Fueling Long Days Without Blood Sugar Crashes

These days, we often find ourselves running from point A to point B to point C and finding the energy to get through the day can be a feat in and of itself. Between work, school, extracurricular activities, household upkeep, and meal planning, it can be easy to grab whatever food is closest on the way out the door and call it a day. But did you know that your on-the-go snacks that are supposed to fuel you can actually lead to more energy crashes? Let’s take a look at how what you’re eating can fuel long days without the crash!

The key to long-lasting energy starts with blood sugar, protein, and fiber. Glucose (sugar) is your body’s primary energy source, fueling everything from your muscles to your brain. However, glucose in the form of simple carbohydrates is very easy to digest-this leads to a quick deposit of glucose into the blood stream that is rapidly consumed by your cells for energy. Sounds great, right? It is for fueling for a run or high-impact workout, unfortunately not so great when we’re talking about energy that’ll stay with you all day. The issue lies in the time after the glucose is taken up by cells. The rapid deposit and uptake of glucose leads to deep, steep energy dips which sends your body into a sort of panic. It recognizes that you’re low on energy and goes into damage control. Our bodies know, historically, that foods that are sweet, salty, or fatty tend to be high in energy, so they’ll push us to eat whatever is going to give us a lot of energy, and fast. Unfortunately in the modern world, this leads to intense cravings for some less-than stellar choices and the cycle of highs and lows continues.

So how do we balance staying energized while also staying in control of our cravings and avoiding crashes? The answer lies in how we’re pairing our carbohydrates. While carbohydrates on their own are fast to digest, proteins, fats, and fiber are quite a bit slower to break down. So when you have a meal or a snack that combines carbs with protein, fat, and/or fiber, the latter will slow down how much and how fast glucose is deposited in the blood stream-leading to longer lasting energy without the crashes and dips. In practice, this can look like pretzels and hummus, apples and peanut butter, cheese and fruit, or one of our Primal Eats meat sticks with a piece of fruit as a midday snack! As for meals, following the MyPlate method (½ plate fruits and vegetables, ¼ plate protein, ¼ plate starch/carbohydrates) ensures sustained fueling throughout the day. 

At the end of the day, there isn’t one magic food that will give us endless energy. As with most things in the world of health and wellness, the secret is in finding balance. If we tip the scale too far one way or another, we upset the balance our bodies work so carefully to achieve. Looking to add more balance into your wellness journey? Keep following along here or tune in to dish with the dietitian the first Tuesday of every month on Facebook Live to ask me all your nutrition questions!