Health Hotline Magazine | March 2024

By Lindsay Wilson IN CHECK BLOOD SUGAR MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTHIEST WEIGHT BY KEEPING

As we begin to move into the spring months, a lot of people have weight loss on the mind; that well-known burst of motivation for a “new year, new body” we get in January is starting to ramp up again with hints of warmer weather and thoughts of swimsuit season driving it. Regular exercise and healthy eating are closely tied to losing weight, or to reframe it, maintaining a healthy weight, and now is a great time to take that “new body” energy and use it to inspire you to eat in such a way that helps you maintain the weight that’s healthiest for your own body. With that, you can lose counting calories and restrictive diets, and instead, embrace a healthy eating lifestyle—one that is abundant and delicious, and supports the weight that’s right for you and your health—and one that supports healthy blood sugar balance. Healthy weight… what’s blood sugar got to do with it? In short, everything. Keeping blood sugar, or glucose, balanced is so important to health that our bodies have a tightly regulated system of hormones to ensure levels stay within a very narrow range. When you eat sugary foods and simple carbs like bread, pasta, bagels, white rice, potato chips, etc., they are rapidly digested and convert ed into glucose, which leads to sharp spikes in blood sugar. The pancreas responds by releasing a surge of insulin, the hormone that directs the glucose into the cells to either be burned for energy or stored; this removes excess glucose from the bloodstream, bringing blood sugar levels back to a normal range. When sugar and/or refined carbs are occasionally consumed in small amounts, this is an effective system. But when these types of foods are regular ly consumed, the body is constantly struggling to keep blood sugar levels in a normal range by continually pumping more insulin into the bloodstream. Natural Grocers ® | 13