Carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes are dietary staples for many people. However, there is concern that eating these high-carb foods may cause blood sugar levels to spike, potentially negatively impacting long-term health. This article outlines six evidence-based strategies to help avoid blood sugar spikes without needing to reduce overall carb intake.
What is a Blood Sugar Spike?
A blood sugar spike refers to an increase in blood glucose levels to 180 mg/dL or higher. Ideally, blood sugar should stay within 70-140 mg/dL most of the time. Frequent spikes, even in non-diabetics, have been associated with negative health effects.
While young, healthy, lean people may not experience spikes regardless of diet, those who are older, overweight or have diabetes/prediabetes are more susceptible. If you regularly eat high glycemic foods, your blood sugar is likely spiking, which is probably not ideal long-term.
The good news is spikes can often be prevented without restricting carbs. This article provides knowledge and tools to help keep average blood sugar low while avoiding spikes.
6 Strategies to Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes
Here are 6 evidence-based strategies to help prevent blood sugar spikes:
1. Choose Low Glycemic Index Foods
The glycemic index measures how much a standard serving of a food raises blood sugar. High glycemic foods like white rice, cornflakes, white bread, potatoes, soda and beer raise blood sugar similarly to pure sugar.
Eating mostly high glycemic foods all day can cause blood sugar rollercoasters. Choosing foods with a glycemic index under 60 can help stabilize levels. For example, steel cut oats, sourdough bread, and sweet potatoes have lower glycemic impacts than cornflakes, white bread or white potatoes.
2. Eat Carbs After They Have Undergone Retrogradation
When starchy foods like rice and potatoes are cooked, then cooled in the fridge, some of their starch converts to “resistant starch.” This starch is resistant to digestion, so glucose is trapped and cannot spike blood sugar as much.
For instance, cooking extra rice or potatoes to use in leftovers like salad or hash browns the next day can lower their glycemic index 20-40%.
3. Don’t Eat “Naked Carbs”
Eating carbs by themselves without protein, fat or fiber causes bigger spikes. Research shows adding protein and fat lowers the blood sugar impact of high-carb foods. Fiber helps too.
If eating high glycemic carbs like bread or rice, add proteins like eggs, meat, lentils or yogurt. Fats like olive oil, nuts or avocado also help, as do non-starchy veggies.
For example, having eggs with toast, or stir-frying rice with meat and vegetables, leads to a lower spike than eating those carbs alone.
4. Have Vinegar with High Carb Meals
Studies show vinegar taken before or with carb-heavy meals substantially reduces the blood sugar spike they cause. While drinking straight vinegar isn’t recommended, using it in vinaigrettes or pickling vegetables can make this habit enjoyable and sustainable.
5. Utilize the Second Meal Effect
What you eat at one meal impacts your blood sugar response at the next meal. Specifically, carbs at one meal lower the spike from carbs at the next meal.
Therefore, try to be consistent in carb intake across meals, rather than oscillating between very low and very high carb meals, for better blood sugar control.
6. Walk After Meals
Any muscle contraction after eating helps clear glucose from the blood independent of insulin. Research shows exercising within 30 minutes of a meal significantly lowers the blood sugar spike it causes.
Even light walking for 10-15 minutes makes a difference. The larger and higher glycemic the meal is, the longer you may want to walk to effectively blunt the spike.
Improving Glucose Tolerance
While the 6 strategies discussed can help prevent spikes in the short term, improving underlying glucose intolerance is key for normalizing blood sugar levels long term.
Glucose intolerance refers to the body’s inability to keep blood sugar in a normal range after carbohydrate consumption. It is characterized by elevated fasting blood glucose levels and exaggerated spikes after meals. Glucose intolerance lies on a spectrum, with full-blown type 2 diabetes at the severe end.
If you frequently experience blood sugar spikes over 180-200 mg/dL or have an HbA1c over 5.7% despite implementing the techniques covered, it likely indicates some degree of glucose intolerance. In this case, additional lifestyle changes will be needed to improve glucose tolerance and achieve full blood sugar control.
Diet
Following a low-glycemic diet long-term can improve glucose tolerance. Emphasizing foods like non-starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, fish, eggs, full-fat dairy, and high-fiber whole grains over refined grains, sugary foods and beverages is beneficial. Intermittent fasting may also help.
Calorie restriction for weight loss helps too, especially for those who are overweight or obese. Losing just 5-10% of body weight through diet and exercise can significantly lower blood sugar and HbA1c.
Exercise
Exercise is a powerful way to improve glucose tolerance. Both aerobic exercise like brisk walking, jogging or cycling and strength training help. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly. Distributing this exercise over most days instead of 1-2 long sessions may be most beneficial.
Even just taking a 10 minute walk after meals makes a difference. Building muscle through resistance training increases insulin sensitivity. Yoga, Pilates and tai chi also improve glucose control.
Sleep and Stress Management
Adequate sleep and stress management are also important. Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Manage stress through relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, journaling, therapy, social connection and adequate rest.
Medications
For those with diagnosed diabetes or very poor glucose tolerance, medications may be necessary to normalize blood sugar in conjunction with lifestyle therapies. Metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors and insulin are commonly prescribed. Discuss medication options with your doctor.
In summary, a multi-pronged approach is needed to improve glucose tolerance long-term. Diet and exercise modifications, stress and sleep management, and potentially glucose-lowering medications in more severe cases, can all help reverse glucose intolerance and regulate blood sugar levels.
Choosing low glycemic carbs, adding protein/fat/fiber
By using science-backed strategies like choosing low glycemic carbs, adding protein/fat/fiber, utilizing the second meal effect and walking after eating, blood sugar spikes can often be prevented without reducing total carbohydrate intake. However, improving glucose tolerance through diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors is also crucial for full blood sugar control.