Food & recipes

Get off the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster

Our seasonal columnist, Amelia Freer tells us her top sugar-balancing strategies

Normally, our bodies do a great job of maintaining blood sugar levels within healthy limits. It’s a tightly controlled process and so many of us have the luxury of not needing to think too much about it. However, I have seen a number of clients, particularly those with fatigue, weight issues, cravings and poor concentration, who feel better with a few simple sugar-balancing strategies – even if they do not suffer from diabetes.

When we eat, the digestive process allows ‘free’ sugars, like table sugar, sugary drinks or sweets, and other carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables to be absorbed. Carbohydrates are simply long chains of sugars all linked together.

Enzymes released during digestion chop these chains up to release individual sugar molecules. Sugar can then be absorbed into the bloodstream as glucose, where the hormone insulin allows it to move from blood into cells to be used as energy. When we eat, our blood sugar rises, insulin is released, moving sugar into cells and dropping our blood sugar back down to normal levels again.

With diabetes, there is either a lack of insulin production (Type 1 diabetes), or an insensitivity to the insulin (Type 2 diabetes). However, even for people with no signs of diabetes, if blood sugar rises very rapidly, the body can slightly ‘overshoot’ the amount of insulin it needs to release. This may end up causing blood sugar level to drop too low in response, leaving us feeling irritable, tired, shaky and often craving something sweet again. This high-low pattern is sometimes called the blood sugar ‘rollercoaster’.

When I talk about stabilising blood sugar, I think about two things: The amount and type of carbohydrate we choose to eat, and the rate at which those carbohydrates are digested and absorbed alongside the impact this has on our blood sugar levels.

In terms of the types of food we choose to eat, my number one tip is to think about basing the majority of our meals on whole, minimally processed ingredients. Think fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, olive oil, eggs, meat and fish. As a generalising rule of thumb, the more heavily refined and processed a food is, the more likely it is to both trigger a high blood sugar response and also to be lower in other important nutrients.

The impact of any meal or snack on our blood sugar levels will depend both on the types of food we choose and the amount we consume. Choosing a sensible carbohydrate portion size is important, although this will vary considerably from person to person. As a very rough guideline, about one cupped handful of carbohydratebased foods (wholegrain bread, brown pasta, potatoes and other whole grains) is often a sensible place to start.

It’s also a good idea to include some protein, fibre and healthy fats with each meal or snack. These help to slow down the rate of carbohydrate absorption, and therefore the rate of blood sugar rise. Another little trick is to eat your protein and vegetables first. A small study published in Diabetes Care found that the blood sugar rise seen after a meal was reduced if participants ate their protein and vegetables before their carbohydrates.

Amelia’s tips for stabilising your blood sugars:

Avoid skipping meals

Evenly space breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Unless advised otherwise, we do not need to eat every few hours or graze to maintain our blood sugar.

Read the labels

There’s a lot of persuasive marketing of foods (especially snacks) that are supposedly healthy, but are actually packed full of sugars. Look at the line ‘carbohydrates – of which sugars – per 100g’. Less than 5g per 100g is considered a low-sugar product.

Think fibre

According to the ONS, the average UK adult only gets about 19g out of the recommended 30g fibre per day. Despite this, a recent review suggests that higher consumption of fibre may be associated with reduced inflammation and risk of cardiovascular disease, beneficial effects on the gut bacteria, a higher intake of vitamins and minerals, as well slower sugar absorption and improved insulin sensitivity.

Amelia Freer’s fourth book Simply Good For You contains over 100 quick and easy recipes bursting with goodness and is out now (Michael Joseph, £22). Head to ameliafreer.com or find her on Instagram @ameliafreer