Veggie Gospel - The Bitterness, Flavonoids & Nutrients Your Blood Sugar’s Been Praying For

Is your energy crashing harder than your inbox on a Monday morning? Feel like your blood sugar has a mind of its own (and a chaotic one at that)?

It may be time to trade that beige lunch of sadness for a colorful plate that keeps your glucose curve calm and supports your body's health and energy needs!

In this episode, Aimee pulls back the curtain on the real metabolic magic happening in your produce drawer. You’ll learn:

• Why bitterness isn’t dietary punishment - it’s your metabolic superpower
• How flavonoids and polyphenols train your cells to finally listen to insulin’s knock
• The minerals and nutrients your metabolism has been begging for 
• How to build a plate that supports stable blood sugar without turning you into an annoying wellness cult recruit

No green juice gospel, here! Just science-backed strategies to help you age like a badass and feel steady in your skin.

Episodes referenced:

• Ep 53: The Fast and the Fiber-ous
• Ep 55: Protecting Your Brain Means Protecting Your Heart

Find Research Citations and Transcript at Blasphemous Nutrition on Substack

Work with Aimee

Photography by: Dai Ross Photography

Podcast Cover Art: Lilly Kate Creative

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Transcript

0:00

Hey Rebels. Welcome to Blasphemous Nutrition. Consider this podcast your pantry full of clarity, perspective, and the nuance needed to counter the superficial health advice so freely given on the internet. I am Amy, the unapologetically candid host of Blasphemous Nutrition and a double degreed nutritionist with 20 years experience. I'm here to share a more nuanced take. On living and eating well to sustain and recover your health. If you found most health advice to be so generic is to be meaningless or so extreme that it's unrealistic. And you don't mind the occasional F-bomb, you've come to the right place. From dissecting the latest nutrition trends to breaking down published research and sharing my own clinical experiences, I'm on a mission to foster clarity amidst all the confusion and empower you to have the health you need to live a life you love. Now, let's get started. Hey friend. Welcome back to Blasphemous Nutrition, where we question health trends, decode the science and roast a few vegetables along the way. I'm Aimee, your double degreed nutritionist with a bullshit detector tuned to high sensitivity. And today we are not talking about fasting windows, ketone strips, or whatever. Supplement your coworker swears has changed her life. We are talking about vegetables. Yes, the humble often underestimated produce section because here's the heresy for today, vegetables will save your life. They're not only fiber delivery systems in pretty little packages, they are ultimately biomechanical bad asses that stabilize your blood sugar in more ways than one. So if you have been dealing with. That late afternoon crash where your brain checks out right before your zoom meeting or you've got a body that's either hangry or bloated, but never stable, or you're watching your labs inch closer and closer to diabetes territory, despite doing everything right, this will not only feed your motivation, it'll supply you with your action plan. Here's the obvious. But unspoken truth, if you are insulin resistant, your fork, not your fasting app is your best intervention. Vegetables impact blood sugar through multiple metabolic levers, not just fiber. We're talking about bitter compounds that stimulate bile and glucose uptake minerals. Like magnesium that literally help insulin do its job. Phytonutrients that reduce inflammation and directly support glucose transport. And yes, fiber that feeds your gut and slows down that glucose rush. But none of this requires setting your standard to a saintly eating habit or buying a food scale, or heaven forbid, eating only salads that look good on Instagram. The bar to strive for is not perfection. The bar is, did you eat vegetables today? I wanna start with what you've probably heard before. Fiber. Fiber helps stabilize our blood sugar, but that's not the whole story. I. If you've ever tried to eat more fiber by choking down a tablespoon of Metamucil and hoping for metabolic miracles, you already know it's not any kind of magic fix. There are two kinds of fiber soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is what you'll find in chia seeds, oats, beans, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts. It creates a gel in your gut. That gel slows down how fast glucose gets absorbed after a meal. And slower absorption means less of a spike and less of a crash, resulting in even fewer frustrating moments of asking yourself, why am I hungry again? I just ate insoluble. Fiber is found in veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, carrots. This type of fiber adds bulk to the stool and it feeds your gut microbes. And when those little guys are feasting on fiber, they produce something called short chain fatty acids, especially butyrate. Butyrate does a lot for metabolic health. It improves insulin sensitivity so that your body can respond better to the insulin that