Login or Register

Blood Sugars & Low Intake of Carbohydrates

May 28, 2011 | By Ashley Jacob
Blood Sugars & Low Intake of Carbohydrates
Photo Credit Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images

Blood sugar level control is important not only for diabetics, but also for people suffering from reactive hypoglycemia, concerned with their weight or simply wanting more stable energy levels to do their daily activities. High blood sugar levels can damage your nerves, blood vessels and organs, while low blood sugar levels can make you feel irritable and weak and give you a headache. Fluctuating blood sugar levels may also result in carbohydrate cravings and uneven energy levels between your meals. Your diet, especially the amount of carbohydrates your eat, can have a big influence over your blood sugar levels.

Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar Levels

While protein and fat have very little effect over your blood sugar levels, carbohydrates have a huge influence. Carbohydrates are found in all grains, such as rice, pasta, couscous, breakfast cereals, cereal bars, oatmeal, muffins, crackers, cookies and other baked goods, starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes, sugar, such as in soft drinks, fruit punches, candies, sweets and desserts, as well as in fruits, milk and yogurt. When you eat a carb-containing food, it is digested and broken down into sugars, which are then absorbed into your blood. This is why eating carbs raises your blood sugar levels.

Low-Carb Diets

A low carb intake would be defined as 150 g of carbohydrates a day or less, but it may go as low as 20 g of carbohydrates or less a day. To lower your carb intake, you can avoid or reduce your serving size of carbohydrate-rich foods. Counting your carbohydrates using food labels and online food composition tables is a good way to assess what levels of carbohydrates work best for you. A diet with a lower carb intake should be based on plenty of non-starchy vegetables, such as leafy greens, asparagus and mushrooms, protein from poultry, fish, seafood, meat, eggs and cheese, as well as fats from coconut oil, olive oil, butter, cream, mayonnaise, avocado, nuts and their butters.

Low-Carb Diets, Blood Sugar and Energy Levels

If you restrict your carbohydrate intake, your blood sugar levels will also be reduced. Normally, when eating carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels rise and then drop a few hours later; the more carbs you eat, the steeper the increase and the more abrupt the drop. Following a diet with a low carb content can help you stabilize your blood sugar levels during the whole day, preventing large fluctuations and helping you to have more even energy levels while reducing cravings. Sticking to a lower carb intake can therefore help you reach and maintain a healthy body weight more easily by helping you feel more satiated and energized.

Type 2 Diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, a low-carb diet may help you better manage your condition by better controlling your blood sugar levels and preventing complications. Before making any significant dietary changes, consult your doctor, as your medications may require adjustments. Doing baseline blood work is also a good idea to assess objectively the influence of your low-carb diet over your health. In a study with type 2 diabetics, following a low-carb diet providing 80 to 90 g of carbohydrates a day helped bring patients' hemoglobin A1C levels, a measure representing their average blood sugar levels, in target in less than 6 months. Participants were able to maintain their levels in the desirable range for up to 44 months by following their low-carb diet, according to a study published in May 2008 in "Nutrition & Metabolism."

References

Article reviewed by CarmenN Last updated on: May 28, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries