Round Two with a Continuous Glucose Monitor: Balance is Key

A few months ago, I wore the Stelo Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) for two weeks just to satisfy my curiosity. I enjoyed learning how my body responded to different foods, meals, exercise, stress, and sleep. I decided to use my other two-week sensor recently when I knew my schedule would be a bit off due to road travel, a wedding, etc.

A quick disclaimer: Continuous glucose monitors are intended for people with diabetes and are not a diagnostic tool for healthy individuals. They also don't tell the whole story about your metabolic health. But they can provide interesting insights into how your body responds to different foods and habits—and that's exactly how I used mine.

One thing I noticed this time around was that the Stelo app only labeled certain rises in blood sugar as "glucose spikes." Sometimes I saw my glucose increase more than normal after meals, but the app didn't flag it. My guess is that the app isn't just looking at how high your glucose goes, but also how quickly it rises and how smoothly it comes back down. When my glucose gradually returned to normal instead of crashing, those increases often weren't labeled as spikes.

Drinks and Foods That Consistently Raised My Blood Sugar

Alcohol

This wasn't a huge surprise. Alcohol pretty consistently caused my glucose to spike— for one interesting exception (more on that below!). Fortunately, I only enjoy an occasional drink, especially during the summer with friends and family.

Tortilla Chips

This one made me a little sad. Tortilla chips are one of my favorite comfort foods, but they were one of my most reliable glucose spikers. Experimenting with different pairings, it seemed like tortilla chips with hummus kept my blood sugar more stable than straight chips and salsa. For me it’s the crunch, so eating roasted edamame, popcorn or even carrots with hummus sometimes satisfies me.

White Rice

Another disappointment! Even when I ate white rice at the end of a balanced meal, it tended to raise my blood sugar more than brown rice, yellow rice, or even potatoes. That said, a mixed bowl of lots of healthy vegetables and white rice did not raise blood sugar as much.

Bananas...Maybe?

One afternoon I had my usual snack of cheese, crackers, and a few nuts, but I added half a banana because dinner was going to be late. After the snack, I experienced a spike. I am thinking it might have been the banana because I often snack on cheese, crackers, and nuts.

Was the banana responsible? Maybe...or maybe not. One meal doesn't prove anything.

Since I often add bananas to smoothies, it's something I'd like to experiment with by comparing similar meals with and without the banana.

That's one of the fun parts of wearing a CGM—it encourages curiosity instead of assumptions.

Pepperoni Pizza

Road trips don't always offer the healthiest food choices! One day I grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza at a rest stop and then sat in the car for several hours afterward. My glucose definitely noticed.

Interestingly, another time I had pizza after eating a small salad first and then went for a walk afterward. My blood sugar rose much less and returned to baseline much faster.

"Naked Carbs"

Looking back over the two weeks, nearly every spike involved what I call "naked carbs"—foods like crackers, tortilla chips, or half a bagel eaten by themselves without much protein, healthy fat, or fiber.

What Consistently Helped Keep My Blood Sugar Stable

Eat a Balanced Plate

One strategy worked over and over again: vegetables first, protein second, starch last.

When I ate my meals in that order, my blood sugar stayed much steadier. Research suggests that eating fiber and protein before carbohydrates can slow digestion and reduce the speed at which glucose enters the bloodstream.

Start with Fiber

On days when I ate an apple or carrots with hummus before my meal, my glucose response was noticeably smoother. Fiber slows the absorption of carbohydrates, helping prevent rapid spikes.

Protein and Fiber Before Dessert

Here's the good news!

If I ate a balanced dinner first, I could usually enjoy a small cookie, a piece of chocolate, or even a little ice cream afterward—and my glucose stayed well within range. That's because the protein, fiber, and healthy fats from the meal slowed the digestion of the dessert.

Happy days! 😊

Eat Before Happy Hour

One of my favorite discoveries was that eating a balanced snack or meal before having an alcoholic drink made a noticeable difference. Next on my experiment list? Seeing what happens if I eat my taco before sipping my margarita at our favorite Mexican restaurant!

Move After You Eat

Movement may have been the biggest game changer. A walk after lunch or dinner consistently kept my glucose from climbing as high. Even on rainy days, simply marching in place or doing a few mobility exercises in my living room helped blunt a spike that was starting to happen.

On mornings when I taught a fitness class after breakfast, my glucose often came down beautifully. Our muscles use glucose for energy, so even light movement after eating helps move glucose from the bloodstream into working muscles.

Why Does This Matter?

Occasional blood sugar spikes are completely normal. Our bodies are designed to handle them. The concern is frequent, repeated large spikes over months and years, especially when combined with inactivity, chronic stress, poor sleep, and a diet high in refined carbohydrates.

Over time, this pattern may contribute to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and an increased risk of conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Researchers are also investigating links between insulin resistance and cognitive decline, although this area continues to be studied.

The encouraging news is that many of the same habits that support healthy aging also support healthy blood sugar:

• Eat balanced meals with plenty of fiber and protein.

• Include strength training and regular movement.

• Take a short walk after meals when you can.

• Prioritize quality sleep.

• Manage chronic stress.

• Enjoy treats mindfully rather than avoiding them completely.

My Biggest Takeaway

This second round with a CGM didn't convince me that I need to eliminate pizza, rice, bananas, or dessert.

Instead, it reminded me that context matters.

What I eat with a food, the order I eat it in, whether I move afterward, and even whether I've slept well all seem to influence how my body responds.

For me, that's an encouraging message. Rather than striving for perfection, I'll keep focusing on balanced meals, regular movement, strength training, and enjoying the occasional treat—because those are habits that support long-term health, whether or not I'm wearing a glucose monitor.