Steps to the Stage: How to Perform the Sugar Experiment

1. Assess your current level of glycemic control by measuring your Hemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose and fasting insulin level.
   

2. Determine if you have diabetes, prediabetes or metabolic syndrome. The sugar experiment is primarily designed for people with prediabetes and metabolic syndrome. If you are normal it may still be useful to show how some foods can still trigger you, but it will be less impactful. If you have diabetes the sugar experiment can be useful, but you should talk to your doctor first.
   

3. Obtain a continuous glucose monitor, place it and download the app on your phone.

4. Use the glucose monitor for 2 weeks and make observations about your patterns, average glucose and spikes.
   

5. Write your hypothesis statement and set goals for the experiment. The goals should typically be no glucose spike greater than 160 and an average glucose less than 100. Other primary goals of the experiment are fasting glucose and fasting insulin level. HbA1c can be used too as long as the intervention lasts at least 3 months.
   

6. Secondary outcomes can include virtually any of the elements in the global assessment.
   

7. Study the charts that describe foods with a low and high glycemic index.
   

8. Use the continuous glucose monitor for another 2 weeks. In the first week, make notes about the foods that trigger glucose spikes for you and their glycemic indices. In the second week, eliminate those foods and replace them with foods with a lower glycemic index. Record the new glucose patterns.
   

9. Consider another 2 weeks withe continuous glucose monitor if needed to further refine the elimination diet.
   

10. Continue the new diet for 3 months.
    

11. Evaluate primary outcomes: Glucose spikes and average glucose on your CGM, fasting insulin, fasting glucose and (if applicable) HbA1c.
    

12. Evaluate secondary outcomes such as triglyceride level, body fat percent and waist circumference.