Over the past few years, one message has dominated the nutrition world:
“Pair your carbs with protein and fat to blunt the glucose spike.”
It sounds smart. It sounds scientific. And yes, in the short term, it can slow how quickly sugar enters the bloodstream.
But slowing absorption is not the same as supporting metabolic health.
What’s missing from the conversation is the state of your liver, the organ that determines whether sugar becomes fuel… or becomes fatigue, weight gain, and insulin resistance.
Sugar Isn’t the Problem. Sugar + Fat Together Is
We’ve been trained to blame sugar for weight gain.
But here’s the truth:
Most sugars people eat, healthy or unhealthy, are mixed with fat.
Cakes, pastries, nut-butter bars, dairy products, chocolate, “healthy” energy balls, smoothies with nut milks… they’re all sugar + fat combinations.
The issue is not the sugar alone. It’s sugar combined with fat.
Why This Combination Causes Trouble
According to Medical Medium and increasingly supported by metabolic research, your liver can only refill its glucose reserves when sugar arrives uninhibited, meaning:
No tag-along fats stuck to it.
When you eat sugar with fat:
- The fat slows everything down.
- The liver can’t separate and utilize the sugar efficiently.
- Glucose can’t enter the cells properly.
- Insulin rises.
- Over time, this contributes to insulin resistance.
Even more importantly:
Fat lingers in the bloodstream for hours, continuously blocking glucose from entering the cells.
Here’s how long different fats stay circulating:
- Pork fats: 12–16 hours
- Other animal fats: 3–6 hours
- Plant fats (avocado, nuts, seeds, coconut): 1–3 hours
So if someone is eating fat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner…
Their bloodstream never gets a break.
That means sugar, even the good sugar from fruit, is constantly competing with circulating fat.
The result?
Sluggish glucose uptake, cravings, low energy, weight struggles, and eventually insulin resistance.
Why Plant Fats Perform Better
Clinically, many doctors notice patients do better when some of their protein and fat sources come from:
- Avocado
- Nuts & seeds
- Coconut
Why? Because plant fats clear more quickly from the bloodstream and don’t burden the liver the way heavy animal fats do.
They give the liver “breathing room,” so glucose can finally be used the way the body needs it to.
A New Way to Think About Carbs
Instead of obsessing over “clothing your carbs,” try this shift:
Choose clean, simple sugars (fruit, potatoes, squash, whole grains) without heavy fats.
Add plant fats in small, strategic amounts, not continuously.
Give your liver breaks between fat-containing meals.
Support your liver’s ability to process glucose instead of blocking it.
When sugar arrives freely, without fat attached, your liver can:
- restore its glycogen tanks,
- stabilize blood sugar,
- protect you from energy crashes,
- reduce cravings,
- support weight loss, and
- prevent insulin resistance.
The Bottom Line
Yes, adding fat can blunt a glucose spike in the moment.
But if the liver is struggling, sluggish, or overloaded (as it is for so many people today)…
That same fat can block the very sugar the body needs for fuel.
This explains why so many people on high-protein, high-fat diets still feel:
- cravings
- fatigue
- mood swings
- stubborn weight gain
…and eventually develop insulin resistance, even while avoiding carbs.
It’s time for a more nuanced conversation, one that honors the liver, honors metabolic individuality, and breaks through the noise.
