Which Foods Can Spike Your Blood Sugar? Everything You Need to Know About Hidden Carbs and Starches
“Many foods can raise your blood sugar quickly if they’re low in protein or fiber. That’s because your body breaks them down faster.”
Wondering what foods spike blood sugar? It’s not just the obvious culprits like candy and soda. Starchy staples — bagels, white rice, even a baked potato — can send glucose levels climbing higher than a glazed doughnut, according to experts. For anyone managing diabetes, prediabetes or simply trying to stabilize energy through the day, knowing which foods cause sharp spikes (and which don’t) is one of the most useful tools in the kitchen.
“It’s well understood that if you eat something sweet, like a brownie your blood glucose will bump, so no one is surprised when that happens,” said Stephen Devries, MD, a preventive cardiologist and executive director of the Gaples Institute, per the American Medical Association. “But many patients are unaware that starchy foods, many without a trace of sweetness, can bump blood glucose levels even more.”
Breakfast foods that spike blood sugar more than you’d expect
The morning meal is where many people unknowingly set themselves up for a blood sugar roller-coaster. Swapping a doughnut for a bagel or pouring a glass of fruit juice may feel like the healthier choice, but several common breakfast staples break down into glucose quickly — especially when they’re low in protein and fiber. Anies Jacob, APRN, a primary care provider with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, says the body simply processes them faster than balanced options.
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Foods that can spike blood sugar at breakfast, according to experts, include:
- Bagels
- Flavored yogurt
- Granola bars
- Cereal
- Fruit juice
- Coffee drinks
- Oat milk
“Patients with reason to be concerned about their blood sugar usually understand that sugary foods like doughnuts are poor choices,” Devries said. “In an effort to lower their sugar, they may swap a breakfast doughnut for something less sweet, like a bagel. But many patients don’t realize that starchy foods can cause blood sugar to soar even higher than sweet ones.”
Granola bars sometimes get a health halo but can be loaded with sugar. “Some granola bars are closer to a candy bar than a balanced snack,” Jacob says. Flavored yogurt falls into a similar trap. “People see yogurt as healthy, and it can be,” she adds. “But flavored yogurt may raise blood sugar more than plain yogurt.” Plain Greek yogurt is a simple swap.
Oat milk has also become a surprise offender. It can “cause a noticeable spike in blood sugar, especially commercial brands,” said Martha Theran, MS, RD, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Pritikin Longevity Center, per Verywell Health.
You don’t have to give it up entirely, though. “Pairing oat milk with protein, fiber, or healthy fats helps slow down how quickly sugar enters your bloodstream,” Theran said. “For example, adding protein powder or Greek yogurt, a spoonful of almond butter, chia or hemp seeds, or fiber boosters like ground flaxseed or psyllium husk can all help balance things out.”
Other foods that spike blood sugar throughout the day
Beyond breakfast, a whole category of refined and starchy staples can quietly push glucose up. Many are foods that spike blood sugar because the body metabolizes their starches into glucose almost as efficiently as it does pure sugar. That includes pantry basics and condiments people rarely think twice about.
Other common foods that spike blood sugar include:
- White bread
- White rice
- Pasta
- Potatoes
- Dried fruit
- Crackers
- Ketchup
- Energy drinks
Potatoes are a particularly common surprise. “Potatoes are a vegetable, but the health value of all vegetables are not interchangeable. White potatoes in particular have a very high glycemic load. As a result, a baked white potato can also raise blood sugar even more than a glazed doughnut,” Devries said.
Crackers tend to be another stealth spike. “They’re often made with refined flour and don’t have much protein or fiber,” Jacob says. Pasta works the same way: “Traditional pasta is a refined carbohydrate, so it turns into glucose fairly quickly,” she adds.
Energy drinks may be the most concentrated offender on the list. They are “basically lots of sugar and very low nutrition,” said Amy Jamieson-Petonic, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and director of coaching at Cleveland Clinic.
Breakfast foods that don’t spike blood sugar
The good news: stabilizing your morning is mostly about pairing carbohydrates with protein, fiber and healthy fats. Natalie Rizzo, registered dietitian and nutrition editor at Today, recommends meals like eggs with whole grain toast, oatmeal with nut butter or chia seed pudding to keep glucose levels steady. These are breakfast foods that don’t spike blood sugar the way refined options do, and they tend to keep you fuller longer.
“They always say the first meal day is the most important, and it really is because it sets you up for how you feel for the rest of the day,” she said.
“Insulin levels are generally a bit higher in the morning, and eating a well-balanced breakfast helps regulate blood sugar levels and keep them stable throughout the day,” Rizzo told Good Housekeeping. She also suggested an easy shakshuka, a classic omelet with greens, homemade granola, a tofu scramble, protein pancakes or frittatas. “It doesn’t have any starchy veggies or added sugar, so it won’t spike your blood sugar,” Rizzo said of the shakshuka.
How to build meals that keep blood sugar stable
The common thread across expert advice is balance. Foods that don’t spike blood sugar tend to combine slow-digesting carbohydrates with protein, fiber or healthy fats — components that slow glucose absorption and prevent the sharp peaks and crashes that can leave you hungry an hour later. “Many foods can raise your blood sugar quickly if they’re low in protein or fiber,” Jacob says. “That’s because your body breaks them down faster.”
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