Sugar blocker supplements are now more accessible than before. But, before purchasing any of these products, you may want to try out alternative ways of blocking sugars.
In the quest to know more about sugar blockers, I consulted with my dietitian and came up with a list of ways of blocking sugars naturally.
Keep on reading to explore the topic with me.
Quick Summary
- Natural sugar blockers are some meals which always keep your insulin levels always at bay.
- A fatty snack, salad, vinegar, protein, lightly cooked vegetables, and a glass of wine are some of the natural sugar blockers.
- Eating more fiber, working out, and reducing your carbohydrate levels can can stop sugar absorption in the body.
Natural Sugar Blockers
Maintaining a consistent blood sugar load is important to avoid insulin spikes. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar [1].
Excess insulin levels can cause muscle cells to lose sensitivity to the hormone, resulting in heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Carbohydrates are mainly responsible for these insulin spikes [2].
The good thing is that you may mitigate the blood sugar-raising effects by consuming natural substances in meals.
For example, the fiber in vegetables and fruits limits carbohydrate breakdown and absorption into the system [3].
“Eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein can help to keep blood sugar levels stable.”
– Blair King, MHD
6 Natural Ways of Blocking Sugars
Whether you pick an incremental approach to reducing your sugar intake, the following six sugar-blocking dietary and lifestyle recommendations will benefit you in the long term.
1. Have a Fatty Snack
Your stomach contains a valve that keeps food until it's ready for the next phase of digestion. This valve is known as the pyloric valve [4].
The valve is what lies between the ziti in your stomach and a spike of glucose in your system. However, fat causes a response that restricts the valve and inhibits digestion [5].
Taking a teaspoon of cheese or nuts before your meal will stimulate the pyloric valve to hold food for extended periods.
This effect will slow down the digestive process, reduce sugar spikes and make you feel fuller for more extended periods.
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2. Start Your Meal With a Salad
Soluble fiber found in plants, legumes, carrots, and some fruits aids in the absorption of carbohydrates and sugar [6].
This is because it blocks sugar as it passes through your small intestine.
Although the fiber eventually dissolves, the process takes longer, and the slower absorption rate reduces the quantity of insulin required by your body to manage it.
3. Have Some Vinegar
Vinegar is known to slow down the process of breaking down starch into sugar. It has a high acetic acid content, which inhibits amylase, the enzyme that turns starch into sugar [7].
Vinegar seems to have no effect on refined sugar intake as it only acts on starch.
It also boosts the body's sensitivity to insulin, reducing the need for your pancreas to generate more; thus, you won’t need as much insulin to process the starches.
For these reasons, I often start my meals with apple cider vinegar for weight loss. I use a couple of teaspoons in salad dressing and sprinkle it over my meat.
4. Include Some Protein
If you want to reduce the subsequent blood sugar surge, your body needs to start producing insulin as soon as possible.
Proteins help you lose weight by minimizing the amount of insulin required to digest carbohydrates.
Despite the fact that protein, when eaten, does not provide glucose, it does cause a "first-phase insulin sensitivity".
The process happens so quickly that it prevents your sugar spikes from being higher later and minimizes the overall amount of insulin required to process a meal [8].
I eat an egg with bread or a meatball with my favorite pasta for breakfast.
5. Eat Lightly Cooked Vegetables
Fruit helps absorb starch, but vegetable sugar blockers are the greatest, as they contain more fiber and much less sugar [9].
When you overcook vegetables, it saturates the soluble fiber, soaking it in water. This prevents it from absorbing the starch and sugar.
However, lightly cooked veggies break down more slowly, so you'll feel satisfied for longer. Roasted vegetables are a great tasty alternative for starchy side dishes.
Related: Do Vegetables Burn Fat?
6. Have a Glass of Wine With a Meal
Wine has precise sugar-blocking effects. Typically, your liver breaks down part of the protein and fat in your bloodstream into glucose. This adds to the sugars from the carbohydrates you consume [10].
However, when you drink wine with a meal, it briefly inhibits your liver's glucose generation [11].
That doesn't imply you should drink a lot. Alcohol contains calories and suppresses the sense of fullness, causing you to binge and add on calories.
Consider this before ordering a starch-heavy dish at your local restaurant.
FAQs
What Foods Block Sugar Naturally?
Foods that naturally block sugar include fruits, nuts, oatmeal, legumes, and fatty fish.
How Can I Flush Sugar Out of My System Fast?
You can flush sugar out of your system faster by staying hydrated, adding protein to your meat, snacking on fruit, and eating enough healthy fats.
How Do You Stop Sugar Absorption Naturally?
You stop sugar absorption naturally by eating a reduced typical serving of carbohydrates, exercising, and eating more fiber.
What Food Neutralizes Sugar?
Foods that neutralize blood sugar are pumpkins, nuts, broccoli, carrots, okra, and beans. They maintain a steady level and thus don’t raise blood sugar.
Have You Considered Using These Blockers?
When you ingest starch and processed sugar, they quickly enter your system, triggering sugar spikes, thus surging your insulin levels and increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity.
Even though these blockers reduce sugar levels in your body, they do not induce any fat-burning processes.
Starch and sugar are always stored as fats in the body. Thus, using these sugar blockers will not lead to fat loss.
If you want to lose weight while still blocking sugars, I recommend trying something from our list of the best stimulant-free fat burners.
They are the best alternative, as they are sugar-free and contain no fillers or additives.
References:
- https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/insulin-and-glucagon
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1204764/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257631/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/stomach-and-pyloric-valve/img-20007962
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2981385/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1663443/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7541927/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24986822/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/insulin-resistance-diet
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279393/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9815011/
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