7 Daily Mistakes DESTROYING Your Blood Sugar (How to FIX Them)

1. Skipping Protein at Breakfast

One of the most common things we see in people trying to “eat light” is a breakfast that’s almost all carbs: toast and butter, coffee with creamer, maybe a piece of fruit or juice. A couple of hours later, energy crashes, cravings kick in, and blood sugar looks like a roller coaster.

Protein helps flatten those spikes in a few important ways. It slows how quickly carbs are absorbed, increases GLP-1 (the same hormone targeted by medications like Ozempic), helps you feel full longer, and feeds your muscles—your main “glucose vacuums.” A high-protein breakfast has been shown to reduce post-meal glucose and improve your body’s response to the next meal in people with type 2 diabetes.[1]

In research, consuming approximately 25–30 grams of protein at a meal supports better blood sugar control, lean body mass, and overall metabolic health.[2] For most adults, a great starting goal is around 20-30 grams of protein at breakfast.

Practical ideas include a tofu scramble with veggies, protein oats made with protein powder, a smoothie with protein plus berries and greens, or (if you eat eggs) one whole egg plus a couple of egg whites alongside high-fiber toast. The key is shifting from a “carb-only” breakfast to a protein-plus-fiber breakfast that keeps your blood sugar steadier all morning.

2. Staying Seated After Meals (and Skipping “Exercise Snacks”)

Another quiet habit that pushes blood sugar higher: finishing a meal and then sitting for hours—at your desk, on the couch, or scrolling on your phone. On the outside, you’re resting, but inside your bloodstream, glucose is building up with nowhere to go.

After you eat, your body wants to shuttle glucose into your cells to be used as energy. Light movement–especially after a meal–opens the door for that glucose to leave your blood and enter your muscles. A growing body of research indicates that walking for just 10 minutes after meals can significantly lower post-meal glucose levels compared to sitting still.[3]

Short “exercise snacks” throughout the day also have powerful benefits. A 2025 meta-analysis found that brief bursts of movement (like 1–2 minutes of squats, stair climbs, or wall sits done regularly) improved fasting blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and overall cardiometabolic health in adults.[4]

Two simple habits to try:

• Take a slow 10-minute walk after lunch or dinner whenever possible.
• Every 30–60 minutes of sitting, stand up for one minute of movement—bodyweight squats, marching in place, or resistance-band pulls. These small “exercise snacks” keep your muscles active and help them pull glucose out of your bloodstream all day long.

3. Relying on the Wrong Fats and High-Calorie “Healthy” Snacks

Many people focus solely on carbs and sugar, but saturated fat also plays a significant role in insulin resistance. Saturated fat from fatty cuts of meat, butter, cheese, cream, and coconut oil can accumulate inside muscle and liver cells. This internal fat interferes with insulin’s signal, so even when your pancreas makes insulin, your cells “ignore the knock,” and glucose stays in the bloodstream.

In the KANWU Study, a high–saturated fat diet reduced insulin sensitivity by up to 40% in just five weeks, even when carbohydrate intake was kept the same.[5] That means the difference in blood sugar control came almost entirely from the type of fat, not the amount of carbs.

Additionally, many so-called “healthy” snacks, such as trail mix, cheese cubes, and keto bars, are high in calories and low in fiber. It’s easy to overeat them, which raises insulin and promotes fat gain around the midsection, especially when you’re already dealing with insulin resistance.

You don’t need to fear fat, but focusing on the right types of fats helps: nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, and small amounts of extra-virgin olive oil. Pair these with high-fiber, lower-calorie snacks such as berries with a spoonful of nut butter, carrot sticks with hummus, edamame with spices, or roasted chickpeas.

If you’d like to go deeper into which foods are most problematic, you can also read The 6 Worst Foods for Type 2 Diabetes (And What to Eat Instead) on our blog.