it is already making. It helps regulate inflammation, which is huge because chronic inflammation totally messes up your glucose metabolism. It helps maintain gut barrier integrity so that you're not leaking out molecules that trigger additional inflammation. So yes, fiber totally matters. I talk about this more in depth in episode 53, the Fast and the fibrous, which I will link to in the show notes, but fiber is not the only reason that vegetables are metabolic powerhouses. That fiber comes with an all star cast of co-pilots, multiple minerals, which activate enzymes, bitter compounds that talk to your liver and phytochemicals that cool inflammation while helping insulin function properly. So this is why grilled asparagus or a salad hits differently than a fiber supplement. Fiber's not the sole star of the show. It's simply part of the cast. We'll get into all of those different compounds more shortly, but for now, know this. When you eat whole vegetables, you are not just feeding your gut, you're feeding a multifaceted metabolic support team that works in concert. I wanna start by talking about minerals, because if you are stressed or undersleep and you're trying to manage your blood sugar, these little micronutrients will do much more for your metabolism than your tracking app ever will take magnesium. Magnesium is found in. Spinach, Swiss chard, pumpkin seeds, black beans. These are magnesium gold mines, and magnesium is essential for insulin sensitivity. It helps insulin unlock the cell so that glucose can actually be delivered into the cell and used for energy instead of floating around, causing trouble. And when your magnesium levels are low, that lock and key mechanism gets a little janky. Your body will still make insulin, but the cells stop listening. This is called insulin resistance, and this is one way that insulin resistance builds over time, slowly, subtly, and silently. Over half of the American population consumes insufficient amounts of magnesium through the diet. Actual deficiency estimations are super difficult to determine because there's no rapid cost-effective way to measure a whole body magnesium Our body prioritizes magnesium in the blood, so you can actually be deficient in magnesium, but it wouldn't necessarily show up in labs, nor does it mean that there is enough to meet the demand of insulin, even though it's present in the blood in inadequate amount. Why is our diet is so magnesium deficient. Well, as a nation in general, we don't regularly consume enough magnesium rich foods, especially those of us who tend to shy away from eating dark leafy greens. The overprocessing of whole grains and other foods also removes magnesium from the diet. So. Dietary patterns that consist largely of processed foods or is low in leafy greens tends to also be magnesium deficient. The current recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 310 to 420 milligrams per day for adults, and it is higher in pregnant women. But the standard American diet contains only 50 to 80% of that amount. Additionally, magnesium levels in our top soil have fallen due to depletion, erosion, and the pervasiveness of monocropping. By some estimates, the magnesium content in various foods that we consume has declined by 25 to eight. 80% when compared to levels that were measured before 1950. So our grandparents consumed foods that contained a lot more magnesium than the same foods that we consume today. Additionally, they also enjoyed more magnesium in their drinking water because magnesium has largely been removed from most municipal water sources. Next I wanna talk about potassium. Potassium is found in potato skins, dried apricots, lentils, beet greens, and other leafy green veggies. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure. And glucose transport. It's kind of like a traffic controller, keeping glucose, sugars moving to the right places instead of lingering in the bloodstream. Potassium is stored inside the fluid of our cells, but it goes out into the bloodstream as glucose levels rise, thus facilitating the role of insulin to get glucose, as well as that potassium back into the cell. When potassium levels are low. Less insulin is released from the pancreas, and this can lead to a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream. And when someone is already insulin resistant, those chronic high levels of insulin can actually inhibit potassium from leaving the cell and getting into the bloodstream in the first place leading to perpetually low potassium in the blood. That only makes it harder for glucose itself to get into the cell. Potassium is not a magic bullet for diabetes, but it is a missing piece in many metabolic dysfunction puzzles. Your banana's not enough. And ironically, bananas are not the best potassium source anyway. We, we all need is more consistent potassium rich whole foods in order to support healthy glucose metabolism. Now, I would be remiss to leave out zinc and chromium. These minerals are co-factors, basically like a behind the scenes tech crew that helps keep your metabolism functioning. Without zinc, there's no proper insulin release. Without chromium, stable glucose handling doesn't happen