10 Subtle Signs Your Diet Is Harming Blood Sugar

A former Olympic athlete’s “it didn’t catch up yet” moment

The video opens with a point that lands because it is personal: the expert describes eating “way too much processed food” in his 20s, even while competing at an Olympic level, and feeling fine at the time.

That is the trap. A lot of diet damage is silent, subtle, and slow.

This framing matters in blood sugar and diabetes conversations because many people wait for a dramatic warning sign. The angle here is different. Instead of starting with a diagnosis like prediabetes, the discussion focuses on everyday clues that your metabolism, gut, hormones, and immune system may be getting pushed in the wrong direction.

The core idea: blood sugar stability and nutrient density

A recurring mechanism in the video is blood sugar swings. Your body wants blood glucose in a relatively narrow range. When meals are built around sugar, refined starches, and heavily processed foods, glucose can rise quickly, then drop quickly. That drop can overshoot into a “too low for you” zone, which often feels like hunger, irritability, shakiness, or an urgent need to snack.

But there is a second mechanism that is easy to miss: processed foods are depleted foods.

The expert’s model is simple and memorable. Real, minimally processed foods bring calories plus a corresponding amount of nutrients, including:

With many ultra-processed foods, you can get plenty of calories but only a fraction of the nutrients you would expect at that calorie level. The body, in this view, keeps pushing you to eat because it is still “looking for” what it did not get.

Did you know? Global guidance increasingly emphasizes overall dietary patterns, not single “magic” nutrients. The World Health Organization’s updated healthy diet guidance highlights limits on free sugars and a focus on healthier fats and whole foods in the diet pattern, not just calorie counting alone, according to a summary from Harvard’s Nutrition SourceTrusted Source.

This perspective also challenges a common misconception: that health is mostly about short-term results. The video repeatedly highlights that you can “get away with” junk food for years, then pay for it later.

Signs 1 and 2: always hungry, cravings run the show

Sign 1: You are always hungry

Constant hunger is not always a personality trait.

In this framing, it is often a physiology problem. Refined carbohydrates can create a fast rise in blood sugar, followed by a fast drop. When glucose drops, the body interprets it as a problem to solve, and hunger is one of the loudest signals it can use.

There is also the nutrient density issue. If the brain and body expected a certain amount of micronutrients, essential fats, and amino acids for a given amount of calories, and they did not arrive, appetite can stay switched on. You can feel “full” in stomach volume but still feel unsatisfied.

Pro Tip: If you notice hunger returning quickly after a meal, try a simple experiment for 7 days: build each meal around a protein source, a high-fiber plant food, and a minimally processed fat. Many people find that steadier meals reduce the urge to snack, especially on sweets.

Sign 2: Cravings are controlling you

Hunger is about needing food. Cravings are often about needing a feeling.

The video draws a sharp line here. If eating is mainly to change emotions, like boredom, agitation, sadness, or stress, then food is acting more like a drug than nourishment. The expert uses the phrase “dopamine hijacking,” pointing out that manufacturers design many processed foods to be hyper-rewarding.

What is unique in this video is the gut angle. The discussion suggests that dysbiosis, an imbalance in gut microbes, can amplify sugar cravings. Sugar can preferentially feed certain microbes, and those microbes can produce chemicals that influence signaling to the brain. In that scenario, “your” craving may feel personal, but the driver might be a microbial ecosystem that has adapted to frequent sugar.

This is not a reason for shame. It is a reason to get curious.

Here are a few reflective questions that match the video’s approach:

Important: If cravings feel compulsive, or you have a history of disordered eating, extreme restriction can backfire. Consider discussing a sustainable plan with a registered dietitian or clinician who understands eating behavior and metabolic health.

Sign 3: waking up tired, even after enough hours

Waking tired is not always about bedtime.

The video links sleep quality to blood sugar stability. If blood sugar drops during the night, the body may respond with a cortisol release. Cortisol is a stress hormone designed to keep you alert in emergencies. In the expert’s explanation, cortisol can override melatonin, the hormone that supports sleep.

That means you can spend enough hours in bed and still miss deep sleep or REM sleep. You may wake up feeling like you “worked overnight.”

Nutrients show up again here. The discussion highlights that magnesium and B vitamins are involved in making melatonin and supporting deeper sleep. Processed diets are commonly low in these micronutrients.

Then there is the gut connection: serotonin is a precursor to melatonin, and the video emphasizes that a large share of serotonin is produced in the gut. If gut health is disrupted, sleep signaling may also be affected.

Expert Q&A

Q: Could blood sugar swings really affect sleep, even if I do not have diabetes?

A: It is possible. Some people experience nighttime awakenings or restless sleep when their evening meals are high in refined carbs, especially if they also skip protein or fiber. If you suspect this pattern, tracking what you eat at dinner and how you sleep for 1 to 2 weeks can give you useful clues.

If you have symptoms of low blood sugar at night, frequent urination, loud snoring, or daytime sleepiness, it is worth discussing with a clinician. Sleep issues can have multiple causes, including sleep apnea, stress, medication effects, and thyroid problems.

Jordan Lee, RD (Registered Dietitian)

Sign 4: stubborn weight and the insulin resistance “double whammy”

Stubborn weight is often treated like a math problem. Eat less, move more.

The video argues that this is incomplete, especially when insulin resistance enters the picture.

Here is the “double whammy” described:

The result can feel like a mismatch: you have plenty of stored energy, but your body behaves like it cannot use it easily, so you feel hungry and seek more food.

The discussion also critiques short-term dieting. The expert describes how “diets” often rely on deprivation and a temporary mindset. When people stop, they return to the same foods that caused the issue. Repeated cycles can contribute to “yo-yo dieting,” and the body may adapt by lowering energy expenditure, making weight loss harder over time.

This is where the video’s core recommendation returns: eat real food to reduce overeating and support insulin sensitivity.

What the research shows: Large reviews consistently find that healthier dietary patterns, including higher intakes of minimally processed plant foods, adequate protein, and healthier fats, are associated with better cardiometabolic outcomes over time. For an evidence-based overview of how diet patterns relate to chronic disease risk, see this review on diet and healthTrusted Source.

Signs 5 and 6: faster aging, moodiness, anxiety

Sign 5: You feel like you are aging faster than your friends

This sign is not about vanity. It is about tissue biology.

The video highlights glycation, where glucose sticks to proteins more readily when blood sugar is higher than ideal. Over time, glycated proteins can lose function. When the proteins involved are collagen and elastin, the impact may show up as wrinkles, sagging skin, and joint stiffness.

This is a practical reminder that blood sugar is not only about diabetes. It influences structural proteins throughout the body.

Sign 6: You feel more moody or anxious

Mood can swing with blood sugar. When glucose rises quickly, some people feel a brief lift. When it falls, mood can drop, and irritability or anxiety can rise.

Then the video adds two less-discussed layers.

First, many processed foods are low in essential fatty acids, especially the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. The expert explains cell membranes as lipid bilayers that need flexibility. If membranes become too rigid, signaling can be affected, and the brain is heavily dependent on healthy membrane structure.

Second, gut health appears again. Dysbiosis may alter production and timing of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which are central to mood regulation.

A key takeaway of this section is not that one nutrient fixes anxiety. It is that diet patterns that destabilize blood sugar and crowd out healthy fats may increase vulnerability to mood instability.

Signs 7 and 8: white tongue coating and easy bruising

These two signs stand out because they are visible.

Sign 7: A white tongue coating

A healthy tongue is usually pale pink. The video suggests that a persistent white coating can be associated with Candida overgrowth in some cases, especially in the context of high sugar intake and microbial imbalance.

It also broadens the microbiome conversation beyond the gut. The mouth has its own microbial ecosystem. When that ecosystem is disrupted, the local immune response may weaken.

This is not something to self-diagnose from a mirror. Oral changes can have many causes, including dehydration, smoking, medications, dry mouth, or oral hygiene issues.

If the coating is persistent, painful, or accompanied by sores, it is reasonable to check in with a dentist or clinician.

Sign 8: Easy bruising

Easy bruising can have many explanations, but the video focuses on nutrient gaps common in processed diets.

The expert also points out an interesting connection: gut microbes can produce a meaningful portion of vitamin K, so dysbiosis could theoretically contribute to lower availability.

If you bruise easily, especially if it is new or worsening, it is worth talking with a clinician. Bruising can also relate to medications (like blood thinners), liver issues, platelet problems, or other medical conditions.

Sign 9: increasing blood pressure, why sodium is not the whole story

The video’s blood pressure section challenges a common one-liner: “Just cut salt.”

Sodium can matter, but this perspective argues it is often not the first domino.

The main driver highlighted is insulin resistance. Higher insulin levels can cause the kidneys to reabsorb more sodium. The expert uses a vivid example: kidneys filter an enormous amount of fluid daily, then reabsorb most of it. A tiny increase in reabsorption can translate into more fluid retention, which can raise blood pressure.

Then the discussion expands: processed foods can also contribute to endothelial dysfunction. Blood vessels are living tissue that actively constrict and dilate. Factors mentioned include:

When blood vessels stiffen and lose normal regulation, blood pressure can rise.

This does not mean sodium never matters. It means that focusing only on sodium can miss upstream metabolic issues.

Resource callout

»MORE: If you track blood pressure at home, pair it with a 7-day food log. Seeing patterns between ultra-processed meals, poor sleep, and higher readings can help you and your clinician make more targeted changes.

Sign 10: catching every cold, flu, and “everything going around”

If you feel like you pick up every bug, the video points you back to basics: nutrients, blood sugar, gut health, and stress.

Nutrient-wise, the discussion highlights zinc, vitamin C, and selenium as important for white blood cell function. It also states that sugar can suppress white blood cell activity.

Then there is the gut. A large share of immune activity is linked to gut-associated lymph tissue. If the gut barrier and microbiome are disrupted, immune resilience may be lower.

Finally, stress is treated as a master switch. In a stress response, the body reallocates resources toward immediate survival and away from digestion, immunity, reproduction, repair, and healing. The video emphasizes that stress responses are normal and necessary, but the brain should regulate the magnitude and duration. Chronic stress can mean chronically fewer resources for immune function.

A practical implication is that improving metabolic health is not only about food. It is also about stability, including sleep, stress management, and routines that reduce repeated cortisol spikes.

How to shift toward “real food” without extreme dieting

The video’s consistent recommendation is to move away from sugar and processed foods and toward real, unprocessed foods that provide fuel plus building blocks plus catalysts.

This does not have to be perfect to be meaningful.

A simple “real food” plate framework

Try using this flexible structure most of the time:

Keep it boring at first. Boring is stable.

How to reduce blood sugar swings at the next meal

You do not need a 30-day cleanse to test this.

A note on common misconceptions

Misconception: It is all about calories. The video argues that calorie focus alone ignores insulin resistance, nutrient density, and appetite regulation.

Misconception: Sodium is the main cause of high blood pressure. Sodium can contribute, but the discussion emphasizes insulin resistance and blood vessel function as upstream drivers.

Misconception: If you are young, you are safe. The expert’s own story pushes back on this. Feeling fine is not the same as being metabolically resilient.

Important: If you have diabetes, take insulin or a sulfonylurea, are pregnant, or have kidney disease, major diet changes can affect blood sugar and medication needs. It is safer to involve your clinician, especially if you are reducing carbohydrates or losing weight.

Key Takeaways