I think we’re on the same page when I tell you that sugar is no gooder. Our parents told us every time we stole a cookie, the weight loss influencers live by it and my dentist still doesn’t like me very much.
Its ironic really because sugar actually gives us the molecule that runs every cell in our body, 'Glucose’. Its the body’s main source of energy.
Its concentration can fluctuate greatly throughout the day, and sharp increases in concentration—called glucose spikes—affect everything from our mood, our sleep, our weight, and our skin to the health of our immune system, our risk for heart disease, and our chance of conception.
In an attempt to give you the critical points of the book “Glucose revolution” by Jessie Inchauspe and how to deal with the molecule the runs our life, we’ll talk about 3 main points.
Number one: What is Glucose and this "Glucose spike"
Like we said its the molecule of life. Its source, as we can remember from grade 4 science class, is photosynthesis in plants. In fact, the whole plant is made of glucose which is then utilized and shifted to different forms to suite its function.
Among these forms are 3 we should focus on:
- Starch like in potatoes
- Fiber as in vegetables
- Fruit sugar (fructose)
These are basically the forms we ingest.
Now, Glucose Spikes?
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) states that a baseline concentration (also known as your fasting level, that is, your glucose level first thing in the morning before eating) between 60 and 100 mg/dL is “normal”
"Normal" not optimal.
Why? Because there is more likelihood of developing health problems from 85 mg/dL and up.
Even if our fasting level is “optimal,” we may still experience glucose spikes on a daily basis. Spikes are rapid increases and drops in glucose concentration after we eat, and they are harmful.
So to conclude, a glucose spike is an increase in glucose in our body of more than 30 mg/dL after eating.
To put this in context, a bowel of cereal in the morning can take your blood sugar to as high as 80mg/dL.
Now some spikes can be more harmful than others even though they share the same blood sugar levels.
The secret is in the content that can't be measure.
For example, a cupcake vs rice.
They raise the blood sugar lets say for the sake of explaining to 60mg/dL.
The cupcake is still far worse that rice due to its glucose form which is fructose (2.3× glucose) while rice is all starch.
Number 2: Why are Glucose spikes bad for us?
To skip all the unnecessary details of biology giving you a clear idea;
Our power house (mitochondria) which converts this glucose to energy gets drowned in glucose during the spike. Lets think of this power house as a prison filled with criminals (glucose). We work them to the bone therefore powering the cells.
But once we get too many criminals, they start to escape and become dangerous to surrounding cells (we call them free radicals)
They basically destroy everything they touch leading to mutations giving us a possibility of cancer.
Now we can handle a few free criminals from time to time (free radicals). I mean our taxes pay the police doesn’t it? But repeated spikes or escapes become unmanageable.
- Lets talk about the short term and long term effects.
Short term effects:
1) Constant hunger
2) Cravings
3) Chronic fatigue (always tired)
4) Poor sleep
5) Colds and coronavirus complications
6) Gestational diabetes is harder to manage (diabetes during pregnancy)
7) Hot flashes and night sweats
8) Migraine
9) Memory and cognitive function issues
10) Type 1 diabetes is harder to manage
Long term effects:
1) Acne and other skin conditions
2) Aging and arthritis
3) Alzheimer’s and dementia
4) Cancer risk
5) Depressive episodes
6) Gut issues
7) Heart disease
8) Infertility and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
9) Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
10) Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
11) Wrinkles and cataracts
Number 3: Finally. How Can I Avoid all this?
1) EAT FOODS IN THE RIGHT ORDER
Next time you sit down for a meal, eat the veggies and proteins first and the carbs last.
Why? Read the book.
2) ADD A GREEN STARTER TO ALL YOUR MEALS:
3) STOP COUNTING CALORIES
4) FLATTEN YOUR BREAKFAST CURVE
Go savory. Add protiens, fat, fibers and starch or whole fruit for taste only
5) HAVE ANY TYPE OF SUGAR YOU LIKE—THEY’RE ALL THE SAME
Yes, surprise surprise. This is probably the most shocking fact I encountered. We tend to replace table sugar with fruits thinking we hit the jackpot of life hacks but in the end sugar is sugar no matter where it comes from.
6) PICK DESSERT OVER A SWEET SNACK
7) REACH FOR VINEGAR BEFORE YOU EAT ( A SPOON OF VINEGAR)
I can see that grimace. Yes i know, ick. To explain, vinegar basically has acetic acid which prevents the sugars we ingest from breaking down into glucose quickly. So we cause less of a glucose spike.
8) AFTER YOU EAT, MOVE
Fun fact: You're not really in the mood to move so you wont. Just do this. Calf raises on the floor. It turns out Unlike most muscles, which use stored carbs (glycogen) for fuel, the soleus muscle (calf muscle) uses a mixture of other fuels, including glucose and fat, for energy.
9) IF YOU HAVE TO SNACK, GO SAVORY
10) PUT SOME CLOTHES ON YOUR CARBS
And that concludes the summary of Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspe.
I highly recommend reading it because it certainly changed the way I thought about food and how all my "facts" have been discredited. There are definitely many points I didn’t do justice in explaining but I guess thats the definition of a summary.
If you enjoyed this and learned a little more today, make sure to follow because I’ve got alot more and better coming.
