Focus on balancing your blood sugar levels as the foundational metric for overall health, as it impacts energy, mood, skin, sleep, weight, aging, and hormonal health, reducing both short-term symptoms and long-term disease risk.
View symptoms like fatigue, cravings, skin issues, or mental health disturbances as messages from your body, potentially indicating underlying glucose spikes, rather than just problems to be managed or signs of weakness.
Approach health improvements with incremental, additive changes rather than drastic overhauls, as this makes new habits more achievable and less overwhelming, leading to sustained positive impact.
Consume vegetables first, followed by proteins and fats, and then starches and sugars last, to reduce the glucose spike of your meal by up to 75% due to fiber creating a protective mesh in the intestine.
Build your first meal of the day around protein (e.g., eggs, fish, nuts, tofu, leftovers) and add fiber or fat, avoiding sweet foods (except whole fruit for taste) to keep glucose levels steady and prevent a day-long ‘glucose rollercoaster’.
When eating starches or sugars, always combine them with protein, fat, or fiber to slow down glucose absorption and reduce the resulting blood sugar spike, mitigating negative impacts like cravings and fatigue.
Drink one tablespoon of vinegar (e.g., apple cider vinegar) diluted in water 10 minutes before a meal, or during/after, to reduce the glucose spike of that meal by up to 30% and the insulin spike by up to 20%.
Engage your muscles for 10 minutes within 90 minutes after finishing a meal (e.g., walking, cleaning, calf raises) to help your muscles soak up glucose from the bloodstream and reduce the meal’s glucose spike.
Incorporate calf raises (lifting onto toes while seated or standing) for about five minutes after a meal, as the soleus muscle in the calf is particularly effective at absorbing glucose from the bloodstream.
If you choose to eat something sweet, consume it at the end of a meal rather than on an empty stomach, as the presence of other foods will slow down the absorption of sugar and lead to a more moderate glucose spike.
When consuming dried fruit, pair it with nuts or other sources of protein, fat, or fiber, as dried fruit has concentrated sugar and adding ‘clothes’ helps blunt the glucose spike.
Spend time with your bare feet or hands on the earth (e.g., grass, beach) to calm your nervous system, reduce stress levels, and potentially improve glucose regulation, as studies show it can reduce glucose levels.
Rate your mental health on a scale of one to five and add a short entry every evening to track your well-being, fostering self-awareness and recognizing patterns related to your health journey.
Apply the glucose hacks when it’s easy and convenient, without creating additional stress or guilt if you can’t adhere to them perfectly every time, as even occasional use provides benefits.
Experiment with the suggested hacks and observe their impact on your own body and symptoms, as personal experience and self-monitoring can provide powerful insights into what works for you.