The Diary of a CEOThe Scary New Research On Sugar & How They Made You Addicted To It! Jessie Inchauspé | E243
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 7:10
Intro, Jessie’s Mission, And Why Glucose Matters
Steven introduces Jessie Inchauspé, admitting he once found glucose boring until reading her book. Jessie explains that she teaches people how food impacts the body and why understanding glucose can quickly eliminate what many assume are just fixed traits: poor energy, cravings, acne, sleep problems, and hormonal issues.
- •Steven frames the episode as a deep dive into new science on sugar and addiction.
- •Jessie describes her role as a biochemist and educator translating complex science into practical hacks.
- •Many people are unknowingly worsening conditions like type 2 diabetes despite thinking they’re eating well.
- •Conflicting marketing, packaging, and diet fads strip people of clarity and power; Jessie wants to give that back.
- 7:10 – 21:00
Traumatic Back Injury And The Birth Of A Health Obsession
Jessie recounts a devastating accident at 19 when she jumped off a waterfall in Hawaii, shattered a vertebra, and narrowly avoided paralysis. The intense surgery and physical recovery were followed by a more insidious mental breakdown that led her to realize how utterly central health is to life.
- •She broke a vertebra into 13 pieces after an awkward water landing and walked a mile on it before diagnosis.
- •Surgery involved opening her from side and back, inserting a metal cage and rods, and significant risk to her spinal cord and lungs.
- •Physical pain was extreme but healed within three months; the lasting impact was psychological.
- •The experience galvanized a core belief: if you don’t have your health, you have nothing, and at 19 she felt she had to “fix herself” or life wouldn’t be bearable.
- 21:00 – 35:40
Depersonalization, Panic, And The Realization Health Comes First
After surgery, Jessie began experiencing depersonalization—feeling detached from her body and reality—along with intense existential terror. With no prior mental health issues and little understanding of triggers, she endured a year of feeling trapped in a nightmare, which planted the seed for her later exploration of how biology and lifestyle affect mental health.
- •She describes feeling like her world turned from 3D to 2D, her hands didn’t feel like hers, and mirrors triggered panic attacks.
- •The closest label she’s found is depersonalization: losing touch with self and reality, sometimes feeling like she’s floating above her body.
- •These episodes still occur rarely, but now she understands and can manage them through grounding and stress management.
- •The crisis clarified the idea that people often only value health after trauma; both she and Steven reflect on COVID as a societal wake-up call.
- 35:40 – 45:00
From Math To Biochemistry: Discovering Glucose As A Lever
Jessie shifts from studying math in London to biochemistry at Georgetown and then genetics in Silicon Valley in an effort to understand her body and mental state. Working at a genetics company, she discovers continuous glucose monitoring and observes a direct link between glucose spikes and her depersonalization episodes.
- •She learned that DNA reveals traits and risk, but not precise, daily actions to feel better.
- •Lifestyle—especially food and movement—matters far more than genetics for day-to-day wellbeing.
- •Using a continuous glucose monitor, she saw her mental health worsen whenever her glucose was unstable.
- •She even captured a specific glucose spike triggering an episode, which convinced her to dive heavily into glucose science.
- 45:00 – 53:40
Everyone Has Glucose Spikes—Not Just Diabetics
Jessie describes reading hundreds of scientific papers and realizing that glucose instability affects most people, not just those with diabetes. She synthesizes evidence that spikes are linked to cravings, fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, skin conditions, hormonal issues, infertility, accelerated aging, and major chronic diseases.
- •Recent studies (around 2018) revealed that non-diabetics commonly experience significant glucose spikes.
- •Short-term symptoms: sugar cravings, afternoon energy crashes, brain fog, and poor sleep quality.
- •Long-term consequences: higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia/Alzheimer’s, cancer, and faster aging.
- •Balancing glucose is framed as a base lever in the “cockpit” of the body, akin to the most important control in an airplane.
- 53:40 – 1:03:40
Cravings, Dopamine, And Why Sugar Feels Like Addiction
The conversation zooms in on cravings: why one cookie often leads to several and sometimes to a “cookie week.” Jessie explains the physiology of glucose spikes and crashes, and how they ignite the brain’s craving circuitry, compounded by dopamine’s rewarding effects.
- •A cookie’s starch and sugar cause a rapid spike, followed by a drop that activates brain areas that scream for more sugar.
- •Breakfast is often the real starting point of a day-long sugar addiction cycle.
- •Sugar also triggers dopamine, the same reward chemical involved in sex, gaming, and drugs; humans are naturally drawn to it.
