00:00:00
You go to your regular doctor and you say, Hey, I'm tired.
00:00:02
I've got brain fog.
00:00:03
I'm gaining weight and I feel off.
00:00:05
They're going to run a standard blood test and look at fasting glucose.
00:00:08
That's all they do.
00:00:10
And if it comes back under a hundred, they'll say, You're fine.
00:00:12
Right.
00:00:13
See you.
00:00:13
See you next time.
00:00:15
Right?
00:00:15
But here's the truth.
00:00:16
That's just a snapshot.
00:00:18
It'd be like judging your entire week based on a single second of your Monday morning.
00:00:22
Right?
00:00:23
And in functional medicine, we need more context.
00:00:26
I want the full picture, not just a single frame.
00:00:29
Welcome to Health Decode, your number one source for real health information with your
00:00:34
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
00:00:39
Hey, Health Decoded listeners.
00:00:41
Doctor Alessi here.
00:00:43
Let me ask you a serious question.
00:00:45
Are you tired of waiting until something goes wrong to finally see a doctor?
00:00:49
At Alessi Functional Health, we take a different approach, the right approach.
00:00:54
We believe true health care isn't about chasing symptoms.
00:00:57
It's about preventing them in the first place.
00:01:00
That's why we created the Alessi Total Care Program.
00:01:04
This is a functional medicine based membership that gives you proactive, personalized care
00:01:10
year round.
00:01:11
You'll get access to comprehensive blood work and functional testing, custom doctor grade
00:01:17
nutraceuticals, deep discounts on labs, protocols, and follow ups, as well as twenty
00:01:23
four seven direct access to your doctor, not just a ten minute checkup that ends with
00:01:28
another prescription.
00:01:30
And here's the best part.
00:01:32
As a Health Decoded listener, you'll get your first three months completely free when you
00:01:37
sign up for an annual membership.
00:01:39
That's on top of hundreds in savings already built into the program.
00:01:43
This is your chance to take responsibility for your health and join a movement that's
00:01:48
redefining what primary care should look like.
00:01:51
Head on over to alessifunctionalhealth.com, click on our services tab, and go to Total
00:01:56
Care.
00:01:57
Learn more about this program and claim your exclusive podcast listener offer.
00:02:02
Your health is your greatest asset.
00:02:04
Let's protect it proactively.
00:02:08
Welcome back to another episode of health decoded.
00:02:12
I am your host doctor Alessi.
00:02:14
And your cohost, Matt Tack.
00:02:16
Man, nice.
00:02:17
Coming in with the radio voice.
00:02:19
I like it.
00:02:20
Yeah.
00:02:20
I'm trying to change things up a little bit.
00:02:23
Well, you look good, man.
00:02:24
You got the muscles on today.
00:02:26
Yes.
00:02:26
Tons of all guns out.
00:02:28
Tons all guns out, baby.
00:02:29
I'm excited.
00:02:30
This is a really awesome topic we picked today.
00:02:33
And we kinda do these just so listeners know.
00:02:35
We pick these in order of what we wanna talk about because they kinda build on each other
00:02:39
and all these things that we are, you know, digging into these different topics and
00:02:45
educational pieces are related, right?
00:02:47
And so, it's like each week you get a little piece of the body and how it works and what you
00:02:51
can do, and then we add to it, right?
00:02:53
And so, ultimately, we want you to be empowered with the knowledge to be able to take control
00:02:58
of your health and then ultimately make the right decisions for longevity and for
00:03:03
optimization.
00:03:04
So, today we're gonna get into a really fun topic, blood sugar.
00:03:09
And then why it's really it's not just a diabetes issue, but it impacts everything.
00:03:14
So, blood sugar imbalances affect far more than just diabetics.
00:03:19
Think about fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, brain fog, and even hormone issues.
00:03:24
So, in this episode, we're gonna break down how blood sugar works, why it's out of control for
00:03:29
so many people, and then what to do about it.
00:03:32
We always like those actionable steps that you can take home.
00:03:36
So, let's just start simple because if you don't understand what blood sugar is, none of
00:03:40
the rest will make sense.
00:03:42
So, blood sugar or blood glucose is the amount of sugar circulating in your bloodstream.
