Hi,

This week I had a conversation with a relative who's very dear to me. She's just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I told her about GOOD.21, but she was sceptical, and honestly a bit wary too. Experimenting with different food at her age wasn't something she felt up to.

So I asked her: ‘Do you eat vegetables? Do you eat meat? Do you eat potatoes?’ Yes, yes and yes. ‘Then you don't have to change what you eat,’ I said. ‘Just the order you eat it in.’ And if you move for ten minutes after a meal, you're already doing a lot for steady blood sugar. Moving really doesn't mean lifting heavy weights or pedalling hard on a bike: a ten-minute walk can be enough.

I ended the conversation with: ‘Try it for a few days and see how it feels. Trust me, you can only win.’

Same food, different order

Vegetables first, then protein and fat, and carbs last. Exactly the same food on your plate. The fibre from your vegetables forms a kind of mesh in your gut first, so the sugar from your potatoes, rice or pasta reaches your blood more slowly. Your blood sugar rises less sharply, and doesn't drop as low afterwards either. Many people notice fewer cravings and fewer energy dips in the afternoon.

The easiest way is a bowl. In my strategy plan you build it from the bottom up: carbs at the bottom, protein above that, and a generous layer of vegetables with dressing on top. Then just eat your bowl from the top down, and you'll eat in the right order without thinking about it.

Prefer classic meat, veg and potatoes? It works exactly the same way: veg first, then the meat, and the potatoes last.

Taking medication for diabetes? Have a quick word with your doctor or diabetes nurse first, because as your blood sugar becomes more balanced, your medication may need adjusting.

GOOD. Kimchi

Why does kimchi make such a good start to a meal? While it ferments, lactic acid bacteria turn the sugars in the cabbage into lactic acid. That's where the fresh, tangy taste comes from. As long as you don't heat it, those bacteria are still alive when you eat it, and they join the bacteria in your gut. The more varied that crowd, the better. Researchers at Stanford had healthy adults eat fermented foods every day for a few months: yoghurt, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut. Their gut bacteria became more varied, and the inflammation markers in their blood went down. In a comparison group who mainly ate extra fibre, that didn't happen.

Let's go!
Tanja

Tanja Thielen Health strategist & bestselling author Instagram (English)  ·  Facebook (Deutsch)  ·  LinkedIn (Nederlands) My books →