Finding Balance and Getting Energy
Managing Blood Sugar to Keep the Peace
30 MINUTE READ
Published June 2024
AUTHOR
Megan Lyons
Owner of Lyons’ Share Wellness, Double Board Certified as a Clinical Nutritionist and Holistic Nutritionist & Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition (Cand)
Have you ever started to feel frustrated and then just realized…you’re really hungry? Does your child meltdown right as you’re realizing they need a snack. Stable blood sugar levels play a crucial role in maintaining consistent energy and mood. By mastering the tips and strategies in this guide, you'll help stabilize blood sugar and maintain the peace in your body and in your home.
How often does someone in your family get hangry?
All joking aside, “hanger” (hunger-anger) attacks are an all-too-common reality for many families. It’s a very non-scientific way to describe the most basic of human needs…the urgent need to eat. When someone is feeling “hangry” (i.e. their blood sugars are unregulated) it can cause real physical symptoms like dizziness, anxiety, irritability, and more. It’s our body telling us that we’ve gone too long without proper nutrition to support our busy lives. It’s a state that many of us who are strapped for time and resources often fall victim to. It’s also a common issue for children who are not getting the right types of food throughout the day. Is your child potentially dysregulated because they’re hungry?
In these elevated states of hunger we are often tempted by the first source of nutrition we see…a bag of chips…crackers…a quick fix. Unfortunately these “quick fixes” are also staples at the end-cap of your local grocery store making it even harder to resist the urgency to consume them. The reality is…these foods are often packed with carbohydrates designed to give you the fast energy you’re craving. Unfortunately they don’t give your body the long-term nutrition it needs to create energy. While the sugar makes you feel better for a short time…it ultimately leads to a blood sugar crash and…another hangry moment.
Stopping this cycle, and taking care of our underlying physical needs is sometimes put to the side as we strive to take care of our busy professional and personal lives. This is the first of many reminders that you must put your mask on first before you can support others.
Stable blood sugar levels play a crucial role in maintaining consistent energy and mood for yourself and your child. By mastering the tips and strategies in this guide, you'll help stabilize blood sugar and maintain the peace in your body and in your home through balanced meals, smart snacking choices, and mindful food timing.
Breaking it down
So…what’s the problem with carbohydrates? In moderation…nothing, but they key is BALANCE. When we eat carbohydrates, they are broken down into sugar (glucose), which enters the bloodstream, raising blood sugar levels. In response, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin, which helps cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream for energy or storage. Additionally, the hormone glucagon is released when blood sugar levels drop, signaling the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream to maintain stability.
This cycle is designed to happen over a long period of time when carbohydrates are consumed as part of a balanced diet (with other nutrients like proteins and fats). If we only consume carbohydrates (e.g. as a snack or as a meal) our body’s natural ability to process the glucose falls under enormous pressure and ultimately will not be able to keep-up. Our bloodstream becomes oversaturated with sugars leading to the poor mental and physical symptoms we experience. Repeating this pattern over time can also lead longer term to insulin resistance and type-II diabetes.
Bottom line: Balancing blood sugar is crucial for preventing spikes and crashes in energy levels, managing appetite and cravings, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes. There are many things we can do to support healthy blood sugars and we’ve put them together for you in four simple steps, so you just have to remember “0, 1, 2, 3”!
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On a daily basis, we want to keep added sugar to a minimum and get sugar only from naturally occurring sources like fruits.
We get it - sugary snacks can often be the “first line of defense” in time strapped, tense moments at work or when a toddler is on the verge of a meltdown. When this happens - pause - and evaluate whether food is really the solution (or if it’s something else). If food really is the solution - a healthy snack (vegetable, protein, etc) should also do the trick.
We want to steer clear of proactively offering sugary beverages, candies, and processed snacks in these moments of “crisis” but also as part of a regular routine. Sugary snacks are the worst offenders - they lead to sudden spikes in blood sugar (read: happiest person in the room) followed by crashes (read: saddest person in the room), leaving your and/or your child feeling tired, and irritable, and potentially not in control of their body.
It’s fine to have a little fun sometimes, and its part of being a human to enjoy these types of foods during special occasions (birthdays, Halloween, etc). We don't want to restrict sugary foods all together, but we do want to approach this category purposefully and with moderation. We'll discuss how to manage these "extras" in another guide. For now the goal is to keep the added sugars to a minimum, especially for planned meals and snacks.
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We want to prioritize at least ONE of the following at snack time: protein, healthy fat, or fiber.
