This article has been reviewed by Jeannie Versagli, RD, LDN. Jeannie is a Registered Dietitian with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a national professional organization, and is licensed in nutrition with the State of Delaware.

By Nate Widom

You’re familiar with the routine. You need a boost of energy or crave something sweet. You reach for a snack, scarf it down, and soon feel unwelcome symptoms like tiredness, headaches, and heightened thirst. These effects could be the result of a blood sugar spike! Our blood sugar temporarily rises with every meal, but some foods increase levels more than others. In addition to unwanted tummy aches, frequent blood sugar spikes can have significant long-term effects. I sat down with registered dietitian Jeannie Versagli to explore effective management strategies so that you can prevent the worst.

What Are Blood Sugar Spikes?

A blood sugar spike is a rapid increase in blood sugar levels above 140mg/dl.¹ It is typically caused by the intake of highly processed carbohydrates.

There are two types of carbs—simple and complex. Simple carbs are typically heavily processed, while complex carbs are more natural and contain fiber. Once consumed, both are digested by your body into simple sugars—mainly glucose—which raises blood sugar. However, simple carbs are digested much quicker, causing lots of glucose to enter the bloodstream all at once. That is what causes you to feel the spike!²

“Think about it as a dam,” Jeannie says. “The dam breaks open, and this rush of glucose is coming in. That then causes your blood to become very elevated in glucose.

And you may be eating more simple carbs than you realize. Sweets like cookies and cakes are considered simple carbs, but so are white bread and many kinds of pasta. We’ll discuss the foods to avoid in more detail later.

“You get the rush, you feel good, and then suddenly you crash. It’s the roller coaster,” Jeannie describes. During a blood sugar spike, you may experience additional symptoms like frequent urination, blurred vision, increased thirst, brain fog, and headaches. Plus, you may crave the spike-causing foods all over again and still be hungry!^3,4

Excess glucose in your bloodstream also turns to fat, leading to weight gain. For those with diabetes, spikes can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which may lead to diabetic coma or death.⁴

While blood sugar spikes can be miserable and should be managed, carbs are essential to a balanced diet. Everyone needs glucose, just in manageable amounts. “That’s the gas for the engine. Nothing can function without glucose,” Jeannie explains. “Protein builds muscle, but glucose drives the engine and provides the gas. You don’t want to overfill it because then it’s going to go somewhere.”

Regular blood sugar spikes can lead to worse outcomes like inflammation and pancreatic damage. The pancreas produces insulin, which allows our bodies to use glucose as fuel. When there’s lots of glucose in your bloodstream, your pancreas increases insulin production to convert the glucose into usable fuel. Over time, this can over-stress the pancreas and may eventually cause it to stop functioning correctly, leading to insulin resistance or diabetes.

Easy ways to prevent blood sugar spikes:

It’s Your Lifestyle – Fiber, Protein, Fluid, and Exercise

As stated, to avoid blood sugar spikes, it’s best to avoid simple carbohydrates which are frequently processed and filled with sugar. Think of white bread, highly-processed pasta, sodas, candies, donuts, cakes, and cookies. Not only are these carbohydrates typically high-sugar, but they also lack the fiber and protein to balance things out. High-sodium and caffeinated foods may compound things even more.

Instead, look for complex carbs that naturally contain fiber and also foods with lots of protein. Fiber and protein are not only recommended for a healthy diet, but they also absorb excess glucose.

Hydration is also part of the equation. “Studies have found that people who are somewhat dehydrated tend to have more sugar spikes than people who are not,” Jeannie explains.

A light workout can also help prevent a spike. Working out improves blood flow and uses up excess glucose as fuel. After a strength workout, glucose works alongside protein to build muscle, too! If you’re experiencing a blood sugar spike, moving directly after eating is best. Thankfully, the exercise doesn’t need to be intense. It could be as light as 15 minutes of walking.⁵

If you’re experiencing a spike, Jeannie recommends drinking water to improve your hydration levels, exercising, and consuming a fibrous or high protein snack. These suggestions will aid in the lowering of your blood sugar.

Whole fruits are naturally high in fructose, a simple carb. But they are also fibrous and unprocessed, so they are much less likely to cause a spike than other types of carbs. Jeannie still recommends fruit as a part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Look for foods with:

High amounts of fiber (these will usually be complex carbs!)
High amounts of protein
Whole, natural ingredients and minimal processing
Examples: whole-grain pasta and breads, starchy vegetables, beans, quinoa, oats, brown rice, milk

Limit foods with:

Added sugar
High sodium
Caffeine
Examples: White bread, cookies, cakes, brownies, candy, energy drinks, sodas

Note that you can take a portion of a simple carb and eat it with a complex carb. This combo may both satisfy a craving and lower the chance of a spike. We’ll cover that later.

Here are some snacks you can keep around to curb blood sugar spikes once they occur:

Nuts
Hard-boiled eggs
Hummus
Pumpkin seeds
Milk
Natural jerky
High-fiber cereal
Nut butters
Popcorn
Turkey roll-ups
Cheese
Greek yogurt

It’s how you eat – pair, plan, and switch!

It’s recommended to lower the spikes for meals by switching to complex carbs whenever possible. And it may be easier than you think. Some suggestions to easily incorporate into meals include:

Switching any white breads and buns to whole-grain
Use whole-grain or plant-based pasta
Incorporate more beans and veggies into your meals

Furthermore, these suggestions do not mean you must avoid the sweet, high-carb snacks you love. You can always pair your favorite snack with something high in fiber and/or protein by eating them together or one right after the other. This pairing will not only lessen the chance of a blood sugar spike but may satisfy sweet cravings.

For instance, let’s say you have a favorite simple carb in mind. “What would be helpful is that you got a glass of milk and drank milk with it,” Jeannie explains. “You’ve now made that simple carbohydrate more complex. You introduced protein, fat, and some carbohydrates [with milk].” Pairing milk with a simple carbohydrate will slow down a glucose spike.

Jeannie is particularly fond of dairy milk to prevent or improve a blood sugar spike. Milk is full of macros and helps with hydration!

Therefore, another element of managing blood sugar spikes is to plan. Jeannie always recommends keeping water and any snacks mentioned earlier on hand. However, planning also applies to your overall diet, too. A proper balance of proteins, carbs (especially fiber), and fats will keep you from the pantry. Protein and fiber will make you feel fuller, putting you in a position where you crave those sugary, spike-inducing snacks much less.6 “Those of us who are mindful of how we are eating are never going to have a sugar spike,” she says.

Perfect Pairings: Satisfy your sweet tooth and tame blood sugar spikes with these treats!

The treats below may curb a sweet tooth and be less likely to cause a blood sugar spike. All include fiber and/or protein, along with some sweetness.

Dark chocolate-covered fruit
Trail Mix
Energy/protein bars made with nuts, fibers, and some sweet toppings (ex. KIND bars)
High-fiber cereal (ex. Catalina Crunch) with bits of dark chocolate
Greek yogurt topped with dark chocolate flakes
Chocolate milk
Whole grain waffles topped
with berry compote
Tortilla chips with fresh pico de gallo
Whole grain toast topped with nut butter and fruit
Fresh fruit with Greek yogurt

Are you seeking chocolate? Jeannie recommends dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. It’s more natural and will contain less sugar! Look for a percentage of 70-85% cocoa.