High Blood Sugar After Eating? What People with Diabetes Should Pay Attention To Other Than Food
Aug 01, 2024High blood sugar after eating? Food is not the only thing to look at. Your sleep, stress, activity, muscles and liver decide how well your body handles the glucose from a meal. In this episode of The Daily Dose, I explain these body factors, then test you with a short Work Your Brain quiz.
The same breakfast does not always give the same reading
You eat the same breakfast every day. Some mornings your blood sugar is higher. Some mornings it is lower. That is normal. That is not a sign that you did something wrong.
Most people look only at food
They control the portion. They cut the carbohydrate. They learn their GI numbers. They try eating sequence, cooling and reheating rice, and special foods. I get asked about all of these in my coaching and workshops. All of them are about the food. None of them tell you how your body is coping that day.
Food factors and body factors both count
Food factors decide how much glucose enters your blood and how fast. Body factors decide how well your body handles that glucose, during the day and after a meal. Most people work on the first and forget the second.
Sleep, stress, activity, muscle and liver
These are the body factors that are easy to overlook.
- Sleep affects your blood sugar control almost immediately, often the very next day.
- Stress affects it more than most people realise. Read more in how stress affects blood sugar levels.
- Muscle health and liver health shape how well your body manages glucose.
Exercise is not only about burning off sugar
Many people think exercise just burns off the sugar. That is not all it does. Regular activity, including strength and muscle-building exercise, helps your body handle glucose better through the day. That includes after a meal heavy in carbohydrate.
Manage the food and the body together
Managing blood sugar is more than choosing low GI food or counting carbohydrate. Work on your food. Then work just as hard on your sleep, stress, activity and strength.
Learning About Reversing Type 2 Diabetes
If you have diabetes and are not as equipped with the essential foundational knowledge about reversing Type 2 diabetes as you should be, I have a structured online learning programme that you might find very useful. You can find out more through the link below.
Work Your Brain: Quiz Questions and Answers
These are the four Work Your Brain questions from this episode. Try each one before you read the answer, and share your answers in the comments under the video.
If you eat the same meal, should you expect the same blood sugar response every time?
False. Even an identical meal, made the same way in a factory and eaten by the same person, can give different readings on different days. Your reading after a meal is not decided by the food alone.
Why is my blood sugar still high after eating a low GI meal?
A low GI label describes the food's typical effect on most people. It is not a guarantee for you. Your sleep, stress, activity, muscle health and liver health also decide how well your body handles the glucose. That is not a reason to ignore GI. That is a reason to look at your body factors as well.
What non-food factors affect blood sugar after a meal?
- Sleep
- Stress
- Exercise habits
- Muscle health
- Liver health
Each one changes how well your body manages the glucose that arrives after you eat.
Why is my blood sugar higher today when I ate the same breakfast as yesterday?
- You did not sleep well last night.
- You had a stressful morning.
- You were less active than usual yesterday.
- All of the above.
- None of the above.
The answer is all of the above. Any one of them can raise your reading, even when the breakfast is identical.
Sleep is the one I see underestimated most. Football fans in Singapore know this well. You stay up until 3 am for an English Premier League match. That is the price of being a fan. One poor night can affect how you handle blood sugar for the next day and a half to two days.
A note for people with Type 2 diabetes: reversal may be possible
If you have Type 2 diabetes, here is what I want you to know. Reversing it may be possible. Nobody can promise it or guarantee it.
This is what I mean by reversal. You have been on medication. You make a serious effort to improve your lifestyle. Over time, with your doctor, your medication is reduced. Eventually you keep good blood sugar control without medication, and you maintain that for at least 3 months. Never stop or reduce your medication on your own.
It is possible for some people, not all. The earlier you start, the better. Your changes must suit your condition and what is driving it. They must be done well enough. They must be sustainable enough to stick. The window to reverse Type 2 diabetes does not stay open forever.
Related Posts
- Stress, Sleep and Strength: Diabetes Habits Beyond Diet
- How Stress Affects Blood Sugar Levels and Diabetes Control
- Are All Low GI Foods Good for People with Diabetes?
- Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Reversed? Dr Chan Answers
About The Daily Dose with Dr Chan
The Daily Dose with Dr Chan is my regular live show on YouTube. Each episode has a lead topic or question, followed by a short Work Your Brain quiz so that what you learn sticks. The goal is to help you use your lifestyle and eating habits as medicine against the three highs: high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
You can watch other episodes, and join the next live session, on my YouTube channel. Like, share and comment so that more people can find the show.
About Dr Chan Tat Hon
Dr Chan graduated from the National University of Singapore medical school in 1992. For the last ten years, his work has focused on lifestyle medicine. He works with healthcare and corporate organisations to design and deliver lifestyle behaviour change programmes, train health coaches and build communities engaged in cultivating healthy behaviours to combat diseases.
He also provides training and coaching to individuals with diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases and other lifestyle-related chronic diseases through 1-1 personalised coaching, live webinars, and online courses.
- 1-1 Personalised Coaching with Dr Chan
- Online Courses and Programmes by Dr Chan
- Reversing Type 2 Diabetes: Essential Basics Online Programme
Learning About Reversing Type 2 Diabetes
If you have diabetes and are not as equipped with the essential foundational knowledge about reversing Type 2 diabetes as you should be, I have a structured online learning programme that you might find very useful. You can find out more through the link below.
About Dr Chan, Founder & Medical Director of The Habits Pharmacy
Dr Chan is a medical doctor from Singapore who trains and coaches people to holistically review, change and improve their Lifestyle & Dietary Habits to prevent, control and combat Diabetes, Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Cardiovascular Diseases and other Lifestyle & Diet related chronic diseases. Find out more about Dr Chan, his work, 1-1 coaching programmes, workshops & courses, click on the Find out More button below.
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