I'm so excited to announce the release of the much-anticipated Sugar Control Revolution, coming your way in January 2024! The lovely Jessie Inchauspé is the author of this wonderful book. She is a French biochemist, nutrition researcher and health science promoter.

We've all been there when it comes to sugar control. We all know that eating too much sugar can have a negative impact on our bodies. High blood sugar levels can easily lead to obesity, various skin problems and diabetes. We all know that controlling sugar can be tricky! Many of us try to cut back by eating less sweets, drinking less milk tea, swapping sugary cola for sugar-free cola, or simply going on a diet. But in this book, the author makes a really important point: it's not that sweets can't be eaten, but it's so important to pay attention to how and when we eat them. It's not just about keeping our blood sugar nice and steady, it's also about managing those little blood sugar spikes that can sometimes pop up.

The lovely folks over at the American Diabetes Association have put together some helpful guidelines for us. They say that a normal blood glucose level in the fasting state is less than 5.5 mmol/l. If it's between 5.5 and 7 mmol/l, it's pre-diabetes. And if it's more than 7 mmol/l, it's diabetes. We have a simple test to check if we're at risk of diabetes. It's just a blood test to measure our fasting blood sugar. But here's the thing: fasting blood sugar numbers aren't the be-all and end-all. Even if your fasting blood glucose is within a healthy range, your body will still experience changes in blood glucose levels throughout the day. These changes can sometimes be quite drastic, and they can lead to a few problems here and there.

If we measure our blood glucose levels every day, we can plot them on a piece of paper and see how they change throughout the day. We usually eat three meals a day, with a few hours between each one. This is so that our bodies can use the food from each meal to give us energy for a few hours. It's totally normal to feel hungry before a meal! Our blood sugar levels are at a relatively low point then. After a meal, our glucose levels increase really quickly and our blood sugar rises for about an hour, then drops rapidly in a peak called a "glucose spike". Good news! Studies in non-diabetic patients show that a glucose spike, which is a rise in blood glucose levels of no more than 1.7 mmol/L after a meal, is within the normal range.

It's totally normal for our blood sugar levels to rise whenever we eat. It's just one of those things! However, if our blood glucose levels rise too quickly and at too high a value, beyond the healthy range of glucose spikes, our bodies are affected. We all know how it goes. You get a bit hungry, you get a craving or two, you feel tired, you sleep badly, and your mood can get a bit low. It can even affect your work status! If we don't keep an eye on our glucose levels, day after day, our fasting blood sugar levels will slowly increase. This can lead to the development of various chronic diseases such as diabetes, which we definitely don't want! It's not just diabetics who need to be concerned about their blood glucose levels. It's really important for everyone to know how to keep their blood glucose levels nice and steady. There are lots of ways we can keep our glucose spikes after eating nice and healthy, and not put our blood sugar levels on a rollercoaster ride!

If you're like me and you care about weight loss and nutrition, you've probably heard of the concept of GI, or Glycemic Index. This is a way of measuring how quickly food raises the body's blood sugar. It's so interesting how different foods enter our bodies at different rates of digestion and glucose release! This means that they cause different glucose spikes. Some folks will choose foods and plan recipes based on GI. I totally get it. I'm one of those people who wants to control sugar and lose weight, but I have average self-control. I find it really difficult to diet. I'm just too lazy to spend time and energy studying the GI of each food and designing recipes for myself. I'd love to know what you think I should do! Don't worry! In this book, the author provides us with some really helpful "easy sugar control tips". You don't have to go on a diet! All you need to do is change the way you eat to keep your blood sugar levels nice and steady. I'm going to share some tips with you below to help you out.

In the next reading, we'll start by learning what a glucose spike can do to our bodies. Then, we'll move on to the dietary advice section, where we'll find out exactly what to eat. I just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page! When we talk about "glucose spikes" in the following explanation, we're referring to glucose spikes that are above the normal range.

All right, let's dive into the book together!

Have you ever wondered how glucose spikes affect our bodies?

