🔬 Monday  ·  Food on Trial
Banana on an Empty Stomach

Monday morning.

I made a mistake at breakfast.

My wife had left a bunch of bananas on the counter, and I grabbed one on my way out the door. No eggs. No nuts. Just a banana and a cup of black coffee.

Then I checked my glucose monitor.

What I saw was not pretty…

Banana on an empty stomach
Peak glucose spike
+95
   
mg/dL above fasting
Start
85
mg/dL · 0 min
Peak ⚡
180
mg/dL · 30 min
Crash ↓
72
mg/dL · 60 min
Source: Continuous glucose monitor (Libre 3)

In less than 30 minutes, my blood sugar shot from 85 to 180 mg/dL. A spike of 95 points. And then it crashed… hard… back down to 72 within the hour.

It's revealing.

A banana seems like a healthy choice. We've been told it's a good source of potassium and fiber. And it is. But here's the thing… a banana on an empty stomach is basically a sugar bomb with good PR.

In other words, without fat or protein to slow things down, the sugar floods your bloodstream like water through a burst pipe.

The crash that follows is what makes you reach for a muffin at 10am. It's the reason you feel tired and foggy before lunch. And it's the thing that, done day after day, nudges your body toward insulin resistance.

A terrible cycle.

● Meanwhile, The Hack

If I'd eaten two eggs first, and then had the banana, the story would have been completely different.

Protein and fat act like a dam. They slow the rush of sugar into your blood. The spike shrinks. The crash softens. And you stay full until lunch.

🍌
Banana Alone
+95
mg/dL spike
🥚+🍌
Eggs First
+33
mg/dL spike

I tested this the next day. Same banana. But this time, after two scrambled eggs.

Look at the difference…

Same banana, two breakfasts
Banana alone
+95
   
Eggs first, then banana
+33
   
mg/dL above fasting
Source: Continuous glucose monitor (Libre 3)

Same banana. One small change. 65% lower spike.

🥚
Eat protein first
Two eggs, Greek yogurt, or a handful of nuts. Anything with fat and protein.
Wait 5 to 10 minutes
Give the protein a head start so it's already slowing digestion.
🍌
Then eat the banana
The sugar hits a wall of protein instead of an empty stomach.

● The Bigger Picture

I walk around these days with a glucose monitor stuck to the back of my arm. My wife thinks it makes me look like a cyborg. The kids think it's cool.

What the monitor has shown me, over and over, is that the foods we think of as "healthy" are often the biggest spikers.

Here are three more surprises from my monitor…

🥜
Granola Bar
"Heart-healthy whole grains"
⚡ Spike
+81
mg/dL
🧃
Orange Juice
"Good source of vitamin C"
⚡ Spike
+76
mg/dL
🍯
Oatmeal + Honey
"The perfect breakfast"
⚡ Spike
+71
mg/dL

We've been told to fear fat and worship fruit. But our blood sugar tells a different story.

This is something we should all keep an eye on.

 

"Never eat fruit alone. Always pair it with protein or fat first."

If you're feeling adventurous… try eating two eggs before your fruit tomorrow morning. Then notice how you feel at 10am. I think you'll be surprised.

That's it for today. Small change. Big difference.

To flatter curves and fewer crashes 🍳

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