2. Use the Second Meal Effect to Your Advantage
The ‘second meal effect’ means that what you eat for one meal can affect your blood sugar response to the next meal. For example, what you have for breakfast can influence how your body handles lunch, and lunch can affect dinner.
One interesting finding is that eating carbs at one meal can actually help lower your blood sugar response at the next meal. Imagine someone eats the same high-carb dinner two nights in a row. If on the first day they had a high-carb lunch (like salmon and potatoes), and on the second day they had a low-carb lunch (like steak and salad), their blood sugar response to the same dinner would likely be higher on the day they had the low-carb lunch. It’s like your body gets ready to handle more carbs if you’ve been eating them.
This suggests that if you go low-carb, it’s probably better to stick to low-carb meals consistently rather than switching back and forth. Also, if a meal is rich in protein or fiber, it can help lower your blood sugar response at the next meal too. So, a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast can help keep your blood sugar steady not just at breakfast, but also at lunch.
Putting this together, the second meal effect is another reason to include protein and fiber (like non-starchy vegetables) in every meal. And try not to eat big portions of high-GI foods like white rice or baked goods if your previous meal was low in carbs.
1. Go on a Walk After the Meal
When your blood sugar goes up after a meal, your body releases insulin to help clear that sugar from your blood. Insulin helps muscle cells take in glucose. But here’s a cool fact: muscle cells can also take in glucose without insulin, especially when they’re being used!
This means that any muscle movement after a meal can significantly lower the rise in your blood sugar. Studies suggest you should start moving within about 30 minutes of finishing your meal. You don’t need to do a hard workout; even a 10 or 15-minute walk around the block is better than nothing. For bigger meals with high-GI foods, a longer walk is even better.
I even did an experiment for you guys! This past Christmas, I ate a lot of gluten-free cake and cookies. I mean, a lot. I knew I’d be sitting around for hours opening gifts. Predictably, my blood sugar shot up to 190 mg/dL. It was a pretty big spike, and honestly, eating that much refined flour and sugar isn’t something I’d recommend regularly.
But the next day, I did it again, with a twist. I ate a hard-boiled egg a few minutes before my cake and cookie feast, and then I went for a 60-minute walk right after. What happened? My blood sugar still went up, but only to about 140 mg/dL. That’s 50 mg/dL less than the day before! Even with a huge amount of sweets, my blood sugar stayed in a normal range, thanks to the egg and the walk.
Just to show you the power of walking alone, another time I was driving for four hours and ate bread and potato chips. Since I couldn’t move, my blood sugar went up to 170 mg/dL. I definitely made a mistake eating high-GI foods when I knew I’d be stuck in a car. Later, I recreated that meal – same bread, same chips – but this time, I went for a walk right after. My blood sugar still went up to about 150 mg/dL, but it was better than before. It shows that for a big meal, you might need a longer walk.
Summary
- Minimize High Glycemic Index Foods: If you do eat foods with a GI of 60 or more, use other strategies to lessen their impact.
- Eat Cooled Starchy Foods: Cook starchy foods like potatoes or rice, then cool them in the fridge overnight to create resistant starch.
- Don’t Eat Naked Carbs: Always pair high-carb meals with protein, fat, and non-starchy vegetables.
- Add Vinegar: Include vinegar with high-carb meals, perhaps as a vinaigrette on a small salad before your main course.
- Use the Second Meal Effect: If you plan a big high-carb dinner, make sure your lunch includes some carbs, protein, and fiber. Try not to constantly switch between low-carb and high-carb meals.
- Walk After Meals: Go for a walk after eating, especially after larger meals.
The Root Cause of Blood Sugar Spikes: Glucose Intolerance
All the strategies we’ve talked about are backed by science and can help lower your blood sugar response to carbs. But sometimes, these strategies alone might not be enough to get your blood sugar into a completely normal range. If you often have blood sugar spikes, it probably means you have some degree of glucose intolerance.
To truly get your blood sugar levels normal, you might need to improve your body’s ability to handle glucose. For example, if you have diabetes and your average blood sugar is high, using these strategies can certainly help. Your blood sugar spikes might become less frequent, and your average levels might come down. That’s a good start!
But to get your blood sugar into a non-diabetic range, you’d need to improve your glucose tolerance – your body’s natural ability to keep blood sugar steady. What causes glucose intolerance and how to reverse it is a big topic, too big for this article. But it’s important to know that managing blood sugar involves many approaches. These strategies are just some of the first tools you can use. There’s a lot more to learn about what causes glucose intolerance and how to address it, as well as different ways to prevent or manage diabetes.
Source: Mario Kratz, PhD