very well. It's not sexy, but these minerals basically keep the machinery humming. Insulin is stored in the pancreas in these structures that are held together by zinc. So without adequate zinc, these storage sites become compromised and insulin cannot be stored or released. As effectively, zinc also plays a role in allowing insulin to attach to the cell receptor and release glucose into the cell. So low zinc levels will inhibit the ability of your cells to receive the glucose. Without zinc, your insulin can't work well, your pancreas struggles and glucose can't get where it needs to go. Zinc is especially rich in oysters, muscles, beef, crab, and pumpkin seeds. And these are the foods that I tend to focus on for zinc repletion in clients who show signs of low zinc or who are at risk, such as those who consume a lot of alcohol, people who have digestive disorders, pregnant women and vegetarians. I. Because of its role in immune health, zinc insufficiency or deficiency will often show up in low immune status. You know, chronically getting all the colds and flus that go around as well as a lack of wound healing. But these are not by any indication, the sole signs of low zinc status. Plant's richest in zinc are mushrooms, peas, spinach, and asparagus. But zinc from animal foods is better absorbed than zinc and plants. So an exclusively plant-based diet, like a vegan diet does put one at high risk for zinc deficiency. So while I'm all about veggies and this episode is also all about veggies, too much of a good thing is still too damn much. Chromium is another mineral similar to zinc that is. Not especially rich in the vegetable kingdom, but is especially helpful for glucose regulation. Chromium helps your body use insulin efficiently, reducing the need for high insulin output, and it also supports stable glucose levels. It does this by enhancing the ability of the insulin receptor on the cell to Receiving glucose, much like zinc, making glucose uptake more efficient, chromium supplementation does improve fasting glucose levels in many people who have elevated glucose. So those studies support the idea that chromium deficiency can play a role in glucose regulation. However, supplementing with chromium alone does not lead to reliable results in research. This could be due to the type of chromium offered, or the very fact that not everyone who has glucose issues is chromium deficient. Existing research shows that the most promise with chromium lies in those who may be deficient, as well as those who are specifically insulin resistant. Chromium is found in beef ham, grape juice, and brewer's yeast in the higher concentrations. While chromium content plants vary widely because of variations in soil mineral content, lab analyses do suggest that broccoli, green beans and potatoes with the skins offer the most reliable, significant amounts. It's funny that I'm even talking about this because our actual chromium needs are still largely unknown, and dietary recommendations that are given now are basically based on what is considered a healthy, average diet, not based upon what we know is a necessary amount to prevent deficiency. Okay. Chromium supplementation is not something that I generally advise as There's not enough research to know about what an appropriate amount is in the first place, nor is there sufficient research about any potential interactions with medications. There have been a couple of case studies published showing that, chromium supplementation can lead to kidney issues, and that's another really big reason why I don't just recommend supplementing to potentially lower your glucose levels. The big takeaway for chromium is knowing that it can play a role and it may be a nutrient of concern for you if you have insulin resistance. So eat your broccoli. There's a very real possibility that what you've been labeling as a broken metabolism is just a case of under mineralization and not getting sufficient magnesium, potassium, or chromium, and your produce drawer, that is your apothecary. So we know that vitamins and minerals play a very important role in overall body health and in many of the interactions that our body undergoes. But when it comes to blood sugar, there are non nutrient compounds. That are also incredibly helpful with glucose regulation. The first thing I wanna talk about in this camp is bitterness. I'm not referring to how you feel about your ex or the wellness influencer who sold you$80 glucose support gummies. I'm referring to actual bitter foods like arugula, chicory. Dandelion Greens cio. These veggies don't just wake up your taste buds. They also wake up your metabolism. The bitter compounds in these vegetables stimulate bile production. Bile supports digestion by breaking down fat, but it also plays a surprisingly big role in blood sugar regulation. When you eat bitter vegetables, they stimulate receptors in the gut, which trigger bile secretion from the gallbladder. And this acts not just as a fat digest, but also a signaling molecule. There are certain bile acids, especially secondary bile acids that bind to receptors in the gut lining. Specifically FXR and TGR five. These receptors then stimulate the release