{"id":9125,"date":"2026-11-02T13:53:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T13:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/02\/eating-for-healing-the-blood-sugar-roller-coaster\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T13:53:57","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T13:53:57","slug":"eating-for-healing-the-blood-sugar-roller-coaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/02\/eating-for-healing-the-blood-sugar-roller-coaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Eating for Healing: The Blood Sugar Roller Coaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jennifer Tardy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you ever finished a meal feeling great, only to find yourself tired, sluggish or looking for something sweet an hour or two later?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, those afternoon energy crashes and cravings may be connected to how your body responds to carbohydrates.<\/p>\n

Here’s something important: Carbohydrates aren’t the enemy. How we combine foods, the types of carbohydrates we choose and how our individual bodies respond can all make a difference.<\/p>\n

When we eat carbohydrates, our digestive system breaks many of them down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. Insulin then helps move that glucose into our cells, where it can be used for energy.<\/p>\n

It’s completely normal for blood sugar to rise after eating. However, the size and timing of that rise can vary depending on the meal, physical activity, sleep, stress and individual metabolism.<\/p>\n

For some people, larger blood sugar fluctuations may contribute to feeling hungry or tired afterward, although fatigue and cravings can have other causes, too.<\/p>\n

Consider the difference between eating a piece of toast by itself and pairing that same toast with avocado and eggs or avocado and hummus.<\/p>\n

Adding protein, fiber and healthy fats can slow digestion and influence how quickly glucose enters the bloodstream.<\/p>\n

This doesn’t mean you need to eliminate bread, potatoes, rice or fruit. These foods can absolutely fit into a healthy eating pattern.<\/p>\n

It’s about finding food combinations that leave you feeling satisfied and energized.<\/p>\n

Three Simple Ways to Support Blood Sugar Balance<\/h3>\n

1. Pair your carbohydrates.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Instead of eating carbohydrates alone, try combining them with protein, fiber or healthy fats. Think apple slices with nut butter, oatmeal with nuts and seeds, or rice with vegetables and beans.<\/p>\n

2. Start with your vegetables.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When your meal isn’t already mixed together, try eating your non-starchy vegetables first, followed by protein and then your starch. Some research suggests this eating order may help reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes.<\/p>\n

3. Take a short walk after eating.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even 10 to 15 minutes of comfortable walking after a meal can help your muscles use glucose and may improve your post-meal blood sugar response.<\/p>\n

You don’t need to fear carbohydrates or follow a restrictive diet to support your metabolic health.<\/p>\n

Start by paying attention to how different meals make you feel. Do you have steady energy afterward, or do you find yourself feeling sluggish and hungry again shortly after eating?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, a small adjustment to your meal or a short walk afterward can make a noticeable difference.<\/p>\n

Remember, the goal isn’t perfectly flat blood sugar. It’s supporting your body’s ability to regulate it while enjoying a variety of nourishing foods.<\/p>\n


Jennifer Tardy, CHN, IPHM<\/strong>\"\"  Jennifer Tardy is an IPHM-certified holistic nutritionist, integrative health coach, and personal trainer. Eating for Healing Nutrition and Wellness focuses on holistic approaches to health and wellness. She can be reached at 803-556-2593 or at www.eatingforhealing.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jennifer Tardy Have you ever finished a meal feeling great, only to find yourself tired, sluggish or looking for something sweet an hour or two later? Sometimes, those afternoon energy crashes and cravings may be connected to how your body responds to carbohydrates. Here’s something important: Carbohydrates aren’t theContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[56],"tags":[1192,1108],"class_list":["entry","author-john-griggs","post-9125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-columns","tag-eating-for-healing","tag-jennifer-tardy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gpstrianglenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Donut-Day_2025_630x350.jpg?fit=630%2C350&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}