Three Seed Oatmeal (57g of protein + 17g of fiber)
& a lesson on the role of blood sugar in the body
If you’re on the health & wellness side of the internet it’s likely your feed is being bombarded with buzzwords like cortisol, hormone imbalance, and blood sugar regulation. On the one hand I’m glad these topics are getting the attention it deserves but unfortunately this comes with a lot of misleading information by less than qualified “wellness influencers.”
Most people don’t pay attention to their blood sugar until they have to. Sadly I was one of those people, for most of my formative years I was the kind of person that would start their day with a sugary cereal, a pastry, a bagel with cream cheese or worse - just skip breakfast entirely. Food was always an afterthought for me, I pretty much didn’t even think about eating until my stomach was gurgling so loud it was impossible to ignore. I didn’t see a problem with this until about a couple of years ago, when I started to realize that depending on what I ate I would immediately feel really lethargic, sluggish and just crappy afterwards. These meals were usually very high carb and very low protein/fiber. Eating a plate of pasta would straight up put me to sleep, or if I ate a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast I would be absolutely ravenous 2 hours later. Little did I know I was putting my body through so much stress by creating these intense blood sugar roller coasters. Constantly skipping meals, snacking throughout the day, eating sugary high carb processed foods, and just under nourishing myself.
Back then, when I thought of the term “blood sugar” I just assumed it was something only diabetic people needed to worry about. But that is not the case at all my friends.
Blood Sugar is essentially your primary source of energy. Think of it as your gas tank, it’s something you need on a day to day basis to operate and feel your best; both mentally + physically. When it goes out of balance it can become a threat to your survival. The body views these spikes and plummets as a major threat, this manifests as stress.
Low Blood Sugar
When blood sugar levels drop too low the body will start to look elsewhere for energy. This activates your stress hormones to begin breaking down glycogen (our energy reserve), and in severe cases even muscle tissue, fat, and stored carbohydrates. This can cause you to feel weak, lethargic, and light headed.
High Blood Sugar
Alternatively, if blood sugar is too high - this means there is excess glucose in the bloodstream, and it’s not reaching the cells for energy production. It’s similar to a low, where our body is signaling our stress hormones that in turn start to break down our fat and muscle stores, to inevitably help get that fuel over to the cell.
Insulin & Insulin Resistance
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows us to regulate blood sugar. Its like our own private mailman, it basically carries carbohydrates (instead of mail) and delivers it to our individual cells.
Insulin Resistance is the inability to use insulin, often resulting in a rise in blood sugar. When this occurs its usually due to a myriad of factors like stress, lack of sleep, mineral imbalances, and lack of movement. Our bodies are extremely resilient and adaptable, so when blood sugar spikes - our bodies create more insulin to help compensate and get our blood sugar back in range.
But when these particular stressors are present for long periods of time, our blood sugar and insulin production gets higher and higher. And because of this extreme, things like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hyperinsulinemia (abnormally high levels of insulin) occur. In other words, you are producing so much insulin you have a tendency to drop especially when you aren’t eating frequently enough. So the more we are producing excessive amounts of insulin - the more our cells are likely to become resistant. They become overburdened and desensitized preventing them from doing the job they are designed to do, which is deliver carbohydrates (energy) to the cell!
The best way to assess whether your blood sugar needs attention is by practicing something called biofeedback - being aware of how your body is feeling in varied areas, like energy, hunger, digestion, sleep and stress.
Signs that our blood sugar needs attentions:
Energy dips
Sleepy, lethargic, exhausted after meals
Feeling tired mid-day/ more energy at night
Getting hangry when you haven’t eaten
Poor digestion + absorption of nutrients
Waking up starving in the middle of the night
Waking up several times throughout the night to use the bathroom
Behavioral + anger issues
If you notice that you experience any of the symptoms I have mentioned above, or alternatively you suffer from PCOS, Endometriosis, Thyroid Disease, Hashimotos, Stubborn Weight Loss, or Diabetes - I highly recommend paying closer attention to the frequency in which you eat, the macros of your meals, and the effect your blood sugar may be playing as a role.
This is how my Three Seed Oatmeal breakfast came to be! I woke up on a chilly morning craving a warm bowl of oatmeal but I knew I needed to adjust the ingredients in a way that would work for my nutritional needs. Oats are amazing, and they are most definitely a health food so I don’t want anyone to think I am demonizing it in any way. It’s just important to understand the macronutrients of certain foods in order to know when is the right way/time to consume it.
** The chart above is based off of a standard 1/3 cup serving, with no added supplements. Just plain rolled oats vs my 3 seed combo.
Three Seed Oatmeal
Ingredients: