What Is The Best Time to Eat Dessert to Avoid a Blood Sugar Spike

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lot of people regularly eat desserts for their love of sweets, making it a sort of ritual after dinner. However, if you ever feel off the sugary treat - whether that’s low energy or a sudden craving for more food, it could mostly be due to blood sugar shifts. Studies indicate that when you eat dessert, it shapes how your blood sugar responds. However, small adjustments can form a smoother blood sugar response without cutting dessert out entirely.

What is the best time to have a dessert?

Studies say that if you consume your favourite dessert earlier in the day, such as after lunch or in the mid-afternoon, it causes smaller blood sugar spikes as compared to eating it after dinner or late at night. A major reason behind it is circadian rhythm – your body’s internal clock. Since insulin sensitivity is naturally higher earlier in the day and gradually declines as the day goes on. It means that your body can process sugar better during the day. Among healthy adults, sweet snacks late at night can cause higher glucose spikes as compared to eating the same in the afternoon. These effects, according to experts, even carried over to higher blood sugar levels at breakfast the next morning. Larger analyses have also reported similar patterns, which show lower post-meal glucose responses during the daytime.

Eating dessert after a balanced meal is a great idea

Not only does the dessert matter, but what you eat with or before it is also important. Emerging research shows that the order of foods in a meal can significantly influence blood sugar levels. Eating carbohydrates, including sweets, after protein, vegetables, and healthy fats, rather than on their own or first, can help reduce sharp post-meal glucose spikes. Here’s why it happens:

• Protein, fibre, and fat slow digestion
• They delay how quickly food leaves the stomach
• This allows glucose to enter the bloodstream more gradually

As a result, the body experiences a steadier rise in blood sugar instead of a sudden surge.

When does your body tolerate dessert better?

Dessert tends to have a milder impact on blood sugar when it follows a balanced meal that includes:

• Protein – which includes fish, chicken, tofu, eggs, and yogurt
• Fibre, which you can get from vegetables
• Healthy fats like nuts, seeds, olive oil, and avocado

In contrast, eating dessert on an empty stomach, or as a standalone snack, can cause glucose levels to spike more quickly, especially in individuals with insulin resistance or diabetes.

The best kind of dessert you can eat without worry

Apart from when you eat, the type of dessert also matters. Studies say that sweet treats with a lower glycemic index or lower-glycemic load produce smaller blood sugar rises compared to highly refined sweets, especially when eaten later in the day. A few of these include:

• Unsweetened yogurt with berries and chopped nuts
• Dark chocolate paired with nuts
• Chia pudding
• Fruit with nut butter