00:03:48
Pretty simple.
00:03:49
It's your body's main energy source and you need it to function.
00:03:53
But here's the key, you need it in balance.
00:03:56
Too much or too little and things will start to fall apart.
00:04:00
Now, every time you eat, especially carbohydrates like bread, pasta, fruit or
00:04:06
sweets, your blood sugar rises, right?
00:04:08
Makes sense.
00:04:09
You're ingesting blood sugar or you're ingesting sugar, it's getting into your blood.
00:04:12
That's normal.
00:04:13
So, your body expects that.
00:04:15
And so, in response, your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin whose job is to act like
00:04:20
a key, unlocking special receptors on your cells so that glucose can move from the blood
00:04:26
into the cell to be used for energy.
00:04:29
Now, here's where the problem begins for most people.
00:04:32
We don't eat like our ancestors did.
00:04:35
We don't eat balanced three balanced meals a day, we graze constantly.
00:04:40
Morning starts with a sugary coffee or toast.
00:04:42
Mid morning, there's a snack, then there's lunch.
00:04:45
Maybe it's like a sandwich and some chips.
00:04:47
An afternoon crash, so you get some more coffee loaded with sugar, and then dinner, followed by
00:04:53
probably some dessert and maybe a glass of wine.
00:04:55
This is very common for a lot of people.
00:04:57
So what that is, is that's a nonstop parade of blood sugar spikes and every spike requires
00:05:03
insulin.
00:05:04
So the more often this happens, the more your cells get tired of responding to insulin and
00:05:09
they start to ignore it.
00:05:10
That's what we call insulin resistance.
00:05:13
And that is the beginning of a metabolic storm.
00:05:16
So, here's the kicker, you don't need to have diabetes for this to be a problem.
00:05:21
You could be 20, 30, 40 years old with normal labs, but still riding a blood sugar roller
00:05:27
coaster all day long.
00:05:28
And what does it feel like when you're on this?
00:05:31
Basically, like you could wake up tired, you get a quick burst of energy maybe after eating,
00:05:35
but then you crash pretty quickly.
00:05:37
You crave carbs all the time, you crave caffeine or sugar for a pick me up, you feel
00:05:43
foggy in the afternoon, you have mood swings, very common.
00:05:47
Maybe you feel wired but then tired at night.
00:05:51
Maybe you're gaining weight especially around the midsection and you can't figure out why.
00:05:55
All of that is related to what we call the blood sugar chaos.
00:05:59
And honestly, the scary part, Matt, is how normalized this has become.
00:06:04
So, here's a quick quote from the Journal of Alternative Medicine Neurology in 2018.
00:06:10
Even mild elevations in blood sugar are associated with an increased risk of cognitive
00:06:16
decline and cardiovascular disease.
00:06:19
So, it's not just about avoiding diabetes.
00:06:21
Blood sugar impacts your brain, it impacts your heart, and it impacts your hormones and
00:06:26
inflammation.
00:06:27
So, even your ability to recover from stress or infection can be affected.
00:06:32
So, you're dealing with like chronic conditions, fatigue, anxiety, brain fog,
00:06:36
stubborn weight gain, even autoimmune issues, blood sugar imbalance is probably a large
00:06:42
player in that game.
00:06:43
So, the bottom line is if you're riding this roller coaster of up and down spikes of blood
00:06:49
sugar every day, your body is beginning to burn out to that.
00:06:53
The good news is what we're gonna talk about today is how you can take back control of this.
00:06:57
And that's exactly what Matt's gonna kinda get into here in the next in the next piece.
00:07:02
And as always, we say, right, your health is in your hands.
00:07:05
So this is the empowerment and the education component, that we build on.
00:07:10
But, you know, what are the hidden symptoms of blood sugar dysfunction?
00:07:14
But before we discuss how to combat this problem, let's dive into the symptoms.
00:07:20
So because blood sugar dysfunction doesn't always wave a big red flag like diabetes, more
00:07:27
often than not, it whispers and it creeps in really, really slowly.
00:07:31
And most people don't even connect the dots.
00:07:35
So now here's the question you need to ask yourself.
00:07:38
How do you know if your blood sugar is a problem?
00:07:41
Even if your doctor says your labs look, quote unquote, fine.
