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Dr Rangan ChatterjeeUse These FOOD HACKS To Boost Energy, END CRAVINGS & Reduce Inflammation | Jessie Inchauspé
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Chapter summaries
Why Food Order Matters: Veggies First, Carbs Last
Rangan asks why the order in which we eat foods matters. Jessie explains that eating vegetables, then proteins and fats, then starches and sugars can cut a meal's glucose spike by up to 75%, because fiber forms a protective mesh in the intestine. They note it works on any diet, and Rangan shares how he serves his kids' dinners this way.
- •Eating vegetables first, then proteins and fats, then starches and sugars can reduce the glucose spike by up to 75%
- •Fiber forms a gooey mesh on the upper intestine wall that slows glucose absorption
- •The hack works whether you are vegan, paleo or anything else
- •Eating fewer carbs afterwards is a side effect, not the goal
- •Rangan serves his daughter broccoli, then salmon, then sweet potato wedges
Jessie's Story: From a Broken Back to Glucose Monitoring
Rangan frames blood sugar as a root-cause lens, then asks how Jessie came to it. She describes breaking her back at 19, the mental health struggles that followed, her studies, and how a continuous glucose monitor revealed links between her spikes and her anxiety episodes. She then turned to the research and built her hacks.
- •Jessie broke her back jumping off a waterfall at 19, then struggled with anxiety, depression and dissociation
- •Studying mathematics, biochemistry and genetics did not tell her how to feel better day to day
- •A continuous glucose monitor let her see how her food affected her body
- •She noticed a huge spike before a mental health episode and began reading studies
- •She synthesized the research into hacks that let her keep eating sugar and pasta
What Glucose Spikes Are and How Common They Are
Jessie explains glucose as the body's favorite energy source and uses a houseplant analogy to show that too much causes problems. She lists unsteady energy and cravings as common spike symptoms and says 60 to 80% of people without diabetes likely have spikes. She and Rangan discuss treating root causes rather than symptoms.
- •Every cell uses glucose, but too much too quickly creates a spike, like overwatering a plant
- •Common symptoms are unsteady energy and cravings
- •Scientists at Yale found the craving center activates during the drop after a spike
- •About one billion people have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, and 60 to 80% of others likely have spikes
- •Symptoms are messages from the body, and cravings are not a willpower failure
The Glucose Goddess Method and the 2,000-Person Pilot
The conversation turns to Jessie's second book, a four-week plan covering breakfast, vinegar, veggie starters and movement. She shares the pilot results, including reduced cravings, more energy and improved diabetes markers. They also discuss how the hacks echo ancestral wisdom lost to industrialization.
- •The four-week plan turns glucose hacks into habits without restriction
- •In the pilot, 90% reduced cravings, 70% had more energy, and 40% of people with diabetes improved their markers
- •99% said they would continue the habits for life
- •The hacks are based on over 300 scientific studies and echo practices passed down culturally
- •Industrialization and the food industry made us lose touch with this wisdom
Why Rate of Rise Matters, and Weight Loss as a Side Effect
Rangan asks whether the same sugar matters if it enters slowly or rapidly. Jessie says the rapid rise and variability are more damaging, using a Tetris analogy alongside Rangan's leaky roof. She then explains why weight loss often follows steadier glucose, citing fewer cravings, less hunger and lower insulin.
- •The rapid increase and variability in glucose are more damaging than a steadier level
- •Tetris analogy: the same blocks arriving slowly are easier to manage
- •Jessie separates her approach from the diet industry and focuses on health
- •Steady glucose reduces cravings, hunger and insulin
- •40% of pilot participants who wanted to lose weight did so without restricting anything
Glycation, Mitochondria and Insulin: The Three Consequences of Spikes
Jessie explains three consequences of glucose spikes. Glycation is a cooking process linked to aging, stressed mitochondria cause fatigue and inflammation, and excess insulin stores fat and can drive PCOS and fertility problems. She distinguishes the dopamine hit from sugar from real energy.
- •Glycation is like cooking the body and speeds up aging, shown by the HbA1c test
- •Spikes stress mitochondria, causing fatigue, oxidative stress and inflammation
- •The pleasure from sweets is dopamine, not energy
- •Excess insulin stores glucose in fat cells and can raise testosterone in women
- •Three women told they could not conceive naturally got pregnant during the pilot
Hormones, Stress, Sleep and the Glucose Rollercoaster
Jessie says steady glucose and insulin are foundational to hormonal health, covering menopause, PCOS and PMS, and that crashes act as a biological stressor. They discuss high-functioning glucose rollercoasters, night sweats after sweet snacks, and the two-way link between glucose and sleep.
- •More spikes and insulin worsen menopause symptoms, and hormonal conditions improve with steadier levels
- •The glucose rollercoaster is a biological stress affecting adrenal and thyroid axes
- •Many everyday habits may be attempts to function on a rollercoaster
- •Waking sweaty after a sweet snack may be a glucose crash
- •Glucose and sleep form a virtuous or vicious cycle
Vinegar Before Meals and Using Hacks Without Pressure
Starting with food order as a lead-in, Rangan asks about vinegar and its cultural history. Jessie cites research showing a tablespoon before a meal can cut the glucose spike by up to 30% and the insulin spike by up to 20%, and explains how to use it practically. She stresses using hacks only when easy and still enjoying foods like chocolate ice cream.
