June 24, 2024 | Owl Venice

Balancing Your Blood Sugar: 4 Tips While You’re On the Go

Summertime means well-deserved trips to your favorite destinations with your favorite people. For many of us, this means indulging in refreshing drinks and delicious delicacies. And while you should take every advantage while breaking free from your norm, you’ll still want to care for your gut and overall health.

One aspect of your health to keep in mind when you’re out living your best life is your blood sugar levels. With rich foods and tantalizing drink mixes, you could be in for a series of blood sugar spikes, which can have a significant impact on your gut health, and vice versa.

Let’s dive into a few tips to help you keep your blood sugar in check while enjoying some summertime treats.

Your Gut and Glucose

When it comes to healthy blood glucose levels, a balanced microbiome is your first checkpoint. Studies show that levels of unhealthy bacteria throughout the body spiked right before patients received a type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Moreover, the diversity within the gut had a significant drop just before the onset of type 1 diabetes1. By ensuring your gut maintains a healthy balance, your body’s ability to regulate the release of glucose into your bloodstream increases.

4 Tips for Balancing Your Blood Sugar

Exploring new locations and soaking in the enjoyment around you means you’ll be trying the local fare. But, as all gut health gurus know, foods high in carbohydrates will break down into glucose which will cause a spike in your blood sugar levels. So, how do you combat an imbalance while traveling?

Magic Matcha, Vegan Mineral Broth Elixir, blueberries, spinach, egg yolks...

Cinnamon and Apple Cider Vinegar

Though more information is needed, studies show that ceylon cinnamon can limit a blood sugar spike, especially when you consume a meal heavy in carbohydrates. One review from 2019 on the effects¹ of powdered cinnamon on people living with type 2 diabetes showed a reduction in blood glucose levels after consumption. Our Magic Matcha and Golden Ginger Mylkshakes contain organic ceylon cinnamon to keep your blood sugar levels in check.

According to a 2018 review, apple cider vinegar is beneficial to many aspects of your health. Regarding blood sugar, vinegar can increase your body’s insulin response and control spikes in glucose levels². Pairing apple cider vinegar with food can in fact lower the glycemic index of that food. All of our Broth Broth Elixirs are simmered in apple cider vinegar to help balance both your gut microbiome and your blood sugar³.

Bring along your favorite OWL Broth Elixir or Shake on your journeys to give your nutrition a boost. Remember, it’s all about balance, not restriction.

Low Glycemic Foods

Speaking of low GI foods, focusing on consuming foods with a moderate to low glycemic index is one way to avoid blood sugar spikes altogether. Your body digests foods with a high glycemic index very quickly, releasing glucose into your bloodstream faster than your body can react⁴. Some moderate and low GI foods include:

Barley
Unsweetened Greek yogurt
Beans
Lentils
Legumes

Foods high in soluble fiber are also good for improved balance in your blood sugar. They produce short chain fatty acids that feed the good flora in your gut, leading to a balanced microbiome. As a bonus, they are low on the glycemic index too.

High fiber improves your body's ability to regulate spikes because of their slow digestion rate. Some examples of high fiber foods include:

Oats
Nuts
Apples
Oranges
Blueberries
Non-starchy vegetables

When traveling for your summer activities, it’s easier to focus on the quality of what you're eating rather than trying to avoid certain foods. This way you can spend more time enjoying your getaway instead of worrying about throwing your body off balance.

Chromium & Magnesium

Micronutrients are an important part of your gut microbiome. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function at optimal levels⁵. Chromium plays an important role in metabolizing fats and carbs. Because the speed at which carbs break down into glucose is what determines your body’s insulin response, this is what makes chromium so important to keeping the balance between your gut health and blood sugar.

Foods rich in chromium include:

Beef, chicken, and turkey
Barley and other whole grains
Green beans
Broccoli
Apples
Shellfish
Egg yolks
Almonds
Brazil nuts

Moreover, studies show that supplementing with more magnesium-rich foods improves blood glucose levels⁶. When combining chromium and magnesium, researchers found that insulin sensitivity increased more than with either mineral alone.

Magnesium-rich foods include:

Dark leafy greens
Bananas
Avocados
Squash/pumpkin seeds
Tuna
Dark chocolate
Beans

The good news is, not only are these foods easy to include while traveling, a lot of them are enjoyable when paired together. When you don’t have to plan meticulously for meals, this ensures that you can get a healthy dose of your micronutrients even when you’re away from home.

OWL Digestive Bitters

Our favorite travel companion here at OWL is our proprietary blend of herbs included in our Digestive Bitters supplement. This handy, travel-sized bottle contains high quality ingredients, some of which are specific to aiding your body’s insulin response.

Dandelion root: contains the bioactive compounds, chicoric and chlorogenic acid, both of which help your body with the production of insulin and an improved absorption of glucose. Dandelion root can also slow the digestion of starchy, high carb foods which allows your body time to respond⁷.

Chamomile flower & Ginger: promising studies show both chamomile and ginger help lower fasting blood sugar levels in diabetics⁸. One study showed those who consistently consumed camomile had lower blood sugar levels than those who didn’t⁹.

Not only do Digestive Bitters aid in balancing your blood sugar, it also primes your digestive system for breaking down food before you eat - perfect for when you plan for a night out on your travels.

Balance and Harmony

Feel confident this summer when embarking on journeys near and far. Use your newfound knowledge of the close link between your digestion and your blood glucose to help keep both in balance. When you have the proper environment cultivated within your gut, your body is much better equipped to respond to fluctuations in your blood sugar. And when your body is functioning well, you can live, explore, and enjoy all the world has to offer.

Julie Weller

Julie is a self-made writer on a forever journey of fitness and health. As a high school music teacher, she has seen and experienced the challenges of maintaining good health while simultaneously balancing a career and healthy relationships.

Julie has always lived a healthy and active lifestyle. She loves the outdoors, hiking, and camping. Over the years she has continued to learn smarter and better ways to take care of her body while continuing to do the things that make her smile. Naturally, all of her teacher friends wanted to know how she did it - what was her secret?

Julie found herself explaining over and over everything she'd learned in her research, and sharing her experiences through trial and error. Her friends would take her advice, try some new things, and then come back to ask how to take it to the next level.

"You should charge for this kind of information!" Became a constant phrase, and so began her career of writing to share her knowledge with the world through health and wellness companies looking to spread healing and healthy habits within their communities. Now Julie gets to combine two of the things she enjoys most - writing and wellness - and use them to affect change in a real way.

When not making music with her kiddos, or writing wellness tips for a higher quality of life, you can find her reading, hiking, drumming, and fitnessing

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Tags: broth elixir, digestive bitters, gut health, microbiome, mylkshake

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