Latest news with #JessieInchauspé
News24
17-05-2025
- Health
- News24
Can food order and vinegar hacks help manage blood sugar?
Jessie Inchauspé, aka the Glucose Goddess, shares practical tips on managing blood sugar, such as eating foods in the right order, adding veggies to meals, and choosing savoury breakfasts. Her Instagram account and books translate complex nutritional science into easy hacks to boost energy, reduce cravings, and improve overall health. Experts acknowledge her advice as valid but note that much of it aligns with established nutritional principles. French content creator and New York Times bestselling author Jessie Inchauspé, aka the Glucose Goddess, is changing how people see food and manage their blood sugar levels. She is the author of two books on managing glucose levels for wellness: Glucose Revolution and The Glucose Goddess Method. She has also appeared on countless TV and radio shows, spreading the message about her journey into the health world which began with a life-changing accident that left her with a broken back. Years later, after earning a master's degree in biochemistry at Georgetown University, she started working as a product manager for 23andMe, a genetics start-up. During her time there, Jessie tried wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) as part of an internal study. While she does not have diabetes, she describes the experience as 'life-changing'. She states that her interest in glucose levels arose from linking glucose spikes to mental health episodes of depersonalisation-derealisation disorder, which she says she had suffered from since her accident at 19. Inchauspé then started the @glucosegoddess Instagram account on which she shared graphs from her CGM data to explain nutritional science clearly and engagingly. She describes herself as a 'science communicator trying to help people understand how food impacts their bodies.' Her goal? To 'impact public health on a global scale.' So, what are some of her hacks? Eat foods in the right order According to Inchauspé, each meal should start with fibre—so veggies. Then, proteins and fat, and lastly, carbs and sugar. Add a green starter to all your meals Every meal must start with some veggies, she shares. '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.' Stop counting calories According to the Glucose Goddess, counting calories is sometimes a waste of time. She shares, 'Counting calories doesn't necessarily improve health outcomes. Not all calories are equal: calories derived from fructose are more detrimental than those from glucose.' Have a savoury breakfast She proposes eating a filling, savoury breakfast packed with nutritional value. According to her, a savoury breakfast is composed of: - Protein (the centrepiece) - Fat - Fibre (if possible) - Optional starches - Nothing sweet except optional whole fruit (just for taste). Have any type of sugar you like – they're all the same According to her, no sugar is better for you, so choose what you prefer. Pick dessert over a sweet snack If we want to eat something sweet, our glucose should be as dessert after a meal rather than as a snack between meals, Inchauspé believes. Reach for vinegar before you eat Like many, she believes in the benefits of Apple cider vinegar for weight management and preventing rapid spikes in blood sugar levels. She suggests vinegar can be taken as: - 1 tablespoon in a tall glass of water (with a straw), or - As a salad dressing, 'Ideally, up to 20 minutes before a meal. This reduces the spike of your meal by up to 30%,' she shares. After you eat, move After meals, use your muscles for 10 minutes to reduce the glucose spike of the meal. Examples: - Walking - Tidying your house - Doing calf raises, etc. Put some clothes on your carbs This means dressing your carbs up with other nutrient-dense foods, such as proteins and fats, to reduce the speed of glucose absorption in our body. She claims that these hacks can help improve energy levels and reduce cravings and that blood sugar balance is the key to physical and mental health. Not everyone, however, believes that she has unlocked new secrets to blood sugar management. Many have accused her of revamping some of the oldest tricks in the book. Laura Bellows, associate professor of Nutritional Science at Cornell University, said some of the 'glucose hacks' are 'widely accepted by nutritionists', such as having protein and fat with carbs.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Eating Food in This Order Can Have Similar Benefits to Ozempic
