Burn Your Belly Fat - Part 4
Belly Fat Burner #4: Halt Blood Sugar Spikes
Keeping blood sugar stable is critical to losing weight and keeping the weight off. An increase in sugar consumption can lead to a larger waistline and other diseases, including diabetes. Diabetes has drastically increased over the recent years. The incidence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents (ages 10 to 19) increased by 21 percent and 30 percent (respectively) from 2001 to 2009. [23]
Although the increase is alarming, it is not surprising. The average American eats 22 teaspoons of sugar per day. This is over 3.5 times more than what women should consume and about 2.5 times more than what men should consume. [24]
Diabetes has become so common in the United States. Although it is a manageable disease, it is still dangerous. Diabetes accounted for about 332,000 deaths in 2015. [25] This accounts for diabetes as an underlying cause and a contributing case of death. What you cannot put a number on is the constant aggravation diabetic patients go through daily to balance their blood sugar levels during the day.
It’s important for everyone to keep blood sugar levels under control, not just those living with or at risk of developing diabetes. Consuming too much sugar can add pounds around your midsection quickly. If you already have belly fat, your body could be more insulin resistant, making it harder to lose weight. [26]
To guard your body from fat that results from insulin resistance, you must first understand how this is happening. Your body is an equalizer. It loves balance and will do whatever it can to keep things even, especially blood sugar levels. Your blood sugar levels can spike after eating the office donuts that your coworker Sara brought in or eating a piece of cake after dinner. When this happens your body detects the rush of sugar and counteracts it by flooding your body with insulin.
Way to ruin our steady insulin, Sara.
What is insulin, exactly?
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and controls your blood sugar. When there is a spike in blood sugar, your pancreas overcompensates by releasing too much insulin to decrease your blood sugar as fast as possible. This can result in low blood sugar, which in turn causes you to feel hungry, irritable and crave sugary foods.
This cycle goes on and on.
You throw your body into a roller coaster ride of hormonal imbalance and it causes you to fatigue quickly. If your body is constantly on this “roller coaster,” your pancreas will eventually burn out.
Your body becomes less responsive to insulin and the insulin can’t keep up with the sugar anymore. That’s when diabetes comes knocking on your door. As a result, you will be forced to rely on blood monitoring devices and you will have to be in charge of ensuring your blood sugar is level at all times.
Think of your metabolism as a switch. When you stop eating sugar your body is able to focus on burning fat, hence turning the fat burning switch on. Conversely, when you consume sugary foods, your body’s attention goes to processing the sugar. This turns your fat burning switch off.
To flip it back on again, you need to reduce the sugary foods you eat and add certain foods in your diet that will naturally help stabilize blood sugar levels.
You may be asking yourself, “This all sounds good for those dessert lovers out there, but I don’t eat a lot of sugar. How does this relate to me?”
First, you may be underestimating the amount of sugar in your diet.
As I mentioned earlier, the average American eats about 3 times more sugar per day than what they really should be eating! Since we are only allotted about 50 grams of sugar that we can eat per day, this can quickly add up. Look at your cereal box for instance. It’s seemingly healthy at first glance. But look at the nutritional label and you will see that some of these so called healthy options are in fact loaded with sugar.
Second, even if you are one of the few Americans that does not eat a lot of sugar, just having extra belly fat can disrupt the normal balance and function of hormones. According to Harvard University Medical School, abdominal fat cells can disrupt your body’s insulin response. [27] In turn, even a little sugar can lead to bigger gains at the scale.
We talked about how insulin resistance can lead to diabetes, but it can also be responsible for your fierce, unquenchable appetite. That’s where leptin comes in, which we briefly talked about in the introduction.
Leptin is the hormone in your body that protects you from starvation. It tells your brain when your stomach has had enough to eat. [28] Think of it as a thermostat in your house. Let’s say you have it set to 70 degrees. If the temperature drops below that, your heat automatically kicks in because it was signaled by the thermostat that the temperature was dropping. Leptin works in the same way.
When your body starts breaking down body fat as an energy source, your leptin levels drop and that signals your brain to start eating. [29] However, what happens in heavier people and more specifically insulin resistant people, is the brain becomes more resistant to leptin. Although there is an adequate supply of leptin in the body, your brain is not receiving the message that it has enough energy supply. Some experts believe that if we keep our blood sugar under control, we can help our brain become more responsive to the leptin in our body.
