If your energy levels aren’t what they used to be, it may be for a number
of reasons: age, diet, little to no exercise, or blood sugar.

That’s right, you may need to balance your blood sugar levels.
Scientists now say that keeping your blood sugar levels steady
tames cell-damaging inflammation. Do this and you’ll increase
your energy levels, ease blue and sad moods, anger and anxiety.

And wait, there’s more-preventing blood sugar spikes safeguards against
diabetes and protects against the tiredness and depression that usually
goes along with the condition.

So, stop the fluctuating glucose with the simple tips and recipe
listed below.

1) Drink Up-
No, not alcohol, but the Summer refresher known as lemon-aid.
Lemon water (with no added sugar) helps you stay hydrated
(especially during the summer months) and keeps a lid on
vasopressin, a hormone that can send blood sugar soaring.
Adding lemon juice to water bolsters its benefits.
Plus, lemon water lowers carbohydrate-induced glucose
spikes better than plain water.
And lastly, the acid in lemon juice wards off blood-sugar
elevation by delaying the breakdown of carbs so their glucose
is released more slowly and steadily.
Important tip: use a straw when drinking lemon water, so you
won’t damage the enamel on your teeth. Or just rinse your mouth out
(a few times) with plain water.

2) Laugh More-
Today, laughing seems to be prescribed as much as exercise to help
you deal with a number of issues, and the workout you get from laughing
can help slow down the glucose from building up in the bloodstream.
Researchers say that 30 to 40 minutes of laughing suppresses blood-sugar
surges by 50%.
To really benefit, make sure you watch comedy specials, listen
to comedy albums, (online at youtube), hang out with humorous
friends and family or even read books that may have funny
story lines or characters (Summer Beach reads especially).

3) Go Nuts-
We don’t mean literally go nuts, but go nuts as in eating more
nuts. They (nuts) always seem to get a bad rap, but now,
researchers say there may be some healthful benefits to eating
a Tbs. (or two) each day. Nuts significantly lower blood-sugar
surges. The protein and unsaturated fats in nuts stimulate
secretion of GLP-1, a hormone that helps blood sugar in balance.
And lastly, a mixture of all types of nuts contain magnesium,
a mineral that enhances activity of blood-sugar balancing insulin.

4) A Recipe Loved By Children-
If your kids are fans of chicken tenders, then make sure you stop
buying them, make your own and make a little extra (for the adults).
Why?
Making your own, means you’ll know (and control)
all of the ingredients in the recipe and you’ll stabilize your
blood sugar for up to 3 hours.
Recipe for Almond-Crusted Chicken Tenders!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of almond flour
1 tsp. of smoked paprika
1 egg
2 Tbs. of milk
1 cup of slivered almonds, crushed *
1/2 cup of Parmesan
1 pound of cut up chicken breasts (cut into thin slivers)
about 3″ long and 2″ wide
* Not a fan of almonds? Use crushed cashews, pistachios,
walnuts or macadamia nuts.
To make:
Heat oven to 425*F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper;
place baking rack on top. In a pie plate, combine the flour, paprika,
1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of black pepper. In a bowl, combine the almonds
and Parmesan.
Working one piece at a time, dredge the chicken in flour mixture, then
eggs, then almonds. Transfer to a baking rack and bake until
golden brown, about 12 to 15 mins. Enough for 4 servings.
Calories for 3 chicken tenders-250. The low calorie count comes
from baking and not frying in a pan of oil.

Sources:
a) Journal of Medicinal Food
b) European Journal of Nutrition
c) Diabetes Care
d) Woman’s World Magazine-7/22/24 Issue

Please pass this article and recipe on to family and friends who find that
their energy levels aren’t what they used to be or are concerned about
up and down blood sugar levels.
Share it over at Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram (stories), What’sApp,
Reddit, Pinterest, Tik-Tok and X (Twitter).

Thank-you!