Five Conditions Needed for More Stable Blood Sugars

What are five essential changes to stabilize blood glucose, no weight loss required?

Bob wanted to know what to eat. He explained, "If I changed my diet, my blood sugar would improve." Zadia thought it was adding exercise. Rae heard that protein helps. If you are like any of my clients, there are a lot of ideas about what can improve your blood glucose levels. This article reviews five conditions that help stabilize blood glucose; no weight loss is required. 

Five conditions that help level blood sugars

The first and most important is creating a system. Diabetes is a chronic condition, which means that it doesn't have a cure. If you have a "but" in your mouth, that sounds like, "But I heard that I can cure my type 2 diabetes if I lose weight." that is diet culture trying to sell you something. Having a chronic condition requires you to change your thinking from 'curing' to 'managing' diabetes. While this may sound harsh, it is helpful to remember that there is no cure for diabetes. 

Accepting diabetes can be accelerated when you let go of the 'good and bad' food approach and add some gentle nutrition to your diabetes care. Here are four things to include in your diabetes diet 'system.' 

1. Having regular meals.

2. Getting at least 20 grams of protein per meal.

3. Increasing your intake of plant-based fats.

4. Getting eight or more grams of fiber per meal. 

5. Staying curious

Five tools to include in your system

First Tool: Consistent meals

Having consistent meals is a foundational aspect of creating a system because it gives you an essential part of the system -- when you are going to do something. Eating three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) means you are scheduling in your calendar three times when you will care for your diabetes. This single intention to care for my diabetes by eating regular meals is transformative. It isn't looking at what you eat but focuses on your intention to care for your diabetes three times a day, at meals. 

Digging deeper, here is why this one change is transformative: you are saying three times a day that you will care for yourself and your blood sugar, and in one year, you are connecting to this intention 1095 times! If you eat breakfast at 8 am, lunch at 1 pm, and dinner at 6 pm, you renew your intention to care for your diabetes every five hours! Now, eating three meals has other benefits, including decreasing hunger. When you have less hunger, you also have fewer cravings. Having manageable hunger with few cravings allows for more consistency. A more consistent diet often means eating a consistent amount of carbohydrates, between 30 and 75 grams per meal, and this also stabilizes blood sugar.

Second Tool: Getting 20 grams of protein per meal.

 While you might assume I'm suggesting you eat a high-protein diet, I am not. Twenty grams of protein per meal equals 60 grams daily, and that is the RDA for a 175-pound person. If you are over 200 pounds, your protein needs would be closer to 30 grams per meal. 

Suppose you assume that eating more protein means eating more meat. Many high-protein diets, such as Paleo and Keto, rely on high amounts of meat. These diets promote weight loss, but the long-term effects have yet to be examined. These higher-protein diets are also higher in fat. Research has CLEARLY demonstrated (as in we don’t really question this fact anymore) that a diet high in animal fat correlates to heart disease, inflammation, and cancer. 

Third Tool: Shifting to more plant-based fats 

Adding fat into your diet can seem counterintuitive, but plant-based fats don't raise blood sugar. It means using nut oils instead of butter when cooking, and adding nuts, olives, and avocado to your favorite meal adds flavor and satiety. Swapping plant-based fats for animal fats lowers saturated fat intake, which reduces heart disease. If you are wondering, yes, heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with diabetes.

Let's create a meal comparison by replacing the saturated fat in the original Caesar salad with monounsaturated fat:

Original Caesar Salad:

Grilled Steak Caesar Salad:

• Ingredients:

  • 4 oz grilled steak

  • 2 cups romaine lettuce

  • 1/4 cup croutons

  • Two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.

