Five ways to lower blood sugar levels, according to the Glucose Goddess

Emma Clarke
·Contributor
Updated ·3 min read
Planning a healthy diet to control blood sugar levels. High resolution 42Mp studio digital capture taken with SONY A7rII and Zeiss Batis 40mm F2.0 CF lens
High blood sugar levels can be bad for our overall health. (Getty Images)

Biochemist and bestselling author Jessie Inchauspé made her TV debut on Tuesday night in Channel 4’s Eat Smart: Secrets of the Glucose Goddess, in which she shared various nutritional tips with viewers to help reduce their blood sugar levels.

After breaking her spine 14 years ago, the French biochemist, who has over million Instagram followers, became interested in glucose – particularly the role it plays in physical and mental health.

By controlling and monitoring glucose levels as she did post-surgery, Jessie says she has discovered the key to long-term health – and is on a mission to share that message with the world.

A glucose spike is natural, and is a temporary increase in blood glucose levels, occurring when there is more glucose in the bloodstream than cells can use for energy.

Some of the main causes for this are:

  • Stress

  • Medications

  • Smoking

  • Carb-heavy meals

  • Poor sleep

  • High-intensity exercise

  • Sugary snacks and drinks

  • Physical stress (illness, infection, injury, surgery)

  • Low insulin levels

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jessie Inchauspé (@glucosegoddess)

“If you look just at calories, you could eat a low-calorie but really unhealthy diet,” she says. “Instead, you should focus on protein, fat and fibre – you’ll feel much better than just counting calories.”

“I know you might think that having honey in your tea is better than having regular sugar, but when it comes to your glucose levels all sugar is sugar,” explains Jessie.

It may sound strange, but Jessie says you can reduce your glucose spike by up to 75% if you eat your food in the “right order” – vegetables first, then fats, then carbs, and sugars last.

Rather than eat carbs like bread, pasta, rice, and so on, by themselves – or “naked”, as she calls it – Jessie says that by adding things like chicken, spinach and olive oil to them, you can slow down how quickly the carbs enter your bloodstream, and, in turn, the glucose spike that comes with it.

This might take you back to school, but there really is benefit from saving your pudding until after you’ve eaten your main meals, according to Jessie.

She explains that by eating sugary treats on an empty stomach, sugar will be released into the bloodstream at a much quicker rate – therefore creating a bigger glucose spike.

Senior woman sitting alone in her kitchen, looking through the window and drinking tea.
Brown sugar and even honey in our tea can trigger a glucose spike. (Getty Images)

Although glucose spikes happen to everyone, those with diabetes can have both high and low blood sugar levels, and should regularly monitor their blood glucose levels – either at home or with visits to their GP.

If you have high blood sugar levels, you may experience symptoms such as:

  • Feeling thirsty

  • Feeling weak or tired

  • Blurred vision

  • Weight loss

  • Peeing a lot

If your blood sugar levels are high from time to time, or for a short period, it is usually nothing to worry about. But if it stays high for a long time or reaches a really high level, it can cause permanent nerve damage in your hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy), or permanent damage to your eyes and impair vision (diabetic retinopathy).

In rare cases, it lead to life-threatening conditions such as diabetic ketoacidosis, according to the NHS.

Read more about diet and nutrition

Latest Stories