31 Oct , 10:15
0
The seemingly harmless habit of emptying your plate down to the last crumb can have serious health consequences, causing blood sugar spikes and provoking metabolic disorders, warns therapist Olga Chistik.
As it turns out, our brain perceives the portion on the plate as a kind of consumption norm. Scientific research confirms the alarming pattern: the larger the portion, the more a person eats, regardless of their actual feeling of hunger. This habit, formed from childhood, turns into an automatism that forces us to continue eating even after reaching satiety. Many people are haunted by guilt for "leaving food" and imposed attitudes like "you can't throw away food," which exacerbates the problem and prevents listening to the body's natural signals.
Therapist Olga Chistik draws attention to a surprising fact: just 2–3 additional spoonfuls of rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes contain about 20 grams of carbohydrates. For white rice, this is equivalent to approximately 14 units of glycemic load – an indicator reflecting the rate of glucose increase in the blood.
"Even such a small excess affects the postprandial (after eating) curve: the sugar level rises higher, and the pancreas is forced to secrete more insulin. If this happens regularly, cells gradually lose sensitivity to the hormone, and the body has to produce more and more insulin to reduce sugar. Over time, a stable behavior model is formed in which the brain demands eating "to the end," although the body has already received enough energy," the doctor explained.
Insulin plays a key role in energy metabolism, helping glucose penetrate cells. However, its excessive production leads to decreased cell sensitivity and impaired glucose absorption.
"The body begins to produce even more insulin to compensate for the rise in sugar, and this process turns into a vicious circle. Gradually, insulin resistance develops – a condition in which sugar remains in the blood, and the pancreas works with overload. Even if tests are still normal, hormonal failures are already starting," Chistik warned.
It's important to note that insulin resistance can develop not only in overweight people. You should be alerted by symptoms such as drowsiness 30–90 minutes after eating, an irresistible craving for sweets or coffee, a feeling of "fog" in the head, and the appearance of fat deposits in the abdominal area. In some cases, dark velvety pigmentation – acanthosis, associated with excess insulin – may appear on the neck and armpits.
The specialist also highlights other warning signals: blood pressure jumps, feeling hungry in the morning after a hearty dinner, sharp energy fluctuations, and fatigue after eating. People with a hereditary predisposition to diabetes, women with polycystic ovary syndrome, and patients with sleep apnea, hypertension, and low physical activity are at particular risk.
To prevent metabolic disorders, Chistik recommends abandoning the habit of eating "on autopilot." An effective solution can be the "80% plate" rule – stopping before reaching complete satiation.
"The satiety signal comes with a delay of 10–20 minutes, so it's important to eat slowly and take a break before adding more. Half of the plate should be filled with