- •She reframes cravings as the predictable result of prior biochemical events, not lack of discipline, encouraging people to partner with their bodies instead of blaming them.
- 1:03:40 – 1:13:00
Mismatch Between Human Biology And The Modern Food Landscape
Jessie argues that our bodies evolved for a world where glucose came mostly from modest, fibrous fruits and plants, but we now live surrounded by hyper-sweet, processed foods and refined sugars. She outlines how selective breeding of fruit and industrial extraction of sugar created an environment that almost guarantees glucose overload.
- •Traditional fruits were small, fibrous, seedy, and only mildly sweet; modern fruit is huge, juicy, and high in sugar due to human breeding.
- •We further intensified sugar exposure by refining sugar and inserting it into drinks, juices, and processed foods.
- •Her philosophy isn’t to eliminate sugar entirely, but to learn how to eat it in ways that minimize physiological harm.
- •She emphasizes that symptoms are the body’s messaging system about this mismatch, not random misfortune.
- 1:13:00 – 1:32:30
What Glucose Actually Is And How Spikes Damage The Body
Jessie gives a clear 101 on glucose: the body’s preferred fuel, how we obtain it from starchy and sweet foods, and why more is not always better. She explains how rapid spikes overwhelm mitochondria, accelerate aging, and trigger insulin surges that both store fat and set the stage for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
- •Glucose is the primary energy source for every cell, especially the brain and muscles.
- •It comes mainly from starch (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes) and sweet foods (from bananas to cookies to sodas).
- •During a spike, mitochondria get flooded, become stressed, and partially “shut down,” leading to fatigue and increased oxidative stress and inflammation.
- •Glycation—sugar binding to proteins—literally “cooks” the body over time, aging skin (wrinkles) and internal tissues.
- •Insulin, secreted by the pancreas, tries to bring glucose down by shuttling it into liver, muscle, and fat cells; chronically high insulin eventually leads to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
- 1:32:30 – 1:49:00
Glucose, Insulin, Weight, And Hormones (Including PCOS)
The discussion links glucose and insulin dynamics to body fat regulation and female hormone issues like PCOS. Jessie clarifies that insulin not only stores fat but also locks it in, making fat loss harder when insulin is chronically elevated.
- •When insulin is high, fat cells become a one-way street: glucose goes in and gets stored as fat; very little comes out.
- •This is why frequent spikes and chronically elevated insulin hinder fat loss despite diet efforts.
- •In women, high insulin stimulates excess testosterone production; PCOS symptoms (cystic ovaries, irregular or absent periods, hair changes, acne) often reflect this hormonal imbalance.
- •She regularly hears from readers who balanced glucose using her hacks and saw PCOS improve, cycles normalize, and fertility return.
- 1:49:00 – 2:06:00
Why Calorie Counting Misses The Point
Jessie challenges calorie-centric dieting by describing the absurd origins of calorie measurement and emphasizing that it ignores the hormonal and metabolic consequences of different foods. She argues that focusing on glucose impact is more practical and humane than lifelong calorie counting.
- •Calories were originally measured by burning food in a bomb calorimeter and seeing how much they heated water.
- •Knowing two foods have the same calories is like knowing two books have the same number of pages—it says nothing about content or effect.
- •Two people can eat identical calorie totals but feel and function entirely differently depending on glucose patterns.
- •Restricting calories might induce weight loss but can simultaneously worsen hormonal and metabolic health; her aim is to improve how people feel and function, not just weight.
- 2:06:00 – 2:27:00
Breakfast: Savory Versus Sweet And The Fruit Juice Trap
They dissect common breakfast habits and the myth that sugar at breakfast gives energy. Jessie strongly favors savory, protein-rich breakfasts and warns that fruit juice and granola, often marketed as healthy, can be metabolic disasters, especially in the morning.
- •Breakfast heavily influences the day’s glucose rollercoaster; a spike at breakfast tends to produce instability all day.
- •She recommends eggs, cheese, avocado, vegetables, and modest starch for taste while avoiding candies, cereals, granola, sweetened oats, and juices.
- •Whole fruit is acceptable because its fiber tempers sugar absorption; once fruit is juiced, blended, dried, or pureed, sugar is concentrated and fiber lost or degraded.
- •Fruit juice has sugar loads comparable to soda; the body doesn’t differentiate “natural” sugar from refined sugar at the molecular level.
- •She suggests reclassifying fruit juice as dessert for pleasure, not as a health food.
