Having elevated blood sugar is something I never thought I would have to worry about. In January I had my yearly labs drawn and was surprised to see my HbA1C was higher than it should be based on my health status and lifestyle. HbA1C is a 2-3 month average of your blood sugar and a test I had to ask for by my doctor when she was writing my lab order. While my numbers were not technically in the pre diabetes range (or flagged by my doctor which is another post for another day) it was concerning for me to see my numbers higher than they should be.
I flagged my own numbers and took them to a naturopath and she agreed that my fasting glucose and HbA1C were higher than you’d expect based on my heath status. We decided I would try a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for a month and track what foods were spiking me and get more data. I ordered a CGM from the company Levels.
I also purchased a home glucose monitor so I could do finger sticks at home and compare to the CGM. I did this because a finger stick is more accurate because it is testing your blood directly, while a CGM is testing the fluid in between your cells. However, a CGM is helpful because it gives you real time fluctuations so you can see how things like what you eat, your exercise, and sleep affect your metabolic health.
Why is this important? Chronically high blood glucose can be damaging to your health. It can eventually lead to insulin resistance which can ultimately lead to pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes and other health conditions.
What should your glucose levels be?
A “normal” fasting blood glucose is <100 mg/dL and post meal glucose is <140 mg/dL. Glucose levels should be between 70-120mg/dL ~90% of the day. Post-meal glucose should not be more than 30mg/dL higher than pre-meal glucose. Wearing a CGM helped me monitor these fluctuations.
My fasting glucose is <100 mg/dL, but in the 90’s most days and that is a red flag for me. A more ideal range for fasting blood glucose is 72-85 mg/dL as studies show there is an increase risk of health problems as fasting glucose increases.
Factors that significantly impact blood sugar
Blood sugar is impacted my more than just what you eat. Stress, sleep, exercise, time of day, gut health, and your environment. It’s also important to note that people may have a significantly different blood glucose response to the same exact food.
Things I learned using a CGM
I’m a fan of carbs, and if you are too your glucose is going to increase after a meal because you just consumed glucose. Your body is now working to get that glucose out of the blood and into the cells for energy. However, excessive spiking of blood sugar is not ideal (>160mg/dL) and the goal is to keep blood sugars as stable as possible.
By wearing my CGM, I found that if my meal had beans, lentils, hummus would spiked me. Having oatmeal or granola in the morning also spiked me a bit. No surprise, but when I would have a handful of Simple Mills crackers between meals or a date after meal, my glucose would spike. I don’t avoid these foods I’m just mindful to make sure I’m not having these foods without a good protein source. I’m also trying to limit simple or highly processed carbohydrates because those always spike me.
Having adequate fiber, protein, and fat with meals and snacks will help slow the absorption of glucose and help prevent big spikes. It also amazed me how quickly my blood sugar would drop with walking. I would notice a 20+ point decrease in my blood sugar levels when I would go for a walk, especially after a meal or snack. Game changer for managing blood sugar.
My take away from using a CGM
I was happy to learn that I do stay within a healthy glucose range for most of the day. Some things spike me, but I’m not having chronically high blood sugar. I did notice the higher than I’d ideally like my fasting blood sugar, so I will work with my naturopath on strategies to try and lower that. I have been focusing on protein and fiber in my diet and it’s helped.
My goal is to choose foods that typically don’t spike my blood sugar, and prioritize whole foods that are rich fiber, micronutrients, omega-3’s and probiotics. I’ll continue to prioritize walking and trying to walk after meals when possible.
You Questions Answered:
Is it a helpful tracker of health or unnecessary?
The tracker was helpful for me. I enjoyed gathering more data on what foods spiked me.
What insights did you gain from the data and how did you implement any changes from it?
I answered that in the last section above. My diet really hasn’t significantly changed, but always trying to get in as much fiber and protein at meal times as I can while limiting simple carbs. When I do eat carbohydrates, I try to pair with fiber/protein and choose complex carbohydrates over highly processed simple carbohydrates.
Are you going to keep wearing it, or was it just a fun experiment?
I will not continue to wear it for several reasons. It’s $$$ is probably the main reason. It also really irritated my skin with my workouts, sauna, etc. I also am most concerned with my fasting glucose right now and bought a finger stick meter I can use at home and test myself. It is also not always accurate. Sometimes it was off by 10-20 points which can be significant.
How easy was it to put on? Does it hurt? Does it feel weird wearing it?
Easy to put on once I read the instructions and got the hang of it. Each CGM last about 2 weeks, so I had 3 different monitors over the month. It does not hurt to insert, but like i said above it irritated my skin. It didn’t feel weird wearing it and I honestly forgot I had it on unless someone asked me about it.
Let me know if you have any other questions that I did not cover.
xx, A