By now, you likely know which foods and drinks can help prevent Type 2 diabetes—but did you know that the order in which you eat them can make a big difference in improving blood sugar and boosting your GLP-1 production (and weight loss!), too? Well, now you do. Or at least you will if you keep reading. 🩺 SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week 💊 But first, some backstory: I first learned about the food order phenomeon from French microbiologist Jessie Inchauspé (who you might know as @glucosegoddess on Instagram). The author of several books and cookbooks on the theme of stabilizing blood sugar, most of which I own and have read front to back (I recommend The Glucose Goddess Method), she's known for sharing easy-to-DIY blood sugar hacks for her readers and followers to implement in everyday life. One of the most popular? Eating food in a specific order, which wasn't her idea alone: Several studies conducted over the past decade have found that the sequence in which you eat your foods can impact your blood sugar, insulin, and GLP-1 levels and production. This exciting, because that's also what GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy do. Parade aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission. Related: Published in the journal Diabetes Care, a 2015 study had 16 individuals with Type 2 diabetes eat the same meal for three days—but in different orders each time. For the first day, they had carbohydrates first, followed by proteins and vegetables. On the second day, they ate protein and vegetables first, consuming carbs afterwards. For the the last meal of the study, they ate three elements—carbs, protein, and vegetables—altogether. After measuring glucose, insulin and other related hormonal responses, the study found that participants who ate carbs last produced higher levels of GLP-1 and lower levels of insulin while demonstrating a 53% over all reduction in blood sugar levels after eating as compared to eating carbs first. Multiple studies have since replicated these findings—published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care and Nutrients, respectively—but the most most recent was published in Diabetes Care in February 2025. Led by yet another group of researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, they found that the carbs-last approach was associated with 44% lower sugar peaks compared with eating carbs first. Ending with carbs last helped stabilize participants' glucose levels, reducing glycemic variability by 16.5%, and even aided in unintentional weight loss: Participants lost an average of 4.3 pounds in 12 days despite not making changes to their caloric intake. TL;DR? Eat your fiber-rich veggies and proteins first—so start with a salad with chicken or tofu, for example—then eat your carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread). Your blood sugar, insulin and GLP-1 levels will thank you. Related: As for why or how food order could possibly have this effect? Basically, fiber-rich vegetables take longer to digest, which forms a protective "barrier" in your stomach. This slows the breakdown and absorption of carbohydrates, preventing blood sugar spikes and crashes and therefore increasing GLP-1. (This is also why increasing fiber is often recommended for blood sugar control. Fiber is great for it!) Alternatively, when you eat carbs first, your body quickly converts them into glucose, resulting in a surge of insulin to manage the sugar rush. Eating protein and fiber first reduces the need for that huge insulin response, making blood sugar more stable over time. The less blood sugar spikes you have means more sustained levels of GLP-1. I know this is probably confusing, but basically, fiber likes to go first in the gut. Related: You don't need to have Type 2 diabetes to reap the benefits of this food sequence: One of the aforementioned studies saw a 40% reduction in post-meal blood sugar peaks when eating carbs first as compared to last in people with prediabetes. This means they had high blood sugar, but not high enough to be considered Type 2 diabetes. Translation? Yes, the benefits seem to apply whether or not you're diabetic. So go eat that salad (first)! Related: As for why this matters? This information provides a simple, practical and most importantly, sustainable solution for everyday blood sugar control that almost anyone can follow. Plus, there's no medication required. "We're always looking for ways to help people with diabetes lower their blood sugar," said , who served as the 2015 study's senior author and principal investigator. "We rely on medicine, but diet is an important part of this process, too. Unfortunately, we've found that it's difficult to get people to change their eating habits." Also the Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research at Weill-Cornell Medical College and director the Comprehensive Weight Control Center (both at the time of the study and in present day), Dr. Aronne continued: "Carbohydrates raise blood sugar, but if you tell someone not to eat them—or to drastically cut back—it's hard for them to comply. This study points to an easier way that patients might lower their blood sugar and insulin levels." Thus, rather than telling people to completely cut out one type of food, they can simply modify how they're eating it—and hopefully get some Ozempic-like perks while they're at it. Up Next:"Carbohydrate-last meal pattern lowers postprandial glucose and insulin excursions in type 2 diabetes." BMJ open diabetes research & care. "A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study of the Food Order Behavioral Intervention in Prediabetes." Nutrients. "Carbohydrates-Last Food Order Improves Time in Range and Reduces Glycemic Variability." Diabetes care. Dr. Louis J. Aronne, MD, FACP, Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research at Weill-Cornell Medical College and director the Comprehensive Weight Control Center "Food order has significant impact on glucose and insulin levels." Weill Cornell Medicine.
