How to Enjoy Summer Without Wrecking Your Blood Sugar
Summer is one of my favorite times of year. The days are longer, the weather is warmer, and life tends to feel a little lighter. Beach trips, cookouts, vacations, ice cream stands, and evenings spent outside with family and friends are some of the simple joys that make this season so special.
But if you're like many women I work with, summer can also leave you feeling more tired, bloated, inflamed, and craving sugar than usual. You may notice your energy dipping, your sleep becoming less restorative, or your hormones feeling a little more out of balance. Often, one of the biggest reasons for this is blood sugar.
Most people think blood sugar only matters if they have diabetes. The truth is that blood sugar impacts every aspect of health, including energy, mood, inflammation, metabolism, hormone balance, sleep quality, and even how resilient you feel to stress. When blood sugar constantly spikes and crashes, the body experiences it as a stressor. Over time, this can contribute to fatigue, weight resistance, cravings, anxiety, brain fog, and increased inflammation.
Summer naturally presents more opportunities for blood sugar challenges. Ice cream, frozen cocktails, sweet coffee drinks, chips and dips, vacation treats, and backyard barbecue favorites can quickly add up. Even healthy foods such as watermelon, pineapple, smoothies, and tropical fruits can create larger blood sugar swings when eaten by themselves.
The good news is that you do not need to avoid all of your favorite summer foods. In fact, I don't believe health should feel restrictive. Instead, I teach my clients to create balance.
One of the most important things you can do is prioritize protein. If there is one blood sugar strategy that consistently works, it's making sure you're eating enough protein throughout the day. Protein helps slow digestion, supports muscle mass, keeps you fuller longer, and reduces the magnitude of blood sugar spikes. Before reaching for fruit, dessert, or a cocktail, ask yourself whether you've had protein first. This simple habit can make a tremendous difference in how you feel.
I also encourage women to avoid starting the day with sugar. Many people wake up and immediately have coffee and a muffin, a bagel, or a sweet smoothie. Others skip breakfast altogether. Both can set the stage for blood sugar instability and cravings throughout the day. Starting your morning with a protein-rich breakfast helps create a much more stable foundation for your hormones, energy, and metabolism.
Another simple strategy is eating your vegetables first. Fiber helps slow the absorption of carbohydrates and supports healthy blood sugar responses. Beginning meals with a salad, raw vegetables, or cooked greens can have a surprisingly powerful impact.
Hydration is another area that often gets overlooked during summer months. Many women are drinking plenty of water but still feel exhausted, dizzy, or crave sugar. That's because hydration is not just about water—it also requires minerals. When we sweat, we lose important electrolytes that support energy production, adrenal function, and cellular hydration. This is one reason I often recommend adding mineral-rich sea salt or quality electrolytes to water, especially during hot weather, workouts, travel, or sauna sessions.
One of my favorite blood sugar hacks is also one of the simplest: take a walk after meals. Even a 10 to 15-minute walk can help muscles utilize glucose more efficiently and reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes. As a bonus, walking also supports digestion, stress reduction, and overall well-being.
Summer is also a season when many people consume more alcohol. While enjoying a drink occasionally can absolutely fit into a healthy lifestyle, alcohol can contribute to blood sugar fluctuations, poor sleep, cravings, increased inflammation, and elevated cortisol levels. If you choose to drink, I encourage you to eat protein beforehand, stay hydrated, and pay attention to how your body responds the following day.
Most importantly, give yourself permission to enjoy summer. Have the ice cream. Enjoy the watermelon. Celebrate the birthday cake. Health is not built by what you do once. It's built by what you do consistently over time.
When blood sugar becomes dysregulated, I often see symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, inflammation, poor sleep, cravings, hormone imbalances, and weight resistance. Fortunately, small daily habits can create dramatic improvements. More protein, more movement, more hydration, and more awareness often produce better results than the latest diet trend.
If you've been struggling with energy, inflammation, cravings, hormone issues, or simply don't feel like yourself, functional testing can help uncover hidden stressors that may be affecting blood sugar regulation and overall health. One of my favorite starting points is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), which evaluates mineral status, stress patterns, metabolic function, adrenal health, and detoxification capacity.
Because when it comes to your health, my philosophy is simple: test, don't guess.
Order Your HTMA Test + 30-Minute Review with Dee Davidson:
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Here's to enjoying every bit of summer while still feeling energized, vibrant, and well.
About Dee Davidson, FDN-P
Dee Davidson is a Board-Certified Functional Health Practitioner, hormone and thyroid specialist, and the creator of the Confidently Balance Your Hormones podcast. She helps women in midlife and beyond uncover the root causes of fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, gut issues, and hormonal imbalances using functional labs, science-backed strategies, and nervous system regulation.
Dee’s work centers around empowering women to finally feel safe, seen, supported, and confident in their bodies — without restriction, overwhelm, or confusion.