Blood Sugar for Beginners
10 easy hacks to feel better immediately
This week’s topic is something I am fascinated by. So much so that I’ve just wrapped up this course on the topic, certifying me to teach these principles to others.1 Let’s see how I do :) Even more exciting? If you read and incorporate the hacks shared below, they can have a positive and powerful impact on the way you feel immediately. Most of this information I’ve pulled from resources provided by Jesse Inchauspé, a French biochemist widely known as the Glucose Goddess. I’ll be linking to her sources throughout.
So let’s dive into it.
You’ve probably heard the words ‘blood sugar’ and ‘glucose’ at an increased velocity as of late. If you’re anything like me, your first thought might be, “oh, right, diabetes.” And you’re not wrong to make that association. The thing many don’t realize, though, is that glucose impacts all of us in a major way - not just those with diabetes. If this is news to you, you’re not alone. It wasn’t until roughly five years ago (thanks to a team at Stanford) that we discovered that even people without diabetes could experience glucose spikes into damaging ranges (resource here). And, in fact, most of us experience them on a daily basis.
So what is a glucose spike? Why is it bad for us? And, most importantly, what causes it? In technical terms, a glucose spike is a rapid increase in glucose levels into a very high range, and then a return back to normal. These spikes (and subsequent dips) can not only lead to pre-diabetes and diabetes, but also a host of other sneakier symptoms - inflammation, excessive hunger, fatigue, cravings, brain fog, poor sleep, disrupted hormones, heart disease, anxiety, accelerated aging, and more. What causes our blood glucose to spike? The way we eat. More specifically… the simple starches and sugars we eat. That said, I’m not here to demonize carbs or sugar - in fact, just the opposite! These ten hacks help you lessen the harmful impacts of simple carbs and sugar without removing them from your diet.
But, first, how did I become interested in this topic? Around this time last year, I, somewhat accidentally, did a very deep dive on my own blood glucose levels. At the time, I was devouring the podcast Lifespan – all about the science behind longevity by renowned scientist David Sinclair. One of the podcast sponsors was Levels, a company that helps its users measure the way food affects their health by using a continuous glucose monitor. Also known as a CGM, a continuous glucose monitor is a little device that goes on your arm (or stomach) and measures glucose levels between the cells of your body. Being the sucker that I am for a compelling targeted ad, I pulled the trigger, and a week later I had a CGM stuck to my stomach. I chose to put it on my lower abdomen (instead of my arm) where it was hidden out of sight. Now, if I had seen you in person during that time, I would have been too embarrassed to show or mention it for fear of being thought of as “extreme” or “weird.” But the truth is: there’s nothing weird about wanting real time data on your body. As David Sinclair so eloquently puts it in his podcast: “We wouldn’t drive a car without a dashboard so why do we do that for our bodies, which are even more important?”
So here I am with my CGM thinking, I can’t wait to see how healthy I am. What I learned instead? My fasting glucose levels hovered above 100mg/deciliter, technically putting me in pre-diabetic range. For reference, ranges are defined as follows:
So, as you can imagine, I was sort of flipping out to discover that I, too, was experiencing what is known as a “glucose rollercoaster” (repeated spikes and dips at unhealthy levels). It was at this point that I discovered Jesse Inchauspé aka the “Glucose Goddess” and her tangible tips for steadying glucose levels. Here she is below!
The beauty of the Glucose Goddess hacks is that by understanding and implementing them, you can bring too-high glucose levels back down to a normal range. The benefits are both immediate (better sleep, less cravings, decreased inflammation) and long term (disease prevention). The best part? You don’t have to make drastic changes to your diet or lifestyle to see results. In fact, you could keep your diet exactly the same and just incorporate, say, a veggie starter at lunch or dinner and you’d notice an improvement. So here they are…! The ten science backed hacks and instructions for better glucose from the Glucose Goddess herself. Here is a link to download GG’s Glucose Hacks for yourself.
