Diet and eating habits contribute an amazing amount to our overall health and while we are young and think ourselves to be “bulletproof” taking care of what we eat and how much don’t usually occupy any place in our thinking. It’s only after we get a few decades on us that thinking about eating better and exercising regularly start to enter our thoughts. And then it’s only to think, “I wish I had more time to exercise and eat better.” Wishing won’t get it done and it’s not until the doctor looks you in the eye and says, “You’ve got to change how you are living.” That the immediacy of the problem becomes apparent.
The doctor’s statement is usually predicated on a physical and blood test that shows things are getting out of track, or to use corporate speak “trending negatively”. One of the telltale signs is a blood glucose number that is too high for a fasting state. Remember that blood test required you not to eat or drink anything after midnight, to make sure your body had time to regulate any food that was eaten. Normal glucose levels in a fasting condition should be below 110 mg/dL and if they are higher your doctor will probably do another test to see if the first one was an anomaly or not.
If eating better, and by that it means better choices of food, like fresh vegetables and fruits, not champagne and caviar. Fresh vegetables are for the most part high in fiber and other good things for us. A normal glucose level is what we are after and the increased fiber will slow down the rate of absorption of glucose into the blood stream as well as reducing the amount of glucose available to be absorbed. Fast food or just about any processed food has some type of sugar added to it and it’s these hidden sugars that can be detrimental to us.
Usually adding those few decades to our lives convinces us that the “bulletproof” armor has a few chinks in it. Listen to your doctor and make some changes and maybe you won’t need that bullet proof armor anymore.