Ever feel lost trying to eat healthy and not know where to begin? Healthy eating can be extremely easy with the right systems and informed choices. With Nutrition No-Brainer, I share bi-weekly articles—the LEAST you need to know—to simplify healthy food choices and clear up food myths, making your nutrition decisions a NO-BRAINER!
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🍏 What if I love Sweet Stuff?
Published 2 days ago • 6 min read
“When the going gets tough, the tough make cookies.”
– Erma Bombeck
The Best Thing You Need to Know about your Healthy Nutrition Journey:
It's ABSOLUTELY ok to love sweet things AND fulfill healthy eating principles.
I still occasionally enjoy dark chocolate and try new pastries now and again.
In fact, in my experience, if you follow the 5 Nutrition No-brainers, you would virtually not have any "cheat" cravings at all (especially in the intentional order that I've introduced them). Here's a recap of the L.E.A.S.T. you need to know about healthy eating: the top 5 principles that I have applied in my own life for the past 10+ months since my fitness journey in July 2024:
L – Limit High-Glycemic Choices Choose foods that won’t spike your blood sugar; favor low-glycemic options that keep your energy steady.
E – Emphasize High Quality Protein Focus on clean, efficiently bio-available protein sources to support building and retaining muscle, satiety, and healthy aging.
A – Add Healthy Fats When Cooking Use olive or coconut oil for heart-healthy fats and better nutrient absorption. Natural butter (without preservatives/chemicals in some processed brands) is another great source of healthy fats for cooking.
S – Stick to Whole Foods Consuming minimally processed foods form the foundation for undisrupted digestion and metabolism.
T –Trust Nature’s Sweetness Embrace the natural taste of food (oatmeal, yogurt, sauces, salad dressing etc) and drink (juice, smoothies, coffee, tea, etc) without adding extra sugar or sweeteners.
"What if I still want to enjoy some sweet stuff?"
"But I NEED sugar in my coffee every morning" "I can't do it. I need sweet things in my life"
Now, it's important to know that sugar and sweet stuff (especially eaten on its own) as well as processed/refined carbs like white rice, white bread, normal flour tortilla, normal pasta, etc. are known to be high-glycemic.
Why be wary of high-glycemic foods?
In essence, high-glycemic foods trigger glucose spikes(sharp increases in your blood sugar), which then cause a cascade of harmful, problematic effects in the body:
1. Energy Crash and Fatigue
Glucose spikes overwhelm your mitochondria, the "energy factories" in your cells.
Instead of giving you sustained energy, large spikes stress out your mitochondria, leading to chronic fatigue, tiredness after meals, and brain fog, even if you've just eaten.
2. Faster Aging
Every glucose spike causes glycation: a process where excess glucose “browns” your tissues from the inside, much like cooking chicken in an oven or toasting bread.
Glycation damages skin and organs, leading to wrinkles and accelerated aging.
3. Weight Gain and Insulin Resistance
Spikes cause your body to release insulin, which stores excess glucose in fat cells.
Over time, frequent spikes contribute to fat gain, especially visceral fat (deep belly fat) and lead to insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
4. Mood Swings and Cravings
After a spike comes a crash, which activates your brain’s craving center, pushing you to reach for more sugar.
This roller coaster fuels addictive eating patterns, mood instability, and difficulty focusing.
5. Increased Risk of Chronic Diseases
Long-term glucose spikes are linked to a higher risk of:
Type 2 diabetes
Heart disease
Dementia ("Type 3 diabetes”)
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Depression and hormonal imbalances
How do we still enjoy our favorite foods and lessen the impact of Glucose Spikes?
Don't worry, your choices are valid and while going "cold turkey" can seem like a massive undertaking,
This also works with salad dressings containing vinegar (but avoid adding direct sugars that can come from certain bottle sauces: ranch, ketchup, thousand island dressing etc).
You can use any type of vinegar: white, apple cider, red, etc but also be wary of some like balsamic that may contain added sugars.
Jessie created a pill (Anti-spike) with: 🍋 Lemon extract (boosts GLP-1) 🌿 Mulberry leaf (blocks glucose absorption) This reduces the glucose spike by up to 40%.
The same can be applied through natural means: lime/lemon/grapefruit whole fruit/juice (without added sugars).
(Athough in concentrate form, the effect is a lot more amplified (that is the power of supplements!)).
I've been trying out some of these hacks for about two weeks now.
These are the ones I've been applying to reduce any afternoon energy crashes:
Hack #2: 1 tbsp Vinegar in water before the biggest meal.
Hack #3: Starting meals with veggies.
Hack #5: Food Consumption Order matters.
Hack #8: Eating sweets as dessert, never alone.
These hacks are seriously effective! I feel lighter after meals, especially lunch, and can actually enjoy dessert without the usual energy crash or brain fog.
I’ve already been mindful of glucose spikes by choosing low-glycemic foods, and Hack #3 really helps even more, especially with brown rice or whole wheat pasta (remember that everyone will have a different glucose response to different foods, and I think I am still sensitive to even low glycemic carb options).
If I do want a sweet treat, I now know to save it for dessert or pair it with vinegar water beforehand, to minimize the glucose impact.
All in all, I still prefer to avoid spike-triggering foods like corn, cereal, or ketchup majority of the time, and only have them very rarely, maybe 10% of the time.
Additional Resources
I was mindblown by what I learnt about glucose through the Diary of a CEO podcast with Jessie Inchauspé.
The Glucose Hacks don't necessarily have to be practiced 100%.
Even trying just one of these and intentionally incorporating it into your daily meals or eating rituals, can greatly reduce the impact of your glucose spikes!
Which one sounds the easiest to you?
Try just one of these hacks for a few days this week and let me know how you're feeling post-meal!
Ever feel lost trying to eat healthy and not know where to begin? Healthy eating can be extremely easy with the right systems and informed choices. With Nutrition No-Brainer, I share bi-weekly articles—the LEAST you need to know—to simplify healthy food choices and clear up food myths, making your nutrition decisions a NO-BRAINER!
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