Newsletter #4: Stable blood sugar strategies, an EASY grain-free tortilla recipe, and "Dry January" recap
🥑 Good Food - Stable glucose strategies
Being a co-founder of Levels Health, I’ve worn a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on-and-off for over 5 years, and I’ve come to learn which foods spike my blood sugar and which foods give me a stable response. At this point, it’s almost second nature how to keep blood sugar (glucose) stable, so I don’t wear a CGM all the time. I did, however, put one on over the last couple weeks, so I’m sharing the trends below, and some of my personal tried-and-true strategies to keep my blood sugar in a healthy range.
This is what my glucose curves looked like for the past two weeks. The red and yellow lines signify what I consider the boundaries of the “optimal range” of 70 to 120 mg/dL. My average 24-hour glucose during this period was 95 mg/dL with a standard deviation of 8 mg/dL.
For me, the KEYS to keeping my blood sugar stable include:
😴 Getting enough sleep! Did you know that good sleep is a huge part of blood sugar control? Research shows that just one night of less-than-optimal sleep can lead to more insulin resistance the next day. For me, sleep loss has a profound effect on my glucose trends and variability. If I skimp on sleep, my post-meal spikes are higher, and my morning glucose tends to be frame-shifted up a few points the next day. And I have more cravings. 👎️ More on sleep and metabolic health in an article I wrote, here.
🌮 Making sure I PAIR the carbs I do eat with healthy fats, protein, and fiber, so they digest and absorb more slowly. When I eat the carbs I love like Delicata squash, fruit, hummus, beans, lentils, etc, I will eat them WITH healthy fats (like olives, eggs, avocado, coconut milk, full fat grass-fed Greek yogurt, olive oil, grass-fed meats or cheese), fiber (chia seeds, basil seeds, nuts, flax seeds, flax crackers), and protein (meat, fish, Greek yogurt, cheese, eggs, etc).
🚶♀️ Walking regularly throughout the day (especially after meals); and avoiding long chunks of sedentary time: Walking a little bit or doing some type of movement (i.e., a few air squats or pushups) at least every half hour is powerful for glucose stability for a fascinating reason: the stimulus of movement (muscle contraction) keeps the glucose channels (that let glucose from the bloodstream into the cell) consistently at the cell membrane, rather than inside the cell where they can’t do their job. Low-grade movement is one of the best ways to clear glucose from the blood stream and put it to work.
⏰ Not eating within 2-3 hours before bed: Late-night eating makes my blood sugar swing overnight which is correlated with worse sleep quality and nighttime awakenings for me.
🏋️♀️ Lifting heavy weights/resistance training: This is the closest thing to magic in keeping blood sugar under control. Resistance training uses up lots of glucose and over the long term also stimulates muscle to grow and make more mitochondria to churn through more glucose. (Note: sometimes an intense lifting workout will cause a brief glucose rise; this is not something to generally worry about - it’s a sign that the liver is releasing some stored glucose for the muscles to use during the workout).
🍷 Limiting alcohol: Alcohol makes my blood sugar levels highly unstable, which may be because the breakdown products of alcohol like acetaldehyde create damaging oxidative stress, inflammation, and fat accumulation in the liver, which is the key metabolic organ that helps us regulate glucose levels and insulin sensitivity.
🙅♀️ Not eating refined grains or foods with added sugars: These digest quickly and spike glucose. I avoid all refined grains, and really limit added sugars (I aim for a maximum of 10 grams added sugar per day, i.e., 3 grams in a serving of 88% dark chocolate and 3 grams in a half serving of keto grain-free granola).
So, what do healthy blood sugar levels look like?
Generally, we want to aim for a post-meal glucose level of less than 115-120 mg/dL with no more than a 30 mg/dL increase from pre-meal levels, and a fasting glucose level of about 70 to 85 mg/dL.
So if my glucose starts at 80 mg/dL before a meal, I don’t really want it to go above 110 mg/dL at any point after the meal. The reason for this is that the bigger the glucose rise, the more likely my body is to release a surge of insulin and cause my blood sugar to crash. That “crash” period, called “reactive hypoglycemia,” is often what is associated with intense carb cravings, fatigue (post-meal “slump”), brain fog, and even anxiety. In my opinion, more stable blood sugar = more stable days.
If you want to learn more about healthy blood sugar ranges, check out this incredible Levels article we put together, here.
These are the foods that have been in my regular rotation over the past 2 weeks that kept my blood sugar in healthy ranges:
🍳 Breakfast: 2-3 farmer’s market eggs cooked up with ground venison (I’m loving Force of Nature meats), kale, onions, garlic, avocado, zucchini, and Yellow Bird Sriracha organic hot sauce. I pair this with organic coffee (I use Organic 365 Pacific Rim from Whole Foods) with organic A2 grass-fed milk (I love Alexandre’s Farm milk), a little bit of Rx sugar (allulose) or a tiny bit Laird turmeric creamer frothed with Momentous creatine (for brain and muscle health). Note: some people see a blood sugar rise with glucose (see Levels article here on the topic), but I find that doesn’t happen when I’m well rested and stress is under control.
