. Foods like white flour, refined sugar, pasta, and other processed foods help contribute to blood sugar spikes while wheat flours, whole grains, and other high fiber foods release sugar more slowly into your bloodstream and are therefore better for maintaining your blood sugar levels. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and keeping to several small meals a day instead of a few large ones, can also help balance your blood sugar to a healthier level.

So now it is time to listen to your own body. Pay attention to your body's patterns and try and understand your own sugar cravings. Soon you'll discover what you can do to help your life be easier, healthier and happier.

Please Note: As always, it's essential that you check with your healthcare professional before making any changes in your daily health regimen.

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