Hack 1: Eat foods in the right order
The right order to eat our food in to minimize a meal’s glucose spike is: 1) fiber, 2) protein and fats, 3) starches and sugars.
Hack 2: Veggie starter
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.
Hack 3: Stop counting calories
Counting calories doesn’t necessarily improve health outcomes. And not all calories are equal: calories derived from fructose (foods that are sweet) are more detrimental than those from glucose (foods that are starchy).
Hack 4: Savoury breakfast
A savoury breakfast is composed of protein (the centerpiece), fat, fiber (if possible), optional starches, and nothing sweet except optional whole fruit (just for taste).
Hack 5: Have any type of sugar, they’re all the same
All sugar is made of glucose and fructose. They all have the same impact on our body in terms of blood glucose, so have the one you prefer. For example, maple syrup or honey will have the same impact as table sugar.
Hack 6: Pick dessert over a sweet snack
If we want to eat something sweet, it’s better for our glucose to have it as dessert after a meal than as a snack between meals.
Hack 7: Vinegar
Vinegar can be taken as 1 tablespoon in a tall glass of water (with a straw), or as a salad dressing, ideally 20 minutes or less before a meal. This reduces the spike of your meal by up to 30%.
Hack 8: After you eat, move
After your meals, when you can, use your muscles for 10 minutes to reduce the glucose spike of the meal. Examples: walking, tidying your house, doing calf raises, etc.
Hack 9: If you have to snack, go savoury
Sweet snacks give us pleasure, savoury snacks give us energy. Savoury snacks include protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
Hack 10: Put “clothes” on your carbs
Putting clothes on your carbs means adding protein, fat, or fiber, to starches and sugars. This reduces the speed of glucose absorption in the body.
So there you have it! And if ten hacks seem like a lot, you can always pick the ones that stand out to you and start there. If you were to choose only two of the hacks above, Jesse recommends starting with #2 (Veggie starter) and #4 (Savory breakfast). They are two of the most impactful and the easiest to implement. Need more convincing? Take a peek at the below glucose graphs…
The graphs above illustrate what happens to your blood glucose levels when you start your meal with a veggie dish. The beauty of this one? All you’re doing is adding vegetables! You can still have the same pasta, risotto, or carb-heavy meal that you would otherwise, but the curve is flattened by the veggie starter. The only challenge will be saying no to the bread basked that comes around at the start of a meal ;)
It turns out breakfast is the worst time to eat sugar and starches, precisely the time most of us eat them. Instead of reaching for cereal, pastries, or fruit smoothies, try to build your breakfast around protein and fat. This could include greek yogurt, nut butter, seeds, eggs, avocado, almonds, chia seeds, or flax. If possible, add fiber, like spinach, to your omelette. If you can, avoid anything sweet except for optional fresh fruit.
So now that you know the hacks(!), below are some additional resources that will help you actually do the hacks, courtesy of, you guessed it, the Glucose Goddess. While the @GlucoseGoddess account has 3.2M followers on Instagram, I’ve been shocked by the number of friends who haven’t heard of her or these glucose hacks! So I thought they warranted their own issue of The Lacey List, just in case this wasn’t on your radar yet.
The List of Glucose Spike Symptoms
The Glucose Goddess Grocery List
Nest Wellness has been a great Instagram follow. She’s an amazing resource for blood glucose friendly recipes (and desserts).
Last but not least, I’m really excited about Sarah Wragge. She shares a bunch of great recipes on her website here.
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Please note: the information shared in this newsletter is designed to entertain and inform, not provide medical advice. You are responsible for your own health decisions, and you should always consult a medical professional before making any changes. Any reliance upon any information provided in this website is at your sole risk.
Yelena!! Thank you so much for sharing!! ❤️ ❤️
So fascinating! I’m realizing that it’s not the carbs that make me tired after having a pastry or croissant but the glucose spike and crash. Will try these tips on the occasion I want to enjoy a treat to avoid feeling so lethargic after- thank you!