Protein vs. Carbs: How to Build a Better Meal for Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health | Nicola Guess

Practical strategies for meals and blood sugar

• Prioritize protein. Nicola Guess says the study’s results may owe more to higher protein intake than to strict carbohydrate restriction. The ideal amount is uncertain, but about 35 g of protein per meal is offered as a practical starting point.
• Build meals around protein and plants. Choose chicken or fish, or tofu, plant-based meat substitutes, and legumes. Legumes can replace some white or processed carbohydrates while adding protein and phytonutrients.
• Keep optional starch portions modest. Rice or potatoes can still fit into a meal; keep portions small and pair them with protein and vegetables.
• Add plenty of vegetables and some healthy fat. Choose vegetables you enjoy and oils such as olive, canola/rapeseed, or sunflower.
• Don’t feel obliged to cook and cool rice or potatoes. Guess finds this step inconvenient and suggests that reducing the starch portion and including protein may be enough to lower a meal’s glycaemic impact. She says protein and other parts of the meal can slow carbohydrate absorption.
• Include nuts and seeds if you can eat them safely. Guess describes the evidence for a small daily amount of nuts and cardiovascular prevention as strong, and says nuts can suit different eating patterns.
• Don’t assume common seed oils cause inflammation in people. Guess says animal research may suggest inflammation, but human evidence consistently does not. She mentions using canola, sunflower, and olive oil.

What remains uncertain

The exact protein dose and whether effects vary by body weight are unresolved.

The video also includes a sponsor segment promoting 38 Terra’s Daily Microbiome Nutrition and citing a 15-day study. This is an advertisement, not part of the meal-planning advice.

Presenters and sources mentioned

Simon Hill (host), Nicola Guess (guest), the PREDIMED study, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, and 38 Terra.