An edited version of this article written by Lela was published in issue 45 of The South African Journal of Natural Medicine, available in stores nationwide on a monthly basis or on: www.naturalmedicine.co.za.

Balancing blood sugar through diet.

When I was a child and was having a tantrum about something, the first thing my mother would ask was, ‘Have you eaten?’. At the time I couldn’t understand why this was important and as a teenager I was convinced she was encouraging an unhealthy emotional relationship with food but now, as so often happens in hindsight, it seems that my mother, was right.
I have since discovered that I have a family tendency to hypoglycaemia, also known as low blood sugar and thus I have to be very conscious of keeping my blood sugar levels stable as this can often be a precursor to adult onset diabetes. As a result I have tried and tested various ways of eating until I found what works for me. Even if you are not hypoglycaemic, balancing your blood sugar through diet is a great way to keep your mood and energy levels up and your weight down.

How does it work?
In order to understand how to keep your blood sugar on an even keel, you first need to understand how your body keeps it balanced.
Blood sugar is mainly controlled by two hormones, glucagon and insulin. Glucagon increases the breakdown of fat into fatty acids in adipose tissue which causes fatty acids to be released into the blood and so providing energy for the cells, it also stimulates glucose release into the blood. All of this has the effect of helping blood sugar rise to a normal level.
Insulin on the other hand, stimulates most of the body cells to take up more glucose from the blood. It also increases the rate at which glucose is used as an energy source. This has the effect of helping blood sugar to drop to a normal level.
Thus, how it works is as follows: When you eat a meal which for example contains high levels of carbohydrates which causes the blood sugar levels to rise, a signal gets sent to the beta cells of the pancreatic islets, part of the pancreas. This signal tells them to secrete the hormone insulin so that the body cells can take up excess glucose from the blood, use glucose faster as an energy source and that glucose from the liver and skeletal muscles is to be used to form glycogen and fat is to be made from the glucose in fat tissue and liver cells. All of these effects then cause a drop in the blood sugar level. After a few hours the blood sugar level will drop below normal or set point level when the nutrients supplied by the meal have ceased circulating in the blood. When blood sugar drops like this, the pancreas are signalled to stop secreting insulin and start secreting glucagon, this time from the alpha cells in the pancreatic islets. This then has the effect of causing glycogen in the liver and skeletal muscles to be broken down into glucose more quickly, fats to be broken down into fatty acids and glycerol in fatty tissue and these then being released into the blood as an alternative energy source to glucose. An increase in glucose synthesis from the glycerol absorbed from the blood takes place as well as an increase in the release of glucose into the blood. All of these effects cause the blood sugar to rise again to a normal or set point level.

Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
When we balance our blood sugar through our diet we need to know how certain foods will affect our blood sugar levels and this is done by looking at the glycemic index or the glycemic load of a food.
The Glycemic Index is a way of measuring how much of a rise  in blood sugar levels are caused by different carbohydrates. A numerical system is used and foods are compared to glucose which is given a value of 100. The higher the number given to a food, the greater the rise in blood sugar caused by that food. Thus a low GI value means a small rise in blood sugar and a high GI value means a greater rise in blood sugar. A GI of 70 or more is considered high, a GI of 56-69 is considered medium and a GI of 55 or less is seen as low.
Glycemic Load is a more recent way of assessing a foods effect on blood sugar levels. With this system the carbohydrate content of a food is taken into account and the Glycemic Load is worked out according to that. With GI we determine how quickly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. With GL we determine how much of that carbohydrate is present in a serving of that food, thus it gives a more accurate reflection of a particular foods effect on blood sugar levels. A GL of 20 or more is high, 11-19 is considered medium and a GL of 10 or less is low. The GL is calculated by taking the GI and dividing it by 100 and then multiplying that number by the available carbohydrate content in grams per serving. (1)

Foods beneficial to blood sugar balance.
There are many commonly available foods which can form a part of a blood sugar balancing diet.

Cinnamon
When testing the effect of common foods on blood sugar, Richard Anderson at the US Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Centre in Beltsville, Maryland, found that apple pie spiced with cinnamon actually had a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels. Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day can help to significantly lower blood sugar levels.

Oats
Oats contain beta-glucan, a type of fibre, which is said to lower cholesterol and ensures that oats causes a much lower rise in blood sugar than other more refined foods. Oats also contain magnesium, which is a co-factor for certain enzymes involved in insulin secretion and the body’s use of glucose. Home made muesli is easy to prepare and gives you a healthy start to your day.

Barley
Barley contains the same kind of cholesterol lowering fibre as oats, meaning that it is digested by the body more slowly than for example white rice and thus it gives what is called a sustained energy release to the body, preventing dramatic blood sugar highs. Barley is great added to winter soups or cold summer salads with a mint and yoghurt dressing.

