Do you know the feeling when you’re full of energy right after a snack but completely drained 20 minutes later? That’s your blood sugar curve out of sync. NEOH helps prevent exactly that – for constant focus, stable energy, and less craving.
Learn here how blood sugar affects your cravings, energy level, and concentration!
- Glucose provides energy needed by the brain, organs, and muscles.
- After a meal, blood sugar rises individually and depending on the glycemic load.
- Strong blood sugar fluctuations lead to fatigue, cravings, and concentration problems.
- Products high in fiber (like NEOH) help keep blood sugar stable.
- Regular blood sugar checks (e.g., with CGM sensors) show you how your blood sugar reacts to meals/snacks.
What is blood sugar?
Blood sugar, also called blood glucose, shows you how much sugar is currently in your blood. The blood sugar curve, which graphically displays blood sugar values over a certain period, shows how blood sugar develops throughout the day.
Normal blood sugar levels:
|
Fasting blood sugar (morning) |
< 100 mg/dl |
|
2 hours after a meal |
< 140 mg/dl |
Glucose, a simple sugar (e.g., in table sugar), is the most important energy source for your cells. They convert glucose into ATP (energy), which our organs, muscles, and brain need for vital functions. When you eat, carbohydrates from bread, rice, or other carb-rich foods are broken down into glucose. To get glucose into the cells, your body needs the hormone “insulin”. This hormone is produced by the pancreas and ensures that glucose is either used directly as energy or stored in the liver. Because of this hormone, blood sugar drops again after a meal. Without this hormone, sugar would remain in the blood and blood sugar would rise.
The counterpart to insulin is glucagon. This hormone is also produced and released by the pancreas when blood sugar drops, to release stored sugar from the liver. This helps blood sugar levels stabilize repeatedly.
How and why is blood sugar measured?
People with diabetes mellitus usually measure their blood sugar to understand the effects of their diet and exercise on their blood sugar levels. This helps them estimate the required insulin dose and avoid hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. There are two common methods to measure blood sugar.
1. The classic blood sugar meter: is the most common method, where after a small prick on the fingertip, a drop of blood is placed on a test strip. The currently measured value is displayed on the device screen. Blood sugar values are given either in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or millimoles per liter (mmol/l).
2. CGM – continuous Glucose monitoring: A small sensor with a millimeter-thin wire is placed under the skin on the upper arm. It measures the sugar in the tissue fluid and transmits the values via Bluetooth to an app on your smartphone. This way, you not only see the current value but also the blood sugar trend throughout the day. At NEOH, blood sugar is regularly monitored internally with CGM measurements to continuously check the effect of our products on blood sugar and ensure that blood sugar is only minimally affected. This keeps your body evenly supplied with energy – without your blood sugar riding a roller coaster. 🎢
Blood sugar goes up and down – that's normal. But when does it become problematic? If you want to know why too many ups and downs harm your body, stay tuned. 👌
What is the glycemic index (GI)?
The glycemic index (GI) indicates how quickly a food raises blood sugar. Pure glucose (dextrose) with the highest GI of 100, which enters the blood fastest, serves as a reference value. It enters the blood within 5–10 minutes because it does not need to be digested due to its simple chemical structure. ➡️ Glucose is ideal when a rapid energy supply is needed. For example, in hypoglycemia.
- Products with high GI (> 70): provide quick energy but only satisfy briefly. Afterwards, blood sugar drops rapidly again and cravings are inevitable. Examples: white rice, sweets
- Products with low GI (< 55): slow rise in blood sugar levels, longer-lasting energy and feeling of fullness. Examples: whole grains, legumes, blueberries
What is glycemic load (GL)?
Glycemic load combines the GI with the amount of carbohydrates actually consumed from the food. Carbohydrates affect the glycemic load because they determine how much and what type of sugar enters the bloodstream. So the GI alone doesn't say much. What matters is how many carbohydrates are in the serving. The GL indicates how much your blood sugar rises overall with a typical portion.
Let's take a closer look at this with an example. 🔎
A watermelon has a high GI (75) but a low GL.
