Green tea to walking: Top nutritionist explains how ‘healthy habits’ can silently raise blood sugar levels

With lifestyle diseases and novel viruses emerging daily, most of us are consciously switching to healthier habits. From diet to exercise, many have started to focus on controlling factors that are in their hands. But are these ‘healthy habits’ always as beneficial as we think? Drinking green tea is associated with many health benefits, including heart health. However, Dr. Juhi Agarwal, a doctor and clinical nutritionist, trained at King’s College London and the University of Leicester, has cautioned about how some of these well-intentioned practices, such as sipping green tea or walking, can lead to elevated levels of blood sugar. Shocked? Let’s take a look.

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People, especially those with prediabetes or diabetes, tend to switch to jaggery, thinking it's a safer and better alternative to sugar. But is it really? Yes, jaggery is slightly more nutritious than table sugar, but it's still sugar. Jaggery, too, can cause blood sugar spikes. “It has the same effect on your blood sugar levels as sugar does. What you need to do is switch over to probably a stevia or monk fruit to sweeten your teas, coffees, or anything else that you want to have,” Dr. Agarwal said, in a video shared on Instagram.

Those trying to eat healthy often tend to remove seed oils from their diet and substitute them with ghee. While ghee has some potential health benefits, such as boosting vitamin A intake or decreasing inflammation, and protecting against heart disease, it should be consumed in moderation. Cooking all your food in ghee is not ideal, according to Dr. Agarwal. “Of course, ghee has its benefits, and you should apply it on rotis or a little bit on rice or your khichdi or dal. But if you add it to everything, it has too much saturated fat, and that can actually worsen insulin resistance and increase your heart disease risk,” she said.

Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. It is linked with improved heart, brain, and gut health. But sometimes even walking can backfire. Walking when your body is in a fasting state is not ideal. “When you're in that fasted state and you're walking for two hours, your body secretes this hormone called glucagon, which pulls out all the stored energy and pushes it into your blood. So for someone with diabetes, instead of lowering their blood sugars, this two-hour fasted walk can actually shoot their blood sugars up,” the nutritionist said.

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Do you have a habit of skipping meals? Well then, this is your wakeup call. According to Dr. Agarwal, skipping meals would lead to undesirable effects. “This often backfires because what happens is your low blood sugar levels actually secrete these hormones, glucagon, and your stress hormone called cortisol, which push the sugars back up instead of keeping it down. Secondly, it also leads to snacking throughout the day, which keeps your insulin and blood sugar levels high,” she said.

Over time, this pattern may contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, poor metabolism, mood swings, and an increased risk of chronic health conditions.

‘A couple of cups of green tea a day keeps the doctor away,’ is the new wellness mantra. Green tea consumption is linked to improved gut, liver, heart, and even brain health. Most people today switch from their regular tea to green tea or black coffee as a healthy alternative. Their low-calorie profile has also added to their popularity. But guess what? Even green tea can backfire. “Excessive consumption can drive up your cortisol levels, which then can push your sugar levels up, especially when you do it on an empty stomach,” the doctor said.

“So remember that even healthy habits can backfire if not done in the right balance,” she added.

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The information provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, or before making changes in your diet or execrise regime.