of GLP one from cells located in the lower intestine. Yes, that GLP one and GLP one does three significant things. One, it slows down gastric emptying, so food moves through the digestive tract, slower, resulting in more stable blood sugar. Two, it stimulates the release of insulin And three, it tells your brain, Hey, I'm good. I'm full, leading to fewer snack attacks in the mid-afternoon or after dinner. So bile acids ultimately. Play a role in regulating your entire post-meal hormonal response, and that all happens because a bitter green lit the fuse. Now, I'm sure you've already heard about GLP one because it's the precise pathway targeted by weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, but. Bitter greens stimulate GLP one naturally without a prescription, without any side effects like nausea or fatigue. All you gotta do is have a side of arugula with dinner, and when bile is flowing in the body, it also supports your liver. Your liver is a major storage site for glucose that is not immediately used for energy. Aside from being detox central, your your liver serves as a glucose bank manufacturer and manager all in one. It balances the storage, release and creation of glucose 24 7 to help keep your blood sugar levels stable so that your brain and your muscles always have fuel, whether you're sleeping, going on a run or powering through. At your desk in between lunch and dinner, by providing fiber and bitter compounds that slow glucose absorption and improve our insulin sensitivity, bitter greens reduce the metabolic load on the liver, which then helps prevent fatty liver disease and insulin resistance over time. So yeah, your liver cares about what's on your fork and those bitter vegetables give it a tuneup instead of a tear down. But a major problem we have is that we have bred bitterness out of our food system over many, many generations. Our modern vegetables tend to be bred to be sweeter and milder and easier to love. I don't fault anybody for doing this, but easier isn't always better because bitterness builds resilience in your palate, in your metabolism, and in those mitochondria bitter compounds, especially from our leafy greens and our cruciferous veggies, activate detox pathways and reduce oxidative stress, which then helps the mitochondria. Those little itty bitty energy engines located in our cells, consuming bitter compounds in our food support mitochondria, and allowing them to do their job without choking on a bunch of metabolic smoke. So think of bitter foods as prevention, not punishment. And if you want blood sugar stability, digestion that works, and a body that feels less inflamed and more capable, go for the arugula, the cio, even dandelion greens. You can drizzle it with olive oil. You can pair it with roasted sweet potatoes, but don't skip it. And if you're not used to eating those foods yet, good. It's a great exercise in building tolerance. Okay? I'm not a bitter bitch, so let me help you ease into these unique greens. I know they are not the most popular and super tasters especially struggle with adding them into the diet. So here are some tips to make bitter leafy greens less punishing and way, way more delicious. First, you'll want to pair them with a healthy fat olive oil, avocados, nuts, those fats, smooth out the sharp bite, and also help all the phytonutrients in those. Greens absorb better. Fat is very much your friend here. Next, always add an acid, a little lemon juice or vinegar. Really brightens it up and makes it taste more intentional and sophisticated, if I'm honest, rather than just choking down your medicine for the day. Acids are a super powerful remedy, and it's one that I use with my bitter greens regularly. Balancing with sweetness also helps a lot: think roasted root veggies like carrots or yams, a few pomegranate seeds or even adding thinly sliced apple or citrus in your salad. While it helps to hide the flavor, it does this by balancing out the flavor profile overall. And this is a strategy used by professional chefs and also in cultures that emphasize representation of all of the different tastes in a meal like traditional Chinese and Indian cuisines as well as Thai food. There are a lot of ways that we can utilize bitter foods without feeling like we're choking down something nasty. And if all of that is really new to you, I encourage you to take a look at traditional Chinese recipe books, Indian cuisine or Thai food cookbooks to kind of see how all of that is represented. You can use chat GBT to source bitter vegetables that you may want to include in your diet, and then have it create recipes that incorporate some of these tips to reduce the strength of bitterness on your palate so that you can get all of the benefit of those bitter greens without suffering through your meal. Another thing that you can do is use salt. I mean, salt is the great equalizer and just a tiny pinch of sea salt can turn a really harsh bitterness into a more sophisticated, complex taste. Roasting or sauteing your bitter greens also helps quite a bit because that heat will tame the bitter edges and bring out some of the few, but present natural sugars. In these leafy greens, roasted CIO or