How To Balance Your Blood Sugar To Boost and Sustain Daily Energy Levels

Your energy, your self-care and your inner beliefs all create your success.

If one is not being taken care of as well as it should be, you will lose balance. And when you are out of balance you cannot show up and perform as well as you want to.

Notes by Thalia was built on the belief that self-care is essential.

Throughout my blog posts, I have encouraged you to prioritise your well-being in a way that works for you. I have now recently moved into self-discovery-based content empowering you to create your own version of a deeply fulfilling life.

But what I haven’t touched on as much is energy.

Energy is our lifeblood — it fuels our actions and thoughts and is the driving force behind our productivity and vitality.

In short, it allows us to live life at its fullest and healthiest.

And what impacts our energy more than we realise or are even aware of?

Our blood sugar levels.

Here’s everything you need to know about balancing your blood sugar to sustain energy and reach optimal health.

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What is blood sugar balancing?

This topic is very different to what I usually write about on my blog.

But since starting my health coaching diploma and becoming a Certified Health Coach I continue to expand my knowledge in health and wellness. One of the main aspects of health that I delved into and learnt so much about was blood sugar balancing.

The concept of controlling your blood sugar for optimal health.

Your body was designed to burn glucose for energy.

Carbohydrates like grains, rice, potatoes, vegetables and fruits are broken down into glucose providing fuel for the body.

But if you follow a typical Western diet, chances are you’re consuming the wrong type of carbohydrates, causing an overload of glucose in your blood. I know they taste good but processed foods like cakes, biscuits and sweets, bread, pasta and anything that’s fried can throw your blood sugar out of balance.

When excess glucose gets stored as fat and your blood sugar levels dip, your body starts to crave more food (typically foods high in sugar) so it can meet its energy requirements.

Ever wondered why you crash mid-afternoon? It’s your body’s way of telling you that it needs a quick energy boost.

Craving coffee or something sweet after meals is also another sign that your blood sugar is out of balance.

And if you satisfy your cravings with something sweet, your body will just go through the cycle again of getting an energy boost and then crashing a couple of hours later.

It’s a constant rollercoaster.

But by stabilising blood sugar levels, you can start to avoid those drastic sugar spikes and crashes. Which will ultimately lead to sustained energy levels throughout the day.

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The benefits of blood sugar balancing

Before I dive into the fundamental ways of implementing blood sugar balancing so you can sustain energy throughout the day, let me first share the numerous benefits of stabilising blood sugar.

Not only can balancing blood sugar work wonders on your energy levels but making this simple lifestyle change can also invite in a range of other positive improvements.

Blood sugar balancing helps to:

• Stabilise energy levels throughout the day
• Enhance focus and mental clarity
• Prevent sugar crashes and energy dips
• Reduce cravings for sugary foods
• Increase metabolism
• Promote a feeling of fullness and satisfaction after you’ve eaten
• Boost mood and reduces mood swings
• Support healthy weight maintenance
• Maintain happy, healthy hormones
• Reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
• Prevent inflammation
• Encourage better quality sleep
• Promote a sustainable and balanced approach to eating

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The 3 main rules of blood sugar balancing

Blood sugar balancing is not another fad or toxic diet — it’s a safe and sustainable lifestyle choice.

And implementing this approach is extremely straightforward, plus it is still super delicious and enjoyable.

The 3 main rules to follow are:

1. Eat regularly (every 3-4 hours)
2. Have protein with every meal
3. Be selective about the type of starchy carbs you consume

Let’s explore each one in further detail.

Disclaimer: Blood Sugar Balancing has been tested over decades and is backed by hundreds of scientific trials. I was taught about blood sugar balancing by a team of professional nutritionists. I am in no way medically trained on this topic and this blog post is not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of medical advice. This blog post was written based on my own experience with blood sugar balancing and I share these tips in the hope they will help you in some way.

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1 | Eat regularly (every 3-4 hours)

It’s essential to nourish your body consistently throughout the day with healthy, unprocessed, whole foods.

By maintaining a consistent eating schedule, you are providing your body with a steady supply of fuel while also preventing extreme blood sugar fluctuations.

Eating regularly also helps to reduce cravings and sustains your energy levels throughout the day.

When your blood sugar is stabilised, your body is in balance allowing you to feel your best and perform at your daily peak.

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2 | Have protein with EVERY meal

Protein has zero impact on blood sugar.

That means you can eat as much protein as you want (but of course within reason). Eating protein with the right type of carbohydrates (whole grains, fruit and veg) can also help lower their impact on blood sugar. Protein can be found in fish, meat (my fave), eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and pulses.