00:07:45
Right?
00:07:46
Start with how you feel day to day.
00:07:48
Right?
00:07:49
Do we take a measurement day to day on how you feel?
00:07:52
Do you wake up groggy?
00:07:53
Me even after seven to eight hours of sleep.
00:07:56
Right?
00:07:57
Do you feel hangry between meals where you need to grab that bag of chips?
00:08:02
Like, you're just going to crash if you don't eat something absolutely immediately.
00:08:06
So these are the things you need to think about and process through on a day to day basis.
00:08:10
Do you rely on caffeine or sugar just to function in the morning or push through that
00:08:15
afternoon slump?
00:08:16
Right?
00:08:17
These are habits that people built, but we need to be cognitively aware of them.
00:08:21
That's the blood sugar roller coaster.
00:08:24
It's subtle.
00:08:25
It's quiet, but it's exhausting, absolutely exhausting your system.
00:08:31
Let me give you a few more red flags.
00:08:33
Cravings, especially for carbs, sugar, or junk food.
00:08:37
Do you ever have that?
00:08:39
Energy crashes after meals or even the midafternoon.
00:08:45
Do you have brain fog where there's just poor concentration or you feel like you're in this
00:08:49
absolute mental haze where you only can see a tunnel?
00:08:53
Do you have mood swings, irritability, or anxiety throughout the day that just, like,
00:08:58
appear to come out of nowhere?
00:09:00
Maybe in the middle of a conversation.
00:09:02
Right?
00:09:03
Waking up in the middle of the night, especially between two to 4AM when you're
00:09:08
hitting REM.
00:09:10
Weight gain around the midsection.
00:09:13
This is one of the biggest things that we see in America today, right?
00:09:16
That stubborn kind that just doesn't budge with either diet or exercise.
00:09:21
So let's dig into this a little bit more.
00:09:24
Here's why it gets interesting.
00:09:26
Most of these use issues are often written off as quote unquote normal.
00:09:32
Right?
00:09:33
Or chalked up as, hey, I'm aging.
00:09:35
It's stress, or I'm just too busy.
00:09:38
But in reality, they're metabolic warning signs.
00:09:43
And what's really happening behind the scenes is your body is constantly trying to get your
00:09:48
blood blood sugar back to balance.
00:09:50
You just need to get it back to neutral.
00:09:52
So neurologically, you are just trying to get back to neutral.
00:09:56
But because your inputs like your diet, sleep, stress, and movement are off, it's losing that
00:10:02
battle.
00:10:03
You're constantly engaging with yourself.
00:10:05
Right?
00:10:06
There's an internal competition that your body is requiring on a subconscious level.
00:10:11
Right?
00:10:12
So you might have insulin resistance.
00:10:14
You you might not have insulin resistance yet, but your system is working overtime to keep
00:10:20
stable, and eventually, it won't be able to keep up.
00:10:24
And I've seen this play out hundreds of thousands of times with patients, right?
00:10:29
They come in saying, I'm just tired all the time or I feel anxious or for no reason, my
00:10:35
weight is stuck.
00:10:36
I can't burn off that excess body fat.
00:10:39
And their labs might be normal, but functionally, their blood sugar is anything
00:10:44
but.
00:10:46
So now, let me drop a drop a quick stat on that.
00:10:50
And here's a quote from the Journal of Clinical Investigation in 2019.
00:10:54
Insulin resistance can exist for up to ten years before blood sugar markers show up as
00:11:00
normal on a standard lab test.
00:11:03
Have you ever seen the guys that get away with it in their forties, fifties, but then in their
00:11:10
sixties, they're prediabetic and getting in this diabetic dysfunction?
00:11:14
This is what we're talking about, And we always want to blame it on the precursors.
00:11:18
Well, those are those are of age relating process, but there's things you can do about
00:11:23
it.
00:11:24
So ten years is a long time, right?
00:11:27
That means you could be on a path to prediabetes, as I said, or worse for an entire
00:11:33
decade without even catching it.
00:11:37
That's why functional medicine digs deeper.
00:11:39
So that's what we're doing at Alessi Functional Health.
00:11:41
We're not just waiting around for a diagnosis.
