Keep the Balance: Ways to Improve Blood Sugar

In the world today, we can have trouble finding balance in all things. One issue with balance we find here at House of Health is blood sugar imbalance. Often we talk to customers that are having this issue, we get asked what the options are for helping them find balance for their blood sugar. Keep reading for more tips, strategies, and recommendations we have for finding a better balance for your blood sugar issues.

1. Herbs & Supplements that Help

Although knowledge and information is increasing, we still don’t hear enough about natural remedies for blood sugar imbalance. If you are interested in natural ways to help balance your blood sugar get ready to take notes! Here are the herbs, supplements, and remedies we have seen most effective at our store over the years.

Minerals that Help Balance Blood Sugar

Getting nutrition from foods today can be a struggle to obtain all the nourishment our body needs. Studies and research show that deficiencies/low amounts of the minerals and trace minerals can cause blood sugar (glucose) imbalance. According to NIH, “These overall deficiencies and, in a few cases, excess of essential trace elements may lead to imbalances in glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance.” Our recommendation for mineral supplementation is chromium, vanadium, magnesium, and vitamin D.

Yes, Vitamin D is not considered a mineral, but it is an important supplement that we think is much needed for a overall healthy body. If you have a history of low levels of Vitamin D it could be a contributing factor to your blood sugar imbalance.

Chromium is an essential trace mineral that plays a role in enhancing the action of insulin and is involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. This is a common mineral ingredient you’ll see in many popular blood sugar balancing products.

Vanadium is also a trace mineral, and has some research in showing it’s ability to help balance blood sugar. This mineral isn’t as common in our products, but we have seen that sometimes it can be a big help for those looking for better glucose balance. You can purchase this mineral by itself in capsule form to add to your glucose managing regimen.

Magnesium is an essential mineral and is very important for many functions in the body like supporting muscle and nerve function, blood sugar regulation, and helping the body relax. Magnesium deficiency is likely so, we recommend this mineral for many common health issues in the body. Our favorite types of magnesium are magnesium glycinate or chelate, because of the better absorption factor in these forms.

Although decades of data show that diabetes is manageable, reversible, and preventable with the help of healthy lifestyle habits, only about 3% of adults meet most of the type 2 diabetes risk-reduction goals. In general, most people with diabetes are not aware of many of the lifestyle changes related to eating and exercise that they can make to improve their diabetes management. (NIH)

Herbs & Supplements that Help Balance Your Sugar

We like to recommend what is the most successful for our customers here at House of Health. So over the years we try to keep track of positive reviews we have for different products. Some of most effective blood sugar balancing herbs and supplements we find are bitter melon, gymnema leaf, cinnamon, and berberine.

Bitter Melon

Bitter melon (gourd) is a common herbal supplement that has research and evidence showing its’ ability to help balance blood sugar. The combination of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds like charanti highlight this dietary supplement. For those seeking natural remedies for blood sugar balancing benefits, bitter melon should be considered.

Gymnema sylvestre leaf has been a consistent dietary supplement that also has evidence and research showing its’ ability to help balance glucose levels. The combination of its’ ability to lower sugar absorption and change the taste of sugar make it a strong herb to consider. You will often see this herb in many blood sugar balancing formulas because of these effective properties. Over the years we have seen this herb work individually and collectively with other supplements to help people find better glucose balance.

Cinnamon bark has long been touted for health benefits; and glucose balancing is usually it’s most recognizable property. Here at our store we have seen many customers report positive benefits for their glucose management using various cinnamon products. We believe, based on the research and positive results, that cinnamon should be a consideration for those trying to balance their glucose levels.

Our final dietary supplement recommendation for help balancing your glucose level is berberine. This supplement is a newer contribution for individuals looking to find a natural remedy for glucose management. Although this supplement is newer doesn’t mean the information for evidence is lacking. Over the years we have seen many positive reviews from customers that have taken berberine reporting it helps their glucose balance. There are studies and evidence showing it is a promising supplement, according to NIH in a study, ” Hence, if the efficacy and safety of berberine are confirmed, it can serve as a new class of anti-diabetic medication.”

