How to Maintain Normal Blood Sugar? A Five Steps Guide

Last updated on February 11th, 2024 at 09:28 pm

10 minutes read.    

If you are one of the millions of people who have prediabetes, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or any other form of “insulin resistance,” maintaining normal blood sugar levels can be challenging for you to know.

Over the past several decades, these chronic disorders have swept through the developed nations and many developing nations, reaching epidemic proportions and causing serious, but often preventable, side effects like nerve damage, fatigue, loss of vision, arterial damage, and weight gain.

Elevated blood sugar levels maintained for an extended period of time can push someone who is “prediabetic” into having full-blown diabetes (which now affects about one in every three adults in some developed nations like the U.S.). (1)

Even for individuals who aren’t necessarily at high risk for developing diabetes or heart complications, poorly managed blood sugar can lead to common complications, including fatigue, weight gain, and sugar cravings.

In extreme cases, elevated blood sugar can even contribute to strokes, amputations, coma, and death in people with a history of insulin resistance.

Although we usually think of normal blood sugar as being strictly reliant upon how many carbohydrates and added sugar someone eats, other factors also play a role.

For example, the quantity of food you at the time and the timing of your meals can also affect how the body manages blood sugar. (2)

What can you do to help avoid dangerous blood sugar swings and lower diabetes symptoms?

In this article, I will show you how you can maintain normal blood sugar levels through a combination of eating a balanced, low-processed diet, limiting alcohol intake and soft drinks, and getting regular exercise.

All these put together help you to manage your body’s most important hormones- “insulin”

Feel free to skip ahead.

• How to maintain normal blood sugar?
• How does your body manage blood sugar levels?
• What’s considered normal blood sugar?
• Signs of high/low blood sugar
• Conclusion

How to maintain normal blood sugar?

Most of the habits that help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, and normal blood sugar levels are fairly obvious and simple to carry out. However, it may look tedious to you, especially if you think it will be tough to start managing your blood sugar better.

Let’s look at the five best steps to help get you on the right track to reaching and maintaining normal blood sugar levels for life.

Step 1: Eat a Low-Processed, Anti-Inflammatory Diet

A healthy diet is key to blood sugar management and preventing or treating diabetes.

It’s not that you must avoid consuming any carbohydrates or sugar when trying to maintain normal blood sugar — just that you need to balance them out with protein/fats, and focus on getting them from real, whole foods. (3)

That being said, a keto diet can prevent too much insulin from being released following food consumption and help create normal blood sugar levels.

Eating a source of protein, fiber, and healthy fat with all of your meals can help stabilize blood sugar, especially when you consume carbohydrates/sugar (such as starchy veggies like potatoes, fruits, or whole grains).

These slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, help manage your appetite, and also favor your metabolism and digestion.

Some of the best protein foods for managing blood sugar include wild fish such as salmon, free-range eggs, grass-fed beef or lamb, raw dairy products (including yogurt, kefir, or raw cheeses), and pasture-raised poultry. (4)

Healthy fats include virgin coconut oil, MCT oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds (like almonds, chia, hemp, and flax), and avocado.

Coconut oil, ghee, and grass-fed butter are all some of my favorite fat-burning foods for managing blood glucose levels while also improving the taste and filling quality of your meals.

 High-fiber foods include fresh vegetables, whole pieces of fruit (not juice), sprouted beans or peas, and ancient grains.

Some of my favorite foods especially high in fiber are artichokes, green leafy vegetables, chia seeds, flaxseeds, apples, pumpkin seeds, almonds, avocado, and sweet potatoes.

According to an article in Diabetic Living magazine, other foods and drinks that make great additions to a blood-sugar-stabilizing diet include apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, green tea, herbal teas, fresh herbs, and spices. (5)

Step 2: Switch up Your Carbohydrates & Sweeteners

While all types of added sugars are capable of raising blood sugar levels, some sources of sugar/carbs affect blood glucose levels more so than others.

 When you use appropriate amounts sparingly, natural/unrefined, ideally organic sugar sources (such as those from fruits or raw honey) are less likely to contribute to poor blood sugar management than refined sugars (such as white cane sugar or refined products made with white/bleached wheat flour).

To help sustain normal blood sugar, check ingredient labels carefully since sugar can be listed under dozens of different names.

Skip anything made with refined flour (also called wheat flour or “enriched flour”) and added sugars, such as beet sugar/beet juice, cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, and dextrose.

Instead choose natural sweeteners, including raw honey, organic stevia, dates, pure maple syrup, or blackstrap molasses. (6)

Most importantly, still watch your portion sizes, using only a small amount per day of even natural sweeteners (such as one to three teaspoons daily matters a lot).

When it comes to grain-flour products, it’s best to consume grains in their whole form whenever possible as opposed to in flour form, which tends to spike blood sugar more.

But if you must use flour, choose those made with 100 percent whole grains, or else try coconut flour or almond flour for an even healthier option.

