Maintaining a stable blood sugar level is not as difficult as many believe. According to registered dietitian Dalina Soto, a balance between nutrients can significantly help manage the sugar levels without eliminating the taste. How? Let's take a look.

Balance the Four Core Components

"I like to keep it simple: protein, carbs, fiber, and fat,” She explains. The dietitian believes that to keep the sugar level in check, the diet should include the four basic elements: protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats.

As per her, such a diet slows down the digestion and prevents rapid spikes in sugar levels. The result? It keeps the energy level steadier throughout the day.

“When all four are present, you feel full and satisfied,” she admits.

What does a balanced meal look like?

• Carbohydrates: brown rice noodles, barley, sweet corn, whole-grain pasta, or millet
• Protein: lean turkey, paneer, Greek yogurt, lentils, chickpeas, or tempeh
• Fiber: leafy greens, broccoli, berries, apples, chia seeds, or flaxseeds
• Healthy fats: olives, tahini, natural peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or flaxseed oil

Better to Add Before Subtracting

“Start by adding, not taking away,” she says. What does she mean by that? Basically, rather than restricting favourite foods, Soto's advice is to enhance meals by adding nutritional elements. For example, if you love a bowl of rice and mashed potatoes, adding extra veggies can increase fibre, slow the glucose absorption, and stabilize the Sugar Level.

“Eyeball it. It’s not about perfection; it’s about feeling steady and satisfied after meals,” she encourages. As per her, the idea is to make the meal more nourishing and less complicated.

Snacking Between Meals

Remember the four key elements? Well, that same rule applies to snacks as well. Soto suggests that at least two of the four key elements should be in your snacks. “A nourishing snack has two (or more) of the four (carbs, protein, fat, fiber): a carb for energy and a protein or fat to slow digestion,” she explains.

For example, a carrot with hummus or chicken with mashed potatoes. This supports stable blood sugar and prevents energy dips.

Dalina understood that the information might be overwhelming, which is why she explained it one step at a time. “Take a breath and start by adding fiber. You don’t have to change everything overnight. Small, consistent changes make the biggest difference for blood sugar and peace of mind,” she added.

Well, now that you know how to stabilize your blood sugar levels, when are you going to incorporate this into your diet?

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das