3 signs you have a blood sugar imbalance
Do you have a blood sugar imbalance? Blood sugar levels are a key indicator of metabolic health and the balance of blood sugar can affect our energy, hormones, thyroid, stress, immunity and more. It’s something ALL of us can be aware of to support health and I honestly love talking about it because it can make such a huge difference in how we feel on a daily basis and that’s really what I care about. Read on to learn 3 clues you might have a blood sugar imbalance!
Do you have a blood sugar imbalance?
Blood sugar levels are a key indicator of metabolic health and the balance of blood sugar can affect our energy, hormones, thyroid, stress, immunity and more.
It’s something ALL of us can be aware of to support health and I honestly love talking about it because it can make such a huge difference in how we feel on a daily basis and that’s really what I care about.
Here are 3 clues you might be dealing with a blood sugar imbalance:
1. You experience energy crashes - if you have big dips in energy especially late afternoon it’s a good indicator you might be on the “blood sugar roller coaster” of ups and downs 🎢
2. You have strong cravings, especially for sugar, refined carbs and caffeine - cravings give us so much insight into what the body is needing to come into balance. I LOVE decoding cravings with my clients. These cravings can indicate the body needing more quick acting energy as a result of blood sugar ups and downs.
3. You’re always hungry! - if you never feel satiated it’s likely because there is a blood sguar imbalance and we want to look at the macronutrients of protein, fat, fiber and carbs to get you feeling full and have balanced energy.
And if you’re experiencing hormone imbalance (PMS, PCOS, thyroid issues), low energy or autoimmunity you definitely want to shore up blood sugar as a key first step!
Tune into the short video below to learn more! And leave me a comment if you have questions or want to go deeper on this for yourself. I’m taking on a few new 1:1 clients right now and would love to support you! 🦋
If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, breathwork, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and identify what’s standing in your way. Click the button below to set up your free consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.
How to Get Rid of Sugar Cravings
Craving sugar? In this post, you’ll learn how to dig deeper to understand the craving and feed the ACTUAL need you’re experiencing behind your cravings!
HOW TO GET RID OF SUGAR CRAVINGS
Craving sugar? You’re certainly not alone. Sugar can feel like it has SO much power over us on a daily basis. “How do I deal with sugar cravings?” is one of the things I get asked about most frequently so I wanted to share my insight into this important topic!
There are two pieces for us to look at when sugar cravings arise, the physiological side of cravings and also the emotional side. In the video below, I’m sharing some of my go-to ways for dealing with the emotional aspects of these cravings. You’ll see how you can use your cravings as an opportunity or invitation to dig a little deeper to understand and feed the ACTUAL need that you’re experiencing.
This process helps bring awareness to the deeper reasons behind cravings and allows us to avoid restrictive cycles that tend to happen when we simply say “no”. You might be surprised when you try it! When we support our bodies and our emotions in nourishing ways, often cravings naturally start to dissipate and disappear.
If you’re having sugar cravings, I’m here to help! This is something that a lot of us struggle with, and it’s important that we have a framework in place for when cravings do happen. If you need more support in understanding and managing your cravings, I invite you to check out my Eating for Energy Mini-Course. Inside the Eating For Energy Mini-Course, you will be guided through 3 simple and effective steps to take to fuel your body for sustained energy and improved sleep on a daily basis. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and confused about what and how to eat to feel your best, this course is your next, simple step to focus on to make tangible and sustainable change in how you feel. Learn more and enroll here.
Now, over to you! Feel free to share your experience dealing with sugar cravings in the comments!
If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, breathwork, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and identify what’s standing in your way. Click the button below to set up your free consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.
The Dangers of Proton Pump Inhibitors
Have you or someone you know taken acid-blocking drugs, particularly Proton Pump Inhibitors? If you are, you’re certainly not alone. In this post, I discuss the dangers of PPIs and everything you need to know about these acid-reducing drugs including the effects they can have on our bodies.
THE DANGERS OF PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS
Have you or someone you know taken acid-blocking drugs, particularly Proton Pump Inhibitors? If you are, you’re certainly not alone. Americans spent $13 billion of acid-reducing drugs in 2006 to give you an idea of the magnitude of use. In this post, I’ll discuss some of the dangers of PPIs and everything you need to know about these acid-reducing drugs including the effects they can have on our bodies.
What are Proton Pump Inhibitors?
Proton Pump Inhibitors - or PPIs - are a class of acid-reducing drugs. They’re medications like Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium to name a few, and they are designed to turn off acid production in the gut. They’re often used for stomach and small intestine ulcers, for severe GERD, esophageal reflux, and sometimes to protect people from getting ulcers that can develop as the result of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory use. They're also available over the counter to treat heartburn. PPIs are approved by the FDA for a 14-day course of treatment, however many people end up taking these well past the indicated timeline. I took proton pump inhibitor drugs when I was dealing with acid reflux and heartburn and ended up taking them for around a year without any follow-up, and oftentimes my clients come to me in similar situations.
