When I developed the Glucose Goddess Method, I never envisioned it as a weight loss diet.
As a biochemist, I was intrigued by the discovery that a few simple – and sometimes surprising – “hacks” can smooth the roller coaster of spikes and keep our blood sugar levels down throughout the day. And I was very focused on the positive effects this leveling has on our mental and physical health.
But when I conducted a pilot experiment last year with nearly 3,000 people who tried the method for a month, more than a third of the participants who wanted to lose weight did so and ate incredibly more than usual, not counting calories or not cut. . food, even dessert.
In yesterday’s Daily Mail I explained how important it is to start the day with a hearty breakfast to keep blood sugar levels high.
Today, in the second excerpt from my new book, I explain the science behind how eating more can improve your health and lead to fat loss.
This may seem completely illogical. But a groundbreaking new book from a leading biochemist offers important health advice based on blood glucose studies
“I explain the science behind how eating more can improve your health and lead to fat loss”
The key is to take two of my other “hacks” on board: Eat a bowl of salad or a plate of vegetables before lunch or dinner; and add some protein, fat or fiber to “naked” carbohydrates. I’ll show you how to do that later. But first, let’s look at the why.
Our blood sugar (also known as glucose) levels are designed to naturally rise after we eat foods high in sugar and starch, and fall once the cells in the body have absorbed glucose from those foods for fuel. But when we eat a lot of sweet and starchy foods at the same time, glucose levels can rise too high and too quickly. This can create a harmful inflammatory response in the body as it struggles to bring glucose levels back to normal.
One response is to pump out the hormone insulin to remove glucose from the blood and divert it to fat stores. Often this insulin surge works so effectively that it keeps blood sugar levels quite low. As a result, you may experience an energy dip a few hours after a fast food meal or snack, giving you a strong craving for something sweet while your body struggles to rebuild itself. these blood sugar levels rise again.
Many people live with fluctuating glucose levels throughout the day, highs and lows, and increases in the total amount of glucose in the body. Over the long term, this precarious state puts the body in a state of stress that has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and Alzheimer’s.
It is not surprising that people who want to lose fat find it difficult when the food they eat is sent to fat stores and irresistible urges drive them to eat unhealthy foods. By taking steps to smooth out those glucose spikes and dips, you can break this vicious cycle.
And the result, as my experiment showed, is weight loss, although you are allowed to eat more than before, without restrictions and certainly not without counting calories.
Because when we flatten those glucose curves, cravings go away, putting us back in control of what and when we eat.
The hormones come back into balance and with less insulin our body can switch from fat storage mode to a more natural fat burning mode more often and for longer. Of the 2,700 participants in my study, 38 percent wanted to lose weight – without restrictions and certainly without counting calories. All through the power of my glucose heels.
A look at some of the delicious puddings that flatten the glucose curve, including this Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
A berry ice cream is also recommended as a delicious dessert
Or try the very simple chocolate mousse
Other scientific studies support this finding with evidence showing that people who focus on flattening their glucose curve eat more calories and lose fat more easily than people who eat fewer calories but do not flatten their glucose curve. For example, a 2017 University of Michigan study found that people who focused on flattening their glucose curve (even if they ate more calories than the other group) lost more weight (17 pounds versus 4 pounds) than those who who ate fewer calories. and did not monitor their blood sugar levels.
The action of insulin is central. When blood sugar levels are stable, insulin levels drop. A 2021 review that analyzed 60 weight loss studies proved that insulin reduction always precedes weight loss.
Also, the feedback from my 1.8 million followers on Instagram is pretty universal: if you keep your blood sugar from spiking, you can eat full meals without counting calories, and this not only improves your health, it often leads to it naturally fat loss as a result. The key is to add the right calories to your meals—calories that keep you full and keep cravings at bay, release insulin, and reduce inflammation.
One of my favorite – and most powerful – hacks is to have a vegetable or salad dish as an appetizer for your lunch or dinner. You will find that anything you eat after this appetizer will cause much less blood sugar spikes.
READ MORE: Drinking that cup of tea may be one of the best things you can do for your health
Because when you eat fiber-rich foods like salad or vegetables on a relatively empty stomach, the fiber unfolds on the walls of your intestines and forms a viscous protective mesh that stays in place for several hours. This network makes it difficult for glucose molecules from the rest of the meal to pass through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream. The speed at which glucose enters the blood is therefore reduced, making glucose spikes less likely.
As long as you have a salad or vegetable starter, you can eat what you normally have, knowing that the protective fiber network will reduce the glucose spike that comes with your meal.
To give you an idea of the effect, one study that simply reversed the order in which food was eaten during a meal showed that by placing vegetables first (and carbohydrates last) in the Glucose Peak of the meal, increased by a maximum of 75 per day was reduced. Cent. This was achieved without changing the content of the meal, simply by putting the vegetables first and harnessing the power of the fiber they contain. It’s quite remarkable.
So, if your meal is usually high in vegetables, you can turn it into a vegetarian entree by eating the vegetables first before eating anything else.
But for this hack to work best, put a vegetable “appetizer” on the plate that’s 30 percent the size of the next meal. Lentils and legumes are among the vegetables, and a thick vegetable soup is a good belly rub. (A smooth blended soup won’t be as effective because the blending will pulverize the fiber particles, making them less effective at creating that protective web.)
Snacking on carrot sticks while preparing your meal is just as effective. Your vegetable starter can be as simple as ten olives.
Tossing your salad in a vinegar-based dressing is two tricks in one. (In tomorrow’s Daily Mail I will explain how the acetic acid in vinegar slows down the rate at which glucose is released.)
All vegetables work – cooked, raw, dressed or plain. At a restaurant, ask for a salad to start your meal, or choose a vegetable dish from the side menu. When you’re out, bring a bag of carrots, cherry tomatoes or cucumber sticks to snack on before your next meal.
The Glucose Goddess Method: Your Four-Week Guide to Curb Cravings, Get Your Energy Back, and Feel Great by Jessie Inchauspe published by Penguin Random House on May 16 for $36.99. Pre-order a copy here
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