I'm sure you've had that experience of waking up in the morning, eating breakfast in a hurry, rushing to the office, starting the day's work, and then starting to get hungry and sleepy at 11:00 a.m.! It's so hard to concentrate on the task at hand, isn't it? So you go to the pantry and make yourself a large cup of black coffee. But after drinking the coffee, I still felt a bit weak and unable to concentrate.

Oh, I bet this is a familiar scenario for many of you beatniks out there! Our bodies are pretty amazing, but sometimes they can get a little mixed up! For example, did you know that our blood glucose levels can go up and down within just a couple of hours after eating breakfast? It's true! And this can leave us feeling a bit sleepy and tired.

One of the short-term effects of a glucose spike is a feeling of fatigue and "brain fog", which we've all experienced at one time or another! Our cells are amazing! They contain tiny organelles called mitochondria, which help our bodies to think and move by converting substances like glucose into energy. When glucose enters our cells, it heads straight for the mitochondria to complete the conversion. If you think of your body as a train, the mitochondria are like the engine, and glucose is the fuel that keeps it going. Just like a train on a journey, our bodies need a little fuel to keep us going. As the train travels along the tracks throughout the day, coal is periodically transported into the powerhouse to energise the train's progress. And as soon as the coal runs out, a new batch is delivered! The energy supplied is just right for what the train needs, and everything runs smoothly. But if there's too much coal coming in too fast and the supply is way more than what's needed, the powerhouse gets upset and the energy system falls apart. Mitochondria are pretty clever organelles. If they work too hard, they'll stop working to look after themselves. If we don't get enough energy, we can end up feeling really tired. It's worth noting that if you're feeling persistently tired, it could be a sign that your mitochondria are overworked and might be on the verge of taking a break. On top of that, when our mitochondria are swimming in too much glucose, they end up producing a lot of free radicals. These free radicals can cause damage to our mitochondria and also lead to oxidative stress, which in turn can further contribute to ageing and chronic disease.

We all love a sweet treat now and then, but when we eat those sweet, sweet foods, we think we're getting energy for our bodies, but that's just an illusion caused by a surge of dopamine in the brain. It's so important to keep our mitochondria happy and healthy! But every glucose spike above the normal range can make it harder for them to function properly. It's so important to remember that diets that cause glucose roller coasters can make us feel more fatigued than diets that produce a smooth blood sugar profile.

Another thing that can happen as a result of those glucose spikes is that you might feel hungrier for longer. It can be so frustrating when you've just finished a meal and you're already hungry again! This is often because our blood sugar levels spike quite quickly after eating. If you eat a smaller meal, your body will thank you! You'll feel fuller for longer. If you've just eaten a meal full of high GI foods, it's only natural to feel hungry again soon after eating.

If our bodies are producing lots of insulin because our glucose levels are spiking a lot, this can block the way that leptin signals to our bodies. Leptin is a lovely hormone that helps us feel fuller for longer. It's also known as the 'lean' in 'skinny'! Our bodies are pretty clever, but sometimes they get a little confused. When our insulin levels are high, they can block the signals that leptin sends, which makes us think we need to eat even though our body still has fat reserves and plenty of energy. And then, after we've eaten, our bodies have another glucose spike and secrete more insulin. It's a vicious cycle! The more weight we gain, the hungrier we feel. So, how can we change this? The good news is that there is a way to make this work for you! It's not about dieting, but about controlling the blood glucose curve so that it becomes smoother. This will lower insulin levels in the body, and you'll feel the difference!

On top of feeling tired and hungry, those glucose spikes can also make it really hard to get a good night's sleep. One thing you might notice if you have dysglycemia is waking up suddenly in the middle of the night with a pounding heart. This is often the result of a sharp drop in blood glucose levels in the middle of the night, which can be really unsettling. On top of that, a sudden spike in glucose levels can even make our immune system act up a bit, making us more likely to catch a virus. If you're going through menopause, higher or unstable blood glucose levels and high insulin levels can also make your menopausal symptoms worse, like hot flashes, night sweats, and more.

