10 Hacks for weight loss and Balanced Diet

Glucose revolution the life-changing power of balancing your blood sugar

(Summary of Book By Jessie Inchauspé) 

Would you want to have a good night's sleep, feel energetic when you wake up in the morning, retain this energy throughout the day, and generally work with optimal energy levels? 

Unfortunately, this isn't the reality for about 90% of the population all because of dysregulated glucose levels in the bloodstream. Sadly, you and I could potentially be one of these people.

In her book, the author of Glucose Revolution  Jessie Inchauspé shares her personal insight through years of research as a biochemist and personal experience on how glucose regulation can help you live a more fulfilled and rewarding life.

REVIEW of GLUCOSE  REVOLUTION

Section 1:What is Glucose

 Glucose, its formation, how it gets into the blood, why we are eating more of it nowadays, and what glucose spikes are covered in this section by the author.

Chapter 1 Overview: Why Glucose Is So Much Important?

 

Chapter 2 Overview: How Plants Create Glucose

Glucose essentially comes from plants through photosynthesis and is in the form of starch or sweet fruits. Starches are foods like potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereals, and sweet fruits like mango, bananas, oranges, etc.

Chapter 3 Summary: How Glucose Gets into the BloodStream

Carbohydrates have many types including Starch, fiber, fructose, and sucrose. All of these types begin from glucose and in the end, turn into glucose when we digest it (except fiber which remains fiber). 

Gluconeogenesis is the process by which our body makes glucose. If glucose is deficient, our bodies switch to fat utilization through the process of metabolic flexibility. Although carbohydrates are not essential to survival, they’re an excellent source of energy and they taste really amazing.

Chapter 4 Overview: Why We Eat More Glucose Than Before

The rule of Nature is to provide us with glucose in the form of plants. However, we have made processed foods rich in sugar and starch and a low content of fiber as fiber cannot be preserved for longer times like months or so.

Human beings have a special liking for sweet things. The reason being, in the ancient times (stone age era) sweet foods gave them lots of energy and were safe to eat. Moreover, sweet foods make our brain release Dopamine. We are having high levels of sugar in almost everything, including fruits, because of artificial engineering. This high level of glucose in processed foods can be a home to many problems.

 
Chapter 5 Overview: Discovering Glucose Spikes

When we eat there is an instant rush of energy that is generally short-lived for about an hour or less and is often followed by a crash of energy and hunger. This is due to spiking and dropping glucose levels.

The main function of glucose is to provide energy to the body, and Glucose gets converted to energy in our cells. Glucose is an instant source of energy for our bodies, which is why when we eat food that is either sweet or has starch, we get an instant rush of energy in our body that is called a glucose spike and an invisible fructose spike which are more alarming. Hence, flattening glucose curves bring down spikes and improve health in general.

Section 2: Why Are Glucose Spikes Harmful? let's check it out

 

Chapter 6: The Three Harmful Effects of Glucose Spike

 Besides a crash of energy shortly after the spike, it has three major consequences that can negatively affect your health.

1. Firstly, our body cells work in balance. Things go fine as long as the energy provided is in equilibrium with the amount needed. The excess glucose leads to spikes and free radicals formation which is damaging to anything they touch. The cycle continues with more and more glucose ingestion. Ultimately excess free radicals will lead to a condition called oxidative stress.  
2. Glycation is another process that also comes into play where glucose combines with other molecules. However, too many free radicals, oxidative stress, and glycation can lead to inflammation which is the body's protective mechanism against invaders, in the first place.
3. Pancrease plays an important role in storing excess glucose by releasing insulin. Extra glucose converts into glycogen and fat, whereas, excess fructose turns into fat only.

Chapter 7 describes What bad effects Spikes have

So to sum up, regular spikes in glucose levels throughout the day, which I am sure is very common, make you age faster, gain more weight, have diabetes, and cause many other diseases that I am sure you will never like them.

