The Levels Food Guide is built from our dietary philosophy, guided by hundreds of thousands of meals’ worth of data on what spikes glucose, and reinforced by nutritional data from the USDA. The legend below divides food into “Enjoy”, “Moderate and Pair” and “Aim to Avoid”. The ingredients aim to be inclusive and adaptable to dietary constraints. We have a cheat sheet up top with major food categories to prioritize or aim to avoid, and a non-exhaustive, searchable list of foods below.
These are not rules for a particular diet, and should not inspire guilt or anxiety—rather it’s a heuristic for helping you think about your meals. And we should all think about our meals! The food you eat is information that helps your body function optimally. It is a crucial factor in your physical and mental health, and a lever to help you achieve your goals. Therefore, we should give it the time and respect it deserves.
Enjoy: Foods in this category support stable glucose levels and long-term health. They include blood-sugar-friendly whole foods, quality protein, and fiber, and nutrient-rich veggies. These foods should make up the bulk of your diet.
Moderate and Pair with Activity: Foods in this category deliver nutrients that your body needs, but most can also generate significant increases in blood sugar. To blunt that sugar spike, eat these foods in moderation, pair them with fat and protein, and try to move around a bit after you eat them. Click on each food to see more.
Avoid: Foods in this category have one or more qualities linked to poor metabolic health, such as added sugar, refined carbs, a high amount of processing, and little nutritional value. Try to limit your intake of these foods.
A quick high-level glance at the healthiest categories, and a few to look out for.