00:11:44
We're looking for the early signs of dysfunction and how we can tackle them.
00:11:50
So this is what I want you to leave with here.
00:11:53
If you have chronic fatigue, stubborn weight, or mental fog, cravings, anxiety, and poor
00:11:58
sleep, trust me, you're not crazy.
00:12:01
You're not the only one in the boat.
00:12:03
You're probably just stuck in a pattern of blood sugar dysregulation.
00:12:08
But here's the good news.
00:12:09
It's fixable.
00:12:10
Everything's fixable.
00:12:12
You just need to know what to look for.
00:12:14
And that's exactly what you'll get in this next segment.
00:12:18
But here's a quick word from our sponsors.
00:12:22
This episode of Health Decoded is brought to you by Authentic Nutrition, the brand
00:12:29
redefining what it means to fuel your body the right way.
00:12:32
Authentic Nutrition, they believe that what you put into your body matters.
00:12:36
That's why every single product is crafted with clean, premium ingredients and dosed with
00:12:42
maximum efficacy to ensure you're not just meeting your health goals, you're exceeding
00:12:47
them.
00:12:48
No fillers, no shortcuts, no gimmicks.
00:12:51
Whether it's their advanced supplements for energy, recovery, or gut health, you can trust
00:12:56
that what's on the label is exactly what's in the bottle.
00:12:59
Fentic Nutrition delivers science backed formulations that work as hard as you do.
00:13:04
If you're tired of products that promise the world but don't deliver, it's time to make the
00:13:08
switch to Fentic Nutrition.
00:13:11
Elevate your health with transparency, quality, and results you can feel.
00:13:16
Check them out today at authenticnutrition.com and use promo code Alessi 15 to get 15% off.
00:13:23
That's thenticnutrition.com.
00:13:28
Promo code a l e s s I one five to save 15% and take the first step toward real, lasting
00:13:37
health.
00:13:38
Authentic nutrition, fuel your best self.
00:13:41
Now back to the episode.
00:13:44
Alright.
00:13:45
Welcome back.
00:13:46
Now that that's great.
00:13:48
That's you know, I love that we talk about, like, what people can expect and kind of what
00:13:53
signs to look for because it's all about those early warning signs, Being fatigued, being
00:13:58
tired after seven, eight hours of sleep is not normal, just so people know.
00:14:02
So those early warning signs are basically your body telling you something.
00:14:06
Your body talks to us through things.
00:14:07
And it's I was like the example of the check engine light, right?
00:14:10
Check engine light comes on in the car, doesn't tell you what's wrong, but it says that
00:14:14
something's off.
00:14:15
So then that's when you have to run diagnostics.
00:14:18
So now that's what we'll talk about is how-
00:14:20
how Even about that too.
00:14:21
It did.
00:14:22
Not not to cut you off real quick, but like even about that too, let's let's look at and
00:14:26
evaluate that scenario because that's the kind of the storyline.
00:14:29
Right?
00:14:29
Is that when people get in their car, if there's something wrong with their car, they
00:14:33
immediately go get that car fixed.
00:14:34
Right?
00:14:35
They can't get the point a, point a b.
00:14:37
Right?
00:14:37
But then when there's a physical ailment, it's like, man, this that that doesn't feel right.
00:14:41
Right?
00:14:42
Yeah.
00:14:42
And how you're treating your body, it's like, then I'm gonna push through this for five, ten
00:14:47
years.
00:14:48
Is that something you wanna push through for five or ten years?
00:14:51
Because eventually, it will have a stopping point.
00:14:53
So that's such a good analogy in terms of a description of the immediacy of how important
00:14:58
your body is.
00:14:59
I think you you raise a valid point there that, hey, you can get a new car.
00:15:04
If your car broke,
00:15:05
you can get a new one.
00:15:06
You can't get a whole new body.
00:15:07
Right?
00:15:07
You get one.
00:15:08
So you better take care of it and take some ownership.
00:15:11
It it is interesting to me how quickly people will like invest in their vehicle and you know,
00:15:17
be quick to respond to any kind of problems with it, but delay their own kind of physical
00:15:22
ailments for years until it, you know, obviously gets to be too bad.
00:15:26
But let's do this, let's get into why or how to know if the blood sugar's out of whack and kind
00:15:31
of tests that we can use.
