In response to the recent episode on the 3 stages of carbohydrate intolerance, I got an email that merits further discussion.
I want everyone to understand that while yes, our food choices drive blood sugar and are primarily responsible for our fat loss and lack thereof, there are non-food influences on blood sugar.
That’s right – there are physiological and lifestyle factors that drive blood sugar & insulin significantly enough to influence fat loss and today we’re investigating those things.
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Non-Food Influences on Blood Sugar
In order to reach our highest fat loss potential and optimize our health, we have to understand both the food and non-food influences on blood sugar.
We need to evaluate the ways by which we can increase blood sugar as well as the factors that influence how we decrease or stabilize blood sugar.
Three ways by which blood sugar is increased include:
- Eating – this includes but is not limited to consuming carbohydrates. The extent of the blood sugar increase depends on what and how much you eat
- Glycogenolysis – breaking down stored muscle or liver glycogen to glucose
- Gluconeogenesis – generating new glucose from a non-carbohydrate substance like protein. This can be triggered in response to low blood sugar and/or stress
The factors that determine how quickly blood sugar drops after an elevation include:
- Your activity level
- When, what and how much you last ate
- Your carbohydrate tolerance
- Your insulin sensitivity
- Your baseline (include glycogen storage capacity)
Factors which determine what happens to the glucose in your blood include:
- Your activity level
- Your fuel needs
- Your muscle glycogen status
The potential uses for glucose in the blood include:
- Immediate energy
- Glycogen storage
- Fat storage
For specific strategies on improve your blood sugar response and reducing fat storage, listen to the full episode!
Don’t Forget to Save The Date!
The first ever Primal Potential Women’s Transformation Weekend is November 3-5th in downtown Nashville, TN! Tickets go on sale 7/12/16.
Resources
Carbohydrate Intolerance Whitepaper
Episode 009: Carbohydrate Spillover
Carb Strategies for Effortless Fat Loss
Golden Rules of Carbs & Fat Loss