Opt for nutrient-dense snacks such as fruits (fiber), vegetables (fiber) with hummus (protein), or yogurt (protein) with nuts and seeds (healthy fat) (if your child is old enough for nuts & seeds) to keep blood sugar stable between meals.
See your macronutrient chart from our Fueling Your Body guide for more examples of protein, healthy fat, and fiber. We want to minimize snacks that are high in refined sugars and carbohydrates, as they can cause rapid spikes and subsequent crashes in blood sugar levels.
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Aim to keep snacks and meals spaced about 2-3 hours apart, meaning you're snacking between each meal. This is especially important for children (and adults too!)
Encourage regular meal and snack times to help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent overeating or undereating. Consistent eating patterns can also support energy levels and mood throughout the day.
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Include the three macronutrients at most meals. You wont get it perfect every time, but if you get 2 of the 3 meals each day...or 4 of the 7 days each week you're on a great path. Start with setting a goal you can achieve and then work up from there to where you ultimately want to be. Perfection is never the answer.
Designing meals that include a balance of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats can help regulate blood sugar levels throughout the day.
Aim to include carbohydrates from whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, lean proteins like chicken or tofu, and healthy fats like avocado or olive oil in each meal to provide sustained energy and promote satiety. Having a meal of all carbohydrates without the right balance of healthy fats and proteins (even if they are healthy carbohydrates like rice, broccoli, and grapes!), will lead to a blood sugar crash later.
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Here’s a bonus!: Regular physical activity plays a key role in blood sugar regulation by increasing the effectiveness of insulin and promoting glucose utilization by muscles. Encourage your child to engage in age-appropriate activities they enjoy, such as outdoor play, sports, or dancing, to help maintain stable blood sugar levels and support overall health. After meals, involve them in "clean up" (even if they're not old enough to be truly helpful) or go for a family walk. Postprandial (meaning: right after meals) activity is the most impactful for blood sugar.
What the research says
Stabilizing blood sugar levels in young children is crucial for maintaining consistent energy levels, promoting concentration and cognitive function, and supporting overall mood and behavior. By prioritizing balanced meals, providing healthy snacks, avoiding sugars and encouraging regular physical activity, parents can help their children establish lifelong habits that contribute to optimal health and well-being.
Failure to manage blood sugar levels effectively may increase the risk of developing conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life. Today, 88% of American adults are considered metabolically unhealthy, and this starts in childhood. In fact, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes in children nearly doubled from 2002-2003 to 2017-2018. Habits learned in early childhood tend to stick through the adolescent years. So even when it feels easier to pop open the bag of cookies or candy, think about your child's future, and do your best to prioritize protein, healthy fat, and fiber on most occasions.
We’re fighting a tough battle here. Manufacturers add sugar to 74% of all packaged foods sold in supermarkets. Even healthy-sounding items like dressings, yogurts, and cereals often have added sugar. You can look at the “added sugar” line in the nutrition facts, or scan the ingredients list for things that include the words “sugar,” “syrup,” or anything ending in “-ose” in order to find added sugar. It’s not about being perfect; just about doing your best to choose other options without added sugar.
What good nutrition may look like for your child
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Good news! Baby should be consuming 100% of their calories from breastmilk or formula, which limits the brain energy around steps zero, 1, and 3.
At this stage, step 2 is the only part you have to think about, getting your baby the right amount of food. Your baby may be consuming around 24-32 ounces of milk per day and is likely feeding 6-8 times per day.
If you’re breastfeeding - getting your baby the right quantity of milk can be one of the most stressful aspects of new parenthood. Milk supply coupled with learning your baby’s hunger cues work in tandem to help mom and baby get into the right rhythm. There have been tremendous leaps in technology in recent years to help parents more seamlessly breastfeed. Check out our resources below to learn more about the nFant breastfeeding system. nFant helps teach Moms how to identify, recognize and respond to feeding cues while the nFant Thrive Breast device capture real-time feeding data to help Mom know when milk is flowing and when it’s not to ensure baby is appropriately fed!
Getting on a good schedule can also be critical to mom and baby’s happiness in early months. Please see the Solid Starts guide in the Resources section for more on feeding schedules.
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Note: Please consult your pediatrician to determine when your baby is physically ready for solid foods. If your child is eating solid foods the below suggestions are relevant.
“Zero, One, Two, Three”
Zero: Minimize added sugar from pouches, yogurts, and juices.
One: A snack may be a peach cut into bite-sized pieces (fiber), a dollop of yogurt (protein), or some avocado (healthy fat).
