​Frittata and a black bean salad with corn provides a wide array of colourful nutrients, protein, fat, & fibre - all keys to supporting healthy blood sugar levels.

Tip #1: Eat more plants
I've often said that my favourite nutrition advice in all these years is from the journalist and author Michael Pollan who wrote "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants"
(From In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto)

In the context of healthy blood sugars, plants provide vitamins and minerals, protein (especially beans and legumes), fat (avocados stand out here), and fibre.  And fibre is really one of the most important nutrients for supporting healthy blood sugar.  It slows down your body's digestive process meaning that the glucose from your food is less likely to spike high and drop down quickly.  

And yes while you could buy a fibre supplement, it is also found in pretty much all the plants we eat, and most of us don't get enough (The recommended daily intake for adults is 25-30gm/day).

If you feel like you don't get enough fibre, it is important to increase it slowly and also make sure you're drinking enough water, less you get constipated.  

Bonus: eating more fibre regularly is also excellent for your digestion and can be beneficial if you have a tendency towards constipation.

Tip #2: Protein with every meal & snack

Does anyone know the original creator of this meme so I can credit? Please let me know!

While protein is having a *moment* right now, especially with us (ahem) over-40 set, there are some very valid reasons why ensuring you're getting enough protein is important. 

And supporting healthy blood sugar levels is definitely one of them.  There is also research that supports that even in folks with Type 2 Diabetes, a higher-protein diet can help to stabilise blood glucose levels.  Though if that's you then I definitely recommend working with a practitioner to ensure you are safe and supported. 

So what does this look like?  We often measure protein servings with the palm of our hands.  I like this idea because it means we are individualising our needs (smaller hands? maybe you need less) while not getting too wrapped up in counting macros.  

Personally, I simply try to ensure I'm having *some* protein with every meal or snack.  Oats with chia and hemp seeds.  Veggies with hummus.  Fruit with a bit of nut butter.  A handful of almonds as a standalone emergency purse-snack. Eggs, fish, meat, legumes and/or beans with my bigger meals.  

Tip #3: Add a bit of fat
Fat is important for flavour and can help with satiety, especially when paired with fibre. Fat is also important for some of the structure (such as the lipid bilayer of our cells) and function (such as neural cell signaling) of our bodies. We know that we need fats in our diet - but the question is always how much, and of what kind. 

Salmon is full of healthy omega-3 fats. 📸 courtesy of tiverylucky @ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Again, unless you have a medical need to dive deeper into the types and amount of fat you should ingest, I try and keep things simple, by ensuring that I have a small amount of fat in most meals and snacks. 

In whole foods, these things are often beautifully packaged up together - an avocado is high in both fat and fibre - smash it up with an egg and have it on toast.  Nuts & seeds naturally contain some fat as well as protein.  Add a bit of Extra virgin olive oil to a salad.  Nothing fancy.

Bonus: Some fats contain special compounds that can also help to lower inflammation in the body (think the DHA and EPAs found in fatty fish, some algae, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts).  This is important because inflammation is part of the process of dysregulated blood sugar that can lead to diabetes or other cardiovascular diseases. So being mindful of adding in these specific foods to your diet a few times a week is always a great idea. 

What are your go-to snacks or meals for supporting healthy blood sugar levels? Leave them in the comments below.

And if you want a deeper dive into this topic, you can register for my live upcoming class at Selwyn College (Kohimarama, Auckland), on Monday 9th March 2026, 7-9pm. Register here :)

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