Post Time: 2025-07-18
Maintaining a healthy blood sugar range is crucial for overall well-being. The ideal blood sugar level varies from person to person, but generally, it falls within the following ranges:
- Fasting plasma glucose (FPG): Less than 100 mg/dL
- Postprandial glucose: Less than 140 mg/dL after meals
However, these numbers can fluctuate due to various factors such as diet, exercise, stress levels, and sleep quality.
The Impact of Diet on Blood Sugar Levels
When it comes to managing blood sugar levels through diet, the importance of fiber cannot be overstated. Foods high in dietary fiber like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are excellent choices for regulating blood sugar levels. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that a high-fiber diet can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation.
On the other hand, some foods should be avoided or consumed in moderation due to their potential impact on blood sugar levels. For instance:
- Refined carbohydrates like white bread, sugary drinks, and baked goods
- High-glycemic index (GI) foods such as potatoes, corn, and wheat
Exercise: A Powerful Tool for Blood Sugar Regulation
Regular physical activity is not only essential for maintaining a healthy weight but also plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels. Exercise helps improve insulin sensitivity by increasing the uptake of glucose into cells.
Aerobic exercises like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming are particularly effective at lowering blood sugar levels after meals. Moreover, incorporating strength training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help boost overall metabolic health.
The Role of Stress in Blood Sugar Fluctuations
Chronic stress is a significant contributor to blood sugar imbalances due to its impact on cortisol levels. Cortisol stimulates the release of glucose from stored energy sources, leading to increased blood sugar levels.
Practicing relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga can help mitigate the effects of stress and improve overall well-being.
The Science Behind Blood Sugar Regulation
Insulin sensitivity is a critical aspect of maintaining healthy blood sugar ranges. When our bodies become insulin-resistant, it leads to impaired glucose uptake in cells, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels.
Understanding how various factors like diet, exercise, sleep quality, and stress influence insulin sensitivity can help individuals develop targeted strategies for improving their metabolic health.
Why Monitoring Your Blood Sugar Range Is Essential
Monitoring blood sugar levels regularly is crucial for identifying patterns of fluctuations. This information helps healthcare providers adjust treatment plans to optimize glucose control and prevent long-term complications like kidney disease or nerve damage.
At home, monitoring techniques using glucometers or continuous glucose monitors (CGM) provide a wealth of data that can be used to make informed lifestyle choices.
Achieving Balance: The Key to Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
By incorporating the right combination of diet, exercise, stress management, and sleep quality strategies into daily life, individuals can achieve healthy blood sugar levels. Remembering that maintaining balance is an ongoing process requires patience and dedication but has numerous benefits for overall health.
Regular monitoring allows healthcare providers to adjust treatment plans as needed, ensuring optimal glucose control throughout the day.
Check out My FREE Healthy Keto Acceptable Foods List 👉 When you’re on the ketogenic diet, is a tomato or a carrot the better choice? Timestamps: 0:00 On the ketogenic diet which is better, a tomato or a carrot? 0:50 I recommend counting the net carb not the total carb 3:02 One cup of potato has ten times more carbs than one cup of tomato 4:14 Starch is a type of carbohydrate that will affect your blood sugar if you cook it In this video, I discuss if the tomato or carrot is better on a ketogenic diet. I wanted to explain the concepts of total carbs and net carbs in foods, along with fiber and sugar. There are some vegetables that are higher in fiber and lower in sugar than others. Celery, for example, is high in fiber and has almost no sugar or carbohydrate content. On keto, you of course want low carb and low sugar. You’re allowed 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. I recommend counting the net carb, not the total carb because the fiber content — which is used to calculate net carbs — has no influence on insulin. One cup of tomato has 4.8 grams of carbs compared to a cup of carrot with 11 grams. The tomato has 1.5 grams of fiber, for a net carb count of 3.3 grams. A carrot has 3 grams of fiber, giving it a net carb count of 8 grams. On keto, a tomato is better than a carrot. But let’s look at the sugars. A tomato has 3 grams, a carrot has 5. Tomato wins! prednisone elevated blood sugar But both vegetables keep you well within your daily carb limit. I wouldn’t restrict these two unless your metabolism is very slow, in which case you need to lower your carb limit even more. By comparison, check out a potato. It’s also a vegetable. But it’s a starch. One cup of potato is 37 grams of carbs. It has 4.7 grams of fiber, giving a net carb amount of 32.3 grams. Ten times more than a tomato! The difference is the high starch content of the potato compared to the tomato. Starch is like the stored sugar (glycogen) content in your body. Carrots are also low in starch compared to potatoes. Starch is a type of carbohydrate that can affect your blood sugar if you cook it because cooking breaks down the starch. A raw potato probably wouldn’t affect your blood sugar too much, but who wants to eat a raw potato? And the more you cook a tomato or a carrot, the more you release its starch, thus the higher your blood sugar. So, definitely avoid potatoes: chips, french fries, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, and the like. When you’re on the ketogenic diet, either raw carrot or raw tomato is acceptable. Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio: Dr. Berg, age 56, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is insulin pump with blood sugar monitor the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan and is the Director of Dr. blood sugar 14.4 Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices but focuses on health education through social media. Follow us on FACEBOOK: fb.me/DrEricBerg ABOUT DR. BERG: Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The Health & Wellness, Dr. Berg Nutritionals, and Dr. Eric Berg, D.C. are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or product you obtain through this video or site. Thanks for watching! On the ketogenic diet, either raw tomato or raw carrot is fine.