  • Caesar dressing (made with mayo, anchovies, Parmesan, and olive oil)

• Macronutrients:

  • Protein: 25g

  • Carbohydrates: 15g

  • Fiber: 4g

  • Saturated Fat: 6g

  • Monounsaturated Fat: 4g

Modified Monounsaturated Fat Caesar Salad:

Grilled Chicken Mediterranean Salad:

• Ingredients:

  • 4 oz grilled chicken breast (replacing steak)

  • 2 cups mixed greens (spinach, kale, arugula) (replacing romaine lettuce)

  • 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (additional vegetables)

  • 1/4 cup cucumber, diced (additional vegetables)

  • Two tablespoons of feta cheese (replacing Parmesan)

  • Greek dressing (made with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano) (replacing Caesar dressing)

• Macronutrients:

  • Protein: 25g

  • Carbohydrates: 10g

  • Fiber: 3g

  • Saturated Fat: 2g (reduced from 6g)

  • Monounsaturated Fat: 10g (increased from 4g)

Comparison:

• The Modified Monounsaturated Fat Caesar Salad reduces saturated fat from 6g to 2g. It increases monounsaturated ed fat from 4g to 10g by switching to a Mediterranean-style dressing and using feta cheese instead of Parmesan.

• Both meals provide the same amount of protein (25g) and are still rich in vitamins and minerals from the vegetables.

• The modified version maintains the delicious flavor while making a heart-healthy substitution for the dressing and cheese.

It demonstrates how small changes in ingredients can make a meal more heart-healthy by reducing saturated fat and increasing monounsaturated fat.

Tool Four: Adding fiber.

Increasing your daily fiber intake to meet the RDA also helps stabilize your blood sugar. The RDA for fiber is 25 grams for women and 35 grams for men. Meals with 8-12 grams of fiber will likely meet this nutritional goal. When adding fiber, remember to go slow and drink enough water to avoid bloating or constipation. 

Here are five sample meals that have 20 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 grams of fiber. Here are some tips to avoid being triggered by these meal suggestions. Add food to these meals so they meet your needs. For example, maybe having the Quinoa and Black Bean is more appealing with some sliced pork. Go ahead and add some pork. Maybe Turkey and Black Bean Burrito Bowl isn't your cup of tea! That is great to know. What changes can you imagine making? If you are healing from years of chronic dieting, focus on healing and NOT following a specific recipe or diet. These are just ideas; use what works and let go of what doesn't. 

Tool Five: Staying Curious

The most important tool is remaining curious about your blood sugar. Compassionate curiosity keeps you engaged in your overall health and diabetes care. Diabetes is an ever-changing condition, so it's helpful to meet for an annual “GeeWiz” appointment.

What is a GeeWiz appointment? It is when you say, “GeeWiz, I didn’t know that there was an app, technology, treatment, tool, support group, book, podcast, newsletter, or company that did that!” You can also work with me one-on-one at Nourish!

Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl:

• Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa

  • 1/2 cup black beans (cooked or canned)

  • 1 cup mixed vegetables (spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes)

  • One tablespoon of olive oil

  • Seasonings: cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper

• Macronutrients:

  • Protein: 21g

  • Carbohydrates: 34g

  • Fiber: 12g

Turkey and Black Bean Burrito Bowl:

• Ingredients:

  • 4 oz ground turkey, cooked with taco seasoning

  • 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked

  • 1/4 cup black beans

  • 1/4 cup corn kernels

  • 1/4 cup salsa

• Macronutrients:

  • Protein: 22g

  • Carbohydrates: 33g

  • Fiber: 10g

Grilled Chicken, Potato and Salad:

• Ingredients:

  • 4 oz grilled chicken breast

  • 1 cup cooked potato

  • 2Tbs sunflower seeds

  • One scallion 

  • 1 cup mixed greens

  • 1/2 carrot

  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 1/4 cup cucumber, diced

  • One tablespoon of olive oil

• Macronutrients:

  • Protein: 28g

  • Carbohydrates: 30g

  • Fiber: 5-8g

• Lentil and Vegetable Soup:

  • Ingredients:

    • 1 cup lentils (cooked)

    • 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, celery, kale)

    • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes

    • One clove of garlic, minced

    • One tablespoon of olive oil

    • Vegetable broth for soup base

  • Macronutrients:

    • Protein: 20g

    • Carbohydrates: 31g

    • Fiber: 13g

Salmon and Sweet Potato Bowl:

• Ingredients:

  • 4 oz baked salmon

  • One medium sweet potato, roasted

  • 1 cup steamed broccoli

  • 1/4 cup quinoa

  • One tablespoon of lemon juice

• Macronutrients:

  • Protein: 22g

  • Carbohydrates: 33g

  • Fiber: 11g