Blood Sugar Hacks: 10 Simple Ways to Balance Blood Sugar and Lose Weight
Updated: Nov 2
The quick answer: You can steady your blood sugar with a few simple habits: eat your vegetables and protein before carbs, choose a savory breakfast, never eat carbs on their own, and take a short walk after meals. Fewer blood sugar spikes means fewer cravings, more steady energy and an easier time losing weight.
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What is blood sugar, and why does it matter?
Glucose (aka blood sugar) is your body's main source of energy. When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into glucose. Your pancreas then releases the hormone insulin to help that glucose get into your cells.
When you eat a lot of sugar or carbs, your body releases more insulin. Extra sugar gets stored, first in your liver and muscles, and once those are full, as fat. That's why blood sugar swings so often lead to weight gain, cravings and that afternoon crash.
Insulin is also a powerful hormone that affects all of your other hormones. When your blood sugar is balanced, your energy, mood, hunger and hormones tend to follow.
Signs your blood sugar may be out of balance
Feeling hungry soon after eating
Sugar cravings
Feeling tired or weak, especially after meals
Irritability or anxiety (hello, "hangry")
Headaches
Dizziness or shakiness
Heart palpitations
Trouble focusing or feeling foggy
Tingling in the lips
Important: frequent shakiness, confusion or dizziness can be signs of low blood sugar. If that happens often, or if you take diabetes medication, check in with your doctor.
How to check your blood sugar at home
You can check your blood sugar any time of day with a home glucose meter, which uses a simple finger prick. A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a small sensor that shows how your blood sugar responds to every meal, and it's eye-opening! Your doctor can also order an A1c test, which shows your average blood sugar over the past 2 to 3 months.
Blood sugar and A1c ranges
Result | Fasting blood sugar | A1c |
Normal | Under 100 mg/dL | Under 5.7% |
Prediabetes | 100 to 125 mg/dL | 5.7% to 6.4% |
Diabetes | 126 mg/dL or higher | 6.5% or higher |
Ranges from the American Diabetes Association. Only your doctor can diagnose prediabetes or diabetes.
10 blood sugar hacks that really work
These easy tricks help soften blood sugar spikes and keep insulin in check, without counting a single calorie.
1. Eat your food in the right order
Eat vegetables and fiber first, then protein and fat, and save starches and sweets for last. Start with a salad, eat your protein, then enjoy dessert. Here's why food order matters.
2. Start with a veggie starter
A plate of vegetables at the start of a meal (about a third of what you eat) helps slow down the glucose spike from the food that follows.
3. Eat a savory breakfast
Think steak and eggs! Build breakfast around protein, add healthy fat and fiber, and skip anything sweet except a little whole fruit for taste. A sweet breakfast sets you up for a day of cravings. My guide to protein has easy ideas.
4. Never eat naked carbs
"Dress" your carbs by adding protein, fat or fiber to starches and sugars. Apple with almond butter, crackers with cheese, or rice with chicken and veggies all slow down how fast glucose hits your bloodstream.
5. Have dessert after a meal, not as a snack
If you want something sweet, enjoy it right after a meal instead of on its own between meals. The protein, fat and fiber from your meal help soften the spike.
6. Try vinegar before meals
A tablespoon of vinegar in a tall glass of water (drink it with a straw to protect your teeth), or a vinegar-based salad dressing, about 20 minutes before a meal can help reduce the blood sugar spike from that meal.
7. Move after you eat
Use your muscles for 10 to 15 minutes after a meal: take a walk, clean up the kitchen, do some calf raises or yoga. Working muscles soak up glucose from your bloodstream.
8. Skip snacks, or go savory
Sweet snacks give you pleasure; savory snacks give you energy. If you need a snack, pick protein, healthy fat and fiber, like a Chomps beef stick, plain yogurt or cottage cheese. See my clean snack guide for more.
9. Watch for hidden sugars
Check labels on "low carb" snacks, bacon, deli meats and canned foods. Maltodextrin has a very high glycemic index and spikes blood sugar fast, and dextrose is a corn- or wheat-based sugar that's chemically the same as glucose. Avoid seed oils while you're at it. Download my list of 60 sneaky names for sugar below.
10. Focus on food quality, not calories
Counting calories doesn't always improve health or lead to weight loss, because not all calories act the same in your body. Fat doesn't raise blood sugar at all, while sugar and fructose do. And all sugars (table sugar, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar) affect your blood sugar in similar ways, so pick the one you love and simply enjoy less of it.
Several of these hacks were popularized by biochemist Jessie Inchauspé in her book Glucose Revolution. They've been game changers for my clients.
Download: 60 sneaky names for sugar
Fasting and blood sugar
Giving your body regular breaks from food is one of the most powerful ways to lower insulin and improve insulin sensitivity. If you're new to it, start with my Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Fasting. If you take medication for blood sugar, talk with your doctor before you start fasting.
Blood sugar FAQ
What is a normal blood sugar level?
For most adults, a normal fasting blood sugar is under 100 mg/dL, and a normal A1c is under 5.7%. Fasting levels of 100 to 125 mg/dL, or an A1c of 5.7% to 6.4%, fall in the prediabetes range.
What foods spike blood sugar the most?
Sugary drinks, sweets, refined flour (bread, crackers, pastries), cereal and processed snacks with hidden sugars like maltodextrin or dextrose. Eating them on their own, on an empty stomach, causes the biggest spikes.
Can you lower blood sugar naturally?
Many people can improve their blood sugar with food order, a savory breakfast, movement after meals, better sleep, less stress and intermittent fasting. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, work with your doctor, especially if you take medication.
Does fruit raise blood sugar?
Yes, fruit contains natural sugar, but whole fruit also has fiber. Berries are a great low-sugar choice. Eat fruit with a meal or with protein rather than on its own. See the best low-sugar fruits.
Will balancing my blood sugar help me lose weight?
For many people, yes. Steadier blood sugar means lower insulin, fewer cravings and less fat storage, which makes weight loss feel much easier.
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