Reduce Sugar Spikes

by simply Rebalancing
Your Diet

Sugar Management

Did you know that diabetes is far more than just a condition of high blood sugar? Shockingly, in 2019, 4,60,000 kidney diseases and 20% cardiovascular diseases were caused by raised blood glucose world wide. (WHO, 2023) These facts highlight the severe and often overlooked consequences of poorly managed blood glucose levels. So, how can you protect yourself from these life-threatening complications? The answer lies in nutritionally balanced meals, combining the right foods with adequate protein and fiber, along with physical activity and stress management.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the remission formula to prevent and manage diabetes suggests that at least 20% of your calories should come from protein (which comes around 1.0 – 1.5g/kg body weight), and 50-55% from complex carbohydrates, which are a rich source of fibre. Let's dive into and understand the way to better balanced blood sugars and overall health.

It’s time to take the right sustainable steps for better management and prevent diabetes at the early stages.

Protein: A key player in blood sugar management

All the talks on blood sugar management revolve around carbohydrates – their quantity and type while the role of protein often gets sidelined due to a lack of extensive studies. However, emerging research highlights the significant impact protein can have on diabetes management. Here's how protein contributes to better diabetes control:

Weight Management:

Being overweight is a major risk factor causing insulin resistance. Over 75% of adults with diabetes are overweight and almost half meet the criteria for obesity. Studies have shown improvements in insulin sensitivity contributes to a weight loss of around 7-10% in people with Type 2 diabetes. (2)

In an interventional study, which followed a diet plan based on 40-45% calories from carbohydrates, 20-30% from protein and <35% from fat, it was found that there was a decrease in the HbA1C levels from 7.5-6.6 % and an average weight loss of 11kgs after 12 weeks (about 3 months). (3)

Preserves muscle mass:

People suffering from diabetes often undergo lean muscle loss due to the existing inflammation and oxidative stress, especially older adults. Adequacy of protein ensures maintenance of lean body mass.

Building higher muscle mass helps prevent diabetes. High muscle mass improves insulin sensitivity and thus lowers the risk of diabetes as it improves insulin sensitivity. (4)

Enhanced Satiety:

A high protein diet leads to satiety by various pathways which results in keeping the individual full for longer and a lower the chances of overeating. Hormones that play a crucial role in satiety management are ghrelin & leptin. Ghrelin helps in increase the hunger sensation & leptin helps decrease them. (5,6)

Fiber’s Power: Balancing Blood Sugar

Research studies have shown that the type of carbohydrates consumed is more important than the quantity of carbs for diabetes and blood sugar. Dietary fibers are complex carbohydrates (slowly digestible carbs) that human digestive enzymes are not able to break down.

1. Delayed absorption of nutrients:

Soluble Dietary Fibers like beta-glucan found in oats and barley form a viscous solution in the small intestine, which reduces the contact and mixing of macronutrients with digestive enzymes, and this delays the absorption of glucose, which consequently reduces the postprandial plasma glucose and insulin levels.(7)

2. Enhanced Satiety:

Dietary fibre (DF) is another nutritional component strongly linked with enhanced satiety. The satiating effect of DF has been explained by the decreased rate of gastric emptying and delayed macronutrient digestion and absorption within the GI tract. (8)

3. Anti-inflammatory:

Increased blood sugar is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress which further leads to weakness. Dietary fiber intake has been reported to be inversely associated with inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α that are central in the initiation and progression of type 2 diabetes. (7, 9)

The combination of protein and fiber for blood sugar management:

Thus, both protein and fiber independently affect the blood sugar and have positive effects on overall health and wellness. Incorporating a variety of protein sources and fiber-rich foods into your diet—such as beans, legumes, lean meats, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables—can contribute to better blood sugar control and overall well-being. By understanding and optimizing your intake of these nutrients, one can effectively manage diabetes and improve your quality of life.

Plant Proteins: A perfect combination of both –

Studies show that type 2 diabetes is lower among those following plant-based dietary patterns compared with omnivores and even semi-vegetarians. Low BMIs are protective against type 2 diabetes and are more commonly observed in people who consume a plant-based diet (3).

Consuming more whole plant-based foods helps to automatically minimize the consumption of animal fats and proteins. Animal protein and animal fats have also been related in both metabolic as well as large cohort studies to worsen insulin resistance and increased incidence of type 2 diabetes (10).

Sources of Plant Protein: