HealthOngoing
Why blood sugar spikes โ what your roti, rice and chai actually do
If you have sugar, this page explains why it rises, why it falls, what every Indian food really does to you, and a 7-day plan you can start tomorrow โ without 'eat this, not that' rules.
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What this page is โ and who it is for
Imagine you are 47, your HbA1c is 7.4, your doctor has put you on Metformin, and every meal feels like a question โ should I eat this, should I not. This page is for you. It is not a diet sheet. It is not a list of foods you can never eat again. It explains, in plain language, what is actually happening inside your body when sugar goes up, what brings it down, and the small daily moves that change the curve without changing your favourite thali.
- Who should read thisanyone with sugar, anyone with a parent or partner who has sugar, anyone with HbA1c above 5.7.
- What you will learnhow sugar rises step by step, how it falls step by step, what every Indian food does to it, and a 7-day plan.
- What you will not get heredrug advice, doses, brand recommendations. That conversation is for your doctor.
- Time to read12 minutes. Time to start using it: tonight's dinner.
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Dictionary โ every word you will read on this page
Read this once. Every term used later starts here.
Blood sugar (glucose)
The sugar floating in your blood right now. Brain and muscles run on it. Normal fasting: under 100 mg/dL.
Pancreas
A fish-shaped organ behind your stomach. It makes insulin.
Insulin
A key. Unlocks the doors on muscle, liver and fat cells so sugar can walk in.
Beta cells
The cells inside the pancreas that actually make insulin. About half are already gone by the time diabetes is diagnosed.
Insulin resistance
The locks have rusted. The same key opens fewer doors. The pancreas works overtime to compensate.
Glycogen
The storage form of sugar โ kept in liver and muscle, like rice stored in a kothi.
Fasting glucose
Your blood sugar after 8 hours of no food. Best taken before breakfast.
Post-meal sugar (postprandial)
Your sugar 1 or 2 hours after a meal. This is where most of the damage happens.
HbA1c
A three-month average of your sugar. Under 5.7 is normal, 5.7โ6.4 prediabetes, 6.5+ diabetes.
Glycemic Load (GL)
A single number for how much a portion of any food will lift your sugar. Higher = bigger spike.
Prediabetes
The silent ten-year runway before diabetes. Locks rusting, pancreas still coping.
Remission
HbA1c under 6.5 without medicine for at least 3 months. Not a cure โ the body can slip back.
Know More
Understand why it happened, how we got here, and what might come next.
Sources (19)
๐ Research-backed- Research paperJenkins DJ et al. Glycemic index of foods โ a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange. Am J Clin Nutr 1981academic.oup.comยท Mar 1981
- Research paperFoster-Powell K et al. International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002. Am J Clin Nutr 2002academic.oup.comยท Jul 2002
- Research paperAtkinson FS et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021. Am J Clin Nutr 2021academic.oup.comยท Mar 2021
- Research paper