It's not just that peak glucose causes some not-so-great effects on the body. It can also lead to some pretty dangerous consequences in the long run. One thing to be aware of is that high blood sugar can cause inflammation in the body, which is something we definitely want to avoid! From the very moment we are born, our bodies start to change. They start to brown! Did you know that the cartilage in an infant's chest cavity is white, but the cartilage of a person approaching 90 years of age turns brown? This is a fascinating phenomenon known as the Merad reaction, also called glycation. When a glucose molecule meets another type of molecule, the second one is "saccharified" and the molecule is broken down. This is just one of those things that happens to us all as we get older. So, you could say that each of us is like a piece of toast being slowly baked in a toaster. Our bodies are amazing, but they do need a little help to stay healthy. One of the ways they do this is by using glucose to help keep our bodies in good shape. The more glucose we have in our bodies, the more glycation reactions occur. Our bodies are amazing, but they do have their limits. When we have too many free radicals, oxidative stress and glycation, our bodies can't function as well as they should. This is called ageing. Those pesky free radicals also destroy collagen, which is the protein that gives our skin its elasticity and youthful glow. This can lead to a few unwanted changes in our appearance, like sagging skin, wrinkles, arthritis and cartilage degeneration. On top of that, inflammation can also cause some not-so-fun skin problems like acne and eczema. So, if you're struggling with skin problems, it's a great idea to start by controlling your sugar intake.

It's also thought that high levels of glucose can contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Our lovely brains are the organs that use the most energy, and they have lots of mitochondria, so they're the most vulnerable when our bodies have too much glucose. Our bodies are amazing, but sometimes they need a little help to stay healthy. When our glucose levels spike too often, it can increase oxidative stress, which can lead to neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction. This is why Alzheimer's disease is so closely linked to blood glucose levels. It's also known as type 3 diabetes or diabetes in the brain, which is pretty fitting! It's so sad, but true! People with diabetes are four times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those without it. The good news is that the cognitive decline is also reversible. It's so great to see that more and more research is showing that when patients choose a diet that allows for a smoother glucose profile, their memory and cognitive abilities can improve!

On top of affecting our cognitive performance, those pesky glucose spikes can also have an impact on our mood. We all know that eating sweets puts people in a better mood, simply because the spike in blood sugar that comes with sweets can make people feel high. But on the flip side, a sudden drop in blood sugar can make it easy to fall into a slump, so it's probably best to avoid eating too many sweets all at once! So, it's important to keep an eye on your blood sugar levels if you're prone to emotional problems.

Another thing to be aware of is that glucose spikes can also lead to heart disease. Firstly, when glucose levels are high, the cells that line our blood vessels are more likely to be damaged by oxidative stress. This can make their surfaces uneven and make it easier for fat particles to stick to the inner walls of our blood vessels. The second thing to know is that when our body has too much insulin, our liver makes a type of cholesterol that sticks to the walls of our blood vessels. If we have too much glucose, fructose and insulin in our body, this cholesterol gets oxidised and deposits on the inner walls of our blood vessels, forming plaques that impede the flow of blood. This is the cause of heart disease, which we really don't want! Our bodies are amazing, but sometimes they need a little help to stay healthy. One thing that can affect our health is when our blood sugar levels spike. This can increase the risk of heart disease.

On top of all that, long-term blood sugar imbalances caused by glucose spikes can also lead to some pretty unpleasant intestinal problems, insulin resistance syndrome and type 2 diabetes. As you can see, our blood sugar levels affect all the systems in our bodies and determine our physical and mental health. Let's dive in and see if there are any good ways to control sugar!

We've got some great tips for you on how to control your sugar levels!
How can you control your sugar intake? As we mentioned before, the author has shared lots of great tips in the book on how to control sugar easily. Just a heads-up: the author says "easy sugar control." We all know that advice to eat less and exercise more! We all know that dieting and exercising aren't always easy, right? In this book, the author has a great solution for those who have a hard time sticking to a diet or exercising. It's so simple! All you have to do is change the order or manner of eating, and it'll smooth out the blood sugar curve without dieting.

