A Simple Summer Health Hack
That You're Probably Forgetting. Plus, Most Loved in June
Whew! Happy Sunday and July 4th to all. If you’re anything like me, you might’ve indulged in one too many pieces of fried chicken, hot dogs, or slices of cake in honor of America this weekend. Dare I wonder if you might even be craving a health hack?! I know I am in dire need. Simple but game-changing, this little reminder was exactly what I needed to hear after a weekend of a little too much fun.
If you’ve been reading The Lacey List for a while, you might already know I’m a disciple of Jessie Inchauspé, a French biochemist widely known as the Glucose Goddess. One of my first (and, top performing) articles was a deep dive into blood sugar “for beginners.” When I first wrote about The Glucose Goddess in January 2024, her Instagram had 3.2M followers. Since then, a year and a half later, she’s just shy of 6M (almost double her original following), an indicator to me that the conversation around healthy glucose is more rapidly taking hold in a meaningful way.
I’ll be honest, my commitment to eating for healthy blood sugar really ebbs and flows (evidenced by the hot dog and cake comment above). When I wear a glucose monitor, I’m really diligent about my diet. There’s nothing more motivating than seeing your daily choices make a positive and immediate impact in real time. But, when I’m not tracking, it’s easy to fall “off the wagon,” as they say. And lately? Off the wagon I have been.
So enter Jessie’s Glucose Hacks. These “ten commandments” are the holy grail to taking control of your glucose levels. Luckily, they don’t require us to remove carbs from our diet. Instead, they arm us with simple tricks that help lessen the harmful impacts simple carbs and sugar can have on our bodies. One specific hack has me excited to be back on track, and that is Have a Veggie Starter. I’ll mention Jessie’s first two hacks here, though, because they’re related.
The right order to eat our food to minimize a meal’s glucose spike is:
1) fiber (ahem, vegetables!)
2) protein and fats
3) starches and sugars
But what about sandwich season? (This is also called summer, if you didn’t know.) Should we be dissecting our sandwiches and wraps to eat each ingredient in the right order? Luckily, no. Which brings me to hack number two and the one that is as simple and easy as they come:
Veggie starters reduce the glucose spike of the meal that follows them. The objective is for the veggie starter to make up about 30% of the meal.
Literally, this hack is asking us to ADD A VEGETABLE to whatever we’re eating, and eat it before we eat the rest of the meal. Easy enough, right?
What starting with that veggie does is line our digestive system with fiber, so when we get to the sandwich, our glucose stays much steadier than if we were to simply dive into said sandwich first. The result, according to Jessie, is fewer cravings, more stable energy, and a better mood after eating. Yay! Same rules apply to other carby centric dishes: pasta, pizza, tacos, etc. (essentially, all the foods we love to eat).
To make this easy, especially in the summer, try the below tips to add a veggie without much effort.
Keep your favorite raw vegetables prepped and on hand: cherry tomatoes (divine this time of year!), sliced bell pepper, cucumber, raw carrots, radishes, etc. etc.
Batch cook some of your favorite veggies. I love sautéing thinly sliced zucchini in good olive oil and adding feta or goat cheese and a little fresh basil. It’s great on its own or can mix nicely into a summer salad.
Toss your favorite salad in a vinegar based dressing. Per Jesse, adding vinegar reduces the spike of your meal by up to 30%.
Eat a pickle first! Finally, an explanation for why sandwiches so often come with a pickle on the side. (Sorry, pickle haters). As long as the pickle doesn’t contain sugar (looking at you, sweet & sour), it’s a great hack to lower the glucose impact of your wrap or sandwich.
So, there you have it! I hope you’ll remember the veggie starter trick for the rest of the summer for healthier, happier glucose levels.
I’m trying something new this issue: a look back at what I loved most the month prior. In this case, that’s June!
On the topic of veggie starters, this Greek salad has single-handedly reintroduced vegetables to my diet after a hiatus (more on this another time). Shoutout to
for introducing me. You had me at “fat piece of feta.”
Random but important, is this mustard. I’ve been mixing it with olive oil and vinegar to make the most delicious simple dressing (that I put on the above Greek salad and can basically drink). The tarragon in the mustard adds just the right amount of intrigue. Yum!
Sometimes hydrating in the summer feels like a full time sport. The MVP of June has been my new Rorra filter. (I used Melanie Masarin’s link and code for 15% off —it’s not cheap!— in case that’s useful to you.) The drinking water in Long Island is questionable to me, and I’m comforted by the fact that Rorra undergoes rigorous testing to significantly reduce exposure to harmful contaminants. It fits nicely between the countertop and cabinet and reminds me to hydrate!