In terms of beverages, stick with water, seltzer, herbal tea or black tea, and coffee. Coffee is best in moderation, meaning one to two cups daily, especially compared to sweetened drinks, juices, or soda. (7)

Step 3: Strictly limit your Alcohol intake

Studies have shown that Chronic heavy consumption of alcohol deteriorates glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, and this may well be one of the mechanisms involved in the malignant effect of alcohol, with regard to the development of diabetes.

Keep in mind that a drink doesn’t taste sweet, doesn’t necessarily mean it has no sugar.

For example alcohol like beer. All types of beer beverages are not. 1 alcohol that can spike your blood sugar.

Other drinks that behave like beer in your body include sweetened alcoholic drinks (such as dessert/fortified wines, Sherries, liqueurs, mixed drinks with juice, and ciders). (8, 9,10, 11)

Step 4: Get Mild Regular Exercise

You’re probably already aware that there are literally dozens of benefits associated with exercise. According to the National Diabetes Association, exercise manages blood sugar in more than one way.

Research has shown that exercise improves blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes, reduces cardiovascular risk factors, and regulates body weight by reducing body fat percentage and enhancing lean mass. (12, 13)

Short-term exercise helps cells in your muscles to take up more glucose in order to use it for energy and tissue repair, therefore lowering blood sugar in the process.

Long-term exercise also makes cells more responsive to insulin and helps prevent insulin resistance. (23)

Doing about 30 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week (such as jogging/running, cycling, swimming, and lifting weights) is also a simple, beneficial way to lower inflammation, manage stress, improve immunity, and balance hormones.

According to American Diabetes Association (ADA), physical activity can lower your blood sugar for up to 24 hours or more after your workout by making your body more sensitive to insulin. (14)

Become familiar with how your blood sugar responds to exercise. Checking your blood sugar level more often before and after exercise can help you see the benefits of activity.

Insulin sensitivity is increased, so your cells are better able to use any available insulin to take up glucose during and after activity.

Step 5: Manage Stress

Stress stimulates the release of various hormones, which can result in elevated blood glucose levels. (15)

Excessive stress can actually cause blood sugar levels to rise due to an increased release of the “stress hormone” cortisol. Stress kicks off a vicious hormonal cycle for many people.

Understand that you don’t get stressed only from physically active work. Your body system can also get stressed up through long-term anger, anxiety, jealousy/envy, financial stress, and burdens of too many life-challenging situations.  

It not only contributes to high blood sugar by raising cortisol but also tends to increase cravings for “comfort foods” (many of which are refined and filled with sugar or other inflammatory ingredients) and often makes you not sleep well. (16)

So whenever you find yourself in such a situation, and if you can’t change the situation, try as much as possible not to allow it to last within your mind. Find something that makes you happy, think of something interesting, and think of progress instead of persisting in your ugly situation. 

Perhaps go out and play with interesting people. If you can fix the problem, think of the solution to fix the problem.

Note, drinking more alcohol as some people may think, cannot remove your problem or lessen your stress, or give you happiness, rather it will create more future health problems in your body system.  

These self-destructive habits contribute to even more stress, which interferes with blood sugar management even more.

 It’s no wonder that people who develop health problems like diabetes or heart disease, or even who wind up gaining a lot of weight and facing obesity, tend to feel more depressed and hopeless but find it hard to break the cycle and develop new habits.

Studies have found that natural stress relievers, including exercise, yoga, meditation, and using relaxing essential oils for anxiety (such as lavender, rose, and frankincense) are all helpful for diabetics and those with insulin resistance. (17, 18, 19)

How does your body manage blood sugar levels?

Individuals who tend to experience fluctuating, “abnormal” blood sugar levels include:

• Anyone with prediabetes or diabetes
• Anyone  eating a poor diet, high in refined sugar, refined grains, artificial/synthetic ingredients, and packaged foods
• Anyone who fad diet (obesity diet)
• Pregnant women (who can be at risk for gestational diabetes)
• People with a history of insulin resistance/diabetes in their families. (20)

Understand that your diet is the single most influential factor when it comes to your blood sugar levels. The foods that we eat fall into one of three categories: carbohydrates (sugars and starches), proteins, and fats (fats and oil). (21)

I hope you’re getting value.

Epidemiological data in humans suggest that subjects with higher intakes of fat are more prone to develop disturbances in glucose metabolism, type 2 diabetes, or impaired glucose tolerance, than subjects with lower intakes of fat. (22)

Intake of bad fat (much trans-fat and saturated fat) affects blood sugar, though not as carbohydrates do, and to a small extent proteins do.

Carbohydrates in our diets along with a portion of the protein we eat are turned into glucose, which is what gives cells most of their energy and helps fuel the majority of the body’s many functions.

Glucose requires insulin in order to be brought into cells, which is the hormone secreted by the pancreas that’s most important for blood sugar control.