Avocado
This versatile fruit contains fibre meaning that when it is added to a meal it helps to slow down the rise in blood sugar one finds after eating. The healthy fats in avocadoes also help to raise insulin sensitivity in the body, making them great for blood sugar control. Knowing this you now have an excuse to make dark rye toast with guacamole and cayenne your blood sugars new best friend.

Onions
Tests have found that the high sulphur and flavonoid content of onions cause a significant drop in blood sugar levels of diabetics when they consumed 2 ounces of this food per day. Thus having onion in your soup, salad and on your lunch-time sandwich may have blood sugar benefits.

Garlic
Garlic has been shown to lower blood sugar by increasing the body’s insulin sensitivity and also raising insulin production. Garlic can be used in salad dressings and pasta sauces or added to home made vegetable stock or broth.

Sweet Potatoes
Due to their high fibre content, sweet potatoes are much lower on the glycemic index than regular potatoes and thus are a good alternative for those wishing to balance their blood sugar levels. Have them baked or steamed or treat yourself to homemade fish and chips with a twist.

Other foods beneficial to blood sugar control include cherries, nuts, brown basmati rice, flaxseeds, apples, cooked beans and sprouts.

Do it your way.
The best way to have a healthy balanced diet which also helps to balance your blood sugar is to follow these guidelines, outlined by UK nutritionist Patrick Holford in his GL diet:
1.    Reduce the total amount of carbohydrates in your diet.
2.    Choose carbohydrates with a low GL, think oats with soya milk for breakfast and steamed sweet potatoes and green beans with home made mayonnaise for dinner.
3.    Combine carbohydrates and protein for sustained energy release, have brown basmati rice with salmon and vegetables or whole wheat pasta with butter beans and sundried tomatoes.
4.    Cut back on stimulants and stress. Replace your morning coffee with a mint and lemon tea, drink more water and take time every day to sit quietly and contemplate your goals and dreams for 10 minutes.

Whatever your reasons are for wanting to balance your blood sugar, doing it is easy and affordable, all it takes is a little knowledge, a willingness to try different foods and the decision to be conscious of how you fuel your body throughout the day.

Oh and remember, sometimes, just sometimes, your mother did know best!

Sources: 1 – www.mendosa.com
2 – Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson Haas M.D
3-  www.articlebase.com

Recommended reading: The Holford Diet by Patrick Holford.
Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson Haas MD.

Flax Oil

Also known as flaxseed or linseed oil, flax oil is an important source of Omega-3 fatty acid or alpha-linolenic acid(LNA) which is essential to the body and is the precursor to other important Omega-3 oils, EPA and DHA.
Flax oil is the best oil for people with an omega-3 deficiency as it contains the largest amount of LNA, which is the strongest dispersing essential fatty acid. It is also suitable for vegetarians who may not wish to take fish oils. LNA helps to break up saturated fat deposits and cholesterol but must be taken with caution as if it is taken for too long it can actually start to cause Omega-6 deficiency.

Uses of Flax Oil:

Flax oil may contain a substance which resemble the prostaglandins which regulate blood pressure, kidney, arterial, platelet and immune function. In fresh or unrefined flax oil one can find lecithin and other phospholipids which help to emulsify fats and oils to make them easier to digest. It plays a role in calcium and energy metabolism and is useful for treating fatty degenaration in diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Flax seeds contain easily digestible protein which contains all the amino acids essential to human health. Flax seeds are also an excellent source of fiber which amongst other things, helps keep our digestive tract clean and moving, free from mucus and toxic materials. Fiber also prevents bile acids and cholesterol from being reabsorbed into our body from our intestine, it softens stools, maintains regularity and prevents constipation.

Flax Oil can be helpful in treating dry skin, eczema and dandruff, it has been known to help in relieving some allergies and cases of asthma and may be useful in the treatment of depression.

It has been found to be helpful in relieving some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and also in the relief of conditions which involve edema.

Flax Oil helps to make the skin soft, hair shiny and nails strong and can shorten the healing time for bruizes as well as increase energy and a feeling of vitality.

Storage of Flax Oil:

Flax oil is best stored in a cool environment (preferable a fridge) in a dark glass bottle to prevent exposure to light and oxygen which destroy the health giving properties of flax oil.

How to take Flax Oil:

Flax Oil is best taken with protein, Johanna Budwig, a researcher in the field of oils, recommends taking flax oil with cottage cheese for best absorption. It can be used in salad dressings and over steamed vegetables.

Flax seeds make a good addition to mueslis and baking or stir-fries. The nutty flavour can enhance many dishes.