00:15:33
These are some things that we use in the clinic as well, functional testing.
00:15:36
So, now that we've talked about, okay, what blood sugar issues feel like, let's get into
00:15:41
how you actually test for them because this is where most people are going to go wrong.
00:15:45
If you go to your regular doctor and you say, Hey, I'm tired, I've got brain fog, I'm gaining
00:15:49
weight and I feel off.
00:15:51
They're going to run a standard blood test and look at fasting glucose.
00:15:54
That's all they do.
00:15:56
And if it comes back under a hundred, they'll say, You're fine.
00:15:58
Right.
00:15:59
See you.
00:15:59
See you next time.
00:16:01
Right?
00:16:01
But here's the truth.
00:16:02
That's just a snapshot.
00:16:04
It'd be like judging your entire week based on a single second of your Monday morning, right?
00:16:09
And in functional medicine, we need more context.
00:16:12
I want the full picture, not just a single frame.
00:16:15
So, let's break down the core tests that I recommend for evaluating blood sugar function
00:16:20
and what we use in our clinic as well.
00:16:22
So number one is fasting glucose.
00:16:24
Yes, we are still going to look at this, but optimal range is somewhere around 75 to 85.
00:16:30
So if you're creeping up towards that 95 or higher, we're seeing that there are signs of
00:16:35
dysregulation, right?
00:16:36
You're still in that normal range, but you're on the higher end.
00:16:40
That's what we call functional, right?
00:16:42
We're looking at that.
00:16:43
The next one we're gonna run always in tandem with this is a hemoglobin A1C.
00:16:48
This shows a three month average of blood sugar.
00:16:51
This is the standard medical cutoff, right?
00:16:53
The standard medical cutoff is 5.7 for pre diabetes, but I like to keep patients between
00:16:59
4.8 to the lower fives, 5.4 for optimal metabolic health.
00:17:05
And there should be some fluctuation there.
00:17:08
The next one we look at is fasting insulin.
00:17:11
This is huge and most doctors do not run this.
00:17:14
Your insulin tells you how hard your body is working to keep the blood sugar stable, right?
00:17:19
Go back to segment one, we talked about what insulin does.
00:17:22
So, you might have a normal glucose and normal A1C, but if insulin is elevated, anything above
00:17:28
eight, that means your body is pumping out more insulin than it should to keep things in check.
00:17:34
That is the early stage of insulin resistance.
00:17:37
That if I see an elevated insulin but normal sugar, I say, Okay, we have a problem arising,
00:17:42
right?
00:17:43
Something's bound to happen eventually when your body taps out.
00:17:47
So there was a study out of the journal Diabetes Care in 2016 said that elevated
00:17:52
fasting insulin levels, even with normal glucose are predictive of future metabolic
00:17:58
syndrome.
00:17:59
Basically what I just said.
00:18:01
So, another test we run and this one, I can't say I run it a lot or all the time because I
00:18:06
can gather what I need from the other three, but an HOMA IR test, which basically stands for
00:18:12
homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance.
00:18:16
This would be say if I didn't gather enough information or it was more complicated, this
00:18:21
method is used to assess insulin resistance and it's basically a calculated score using your
00:18:26
fasting glucose and insulin and gives you kind of a sense of how insulin resistant you are.
00:18:32
So, the ideal range is under 1.5 and this test helps determine if your body is having trouble
00:18:39
utilizing glucose for energy.
00:18:41
So, you know, beyond what we do, obviously with the blood testing and checking symptoms and
00:18:47
things like that, there's things that people can do on their own as well.
00:18:50
And I always like to use this piece because it's empowering for them to say, hey, like you
00:18:54
don't need to do the blood testing if you can maintain, right?
00:18:57
Or say for example, we've gone through a protocol and we've helped someone to lower and
00:19:01
balance their insulin, which we do all the time.
00:19:04
We get people to go from diabetic to non diabetic, it's awesome.
00:19:08
But now you need to maintain that, right?
00:19:10
And you need to stay ahead of it.
00:19:11
So, using things like continuous glucose monitors.
00:19:15
These are wearable devices that you can stick on your body and they have a little
00:19:18
microfilament that goes into the capillary system in the skin.
