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
