Foundational Health Principle 8: Implement Blood Sugar Stabilization Strategies
Facts of the day: Eating vegetables/fat/protein before carbs can lower glucose spikes by 28.6% versus the reverse order. (PubMed)
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in the past several years is that glucose dysregulation is the root of most diseases disease.
A core is eating real, whole foods and avoiding added sugar, processed grains, and seed oils.
But several “hacks” have also been proven to lower glucose spikes. Below are 9 that have had an impact on me:
- No Naked Carbohydrates
- Don’t eat carbohydrates alone. Pair carbs with healthy protein, fats, and fiber.
- Don’t eat carbohydrates alone. Pair carbs with healthy protein, fats, and fiber.
- Preload meals and sequence meals for optimal metabolism
- To blunt the glucose spikes, eat non-starchy vegetables, fat, protein, and fiber before a high carbohydrate meal. Unlike nearly every restaurant suggests, you should avoid bread before your meal.
- To blunt the glucose spikes, eat non-starchy vegetables, fat, protein, and fiber before a high carbohydrate meal. Unlike nearly every restaurant suggests, you should avoid bread before your meal.
- Eat earlier
- The same meal will cause a lower glucose spike if eaten in the morning instead of late at night.
- The same meal will cause a lower glucose spike if eaten in the morning instead of late at night.
- Tighten the eating window
- Eating between a narrower window during the day leads to lower glucose and insulin spikes compared to eating the same amount of food spread out over a longer period.
- Eating between a narrower window during the day leads to lower glucose and insulin spikes compared to eating the same amount of food spread out over a longer period.
- Avoid ultra-processed foods that come in packages
- These are more likely to generate a glucose spike, be nutrient-poor, and have metabolism-crushing additives.
- These are more likely to generate a glucose spike, be nutrient-poor, and have metabolism-crushing additives.
- Never consume liquid refined sugar
- This includes soda, juice, or drinks with added sugars, like frappuccinos or sweet tea. We’ll also outline alcohol’s (often negative, sometimes positive) impact on metabolic health.
- This includes soda, juice, or drinks with added sugars, like frappuccinos or sweet tea. We’ll also outline alcohol’s (often negative, sometimes positive) impact on metabolic health.
- Add fiber to all meals
- This could involve eating chia seeds, flax seeds, other nuts or seeds, avocado, beans, lentils, or tahini.
- This could involve eating chia seeds, flax seeds, other nuts or seeds, avocado, beans, lentils, or tahini.
- Eat fats in their whole-food forms
- This includes reaching for raw nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut, and olives – not the oils derived from these items – whenever possible to buffer the impact of carbs.
- This includes reaching for raw nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut, and olives – not the oils derived from these items – whenever possible to buffer the impact of carbs.
- Walk for at least 15 minutes after meals
- This simple step can reduce the glucose impact of your meal by up to 30%.
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Calley Means 