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 annoyed watching your blood sugars spike after consuming your favourite carbs, you’re not alone.
The excellent news? With the appropriate methods, it’s completely potential to get pleasure from 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 need to use to maintain post-meal blood sugar spikes in examine.
The following tips are primarily based on many years of private expertise residing with sort 1 diabetes, backed by analysis, and designed to be sensible for actual life.
Watch the video right here and browse the article under:
Why Reduce Blood Sugar Spikes?
Protecting post-meal blood sugars extra steady can enhance your time-in-range and aid you 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 would possibly fluctuate — and that’s completely high-quality. What issues is discovering what works for you.
1. Be Good About Portion Dimension (Concentrate on Glycemic Load)
It’s not all the time about what you eat, however how a lot. You would possibly have the ability to get pleasure from rice, pasta, or bread and not using a main blood sugar spike in the event you persist with a portion that works to your physique.
Two methods to search out your candy spot:
- Trial and error: Monitor your blood sugar response to totally different quantities of your favourite carbohydrates and dial in a serving dimension 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 shortly and the way a lot a meals raises blood sugar ranges.
The Glycemic Load is pretty simple:
- Low GL: underneath 10
- Average GL: 11–19
- Excessive GL: 20+
Instance: An ordinary 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 have to memorize numbers. Simply purpose for decrease GL meals and regulate parts primarily based in your blood sugar response.
2. Select the Proper Sorts of Carbs
Completely different carbs impression blood sugar otherwise — even inside the identical meals class.
The Glycemic Index, GI, is a measure of how shortly a meals raises blood sugar ranges, so it may be an effective way to evaluate a carb’s potential blood sugar impression. For instance, potatoes fluctuate broadly of their glycemic index:
- Russet: GI 95
- Yukon Gold: GI 58
- Candy Potatoes: GI 94
Selecting lower-GI choices will help scale back how a lot your blood sugar rises after meals. GI tells you how shortly a meals raises blood sugar, which may be useful when planning meals.
3. Add Extra Fiber
Fiber slows digestion, which will help blunt blood sugar spikes.
So, an effective way to get pleasure from your carbs with out that blood sugar spike may be to achieve for top 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 sort 2 diabetes) exhibits it could assist decrease post-meal blood sugar when taken earlier than consuming — although results can fluctuate 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 a tendency to digest shortly, resulting in sooner blood sugar spikes.
How I construct balanced meals:
- Breakfast: Eggs + Ezekiel bread (low GI)
- Lunch/Dinner: Lean protein (rooster, turkey, fish) + non-starchy veggies + some wholesome fats (like avocado or olive oil)
Pairing carbs with protein or fats helps sluggish digestion and offers your insulin extra time to work, lowering the depth of the spike.
5. Time Your Insulin (for Insulin Customers)
For those who 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 possibly can higher align the insulin’s peak with the time your meals hits your bloodstream.
Word: For those who use a pump, closed-loop system, or ultra-rapid insulin like Fiasp, your timing wants could also be totally different. At all times work along with your care crew to search out what’s best for you.
6. Transfer Your Physique After Consuming
Gentle bodily exercise after meals will help convey down blood sugar by encouraging your muscle mass to tug glucose from the bloodstream.
Simple 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 just 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 sooner than strong meals.
For those who do get pleasure from smoothies:
- Mix complete fruits with the peel for additional fiber
- Add fats (peanut butter, avocado) or protein (Greek yogurt, protein powder)
- Maintain parts modest
I personally keep away from ingesting 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 record of low-carb smoothies which have a minimal impression in your blood sugar.
8. Attempt 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: Gentle meals to keep away from in a single day highs
It’s possible you’ll have to experiment to search out your personal sample — simply monitor your outcomes and regulate.
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, probably lowering their glycemic impression.
Instance: A chilly potato salad would possibly spike your blood sugar much less than a sizzling baked potato.
One research confirmed that cooling cooked potatoes might scale back their glycemic index by about 25–28%, however results fluctuate relying on meals sort, 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 shortly within the digestive system, which may result in sooner blood sugar spikes.
Concepts to attempt:
- Eat a firmer banana as a substitute of an overripe one
- Cook 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 would trigger digestive or meals issues of safety. This tip works finest for issues like fruit.