To stay consistent, I fill a 32 oz. mason jar (or a large water bottle if on the go) with water from the Rorra, a scoop of Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte (in Lemonade), and pure organic lemon juice. The result is a delicious beverage that tastes like a tart but delightful lemonade.
On other days, I love grabbing a crisp, cold Spindrift from the fridge for the beach.
When I’m in LA, I love buying high quality meat from our local butcher, but here in Quogue, where we’ll be for multiple months, sourcing grass-fed beef and pasture raised chicken is a taller task. Enter Primal Pastures, “the Cleanest Meat in America.” I discovered it this month thanks to my friend Natalie! Warning, if you’re on the east coast, shipping isn’t cheap, but if you order in bulk, it’s easier to justify. Anyway, our first box came this week, and I’m excited to have quality meat that’s easy to grill for the summer!
Summer is the season I find my hair frazzled and dry, particularly my ends. Combine that with the humidity of east coast summers, faded highlights, and usually a lack of recent haircut, and it’s not a good look. Enter RŌZ Hair. I discovered them shortly after having Elsie when I wanted to give my hair a little extra TLC. The Treatment Oil smells delicious and truly drenches your hair in hydration. But the Hair Milk and Hair Mask are what I’ve been using most religiously the past month. Every time I go to put moisturizer on my face, I take a second to apply a little hair milk on my ends. Then, twice a week, I add the hair mask to my ends after shampooing, leave it in for 5-10 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly. I really think the combo is working wonders.
Now that I’m squarely in my thirties, my days of intentional tanning are over. Rather than basking under the sun for fun, I now try as hard as I can to protect my face from the UV rays that we know are aging us. With this habit pivot, the new protocol I’ve been loving is this:
Adding 3-5 drops of Beauty by Earth Self Tanner Drops mixed in with a good moisturizer. Lately, Golden Hour Recovery Cream by Ursa Major is my go-to. After that, I’ve been applying Merit Uniform as my tinted SPF. (And, I’m excited to say, I LOVE it). I would put this product in the same camp as Ilia Tint Skin and Iris & Romeo Weekend Skin, both of which I love. Somehow, the Merit Uniform is even better. It’s a super smooth formula with the perfect tint and I love that it functions both as makeup and sun protective skincare.
Final step, if I need it, is to add Westman Atelier Sun Tone Bronzing Drops to my forehead, cheekbones and the bridge of my nose. By the time I’m done, you’d never know I wasn’t clocking hours in the sun as my twenty-something self used to.
I had the pleasure of meeting the head of brand at Suri earlier this spring and she gave me their iconic toothbrush. I was thinking “I already have a great Sonicare toothbrush, I don’t need this.” But how pleasantly surprised I was! The Winter Fern color looks incredible in my bathroom and the mirror holder that it comes with keeps the brush conveniently suctioned to my bathroom mirror, freeing up counter space. My favorite part, though, is how infrequently it requires a charge! It says 40+ days, but I swear it’s been over two months since it’s needed charging. Needless to say, I feel good about this one and their sustainability mission makes me feel like I’m supporting a cause I believe in.
The perfect pairing to go with it? This David’s toothpaste. Instead of fluoride, it uses nano hydroxyapatite, a naturally occurring mineral that makes up 97% of your tooth enamel. It can rebuild and remineralize teeth rather than just coating them as fluoride toothpaste does. It's also completely safe to swallow and doesn't come with any toxicity concerns (very important for those of us with young children!) It’s been shown to be equally, if not more effective than fluoride for preventing cavities and reducing sensitivity.
After I had Elsie, I abandoned fragrance altogether. I’ve been missing it, and have started to get back into it thanks to an amazing Los Angeles fragrance based brand, Perfumehead. For those of you with sensitive skin, you can apply a spritz to your hair or clothes and still enjoy the scent of “sexy summer,” as their new 1272 fragrance has been so perfectly described. To put it in the brand’s words, 1272 smells like “Textural cut hedges and sun-softened wood are evoked with Haitian vetiver, sandalwood, cistus absolute and moss. To wear it is to inhabit a version of yourself that is faceted and enduring.” Intriguing!
That’s it for now! Thank you so much for reading. I’d love to know what topics you’re enjoying the most and what you’d like to see more of. You can let me know by voting below!
I love the westman drops ! color is so natural
You've influenced me with Roz! East coast humidity is no joke