Two: It’s a great idea to start spreading out milk and food feedings. Offering two solid meals per day, and milk feedings every 2.5 hours or so through the day with potentially one overnight, may be a good schedule.
Three: Your baby may still be getting protein and fat from breastmilk or formula, so the main focus may be healthy carbohydrates in the form of vegetables, fruits, and grains. But trying out some protein and fat options at most meals is a great idea, too!
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“Zero, One, Two, Three”
Zero: Minimize added sugar from juice, applesauce, fruit snacks, and sweet treats like cookies.
One: Introduce kids to snacks like peas or green beans once you are comfortable with their chewing - great sources of fiber!
Two: Getting closer to 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day with minimal bottle feedings is recommended.
Three: As more of the baby’s protein and fat comes from non-milk foods, it’s a great time to introduce a source of protein (like meat, tofu, or beans) and a source of fat (like olive oil, fish, or avocado) in each meal.
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“Zero, One, Two, Three”
Zero: Minimize added sugars from oatmeals, cereals, puffs and other products marketed towards kids. Just do your best - perfection is the enemy of progress!
One: Continue encouraging fruits and vegetables for snacks as much as you encourage other options.
Two: Aim for 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day, spread out every 2-3 hours of waking time.
Three: Aiming to get three macronutrients in each meal is optimal, but depending on baby’s appetite, getting in two can be considered a victory.
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“Zero, One, Two, Three”
Zero: Continue awareness of added sugars for commonly consumed foods in your home and at school.
One: Offer the same snacks that you choose for yourself to your child to normalize real food as snacks.
Two: Aim for 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day, spread out every 2-3 hours of waking time.
Three: At this stage, having a source of each macronutrient (protein, fat, carbs) at each meal is optimal.
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“Zero, One, Two, Three”
Zero: Work on not rewarding good behavior with added sugar. See our Balancing Extras guide for more guidance.
One: Help kids understand that healthy snacks make them feel more energized, and allow them to choose from a selection of healthy options like fruit, nuts, or a turkey and cheese roll-up.
Two: Aim for 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day, spread out every 2-3 hours of waking time.
Three: At this stage, having a source of each macronutrient (protein, fat, carbs) at each meal is optimal.
About the author
Megan Lyons
Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (cand), Board Certified Clinical and Holistic Nutritionist
As owner of her own wellness business, Megan has completed over 12,000 hours of 1-to-1 nutrition consulting, spoken on hundreds of stages, and reached hundreds of thousands through her…
Nutritionists
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Adult mental health
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Couples mental health
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Infant & child mental health
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Sleep coaching
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Nutritionists • Adult mental health • Couples mental health • Infant & child mental health • Sleep coaching •
When to get
expert support
Sometimes you might need more support, and that's okay! Here are times you may consider reaching out to a specialist:
Your child goes from balanced to "hangry" or irritable on a consistent basis, multiple times per day. Your infant is cluster feeding routinely
Your child always chooses carbohydrates, sometimes to the extent of refusing all other foods
You find yourself grazing all day and unable to go multiple hours between meals without coffee or a feeling like you need a nap
You experience peaks and valleys of energy level, the highs are highly productive while the lows feel borderline debilitating
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Amankwaah, A. F., Sayer, R. D., Wright, A. J., Chen, N., McCrory, M. A., & Campbell, W. W. (2017). Effects of Higher Dietary Protein and Fiber Intakes at Breakfast on Postprandial Glucose, Insulin, and 24-h Interstitial Glucose in Overweight Adults. Nutrients, 9(4), 352. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9040352
Hidden in plain sight. SugarScience.UCSF.edu. (2018, December 7). https://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/hidden-in-plain-sight/
Lattimer, J. M., & Haub, M. D. (2010). Effects of dietary fiber and its components on metabolic health. Nutrients, 2(12), 1266–1289. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu2121266
Mahmood, L., Flores-Barrantes, P., Moreno, L. A., Manios, Y., & Gonzalez-Gil, E. M. (2021). The Influence of Parental Dietary Behaviors and Practices on Children's Eating Habits. Nutrients, 13(4), 1138. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041138
Pinhas-Hamiel, O. (2023, November 7). Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents- a focus on diagnosis and treatment. Endotext [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK597439/
Valaiyapathi, B., Gower, B., & Ashraf, A. P. (2020). Pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents. Current diabetes reviews, 16(3), 220–229. https://doi.org/10.2174/1573399814666180608074510