Your Energy Balances

Most of your body’s cells use Glucose and fatty acids to create energy.

Glucose is the main type of sugar in the blood and is a major source of energy for body cells. Glucose comes from the foods we eat, or the body can make it from other substances. Glucose is carried through the bloodstream to the cells. Several hormones including insulin control glucose levels in the blood.

Glucose and fatty acids enter our bodies through the foods we eat. As blood glucose levels rise your pancreas releases insulin. The insulin does two things. It helps blood sugar enter the body’s cells so it can be used for energy and secondly it signals the liver to store blood sugar for later use.

As your body’s cells absorb nutrients/blood sugar and other proteins from the foods it gets, blood glucose levels start to fall. Unless more glucose is eaten these levels start to drop to a point where the body burns fat instead of glucose for energy.

Let’s take a typical day in your life. 8am breakfast, toasted bread or cereal gives a sugar rush and insulin levels rise. This rush can be heightened by fruit juice or the sugar you put in your tea or coffee. 10.30am snack. As blood glucose falls and lingering insulin inhibits fatty acid release, we start to feel tired and want a snack which is usually a sugar biscuit and blood glucose/sugar rises again. By lunchtime, 1pm a new sugar crash is upon us which may tempt us to eat a high carbohydrate/sugar lunch. And so the cycle continues and your body dictates to you what it desires and it takes willpower and body control to reverse this trend.

Sugar is more addictive than cocaine.