Keeping insulin from getting too high is essential for fat loss and prevention of fat gain, but did you know that it's equally important for many other areas of our health such as our energy levels, mood, brain, skin, and gut? 


Yes! If you experience unwanted weight gain or difficulty losing weight, energy crashes, irritability, brain fog, acne, or any digestive symptoms, then this post applies to you.


In this blog post, we're giving away 3 important secrets to blood-sugar and insulin balancing.


#1: Time-restricted eating aka intermittent fasting


Ok, we know this isn't really a secret anymore as intermittent fasting is very popular these days, BUT we’re not just talking about skipping breakfast here. 


Certainly that is one way to incorporate intermittent fasting into your life, but something that we don't often think about is the time between meals. Insulin rises after a meal to shuttle sugars to your cells for energy or storage. If there is not enough time left between meals for insulin to drop back down, it will continue to rise, eventually leading to insulin resistance- a precursor to diabetes.


So, while skipping breakfast or doing longer fasts may not be for you (it's not for everyone), taking longer breaks between meals may be quite helpful in allowing insulin to normalize before the next meal. 


Bonus- this break between meals also allows any excess gut bacteria to be pushed down the digestive tract, so that it cannot overgrow and cause annoying digestive symptoms.


#2: Addressing cortisol


An often overlooked piece of the blood-sugar puzzle is cortisol.


Cortisol is considered a stress hormone and one of its key actions when there is stress on the body is to stimulate the release of sugar into the bloodstream that can be used for quick energy to get through the stressor at hand.


This is why strategies like overexercising often do not result in more weight loss- because the calories being burned do not outweigh the stress being put on the body.


Ignoring your stress levels and "pushing through" to reach a goal, for example letting a strict diet take more importance over your mental health, or reducing sleep hours to go to the gym or work more, can do more harm than good.


#3: Addressing estrogen


If high blood sugars or insulin resistance are already present, this can lead to an overproduction of estrogen. Fat cells themselves produce estrogen, and too much insulin or being overweight can lead to elevated levels of testosterone which is then converted to estrogen. While balanced levels of estrogen help keep insulin stable, too much estrogen may possibly contribute to fat gain and water retention, as well as potentially cause or worsen PMS, fibroids, endometriosis, and more.


While dealing with insulin is the root cause here, managing excess estrogen through proper detoxification can also be helpful, especially if those higher estrogen symptoms or conditions are present.