🥗 Lunch: Have been loving fish salad made with a can Wild Planet Salmon, tons of organic sauerkraut, Primal Kitchen’s avocado mayo, and hot sauce (all mixed up) on Flackers Flax Crackers. 40 grams of protein in this meal! Takes 3 minutes to make.
😋 Snacks:
🥣 Greek yogurt (I like Strauss), organic blueberries, tiny bit of Purely Elizabeth keto granola (note: this has 5 grams of coconut sugar per serving, I use about half a serving), ¼ chopped orange, and Beeya seeds.
🧀 Grass-fed cheese and avocado with flax crackers.
🥣 “Hummus” (I make this with 1 can of any type of bean - garbanzo, navy bean, black bean) rinsed and put in a food processor with tahini, olive oil, garlic, za'atar, lemon juice, and salt. Sometimes I’ll throw in half a zucchini, half a ripe avocado, roasted carrots, some harissa, some organic beet powder - whatever seems fun!). I eat this with flax crackers and romaine hearts.
🌱 Sprouted almonds, pistachios, and other nuts.
🍅 Cherry tomatoes.
🍽️ Dinner:
🥘 Lots of simple stir fries made with a 1 pound package of regenerative ground bison, venison, or pork, cooked together with any combo of veggies on hand: onion, purple cauliflower, garlic, leeks, mushrooms, red or green peppers, zucchini, delicata squash, plus a seasoning (like paprika, za’atar, or miso and tamari). The key to making these stir fries extra delicious is to slow cook the veggies on low heat for a while with the lid-on to get them crispy and caramelized, and then add the meat.
🍗 Roasting a whole pasture raised chicken. So simple. Coat it in olive oil or melted grass fed butter and salt and pepper and cook!
🥗 Always a salad with some combo of tomatoes, chopped nuts & seeds, avocado, chopped veggies, chopped apple or pomegranate seeds, and dijon vinaigrette (my FAVORITE EVERYDAY salad dressing is so simple: ⅓ olive oil, ⅓ any low-sugar vinegar, ⅓ organic dijon, pinch of salt, shake aggressively in a jar).
🔄 Good swap - Grain-free tortillas from Good Energy
I’ve pretty much never met a person who doesn’t love tortillas and yummy, soft, bready wraps. Unfortunately, they are typically made of refined grains and therefore are a bad choice for health.
Photo from Epicurious. Don’t eat these.
This is why I created a FABULOUS, easy-to-make, 4-ingredient, grain-free, soft, squishy, strong, delicious, freezable tortilla for my upcoming book, Good Energy, and I’m sharing it with you here today! Read on for the recipe. 👩🍳
When you’re evaluating your store-bought wraps and tortillas, make sure to check the nutrition label:
🤔 Healthy-sounding terms like “reduced carb”, “low-calorie”, “spinach” and “whole grain” on the packaging do not guarantee a metabolically healthy product. It fact, if they are at a conventional grocery store, they probably aren’t a good choice.
🙅♀️ Make sure there are zero seed oils (including vegetable oil, soybean oil, vegetable shortening, sunflower oil, canola oil, margarine)
🙅♀️ Make sure there are zero wheat flour/refined grains
Refined grains means the nutritious bran and germ are removed during processing, which strips the grain of fiber and nutrients, leaving only starch. The lack of fiber and nutrients leads to rapid digestion and blood sugar spikes
Conventional grains are generally heavily sprayed with pesticides
🙅♀️ Make sure there are zero added sugars. Who knows why store-bought tortillas would ever need added sugar, but most have it!
🌱 Make sure it’s organic
Do not be fooled by “Spinach tortillas”! These are toxic - never eat these! Look at the ingredients - multiple artificial colorings, non-organic (pesticides), bleached flour, seed oils, natural flavors, AND sugar 🤮
There are so many healthier tortilla and wrap options. We want to look for ones with fewer ingredients, natural, and nutrient-rich. Here are a few examples of HEALTHY tortillas/wrap swaps:
🥬 Leafy greens such as collard greens, butter lettuce, Romaine lettuce, and cabbage leaves are broad and pliable and can wrap fillings easily.
🍙 Nori seaweed sheets are great for lunch wraps and burritos and contain tons of nutrients and minimal carbs. I double them up so they don’t break.
🌱 Homemade flaxseed tortillas are easy to make and can be stored in the fridge or freezer (try this recipe here!)
🌮 Cassava, coconut flour, and almond flour tortillas are grain-free tortillas alternatives that seem closest to the “real thing.” Sometimes these spike glucose, so test or see how you feel after. Siete brand has good ingredients generally, but I wish they were organic! 🤞
Yesterday, I shared a reel of my easy, spinach-chickpea wraps - which is a recipe from my upcoming book, Good Energy. This wrap requires only four ingredients: chickpea flour, cassava flour, basil, and spinach. There is NO BOWL required - you make it in the blender! These wraps are blood sugar friendly, nutrient-dense, and can be used for anything.