Section 3: 10 Ways to Flatten My Glucose Curves

 Now it’s time for us to look into simple and inexpensive hacks provided by the author that can help you control and regulate this bad boy and flatten the curves caused by glucose spikes.

1. Stop counting calories: controversial?  

I know! But judging a food based on its calories is like judging a book by its page count.100 calories of fructose, 100 calories of glucose, 100 calories of protein, or 100 calories of fat have vastly different effects on your body.

Research shows that people who focus on flattening their glucose curve rather than focusing on their caloric intake lose weight more efficiently. Forget everything else and just do one simple thing! Take less glucose or in other words, take less added sugar.

2. Type of sugar doesn't matter:

It doesn't matter if you take honey, brown sugar, or any other form of sugar instead of the regular ones, as they all have the same effect more or less. The key thing to remember here is that sugar is okay in moderation, different types won't do much damage control.

3. Eat in the right order: This is important! 

Research shows that the order in which you eat your food can majorly affect the level of glucose in your body and for best results, you must eat your vegetables first because the fiber in them creates a sticky thing in your small intestine. This sticky thing makes it harder for glucose to get absorbed into the bloodstream. Then, in the second round, comes your proteins and fats. Protein can be found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and beans, and fat found on its own can be found in oils, butter, and avocados. Proteins and fats slow down the absorption rate, making you feel satisfied for longer periods and reducing the absorption of glucose. Finally, always have your carbohydrates in other words starches and sugars in the end. It can decrease glucose spikes by 75% which means it slows down your aging and weight gain process by 75% on a daily basis.

4. Add a green starter to all your meals: this isn't the same hack as the previous one.

 You are adding a whole new item to your meals. Any vegetable qualifies from grilled zucchini to grated carrots. Adding greens before every meal would make you feel more fulfilled for a longer period of time, decrease your cravings and reduce glucose spikes.

5. Reach for vinegar before you eat:

 Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and dilute it in a large glass of water. (Be careful as it can slowly damage your teeth so drink with a straw and do not have it if you feel dental issues). You can also take vinegar before your next sweet treat. Vinegar reduces glucose spikes by slowing down the arrival of glucose into the bloodstream.

6. After you eat, move:

 Using your muscles, whether it be for a 20-minute walk or 10-minute exercise after a sweet treat would lessen the glucose spike, reduce the likelihood of weight gain, and avoid an energy slump. 

7. Put some clothes on your carbs: 

This hack basically means whenever you are having a sweet snack, have something else with it. For example, if you are having a brownie, get yourself some yogurt too. 

8. Flatten your breakfast curve:

 It’s a common assumption that eating something sweet for breakfast is a good thing because it gives us energy but that energy is short-lived. Make a savory breakfast plate instead and have protein in it. You can add fat and fiber to it as well. It will make you feel fuller and more energetic throughout the day.

 9. Have a dessert instead of a sweet snack:

 This basically means that the best time for having something sweet is when you’ve already eaten fat, protein, and fiber. It works on a similar principle as previous hacks, which means having sugar on an empty stomach leads to a higher glucose spike and we want to avoid it at any cost.

10. And the last hack is if you want to snack, go for something savory:

 A soft-boiled egg with a dash of salt and pepper, a handful of baby carrots, a spoonful of hummus, or a square of 90% dark chocolate, etc. All these are better alternatives to sugary snacks.

 

To conclude:

Here’s how to avoid glucose spikes;

• If you are craving something sweet, give it a 20-minute period to cool down.
• If you are still craving it then have it after a meal. 
• If you can't wait for that long, then have apple cider vinegar diluted in water before the treats. Remember Teeth Precautions and to avoid them can also enjoy it with some salad, nut butter, cheese, etc.
• After you have the sweet treat, go for a 10-minute walk. 

These small hacks can change the quality of your life for the better, making it easier to live a more fulfilling life. It seems simple, but it’s frequently the small steps that make big effects.