00:19:22
And they track your glucose in real time 20 fourseven.
00:19:25
The technology is awesome because it taps right into an app, you can open your app and it shows
00:19:30
you what your glucose is in that moment.
00:19:33
You go eat and you will see that that number go up, right?
00:19:35
You'll see the blood sugar rise.
00:19:37
You go work out or you go for a walk, you'll see it come back down.
00:19:40
And so they show how your body is going to respond to different foods, stress, sleep,
00:19:45
workouts, and you can really get a cadence of what your body's doing on a regular basis.
00:19:50
And this is really a game changer because people will say, Oh, I thought oatmeal was
00:19:54
healthy, right?
00:19:55
Everyone thought like oats are like the breakfast thing that's got the whatever for
00:20:00
some reason they think it's healthy.
00:20:01
But their CGM is going to show a massive blood sugar spike or they'll see how maybe a poor
00:20:06
night's sleep made their fasting glucose jump the next morning.
00:20:10
And so when you can see that data in real time, you can start to make better decisions and more
00:20:15
informed choices for how you're living your life.
00:20:18
So let's be clear on this and everything we're discussing, you don't have to wait until your
00:20:24
labs are bad enough to make a change, right?
00:20:27
We always talk about prevention and early intervention.
00:20:30
And that's really the whole point of functional medicine.
00:20:33
We look for patterns of dysfunction, not just a diagnosis.
00:20:38
We look for early signs of decline or incline in markers that are still within normal limits,
00:20:43
but maybe bordering on critical.
00:20:45
And that's how we get ahead of things.
00:20:47
Why wait to have a diagnosis or have a condition if you can prevent it in the first
00:20:51
place?
00:20:52
And so if you want to get ahead of diabetes, cognitive decline, hormone imbalance,
00:20:56
cardiovascular disease, it all starts with knowing your blood sugar story.
00:21:02
And more importantly, interpreting that story through the right lens.
00:21:06
It's not, is it within normal range, right?
00:21:08
That's not enough.
00:21:09
Is this optimal for where I want my health to be?
00:21:12
Is the question you should be asking.
00:21:15
So now let's do this.
00:21:16
Let's get into some actionable things that you can do that are practical that actually work.
00:21:22
And these are the exact strategies that we use with patients to fix blood sugar and get off
00:21:26
that roller coaster once and for all.
00:21:30
For sure.
00:21:30
Now, here are the actual actionable tips because I think this is probably the most
00:21:35
important segment that we typically do.
00:21:37
It's like we yeah.
00:21:38
We learn and then we educate, we empower.
00:21:41
But how do we put in practice?
00:21:43
Right?
00:21:43
So here we go.
00:21:45
Now that you understand how blood sugar works and how to test this dysfunction, even on a
00:21:51
daily basis with the glucose monitoring systems, let's talk about the nuts and bolts of
00:21:57
it all.
00:21:58
So fix your food first.
00:22:01
That's number one.
00:22:02
Nutrition is the fastest way to stabilize your blood sugar levels.
00:22:06
And here's how we coach patients through this.
00:22:09
Start with protein and fat.
00:22:11
Every single meal should be focused on those two elements.
00:22:16
If you don't know, proteins is four calories per gram, fat is nine calories per gram.
00:22:21
You need to have an understanding of that because it is calories in calories out.
00:22:25
So, we need to have an understanding of how we have a proper balance and fats slow down the
00:22:31
absorption of glucose and tells your body it's safe and it's nourished.
00:22:36
Fat also helps with satiety and blood sugar stability.
00:22:41
So, that's an important thing to know when you balance your proteins along with your fats in
00:22:45
your meals.
00:22:46
So, here's an example of a typical breakfast, right?
00:22:51
So, instead of getting a bagel and an orange juice for breakfast, which is basically rocket
00:22:57
fuel for a blood sugar spike, right, go with like eggs, which you typically get about six
00:23:03
grams per protein, some healthy fats being in an avocado, and maybe a side of greens.
00:23:09
So that means it's telling your body, hey, we're cool.
00:23:12
No panic needed here.
00:23:14
Right?
00:23:14
So you're not gonna get that massive spike.
00:23:17
So limit naked carbs.