- •Vinegar has long been used in cultures such as France and Iran
- •One tablespoon before a meal reduces the glucose spike by up to 30% and the insulin spike by up to 20%
- •Ideal timing is about 10 minutes before eating, but during or after also helps
- •Avoid syrupy balsamic glaze, and dilute vinegar in water or tea
- •Jessie says to do the hacks when easy and live your life the rest of the time
Putting Clothes on Your Carbs
Rangan tells the story of mixing nut butter into white rice, leading into Jessie's hack of never eating naked carbs. She explains that adding protein, fat or fiber slows glucose arrival, with examples like pasta with chicken and cheese, and chocolate cake with Greek yogurt. They also cover after-school snacks for kids and how glucose rollercoasters may affect mood.
- •Eating starches or sugars alone on an empty stomach causes a big spike
- •Adding protein, fat or fiber produces a moderate spike instead
- •Examples include pasta with chicken and olive oil, rice with roasted cauliflower and tahini, and cake with Greek yogurt
- •Starchy or sugary first meals can set up an all-day cravings rollercoaster
- •For kids, pair sweets with almonds or yogurt, since rollercoasters affect mood and irritability
Gratitude, Mental Health and the Surgery Memory
Rangan moves to blood sugar and mood and asks about a passage in Jessie's book on the night before her surgery. Jessie describes the fear she felt and says the lasting gratitude is for waking up with good mental health. She describes her daily mood-rating practice.
- •Jessie recalls the terror of hearing the surgical plan at 19
- •Gratitude for surviving surgery faded, but gratitude for good mental health stayed
- •She feels grateful to be alone and okay, which was once impossible for her
- •She rates her mental health daily from one to five in the Daylio app
- •Mental health is what matters most to her at the end of each day
Blood Sugar, Anxiety and Healing Beyond Food
Jessie explains that discovering glucose spikes could trigger her anxiety gave her back a sense of power. They discuss diet and mental health research such as the SMILES trial, and Jessie describes layering therapies like EMDR on top of steadier glucose. They touch on being both scientific and spiritual.
- •Learning that spikes could trigger her episodes was a turning point
- •Rangan wonders whether stable blood sugar played a part in the SMILES trial's depression results
- •Jessie says studies suggest more spikes bring worse anxiety and depression symptoms
- •EMDR helped her process the accident and surgery
- •Jessie describes herself as both a biochemist and very spiritual
Grounding and Interoception
They discuss grounding, putting skin on the earth. Jessie cites a study in which eight hours a day of grounding reduced glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes, and Rangan describes his family's morning ritual of power from the earth and grounding as rooting himself out of his head.
- •Jessie describes grounding as electrons moving between the body and the earth
- •A study she shared found eight hours a day of grounding lowered glucose by 50 mg/dL in a week
- •Rangan walks barefoot on the grass most mornings with his kids
- •He sees grounding as a literal and metaphorical way of coming out of his head
- •Jessie talks about interoception and feeling energy move down her body
Practical Foods: Oats, Savory Breakfast and Plant Milks
Rangan asks about common foods, starting with oats. Jessie explains oats are a starch, suggests adding protein and fat or switching to a savory breakfast, and they discuss how cereal breakfasts were marketing inventions. They also cover how oat and rice milks act as liquid starch.
- •Oats are starch and spike glucose unless paired with nut butter, protein powder or egg
- •A savory breakfast built around protein, with fat or fiber and nothing sweet
- •Dinner leftovers make a good breakfast
- •Cereal and orange juice breakfasts were invented through food-company marketing
- •Oat and rice milks produce big spikes, while almond, coconut and cow's milk are better
Movement After Meals and the Soleus Calf Muscle
Jessie explains that muscles soak up glucose, so 10 minutes of movement within 90 minutes after a meal reduces the spike without changing the meal. She highlights calf raises and the soleus muscle, and she and Rangan speculate on why it is so effective.
- •Muscle mitochondria use glucose to power contractions
- •Use your muscles for about 10 minutes within 90 minutes after eating
- •Walking, cleaning, bicep curls with a water bottle or calf raises all work
- •The soleus muscle is especially good at soaking up glucose
- •Rangan hypothesizes an evolutionary reason related to walking
Fruit, Dried Fruit and Ancient Wisdom on Eating Fruit
Jessie explains that modern fruit has been bred to be sweeter and lower in fiber, but whole fruit's fiber still blunts the spike. Juicing and drying remove fiber or concentrate sugar. Rangan raises the Ayurvedic view of fruit before meals and Jessie suggests a pragmatic approach tailored to how your body feels.
- •Supermarket fruit is bred to be sweeter with less fiber
- •Whole fruit is still the best way to eat something sweet
- •Juicing removes fiber and drying concentrates sugar
- •Pair dried fruit with nuts to put clothes on the carbs
- •Jessie traces the claim that fruit rots in the stomach to a Renaissance doctor and suggests tailoring to your own comfort
Handling Pushback, Eating Disorder Concerns and Final Advice
Rangan asks about criticism of Jessie's work. She describes feedback from people with type 1 diabetes about glucose monitors, concerns about extreme use of the carb-clothing hack, and worries that rules could encourage disordered eating. The conversation closes with her suggestions to start with the book or her Instagram graphs and to test the calf raise.
- •Jessie sorts criticism into what she cannot act on and useful feedback
- •She stopped using the monitor as a fashion statement after type 1 diabetes feedback
- •She spoke with experts about eating disorder concerns and is still working out where to land
- •Both speakers approach pushback with compassion, noting not all information is for everyone
- •Jessie recommends her book or Instagram, and trying a 10-minute calf raise after a meal
