Swing the balance

Daily tweaks to help get your levels in line

01 Eat in order

The next time you sit down to enjoy a meal, think about the order in which you eat the different macros, advises Inchauspé. First to chow down on: the vegetables. Then proteins and fats. And finally, starches and sugars. So if you’re tucking into a chicken breast with roast potatoes and broccoli, go for the broccoli first, then the chicken breast and finally the roasties. The fibre in the veg will line your intestine, which slows down the glucose absorption. Proteins and fats take longer to break down, which slows digestion and how long it takes for the glucose to travel from your stomach to your intestine.

02 Ditch the blitz

It’s way better to eat fruit whole rather than whizzed up as a juice or smoothie. That’s because whole fruits contain high levels of fibre, which – just like above – help to slow down the absorption of the natural sugars, regulating blood sugar levels.

03 Get plenty of sleep

It isn’t only food that can impact blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can increase stress hormones, which will cause an increase in insulin levels and, over time, insulin resistance, explains Cox. Try to get at least six hours per night, but ideally eight or nine.

04 Top up healthy fats

Healthy fats are calorie dense. Eating them keeps you full for longer and will hold those sweet cravings at bay. ‘They help to move your body from getting energy from sugar to getting energy from fat,’ says functional medicine nutritionist Nicole Goode. Unlike that quick energy spike from sugar (that, as researchers have found, can leave you feeling sleepy half an hour later), ‘energy from fats is a slow burn, keeping you satiated for longer without the energy crashes’.

05 Time carbs carefully

‘It is best to time eating carbohydrates for when the body is likely to have a requirement for more energy, which is generally going to be earlier in the day rather than in the evening or just before going to sleep,’ says Hampson. After exercise is a great time to tuck into a high-carb meal because it’ll replace depleted glycogen stores in your liver and muscles.

06 Switch to savoury

‘Your breakfast completely dictates your glucose levels for the rest of the day and heavily impacts hunger, mood and cravings,’ says Inchauspé. By helping to avoid a glucose spike, savoury breakfasts leave you less likely to feel mid-morning cravings and give you far steadier energy throughout the day.

07 Pair starch with fibre

Bread, pasta and rice all contain a decent helping of starch, which is broken down to release glucose in the blood. But how quickly this happens – and therefore whether or not your cells are overwhelmed, leading to a spike – all depends on whether the starchy foods also contain plenty of fibre, explains Hampson. This fibre ‘makes it harder to get at, so it’s slowrelease’. Opt for wholegrain bread and brown rice where you can.

08 Make a meal of it

If you fancy something sweet, eat it as a dessert after lunch or dinner, rather than as a snack or on an empty stomach, suggests Inchauspé. The fibre, proteins and fats will help you process the glucose more efficiently; plus, by eating fewer meals throughout the course of the day you can reduce how much insulin your body is producing and increase the amount of time your body has to rest and repair from digestion.