That afternoon crash isn’t a law of nature. You choose it yourself, every single day.
3pm. You’re sat at your desk and your brain refuses to cooperate. You stare at your screen like it’s written in Chinese. Your hand reaches automatically for the sweet drawer. Or that “healthy” cereal bar. Or yet another cup of coffee.
Stop. Right there. Just stop.
Because what you’re about to do, grab that quick sugar or caffeine fix, is exactly why you’ll be sat here again in an hour. And tomorrow. And the day after. And still in ten years’ time, only with type 2 diabetes thrown in.
My own glucose wake-up call
Let’s be honest: I was the queen of the blood sugar rollercoaster. When my kids were little (hello colicky baby, I didn’t sleep through the night for 5 years, FIVE YEARS!!!!) I lived on coffee and chocolate. I’m German, and I always joked that I was “genetically pre-programmed” for that 4pm “Kaffee und Kuchen”.
But the truth? That coffee-and-sugar ritual created a blood sugar and caffeine spike every single day, which woke me up briefly, only to crash even harder come evening. Shattered after dinner, then lying awake for hours when I finally wanted to sleep.
That vicious circle: waking up with coffee and sugar, crashing, more coffee, more sugar, crashing again, exhausted by evening but too wired to sleep. Sound familiar?
The hard truth (you already know this, but do it anyway)
We’ve collectively been brainwashed. That food pyramid with grains as the base? Rubbish. The idea that you need to eat 6 times a day for “stable blood sugar”? More nonsense.
Here’s what’s actually happening:
Every time you eat carbohydrates, bread, pasta, rice, fruit, milk, whatever, your blood sugar rises. Your pancreas pumps out insulin to get that sugar into your cells. And insulin is a storage hormone. It tells your body: stop burning fat, we’re storing instead.
Because modern food is mostly processed carbohydrates, your body sits in that storage mode roughly 24/7. No wonder you’re tired. Your body barely gets the chance to tap into its own energy reserves. You’re knackered, and let’s be honest, you’re carrying a few extra kilos that don’t exactly make life more energetic.
What research with glucose monitors showed
Jessie Inchauspé (the Glucose Goddess) had people wear continuous glucose monitors and looked at what actually happens with everyday meals. A few of her findings, with example figures from her measurements:
Changing the order. Same meal, different order:
- Bread → meat → vegetables: peak around 180 mg/dL
- Vegetables → meat → bread: peak around 130 mg/dL
Same meal. Dozens of points difference. Just from the order.
The vinegar trick. A little vinegar, big impact:
- Pasta without: average peak around 165 mg/dL
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water before the pasta: peak around 125 mg/dL
How does that work? Vinegar contains acetic acid, and that does two things. It slows down your stomach emptying (your food stays in your stomach longer, sugars are released more slowly) and it makes your muscles temporarily more sensitive to insulin. Your muscles then pull glucose out of your blood more efficiently, with less insulin. Less insulin means less fat storage, steadier energy and less hunger later on. A splash of vinegar giving your metabolism a helping hand.
Moving after eating. A 10-minute walk straight after your meal lowers your glucose peak significantly, and that effect lasts a few hours. It even works better than the same walk at some random other time. Your muscles activate glucose transporters (GLUT4) that pull sugar out of your blood without any insulin involved. Free gains.
Why this isn’t just about energy
Unstable blood sugar f*cks with everything:
Your hormones. Fluctuating blood sugar puts your adrenals under pressure, your cortisol gets thrown off, you sleep worse, and poor sleep disrupts your blood sugar again. Round and round it goes.
Your skin. Glucose binds to collagen (glycation). Result: premature wrinkles, less elasticity. That expensive anti-ageing cream is money down the drain if your blood sugar is rollercoasting all day.
Your brain. People with chronically high blood sugar have a clearly higher risk of dementia. Scientists don’t call Alzheimer’s “type 3 diabetes” for nothing.
Your weight. High insulin keeps you in fat-storage mode. You can exercise until you drop, but if your insulin is constantly high, you’ll struggle to get at your fat reserves.
Your inflammation levels. Blood sugar spikes trigger inflammatory responses. And chronic low-grade inflammation lies at the root of pretty much every modern lifestyle disease.
The glucose-aware living strategy (that actually works)
Level 1: the basics (start here)
1. The vegetables-first rule. Simple, but it works. Always eat your vegetables first. Fibre forms a kind of physical barrier in your gut and slows down glucose absorption, which makes your peak significantly lower.
In practice:
- Breakfast: start with cucumber, tomato, whatever veg you’ve got
- Lunch: that salad isn’t a side dish, it’s your starter
- Dinner: at least 50% of your plate is vegetables, and start with those
- Snack: nuts (max 30g, a handful, not the whole bag) or veg sticks before fruit
2. The vinegar hack. 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water, 10 minutes before your biggest meal.
Too sharp? Alternatives:
- Mix with sparkling water and a bit of salt, fancy drink
- My favourite: make a raw veg salad for lunch or dinner with a dressing of 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Two birds, one stone: vegetables first and your vinegar dose.
- Gherkins, pickled onions, kimchi, sauerkraut with your meal (fermentation produces acetic acid too)
3. Stop eating naked. “What on earth do you mean, Tanja?!” 😳 Of course I know you keep your pants on while eating (or not, you happy freak, haha). No, I mean your carbs. Those should always be “dressed”. Never eat them on their own, always pair them with:
- Fat: slows absorption, stabilises your blood sugar (butter on bread, olive oil over pasta)
- Protein: switches on hormones that help balance insulin (cheese, egg, hummus, nuts)
- Fibre: see point 1 (veg alongside, always)
That apple? Eat it with nut butter (1 tablespoon, not half the jar). That cracker? With hummus or cheese. That pasta or noodles? Use 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil per portion and half a tin of beans (around 100-120g). Enough for the stabilising effect, without turning it into a calorie bomb.
4. The after-meal move. 10 minutes of movement within 90 minutes of eating. Not exercise, just movement:
- A walk round the block
- Up and down the stairs
- Desk workout
- Dancing in your kitchen
Level 2: the optimisers (once the basics are routine)
5. Intermittent fasting light. 12-14 hours of no food between dinner and breakfast. Gives your body the chance to let insulin drop, switch on fat burning and kick off cell maintenance (autophagy).
6. Your breakfast makeover. Forget “coffee on an empty stomach”, and definitely forget those chocolate-sprinkle sandwiches (mad Dutch habits!). Start your day with something that keeps your blood sugar stable:
- The GOOD. Bread (recipe below) with avocado or egg
- Or the GOOD. Granola with yoghurt and protein powder (recipe below)
- Vegetables, eggs and healthy fats: energy without the crash
Why no sweet breakfast? Because then you start your day with a blood sugar rocket. What goes up comes crashing straight back down. That “healthy” porridge with honey, that smoothie bowl with fruit? You’re crashing again by 10am. Start savoury and feel the difference. Your whole day changes.
7. Using supplements strategically. Before you buy out half the chemist, focus on what actually does something for your blood sugar:
- Berberine: a herbal extract that shows positive effects on glucose metabolism in studies
- Chromium: helps your cells become more sensitive to insulin
- Ceylon cinnamon: use as a spice (in your yoghurt, in tea), not that cheap Cassia variety
Further down I share products that combine these ingredients cleverly.
Level 3: the glucose ninja moves
- Cold thermogenesis. End your shower with 30 seconds of cold water. Activates your brown fat, which burns glucose to generate heat.
- The sleep-glucose connection. Less than 6 hours of sleep gives you up to 40% worse insulin sensitivity the next day. Treasure your sleep as if your life depends on it, because it does.
- Cyclical ketosis. 1-2 days a week under 50g of carbs. Trains your metabolic flexibility: your body learns to switch between glucose and fat as fuel. For me, that was a real turning point. Metabolic flexibility is the new black. 😉
From theory to practice: your new go-to breakfast
Enough science and hacks. You’re probably wondering: “But Tanja, what DO I eat then?”
