Carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes have been unfairly demonised thanks to the pervasive effects of diet culture, but they all feature in the Mediterranean diet, which is scientifically regarded as one of the best and most balanced ways we can eat. Unless you’re gluten-intolerant or celiac, there’s no reason to view them as the enemy. However, eating them in excess – particularly the refined, white iterations, like supermarket white bread and pasta – can cause blood sugar spikes, which can in turn lead to mood swings, unstable energy levels and hunger pangs.
Cook, cool and reheat
Emily English – also known as @EmTheNutritionist on Instagram – has a hack to prevent drastic blood sugar spikes from occurring after consuming these foods, and it couldn’t be easier. “My free tip of the day is to cook, cool and reheat your starch foods,” she explained during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning. “When you freeze bread, the starch in [it] converts to resistant starch, which slows down blood sugar spikes.” This process is called retrogradation.
When resistant starch forms, it’s “harder to digest”, English told Vogue. “This leads to slower blood sugar spikes and also benefits gut health.” When our gut microbes start to ferment the resistant starch, they create short chain fatty acids, which have wider benefits for our health too, with one study suggesting they have potential anti-inflammatory properties.
It’s really as simple as cooking starchy foods, like potatoes or pasta, letting them cool down afterwards, then reheating – making it an easy hack to try for anyone meal prepping ahead of a week in the office. When it comes to bread, English always freezes hers for the extra nutritional value she gleans when she toasts it afterwards: “I always have pittas in there, which I chuck into the toaster from frozen for a quick lunch,” she adds. “I do it a lot when meal prepping foods – whether it’s making one of my big pasta salads, rice bowls, or whenever I have leftovers for the next day. Just make sure you store the food safely to avoid food poisoning.”
While this technique is an easy nutrition win, if you’re someone who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, approach with caution – you may be more sensitive to resistant starch.
Why your blood sugar matters
Understanding how different foods impact your blood sugar levels can offer huge health benefits (it’s something I’ve written about previously). From impaired immunity to low energy, anxiety, gut and skin issues, when we consume sugary or unrefined foods, they spike our blood sugar levels – and what goes up must come down. It is when they plummet that we can find ourselves feeling low, hungry and off-kilter: “Reducing spikes helps manage our energy levels and decreases insulin resistance,” says English. “I always centre my meals around fibre-rich foods, paired with protein for blood sugar balance, and avoid processed sugars and refined carbs on an empty stomach – always eat sugar after fibre and protein.”