Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar

by Jessie Inchauspé

I order a salad.

green salad with olive oil and vinegar, steamed green beans, sauteed spinach, or even simmered black, navy, or garbanzo beans), and I eat it before the rest of my dish. I wait until after eating my veggies to eat my main or touch the bread.

Doesn’t adding fat (from the salad dressing) to carbs lead to weight gain? It doesn’t—that’s a myth that’s been debunked.

before going out for dinner, at home, he made himself a big plate of grilled broccoli and ate it with salt and hot sauce.

STOP COUNTING CALORIES

One hundred calories of fructose, 100 calories of glucose, 100 calories of protein, and 100 calories of fat may release the same amount of heat when they burn, but they have vastly different effects on your body. Why? Because they are different molecules.

That mkes sense

that calories from fructose are worse than calories from glucose

(they replaced fructose-containing foods such as doughnuts with foods containing glucose but no fructose such as bagels).

This is why it’s always better to eat something starchy than something sweet—more

In fact, recent science shows that people who focus on flattening their glucose curves can eat more calories and lose more fat more easily than people who eat fewer calories but do not flatten their glucose curves.

proved that insulin reduction is primordial and always precedes weight loss.

She ate her carbs last, added salads to her meals, and introduced more protein, fat, and fiber into her diet. She switched from mostly processed foods, made of sugars and starches and devoid of fiber, to mostly whole foods, with lots of fiber.

for breakfast, she has oatmeal with ground flax seeds, hemp seeds, nuts, pea protein powder, and a sausage on the side. At lunchtime, two hard-boiled eggs, carrot sticks, celery, peanut butter or avocado, a protein smoothie (with collagen powder, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, half a tablespoon of coconut oil, and a whole bunch of greens), and half a banana last. For a snack in the afternoon, Greek yogurt, berries, and half a protein bar.

Finally, at dinner, fish or chicken, kale sautéed with avocado oil, and roasted sweet potatoes.

means we can, without fear, add calories to a meal if the calories

“Just 114 calories!” We didn’t think twice about it, and we didn’t know that, even though it was relatively low in calories, Special K contained twice the amount of sugar as other cereals such as corn flakes. We didn’t know that those 114 calories of sugar and starch would lead to a glucose spike and an insulin spike—and

and certainly more fat gain than 114 calories

from, say, eggs and ...

cereal for breakfast is definitely, unequivocally not a good way to start the day.

Crazy marketing

FLATTEN YOUR BREAKFAST CURVE

bowl of cereal sent their glucose levels into a zone of deregulation thought to be attainable only by people with diabetes. Sixteen of the 20 participants experienced a glucose spike above 140 mg/dL (the

Whether it’s cereal, toast and jam, croissants, granola, pastries, sweet oats, biscuits, fruit juice, Pop-Tarts,

Tarts, fruit smoothies, acai bowls, or banana bread, the typical breakfast in Western countries is composed of mostly starch and sugar: a ton of glucose and fructose.

That’s why eating sugars and starches at breakfast often leads to the biggest spike of the day. Breakfast is the worst time to eat just sugar and starches,

Choose your breakfast well, and you’ll feel better throughout that day—more energy, curbed cravings,

better mood, clearer skin, and on and on.

Regardless of which plant they come from, glucose and fructose molecules have the same effect on us. And denying that fruit juice is harmful because of the vitamins it contains is a game of dangerous deflection.

if we are going to eat some sugar, a whole piece of fruit is the best vehicle for

The more denatured a fruit is, the worse it is for us.

Essentially, as soon as it’s juiced, dried, candied, canned, or turned to jam, you should think of fruit as dessert, just as you would a slice of cake.

The best thing you can do to flatten your glucose curves is to eat a savory breakfast.

good amount of protein, fiber, fat, and optional starch and fruit (ideally, eaten last).

Make sure your breakfast contains protein.

Protein can be found in Greek yogurt, tofu, meat, cold cuts, fish, cheese, cream cheese, protein powder, nuts, nut butter, seeds, and, yes, eggs (scrambled, fried, poached, or soft-boiled).

Add fat.

Scramble your eggs in butter or olive oil, add slices of avocado, or add five almonds, chia seeds, or flaxseeds to your Greek yogurt.

love mixing spinach into my scrambled eggs or tucking it underneath a sliced avocado on toast.

be oats, toast, rice, or potatoes or any whole fruit (the best option is berries).

an omelet with avocado, sunflower seeds, olive oil, and a dash of sea salt.

So if you want to improve just one aspect of your daily food habits, eat a glucose-healthy breakfast for maximum impact.

THE 5-MINUTE SAVORY BREAKFAST

A bagel with cream cheese, topped with a few lettuce leaves and slices of turkey A can of tuna, a few pecans and olives, a drizzle of olive oil An apple with walnuts and slices of cheddar Full-fat yogurt with sliced fruit such as a peach, a drizzle of tahini, and salt Greek yogurt swirled with 2 tablespoons of nut butter and a handful of berries

Half an avocado with three tablespoons of hummus, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt

Slices of ham on crackers Slices of smoked salmon, avocado, and tomato Toast with almond butter Toast with mashed avocado

Tomato and mozzarella with a drizzle of olive oil My go-to: leftovers from last night’s dinner! (the fastest option of them all!)

tortilla filled with black beans and chopped avocado

(eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast)

Hard-boiled eggs with hot sauce...

Sausage and broiled tomatoes Scrambled eggs with crumbled goat cheese Toast topped with a fried egg

eat the sweet things after something savory.