Things to consider when taking PPIs
These antacids might seem really harmless because they're available over the counter and anyone can just walk into a store and buy them, but they can have a number of side-effects and really serious downstream consequences when used long-term that we really need to be aware of when we're thinking functionally.
The first issue is that they don't get to the root of the problem. PPIs are band-aids used to mask symptoms of heartburn. Typically heartburn is a signal that there is digestive impairment that's causing acidic stomach contents to leak up into the esophagus. So in order to treat the problem, you need to support overall digestion, not just mask the symptoms. When I started learning about this, my mind was blown! Instead of just saying, we need to turn off the acid, we want to think, why is the food not being broken down in the gut in the first place? And how can we support top to bottom digestion?
There is also an increased risk of infection when taking PPIs. The FDA has issued a series of reports cautioning against the prolonged use of PPIs, citing increased risk of infection, bone fractures, nutrient deficiencies and life-threatening infections (clostridium difficile) but they are still over prescribed and widely used long-term. Stomach acid secretions act as a defense mechanism against enteric bacteria and so less acid during PPI use allows for colonization of opportunistic microbes. That means you could end up with an overgrowth of microbes that might lead to more dysbiosis.
Chronic PPI use also leads to malabsorption of key minerals in the body, namely a loss of calcium and magnesium. A loss of these minerals has been shown to lead to bone fractures and cardiac abnormalities among other downstream issues. I also see this in terms of not being able to absorb things like iron, B12 or different vitamins. A lot of times, having low stomach acid or just impaired digestion is correlated with low iron or nutrient deficiencies overall. And we know that nutrient deficiencies are a big driver of autoimmune issues or any health issues because our immune system needs those nutrients and those building blocks to do what it needs to do.
Listen in below to learn more about the dangers of taking PPIs. And if you're on a PPI for any reason, know that that's okay. I've taken them too. When you know more about them, you can begin to understand how they might be affecting your body, and then you can take steps to get to the roots of what's going on.
PREFER TO LISTEN? TUNE INTO THE LIVE WELL PODCAST BELOW (AND DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE SO YOU'LL NEVER MISS OUT!)
Click here to listen in iTunes
Click here to listen in Stitcher
If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and identify what’s standing in your way. Click the button below to set up your free consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.
Reducing Period Pain with Lauren Lee-Crane & Catherine Lee of Semaine
On this episode of The Live Well Podcast, I’ll be speaking with sisters Lauren Lee-Crane & Catherine Lee, founders of Semaine Health, about their experience with endometriosis and reducing period pain. They’re on a mission to normalize the conversation around periods and period pain, and this is exactly why these twin sisters wanted to start Semaine Health, a health & wellness company that takes women’s pain seriously.
On this episode of The Live Well Podcast, I’ll be speaking with sisters Lauren Lee-Crane & Catherine Lee, founders of Semaine Health, about their experience with endometriosis and reducing period pain. They see learning to live with endometriosis as a journey - taking care of themselves, listening to their bodies, and voicing what they need to be healthy. They’re on a mission to normalize the conversation around periods and period pain, and this is exactly why these twin sisters wanted to start Semaine Health, a health & wellness company that takes women’s pain seriously.
The team at Semaine combines deep personal experience with PhD-level research to address women’s health issues. Their first product specifically addresses period pain and empowers women by providing natural, plant-based products that have been rigorously researched and can be taken without a prescription. Their anti-inflammatory, Semaine, offers a solution that is grounded in science and compassion.
Today, we’ll hear more about Lauren and Catherine’s story and learn about the tools that have helped them along their journey.
LISTEN BELOW (AND DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE SO YOU'LL NEVER MISS OUT!)
Click here to listen in iTunes
Click here to listen in Stitcher
SHOW NOTES:
0:00 Intro
2:54 Guest introduction
3:43 Lauren and Catherine talk about their endometriosis journey
6:10 Deep dive into their endometriosis experience
6:30 The indicator that something was wrong for them
7:22 How the condition “felt” normal to them
8:27 On using birth control pills to avoid the period pains
9:06 When the pain started to get scary
11:50 Endometrioma
21:33 Most women who have endometriosis have IBS
24:00 The holistic approach Lauren and Catherine had to do
24:58 Wellness burnout
25:30 Diet and inflammation
30:00 Semaine product and holistic ingredients
33:18 Going in-depth into the products of Semaine Health and how it started
35:20 What was Matt’s role in Semaine Health
37:15 The different ingredients and their supportive roles
38:30 The market focus of their products
40:52 The importance of tracking your cycle
44:03 The big thought behind Semaine Health
45:10 The importance of understanding monthly periods and shouldn’t be a taboo
48:30 Where to find Lauren and Catherine and learn more about them and their journey
If you loved this episode, I'd be honored for you to give me a rating on iTunes. This helps me to get content out to others who are interested in getting control of their health through diet, lifestyle shifts and personal empowerment.
If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and identify what’s standing in your way. Click the button below to set up your free consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.