What's the Best Time to Eat Dessert?

Anita writes:

When is the best time to eat dessert? I've heard it is better to eat it immediately following a meal because the protein in the meal will help stabilize the blood sugar. But I'm often too full after my meal to enjoy dessert. I'd prefer to wait a couple of hours. In fact, I often crave a sweet bite a couple of hours after eating. Is that my blood sugar plummeting?

How does dessert affect your blood sugar?

Our blood sugar does go up after we eat, but that's not necessarily a problem—it's actually how the system is designed.

Most of the carbohydrates we consume are broken down into glucose, which is then absorbed into the bloodstream. When blood sugar levels go up, it triggers the release of insulin from the pancreas, which ushers the glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells of the body. There, the glucose is used as fuel or, if no more fuel is needed, stored for future use.

Regardless of how quickly or slowly its absorbed, eating an excessive amount of sugar can be a problem.

It's also true that carbohydrates cause a faster rise in blood sugar when they're eaten by themselves. This is also not necessarily a problem. If it's not a huge amount of carbohydrate, then no matter how fast it's absorbed, your blood sugar can only get so high. And then, assuming that your body is capable of producing insulin and your cells are reasonably responsive to its effects, your blood sugar will return to normal. 

Regardless of how quickly or slowly its absorbed, however, eating an excessive amount of sugar can be a problem. For one thing, no matter how slowly it's taken up into your bloodstream, it all gets in there eventually. If you're consuming more calories than you can use, the excess will be stored as fat. 

What causes insulin resistance?

But what happens if your body is not able to efficiently clear the sugar from your blood into your cells? The cells can become resistant to the effects of insulin.

Insulin resistance is often the first step in developing Type 2 diabetes.

When this happens, the sugar isn't cleared as effectively from the bloodstream. Not only is it not available as an energy source for cells but chronically high blood sugar can lead to a number of serious health issues. Insulin resistance is often the first step in developing Type 2 diabetes.

A lot of us worry that if we eat too much sugar, too often, it will lead us to develop insulin resistance or diabetes. And now, we understand it's more the other way around: Insulin resistance (or poorly controlled diabetes) results in chronically high blood sugar.

It turns out that eating a lot of sugar,...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips