Let me share something I hear almost every week in my clinic. A patient walks in, let’s call him Ramesh, a 52-year-old office manager from Pune who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes a year ago.
From that very day, he stopped sugar in his chai, switched to sugar-free biscuits, and even gave up rice completely. Yet, a year later, his blood sugar levels haven’t changed much. He was feeling frustrated, confused by his blood test results.
“I’ve cut out sugar completely,” he told me. “Why isn’t it working?”
I see this happen every day. And my straightforward answer to this is diabetes isn’t just about sugar.
The myth we need to address
There’s a common belief in India running around in families, WhatsApp forwards, and even in some clinics that diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar and that just stopping sugar can reverse it. It does sound logical, but is it really? Let’s understand.
Type 2 diabetes is primarily a condition of insulin resistance. To understand insulin resistance, picture insulin (glucose-regulating hormone) as a key and your body’s cells as locked doors. In a healthy individual, that key works perfectly fine; insulin allows glucose (the sugar from your food) to enter the cells for energy.
But in someone with Type 2 diabetes, the key doesn’t fit quite right. The lock gets stubborn. The door doesn’t open easily. And glucose? It just stands outside like a guest who wasn’t let in to the party.
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So what causes this resistance in the first place? It’s not just “eating sugar.”
It’s a mix of factors which includes excess body fat (especially around the belly, which is the metabolic VIP area), a sedentary lifestyle, poor sleep, chronic stress, irregular meals, genetic predisposition, and yes, a diet consistently high in refined carbohydrates and processed foods.
Cutting out sugar is a step in the right direction. But it’s just one step on a staircase that has many more to climb and no, there’s no lift to escape this staircase.
So, what actually matters? Here's what you can start right now
Fix your plate, not just your sugar intake
Instead of asking, "Can I eat rice?" start asking yourself, "How can I balance this meal of mine better?" Because remember, diabetes management isn’t about one food, it’s about the glycemic load of the whole plate. By that I mean how much glucose the meal delivers, and how fast it enters your bloodstream.
Here’s how we helped Ramesh crack the blood sugar management code:
- He didn’t cut out the rice completely. Instead, he scaled it back from two full katoris to a single medium-bowl serving.
- We told him to pair the rice with 2 big bowls of vegetables. Vegetables of his choice, which he enjoyed eating.
- We also made sure he included a source of protein on his plate every single time: whether it was dal, low-fat paneer, egg, or chicken, without fail.
This simple adjustment helped slow the rate at which sugar enters his bloodstream after meals. Fibre and protein act like 'speed breakers'. The glucose still enters the blood, but more slowly and steadily.
Important to note, don’t completely skip carbs (that’s not a sustainable approach). Just ensure they’re not the only thing on your plate. Imagine carbs as that one overly excited friend, great in a crowd, but totally wild when no one's watching.
Build your muscle
Your muscles are like sponges for glucose. The more you use them, the more glucose they absorb directly from your blood. The more regularly you move, the better your body responds to insulin.
Taking the time to build and maintain muscle is one of the best choices you can make for keeping your blood sugar in check. Muscle tissue works hard to pull glucose from your bloodstream and store it for energy. The more muscle you have, the better your body can manage glucose over the long haul, even when you're just chilling out. You don’t even need a gym to get started! Simple bodyweight exercises or light-weight full-body dumbbell workouts at home can do wonders.
Move your body
When you walk, your muscles are actively working, and working muscles use up glucose in real time. That's why a 15-minute walk after meals can noticeably reduce post-meal sugar spikes. Even small actions make a big difference.
You can get started with:
- 10 minutes walk post meals
- Completing 8 to 10 thousand steps per day.
- Taking the stairs instead of the lift, even if it's just 2 floors.
Sleeping right
Poor sleep directly increases blood sugar. Sleeping less than 6 hours regularly raises stress hormones, which push glucose into the bloodstream.
Late-night scrolling, binge-watching, and irregular sleep schedules can quietly worsen diabetes. Aim for 7 hours of consistent sleep. Many patients see better fasting sugar numbers just by fixing this one habit.
Type 2 diabetes is not a life sentence. Achieving good blood glucose control means looking at the bigger picture. It’s not just about cutting things out; it’s also about what you bring in.
Reducing sugar is a great first step, but don’t stop there! If you’re putting in the effort and still not seeing improvements, it might be time to chat with a clinical nutritionist.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.