Glucose Goddess: The Scary New Research On Sugar!

Sep 19, 2024 1h 38m 20 insights
Jessie Inchauspé, a biochemist and best-selling author, explains how glucose spikes impact health, leading to fatigue, aging, and chronic diseases. She shares four core science-backed "hacks" – savory breakfast, vinegar before meals, veggie starters, and movement after eating – to flatten glucose curves and improve energy, mood, sleep, and weight management without restrictive dieting.
Actionable Insights

1. Start with Savory Breakfast

Always have a savory breakfast rich in protein (eggs, fish, meat, tofu, nuts, dairy, protein powder, or dinner leftovers) and healthy fats. This is the most impactful hack to keep glucose levels steady, prevent brain fog, reduce fatigue and cravings, and regulate glucose for the entire day.

2. Drink Vinegar Before Meals

Consume one tablespoon of any kitchen vinegar diluted in a large glass of water 10 minutes before your biggest meal of the day. The acetic acid in vinegar temporarily inactivates digestive enzymes, cutting glucose and insulin spikes by up to 30% and helping to reduce visceral fat and cholesterol.

3. Eat Veggie Starters First

Begin your meals with a plate of raw or cooked vegetables (e.g., carrots, spinach, broccoli, cherry tomatoes). The fiber in veggies creates a protective barrier in your intestine, slowing down glucose absorption from subsequent foods and reducing the overall glucose spike.

4. Move After Eating

Engage your muscles for 10 minutes after a meal by walking, dancing, or doing calf raises. Muscles act as effective glucose dumps, soaking up glucose from your bloodstream for energy and helping to reduce post-meal spikes and prevent food comas.

5. Eat Food in Right Order

Structure your meals by eating vegetables first, followed by proteins and fats, and then starches and sugars. This order can reduce the glucose spike of the meal by up to 75% compared to eating in the opposite order, due to the fiber creating a protective barrier.

6. Put Clothes on Carbs

Never eat starches or sugars on their own; always combine them with fat, protein, or fiber. For example, have bread with avocado or carrot cake with Greek yogurt to slow down glucose absorption and reduce spikes.

7. Treat All Sugar as Dessert

Recognize that all forms of sugar (including honey, agave, maple syrup, and fruit smoothies) are essentially the same to your body. Consume sugar as dessert after a meal, rather than on an empty stomach, as the existing food in your digestive system will lessen its glucose impact.

8. Choose Savory Snacks

Opt for savory snacks between meals when your stomach is empty to avoid increasing glucose spikes. This helps maintain steady glucose levels and prevents the activation of the brain’s craving center.

9. Eat Fruit Whole, Not Juiced

Always consume fruit whole to benefit from its protective fiber, and avoid fruit juices, dried fruit, or smoothies. Juicing removes the fiber, turning fruit into a concentrated dose of sugar that causes a significant glucose spike, similar to soda.

10. Manage Glucose for PCOS

If you have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), focus on managing your glucose and insulin levels. Fixing glucose spikes can often alleviate or reverse PCOS symptoms, which are frequently linked to insulin resistance.

11. Exercise to Break Cravings

Use intense workouts to help break cycles of sugar cravings. Physical activity rebalances hormones and releases endorphins, providing dopamine and pleasure that can reduce the desire for sugar.

12. Focus on Glucose, Not Calories

Instead of strictly counting calories for weight loss, focus on balancing your glucose levels. This naturally rebalances hunger hormones, reduces cravings, and makes it easier to eat less, leading to fat burning by lowering insulin levels.

13. Reduce Spikes for Skin Health

Lowering glucose spikes can help stave off wrinkles and improve inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, acne, and rosacea. Glucose spikes increase glycation and inflammation, which accelerate aging and exacerbate skin issues.

14. Prioritize Healthy Eating for Kids

It’s crucial to help children eat well from an early age to establish healthy bodily functions. Parents should prioritize healthy food choices, even if kids resist, and lead by example to prevent early onset diseases like Type 2 Diabetes.

15. Drink Coffee After Breakfast

If you feel tired and didn’t sleep well, drink your coffee after your breakfast instead of before. This can cut the glucose spike caused by coffee by up to 50% and may be gentler on your body’s cortisol response.

16. Be Mindful of Fasting Stress

While fasting can be beneficial, remember it is a stressor on the body. If you have a demanding lifestyle with other stressors (intense job, kids, frequent exercise, cold plunges), dose fasting judiciously, especially for women, to avoid overwhelming your body.

17. Avoid Oat Milk

Be aware that oat milk is primarily starch and can cause glucose spikes. It is not a healthy alternative to dairy milk for glucose management.

18. Manage Glucose During Menopause

During menopause, glucose response to food naturally increases. Reducing sugar intake and glucose spikes can provide relief from symptoms such as insomnia and hot flashes.

19. Choose Diet Soda Over Regular

While water is always best, if choosing between sodas, diet soda is preferable to regular soda for glucose management. Sweeteners in diet soda do not raise blood sugar levels or cause insulin spikes like real sugar does.

20. Avoid Spikes Before Bed

Ensure your dinner does not cause a large glucose spike, as this can lead to less restorative deep sleep. Managing evening glucose levels can improve sleep quality and reduce morning hunger.