The lovely folks over at the book have some great advice for us when it comes to sugar control. They say that changing the order in which you eat is a great way to keep your blood sugar levels nice and steady. It's so easy to get caught up in what we can and can't eat, but we often forget about the order in which we eat. Guess what! The order in which you eat has an equally big impact on your blood sugar levels. In a study that took place in 2016, two groups of lovely people with type 2 diabetes were put on a standardised diet for 8 weeks. One group ate in the required eating order and the other group ate in their preferred eating order. After the study was over, it was really encouraging to see that the patients who ate in the required order had improved so much! Unfortunately, the other group, who ate in their preferred order, didn't show any improvement in their condition, even though they ate exactly the same food as the first group. It's truly amazing how a simple change in the order of a meal can have such a different effect on our bodies!

Take a moment to think back to what kind of order you like to eat your meals. Do you like to eat meat first, or do you prefer to start with your veggies? Or maybe you like to mix it up and eat meat and vegetables together? In the book, the author kindly points out that the correct order of eating is: fibre first, then protein and fat, and finally starch and sugar.

Have you ever wondered why the order we eat our food affects our blood sugar levels? I'm sure you'll agree that it doesn't matter in the slightest which order we eat our food in! It's all down to how our digestive system works. All of the food we eat goes to our tummies and then into our intestines, where it is broken down and absorbed into our bloodstream. Now, let's imagine you have a plate of spaghetti and broccoli in front of you. So, do you think you'd eat the pasta first, or the broccoli first? If you choose to eat the pasta first, it is a starchy food. The lovely alpha-amylase enzyme in your body will quickly convert it into glucose, which will then enter your bloodstream. Now, broccoli is a different story! It will stay above the pasta and wait to enter the small intestine. Let's say you eat the broccoli first, then the pasta. Broccoli is a wonderful, nutrient-packed vegetable that's rich in fibre. Our bodies are pretty amazing, aren't they? Unlike starch, which our digestive system can't break down into glucose, fibre passes from the stomach into the intestines and is eventually eliminated from the body in a very slow and formless process. And there's more! Fiber has three amazing superpowers. First, it weakens the action of alpha-amylase, which means it slows down the rate at which starch is converted into glucose. Second, it slows down the emptying of the stomach. The good news is that when you eat fibre, the stomach and the passage of food from the stomach into the small intestine is slowed down. And there's more! Fibre also creates a viscous mesh inside the small intestine, which slows down the rate of glucose entering the bloodstream. Fibre is a real superfood! It slows down the rate at which food is broken down and absorbed in the digestive system, which gives our bodies a smoother blood sugar profile. So, when you're eating, you can make a conscious choice to eat foods that are high in fibre, protein and fat before you have starchy and sugary foods. This means we can still enjoy our food and have the pleasure of eating it, while keeping our glucose levels nice and steady. So, from this perspective, it's not really the best idea to serve bread before dinner in Western restaurants. It's not that they're trying to make us feel bad, but eating starchy foods first will lead to a spike in blood glucose levels, and then the sudden drop in blood glucose levels that occurs will make us feel even hungrier. I'm sure they'd be happy if we ate more food, but it might not be the best idea for our bodies.

Chinese food is so delicious, we just love eating meat and vegetables with our main dishes! It can be a bit tricky to separate these foods, though. But don't worry, we can still make changes where possible! For example, you could eat some vegetables first and then mix in starches, proteins and fats, which is still better than eating the vegetables last. Or, if you fancy something different, why not try adding a green appetiser to your meal? A salad is always a great choice! There are so many wonderful places around the world with delicious, traditional snacks that fit perfectly with this idea! For example, the Italians have amazing pre-dinner snacks made of fresh vegetables. In Turkey, Lebanon and Israel, people enjoy a delicious tabbouleh salad made of parsley, tomatoes and cucumbers. We can then use these lovely habits to help keep our blood sugar nice and steady.

