The invisible rollercoaster in your blood
Every cell in our body lives on glucose. But too much of it at once is problematic. When blood sugar rises sharply - a so-called glucose spike - a crash inevitably follows. The result: tiredness, cravings, irritability.
The long-term consequences are even more serious. Excess glucose promotes glycation - a process in which sugar molecules permanently damage proteins and other structures in the body. Fructose is even ten times more aggressive than glucose. The higher and more frequent the spikes, the greater the damage.
Insulin therefore only has one task: to transport excess glucose from the blood into storage as quickly as possible. Constant stress for the body.
The right order decides
Perhaps Inchauspé's simplest - and most effective - tip: Eat your meals in the right order.
- Vegetables and fibre first.
- Then proteins and fats.
- Finally, starch and sugar.
A salad before the main course acts like a protective shield. Fibre slows down the absorption of glucose, keeping the curve flatter. Fruit should also be placed at the end of a meal - not as a snack on an empty stomach.
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Breakfast: the underestimated mistake
Our bodies are particularly sensitive to sugar in the morning. A sweet breakfast of cornflakes, muesli or juice causes an early spike - and an energy slump before midday.
The better choice: protein, healthy fats, fibre. So eggs, yoghurt, nuts, vegetables. This keeps you full for longer and stabilises your energy levels.
Orange juice? Better think of it as a dessert. Just one glass can exceed the recommended daily sugar intake. Whole fruit remains the best way to eat sugar. It contains fibre and fills you up faster.
Three apples in one go? Hardly anyone can manage that. Three glasses of apple juice? No problem. As soon as fruit is pressed, dried or sugared, it loses its protective effect. Dried dates are real glucose bombs. Strawberries are cheaper than grapes. And agave syrup, often marketed as "healthy", contains even more fructose than household sugar.
Even better: combine fruit with fat or protein - such as pears with nut butter.
The good news is that you don't need a radical diet.
- Ten minutes of exercise after eating significantly reduce the glucose peak.
- One tablespoon of vinegar in water before a sugary meal can flatten the curve.
- Sweets better directly after a meal eat - not in isolation in the afternoon.
The formula is: Vinegar before, exercise afterwards.
Sugar and the dopamine problem
Sweets activate our reward system. Dopamine is released - the same substance as with social media, alcohol or sex. That's why we reach for it again and again. Not out of hunger, but out of habit.
Inchauspé is not advocating abstinence, but control. The goal is not a sugar-free world, but a flatter glucose curve.
Conclusion: live flatter, live longer
A stable blood sugar curve - in addition to exercise and stress reduction - acts like an anti-ageing programme. Less inflammation, less cell damage, more constant energy.
The "glucose trick" is not a dogma, but a collection of pragmatic levers. Small changes, big effect. No bans - just a new order.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
