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How To Eat with Glucose Goddess Jessie Inchauspé | A Bit of Optimism Podcast

It’s not just what we eat but how we eat it that counts. Eating the same meal in a different order can dramatically change how we feel!

Jessie InchauspéguestSimon SinekhostGreat Minds

Apr 24, 202437mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Easy Behavior Change and Starting with Glucose Hacks
Jessie Inchauspé opens by rejecting diets and says she is passionate about making behavior change easy. She points lost or overwhelmed people to her glucose hacks, such as a single cherry tomato before a meal.
- •Diets don't work, and diet culture has harmed women's psychological health
- •Her aim is to make behavior change easy, sexy and fun
- •The glucose hacks are a first step for anyone lost or overwhelmed
- •Even one cherry tomato or baby carrot before a meal counts
- •The goal is to get people into a state where they can move on to bigger things
From a Broken Back to Glucose Discovery
Simon Sinek explains how a family glucose-monitoring experiment made him a fan. Jessie describes the accident at 19 and the decade of mental health struggles that followed. A pilot study with a glucose monitor showed her that steady glucose days matched better mental health.
- •Jessie has no diabetes and never planned a glucose career
- •She broke her back at 19 and then spent nearly a decade with depression, anxiety, dissociation and panic attacks
- •She studied biochemistry and worked in genetics before discovering glucose
- •A pilot study monitor showed steadier glucose on days her mental health was better
Steady Energy and the Myth of Sugar as Fuel
Simon describes how managing spikes ended his afternoon slumps, and Jessie says breakfast can affect how you feel hours later. She explains that the rush from sugar is dopamine, not energy, and that big spikes stress the mitochondria and cause fatigue.
- •Simon's afternoon energy crashes disappeared once he managed spikes
- •Eating habits can affect mood and energy six hours later
- •Spikes and drops can affect mental health, hormones, skin and brain inflammation
- •The sugar rush is dopamine, which is not energy
- •Big glucose spikes make mitochondria underperform, leading to fatigue
What Glucose Is and Why Spikes Matter
Simon asks what glucose is and why spikes are unhealthy. Jessie explains that starches and sugars turn into glucose, and that too much at once leads to inflammation, glycation and insulin-driven fat storage. She says an estimated 80% of people without diabetes experience daily spikes.
- •Every cell burns glucose for energy, and it comes from starches and sugars
- •The plant-watering analogy: some glucose is good, too much causes problems
- •Spikes cause inflammation, glycation (aging) and excess insulin
- •Excess insulin stores glucose as fat and over time can lead to type 2 diabetes
- •About 80% of people without diabetes have daily spikes, by estimate
Food Order: Veggies, Proteins, Then Carbs
Simon shares his experience eating vegetables first at a pasta restaurant. Jessie explains that eating a meal in a specific order can cut the spike by up to 75%. Fiber forms a protective mesh in the upper intestine, and protein slows gastric emptying.
- •Order is veggies first, then proteins and fats, then carbs and sugars
- •Changing the order can cut the spike by up to 75% for the same meal
- •Fiber forms a protective mesh that slows glucose absorption
- •Protein slows gastric emptying
- •Simon ate fewer onion rings because he was fuller, and Jessie notes the order helps even if you eat the same amount
Water and Alcohol
Simon asks whether drinking water with meals matters. Jessie cites one small study suggesting a smaller spike without water during a meal, but calls the effect negligible. She then frames alcohol as a pleasure decision and ranks drinks by their effect on glucose.
- •One small study found a smaller spike when you don't drink water during a meal
- •Jessie thinks the effect is small and still drinks water with meals
- •A veggie starter or a walk after eating has a much bigger impact
- •Alcohol is a pleasure decision, not a health decision
- •Wine and spirits with soda water are better for glucose, while beer and cocktails are worst
Oatmeal, Mixed Meals and Clothing Your Carbs
Simon is upset about oatmeal, and Jessie explains that oats are a starchy grain. She suggests adding protein, fat or fiber to slow the spike. For mixed dishes like sandwiches, she says to eat a plate of veggies beforehand rather than deconstruct the meal.
