Lumby Days have come and gone, but you may still be feeling the effects of it, especially if you visited the food trucks or vendors with all their delights. Sugar hangover, food coma, food fatigue are all familiar terms you may know or heard of. You may have experienced this phenomenon over this past weekend or at other times of the year like at Christmas or Halloween. With so many treats to try, no wonder we end up feeling a bit off, luckily, it’s only over a day or two. Eating sugar-heavy snacks or processed food items digest quickly into simple sugars — namely glucose, which is then rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream, causing a spike in blood sugar. This spike is what causes that dreaded sugar hangover. Our bodies are excellent at regulating blood sugar levels, so blood sugar spikes are typically brief. But, if you eat a large amount of these type of foods, there can be a short period of time where you become hypoglycemic — meaning blood sugar reaches high enough levels to cause unpleasant side effects.
Usually for most people, this rapid increase in blood sugar doesn’t last long, and its related symptoms aren’t cause for any immediate concern. This particular type of hyperglycemia is called postprandial hyperglycemia — after-meal hyperglycemia. It can take up to about two hours to develop, and symptoms of hyperglycemia include:
- Fatigue
- Feeling foggy
- Blurred vision
- Increased thirst
- Headaches
In addition, as your body attempts to handle a blood sugar spike, it may over-correct — resulting in a brief state of low blood sugar, called reactive hypoglycemia that is more immediate. This, in turn, can cause symptoms of light-headedness, shakiness, irritability, sweating, anxiety and palpitations.
Ways to Avoid the Sugar Hangover
It’s hard to choose a piece of fruit over a handful of cookies for dessert, just as it’s hard to order the drip coffee instead of a Vanilla latte most days of the week.
But there are things you can do:
1. Don’t overdo it
It goes without saying, once in awhile we will indulge but on a regular basis we want to avoid foods that are the most likely to cause a blood sugar spike — namely, added sugars and simple carbs like white bread or white rice. Go to more complex carbohydrates like whole grains, legumes and veggies.
2. Balance your meal
Slow the digestion to avoid spikes by adding in fibre, protein and or healthy fats.
3. Stay hydrated
Hyperglycemia in the case of high blood sugar – results in too much sugar dissolved in your blood, with less fluid in your blood to help dilute the extra glucose. This means that staying hydrated can increase your chances of keeping your blood sugar levels as low as possible.
Please take note though if some of these symptoms are not typical or happen more often than not, you should always consult with your doctor. If your blood sugar is allowed to fall dangerously low, loss of consciousness and even death can result.
Mikkie Nettles-Pollon, Certified Personal Trainer/Holistic & Sports Nutritionist
Not sure where to begin, contact me at info@deemhealth.ca
250-541 -0411.
www.deamhealth.ca
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