Why I am so passionate about blood sugar balance??

If you have been here for a while then you have most definitely heard me talk about blood sugar balance and how important it is for overall optimal health. 

I am going to dive into this a bit here today and let you know why I am so passionate about this topic. 

Blood sugar balance is not only something that I think is important because I am a health professional but it is of huge importance to my everyday life. 

When I was about 13 years old I was diagnosed with a genetic form of diabetes- both my dad and I have it. Did you know that there is more than just type 1 and type 2 when it comes to diabetes?! MODY (mature onset diabetes in the young)- this is the type of diabetes I have.

You have likely never heard of this type of diabetes and if you have then you are part of a very limited crowd. As I mentioned earlier my dad also has this type of diabetes and he would check my blood sugar from time to time with his glucometer as he knew that it was genetic and that his kids would each have a 50% chance of getting the gene that carries this. 

I was feeling really off for a couple of months - constantly getting sick with colds and flus, getting sinus infections, bladder infections you name it! One morning we had waffles and syrup for breakfast - this was not typical of us since we usually tried to eat fairly low sugar in our household since my dad was diabetic. We checked my blood sugar after this breakfast and the alarm bells went off - my blood sugar was very high and my dad immediately knew that I had the same diabetes that he did. After this time it actually took us a while to get a diagnosis- the current doctor that I was with thought that it was just a mistake with the glucometer and didn't believe that I had any issues - YIKES! So I guess I learned really young that you NEED to advocate for yourself when it comes to your health and medical care. We found a new doctor who sent us for genetic testing and to an endocrinologist as this is fairly rare. The genetic testing identified the exact gene that was mutated causing the MODY, and the endocrinologist started me on some medication. 

I tried a couple different medications and found some that helped but over time I began to realize that the best way to keep my blood sugar stable was through diet and exercise so after a few years I no longer used the medications. I played a lot of sports through high school and university and I noticed that the days I exercised my body could handle more sugar and more carbs. I also noticed that for the most part when I would eat something full of sugar or carbs I felt like crap - so I really began to listen to my body and what it needed. Although having diabetes is not ideal it has actually been something that has shaped my life in such a great way. I became so interested and passionate about health and wellness and medicine from an early age, it also taught me how to tune into my body and listen to its cues and take responsibility for my health rather than relying on others and medications to keep me healthy. 

Where this has become a bit more of a challenge for me is during pregnancy. Blood sugar balance is extremely important during pregnancy as it can impact the health of mom but also the health of the growing baby. During pregnancy blood sugar levels need to be kept under even more strict watch and need to be lower than regular everyday life to ensure the health and safety of mom and baby. I am very fortunate to have the knowledge background that I do and have been able to have 3 healthy successful pregnancies and babies. I found myself a wonderful team to help me manage my blood sugars through pregnancy and make eating balanced meals and exercise a main priority which makes all the difference when it comes to blood sugar balance and a healthy pregnancy. 

Now I love to support patients in their health journey who are struggling with high blood sugars, insulin resistance, gestational diabetes, and other forms of diabetes. Because I not only understand this from a medical background but also from a personal standpoint, it is my passion to teach people about blood sugar balance as it impacts every area of health and is not only important for those with diabetes but important for every single human as it affects so many other areas of health including gut health, hormone health, mental health and so on! 

I have multiple posts on instagram related to this topic and a webinar as well if you want to learn more information about how to balance your blood sugars

Knowing that information about metabolic health and blood sugar isn’t something many healthcare professionals focus on, I’ve put a lot of focus on increasing awareness and education on these topics through the content I share on my Instagram account and with programs and other resources that I’ve made available through my website.  If you’re wanting to learn more, be sure to check out the following resources:

• FREE Blood Sugar Webinar replay - 4 Steps to Balancing Blood Sugar
• Elevated Nutrition is a self paced educational program with 5 pre recorded videos giving you small sustainable steps to bettering your nutrition and achieving blood sugar balance.
• Elevate Your Health Is a comprehensive program with education on subjects including nutrition, gut and hormone health, stress management, movement, sleep, supplements and lab testing, which all play a role in blood sugar balance and metabolic health. This program is also designed to give you small sustainable changes to implement on a weekly basis to help you elevate your overall health!