- •Oats are a grain full of starch
- •"Clothing" carbs with protein, fat or fiber slows glucose arrival
- •Examples include protein powder, nut butter and seeds
- •For mixed meals, have a veggie plate first instead of separating the food
- •The fiber lining lasts about 90 minutes, so veggies can be eaten beforehand
The Passion for Making Change Easy
Simon asks where Jessie's passion comes from. She says it is behavior change, which she tries to make easy through the hacks and by giving the molecules characters. Simon praises her reasonable, non-obsessive approach, and she ties it to her own health journey and her rejection of weight-loss talk.
- •Her passion is helping people take the first step toward change
- •Giving molecules names and genders makes the ideas easier to take in
- •Simon contrasts her approach with the discipline and obsession of biohacking
- •She doesn't talk about weight loss, since it's about feeling good and thriving
- •Even one cherry tomato before a meal is a worthwhile start
Stories of Impact and Proudest Work
Asked about someone she has helped, Jessie describes three women in her study who became pregnant and the messages she gets from readers. She says she herself was the first person she helped. She also names her new supplement as the project she is proudest of.
- •Three women in her 4,000-person study became pregnant after being told they could not conceive naturally
- •Readers report reversing diabetes, regaining energy and periods, and calmer skin
- •Her own recovery stands out, since she can now spend a week alone abroad
- •The supplement was a start-to-finish project in which she made every decision
- •Books involve publishers, while the supplement came from the depths of her being
Childhood Waves and Holding Space
Jessie shares an early memory of her father teaching her to ride waves in Biarritz. Simon links it to how she now guides others through life's ups and downs. She adds that she isn't perfect, has a therapist and friends, and likes helping people feel their difficult emotions.
- •Her earliest happy memory is learning "le bouchon" in the waves with her dad
- •Simon sees the waves as a metaphor for life's ups and downs, which she now helps others manage
- •She loves holding space for people
- •She says she has emotional ups and downs and relies on a therapist and friends
- •Fully feeling difficult emotions lets people come back up
Glucose as a First Step, Not a Cure-All
Simon voices skepticism about people who claim their one thing solves everything, and Jessie agrees glucose is only one window into health. She says other practices like exercise, sleep, therapy and EMDR also mattered in her own recovery. She and Simon call the hacks a gateway to behavior change that isn't a diet.
- •Glucose is one window to better health, not the whole answer
- •Managing glucose leads to more fiber, less sugar and fewer processed foods
- •She also used exercise, a sleep routine, therapy and EMDR
- •The hacks are a gateway for people who feel they fail at everything
- •They aren't a diet and can be adopted for life
What's Next and Simon's Advice on Cause
Jessie talks about her growing team, products and a new YouTube series, and says this is just chapter one. Simon offers advice drawn from his own story about speaking from belief rather than a method. Jessie says she wants to move toward nervous system regulation and mental health.
- •Jessie says the best entrepreneurs solve their own problem, and that your best customer is who you used to be
- •She launched Anti-Spike, Recipe Club and an 18-episode YouTube series
- •Simon says glucose is a mechanism for her deeper cause of holding people through ups and downs
- •Simon says talking about belief rather than method gave him flexibility
- •Jessie wants to explore nervous system regulation and mental health with a visual approach
Relatable Standards and Closing Thoughts
Simon says he can live to Jessie's standard, unlike the obsessive biohacking he sees elsewhere. Jessie says she doesn't always do the hacks and compares them to everyday habits like drinking water or wearing sunscreen. Simon then points listeners to her work and closes the show.
- •Simon finds her approach achievable and relatable because she isn't obsessive
- •Jessie sometimes has a big chocolate pastry and orange juice on a Sunday
- •She compares the hacks to brushing teeth, drinking water and wearing sunscreen
- •Missing a hack is no reason for guilt, as with forgetting water for a day
- •Her work is on Instagram, YouTube and in her books

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