4. Skimping on Fiber at Lunch and Dinner

Fiber is one of the most underrated tools for managing blood sugar, promoting weight loss, and reducing cholesterol levels. Yet, the average American gets barely 10 grams per day—less than half of what research suggests is necessary for optimal blood sugar control.

Soluble fiber (found in foods like oats, beans, lentils, and certain fruits) slows digestion and reduces the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream. It also feeds your gut microbiome, which plays a direct role in inflammation and insulin sensitivity. A systematic review and meta-analysis showed that increasing dietary fiber significantly improved A1C, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes.[6]

A practical target is about 10 grams of fiber at each main meal, or roughly 30–35 grams per day. That’s much easier to reach when your plate looks closer to a Mediterranean-style or plant-forward pattern:

• Half the plate of non-starchy vegetables
• A generous portion of beans or lentils, tofu, or fish
• A serving of whole grains like quinoa, barley, or brown rice

Small, consistent changes–such as swapping white rice for a fiber-rich grain and adding a cup of vegetables to dinner–add up quickly for both blood sugar control and weight loss.

5. Overlooking Sleep as a Blood Sugar Habit

You can eat well and move more, but if you consistently sleep poorly, your blood sugar will still suffer. Just one night of partial sleep deprivation (around four hours of sleep) can reduce insulin sensitivity by about 20–25% the next day in healthy adults.[7]

When you’re short on sleep, cortisol (your stress hormone) tends to rise, appetite hormones shift, cravings increase, and your body becomes less responsive to insulin. Over time, this pattern raises fasting glucose, A1C, and belly fat—exactly what you’re trying to improve.

Most adults do best with 7–9 hours of sleep per night. Helpful strategies include:

• Keeping your bedroom cool and dark
• Shutting down screens about an hour before bed
• Using a simple wind-down routine, like 5 minutes of deep breathing or gentle stretching
• Talking with your healthcare provider about whether supplements such as magnesium glycinate or ashwagandha are appropriate for you

Treat sleep like a prescription for better blood sugar, not an optional extra.

Bringing It All Together

Most people with high blood sugar focus only on “bad” foods or cheat meals. In reality, it’s the tiny daily habits—light breakfasts with no protein, sitting after meals, the wrong fats, calorie-dense snacks, low fiber, and poor sleep—that quietly keep insulin resistance alive.

You don’t need to change everything at once. Start with one or two habits that feel realistic for your life. Maybe you add 30 grams of protein to breakfast and commit to a 10-minute walk after dinner. Or you focus on boosting fiber at lunch and improving your bedtime routine. As these changes accumulate, many people experience a drop in fasting blood sugar, an improvement in A1C, and a return of energy.

Small, steady changes really can shift your metabolism—in ways that help you stay active, independent, and present with the people you love.

References

1. Park YM, et al. “A high-protein breakfast induces greater insulin and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide responses to a subsequent lunch meal in individuals with type 2 diabetes.” J Nutr. 2015. (PubMed)
2. Hashimoto K, et al. “Positive impact of a 10-min walk immediately after glucose intake on postprandial glucose levels.” Sci Rep. 2025. (PubMed)
3. Vessby B, et al. “Substituting dietary saturated for monounsaturated fat impairs insulin sensitivity in healthy men and women: The KANWU Study.” Diabetologia. 2001. (PubMed)
4. Chen J, et al. “The effectiveness of exercise snacks as a time-efficient treatment for improving cardiometabolic health in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Front Cardiovasc Med. 2025. (Frontiers)
5. Mao T, et al. “Effects of dietary fiber on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” J Funct Foods. 2021. (ScienceDirect)
6. Nitzke D, et al. “Increasing dietary fiber intake for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.” Nutrients. 2024. (PMC)
7. Donga E, et al. “A single night of partial sleep deprivation induces insulin resistance in multiple metabolic pathways in healthy subjects.” J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010. (OUP Academic)
8. Pinheiro MC, et al. “Sleep deprivation and its impact on insulin resistance.” Clin Pract. 2025. (MDPI)