N I recently found myself standing in a well-heated drugstore, very heavily dressed, and feeling thirsty. There were drinks in the fridge iced teasoda, water. Coconut water! But on another can I read “high in fiber,” “sugar-free,” “the drink of tomorrow” – and felt adventurous enough to try this drink today.
A colorful hose curved over the can, like our intestines through the abdominal cavity. Soft drink with apple cider vinegar was written on the back. It had to happen at some point: soft drinks to combat blood sugar spikes. Apple cider vinegar is said to stabilize blood sugar levels and curb cravings.
My roommate caught on to the trend of paying attention to your blood sugar, keeping it as stable as possible and avoiding a glucose rollercoaster a few years ago. In the morning she drank a glass of water with two spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar. Always use a straw, otherwise the acid will attack the tooth enamel.
I watched her and sipped provocatively at my extra-large coffee with oat milk. It was also the time when she tried to make friends with pea milk. Oats are high in sugar and are therefore frowned upon by blood sugar gurus.
The blood sugar trend was primarily started by the French influencer and biochemist Jessie Inchauspé. She says too many blood sugar spikes cause inflammation and, in the long term, chronic disease. More and more often you see people with sugar sensors on their upper arm, which originally for diabetics were developed.
Inchauspé calls herself the Glucose Goddess. Her tips for stable blood sugar: Don’t eat sweets in the morning, otherwise you’ll feel like eating even more sugar for the rest of the day. The following order applies to meals: first vegetables, then proteins, then carbohydrates. Dessert should be eaten immediately afterwards, instead of cake in the afternoon. The sugar is released into the blood more slowly because the stomach is occupied by the fiber. This sequence keeps the glucose high as low as possible.
Scientifically untenable
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The thing is, however, that the studies cited by Inchauspé are based on animal experiments or were carried out with diabetics. High blood sugar levels are a risk for diabetics. It has not been proven that blood sugar spikes are unhealthy for healthy people. In addition, every person reacts differently to meals. A piece of cheesecake can create a small curve for my roommate, but cause a steep peak on my blood sugar curve.
But I actually wanted to try this drink. When opened, the can hisses just as promisingly as a Coke at 32 degrees in the shade. I take a long sip. I smell the problem before I taste it: vinegar. I think about cleaning the bathroom, about limescale edges that I soak in vain. Then my mouth tightens. The drink is unpleasantly sour and I don’t have a straw with me either. I sip a few more times before leaving the can on an electrical box. The smell of vinegar lingers in my nose for a while.
The film “Remember Me” with Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin comes to mind. As always, she orders dessert before the main course in the restaurant. If she dies unexpectedly while eating, she will at least want to have eaten dessert. Because, life is short.