Balancing your plate can help to keep blood glucose levels stable.
A balanced plate consists of:
¼ of your plate lean protein. Protein is a building block of muscles and cells. It slows down digestion and therefore slows the release of glucose into your blood. Foods such as fish, chicken, lean red meats, eggs and tofu are great sources of protein.
½ of your plate veggies. Vegetables are a wonderful source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Bumping up your vegetable intake has huge benefits to not only metabolic health but also mental health too. Aim to have a rainbow of coloured vegetables on your plate to get the biggest benefits.
¼ of your plate low glycemic index carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide the body with energy, fibre and prebiotics (foods for our gut bacteria). Low glycemic index foods include whole grains, legumes and starchy vegetables such as sweet potato and corn.
A source of good quality fat. Fats play an important role in cell repair, immune responses and reducing inflammation in the body. Great sources of fats include extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds and oily fish such as tuna and salmon.
Here's a great example of what your glucose graph looks like with a balanced plate and with less balance (this is a real Vively user's data by the way!).
The toast with turkey resulted in a higher glucose rise to 6.8mmol/L. Whereas, with the addition of turkey, avocado and eggs, we see a more stable glucose response.
Of course, we know sometimes you feel like keeping it simple, and that's absolutely okay! But if you're feeling it, adding extra protein and healthy fats to your meal (eggs + avo) can help to keep your glucose levels happy.