Playing catch up

Believe it or not, our bodies are actually designed to be very efficient at processing the foods we eat. The problem is, our genetics haven’t caught up with the mass quantities of fast foods, simple carbohydrates, and sugar that we face on a daily basis. Hence, the current diabetes epidemic.

So let’s jump right back in where we left off yesterday with the first warning sign your body gives you that you’re on the road to this epic health disaster–feeling tired and sluggish after eating.

This is a normal response to an influx of carbs. But if you’re experiencing that slump every day around 3 or 4 o’clock, your body is telling you that you are eating the wrong foods.

You see, all carbohydrates–whether they come from a doughnut or a carrot–are broken down into the bloodstream as glucose, the body’s main energy source. The pancreas then has to release insulin so your body can actually use this glucose

This system works perfectly…until it gets bombarded with a constant onslaught of sugar, white flour, and sweet beverages. All these carbs overwhelm the process, and eventually your cells’ insulin receptors stop working, which means they can’t take in glucose. So that glucose builds up in your blood. Meanwhile your pancreas notes that your glucose level is still high, and it pumps out even more insulin in response.

It’s a vicious–and exhausting–cycle better known as insulin resistance. And when your brain and body are constantly working overtime trying to deal with it, it’s no wonder you feel sleepy and unfocused.

Here’s how you fix it: Eat more vegetables. When you do eat carbs, choose complex ones like brown rice or legumes such as lentils or beans. It takes your body longer to break these down into glucose. This will slow down the release of sugar into your blood stream, which keeps your blood sugar more steady and helps eliminate that mid-afternoon sluggishness.

Another quick, easy thing you can do is to take a slow 15 minute walk after eating. Or any activity that doesn’t involve sitting down, for that matter. Any form of movement helps your body to process the glucose intake faster and more efficiently and moves it out of your blood stream and into your muscles, where it belongs.

In the next Reality Health Check, I’ll tell you how to tackle the other prediabetes warning sign–those stubborn carb cravings.

But first, keep reading for news on one natural remedy that can help take your blood-sugar-balancing efforts even further…