Despite what some influencers might claim, protein is essential for the human diet as we need it for cell growth and maintenance so do not skip this vital nutrient.

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3 | Be selective about the type of starchy carbs you consume

Carbohydrates can have a big impact on blood sugar so it’s essential that you eat the right kind of carbs.

As much as it pains me to say this, it just has to be done — not all carbs are created equally. Eating foods that contain fast-releasing carbohydrates such as starchy veg and processed foods can cause drastic blood sugar spikes leading to unstable energy levels.

So be selective about the type of starchy carbs you consume.

Carbohydrates that you don’t need to picky about and can have an unlimited supply of are non-starchy vegetables. Think broccoli, cauliflower, runner beans, cabbage, mushrooms and asparagus, etc and dark leafy greens (spinach, rocket, kale, etc).

These non-starchy vegetables are super healthy and mainly delicious (kale I’m looking at you for being a bit gross), and are packed full of essential vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants.

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A side note of transparency: I’m not saying that you can never eat a cheeseburger or have a chocolate bar again (because I definitely still do). I firmly believe that 100% of one thing is not fully sustainable. We are only human and sometimes we want a big, juicy Italian pizza with homemade tomato sauce, meatballs and mozzarella. Have the pizza and enjoy it. My rule of thumb is to follow an 80/20 balance — I eat well 80% of the time and the other 20% of the time is my Saturday-YOLO-cheat-day. So as always, do what works best for you and your health.

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“To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life.”

— My all time favourite quote by Elizabeth Gilbert

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Some extra-loving tips

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4 | Opt for healthy, whole foods

Choosing whole, unprocessed foods is a great way to naturally reduce your sugar intake.

Processed foods often contain a lot of hidden sugars and additives, while whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains provide essential nutrients without added sugars, artificial flavouring or colourings.

By focusing on whole foods and preparing meals from scratch, you have more control over the ingredients and can avoid unnecessary sugar consumption.

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5 | Don’t be scared of fat

Fun fact, the human body needs fat to function. And blood sugar balancing celebrates full-fat foods (whoop)!

Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and full-fat dairy do not impact blood sugar. So you can eat as much as you want (but again within reason — a good aim is about the size of your thumb per meal).

Again not all fats were created equal.

Stick to natural fatty foods and avoid processed, hydrogenated fats such as processed vegetable and seed oils, store-bought baked goods and fried food.

Give your body the right kind of fats and you’ll also stop craving fatty junk foods.

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6 | Only drink coffee after you’ve eaten

If you drink caffeine on an empty stomach, it can be absorbed into the bloodstream a lot quicker causing a blood sugar spike. But if you drink caffeine after you’ve eaten, the presence of food in the stomach slows down the absorption process which prevents a drastic blood sugar spike.

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7 | Check food labels for hidden sugars

Sugar can be found in most common store-bought products — scary I know!

So if you want to start being more conscious of the amount of sugar you consume then I recommend checking the ingredients of some of your favourite foods to make sure they aren’t laced with sugar. (Shoutout to my grass-fed cows who produce delicious steaks that contain zero sugar!)

There are many different name variations for secret sugars so keep an eye out for these ones on your food labels: fructose, molasses, lactose, sweeteners, barley malt, cane juice, dextran, malt powder, ethyl maltol, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, glucose, disaccharides, maltodextrin, and maltose, and any type of syrup most notably corn syrup.

Products I now routinely check for hidden or added sugars are peanut butter (always go for 100% natural), honey (again choose 100% natural and organic), fruit juices that claim to be fresh (they’re usually full of added sugar so I now always ask) and dressings.

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Save this cheat sheet on Pinterest

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Final thoughts

Just like with all of my content, I am not here to force anything onto you. It is down to you to decide what changes you choose to implement.

Notes by Thalia exists to encourage and support you to create your own version of a healthy life.

So always do what works best for you and your health.

I’ve recently seen blood sugar balancing pop up all over my Instagram so I took it as a sign to dive deeper into this topic and share what I’ve learnt over the past 10 months.

I wanted to give you a better understanding of how blood sugar imbalance can negatively impact your performance and productivity. Especially as you may not even be aware of it.

And hopefully, by sharing this blog post, you can get a better idea of what you can do to keep your sugar cravings at bay while also boosting energy so you can live each day to its fullest.

If you would like to learn more, I highly recommend checking out Glucose Goddess on Instagram and reading her book, Glucose Revolution. (FYI this is an affiliate link)

There’s so much to cover when it comes to blood sugar balancing but I felt that it was best (and less overwhelming) to focus on the basics first.

Maybe I’ll share more on this topic again soon.

Until next week,

♡ Thalia xx