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Candyceuticals: Do gummy supplements work or do they represent the infantilisation of wellness?
I've always been sceptical of gummy supplements. To me they're for kids. They exist in the realm of Calpol and strawberry toothpaste. They're not something a self-respecting adult would take. Especially when there are so many effective supplements available in what is now a hugely competitive and results-driven market. But that doesn't seem to have impacted the popularity of gummies. In fact it's not kids driving the boom, it's adults. Gummy supplements are everywhere and in some cases, they're being marketed as highly effective luxury products with huge aspirational campaigns behind them. According to biochemist and influencer Jessie Inchauspé, who goes by 'Glucose Goddess' online, 'If you have a bottle of vinegar gummies, go throw it out immediately. They are no better than having candy. Vinegar gummies contain two grams of sugar. That's as much sugar as in two candy gummy bears. They are not good for your health.' I've been informed as much by several nutritionists in casual conversations about which supplements you should actually bother taking. Despite some brands being far better than others where sugar content is concerned, gummies have never scored particularly highly on my ongoing list of expert-approved supplements. As a wellness editor, I've been sent a ton of variations on the gummy vitamin. And despite knowing they probably won't impact my health, I've enjoyed testing them. My favourites are the 'beauty' gummies from functional mushroom brand Dirtea. These cute little heart-shaped squishes taste like peach, contain tremella mushroom and biotin and supposedly contain no sugar whatsoever – though the first four ingredients are sweeteners and that's before you even get to the mushroom content. I've also been invited to sample the now somewhat iconic apple cider vinegar gummy in many iterations, as well as hangover gummies, gummies for period pain and perimenopause gummies for lessening hormonal symptoms. Which begs the question: why are candyceuticals such a big deal for adults? Can't we just take a pill or stick a patch on? Unless you have a medical condition that means you can't swallow a tablet, it's surely not that hard to do? I'd argue that there's a shift at play here. As wellness becomes more fashionable, it's become more watered down. Health is cool now, but being healthy? Unfortunately that does require some effort, which is why so many products now offer the opportunity to perform wellness, rather than the real deal. The ' morning shed ' trend is a prime example of how these types of products are making their way into our lives. It's easy to take a gummy supplement for your gut or your hair, skin and nails, because it's equivalent to a delicious treat and makes you feel as though you've done something good for your body. Eating the right foods for your gut or skin consistently? That requires a lot more work, from shopping for and preparing the right foods to consuming them regularly – a nightmare if you're not keen to eat 30 plants a week. The watering down of wellness has resulted in the infantilisation of the industry. Complex workouts have given rise to 'this one easy trick' and eating a healthy amount of protein has taken the shape of marshmallow rocky road protein bars that also taste suspiciously like candy. The wellness industry is also openly targeting teens – the ideal consumers of brightly coloured mouth tape and ashwagandha gummies. But in a world where the rules of good health are now required to be cute, easy and that much sweeter in order to be followed, what impact is this having on our bodies? Amy Peacock founder of Earth's Secret says: 'Gummies are an alternative way for people to take supplements instead of capsules, but depending on how many gummies they take a day, this could be similar to taking the same amount of jelly beans a day. As they both contain sugar or sugar alcohols.' She adds: 'Gummies can contain vitamins and minerals, but to be chewed like a gummy they will require additional ingredients like glucose syrup, sugar and pectin to create the gummy texture. This can dilute the active ingredient content and add unnecessary sugars. They also often need higher stabilisers and preservatives to maintain shelf life. 