It’s not just dessert that’s driving up your blood sugar.
Some everyday foods such as oat milk, fruit juice and a bowl of brown rice that seem healthy could also be raising your risk for disease and contributing to stubborn belly fat, leaving you feeling tired, hungry and craving sugar.
“Oat milk, ‘naked carbs’ and fresh fruit juice often carry a health halo, yet they can cause glucose spikes higher than what’s considered optimal,” Sarah Steele, a registered dietitian and metabolic success manager in California with the health platform Signos, told Fox News Digital.
“Similarly, many packaged foods marketed as plant-based, vegan or gluten-free are highly refined versions of what were once whole foods, which makes them much more likely to elevate glucose levels,” she said.
Frequent blood sugar spikes force your body to release more insulin, and over time your cells stop responding to it — a process called insulin resistance, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes.
Nearly half of Americans have insulin resistance and about 13% are diabetic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even for those without diabetes, blood sugar swings can lead to fatigue, hunger, irritability and cravings, experts say, but a few smart swaps plus timing your meals strategically can help keep blood sugar steady.
1. Oat milk
Oat milk can cause blood sugar spikes because it’s high in starches, which break down into high-glycemic simple sugars.
“Nutritionally, it acts much like a cup of liquid sugar,” Steele said.
Experts recommend choosing unsweetened versions and pairing them with protein, fiber or healthy fats to help slow how quickly sugar enters the bloodstream.
Unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk and full-fat dairy can help steady blood sugar.
2. Dried fruit
Dried fruit packs nutrients and fiber, but without the water found in fresh fruit, its natural sugars are more concentrated, so your blood sugar can rise faster if you eat too much.
A quarter cup of raisins, for example, contains the same total carbohydrates as about one full cup of grapes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).