According to Udo Erasmus, author of Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, Flax oil should be a part of the intake of most of the population.

Bibliography: Flax oil as a true aid against arthritis, heart infarction, cancer and other diseases – Dr. Johanna Budwig.

Fats that heal, Fats that kill – Udo Erasmus

Staying Healthy with Nutrition – Elson Haas, MD.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol, that’s the bad stuff right? Not all true actually, our bodies need some cholesterol to function normally and some is produced by the body itself. Let’s take a look at how cholesterol functions in the body:

The Science and Biology bit:

Cholesterol, a steroid lipid(fancy word for a fat) made up of carbon and hydrogen and a precursor of many steroids synthesized in the body (eg. Progesterone, bile acids) is transported in blood via something called the cholesterol transport system. This is done on little ‘vehicles’ called lipoproteins, fatty substances carried in an envelope of proteins and lecithin-like substances, of which there are various forms. These are: Chylomicrons, Very-Low-Density-Lipoprotein [VLDL], Low-Density-Lipoprotein [LDL] and High-Density-Lipoprotein [HDL].

The Cholesterol Transport System works as follows:

Cholesterol taken in by dietary means (all those weekend fry-ups) and cholesterol in bile is carried from the intestines to the liver by the chylomicrons. These are lipoproteins which contain mainly triglycerides which are molecules of fat or oil. Lipoproteins are particles which are constructed so they have charged hydrophilic( water-loving) protein groups aimed at the outside (to make them able to travel in the water-rich environment of the body), with their hydrophobic (water-fearing) cholesterol and triglycerides on the inside ( away from the watery environment). When the triglyceride is removed from the chylomicron, one is left with a chylomicron remnant. This chylomicron remnant can then be metabolized by the liver or be used to make LDL. Cholesterol is then secreted by the liver in VLDL (Cholesterol is one of its main components). The VLDL is transported via the blood to the tissues, where it is converted to LDL in the adipose (fatty) tissue. The Low-Density-Lipoprotein (LDL) then carries the cholesterol to the receptor sites on the cells of many different body tissues and releases the cholesterol when it is taken up by the cell receptors. High-Density-Lipoprotein (also manufactured by the liver) then ‘picks up’ the released cholesterol and transports it back to the liver. In the liver the returned cholesterol is converted into bile. Bile acids is the last step in the body’s breakdown of cholesterol as the body is not able to break down cholesterols’ steroid nucleus.

How to lower your cholesterol

Reducing overall cholesterol levels is simply a matter of increasing the levels of HDL (which removes cholesterol from the tissues and takes it to the liver to be excreted or recycled) and decreasing the levels of LDL (which takes cholesterol to receptor sites on cells). There are various ways of doing this:
Take a look at your diet. Increasing the intake of dietary fibre can decrease cholesterol levels as the fibre binds to the bile acids and so keeps the cholesterol in them from being reabsorbed by the body. Fibre can be found in legumes(chickpeas, butter beans), fruits such as apples and also in vegetables.
Monounsaturates , a type of fatty acid, found in olive oil (omega 6 fatty acids), avocado oil and peanut oil can help to raise HDL levels and lower LDL levels while the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in evening primrose oil can lower LDL levels but will lower HDL levels as well.
Omega-3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both found in fish oils also contribute to higher levels of HDL and lower levels of LDL.
Lifestyle habits such as smoking lead to low levels of HDL so giving up smoking would significantly help to raise levels of HDL. Another risk factor for low levels of HDL is obesity, thus following a regular exercise program and having a healthy diet would assist in raising these levels.
Another way to keep LDL levels healthy is to ensure you are getting enough Vitamin C and chromium in your diet as a deficiency in either of these can contribute to raised levels of LDL. Avoiding excess intake of copper, iron and sodium (watch your salt intake) can also help as too much of any of these can contribute to raised LDL levels. Moderate alcohol consumption (no more than two drinks(units) a day) can also help to raise HDL levels.

Eating too much animal protein can raise LDL levels whilst eating vegetable protein like pulses can help lower LDL levels, thus a higher proportion of vegetable protein as opposed to animal protein is recommended in the diet. Try replacing one meat meal a week with a good vegetable protein like soy in the form of tofu or soya sausages or even a glass or two of soya milk.

Keeping HDL levels high and LDL levels low is very much a case of living sensibly: doing enough exercise, not eating too much animal protein, whilst eating plenty of vegetable protein, fruits and vegetables (for the fibre, vitamins and minerals) and ensuring you get a good intake of EFAs (essential fatty acids) from fish and vegetable oils.

Cholesterol is a necessary substance in our body and as with all things, a little forethought can go a far way in keeping it at levels optimum for good health.
Sources: Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill – Udo Erasmus