Dwelling with diabetes doesn’t imply it’s important to say goodbye to bread, pasta, or potatoes. However in the event you’ve ever felt pissed off watching your blood sugars spike after consuming your favourite carbs, you’re not alone.
The excellent news? With the suitable methods, it’s completely attainable to take pleasure in carbs with out sending your blood sugar hovering.
On this article and video, I’ll share 8 tried-and-true strategies (plus 2 lesser-known methods) you should utilize to maintain post-meal blood sugar spikes in verify.
The following pointers are primarily based on a long time of private expertise residing with kind 1 diabetes, backed by analysis, and designed to be sensible for actual life.
Watch the video right here and skim the article beneath:
Why Reduce Blood Sugar Spikes?
Preserving post-meal blood sugars extra steady can enhance your time-in-range and provide help to really feel much less fatigued.
For a lot of, a spike means blood sugar rising above 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L), however your private definition may differ — and that’s completely high-quality. What issues is discovering what works for you.
1. Be Sensible About Portion Dimension (Give attention to Glycemic Load)
It’s not at all times about what you eat, however how a lot. You may have the ability to take pleasure in rice, pasta, or bread with no main blood sugar spike in the event you keep on with a portion that works in your physique.
Two methods to search out your candy spot:
- Trial and error: Monitor your blood sugar response to completely different quantities of your favourite carbohydrates and dial in a serving measurement that works for you and your blood sugars.
- Glycemic Load (GL): This can be a extra nuanced measure that may assist us put a little bit of laborious details behind our decisions. The Glycemic load is a measure of how rapidly and the way a lot a meals raises blood sugar ranges.
The Glycemic Load is pretty simple:
- Low GL: beneath 10
- Average GL: 11–19
- Excessive GL: 20+
Instance: A regular slice of white bread has a excessive GL (~20), whereas sprouted grain breads like Ezekiel have a a lot decrease GL (~6).
You don’t must memorize numbers. Simply purpose for decrease GL meals and modify parts primarily based in your blood sugar response.
2. Select the Proper Forms of Carbs
Totally different carbs affect blood sugar in another way — even throughout the identical meals class.
The Glycemic Index, GI, is a measure of how rapidly a meals raises blood sugar ranges, so it may be an effective way to evaluate a carb’s potential blood sugar affect. For instance, potatoes differ extensively of their glycemic index:
- Russet: GI 95
- Yukon Gold: GI 58
- Candy Potatoes: GI 94
Selecting lower-GI choices may also help cut back how a lot your blood sugar rises after meals. GI tells you how rapidly a meals raises blood sugar, which will be useful when planning meals.
3. Add Extra Fiber
Fiber slows digestion, which may also help blunt blood sugar spikes.
So, an effective way to take pleasure in your carbs with out that blood sugar spike will be to achieve for prime fiber meals.
Excessive-Fiber, Low-GI Carb Examples:
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Metal-cut oats
- Quinoa
- Leafy greens and non-starchy veggies
Interested in fiber dietary supplements like psyllium husk? Some analysis (particularly in individuals with kind 2 diabetes) reveals it may assist decrease post-meal blood sugar when taken earlier than consuming — although results can differ primarily based on dose, timing, and particular person response.
4. Keep away from “Bare Carbs” (Add Protein or Fats)
“Bare carbs” are carbohydrates eaten on their very own, with out protein or fats. They have an inclination to digest rapidly, resulting in quicker blood sugar spikes.
How I construct balanced meals:
- Breakfast: Eggs + Ezekiel bread (low GI)
- Lunch/Dinner: Lean protein (hen, turkey, fish) + non-starchy veggies + some wholesome fats (like avocado or olive oil)
Pairing carbs with protein or fats helps gradual digestion and provides your insulin extra time to work, decreasing the depth of the spike.
5. Time Your Insulin (for Insulin Customers)
In case you take rapid-acting insulin for meals, timing your dose can considerably have an effect on post-meal blood sugar.
Why timing issues:
Most rapid-acting insulins (like Humalog or Novolog) don’t begin working instantly and have a tendency to peak 60–90 minutes after injection.
By pre-bolusing 10-Quarter-hour earlier than a meal, you may higher align the insulin’s peak with the time your meals hits your bloodstream.
Notice: In case you use a pump, closed-loop system, or ultra-rapid insulin like Fiasp, your timing wants could also be completely different. All the time work together with your care workforce to search out what’s best for you.
6. Transfer Your Physique After Consuming
Mild bodily exercise after meals may also help convey down blood sugar by encouraging your muscle tissue to tug glucose from the bloodstream.
Straightforward methods to get shifting:
- Go for a ten–20 minute stroll
- Tidy up the home
- Dance in your kitchen
Even 5–10 minutes could make a distinction. Simply be cautious in the event you’ve taken insulin lately, as the mixture of insulin and exercise might improve the chance of going low.
7. Chew Your Carbs, Don’t Drink Them
Liquid carbs (like juice or smoothies) are inclined to spike blood sugar quicker than stable meals.
In case you do take pleasure in smoothies:
- Mix entire fruits with the peel for further fiber
- Add fats (peanut butter, avocado) or protein (Greek yogurt, protein powder)
- Maintain parts modest
I personally keep away from consuming my carbs as a result of it’s tougher to dose insulin for them, and so they are inclined to hit my system too quick.
Here’s a listing of low-carb smoothies which have a minimal affect in your blood sugar.
8. Strive Consuming Carbs within the Afternoon
Many individuals are extra insulin resistant within the morning and extra insulin delicate within the afternoon.
Personally, I discover my physique handles carbs finest between lunchtime and early dinner (round 6 p.m.).
My method:
- Morning: Low to average carb
- Afternoon: Greater carb choices
- Night: Mild meals to keep away from in a single day highs
Chances are you’ll must experiment to search out your individual sample — simply monitor your outcomes and modify.
Bonus Technique 1: Eat Your Carbs Chilly
It might sound unusual, however cooling cooked carbs like rice or potatoes can improve their resistant starch content material — a type of carbohydrate that isn’t digested as simply, doubtlessly decreasing their glycemic affect.
Instance: A chilly potato salad may spike your blood sugar much less than a sizzling baked potato.
One examine confirmed that cooling cooked potatoes might cut back their glycemic index by about 25–28%, however results differ relying on meals kind, the way it’s saved, and your particular person response.
Bonus Technique 2: Select Underripe or Much less Cooked Meals
Ripe fruit and long-cooked carbs break down extra rapidly within the digestive system, which might result in quicker blood sugar spikes.
Concepts to strive:
- Eat a firmer banana as a substitute of an overripe one
- Prepare dinner pasta or rice al dente (not mushy)
- Keep away from overcooking starchy greens
Keep away from undercooking meals that require correct preparation (like potatoes or rice), as that might trigger digestive or meals questions of safety. This tip works finest for issues like fruit.