This results in a glycemic load of 4.5. But what does that mean now? 🤔
➡️ The sugar from watermelon enters the blood quickly due to the high GI, but because of the overall low amount of carbohydrates in watermelon, blood sugar hardly rises!
Reference values for glycemic load:
|
Low |
0–10 |
|
Medium |
11–19 |
|
High |
20+ |
In short: GI shows the speed, GL the actual effect on blood sugar.
Blood sugar in focus: GI, GL & the effect of selected foods:
|
Food |
GI |
Carbohydrates/100 g |
GL |
Effect on blood sugar |
|
Glucose |
100 (high) |
100g |
100 (high) |
strong increase 📈 |
|
White bread |
70 (high) |
55g |
38.8 (high) |
strong increase 📈 |
|
White rice |
70 (high) |
40g |
28 (high) |
significant increase 📈 |
|
Whole grain bread |
40 (low) |
45g |
18 (medium) |
moderate increase |
|
Lentils (yellow) |
30 (low) |
40g |
12 (low) |
barely any increase 💚 |
|
Watermelon |
75 (high) |
6g |
4.5 (low) |
barely any increase 💚 |
|
Raspberries |
25 (low) |
8g |
2 (low) |
barely any increase 💚 |
💡 Note: The GI alone is not enough to assess how much a food affects your blood sugar. The GL takes portion size into account and is therefore more practical. A diet with mostly low GL helps avoid blood sugar fluctuations and keeps energy levels stable.
Everyone reacts differently to foods, so blood sugar response is individual and no general values can be set for how many mg/dl blood sugar rises after consuming a certain food.
Why are stable blood sugar levels important?
Do you know the energy crash after a sugary meal? First a quick energy boost, then the crash. The reason lies in the blood sugar level – the amount of glucose currently circulating in your blood. As we already know, glucose is our main fuel. Without it, hardly anything works in the body. But when too much sugar enters the blood at once, blood sugar fluctuates greatly and the body goes on a "roller coaster." The consequences are fatigue, cravings, and concentration problems.
Now let's take a closer look at the two "extremes" of blood sugar levels:
1. When blood sugar levels are above the normal range (70–180 mg/dl), this is called hyperglycemia (commonly known as "high blood sugar"). This happens, for example, when we eat more sugar or carbohydrate-rich foods than insulin can process. The excess glucose remains in the blood instead of entering the cells where it is needed as an energy source. Symptoms such as fatigue, frequent urination, and thirst are common with high blood sugar because the body excretes the sugar through the kidneys and urine. In the long term, hyperglycemia can even damage blood vessels in the brain, heart, and other organs.
Did you know that sugar deposits in blood vessels can lead to calcification (arteriosclerosis) and even increase the risk of strokes? Also, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and pancreatic diseases are often linked to chronically elevated blood sugar!
2. After a very rapid blood sugar spike, such as after an energy drink, the body often releases too much insulin to process the “sugar flood.” This can lead to a sharp drop in blood sugar below normal levels. This is called hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Our body reacts to the blood sugar drop with cravings, especially for sugary foods, to raise blood sugar levels again. ➡️ A constant vicious cycle of ups and downs.
💡Note: Both extremes mean the cells lack energy. In hyperglycemia, because glucose does not enter the cells. And in hypoglycemia, because there is too little sugar in the blood. That’s why symptoms like fatigue, weakness, and concentration problems can feel similar in both conditions. – But not with NEOH! Our products contain no added sugar and are rich in fiber to keep your blood sugar stable and prevent so-called “sugar crashes.” 👉 More on this in the article: Fiber – the only ballast your body really needs.
This is how you keep your blood sugar curve under control
At NEOH, we have a clear goal: no blood sugar roller coasters! We achieve this through our sugar substitute ZERO+, which consists of many plant-based fibers, including agave, chicory, wheat, and corn. Fiber slows down the absorption of sugar in the body and effectively prevents blood sugar spikes. A study by MedUni Vienna (2022) shows that ZERO+ causes significantly lower blood sugar fluctuations compared to glucose. 
We want your blood sugar levels to stay stable even after snacking! With products from NEOH, you combine enjoyment, energy, and balance – completely WITHOUT sugar crashes.📉 😴
