Blood sugar stability is fundamental to how your body's entire physiology performs throughout the day. This is because virtually every cell of the body uses sugar (or glucose) as a way to produce energy. The key to health is to maintain a steady, stable blood sugar pattern throughout the course of the day.
Off Balanced, Unstable Blood Sugar (Peak, Valley, Stress, Repeat)
Problems arise when a person's sugar pattern is off balance. This means the sugar level in the blood rises quickly and falls too fast and repeats itself. This peak and valley pattern repeats and every time the blood sugar fluctuates too quickly, it generates a form of internal stress.
Your body responds to that internal stress the same way it would respond to any other which is the release of the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. Both hormones then, without people eating anything at all, will cause the liver to convert glycogen into glucose. So essentially, people's bodies get fed a high sugar meal without eating. That further complicates the problem and starts to repeat itself over and over and over again - peak, valley, stress, peak, valley, stress and so on.
A Stable, Balanced Blood Sugar
A really well-balanced metabolism has a sugar pattern that is steady and stable and doesn't generate any stress in the metabolism. This means blood sugar rises slowly and stays stable for several hours, and when it tapers off, it should taper off slowly. That nice, steady predictable pattern can really repeat itself maybe two to four times a day.
This type of blood sugar pattern creates a healthy insulin release meaning the body doesn't generate excessive body fat and it's easier to maintain muscle and bone density, and easier to build muscle mass.
Health Benefits of Eating Fat in the Morning
Taking oil immediately upon waking up in the morning forces the sugar level in your blood to rise slowly. The reason we want the sugar to rise slowly is to train the metabolism to be more steady, stable, and more balanced.
If you don’t take the oil and also wait too long to eat, your liver starts releasing glucose into the bloodstream which starts the day with a blood sugar spike. This is inflammatory and destabilizes your metabolism. It also causes insulin to be released making it more difficult to shed body fat.
Starting the day with an increase in blood sugar also makes it more difficult to get that balance back to where it should be the rest of the day. The oil sets the tone for the waking hours, which is so important metabolically.
How Much Fat and Type of Fat to Stabilize Blood Sugar
Consume about 10 to 15 grams of fat upon waking up. Examples include: 1 Tbsp lemon-flavored fish oil, cod liver oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or avocado oil.
Fish oil and cod liver oil, in particular, have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. This means glucose can get into the cells easier, which is a great thing.
In a pinch, you can take 1 Tbsp nut butter or a handful of nuts, but the fiber and protein in the nuts slow down the blood sugar stabilizing effects because it takes longer to digest and the fat enters the bloodstream more slowly.
Fish Oil Brands I Prefer and Recommend
There are many great companies that sell fish oil supplements. Some I trust for quality and purity include Nordic Naturals, Carlson's, Lysi, Pharmax, and Pure Encapsulations.
I use daily this fish oil by Nordic Naturals.
I've also used (and like) this Nordic Natural cod liver oil with vitamin D.
I've also used (and like) this Lysi lemon cod liver oil.
I've also used (and like) this Carlson's Fish oil.
If you have questions about a specific fish oil supplement, please ask me.
p.s. I have ZERO affiliation with any of these companies. Just lots of years of trial and error using products.
Cheers,
Kelly
xo