'Healthy' gummies will use sucrolose or aspartame most of the time.' Aside from the added sugar and sweeteners transforming vitamins into sweeties, there's also the question of whether gummies actually deliver any of the nutrients they claim to. Sweet fruity flavours have the power to trick the brain into believing it's actually consuming something with a nutrient-dense profile when it fact, it's mainly sugar. Peacock also explains that many types of supplement are actually incompatible with the gummy format due to their sensitivity to heat. Gummies are made by heating and then setting all the ingredients, which can compromise the potency and bioavailability of probiotics, magnesium and vitamin D. Joe Netherwood of Known Nutrition notes: 'The supplement industry is awash with misleading claims and products that may not contain what they say. This is part of the industry I find incredibly troubling. There are now so many supplement brands sharing false information, especially through their social marketing.' One of Netherwood's chief concerns is the creatine gummy market. He explains that after a class action lawsuit in the US, concerns regarding the level of actual creatine in UK gummies were raised. Netherwood and his team sent creatine gummies made by several brands for testing at a leading third-party laboratory and one came back showing no detectable creatine at all. 'This case is just the tip of the iceberg in a largely unregulated industry where anyone can start a supplement brand,' he says. 'There is no requirement to prove what's in a supplement, only that it's safe to consume. Even labelling regulations are full of grey areas and often overlooked. Gummies are an emerging, fast-growing category and the rapid rise of gummies over the last five years has led to new, inexperienced manufacturers rushing products to market without proper formulation or testing.' Despite the ease with which you can take a gummy and how tasty they are, when it comes to the efficacy of their nutrient profile, they're simply not as effective as a supplement in capsule form. 'Capsules remain the best due to being able to choose a supplement with no additives or fillers and provide precise dosing, and offer better absorption than gummies' says Peacock. 'While gummies might seem more appealing, especially for those who struggle with pills, they represent a compromise between convenience and efficacy.' Of course, capsules vary in quality too and in some rare cases you may find a gummy that actually offers a better nutrient profile than a capsule, however the capsule would have to be pretty poor for this to be the case. Ultimately, choosing a quality brand is a significant factor in whether or not you'll feel the benefits of any supplement and the less sugar, fillers, additives and unnecessary ingredients your vitamins contain, the better. If you're not willing to give up on gummies, for whatever reason, Peacock advises checking the sugar content and looking for artificial colours before you buy. She also recommends considering the exact dosage you need to take to make an impact. 'You may actually need to take more gummies to match capsule potency, but consider your sugar intake and how this will affect your gut health,' she adds. Personally, I'd rather stick with a capsule, a patch or an oral solution when it comes to supplements. Or better yet, getting the essential nutrients my body needs from a varied diet – this simply isn't something you can cheat at, no matter what the next big gummy vitamin campaign tells you.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Diabetes Advice for Weight Loss Success and Blood Sugar Lowering
The different types of diabetes—prediabetes, type 1, type 2, type 1.5—have different courses of treatment and management. But health experts agree on one thing: There's a universal need to improve blood-sugar regulation. 'Everyone benefits from steadying their levels,' says Georgetown University–trained biochemist Jessie Inchauspé, author of The Glucose Goddess Method. Here, expert advice on how to reduce blood-sugar spikes, whether you have diabetes or not. And don't miss the inspiring diabetes success story at the end where Shannon Clark shares how she lost 204 pounds and lowered her blood sugar numbers by 400 points! Expert tips for managing blood sugar levels… 'Remember, fixing your food is always the place to start,' says Inchauspé. Even if you need diabetes medication, 'diet is a very strong tool for controlling blood sugar,' adds Peter Brukner, MD, chairperson of the Defeat Diabetes program. In fact, dietary changes can also help you cut back on diabetes medication. Here are some ways to tweak your diet: 'I have yet to see a patient, in all my years of assessing thousands of women, who doesn't have a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, which is leading them down the path toward diabetes.' -Florence Comite, MD Yale- and NIH-trained endocrinologist Florence Comite, MD, says, 'I have yet to see a patient, in all my years of assessing thousands of women, who doesn't have a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, which is leading them down the path toward diabetes. It's in our genetic makeup to store carbohydrates as fat.' So doctors often advise on lowering overall carbs, or keeping carb intake between 26 percent and 45 percent of daily calories. There is an exception to the low-carb rule. When eating carbs, choose complex carbs with a low glycemic