The second piece of advice I'd like to share with you is this: if you really want something sweet today, have it as a dessert at the end of your meal, not as an extra meal. We're in a post-meal state for about a dozen hours out of a 24-hour day, as we eat three meals and the occasional snack. Our bodies go through so many changes after we eat! It's a busy time for our hormones, as our bodies work hard to digest, sort and store the food we've just eaten. This means that our blood rushes into the digestive system, insulin levels rise and oxidative stress and inflammation increase. So, the higher the postprandial glucose peak, the more free radicals, glycation reactions and insulin the body has to manage, which makes it harder for our bodies to cope with the postprandial state. When we're not eating, our bodies aren't as burdened, and our organs get to focus on some much-needed cleanup tasks. Our bodies are pretty amazing, aren't they? For example, after not eating for a few hours, our small intestine makes gurgling noises, which is the digestive system cleaning out its lining. In the non-meal state, our bodies are at their best! Insulin levels drop and fat burning begins, which is great for our overall health.

So, to give our bodies more time to do all that lovely cleaning up work, it's a great idea to eat a fuller meal at a time, rather than always adding a snack every 1-2 hours. This is also true of the popular "16+8 Light Fasting" method, which I'm sure many of you are already familiar with! If you fancy a little treat in the evening, why not save it for after your main meal? It's so interesting how our bodies work, isn't it? The same piece of cake, eaten at different times, results in different glucose spikes. If you eat the cake on its own as afternoon tea, it'll be broken down really quickly into glucose in your empty gut and enter your bloodstream, which will give your glucose levels a bit of a boost. So, if you eat the cake as a dessert after a meal, the fibre and protein foods you ate at the main meal act as a buffer, which helps to keep your glucose levels nice and steady. So, whether it's fruit, shakes, cookies, or cake, if you want to eat it, make sure you eat it after a meal. It's always best to eat fruit after you've had something in your tummy, as eating fruit on an empty stomach can cause your blood sugar levels to fluctuate more than eating fruit after a meal.

Our third sugar control tip is a little unusual, but it really works! Try drinking some vinegar before you eat. Here's a lovely little tip for you! If you add a tablespoon of vinaigrette to a large glass of water and drink it before you eat, it'll help to smooth out your subsequent glucose profile. The lovely acetic acid in vinegar does a great job of temporarily inhibiting the activity of alpha-amylase. This means that the conversion of sugar and starch to glucose slows down, and the glucose curve becomes much more moderate. And there's more! When acetic acid enters the bloodstream, it penetrates our muscles, where it promotes the uptake of glucose and the manufacture of glycogen. The good news is that the slower release of glucose in the body and the faster uptake of glucose by the muscles means there is less free-flowing glucose in the body, which means smaller glucose spikes occur. Acetic acid also has the amazing ability to recode certain specific DNA, allowing our mitochondria to burn more fat! You can even combine this tip with the previous one, "Add a green appetiser," by tucking into a lovely salad with a vinaigrette dressing before your meal.

The book's fourth piece of advice for controlling your sugar intake is to enjoy your carbohydrates with something else when you want them. Try adding fibre, protein or fat to your diet and make it a habit! For instance, why not try eating a banana with some delicious nuts, a slice of bread with a little cheese, and don't forget to enjoy your dessert with a cup of unsweetened yoghurt! This is like putting a lovely "coat" on the carbohydrates, which helps to reduce the amount and speed of glucose absorption in the body. Just a friendly reminder: it's always best to pair your carbohydrates with something else.

The fifth piece of sugar control advice is to start the day with a delicious and savoury breakfast. When we wake up in the morning, our bodies are fasting. This is a great time to give our bodies a boost with a delicious breakfast! Since the stomach is empty, any food that enters it will be digested quickly, so it's best to avoid sugary and starchy foods at breakfast, as they can cause blood sugar levels to spike. We all know how tempting it can be to start the day with a sweet and satisfying breakfast, like a slice of bread or a doughnut. We all love a tasty breakfast, but these foods can make you feel hungry again really quickly, and they can even make you feel a bit emotional!

