Here at Heart Health, we view the body as a whole, all systems working in harmony for the purpose of our wellbeing. To feel well, the body has to function properly, and there is nothing more vital for this purpose than our metabolic system – in charge of metabolizing blood sugar. A topic that the Glucose Goddess Method explains very well.
Don’t worry, no CGM or glucose monitor needed, or HOMA-IR formulas. Let’s dive in.
Struggling with your blood sugar & heart health? We can help!
Blood Sugar Control
In 2023, food abundance and food processing are the leading health risks to those in the West. With a solid public health infrastructure, we have less infectious disease to worry about. It’s metabolic diseases that pose the biggest health risk.
A few centuries ago, it was too much lead in the food that posed the biggest risk. Later, it was viruses and, even later still, bacteria. Now, we have too much glucose floating around in the body, which causes excess fat deposition, cell destruction, aging, hunger, inflammation, and fatigue.
Blood sugar control is not just a topic for diabetics. If you wait to address blood sugar once you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, it’s a bit too late.
The goal isn’t perfect blood sugar numbers – that kind of obsession bursts at the seams somewhere else. But we need to mind our glucose numbers, and it requires a concerted effort by all body parts to keep serum glucose numbers in check.
The Glucose Goddess Method
We like the Glucose Goddess Method because it’s evidence-based and you can follow it easily. She does a fantastic job of explaining and teaching the important points of blood sugar control. Easy to follow and with good results.
Some think she’s all about using a CGM or checking your blood sugar numbers with a glucometer, but really, she’s done that for you already. All that you have to do is follow the style of eating and movement she talks about.
We recommend her 4-week guide as a great place to start – you’ll get all of her hacks in one short 4-week program. Later, you can go back and read her Glucose Revolution book for more background and maybe to solidify your efforts in controlling your blood sugar.
Blood Sugar And Heart Heart
Cardiovascular health and blood sugar are closely linked because we know that excess glucose in the blood causes damage to cells, increases inflammation, increases atherosclerosis, and leads to unstable plaque, which can cause heart attacks or strokes.
The main things we are concerned with here at HH are:
- Atherosclerosis
- Inflammation
- Arrhythmia
Plaque buildup, or atherosclerosis, by itself, isn’t the worst thing. For those who are sedentary, it can lead to angina, yes. We worry most about the buildup of unstable plaque – the kind that breaks off and causes a strong inflammation cascade, which leads to complete blockage of the vessel – leading to the death of the heart muscle.
Excess serum glucose damages the sensitive electrical system of the heart, leading to arrhythmias, which can make the heart stop or lead to heart failure.
Key Factors of Glucose Control
1. Prevent Glucose Spikes
Prevention is better than treatment. The best way to prevent an initial glucose spike is to eat the kind of foods that don’t raise your serum glucose. It’s what you eat, when you eat it, and how you eat it, that can control those spikes.
- Eat foods that your body can’t easily convert to glucose.
- Eat slowly and chew well.
- Don’t eat late at night.
- Know in which order to eat your food.
2. Lower Glucose Spikes
It’s inevitable that your blood sugar will shoot up, often due to stress, being sedentary, or having eaten something your system didn’t like.
Lower serum glucose by controlling your metabolism.
- Start breathing exercises, meditation, and exercise.
- Hydrate slowly and consistently throughout the day.
- Consider supplements – though these are not often effective.
3. Improve Glucose Metabolism
A more longterm strategy is to make our bodies into glucose metabolism factories – the kind of intestinal tract, liver cells, and muscle tissue that can immediately get the excess glucose out of the blood vessels and safely store it away.
- Know your visceral fat content.
- Decrease inflammation using inflammatory signals and serum markers.
- Build more muscle or more effective muscle.
- Maintain or improve your gut flora.