Luli's Advice on Blood Sugar and Protein
+ Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes Recipe
These days, concerns about blood sugar levels, nutritional intake and the connection between what we eat and how we feel are everywhere - and for good reason. At the same time, it can be hard to find supportive guidance which promotes a balanced and moderate approach. Searching for inspiration and guidance online, we are more likely to be bombarded by conflicting information and pseudo-science about our eating habits and our overall health. More often than not, these new fads and trends promote a new, extreme, exclusive approach to food.
Since personally experiencing the benefits of the “all food fits” macros eating approach when I stopped my exclusive vegan diet, I love connecting with experts who support people to step off of the extreme eating and yo-yo diet carousel.
Today I am thrilled to share this interview with certified Holistic Health Coach Luli Gambard, exploring common struggles people face with food, and discussing key topics such as blood sugar balance, protein importance, and building a functional nutritional plate. My aim in sharing this interview is to offer a calm engagement with the intersection of food and overall well-being, supporting us all to live more fulfilling, healthy and enjoyable lives.
Please introduce yourself to our readers!
My name is Luli Gamburd, I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I grew up in Miami. My family is of Ashkenazi descent from Eastern Europe. I grew up in a traditional Jewish household where I learned to cook. Shabbat is my absolute favorite time of the week, since I grew up spending it with my entire family sharing our traditions, customs, and delicious foods around the table!
I am a certified Holistic Health Coach, and I help clients feel incredible while getting rid of the restrictive dieting mentality. I specifically help clients reach their health and wellness goals such as weight loss, hormone health, and gut health.
Based on your experience working with clients around food, what are some of the key struggles people commonly face when it comes to their nutrition and eating habits?
The diet mentality is definitely a very common struggle that people face. Most of the clients I work with come from a background of going through the binge and restrict cycle. This is where one diets in a restrictive way, loses weight, only to eat everything in sight once they tone down the restriction, and then gain the weight again in a cyclical manner. This leads to a loss of self confidence and self esteem, and holds people back from reaching and maintaining their goals. My approach is to teach my clients how to get to a place where they love their body while also being able to have a healthy and wholesome relationship with food.
The other two main struggles I see often are hormone and gut health related issues such as painful periods, hormonal acne, bloating and discomfort.
Blood sugar balance is crucial for overall health. Can you explain why and provide some practical tips for achieving this?
Maintaining stable blood sugar levels is essential for overall health and weight management. Stable blood sugar levels ensure consistent energy throughout the day, preventing fatigue, as well as hormone and glucose imbalances.
To achieve this stability, it's important to eat regular, balanced meals consisting of complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. These nutrients help regulate the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, minimizing spikes and crashes. Additionally, limiting sugary foods and beverages, staying hydrated, engaging in regular physical activity, and managing stress are all important habits which stabilize blood sugar levels.
Many people may not fully understand the importance of including an adequate amount of protein in their diet. Could you elaborate on the significance of protein and share some examples of protein-rich foods?
Protein is essential for various bodily functions, serving as the building blocks for tissues, muscles, enzymes, hormones, and antibodies. It plays a crucial role in repairing and maintaining tissues, supporting immune function, and regulating metabolism. Protein helps promote satiety, which can aid in weight management by preventing overeating.
There are numerous sources of protein that can be easily incorporated into meals and snacks.
Animal-based sources include:
lean meats like chicken, turkey, beef, fish
eggs
dairy products like organic and grass fed Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and whole milk
Plant-based protein sources include:
legumes such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas
organic tofu, tempeh, and edamame
Building a functional nutritional plate is essential for a balanced diet. Can you walk us through the process of creating a well-rounded meal, considering various nutrients and food groups?
The functional nutrition plate focuses primarily on organic fruits and vegetables, grass fed and pasture raised protein that is free of hormones or antibiotics, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates. Adding these types of foods to your plates not only helps on a cellular level for optimal function, but it also helps with blood sugar balance, which is crucial for long-term healthy fat loss and giving us sustainable energy.
An example of a well-rounded, functional nutrition meal would be to have Salmon (protein/healthy fats), with Asparagus (vegetables/fiber), Sweet Potato (complex carbohydrates), and Olive Oil (healthy fats).
What resources (books, Youtube videos, blogs articles) can you suggest to people who want to learn more about the importance of protein and stable blood sugar levels on weight management and overall health?
Website and podcast: mindbodygreen
“A 360-degree approach that weaves together the mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental aspects of well-being.”
This website is full of articles and tips on integrative health, nutritionally balanced recipe ideas, women’s health, psychological wellbeing and more. They also offer coaching and a variety of classes from expert teachers. Following on from the importance of regulating blood sugar that we discussed earlier, they offer this course on How to Ditch Sugar which may interest anyone who feels their sugar consumption has become compulsive and/or excessive.
Book: Glucose Goddess by Jessie Inchauspe +
The Glucose Goddess Method: The 4-Week Guide to Cutting Cravings, Getting Your Energy Back, and Feeling Amazing sets out a four week program, along with 100 recipes and a workbook, to support people to stabilize their blood sugar. This is about building lifelong habits that you will maintain, and reaping the benefits of getting off the “sugar rollercoaster” that so many of us are on.
If you could offer three specific food behavior shifts that make a significant difference for people in terms of weight management, overall health, and energy levels, what would they be? Please provide practical tips that individuals can easily implement at home.
Eating until 80% full instead of reaching maximum satiety allows you to become in tune with your hunger cues and really understand your body, especially if looking to lose or maintain weight.
Sleep is crucial for optimal energy, weight management and overall health. Sleep is strongly connected to a hormonal impact on appetite. We have two hunger hormones:
Ghrelin (known as the hunger hormone, it works in opposition to leptin by signaling the brain that you need energy)
Leptin (known as the satiety hormone, it’s primary objective is to keep your body at a healthy weight).
When we don't sleep properly, Ghrelin increases by about 20% and Leptin decreases by 15%, making it easier for us to overeat during the day. My tip is to get adequate sleep to get your weight and the balance of hunger hormones back on track.
Balance your meals by adding vegetables, protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs to balance your blood sugar levels, optimize your energy levels, feel satiated, and reduce cravings.
Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes
Dairy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 Serving
These fluffy pancakes are delicious and satiating. Using a couple of simple recipe hacks, the protein content is increased: oats instead of flour, protein-rich cottage cheese and organic egg all make these pancakes a great way to start the day.
Ingredients:
⅓ cup of gluten free oats
½ cup of cottage cheese
1 organic, pasture raised egg
¼ tsp baking powder
cinnamon
vanilla extract
stevia
splash of milk of choice
cooking spray
honey or maple syrup
Tools:
blender
skillet
spatula
Instructions:
Blend the oats, cottage cheese, egg, baking powder, cinnamon ,vanilla extract, stevia, and splash of milk.
Place a skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
Add pancake mixture to skillet. Make one large pancake or several smaller ones, according to your preference.
Once you start to see small bubbles forming, it’s time to flip.
Top off with honey or maple syrup if you’d like, and enjoy!
I hope this interview was useful for you! I would love to know your thoughts in response. Perhaps you have personal experience of using balanced eating to maintain stable blood sugar levels, or have you increased your protein intake and noticed improvements in your physical and mental health? Is there anything in Luli’s interview that you’re keen to try for yourself? Please let me know!
To our health 🍽️, Am Yisrael Chai ✡️
Kenden
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