Health Hotline Magazine | May 2025

Hack #3

Hack #1

Do you love potato salad or fried rice? This hack’s for you! Research has shown that when high-starch carbs, such as rice or potatoes, are cooked and then cooled before eating, they create resistant starch, which acts like fiber, slowing digestion and preventing blood sugar spikes. It also works when the food is reheated (i.e. cooked, cooled, reheated). Cool Your Carbs

Food Order Matters!

When you sit down to eat, you likely don’t think about the order in which you eat your food, but you should! Studies have found that eating vegetables and protein first and saving the high-starch/refined carbs for last in a meal supports a healthy post-prandial blood sugar response. The newest of these studies found that eating the vegetable and protein components of a meal before the high-carb food resulted in a 40 percent reduction in blood glucose and a 31 percent reduction in insulin 30 minutes after eating compared to the carbs-first meal. The test meal included white rice, grilled chicken, and a cucumber, tomato and lettuce salad with lemon olive oil dressing. This is truly one of the easiest hacks, requiring little effort with a big payoff.

Hack #4

Embrace a Protein-Rich, Savory Breakfast

Breakfast is touted as the most important meal of the day, but a lot of people go straight for the high-carb, high-sugar breakfasts. This is the worst kind of meal to start the day— one of the studies mentioned earlier found that a breakfast of corn flakes and milk elevated blood glucose levels to the prediabetic range in 80 percent of healthy people. When you eat refined carbs on an empty stomach, they will be quickly digested and converted into sugar, creating your first spike of the day, setting you up for poor blood sugar balance all day. Instead, enjoy a protein-rich breakfast, which research has shown not only reduces your post breakfast glucose spike, but also reduces blood sugar spikes after lunch and dinner too, helping to maintain a steady balance all day long. If you must have your toast, “dress” it with a protein (another easy hack!), such as an egg or peanut butter, which will slow the rate of gastric emptying, thus slowing the blood sugar response.

FIRST

LAST

Hack #2

Do you regularly take a walk after lunch or dinner? Then you’re already taking advantage of this hack! Our muscles do an incredible job of absorbing and utilizing glucose that’s floating around in the bloodstream, so put them to work after you eat! A 2023 review of eight randomized controlled trials found that physical activity after eating supports a healthy blood sugar response. Best results are seen when you move your body within 30 minutes after eating and walk at a light-to-moderate pace for at least 15 minutes. Research has also shown that small standing and walking breaks throughout the day (for as little as two minutes at a time) have a beneficial effect on blood sugar as well. Movement After Meals

Natural Grocers ® | 33

For references, please visit naturalgrocers.com/issue-94