Saturday Kitchen chef Matt Tebbutt has made a huge change in his diet, following his appendix surgery.
In 2022, the 50-year-old was rushed to hospital to have his appendix removed, which sparked many well wishes from fans at the time.
Just two weeks post-operation, he returned to work on Saturday Kitchen and later admitted it was being self-employed that drove him back to the BBC show so soon.
Although he has now recovered, Matt says he’s since been more conscious about his health and diet, and has made some changes.
“I wanted to get a better understanding of how I’m ticking along and, yeah, I recently had one of those full body MOTs and, thankfully, that all came out well,” he shared.
“I’m good, I’m OK, and going to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Matt went on to say he has made some changes in his diet to “restock” his body and keep his glucose levels down.
“You just sort of take stock of where you’re at, how much you’re eating, how much you’re drinking, late nights, going out, stuff like that,” he shared.
“It did have a big effect actually, so yeah, I came out of the other side thinking, OK let’s just pace this a little bit better.”
In association with Lingo, Matt has been monitoring which foods spike his glucose levels and the swaps he recommends to avoid this, particularly at Christmas.
After recently eating sushi, he said: “It turns out it’s not hugely healthy, in terms of glucose spikes because obviously sushi’s white rice is often soaked in sugar, so that was a big thing for me, a big reveal.”
The chef also says ditching the likes of crisps for nuts and balancing out your cheeseboards with healthier options such as celery sticks, is a good swap.
Further alternatives include making your own sauces instead of buying them in a store, switching chocolate that contains high sugar with dark chocolate instead, and starting the day with a protein-rich breakfast to please your appetite.
“It keeps that level of energy up throughout the day,” Matt shared of having balanced glucose levels.
“The mood is better, you sleep better, you don’t have those 5pm [slumps] in the day where you’re just tired and sluggish, all that seems to go out of the window.”
According to Healthline, your glucose levels should generally be 140 to 180 mg/dL after eating. They can rise higher depending on many other factors, including your age and what food or drink you’ve consumed.
Lingo is designed to help individuals monitor and understand their glucose levels, promoting a healthier lifestyle as well as providing empowerment to people to make informed dietary choices, especially during the festive season.
For more information, visit here.
Saturday Kitchen: Countdown to Christmas airs today at 9.30am on BBC One.
