What’s really spiking your blood sugar (and it’s not just dessert)
You may think glucose is something only diabetics need to track, but stable blood sugar underpins everything from energy and mood to skin, hormones and long-term metabolic health. Each meal breaks down into glucose, and insulin is released to move it into our cells for fuel. When glucose spikes too often, insulin works overtime and the body becomes less responsive, a process known as insulin resistance. In his book The Blood Sugar Solution, functional medicine doctor Mark Hyman has called insulin resistance “the most common health problem,” one that underlies inflammation, hormonal imbalance and chronic disease.
Across India, these issues are no longer rare. Rising cases of PCOS and insulin resistance among women in their twenties and thirties show up long before a formal diagnosis as fatigue, skin breakouts, sugar cravings and erratic cycles. Stable blood sugar, once a concern only for diabetics, has quietly become central to everyday wellness.
So where do these hidden spikes come from? Often from the very foods and habits we’ve labelled as ‘healthy’.
1. Oat milk
Oat milk is popular for its creaminess, but because it comes from a starchy grain it breaks down into sugar more quickly than nut- or dairy-based alternatives. As Jessie Inchauspé, the French biochemist known as the Glucose Goddess, has highlighted, this leads to sharper spikes than almond or coconut milk.
That’s because grains have a higher glycaemic index, meaning they’re converted to glucose faster in the bloodstream. By contrast, protein and fat slow the pace at which glucose is released.
The change: Unsweetened almond or coconut milk, or even regular full-fat dairy, contain more protein and fat, which slow glucose release. You don’t have to quit oat milk, just rotate your choices through the week.
2. Naked carbs
Until recently, my mother swore by plain toast as a “light” breakfast. But when she started adding ghee, avocado or vegetables on the side, her mid-morning cravings dropped noticeably.
Carbohydrates
provide quick energy because they convert into sugar fast. The
downside: sharper spikes and crashes when eaten alone. This is because fiber,
protein and fat delay gastric emptying, which means glucose enters the
bloodstream more gradually. Without them, blood sugar surges and then
plummets, driving hunger and cravings.
The change: Pair carbs with protein, fibre or healthy fats to slow absorption. Poha with sprouts, paneer or tofu, or simply load it with vegetables. It transforms into a complete meal that keeps you fuller for longer and reduces the pull towards sugary snacks an hour later.
3. Juices
A fresh fruit juice may look virtuous, but without fibre it delivers a rapid sugar hit. When I wore a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), I tested a “cleanse juice” made mostly of apple and pineapple my glucose spiked within 20 minutes.
That’s because fructose, the natural sugar in fruit, is processed differently from glucose. When delivered in a concentrated form without fiber, it can overwhelm the liver and contribute to insulin resistance over time.
The change: Choose vegetable-heavy blends (spinach, kale, cucumber) or, better still, eat whole fruit so you get fibre alongside the micronutrients.
4. Meal sequence
There’s a reason our grandmothers served kachumber or achar before dal-chawal. Research shows that simply changing the order of what you eat can blunt the glucose spike of a meal. Inchauspé wrote of this concept in The Glucose Goddess Method, citing a 2023 Japanese study that found eating vegetables first significantly reduced post-meal glucose and insulin in young women.
This principle isn’t new. Most traditional thalis follow the same logic, beginning with raw vegetables or pickles before rice and rotis.
The change: Begin with vegetables, move to proteins and fats, and finish with carbohydrates. It doesn’t change what you eat, only when.
Individually, these swaps might sound minor. But stacked across a day—choosing almond milk in your morning latte, pairing carbs with protein at lunch, eating fruit whole instead of juiced, and starting dinner with salad or kachumber—the effect compounds. The result is more stable energy, fewer mid-afternoon crashes and a subtler cycle of cravings.