Our bodies aren’t designed to eat the high-sugar, high-carb processed diet that passes for modern nutrition.

During digestion, all those carbs turn to glucose which triggers the release of insulin. A big input of glucose leads to an insulin spike and carb cravings, energy crashes and weight gain.

Keep spiking day after day and we risk developing diabetes and a host of other dangerous insulin-related health problems.

Glucose spikes also provoke generalized inflammation at the root of most of our diseases of aging including heart disease, obesity, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Three out of five people will die of inflammation-based diseases. They’re painful, debilitating and completely unnecessary.

Keeping glucose levels steady help reduce the risk of these conditions and reduce cravings for sugar and slumps in energy. Avoiding glucose and insulin spokes means better sleep, smoother hormone levels and clearer skin. And natural weight loss.

Glucose control leaves us feeling less hungry and more satisfied. It’s not about changing what we eat but rather how we eat.

Eat foods in the right order

Eat the vegetables on your plate first, then protein and fat. And last any starches and sugars, including fruit and desserts.

The fiber in vegetables slows both the breakdown of the glucose in food and gastric emptying. It also creates a viscous barrier in the small intestine that makes it harder for glucose to enter the bloodstream.

Add a green starter

Begin with a salad or any vegetable starter, raw or cooked.

In a restaurant and no one is ordering starters? Ask for a salad or vegetable-based side with the main and eat it before the rest of the dish.

Eat a savory breakfast

A breakfast of cornflakes can send blood glucose to prediabetic and even diabetic levels.

A breakfast that creates a big glucose spike will make us hungry again sooner. Even worse, it will deregulate our glucose levels for the rest of the day with big spikes at lunch and dinner.

Watch the snacking

To keep glucose and insulin levels down, eat larger, more filling meals instead of smaller ones with snacks in between.

Every time you have a snack, your insulin goes up. Avoiding snacks keeps insulin levels down so we can go back to burning fat instead of stashing it.

Vinegar before meals

Put a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a tall glass of water and drink twenty minutes before eating.

Acetic acid in vinegar slows down the release of glucose into the blood and speeds the uptake of glucose in the muscles which curbs cravings, tames hunger and burns more fat. A study of dieters eating the same restricted calories for 12 weeks showed the vinegar group lost twice as much weight.

Dress the carbs

Don’t just eat a slice of cake for breakfast because we’re hungry.

Combine it with fat, protein or fiber to reduce how much and how quickly glucose is absorbed by our bodies. Have the brownie but top it with plain yogurt. Have the bagel but choose the smoked salmon.

After eating, move

Move after a meal and your muscles use up the glucose that’s just been released into the bloodstream, flattening any potential spike.

Any exercise is good. Even a brisk ten-minute walk.

References

“Glucotypes reveal new patterns of glucose dysregulation” PLOS Biology (2018)

“Beneficial effects of apple cider vinegar on weight management” Journal of Functional Foods (2018)

“Food order has significant impact on glucose and insulin levels” Diabetes Care (2015)