Can Gluten Cause High Blood Sugar?

Can Gluten Cause High Blood Sugar?

This is a topic that is very rarely approached in conventional circles. Most nutritionists and doctors will tell you to make sure to eat plenty of grains if you have a blood sugar problem. Unfortunately, this advice can exacerbate blood sugar issues.

When it comes to diabetes and blood sugar problems (hyper and hypoglycemia), the advice we often times here from doctors is way off. One of the reasons for this has to do with the poor level of nutritional education taught in medical schools. You see, when it comes to blood sugar, nothing is more important to understand than…

Nutrition, Nutrition, & More Nutrition

When a person is diagnosed with blood sugar issues, the conversation with the doctor usually goes like this –

Mrs. Jones, your blood sugar levels are high. I am going to prescribe you a medication to help you control them. I will need you to watch your diet closely. Limit your sugar intake, eat plenty of whole grains and vegetables. You will also need to exercise more. Because diabetes runs in your family, you will probably need to take this medication for the rest of your life. In addition, to this medicine, I am going to also prescribe you a statin to ensure that your cholesterol stays low. Studies show that managing cholesterol aggressively helps with people who have blood sugar problems.

You may have experienced the talk above. Unfortunately, this advice couldn’t be further from the truth. The following short video will break down what you need to understand about nutrition and blood sugar control:

Always Consider Nutrition and Exercise First

Now that you have a better understanding about the importance of food, vitamins, minerals, and their relationship with blood sugar control, it is up to you to make sure that your doctor helps you to evaluate these areas. If he won’t or can’t, find one who will. Remember that medications don’t solve the blood sugar issue and can create additional health problems that actually increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and muscle damage.

The two biggest and most helpful ways to achieve better control over blood sugar that don’t involve seeing a doctor are:

1. Diet Control – Eliminate gluten and processed grain based foods (they can cause elevations in your blood sugar), processed sugar (including artificial sweeteners), dairy, hydrogenated fats to start. These foods have the greatest potential to wreck your blood sugar.
2. Begin a high intensity interval based exercise program. If you aren’t sure where to begin, consider hiring a professional to help you get started. Consider the image below as it demonstrates the profound effect that exercise has on the hormones that regulate your blood sugar

In addition, use a high quality, gluten free multi-vitamin and Omega 3 supplement. Remember, those who are gluten sensitive are already at a disadvantage, as they are at higher risk for nutritional deficiencies due to intestinal damage from past gluten exposure.

If your doctor is open to evaluating your nutritional status, you should have them do so. I have seen a number of clients who had diabetes because of long term nutritional deficiencies that went undetected with traditional lab testing. The most important nutrients to test for are:

• Magnesium
• Vitamin D
• Zinc
• B-vitamins
• Chromium

Always looking out for you,

Dr. Osborne – The Gluten Free Warrior, and don’t forget to leave a comment or share this article with a loved one. Together we can help more 🙂