00:23:19
And what are naked carbs?
00:23:21
This is what I call carbs eaten alone, like a banana or crackers as a snack.
00:23:27
Right?
00:23:27
Those are typically unneeded, and not something you need throughout the day.
00:23:31
It's probably a habit of you just grabbing and putting it your mouth, right, for the
00:23:35
satiability, but it's not going to last long.
00:23:37
So if you're going eat carbs, pair them with a protein or a fat and buffer that sugar spike.
00:23:43
So here's a little bonus tip for you too.
00:23:45
So try a ten minute walk after a heavy carb heavy meal.
00:23:50
So this literally can blunt your glucose response and lower your blood sugar naturally
00:23:58
just by moving.
00:24:00
How often have you eaten dinner and just sat down, right?
00:24:04
One thing that we do as a family is right after dinner, we walk.
00:24:08
And so that's been a big thing because that lowers that response, right?
00:24:12
So your metabolism needs space.
00:24:16
It doesn't need the snacking all day.
00:24:18
So if you're constantly eating, even those healthy snacks that you're like, oh, there's a
00:24:22
little bit of protein in this bar, right?
00:24:24
It's also filled with carbohydrates.
00:24:27
And this is never letting your insulin levels come down, giving your gut and your pancreas
00:24:32
that much needed rest throughout the day, right?
00:24:35
So here's your aim.
00:24:37
Aim for two to three solid meals a day.
00:24:41
If you're metabolically flexible, you don't need to graze like a squirrel, all day, every
00:24:47
day.
00:24:47
Hey, I need to I need to grab this and grab that, right?
00:24:50
So here's number three, and I think it's probably the most important, maybe slightly
00:24:58
under nutrition, but it impacts how you're going to eat throughout the day and what your
00:25:03
metabolic response is going to be.
00:25:05
And that's prioritizing sleep and stress management.
00:25:08
Alright?
00:25:09
So poor stress poor stress poor sleep increases your cortisol, which raises your fasting
00:25:15
glucose even if your diet is absolutely perfect.
00:25:20
So stress has that same effect.
00:25:23
If you can if you can spike your blood sugar level like a candy bar, if you don't have
00:25:29
proper stress and sleep management, right?
00:25:32
So patients that come into Alessi functional health nail their diet and still struggle with
00:25:38
that blood sugar level.
00:25:40
And then they ask why.
00:25:41
And so then we clean up their sleep and taught them how to manage their stress.
00:25:45
And that's where their lifestyle completely changed from a medicine component to a
00:25:49
functional medicine component approaching each day.
00:25:53
Right?
00:25:54
So if you're tracking your numbers and still seeing that chaos, look at your nervous system.
00:25:59
It's telling you something.
00:26:01
It's constantly giving you feedback.
00:26:04
And number four is like we said, it's a lot like moving after dinner, but move your body,
00:26:12
and we are massive believers in that strength training component.
00:26:16
So muscle is your best glucose disposal tool, hands down.
00:26:21
The more lean muscle you have, and we preach this all the time, the more your sugar your
00:26:27
body can absorb without needing a ton of insulin all the time.
00:26:30
Alright?
00:26:31
So strengthening two to four times a week is one of the best long term strategies to reverse
00:26:37
insulin resistance.
00:26:39
I'm going give you a little bit of tip.
00:26:41
Put your phone in your locker, right?
00:26:43
You want your heart rate to get up when you're doing those activities.
00:26:47
So walking is way underrated.
00:26:51
Walking is a form of resistance, right?
00:26:54
So walking is a very good tool.
00:26:57
Just a brisk one after meals first thing in the morning, you get indirect sunlight exposure to
00:27:01
prepare your body for sleep.
00:27:03
And then maybe between calls or even during calls can make a huge impact to lower that
00:27:09
effect.
00:27:11
So consider supplements if needed.
00:27:15
We are big on supplementation, and we had a prior podcast that we explained the depletion
00:27:21
in our nutrient source.
00:27:23
So, this is where we highlight the supplementation that we think could be crucial
00:27:28
for you in really fighting that insulin response.
00:27:32
So, these can be helpful adjuncts, but are not complete substitutes for whole lifestyle meals
00:27:38
throughout the day, specifically three a day.