So, what does an ideal breakfast look like that will help to even out your blood sugar levels? Your breakfast should be full of goodness! Make sure you have plenty of protein, fibre and fat, with or without starchy foods and fruit. You can get protein from lots of different foods, like eggs, tofu, meat, cheese, nuts, and unsweetened yogurt. If you want to increase your fat intake, you can have a few slices of avocado, add some nuts to unsweetened yogurt, or eat scrambled eggs with butter or olive oil. It's also a great idea to eat some fibre for breakfast! You could sauté some spinach or mushrooms, or add some small tomatoes. And if you fancy it, you can always add a little starchy food or fruit. I'd highly recommend berries and citrus fruits as your best bet! They're super high in fibre and contain less sugar, so they're a great choice. If you fancy a cup of coffee, it's probably best not to add sugar. It can cause a big spike in glucose levels, so try to choose a cappuccino, macchiato or an unsweetened latte instead. If you really want to add sugar to your coffee, just make sure you eat something that stabilises your blood sugar levels before you drink it, OK?

The lovely authors also have some other helpful tips! They suggest that you do some gentle exercise after your meals. And if you really feel the urge to snack, they say to avoid sweet or starchy foods and instead enjoy some tasty savoury snacks like nuts and dark chocolate. If you suddenly feel like eating outside of your three meals, why not try giving your appetite a 20-minute cooling-off period first? Sometimes, our sudden urge to eat isn't necessarily because we're running low on energy reserves. It's actually because after a glucose spike occurs, blood sugar levels drop and the brain reminds us to go back to high-calorie foods. At that point, our clever liver steps in and releases the stored glucose into the bloodstream within 20 minutes, allowing our blood sugar to return to normal levels. This usually means that the craving will go away on its own! So, next time you get a sudden craving for cookies, just set a timer for 20 minutes. If your appetite is caused by a drop in blood sugar levels, then after 20 minutes, your appetite will go away. If the 20 minutes are up and you're still craving cookies, don't worry! You're not alone. Why not try a large glass of vinaigrette mixed with a tablespoon of vinegar, a cup of unsweetened yoghurt, and a handful of nuts to start with? You'll be happy to eat the cookies afterwards!

And that's all folks!

I hope you found these main points in this book useful! Let's quickly recap together! Today, we got together to have a chat about managing our sugar intake. Our bodies are pretty amazing, but they can sometimes let us down. One thing that affects all our systems is our blood glucose level, which is the amount of glucose in our blood. Our bodies need glucose to keep going, and our glucose levels can change a lot throughout the day. It's so important to keep our glucose levels nice and steady! When they fluctuate, it can affect all aspects of our physical and mental health, including our mood, sleep, weight, skin, metabolic levels, immune system health, risk of heart disease, and more. So, what are the effects of these glucose spikes? Well, they can cause a bit of a foggy brain, tiredness, hunger, sleep issues, a lower immunity, and more. And in the long term, they can even cause premature ageing due to blood sugar imbalance and a whole range of chronic diseases. It's so important for our physical and mental health that we all try to control our blood glucose levels to avoid large peaks or valleys.

In this book, the authors share lots of really helpful tips for managing your sugar levels. Firstly, it's really helpful to think about the order of your diet. Try to eat fibre first, then protein and fat, and lastly starches and sugars. You might also like to try adding a green appetiser. Secondly, if you fancy something sweet, whether it's fruit, a milkshake, a cake or a cookie, just put it at the end of your meal, not as an addition. It's probably best to avoid eating fruit on an empty stomach, as this can cause your blood sugar levels to fluctuate more than if you eat it with a meal. Here's another great tip: try drinking some vinegar before you eat, or start with a salad dressed with vinaigrette. Fourth, when you want to eat carbohydrates, why not try eating them with something else? Adding some fibre, protein or fat is a great way to enjoy your carbohydrates. Fifth, treat yourself to a delicious breakfast that includes plenty of protein, fibre and fat, with or without starchy foods and fruit. Finally, if your appetite suddenly kicks in outside of mealtime, give it a 20-minute cooling-off period. You've got this! If your appetite is the result of a glucose spike, don't worry! After 20 minutes, your appetite will be gone. I'm so happy to share all of these great sugar control tips from the author in his book with you! 

So, go on, try these sugar control suggestions! They'll give you an energy boost while keeping your ravenous appetite in check, chasing away that guilt that comes after satisfying your cravings, helping you lose weight and giving your skin a lovely, smooth, refined look. We all love a sweet treat, but there's nothing quite like that lovely sense of accomplishment that comes with self-control!