****Please be aware that we at the House of Health are not medically trained doctors. Also all of these supplements we are suggesting are not FDA approved supplements. The suggestions and information we share here is for educational purposes only. We encourage that you consult with your medical doctor for all supplements you consider for blood glucose balancing control. We also encourage that you do your own research on possible side effects, interactions, or allergies that might be related to these products.

2. You are what you eat

Opinions, suggestions, debates, and controversies abound on the idea of what the best diet is! This is for sure the case also when you go to research what foods to eat or diet you should consume to help balance your blood sugar. What we have come to tell customers over the years is consider the history of human food consumption, the history of evidence and research, and track the relationship of foods to your specific body sensitivities. Listed below we have some food/diet suggestions and tips we think everybody should consider when looking to have a better glucose level. Keep in mind also that many of these food suggestions also help to improve your quality of health throughout your body.

Best Food Diet:

The food that you put in your body does have a direct impact on the overall health of your body. When you look at the history of humans and food consumption, reliable research and science on diets, and overall benefits of what diet is best you come to a common conclusion. The best diet plan we recommend and the diet plan that appears to come out on top is the Mediterranean Diet. We recommend you take some time to research this diet lifestyle and see if it’s a good fit for you and your health.

You can check out some links we have below for further research on the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is based on the traditional foods of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including France, Spain, Greece, and Italy. Some research has suggested that people living in these regions tend to be healthier and have a lower risk of many chronic conditions, compared with people who follow a standard American diet.

Carbohydrates & Fats:

Another important factor in your ability to balance glucose levels with your food is considering the carbs and the fats you eat. Our recommendation for everybody is to consume a diet that is moderate in whole food carbohydrates and moderate in good, beneficial, and healthy fats. We won’t spend much time on going into detail on the different types of carbohydrates and fats that are out there.

Research shows that the best carbohydrates to eat are from whole food plant based sources. So like the picture at the beginning of this blog, an apple and a doughnut both give you carbohydrates when you consume them. The difference comes in type of carbohydrate consumed and the other components in that food source that might help assist you in that carbohydrate absorption. The apple is healthier because of the other nutrients, for instance, the fiber which can help process the carbohydrates you eat.

Daily consumption of fat should also be a consideration in our goal to balance glucose levels. There is evidence showing the more processed a fat is the more damage it can cause to our bodies. Research and evidence are concluding more and more that it does matter the type of fat you put in your body. Much like carbohydrates there are different types of fats that we consume every day. Processed fats that you find in processed food is linked to oxidative stress and cell inflammation. Then higher levels of oxidative stress and cellular inflammation are linked to multiple health issues including glucose control issues like diabetes. We recommend eating more whole food unprocessed fats in your diet that reduce oxidative stress and cellular dysfunction.

3. Other Suggestions and Thoughts

Exercise & Movement:

Living an active lifestyle or practicing regular exercise has a huge effect on our overall health. It is not difficult to find evidence and research to prove this, but not always do we think about it’s effect on our ability to control glucose. Here are four types of exercise that have been shown to most help you with glucose balance.

Aerobic exercise: continuous bouts of exercise (e.g., jogging, cycling, hiking) that elevate your breathing and heart rate.
Resistance (anaerobic) training: brief, repetitive exercises using weights, resistance bands or your own body weight to build muscle strength. Choose approximately six to eight exercises that target the major muscle groups in the body.
Interval training: short bursts of vigorous exercise (e.g., running, cycling) combined with short rest periods of rest up to three minutes in length.
Aquatic exercise: water activities can have similar health benefits to other exercise. They can have the benefit of being easy on the joints for people with conditions such as osteoarthritis. Try brisk water walking or swimming laps.

We appreciate your time to read through this. We hope it has encouraged you to seek better control over your blood sugar level! If you have questions please reach out or come in to see us. We would love if you would also share this information with others, like, or comment below.

Blood Sugar Harmony