sauteed dandelion greens with a little garlic and olive oil, and then toss in a handful of roasted yam cubes. Ah, chef's Kiss. Okay, so I've covered fiber, minerals, and bitters, and next I wanna touch upon the stealth warriors hiding in all of your vegetables and fruits, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants. I have also discussed these in detail in episode 55. Protecting your brain means protecting your heart. So I'm just gonna touch briefly upon them today as it relates specifically to glucose regulation. So here's how these same phytonutrients that protect your heart, your vascular system, and your brain also up your glucose game, first, they slow down our bodies. Carbohydrate breakdown. Certain flavonoids like quercetin, which you'll find in onions and kale camperall, which is found in broccoli and spinach, and catechins in green tea. Inhibit carb digesting enzymes called alpha g Sase and alpha Aimeelase. These are enzymes that break down our carbohydrates into glucose, so when we slow them down, we turn a sugar tsunami into a slow drip. Additionally, polyphenols like resveratrol found in red grapes as well as berries. EGCG, again from green tea and quercetin, also as well as CIC acid found in coffee. Enhance glucose uptake through a pathway called A MPK. And A MPK helps move Glu four, which is the glucose transporter, to the surface of the cell from deep within the cell, so that means that more glucose gets taken up by the cell and used for energy instead of lingering around in your bloodstream. Phytonutrients also improve insulin sensitivity directly and indirectly. Certain flavonoids, like quercetin and canfor, all can directly improve how insulin binds to the receptor and Insulin signal downstream, they boost the activation of insulin receptor proteins making that signal stronger and more clear. Additionally, chronic low levels of inflammation and oxidative stress in the body Hinder our glucose signaling, making ourselves deaf or resistant to insulin. And by acting as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, polyphenols and flavonoids reduce these body stressors, allowing insulin receptors to work more effectively and properly again. So consistently including polyphenol and flavonoid rich foods is a smart thing to do. If you wanna reduce your risk of diabetes or if you already have diabetes, you really wanna stay on top of your game in managing the condition. Multiple population studies show that consistently, including polyphenol and flavonoid rich foods is linked to lower type two diabetes risk, and this is further backed up by interventional studies as well as mechanistic studies. You'll see a full list of all of the resources that I used for this episode. In my substack, and I'll include the link to that in the show notes below. If you wanna take a deep dive into what's going on in the research that backs this up. But the big take home ultimately is this: color on your plate today means more stable blood sugar tomorrow and a better shot at skipping admission to club diabetes entirely. As you can see, there are multitudes of factors at play. That impact our blood sugar regulation. I mean, I've just been talking about food. I haven't even talked about physical activity or stress or a multitude of other things in our lives that have a powerful role in how well we handle glucose. But here's the thing that wellness culture often skips. Blood sugar stability does not happen with carnivore vibes and fasting willpower. You need the raw materials of glucose regulation. You need fiber, and you need a variety of polyphenols that support a healthy functioning biological system. And that's just the start. But vegetables deliver that. They deliver it consistently, affordably, and without the digestive drama that comes with mega dosed supplements. You do not have to memorize every compound I've talked about here, or stress over how many milligrams of potassium or magnesium this particular plant has just chase color and variety bring. Different vegetables onto your plate because different veggies have different nutrients and plant compounds that contribute to that metabolic party. They all work together to keep your glucose curve nice and smooth instead of crazy chaotic. Now, how do you actually build a plate that is respectful of your blood sugar without making you wanna cry into a bag of microwave popcorn at dinner? We'll break it down. Into four steps, actually five. First start with your non-starchy veggies, your bitter greens, colorful peppers, cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower. Think of these colorful vegetables. Way beyond what I've just mentioned as your foundation for stable glucose. Veggies first means slower absorption and a gentler blood sugar curve. Step two, add your protein anchor, chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, seafood beans, Whatever works for you and your goals. Protein keeps you full, and it helps prevent the rummaging through the cupboards. That happens an hour later if you only eat vegetables at the sacrifice of everything else. Plus, depending on the protein source you choose, you'll get a good dose of minerals like zinc and chromium