Because the supermarket is full of blood sugar bombs disguised as “healthy breakfast”. Porridge oats? Sugar spike. Wholemeal bread? Sugar spike with a fancy name. Granola? Sugary sugar spike.
These two recipes have become my holy grail. They keep your blood sugar stable, your energy steady, and bonus: they taste amazing too.
The GOOD. Bread
10 minutes prep + 50 minutes in the oven. Makes 18-20 slices. Storage: fridge up to 5 days, freezer up to 3 months.
Wet:
- 6 eggs
- 500 g full-fat kefir, no added sugar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of Himalayan salt
Dry:
- 100 g apple fibre
- 100 g buckwheat flakes
- 60 g psyllium fibre
- 10 g cream of tartar baking powder
- 10 g chia seeds, 10 g hemp seeds and 10 g sesame seeds
Preheat the oven to 175°C and line a loaf tin (30cm) with baking paper. Whisk the eggs with the kefir, the olive oil and a pinch of Himalayan salt until smooth. Then add the dry ingredients: first the apple fibre, then the buckwheat flakes on top, then the psyllium fibre, the baking powder, and finally the chia, hemp and sesame seeds. Stir everything together well until you have a thick, even batter. It’s thicker than ordinary bread dough, that’s correct. Smooth it into the tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the bread feels firm and a skewer comes out dry. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
This bread is a protein vehicle: around 8g of protein per slice and minimal net carbs. The eggs provide complete amino acids, the kefir brings live bacterial cultures, and the psyllium and chia seeds provide structure and keep things moving. The buckwheat flakes give slow-release energy, gluten-free. Slice the bread and freeze it with baking paper between the slices, so you can take out exactly what you need each morning.
GOOD. Granola
10 minutes to mix. Makes around 625g, enough for a week. Storage: airtight for up to 2 weeks.
Ingredients:
- 150 g oat flakes (gluten-free)
- 175 g buckwheat flakes
- 50 g coconut chips
- 100 g apple fibre
- 50 g chia seeds
- 50 g hemp seeds
- 50 g flaxseed (whole)
- 5 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp maca powder
- 2 tsp cardamom
Mix all the dry ingredients together well in a large bowl and store in a well-sealed jar. Done. Serve with full-fat yoghurt or quark and fresh fruit. Want an extra protein boost? Add 1-2 tablespoons of doTERRA protein powder.
Every ingredient is there for a reason: the oat and buckwheat flakes are slow-release carbs, apple fibre and chia seeds slow down glucose absorption and feed your gut bacteria, hemp seeds provide complete plant protein, flaxseed and coconut chips give healthy fats, cinnamon supports your insulin sensitivity, and maca and cardamom add flavour without touching your blood sugar. One portion turns your yoghurt from a snack into a meal that carries you 3-4 hours.
Your move: the GOOD. Glucose Support system
For those who want to accelerate (work smarter, not harder).
Why supplement when you can “just eat healthily”?
“I already eat healthily.” Nice idea, but here’s the reality: our vegetables contain fewer vitamins and minerals than decades ago (depleted soil), we spend 8+ hours a day indoors (vitamin D, anyone?), chronic stress eats up your B vitamins and magnesium, and a lot of modern food is processed down to roughly the nutritional value of cardboard.
You can try eating 3 kilos of spinach a day for your iron. Or you can be smart and effortlessly give your body what it needs.
Start with the Wellness Made Simple pack. Because changing your lifestyle without a body that’s actually up for it is fighting against yourself. This pack makes sure your body works with you:
- Your gut bacteria decide what you crave (they’re the boss, not you). PB Assist+ brings them into balance.
- Your omegas feed your brain. EO Mega+ clears the fog from your head.
- Without good nutrients, your willpower runs on the reserve tank. VMG+ tops up your reserves, so you actually have the energy for all your good intentions.
Try eating healthily when your bacteria are screaming for pizza and your brain’s stuck in fog. Spoiler: it won’t happen. Start here, feel the difference, and make everything else 10 times easier.
Extra for glucose control
- Berberine: supports healthy blood sugar levels
- Mulberry leaf extract: inhibits glucose absorption in the gut
- Ceylon cinnamon powder: supports your insulin sensitivity
- MetaPWR oil blend (grapefruit, lemon, peppermint, ginger, cinnamon): in a preclinical doTERRA study with human fat cells this blend inhibited the accumulation of fat droplets in the cells, even at low doses. Confirmatory research in humans is still needed, but the early results are promising.
Take 1 capsule before your biggest meal(s) of the day.
MetaPWR Beadlets
- For acute sweet cravings
- With essential oils that help curb sugar cravings
- Helps keep your blood sugar balanced between meals
- Handy for on the go
Check out the complete Glucose Support Pack here
Frequently used excuses
“But Tanja, I can’t live without bread!” Fine. Eat it last. Vegetables → protein → bread. Same bread, 50% less impact. Or make your own healthy bread, see the recipe above.
“I don’t have time for complicated faff.” Eating vegetables first costs literally 0 extra minutes. You’re eating them anyway (hopefully).
“Vinegar is gross.” Dilute it with plenty of water. Or use gherkins, pickled onions, kimchi, sauerkraut, all fermented with natural acetic acid. And no, lemon juice doesn’t work the same way, that actually contains fructose which sends your blood sugar up. We want acetic acid, not fruit sugar.
“I already exercise, so I can eat whatever I want.” Nice try. You can’t out-train bad food. Ask any bodybuilder: muscles are made in the kitchen.
“My gran ate bread too and lived to 90.” Your gran’s bread contained around 2g of sugar per 100g. Modern bread: 8-10g. Your gran was active for 5 hours a day, you’re sitting for 8. Your gran ate twice a day, you snack constantly. See the difference?
Your 30-day kickstart (with measurements!)
Week 1: baseline
- Measure your energy (1-10) every hour
- Track when you’re hungry
- Write down when you crave snacks
- Optional: buy a glucose monitor (around €30 at the chemist)
- Optimise your nutrition with WMS and MetaPWR
Week 2-3: implement the basics
- Vegetables always first
- Vinegar before lunch and dinner
- 10-minute walk after every meal
- Keep track of how you feel
Week 4: level up
- Start intermittent fasting light (12-14 hours between dinner and breakfast)
- Test how you feel with cold showers
- Keep tracking your energy and mood and compare with weeks 1-3
What you’ll notice:
- Day 3-5: possible headaches (sugar withdrawal is real)
- Day 7: first energy improvement
- Day 14: cravings significantly reduced
- Day 21: new habit formed
- Day 30: bloody hell, is this how normal people feel?
The uncomfortable truth
We’re addicted. To sugar, to quick energy, to the idea that being tired is just part of life once you’re past 35. But you’re not a car that needs petrol, you’re a hybrid that can run on fat too. You’ve just been giving it nothing but petrol your entire life.
Living glucose aware means understanding how your body works, and then making choices from knowledge instead of cravings. For the rest of your life. Your long, healthy, energetic life.
You can start right away. Now.
Start small:
- Tomorrow at breakfast: vegetables first, no sweet stuff
- Before lunch: a glass of water with vinegar
- After lunch: a 10-minute walk round the block
That’s it. No revolution, no extreme lifestyle change. Just three tiny habits that stabilise your blood sugar.
Because that afternoon slump, that constant tiredness, that sugar craving? That’s not fate, not ageing and not a character flaw. It’s biochemistry. And biochemistry, you can steer.
Welcome to glucose conscious living. You won’t be able to un-know this.
Ready for personal guidance? Take the GOOD. assessment for tailored lifestyle tips or start straight away with the Glucose Support Pack.
Get in touch with me for questions, struggles or successes.
P.S. Yes, you can do all of this without supplements too. But why make it hard when it can be easy? Save your energy for the fun stuff.