These spinach-chickpea wraps are great for breakfast tacos or as a side to soak up soup or dips. Find the recipe here, or pasted below:
Ingredients
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup cassava flour
1 cup baby spinach, tightly packed
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
Instructions
In the bowl of a blender, place the chickpea flour, cassava flour, spinach, basil, salt, and 1 cup water. Blend on high for 30 seconds, or until smooth and vibrant green.
Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the heated skillet. Rotate the skillet in a circular motion to spread the batter, as if making a crepe. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until the wrap is pliable. If the batter sticks, use a few drops of olive oil to grease the pan. Repeat until 6 wraps are complete.
Storage
The wraps can be prepared in bulk and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply warm the wraps in a dry pan over medium heat for 30 seconds on each side, or until warm and pliable.
🧠 Good thought - “Dry January” recap
After really enjoying taking a break from alcohol in “Sober October,” I decided to give “Dry January” a try as well. There’s a lot of reasons why I’m choosing to move away from alcohol at this precise moment in my life as a 36 year old woman, which I’ve summarized below and unpacked in much more detail in this article.
🚨 The bad news is that the article is a bit of a buzz-kill on alcohol. (Sorry). I’ve been on a deep dive in the research on alcohol and what it’s showing me is that for my personal goals, there is no safe amount of alcohol. So annoying, because I love a great cocktail. I LOVE champagne. But this has been a long journey and I’m starting to reach a point of clarity in my desire to limit (and maybe eliminate) alcohol for the time being. If that’s a topic you’re noodling on, too, read on!
My very personal reasons for moving away from alcohol are the following, which I go into lots of detail in the article:
💪 Immunity: Everyone seems to be getting sick this winter. I was sick for 3 straight weeks in the fall. Alcohol directly impairs immune function. So if I want to be sick less - for my sake and the sake of the people around me - I want to drink less.
🫀 Heart attacks and atrial fibrillation: Multiple people in my direct orbit are or have been directly affected by both heart disease and atrial fibrillation. I have seen the hardship this causes. Alcohol is a key risk factor for both. I want to avoid both.
💗 Fertility and health of future offspring: What seems to be MAJORLY under the radar in the fertility conversation is that preconception (i.e., pre-pregnancy) alcohol use in both women and men impacts fertility likelihood, miscarriage risk, and many aspects of childhood health including a child’s mood, cognition, cardiac health, behavioral patterns, and more. This is because, in part, alcohol is toxic to our DNA and causes epigenetic changes and oxidative stress in sperm and eggs. Note: A lot of this research has been done in mouse and animal models, not humans.
🧠 Brain Health: Alcohol is directly neurotoxic. Kills neurons. It also impairs sleep. It increases the risk of depression and anxiety. My current feeling is that I’ve spent too much darn time and money on therapy, supplements, sleep trackers, education, freezing my butt off in cold plunges — and all the other things I do for brain health — to then impair my sleep, cognition, and mental health with alcohol.
💔 Cancer: Cancer is genotoxic - meaning toxic to our DNA. My mom died of cancer. Multiple people in my orbit are suffering from cancer. I want to lower my own risk for cancer, and amazingly, alcohol is the third leading modifiable risk factor for cancer. Cancer is skyrocketing in the young and old - it’s up 80% in recent years. Although my mom barely drank at all, I feel that out of respect for her, avoiding things I can that are toxic to my DNA is a small step I can.
😩 PMS: The research shows that ANY alcohol drastically increases risk of PMS symptoms. As I’ve gotten off ALL exogenous hormones (thank goodness) after years of the standard conventional medicine brainwashing that taking exogenous hormones (i.e., oral contraceptives, having an IUD, etc) is “no big deal,” I’m getting back in touch with my natural cycle, which has become a great joy and a way to connect more deeply with my feminine nature. With that, I want to do what I can to minimize PMS symptoms. Not drinking is simple and powerful step in this regard.
✨ Spiritual development: This is maybe the most important on this list for me. I am starting to believe that alcohol hinders my journey of spiritual exploration by subtly impairing my ability to tune into to the mystical realm. It seems to causes more “static” for me in this connection. It’s also addictive and therefore causes cravings, which is a form of attachment, which - as some spiritual traditions believe - is a key cause of suffering. I refuse to have billions of dollars of industry interests and marketing subvert my main goal in this physical life, which is spiritual exploration.
Also, Taylor Swift didn’t drink during the 6 months leading up to the Eras Tour, and frankly, I want to channel as much Taylor Swift sparkle dust as possible during this gear-up to my book launch (and life generally!).
Read the full article here for all the research, alternatives to alcohol I’m using, and tons of resources and podcasts that have helped inspire me along this journey.
👀 In Case You Missed It
I went live with Dr. Ken Berry on his Youtube channel this morning. You can catch the replay here. He is doing amazing work to spread metabolic awareness. Check out this empowering conversation! 💪
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