When we eat carbohydrates or proteins, blood sugar rises, which alerts the body to produce more insulin in order to bring levels back to normal by ushering sugar into the cells. (24)

Insulin levels rise and fall in accordance with our diets and are also impacted by levels of other hormones, such as cortisol.

In people who have diabetes (whether type 1 or type 2), cells stop responding to insulin the way they should and the process described above starts to break down.

Either not enough insulin is being produced by the pancreas or cells are no longer responding to normal amounts of insulin (called “insulin resistance). This is when a lifestyle and diet to manage diabetes become very important.

Problems maintaining normal blood sugar can arise when:

Insulin-releasing mechanisms no longer work as they should specifically beta cells within the pancreas stop reacting to changes in blood sugar normally and too little insulin is produced, leaving blood sugar elevated. (25)

When blood sugar levels aren’t managed, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia can then occur as levels rise and fall drastically.

These come with many side effects that are indicative of prediabetes or diabetes, including fatigue, sugar cravings, changes in blood pressure, weight loss or gain, nerve damage, and nervousness.

Cells stop receiving enough energy since insulin is no longer doing its job of bringing them enough glucose (sugar).

At the same time, blood glucose levels can remain elevated, which damages the kidneys, heart, arteries, and nerves which in turn affects the whole body negatively. (26)

What’s considered normal blood sugar?

What doctors consider to be “normal” blood sugar depends on your medical history (for example, if you have or ever had diabetes) and when the last times you ate something and exercised when.

Blood sugar is measured in terms of milligrams of sugar per dl of blood, and measurements are most often taken in the morning after you’ve been fasting through the night. (27)

The following blood sugar measurements are considered healthy and normal according to health authorities, including the American Diabetes Association:

• If you’re generally healthy (you don’t have diabetes) and you haven’t eaten anything in the past eight hours (you’ve been fasting), it’s normal for blood sugar to be anything between 70 to 99 mg/dl (less than 100 mg/dl).

• If you’re healthy and you’ve eaten within the past two hours, it’s normal for your blood sugar to be anything less than 140 mg/dL.

• If you do have a history of diabetes, fasting glucose should ideally also be below 100 mg/dL, which might need to be managed through the use of insulin. It’s also considered healthy to have levels between 70 to130 prior to eating.

• If you have diabetes and you’ve eaten in the past two hours, the goal is to have blood sugar below 180 mg/dL.

• If you have diabetes, and you’re able to follow these five steps I mentioned earlier you can maintain your normal blood sugar to stay between 100 to 140 mg/dl prior to bedtime and at least 100 mg/dl prior to exercising.

Signs of high/low blood sugar

Even without measuring your blood sugar levels, there are certain clues that things might not be “normal”. How do you know if you’re not successfully managing your blood sugar levels throughout the day?

Common signs and symptoms not to ignore that can signify diabetes and fluctuating blood sugar levels include: (28)

• Fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome, low energy levels
• Sugar/carbohydrate cravings (you will be often hungry for sugary drinks or energy drinks)
• Excessive thirst
• Weight fluctuations/weight loss
• Increased urination
• Mood swings, nervousness, or “jitteriness”
• Blurred, worsening vision
• Slow healing of skin wounds, throat dryness, cuts, and bruises
• Frequent infections
• Heavy breathing and trouble exercising
• Tension headaches

Conclusion

The five best steps to help get you on the right track to reaching and maintaining normal blood sugar levels for life include:

• Eat a low-processed, anti-inflammatory diet.
• Switch up your carbohydrates and sweeteners.
• Strictly limit your alcohol intake.
• Get mild regular exercise and
• Manage stress

When we eat carbohydrates or proteins, blood sugar rises, which alerts the body to produce more insulin in order to bring levels back to normal by ushering sugar into the cells.

What doctors consider to be “normal” blood sugar depends on your medical history (for example, if you have or ever had diabetes) and when the last times you ate something and exercised when.

Common signs and symptoms not to ignore that can signify diabetes and fluctuating blood sugar levels include Fatigue or chronic fatigue, syndrome, low energy levels, Sugar/carbohydrate cravings (you will be often hungry for sugary drinks or energy drinks),

Excessive thirst, Weight fluctuations/weight loss, Increased urination, Mood swings, nervousness, Blurred, worsening vision, Slow healing of skin wounds, throat dryness, cuts and bruises, Frequent infections, Heavy breathing and trouble exercising, and Tension headaches.

If you have diabetes, and you’re able to follow these five steps I mentioned earlier you can maintain your normal blood sugar to stay between 100 to 140 mg/dl prior to bedtime and at least 100 mg/dl prior to exercising.

However, do well to meet your health care if you think your blood sugar level is going out of hand.

I hope you get the value worth your time, I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment below if you find this article helpful and don’t forget to drop your question, opinion or criticism if any. Cheers!

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