that help support insulin sensitivity. Step three, include healthy fats. Think olive oil, avocado, a wide variety of nuts and seeds. These fat sources help you feel satisfied and slow down carb digestion even more. Plus, they tone down the notes of bitterness in some of those veggies. Olive oil also deserves a key mention because it too is quite rich in polyphenols. Step four, layer in your color. Aim for at least two to three different colors on your plate. Each color brings different polyphenols and flavonoids to the table. Don't stress out about creating some kind of artistic palette that includes five or six colors. Just stop settling for beige. I know that right now neutral tones and beige especially is all the rage on the fashion runway, but it should never, ever, ever be trending on your plate. A sprinkle of pomegranate seeds will brighten anything up and provide this delightful little crunch. Maybe make a purple cabbage slaw to have as a side or roast some rainbow carrots, and that can totally change your game. The fifth and final step is to check the vibe. Take a look at your plate. Ask yourself, where is my protein? Where is my produce? And is this plate mostly beige? If so, fix it. You don't have to nail this perfectly at every meal. Okay? Just trend in this general direction. More often than not, remember the bar is not perfection. The bar is. Did you eat a vegetable today? Meal prep is the scaffolding for your health and your cutting board is like your altar. You wanna roast, chop and season your food, like your energy depends on it because it actually does. This is how you build real metabolic resilience meal by meal. And while I do. Sit at the base of my gorgeous wooden cutting board and revere it in my kitchen. You are not condemned to spending hours chopping and preparing fresh vegetables in order to reach your metabolic goals. By all means, take advantage of the benefits that industrialization has achieved when it comes to produce. Precut fresh veggies in the produce section. Frozen veggies include those. There is absolutely no harm in doing it. It's way more convenient and oftentimes depending on where you live, it's even more affordable to do so. Just find a way to get those veggies in and aim for consistency and you will feel a difference. Alright, friends, let's take a breath because I've covered quite a bit. In a short period of time, but here's the breakdown. Fiber isn't just roughage. It blunts those glucose spikes and supports a healthy gut microbiome providing a lot of butyrate that leads to overall gut health and improved glucose tolerance. Bitter greens aren't penance. They stimulate GLP one and they help the liver in its own role of glucose regulation. Our phytonutrients, our polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidants, these are keeping your blood sugar in check and your mitochondria happy and humming and those minerals. Let's not forget our minerals. They are a non-negotiable for insulin to do its job. None of this needs to be complicated or dogmatic. You don't need a monk-like devotion to kale or some kind of color-coded meal plan straight from some. Instagram influencer's inbox. You just need meals that are built with support in mind. Meals that allow you to feel like you're one step closer to success and less like your one work email away from inhaling an entire sleeve of cookies. Your body doesn't demand perfection in order to perform well. It just needs a little love and a lot more plans. So go check your fridge, plan your grocery list. Look up some bitter vegetables that you might wanna think about incorporating in your diet, and then head out and become a veg hunter in your local grocery store. And remember, if you wanna check out all of the research used in this episode and get access to my favorite recipe, using that nutrient-dense, bitter green arugula, check out my substack. The link is in the show notes. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to this podcast to continue to get episodes delivered straight to you. And if you've not left a review, know that doing so. Will give you a special place in my heart, forever and ever and ever. Reviews. Do boost visibility of this podcast and allow others to see if this show is one that they wanna add to their cue. All right, folks. As always, stay salty, stay curious, and I will see you next time. Any and all information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only, and is not to be misconstrued as offering medical advice. Listening to this podcast does not constitute a provider client relationship. Note, I'm not a doctor nor a nurse, and it is imperative that you utilize your brain and your medical team to make the best decisions for your own health. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked to this podcast. Are at the user's own risk. No information nor resources provided are intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Be a smart human and do not disregard or postpone obtaining medical advice for any medical condition you may have. Seek the assistance of your healthcare team for any such conditions and always do so before making any changes to your medical, nutrition or health plan.