Whether you’re young or not so young, thin or not so thin, with normal blood glucose levels or high ones; whether you are insulin resistant or not; and indeed, whether you have diabetes or not, the key to stabilising your blood-glucose levels is to eat more of what we have dubbed magic foods.

Some of these secrets of magic eating may sound unusual, while others seem like the good old rules of healthy eating you already know about. But each one was chosen for a specific reason: to help you keep your blood glucose levels steady throughout the day.

1 Choose low-GI carbs and keep carb portions moderate. By choosing ‘slow-acting’ (low-GI) carbs instead of ‘fast-acting’ (higher GI) carbs, you can help keep blood glucose low and steady. You’ll also want to keep an eye on portions no matter what kind of carbs you choose.

2 Make 3 of your carb servings whole grains. Make sure that the carbs you do eat count by choosing whole grains, which help prevent heart disease and diabetes independently of their effects on blood glucose.