I wore a blood glucose monitor and logged food for 10 days, and learned my body prefers fats over sugar

Hilary BrueckJun 3, 2021, 01:29 IST

YIUCHEUNG/Shutterstock

As a health and science reporter, I've spent years reading nutrition studies and examining what the best diets have in common.
So when I recently got an opportunity to be a part of a clinical trial, I jumped at the chance.
I was surprised at how differently my body responds to fat and sugar, but the best foods for me were not a shock.

After years of poring over nutrition studies, I recently got the chance to be part of one.

Sign me up! Hilary Brueck/Insider

The study was led by Tim Spector, an epidemiologist from King's College in London, who recently started his own nutrition company.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

During the study, I wore a continuous glucose monitor on my arm.

Continuous glucose monitors instantly measure blood sugar levels. BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The monitor measured my blood sugar levels constantly throughout the day.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

I kept a log of everything I ate using Zoe's app, which made home-cooked meals a pretty exhausting affair.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

At home, I had to weigh every single thing that went in my mouth with this scale, provided by the study.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

I even had to photograph my meals next to a color card, so the researchers could get a more precise gauge of the size and hue of what I ate.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

Mercifully, when I ate prepackaged foods, I could log them in Zoe's app without any weighing or measuring.

Marina Nazario/Business Insider

Zoe also sent me some pre-packaged breakfasts, to better monitor how my body responds to fatty versus sugary morning meals.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

When I wasn't eating muffins, my breakfasts were syrupy glucose drinks, built to measure my tolerance for sugary stuff.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

I fasted for three hours after each breakfast test, and was instructed to keep physical activity to a minimum during that time.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

The study quickly started to feel like a second job. Not only was I keeping track of everything I ate, I was also collecting blood samples for the research team at precise intervals while I was at work.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

The study quickly started to feel like a second job. Not only was I keeping track of everything I ate, I was also collecting blood samples for the research team at precise intervals while I was at work.

In addition to blood, I also gave the researchers some of my spit, and a stool sample (that's not pictured, and you're welcome).

Hilary Brueck/Insider

The study also tried to track how fast foods worked their way through my system, with help from some very, very blue muffins.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

When I was allowed to eat my regular diet again, I stopped seeing the morning blood sugar crashes, and only noticed a small peak in my blood sugar levels each night around dinnertime.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

When I was allowed to eat my regular diet again, I stopped seeing the morning blood sugar crashes, and only noticed a small peak in my blood sugar levels each night around dinnertime.

Because of the pandemic, it took more than a year to get my study results back. Zoe finally said I have "poor blood sugar control," which is pretty normal for my age.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

I learned that my body is far better at processing fat than sugar, which was a nice surprise.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

The study team combined the results of my blood, glucose, and poop tests to score my meals based on how well they worked for me.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

High fat nuts, as well as crunchy veggies and rich hummus were some of my top-rated snacks.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

Sweet fruits were rated slightly less favorably for me.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

While this half of a pumpkin donut I ate one day at work was one of the worst rated foods I ate. (What a shocker.)

Hilary Brueck/Insider

In the end, the insights from the Zoe team were not groundbreaking, but it was cool to have the opportunity to see my body respond to sugar and fat in real time.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

The study suggested I stay away from processed foods like white bread, sausages, and chocolate bars.

Hilary Brueck/Insider

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I wore a blood glucose monitor and logged food for 10 days, and learned my body prefers fats over sugar

After years of poring over nutrition studies, I recently got the chance to be part of one.

The study was led by Tim Spector, an epidemiologist from King's College in London, who recently started his own nutrition company.

During the study, I wore a continuous glucose monitor on my arm.

The monitor measured my blood sugar levels constantly throughout the day.

I kept a log of everything I ate using Zoe's app, which made home-cooked meals a pretty exhausting affair.

At home, I had to weigh every single thing that went in my mouth with this scale, provided by the study.

I even had to photograph my meals next to a color card, so the researchers could get a more precise gauge of the size and hue of what I ate.

Mercifully, when I ate prepackaged foods, I could log them in Zoe's app without any weighing or measuring.

Zoe also sent me some pre-packaged breakfasts, to better monitor how my body responds to fatty versus sugary morning meals.

When I wasn't eating muffins, my breakfasts were syrupy glucose drinks, built to measure my tolerance for sugary stuff.

I fasted for three hours after each breakfast test, and was instructed to keep physical activity to a minimum during that time.

The study quickly started to feel like a second job. Not only was I keeping track of everything I ate, I was also collecting blood samples for the research team at precise intervals while I was at work.

In addition to blood, I also gave the researchers some of my spit, and a stool sample (that's not pictured, and you're welcome).

The study also tried to track how fast foods worked their way through my system, with help from some very, very blue muffins.

When I was allowed to eat my regular diet again, I stopped seeing the morning blood sugar crashes, and only noticed a small peak in my blood sugar levels each night around dinnertime.

Because of the pandemic, it took more than a year to get my study results back. Zoe finally said I have "poor blood sugar control," which is pretty normal for my age.

I learned that my body is far better at processing fat than sugar, which was a nice surprise.

The study team combined the results of my blood, glucose, and poop tests to score my meals based on how well they worked for me.

High fat nuts, as well as crunchy veggies and rich hummus were some of my top-rated snacks.

Sweet fruits were rated slightly less favorably for me.

While this half of a pumpkin donut I ate one day at work was one of the worst rated foods I ate. (What a shocker.)

In the end, the insights from the Zoe team were not groundbreaking, but it was cool to have the opportunity to see my body respond to sugar and fat in real time.

The study suggested I stay away from processed foods like white bread, sausages, and chocolate bars.