Hi Growing Friend,

Can you believe it's already October?! This year has flown by! We're almost six months into this journey together, and I hope you've found some wins along the way.

As we head into the holiday season, we're tackling something that might be the missing piece in your wellness puzzle: blood sugar regulation. This could be why the scale won't budge, why your energy crashes at 3pm, or why you can't stop thinking about cookies after dinner.

Let's dive in!

My Struggle (Maybe Yours Too?)

For years, I rode this exhausting cycle: gain 5 pounds (always in my gut), can't button my jeans, go on a "diet," work out like crazy, fit back into my jeans... then stop and repeat the whole thing over again.

My motivation? I didn't want to buy new clothes. 😂 Not exactly inspiring, but it's the truth!

But weight was only part of it. I also dealt with:

• Wild mood swings and terrible cramps

• Headaches that wouldn't quit

• That shaky, dizzy feeling when I needed to eat NOW

• Days where I felt so anxious and irritable I was straight-up "hangry"

After years of this, I discovered the game-changer: blood sugar regulation. When I learned to keep my blood sugar stable, both my weight and my mood finally balanced out.

Why This Matters (The Science Part)

I promise this is so impactful so stay with me! First, let's understand what we're working with:

Glucose (blood sugar) is your body's primary fuel source. It's what powers everything you do—from thinking to moving to breathing. Your brain alone uses about 20% of your body's glucose. That's huge!

So when your blood sugar is out of balance, everything suffers. Here's what happens:

When it's too low: Your brain literally runs out of fuel. This triggers your body's stress response—fight-or-flight mode—causing shakiness, irritability, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and brain fog.

When it's too high: Your kidneys kick into overdrive, filtering out excess glucose through urine. This pulls water from your body, leading to frequent urination and dehydration. That dehydration then causes headaches and fatigue as it affects your brain function.

The insulin rollercoaster: Here's where it gets interesting. Your pancreas releases insulin to help move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells (where it can actually be used for energy). When you eat refined carbs or sugar, your blood sugar spikes, so your pancreas releases a large amount of insulin. Sometimes it overcompensates and drops your blood sugar too quickly. Now you're tired, cranky, and craving more sugar to "fix" the low. This creates that vicious cycle where you feel hungry more often than you should.

The Weight Connection

Here's the part that changed everything for me: Insulin is your body's primary fat-storage hormone.

When insulin levels are high (from all those blood sugar spikes), your body:

• Stores excess glucose as fat, especially around your belly

• Can't effectively burn stored fat for energy

• Gets a cortisol boost (stress hormone) every time your blood sugar crashes

That cortisol then increases your appetite, promotes more belly fat storage, and even breaks down muscle tissue (which lowers your metabolism).

When your blood sugar is stable? You feel fuller longer, have fewer cravings, and can actually tell the difference between true hunger and your body just being on a sugar rollercoaster.

Your First Steps

Okay, that was a lot! But understanding why helps you make empowered choices. So how do you actually stabilize your blood sugar?

Eat balanced meals with these four components:

1. Protein

2. Healthy fats

3. Fiber

4. Complex carbs

Complex carbs include:

• Starchy vegetables (yes, eat the potatoes! Just cook them in grass-fed butter, tallow, or olive oil instead of seed oils)

• Brown and wild rice

• Quinoa

• Whole wheat

• Oats (always organic)

• Vegetables

• And more

Avoid:

• White bread, white rice, refined pasta

• Candy and soda

• Processed foods with added sugars

What's Next

Our next newsletter is going to be SO much more fun (less science, I promise!). We're diving into:

• Delicious recipes and meal ideas to keep our blood sugar regulated

• How to enjoy sweet treats WITHOUT the blood sugar spike

• The supplement that's helping people regulate blood sugar and drop stubborn weight—without pharmaceutical side effects

Let's Grow Together

I'd love to hear from you!

• What questions do you have about blood sugar balance?

• Have you had any wellness wins lately you'd like to share?

Hit reply and let me know—I'll feature some of your questions and victories in the next newsletter!

Help us reach more people: If you're finding value in these newsletters, please share them with friends and family who might benefit. The more we grow this community, the more we can support each other on this wellness journey.

Rooted in Wellness & Rising Together,

Erica