The amount of blood glucose in your body varies through the day according on how much and what you eat during the day. If you eat foods composed mostly of simple sugars and carbohydrates this will cause the glucose in the blood stream to swing widely from high to low. A normal blood sugar level is considered to be between 70 and 110 mg/dL. The higher end after you eat and the lower end after fasting for several hours. In fact typical normal blood sugar levels upon arising after a good night s sleep should be in the 70 to 100 mg/dL range. Higher than that can indicate a medical problem is on the way and even higher readings indicate diabetes has taken hold.
Blood sugar levels often above 150 mg/dL indicate hyperglycemia or high blood sugar. Levels below 70 mg/dL is hypoglycemia and can be a dangerous condition that causes shaking, headaches and even coma. It can be reversed by ingesting sugar to raise the glucose level in the blood. If you are experiencing swings in blood sugar a trip to the doctor is probably necessary for further testing and ruling out serious problems.
Staring out the day with oatmeal is a good way to reverse blood glucose swings. Oatmeal is high in fiber. Fiber slows down the digestive process and also the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. Other whole grain cereals or high fiber foods are a great addition to your diet and help normalize blood glucose. Adding cinnamon to your oatmeal can help delay the emptying of your stomach even further. Studies have shown that cinnamon can affect blood sugar levels and slowing the emptying of food into the rest of the digestive tract is how it is thought to work
Protein added to breakfast can help start out the day right and low-fat options are available to add the benefit of protein without adding the extra calorie of fat. Keeping blood sugar levels normal is possible and just a little change in diet habits and meal planning can make it possible.
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