Learning the triggers that spike your blood glucose levels is important to controlling type II diabetes. I learned my triggers through the diabetes classes I attended and by logging what I eat and monitoring my blood glucose.
Disclosure: I am not a physician but I am under a physician's care. And I am not selling a miracle cure or mystical elixar.
In a series of posts I will tell about my struggles and eventual triumph over Type II Diabetes.
I must stress that diabetes has taken its toll on my body which will likely be with me the rest of my life.
The Role of Your Pancreas
The pancreas is a long flattened gland deep in your abdomen. Because it is so hidden we typically give it little thought in our daily lives. However, the pancreas is a vital part of our daily lives as it plays a part in our digestive system and most critically controlling blood sugar levels.
The pancreas is divided into 4 main parts.
The Shape and Parts of the Pancreas
The pancreas has two functional components that are intimately mixed together. The pancreas acts as two glands in one organ.
Exocrine cells form the bulk of the pancreas that produce enzymes to aid with digestion of food. The exocrine cells release enzymes that travel to the main pancreatic duct. The enzymes drain into the first part of the small bowel, doudenum.
The endocrine pancreas is the second functional component of the pancreas. The endocrine pancreas is composed of islets of Langerhans, small island of cells, throughout the pancreas. The endocrine cells release hormones including insulin and glucagon into the blood stream. Insulin regulates how cells in your body use and store glucose and fat. Cells in your body rely on insulin to take glucose from the blood stream for energy. Glucagon is a hormone that prevents your blood glucose levels from dropping too low. Glucagon stimulates the process of glycogenolysis, the conversion of glycogen stored in the liver to glucose, and its subsequent released into the blood stream.
Pancreas and Type 2 Diabetes
Typically type 2 diabetes develops due to a combination of insulin deficiency and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means your cells no longer use insulin well, leaving your cells starved for energy. Too much glucose in your bloodstream is hyperglycemia whose symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea, and thirst. Too little glucose in your bloodstream is hypoglycemia whose symptoms include dizziness, shakiness, and loss of consciousness. Both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia left uncontrolled can quickly become life-threatening.
Dietary Considerations For Type 2 Diabetes
Carbohydrates supply fuel to cells but they also affect your blood sugar. Carbohydrates come from the foods we eat:
- Fruit
- Milk and yogurt
- Bread, cereal, rice, pasta
- Starchy vegetables like corn, potatoes, and beans
There are simple carbohydrates like sugar and complex carbohydrates found in nuts, beans, vegetables, and whole grains.
Your body digests simple carbohydrates faster than complex carbohydrates. The slower digestion of complex carbohydrates give you a steady supply of energy and fiber.
When you eat more carbohydrates than your insulin supply can convert to energy, your blood sugar level rises.
Monitoring Diet and Blood Glucose
Everyone is different and that is why logging what you eat and monitoring your blood sugar is important. Typically there are two important periods for monitoring your blood sugar levels. The first is your fasting blood glucose level, typically taken after 8 or more hours after eating. This is usually taken after waking up in the morning. The second important period is two hours after lunch. If you eat lunch at noon, then you measure your blood sugar level at 2pm.
Logging what you eat and monitoring your blood glucose levels is important to find what triggers high blood glucose levels for you.
My Observations from Monitoring Blood Glucose Levels
The monitoring regime I do is to measure my blood glucose and blood pressure each morning (fasting overnight), my blood glucose two hours after lunch, and my blood pressure at night. Recording this data allows me to track the effects of my diet on my vitals.
I have found that eating starchy foods in the morning is better than eating them later in the day.
The foods that trigger my high blood sugar levels are potatoes (french fries), bread, high-frutose corn syrup, eggnog, and pizza. So to better control my blood sugar I severely limited my consumption of potatoe products, bread, and pizza.
Kraft Brand Dressing Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing & Marinade
The foods that work best for me in controlling my blood sugar levels are salads with a vinegarette, lean meats, and soups. A trick I have found that works for me is to eat protein (meat) before eating any carbohydrates. Eating the protein first slows down the absorption of carbohydrates.
Eating out is also an issue at times. I love Italian food. Unfortunately, pasta is one of the triggers that raises my blood sugar levels, especially when I eat it in the late afternoon or early evening. I have learned that eating Italian food before or right at noon does not affect my blood sugar levels as much.
When I have a cold or flu, my blood sugar levels are high as my body tries to fight the virus. Just as periods of high stress tends to raise my blood sugar levels too.
A final observation has to do with sleep. When I do not get the right amount of sleep, my blood sugar levels are elevated.
Source and More Information
The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Pathology
The Connection Between Diabetes and Your Pancreas, healthline
Previous Posts in this Series
How I Beat Type II Diabetes -- A New Series of My Personal Struggles and Triumph
How I Beat Type II Diabetes: Complications That Gave Me A Reason To Change My Lifestyle
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