The best thing you can do to stop the unrelenting blood sugar roller coaster is to be aware of what you’re eating. I know this is a breakthrough tip (notice my sarcasm here?), but let this serve as a reminder of the importance to limiting your sugar intake. Food manufacturers like to spend a lot of money on packaging to make things appear healthy, making you feel inclined to not even look at the ingredients and nutrition label.
Check the labels and monitor how many grams of sugar you’re eating a day. This may seem like a tedious task, but when you stick to eating/drinking the same things, you’ll know what fits into your 50 gram threshold. Within only a week of monitoring what you eat, you’ll be set in an eating routine and will not have to look at the nutritional labels. So now let’s discuss what you should add every day to your diet that will naturally stabilize your blood sugar level.
These additions will help control your cravings for sugary foods and control your weight. They are widely available and you most likely have one of them in your spice cabinet already.
They are chia seeds and cinnamon.
CHIA SEEDS
Not only do chia seeds pack a lot of protein and fiber (you’ll see why this is important in Belly Burner #8), but these seeds can prevent blood sugar spikes. They have a gelatinous coating which slows down the digestion process. This keeps the food you’re eating from being digested really quickly. Thus, it provides a constant flow of sugar and energy from being released within your body.32
CINNAMON
This spice may help boost your metabolism, and it also has impressive benefits for blood sugar regulation. Cinnamon has been found to significantly reduce blood sugar levels, triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It also increases glucose metabolism by about 20 times, which significantly improves your ability to regulate blood sugar. [31]
I personally take Ceylon Cinnamon as a supplement before I’m about to consume a high carb or sugary meal. This supplement is only taken as needed. I’d say I take this once or twice a week at most. It is a pure, safe form of cinnamon that can help regulate blood sugar.
In my daily blueberry shakes, I add a serving of cinnamon (either regular or ground Ceylon).
Omega 3s
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to have some potential benefits for insulin sensitivity and glucose control.
Several studies have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids may improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. In a 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that omega-3 supplementation improved insulin sensitivity in individuals with metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Another study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood were associated with better insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in overweight and obese individuals.
Our previous suggestion, chia seeds, are packed with omega 3’s!
I highly recommend a high quality omega 3 supplement that is vegan. Instead of getting omega 3 from fish, it’s from algae. Here’s why this is the better option.
You will get omega-3s direct from the source. Fish don’t naturally contain omega-3s. They get it by eating. And you know what they eat that has omega-3? Algae!
By cutting out the middleman (the fish), you can get your omega-3s direct from the source, without worrying about whether it’s contaminated with heavy metals like mercury.
DHA and EPA
Not all omega 3 supplments are created equally. You’ll want to check how much EPA and DHA you’re getting.
DHA and EPA are like two important parts of a building that work together to keep it strong and stable.
DHA is like the strong foundation of the building. Just like how a building needs a solid foundation to stand strong, our bodies need DHA to build a strong foundation for our brain and eye health. DHA helps build the cells in our brain and eyes, making sure they are strong and healthy.
EPA is like the strong walls and roof of the building. Just like how walls and a roof protect a building from the elements, EPA protects our bodies from harm. It helps reduce inflammation in our bodies, keeps our hearts healthy, and supports our immune system.
Together, just like how a strong foundation and strong walls and roof work together to keep a building stable and strong, DHA and EPA work together to support our overall health and wellbeing.
This is the omega-3 supplement I personally take that has high levels of both DHA and EPA.
No Whey, Say it Ain’t So
Whey protein is sold everywhere. I have used and recommended using whey in the past because of it’s easy to digest and absorb. However, there is a potential downside to whey.
Besides gastrointestinal issues like bloating and gas, whey protein spikes insulin levels. Over time, these insulin spikes can pose a problem and potentially lead to further weight gain.
I talk about an effective plant based alternative to whey protein powder in a later belly burner tip.
Sometimes, I indulge myself in a high carb meal. Pizza, pasta, etc.
When possible, I like to do a quick 5 minute exercise before or after a meal.
Exercising before a carb-heavy meal can enhance your body's insulin sensitivity. When your cells are more responsive to insulin, they can better absorb and use glucose, which helps prevent rapid blood sugar spikes.
My preference is to do a quick strength training right after a high-carb meal. The glucose goes into your muscle to use it as energy, It can assist in clearing excess glucose from your bloodstream. Your muscles use glucose for energy during exercise, which helps lower blood sugar levels.