00:27:41
So berberine, number one.
00:27:44
What is berberine?
00:27:45
Berberine helps improve insulin sensitivity.
00:27:50
So think it like a natural form of metformin.
00:27:53
Berberine is a great tool.
00:27:56
Alpha lipic acid, right?
00:27:58
It's an antioxidant that supports glucose uptake.
00:28:02
Another one that is on the craze right now is magnesium.
00:28:06
So many people are deficient in magnesium, which plays a crucial role in insulin
00:28:12
regulation.
00:28:13
So chromium is another one and that supports healthy glucose metabolism.
00:28:18
So as always, work with someone who knows how to personalize your needs, such as Alessi
00:28:24
Functional Health, which can guide you through that process and guide you through all these
00:28:28
processes of what functional medicine looks like and how you can approach them and start
00:28:33
implementing in your day to day.
00:28:35
But at the end of the here's the truth.
00:28:37
Your blood sugar isn't just about whether or not you have diabetes.
00:28:41
It's the foundation of how you feel, think, and age.
00:28:46
So when it's out of control, everything else is harder.
00:28:49
Weight loss, energy, hormones, brain function, all the above.
00:28:53
And when you stabilize it, the whole system calms down and gives you a better cadence.
00:28:58
So you feel steady, sharp, and strong at the end of the day.
00:29:02
So we always go by this model.
00:29:04
This isn't about perfection.
00:29:06
It's about consistency.
00:29:08
So eating real food, moving your body, getting good sleep, and respecting your biology at the
00:29:13
end of the day, it's better to be consistently good than occasionally perfect.
00:29:17
That's our motto.
00:29:18
And if you've got the tools, now, less time.
00:29:22
Let's go get it.
00:29:24
Love that, man.
00:29:25
That was awesome.
00:29:25
Those are some really good actionable tips people can do.
00:29:28
And we always say, start with one, right?
00:29:31
Don't overload yourself and be like, I'm going to do all of this tomorrow.
00:29:33
It's like pick one, implement that for a week, make sure you dial that in as a habit and now
00:29:37
add to that habit stack, right?
00:29:40
The walking after meals is probably the easiest one people can turn around and do today.
00:29:44
So, love that.
00:29:46
Thank you for joining us.
00:29:48
Always to learn more about how we can help diagnose reverse and heal blood sugar and
00:29:53
metabolic conditions within our functional medicine programs, go to
00:29:56
AlessiFunctionalHealth.com, schedule a consultation with myself or one of our other
00:30:01
doctors, and let's create a personalized plan to get you to that lifelong health that we talk
00:30:06
about.
00:30:06
Listeners of the podcast are always gonna get exclusive discounts and price reductions on all
00:30:11
of our protocols and lab tests.
00:30:14
And as always, if you found today's show, please, please like, subscribe, and share this
00:30:20
someone episode with someone who needs to hear it.
00:30:22
That's how we grow this message and change their lives as well.
00:30:26
And wanna get in touch with us or be featured on an episode, email us questions at Alessi FX
00:30:31
Health ask at Alessi FX Health dot com.
00:30:34
And then if you wanna just be more empowered and educate yourself, we have a some great
00:30:39
resources on our website at AlessiFXHealth.com.
00:30:43
And you can there, you can sign up for our newsletter.
00:30:45
Check out our resources page to learn more about our approach to number one nutrition and
00:30:49
also cutting edge therapies.
00:30:52
Thank you for tuning in to Health Decoded, where we break down the science, bust the
00:30:56
myths, and help you take control of your health naturally.
00:31:00
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered, and remember your health is in your hands.
00:31:06
Thank you for tuning in to Health Decoded, where we break down the truth about all things
00:31:11
health and empower you to take charge of your well-being.
00:31:15
If you found value in today's episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with
00:31:20
someone who needs to hear this.
00:31:22
For more resources and personalized support, visit us at AlessiFunctionalHealth.com and sign
00:31:28
up for our newsletter.
00:31:30
To hear your questions answered live on the show, send them to ask at AlessiFX Health dot
00:31:35
com.
00:31:35
That's ask@alessifxhealth.com.
00:31:41
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered, and remember your health is in your hands.