Why Eating Carbs Alone Makes You Hungry

G'day Legend,

We are back in NYC after a fun week with the BPN hybrid boys. I had the responsibility of making coffee and breakfast for the lads in the morning, where I emphasized the need for even a little bit of protein with the carbs. Peanut butter on toast with honey, even whey protein isolate in the cereal. I wanted to make sure the squad weren't having naked carbs as it can have a detrimental effect on your insulin and therefore performance. I have a feeling this could be you, so you definitely want to read below…

In this week’s newsletter (4 min read):
🍞 Why naked carbs trigger hunger rebound
🥩 The protein/fat buffer that stops the crash
⏰ When carbs alone actually work 

If you've got a mate who who’s smashing solo carbs and is always hungry, send them THIS link.

The Blood Sugar Spike and Crash

Ever have toast for breakfast and feel hungrier an hour later than if you'd eaten nothing? Or crush a bagel at 9am and raid the snack drawer by 10:30?

Here's the pattern: carbs alone → blood sugar spikes → insulin clears it fast → blood sugar crashes → your hunger hormone fires back up stronger than before. Your body panics and tells you to eat again.

Now, if you're an athlete running a marathon or in the middle of a hard training session, this is exactly what you want. Quick-acting carbs provide fast energy when you're burning it in real time. But for the rest of us sitting at a desk or going about our day? This crash-and-hunger cycle is something we want to avoid.

When you eat protein or fat with those same carbs? The crash doesn't happen. Food order matters too—eating protein first, then carbs, keeps hunger suppressed for hours longer.

This is why you can demolish a doughnut and still be starving, but eggs and toast actually keeps you full. It's not willpower. It's blood sugar mechanics.

The Fix: Add a Buffer

Protein and fat slow everything down. They keep food in your stomach longer, so glucose trickles into your bloodstream instead of flooding it. Like a slow drip vs. a fire hose.

The minimum you need: 15-20g protein OR 10-15g fat with your carbs.

Quick swaps:

• Banana alone → Banana + 2 tbsp almond butter

• Toast alone → Toast + 2 eggs

• Rice alone → Rice + chicken breast

• Apple alone → Apple + handful of almonds

• Oatmeal alone → Oatmeal + protein powder

This is why I aim for protein at every meal. Not just for muscle recovery, but because I never want to ride the blood sugar rollercoaster unless I'm actually training.

When Naked Carbs Actually Work

Three times you SHOULD eat carbs alone:

Pre-bed: You're asleep during the crash.

Mid-workout: Your muscles pull glucose directly for fuel. This is what G1M from BPN is designed for—quick carbs plus sodium to keep you performing. Athletes during endurance events want this exact response.

Post-workout: Your muscles soak up glucose fast to refuel. But as soon as I'm done training, I want protein with those carbs for recovery and satiety.

The rule: If you're not about to sleep, train, or currently training, pair your carbs with protein or fat.

Do This Today

Look at what you're eating tomorrow morning. If it's carbs alone—cereal, bagel, toast, oatmeal, fruit—add one of these:

• 2 eggs (15g protein)

• 150g Greek yogurt (15g protein)

• 2 tbsp nut butter (8g protein, 16g fat)

• Scoop of protein powder (20-25g protein)

• Handful of nuts (6g protein, 14g fat)

That one change will eliminate the mid-morning crash and snack cravings. You'll notice it immediately.

Then do the same at lunch. Then dinner. Within 3 days, you'll feel the difference.

Signs You Need This

If you experience any of these, you're riding the blood sugar rollercoaster:

• Hungry 30-60 min after eating

• Energy crash mid-morning or mid-afternoon

• Cravings for sugary snacks between meals

• Eating more despite hitting your calorie targets

Fix the pairing, fix the hunger.

Your body responds to how food hits your bloodstream. Buffer the spike, avoid the crash, stay full longer.

Carbs aren't the enemy. Eating them alone is just inefficient.

Quick Notes

🎥 If you have a YouTube Channel and want to get involved with Alma, I'm building a creator squad to help make the best nutrition coaching app on the market. Reply to this email.

🔥 Grateful to our X fans last week. We went viral down in Austin.

😴 AGZ has become my second favorite nighttime habit (behind reading). My blood sugar stability during the day directly affects my sleep quality at night—since taking it I've increased my restorative sleep by 41 mins every night. You can pick it up HERE.

Research Notes

For readers who want to dig deeper:

• Iyer et al., Diabetes Care (2018) - Food order and ghrelin suppression

• Hwang et al., Nutrition & Diabetes (2025) - High-protein supplements improve glycemic response

• Luhovyy & Kathirvel, Advances in Food and Nutrition Research (2022) - Protein and blood glucose regulation

• Bell et al., Diabetes Care (2015) - Impact of fat, protein, and glycemic index

• Mani et al., Endocrinology (2019) - Ghrelin-glucose axis

#EatGoodFeelGood

— DC