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

by Jessie Inchauspé

So we can eat the exact same thing, and then, by using our muscles afterward (within one hour

and 10 minutes of eating; more on that below), flatten the glucose curve of that food.

you can work out at any time up to 70 minutes after the end of your meal to curb a glucose spike; 70 minutes is around the time when that spike reaches its peak, so using your muscles before that is ideal.

Going for even just a 10-minute walk after a meal will lessen the side effects of whatever we just ate.

Rate how you feel when you have a sweet snack and then stay sitting. Rate how you feel

when you have the same treat and walk 20 minutes afterward. How is your energy? How is your hunger level in the next few hours?

Exercising after a meal seems to be the best option, but before is also useful.

you’re going to eat something sweet or starchy, use your muscles afterward.

Postmeal sleepiness is particularly curbed by this technique. And it works even better when you drink vinegar mixed into a tall glass of water before you eat.

vinegar before, exercise after.

IF YOU HAVE TO SNACK, GO SAVORY

A sweet snack doesn’t give us more energy than a savory snack, and it can actually just make us more tired shortly afterward.

Apple slices smeared with nut butter

Apple slices with a hunk of cheese

Celery smeared with nut butter A cup of 5% Greek yogurt topped with a handful of pecans A cup of 5% Greek yogurt with nut butter swirled into it A handful of baby carrots and a spoonful of hummus A handful of macadamia nuts and a square of 90% dark chocolate A handful o...

Seeded crackers with a slice of cheese A slice of ham A soft-boiled egg with a dash of salt a...

PUT SOME CLOTHES ON YOUR CARBS

instead of letting carbs run around naked (on their own), put some “clothes” on them.

When you do enjoy carbs (and you will and should and must), make it a habit to add fiber, protein, or fat and, if you can, eat those first.

add avocado and cheese to toast, spread nut butter on rice cakes, and eat some almonds before your croissant.

Adding fat to a meal does not increase the insulin spike that meal causes. I repeat, adding fat to a meal does not increase the insulin spike.

(A tip from Lucy: hard-boil eggs in batches every week, and keep them in your fridge.)

The truth is, they are only very slightly better—starch is still starch. Pasta or bread that boasts “whole grain” on its package has still been milled—which means that some of its fiber is gone.

choose a very dark bread, such as seed bread or pumpernickel

Mix in chopped fresh herbs, such as mint, parsley, and dill, and roasted nuts, such as almonds or pistachios, and enjoy it alongside roasted salmon or chicken.

Bread, corn, couscous, pasta, polenta, rice, tortillas, cake, candy bars, cereal, cookies, crackers, fruit, granola, hot chocolate, ice cream, or anything else sweet …combine them with fiber, fat, and/or protein: Any vegetable, avocado, beans, butter, cheese, cream, eggs, fish, Greek yogurt, meat, nuts, seeds

Good fats are saturated (fat from animals, butter, ghee, and coconut oil) or monounsaturated (from fruit and nuts such as avocados, macadamia nuts, and olives).

Bad fats

polyunsaturated and trans fats, which are found in processed oils—soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, safflower oil, rice bran oil, fried foods, and fast foods. (The one seed oil that isn’t as bad is flaxseed oil.)

don’t be fooled into thinking the “low-fat” version is better for you:

All veggies under the sun provide fiber. Along with nuts and seeds, they are the best clothes! You

Protein is found in animal products, such as eggs, meat, fish, dairy, and cheese,

nuts, seeds, and beans. You can also use protein powder. Look for those with only one ingredient listed: the source of the protein. I usually choose hemp, whey, or pea protein powder. Make sure there are no sweeteners

Give a craving a twenty-minute cooling-off period.

the 20 minutes have come and gone and you’re still thinking about that cookie, set it aside for dessert at your next meal.

Alcohols that keep our levels steady are wine (red, white, rosé, sparkling) as well as spirits (gin, vodka, tequila, whiskey, and even rum). We can drink these on an empty stomach, and they don’t cause a glucose spike. Watch

Drink your alcohol on the rocks, with sparkling water or soda water, or with some lime or

lemon juice.

nuts and olives, as

cut back on most processed foods,

If sugar is in the top five ingredients, that means a hefty proportion of that food consists of sugar—a

Look for these: agave nectar, agave syrup, barley malt, beet sugar, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, cane juice crystals, cane sugar, caramel, coconut sugar, confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, date sugar, crushed fruit, dextrin, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, fruit puree concentrate, galactose, glucose, glucose syrup solids, golden sugar, golden syrup,

grape sugar, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), honey, icing sugar, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, maple syrup, muscovado sugar, panela sugar, pressed fruit, raw sugar, rice syrup, sucanat, sucrose, sugar, turbinado sugar.

head to the Total Carbohydrate section. The grams next to Total Carbohydrate and Total Sugars represent the molecules that cause a glucose spike: starches and sugars.

So here’s a tip: for dry foods, look at the ratio of Total Carbohydrate to Dietary Fiber. Select items whose ingredients get the closest to 1 gram of Dietary Fiber for each 5 grams of Total Carbohydrate.

Grab something in your pantry that you eat often. Turn to the back of the box and check whether it will cause a spike. Is sugar in the top five ingredients? Is there at least 1 gram of fiber for each 5 grams of total carbohydrate?

gluten-free, vegan, and organic do not mean that the food won’t spike you.

I had coffee with a splash of whole, not skim, milk; the higher fat content helped keep my glucose steady. Two eggs scrambled in a pan with butter and sea salt, served with a couple tablespoons of hummus on the side. Then a slice of toasted dark rye bread with butter. Before going out the door, I grabbed a square of 80 percent dark chocolate—I

green beans, tahini-baked cod, and wild rice, which I ate in that exact order.

drank a glass of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar swirled in, then five almonds, then ate the cookie.