It’s a fact.
Eating small meals all day keeps your blood sugar on an even keel. Just look at the numbers.
Which is a good thing, right?
Well… usually.
When you have fibromyalgia, you’re probably already tired. Often. Always.
Snacking means you’ll have a constant and steady energy source, so you can (hopefully) do the things you need to do and not get super-hungry or weak.
So why would I say you shouldn’t do this?
Insulin.
When you eat, your body produces insulin, because it’s what carries glucose (sugar) to your cells to be used as energy. This is all part of the plan, and in fact, there’s an entire physiological cycle where insulin is a key player.
But unless you have 4 – 5 hours between meals, this cycle is interrupted. And it has to start again at the beginning.
(Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.)
All the components of the cycle are important to keeping your systems healthy and balanced. And if this insulin cycle is consistently interrupted, and not allowed to complete itself, you’ll be missing some valuable chemical activity.
The long and short of it is that this causes you to end up with high insulin levels.
If the insulin is working as it should, it drops your blood sugar level. This makes you hungry.
So you eat again, and the cycle starts over (whether or not it was completed).
And if you continue to snack every 2 – 3 hours, the insulin cycle is never allowed to finish.
The result?
Several. None are good.
1. Eventually with all that insulin floating around in your bloodstream, you develop insulin resistance. This is sometimes called Type 2 Diabetes. Or it eventually leads to diabetes.
2. Your body will “forget” how to burn fat, which is its preferred energy source. Consequently, the surplus fat is stored in inconvenient and unhealthy places. While your sugar addiction rages.
3. This opens the door to all manner of health problems: obesity, high blood pressure, kidney disease, fatty liver.
As if all this weren’t enough, your poor pancreas may start to get “worn out” with all that over-work. It may begin having problems with production of insulin as well as crucial enzymes.
Sadly, chewing gum between meals isn’t so great, either.
Chewing sends the message to your stomach to get ready because something is coming its way! Digestive juices begin flowing, and then…
Nothing.
The process has tried to get started but there is nothing to work on. (Another wrench in your digestive works).
Gum has its place – after eating, when you’re not able to brush your teeth. Gotta keep your mouth clean and healthy!
Here’s my favorite. It’s sweetened with xylitol and contains NO aspartame.
Obviously, if your blood sugar is low, you should eat something. Even if it only has been a couple of hours since your last meal.
But do me (and yourself) a favor, won’t you?
Try some water first. You might just be thirsty.
[Tweet “Snacking all day to keep your energy level up? Try eating regular meals for better results.”]
And if you decide to eat, make that snack something that’s healthy. Like a piece of fruit. Or a handful of raw nuts. Stay away from sweets and caffeine.
And then, re-start the clock, and do your best to wait four hours until you eat again.
If you’re used to grazing all day long, it might not be easy at first. But keep at it.
Your body will thank you.
This post first appeared on Fibro.Solutions
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