- 2:27:00 – 2:49:00
Key Glucose Hacks: Food Order, Veggie Starters, Vinegar, Movement
Jessie shares core hacks from her books that allow people to keep eating what they love while reducing glucose spikes. She emphasizes food order (especially veggie starters), vinegar before meals, and light movement after eating as simple levers anyone can adopt without counting or strict restriction.
- •Hack: Eat food in the right order—vegetables first, then protein and fat, then starches and sugars last.
- •A veggie starter (raw or cooked, ~30% of the meal) lays down a fiber “mesh” on the intestinal wall that slows glucose absorption and can cut meal spikes by up to 75%.
- •Avoid bread on an empty stomach; instead, have it after vegetables or alongside protein/fat.
- •Vinegar hack: 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a tall glass of water before a meal can reduce glucose spikes ~30% and insulin ~20% via acetic acid effects.
- •Movement hack: 10 minutes of muscle activity after eating (walks, housework, or inconspicuous calf raises) lets muscles soak up circulating glucose, reducing spikes.
- •“Put clothing on your carbs”: always pair sugars and starches with protein, fat, or fiber (e.g., cake with Greek yogurt) to blunt spikes.
- 2:49:00 – 3:12:00
Jessie’s Personal Eating Pattern And Travel Strategies
Jessie outlines what a typical “ideal” day of eating looks like for her and how she adapts these principles while traveling. She underscores the importance of a savory breakfast and demonstrates how she still enjoys sweet foods by surrounding them with protective habits.
- •Ideal day: savory breakfast (e.g., 2-egg omelet with feta and tomatoes), big salad with protein, fats, and vinegar at lunch, a sweet treat in the afternoon with hacks, and a structured evening meal with a veggie starter and balanced plate.
- •She’s open about loving sugar and designing hacks specifically so she doesn’t have to give up chocolate cake.
- •When traveling, she prioritizes a strong savory breakfast at home or before the airport (even if not hungry) to anchor the day.
- •Jessie frequently uses ham or other quick proteins as emergency breakfast options to avoid defaulting to sweet airport or hotel offerings.
- 3:12:00 – 3:19:00
Sugar, Energy, And The Pleasure–Dopamine Distinction
They tackle the myth that sugar equals energy, clarifying that what feels like an energy rush is actually a dopamine high followed by a crash. Jessie helps Steven reframe when and why he might intentionally use sugar and why relying on it systematically would erode his underlying energy.
- •The buzzy “da-da-da-da-da” feeling after sugar is primarily dopamine, not sustainable cellular energy.
- •Long-term reliance on sugar for stimulation damages mitochondria, leading to chronic fatigue and lower baseline energy.
- •It can be strategically used (e.g., a cookie before a creative sprint) for a one-off dopamine hit, but not as a regular energy strategy.
- •Glucose stability, not sugar highs, is what supports deep, durable productivity and wellbeing.
- 3:19:00 – 3:40:00
Emotional Vulnerability: Family, Regret, And Connection
Using Steven’s “Conversation Cards,” Jessie opens up about regret, gratitude toward the surgeon who operated on her spine, and concern for her father’s emotional state. The segment illustrates the broader theme that unaddressed psychological burdens—like unspoken thanks or worry—also affect health and that connection and tools for expression matter.
- •She regrets not explicitly thanking her surgeon for the care and aesthetic sensitivity he put into her scars and resolves to write him a letter.
- •She confides that her father recently sounded chronically sad on the phone, and she wishes she could make him happy.
- •They discuss how many older adults, particularly men, seem to lose joy and may lack psychological “tools” like therapy, expression, and boundaries.
- •Steven explains the purpose of his conversation cards—removing agenda from vulnerable questions to foster connection and emotional “medicine.”
- 3:40:00
Closing Reflections: Making Glucose Science Accessible And Actionable
The episode closes with Steven praising Jessie for making a seemingly dry biochemical topic gripping and deeply practical. Jessie reiterates her mission to make glucose hacks as commonplace as brushing your teeth and previews her second book, which provides a structured four-week method.
- •Steven admits he thought glucose sounded boring until he read Jessie’s book and realized its impact on nearly every aspect of health.
- •Jessie summarizes her philosophy: learn a few simple glucose hacks, then eat everything you love in smarter ways.
- •Her first book, “Glucose Revolution,” explains the science; her second, “The Glucose Goddess Method,” is a step-by-step four-week program (week by week: breakfast, vinegar, veggie starters, etc.).
- •She emphasizes that these tools are meant to be easy, non-intimidating, and customizable; people can pick the hacks that fit their life.
