A lot of foods are marketed as “great for balancing blood sugar.” But the thing is, there’s a lot of science around blood sugar and the foods that help manage it. So we wanted to cut through the marketing-speak and give you the foods that were actually backed by science to help keep blood sugar in balance. And the list of foods below is ranked based on how strong the proof is behind the claims. (Meaning, number 1 on this list has the most proof.)
And if you find yourself in the grocery store and can’t remember what was on this list (although we do recommend saving this one), it all really comes down to one simple formula. A combination of fiber, protein and fat slow down your digestion. And a slower digestion means a gentler rise in blood sugar, as opposed to the classic spike.
The through-line will not surprise anyone who reads this site: fiber, protein, and fat slow digestion, and slower digestion means a flatter curve after meals. Grace Derocha, a registered dietitian and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, compresses the whole subject into one sentence: “If you eat something that’s only carbs and no protein, fat or fiber, your blood sugar will go high fast and then drop low, fast,” she told TODAY.
Here are the ten foods that help manage your blood sugar spikes with the evidence behind them.
10. Fatty Fish
Fatty fish like salmon and sardines are a unique addition to this list (and why they are 10th.) They don’t affect your blood sugar. But! They are on this list because they are not only a zero carb protein, but they are high in omega-3s. And omega-3s have huge benefits that accrue in your cardiovascular system, which is exactly what elevated blood sugar threatens. Two servings of these a week are great for your heart and will increase the benefits of everything else on this list.
9. Leafy Greens
This is where the science shifts a little bit. But it is still worth noting. The evidence here is basically observational. But the observation is that people who eat more leafy greens tend to get less type 2 diabetes. The other positive is that leafy greens have very little carbohydrate, so they can’t spike you. The American Diabetes Association suggests filling your plate with non-starchy vegetables, which helps to counteract how much carbs you can put on your plate.
8. Chia and Flax Seeds
Chia and flax seeds basically do the same thing as oats do. They form a viscous fluid that physically slows down your gut’s ability to absorb sugar. It’s like painting your gut. “That gel slows gastric emptying and glucose absorption, which helps blunt post-meal blood sugar spikes and promotes satiety,” registered dietitian Payton Brewer told EatingWell. One important thing to note: recent data has shown that chia does not move fasting glucose or HbA1c on its own. Think of these as (very helpful!) supporting players, but not their own medicine.
7. Avocado
Avocados are so good for you. They got a bad rap in the 80’s when everything went “fat free” And all fats were demonized. But the truth is, some fats are very good for you. And avocadoes have almost no carbs, tons of fiber and a fat that slows the spike.
“When you eat a food that has fiber and healthy fats together, it stabilizes blood sugar,” Julie Kramer, a registered dietitian at Northwell Health, explains. Drop half of an avocado on your eggs on whole grain toast and you just turned a potentially spike meal into a slow one.
6. Greek Yogurt
The bad news about Greek yogurt is that you have to buy plain. The flavored greek yogurts (and any yogurts) are a trap to make you think something is healthy, but they are loaded with sugar. But the best part is you can add in some berries to the plain yogurt which arguably tastes even better than any flavored version. It works because it combines protein and fats to help slow the spike.
“There’s a lot of healthy protein and fat in yogurt. So that’s a good option,” Kumar told TODAY, adding that berries stirred in bring “a healthy amount of sugar that doesn’t cause a quick spike.” The entire trap of the yogurt aisle is the flavored versions, which we covered in our piece on health foods with more sugar than a candy bar.
5. Vinegar
You might be surprised, but the research around how vinegar can help with blood sugar has nothing to do with a “shot of apple cider vinegar each day” stuff you see on Instagram. This is more about incorporating vinegar into your salad dressings and ingesting it before the carbs. It’s more a stack than a standalone item. So no need to do the vinegar shots anymore.
Looking for more proof? A 2017 meta-analysis in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice found vinegar taken with meals significantly reduced post-meal glucose and insulin.
4. Nuts
A meta-analysis of 49 trials found that a couple of ounces of tree nuts daily modestly improved fasting glucose in people with type 2 diabetes. The trick here is to eat the nuts with a bit of carbs. Think peanut butter with an apple (which also happens to be delicious.) “You’re balancing it with fat and protein from the peanut butter, which slows the spike in (blood) sugar,” Dr. Rekha Kumar, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, told TODAY, describing the apple-plus-peanut-butter snack.
Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, brings up a great point about how nutrient dense nuts are and how that can start to change the way bad snackers can snack: “Regular nut intake gives you such satiety, fullness and nutrient density that you’re not looking for other snacks to fill up on, therefore leads to better management of your blood sugars and cholesterol,” she says.
3. Oats
Oats are their own entry even though they are usually also a whole grain. Oats have something called beta-glucan, which is a serious fiber that turns into a gel in your gut. And that gel physically slows down the sugars from getting through, which slows the blood sugar spike.” The fiber in oats—especially beta-glucan—can also improve insulin sensitivity and help keep blood sugar more stable over time,” registered dietitian Jessica Jones, CEO of Diabetes Digital, told Woman’s World.
This is where you have to look at what you’re buying. No more instant oats. “Steel-cut oats have the lowest glycemic impact,” registered dietitian Dawn Menning notes in the same piece. Instant packets, especially flavored ones, give some of the advantage back. These may take a little longer to cook, but they are worth it.
2. Whole Grains (in Place of Refined Ones)
This is a swap. If you are eating a lot of highly refined grains, then swapping in whole grains is a double win. You are removing things that spike your blood sugar, while adding in things that help lower the spike. That’s kind of a two for one.
“Refined grains have much of the ‘goodness’ stripped away from them, and what’s left over offers little benefit and can send blood sugars soaring,” Joanne Lewis, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with Diabetes Canada, puts it.
And the research backs up the swap. “Those who consumed whole grains, rather than the refined grains, had better blood sugar control, which was measured by insulin sensitivity and secretion following meals,” notes Kelly LeBlanc, nutrition director at the nonprofit Oldways. Same calories, same carbs, different outcome.
1. Beans and Lentils
Beans and lentils are the foods on this list with the strongest evidence to help blood sugar spikes. In a randomized trial, people with type 2 diabetes were given a cup of legumes a day for three months. And they lowered their blood sugar number by half a point. That was without any other changes. So the results were real.
Legumes also produce the strange and useful “second-meal effect”: beans at lunch blunt the glucose response to dinner.
The reason they work is because they hit the trifecta. According to Derocha’s description of hummus, it gives you “fiber, protein, some heart-healthy fat and some carbs,” all at once. That’s what you’re looking for. Incorporating hummus into your daily routine is one of the easiest ways to work in beans and legumes.
About Cinnamon
Any other “blood sugar” article you read on the Internet will include cinnamon. We didn’t include it because it doesn’t seem to have enough supporting evidence…yet. Adding a little here and there is not a bad idea. We just can’t say how much of an effect it will have.
A Cochrane review found insufficient evidence to support it for diabetes, and the American Diabetes Association does not recommend it for glucose control. Some researchers see a small effect. “Yes, it does work,” research nutritionist Paul Davis of UC Davis told NPR of his meta-analysis, “a modest effect of about 3 to 5 percent.” Others in the same report were cooler: “The evidence is still inconclusive,” said Emmy Suhl of the Joslin Diabetes Center, though cinnamon “is inexpensive” and “it tastes good.” Sprinkle it because you like it. One thing to note, cinnamon has something called coumarin which can be hard on the liver in large amounts. So don’t do the spoonful-each-day things you see on social media.
Putting the List to Work
You don’t need to make all these changes at once. And to keep your blood sugar from spiking, you need to have a shift in the lifestyle and food choices you make. So just remember the formula: anchor your meals with proteina nd fiber. Let the carbs be the smallest percentage (but if they are stacked with protein, fiber and healthy fats, it won’t have as much impact. The easiest place to start is the first meal of the day, and we broke that down in 7 breakfasts that keep your blood sugar steady all morning. For the bigger picture on metabolism, sleep, and why progress stalls, our research cheat sheet covers what the studies actually say.
Anthony is a licensed pharmacist and freelance medical writer. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. He is also a JD candidate at Penn State Dickinson Law school. Anthony writes, edits, and reviews content for a large number of clients within the medical and health industries. From individual practitioners to medical startups, Anthony’s clients rely on him for accurate information that will ultimately benefit patients and consumers.
Is your neighborhood healthy?
Get a free report on your tap water, air quality, walkability and more
