In this conversational segment, the host (Speaker A) asks about the appropriate interval between meals and whether snacking is necessary when blood sugar is stable. The nutrition expert (Speaker B) explains that individuals should listen to hunger cues: if hunger arises within 2.5 hours, the previous meal likely caused a blood‑sugar spike and crash, indicating insufficient protein. She recommends aiming for at least 4–6 hours between meals, using savory, protein‑rich snacks when needed. Examples include carrots with hummus, apple with nut butter, or banana with almonds—pairing protein with a modest amount of carbohydrate to smooth glucose levels. She warns against low‑calorie processed foods and artificial sweeteners, which still trigger insulin spikes. By consistently balancing blood sugar, inflammation is reduced, leading to lower stress and a calmer mental state. Clients who achieve stable glucose report feeling more relaxed and better able to cope with stress.
Chapters
And what would you say, I mean, for some there can be quite a big gap between breakfast and lunch, or perhaps lunch and dinner. What's the current thinking if you're saying you should not need to snack if your, if your blood sugar is stable? But clearly there is a point where your body's going to go, I am now short of food. Yes, exactly. What would be a good reference point?
Well, I think it's a good reference point So I always say to people, listen to what your body's telling you. So if you eat something and 2 and a half hours later you're hungry, what you ate didn't keep your blood sugars balanced. It spiked your blood sugars and they crashed. So go back and look at what you ate, add more protein to it, and you should be able to, you should be able to go for a minimum of 4 hours. But like I said, some people have to go for 6 hours, for example, between breakfast and lunch. So if you do need a snack, then I would always say focus, go for a savory snack if you can and make sure it's protein-based. So let's say carrots and hummus, for example, good quality protein in the hummus and the chickpeas and the carrots to kind of add a little bit of carbohydrate to give you energy. Or if you like, if fruit's your thing, have, you know, an apple with some nut butter or, you know, a banana with a handful of almonds. All of those, if you can combine the protein with the carbohydrate, It will keep your blood sugars really nicely balanced. So if you can't get from your lunch to your evening meal without needing snacks, some people go to exercise after they finish work, for example, and they need something to get them through the exercise session. Always focus on having some form of protein with that snack to help keep blood sugars balanced. And don't focus on the calorific content because often the food industry will make you think that it's low calorie but it's full of sugars, or it's full of, of sweeteners, and you still get that insulin response. Even with sweeteners, you still get that insulin response, so you'll still get that start to get that blood sugar roller coaster. So always think protein keeps my blood sugars really well balanced. It won't have the same relationship with insulin. If I can combine it with some reds and greens and oranges, that's going to help to reduce my inflammation in the system, which is gonna help me manage everything much better because my inflammation is coming under control. So my stress is easier to cope with. And I, everyone I work with, people I work with who start to get their blood sugars balanced, one of the things they will always come back to me and say, I feel calmer. I feel like I'm able to cope with things better. And that is because we are really starting to get that inflammation in the system under control. Mm-hmm.
