Eating meals high in carbohydrates can lead to a drop in blood sugar levels below the normal fasting level, resulting in reactive hypoglycemia.

Eating a meal with no carbohydrates stops blood sugar from dropping too low after eating and keeps it within a normal, healthy range.

The order you eat your food, mixing carbs with protein or fat, or eating a little protein or fat first might help keep your blood sugar from spiking after a carb-heavy meal.

When healthy people eat a carb-rich meal, their muscles get more blood flow and their blood vessels relax, even though their body also sends signals to tighten blood vessels—this might help their body absorb sugar from the meal better.

If you're overweight around the middle and eat a meal full of carbs, your blood sugar and insulin spike more than if you ate a meal with lots of butter or olive oil—but your body doesn’t make as much insulin for how much sugar is in your blood.

Eating foods with less sugar spike and unhealthy fat can help keep blood sugar more stable after meals, especially lunch, in people who are overweight—this helps the body manage sugar better in the short term.