The rises and falls in blood sugar levels (glycemia) throughout the day they influence the risk of suffering from a series of diseases.

When we eat foods that cause a rapid rise in blood sugar («spikes» in blood sugar or blood sugar) we force the pancreas to produce insulin, the hormone that introduces excess sugar into the cells. Constant spikes in insulin stimulate inflammation in our tissues, which contributes to the appearance of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, acne, infertilityetc.

What foods cause sugar spikes?

The most common mistake is ingesting foods rich in carbohydrates without accompanying them with fiber, proteins and fats. For example:

• Have toast for breakfast only with oil or butter.
• Eat pasta only with tomato.
• Consume sugary foods such as cookies, pastries, cereals or bar-type snacks.
• Drink juices (even if they are natural) and soft drinks.
• Abuse bread.
• Sweeten with honey, sugar, molasses or panela.
• Drink alcoholic beverages.

Keep sugar levels stable throughout the day, oscillating between 70 and 130 mg/dl It is ideal to enjoy a high level of energy and vitality. Achieving this stability is possible with a series of measures.

What is the glycemic index?

Blood sugar levels depend on many factors, including insulin levels, how quickly sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream, and how much sugar is in a food per serving. ¿How do we know the amount of sugar our food contains? And what effect will it have on blood glucose?

Know the glycemic index (GI) of food can help us choose foods that do not cause sugar spikes and to avoid or limit those who can trigger it. Foods are classified on a scale from 0 to 100, with pure glucose having a value of 100. The lower the glycemic index of a food, the slower the sugar rises. in the blood after ingesting it.

The IG is usually divided into:

• High GI (over 70): We must be careful with these foods, since blood sugar levels increase sharplyand we must eliminate them from the diet, consume them occasionally or take them together with foods very rich in fiber.
• Medium GI (56-69): Foods grouped in this category must be of occasional consumption or in moderate amounts in the diet.
• Low GI (less than 55): Foods in this group are healthy because do not increase glucose excessively.

Foods to avoid or moderate to control sugar

In general, the more processed a food is, the higher its glycemic index, and the more fiber or fat there is in a product, the lower its GI. They tend to have a high GI:

• Ultra-processed foods made with sugar and refined floursuch as sweets, bread, cakes and cookies.
• Foods with a high ratio of carbohydrates and low fiber, protein or fatsuch as white rice, white pasta and bread, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, baked potatoes, ripe bananas and cooked sweet corn, among others. For example, the glycemic index of white rice is 70. Remember that, if these foods are consumed in moderate portions and together with other products high in fiber, fat or protein, the impact of the food on blood sugar decreases.

Low glycemic index foods

whole foodssuch as whole grains, legumes, nuts, spices and herbs, vegetables and fruits, tend to have a lower glycemic index. The GI of brown rice is 50, for example.

Products rich in fiber, fat or protein They have a lower GI. The glycemic index of chickpeas is 10, for example. The egg is 0, because it lacks carbohydrates.

It is healthier to base the diet on these types of foods with low or medium GI. An investigation published in the journal Diabetes Carehas shown that wearing a low glycemic index diet for five weeks reduces body fat, increases muscle mass and prevents insulin resistance and diabetes. In addition, it helps to lose weight, since when insulin spikes do not occur, we will notice a greater feeling of satiety and glucose will not be transformed so easily into body fat.

The order of eating that reduces blood sugar

It is important to choose foods with a low glycemic index, but so is the order in which we eat them. The Glucose peaks can be reduced by up to 73%, and insulin peaks by up to 48%if we eat food in a certain order.

It seems like magic, but it has an explanation: if we eat foods in the correct order, we flatten the glucose curve after eating a meal. This can be revolutionary for people with type 2 diabetes. Something as simple as the order in which you eat your food can improve glucose control! The correct order to eat food is:

1. Fiber
2. Protein and fat
3. Starch
4. Sugar

Why this order? When we chew food, it passes through the esophagus to the stomach where digestion begins, from here it passes to the intestine and, from this, to the bloodstream and the rest of our body. Depending on how quickly or slowly food passes from one organ to another, blood glucose will rise more or less.

Sugars pass quickly from the stomach to the intestine, and from there to the blood and the rest of the body. There is a direct association between sugar and rapid blood glucose spike.

Fiber has the opposite effect: it slows down the passage of sugars into the bloodstream, as it delays the passage of any liquid or solid into the intestine.

If after taking the fiber we take the fat and proteins, the absorption of sugars becomes even slower. Therefore, potato starch, for example, will not produce a spike in blood glucose after the meal if foods with fiber, fat and protein have been consumed before.

The order when eating to reduce glucose peaks: example

You can translate the latest knowledge on glucose and inflammation control into daily practice by bringing the dishes to the table.

• First, the raw vegetables: We should start our meals with vegetables, preferably raw, as a lettuce and tomato salad, a raw carrot or a dressed cucumber with salt and vinegar. If we don’t feel like them raw, they can be sautéed vegetables, artichoke hearts or steamed vegetables. Another option as a vegetable starter would be vegetable creams or purees, a green smoothie or a glass of gazpacho, but always We will prefer whole foods to crushed ones.
• Healthy fats and proteins: After vegetables, we will present foods rich in proteins and fats on the table, such as legumes, soy derivatives, eggs, avocadosetc.
• Next, the starches: Then we will eat foods rich in starches, such as potato, sweet potato, brown rice or pasta. If before we have chilled for a few hours These foods will have increased the proportion of resistant starch, which behaves like a fiber, which will also reduce the impact on glucose compared to simply cooked food.
• The sugars, in the end: If we want to eat something sweet now is the time, for example, a small piece of cake. We should also eat fruit after fat and protein, for example, yogurt with nuts and then fruit.
• The mix also works: We can order food intake in this way when it is easy, as it should not disrupt our habits too much or become a problem. We are used to mixing foods with different characteristics on the same plate, which is not bad either. The important thing is Make sure there is enough fiber, protein and fat on your plate. We can adapt most recipes to achieve a balance of the different macronutrients and not produce blood sugar spikes. The Harvard Plate Standard is a good guide: half should be occupied by vegetables, a quarter by proteins and another quarter by starches, drizzled with a little olive oil.

Studies on food order and blood sugar

The finding of the importance of the order in intake on glycemia does not yet have a consensus among nutritionists and doctors, but a Japanese study has demonstrated changes in the metabolism of foods depending on the order in which they are consumed. According to research from Kanazawa University, eat vegetables first, then eggs, legumes, meat or fish (if you follow an omnivorous diet) and, lastly, carbohydrates significantly improves glucose and insulin levels in blood after meals.

The study was carried out among men and women with no family history of diabetes. After a day of fasting, all of them were given different combinations in the order of food for three days. After each test, glucose and insulin levels were measured. The results showed that the participants who had ingested the rice last showed a significant decrease in blood sugar compared to those who had taken it in second place, and much less compared to those who had taken it in first place.

Following this routine when eating food can have many benefits in the long run for both healthy people and diabetics.

In another study carried out in China, two groups of diabetics were followed for five years. Those in the first group were asked to always eat the vegetables before the main course, consisting of meat, fish or soy, and the carbohydrates at the end. Additionally, they were advised to chew each bite thoroughly. The other group was not given advice about the order in which they should eat the food. After five years of intervention there was a significant improvement in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levelswhich is measured to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes, in patients who had been prescribed a certain order to eat food.