index, such as whole grains, legumes and nonstarchy veggies. This is a surefire way to lose weight: A study out of Paris found that people eating a blood sugar–reducing diet like this lost 2,500 percent more body fat than those eating a blood sugar–spiking diet. Reach for entrees made with lean poultry, fish, tofu or beans to satisfy cravings and cut down on mindless snacking. Bonus: Eating this way can spur weight loss. A study published in The International Journal of Obesity found that overweight people who ate protein-rich eggs for breakfast shed 65 percent more weight than those who chose carb-rich foods in the morning. Try foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil and fish to improve insulin sensitivity, boost energy and speed weight loss. A 2025 study published in the journal Nature Medicine estimates that every year, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes are diagnosed, thanks to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages like soda—a number that accounts for 10 percent of type 2 diabetes cases around the world. Opt for plant-based options like veggies, fruits and whole grains. It aids in blood-sugar control and improves overall gut health. There's a growing mountain of research on the ability of specific minerals to naturally improve blood-sugar regulation. Supplementing with chromium helps many people, like Shannon Clark, who lowered her blood sugar from 500 mg/dL to 100 mg/dL. (Check out her story below…) Finally, getting plenty of vitamins and minerals in general can support immunity to guard against autoimmune attacks that can trigger diabetes types 1 and 1.5. Managing weight and blood sugar goes beyond the food on our plate. Check out these healthy habits: Getting exercise, even a brisk walk, helps shuttle blood sugar out of the bloodstream so it isn't stored as body fat. A Cleveland Clinic study shows that exercising after a meal reduces blood-sugar bumps by 45 percent. Maintaining a healthy weight this way can also help in the long run. Obesity strains the body by requiring it to make more insulin. 'For people predisposed to diabetes, this increased demand could potentially accelerate the loss of insulin-producing cells,' explains Soma Mandal, MD, an internist and women's health specialist. This habit has been shown to improve diabetes symptoms by lowering stress and inflammation. In fact, the hormones cortisol and adrenaline can hinder insulin function, causing insulin resistance. One techy tool to try: The Breathing App for Diabetes, which can reduce stress by 44 percent in just 28 days. The free app offers a set of daily breathing practices scientifically proven to drop A1C levels—a measurement of blood sugar over three months. One supplement helping people manage blood sugar and avoid damaging spikes was developed by biochemist Jessie Inchauspé, The Glucose Goddess. Anti-Spike Formula contains four active ingredients, including mulberry leaf extract (250 mg), shown in 22 studies to improve blood sugar. A study in PLOS One found the ingredient reduced spikes by up to 40 percent after a meal. Inchauspé calls the 'amazing wealth of data' on mulberry leaf to be 'mind blowing.' After slipping and falling in the shower, Shannon Clark, 57, of Texas, received a dire warning from her doctor: 'You can plan your funeral or you can do something about it.' Shannon had always been tall (she's 6'5') and able to carry extra pounds, but her carb cravings led to weight gain, type 2 diabetes and the need to take 10 Rx medications. Plus, her blood-sugar readings were sky-high. So, following the holidays, Shannon adopted a low-carb/high-protein diet, began supplementing with blood sugar–lowering minerals like chromium and started exercising on a rowing machine at a gym called Row House Fitness. In three weeks, she dropped 32 pounds. And within two months, she was down 50 pounds. While Shannon is still working toward her goal and living with type 2, she has shed an amazing 204 pounds since January 2023, reduced her cholesterol, gotten off six meds and lowered her dose of metformin. 'My blood-sugar readings went from 500 to 100, and my A1C fell from 9.6 to 4.7!' Today, she shares, 'I am back to wearing clothes from 2017.' The busy dental consultant adds, 'It has been three years of getting my life back. For the first time, I feel like I have a future!' The Weight Loss Secret That Helped 1 Woman Shed 155 Pounds and Reverse Diabetes This Kind of Chocolate Can Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes by 21%—Experts Explain Why FDA Approves Ozempic for Kidney Disease—Here's What Doctors Say About Its Benefits This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Avoid These 'Bad' High-Sugar Foods Because They Age You 'So Fast'
Aging is a natural process, but certain lifestyle choices—especially diet—can speed it up, leading to premature wrinkles and a higher risk of chronic diseases that may prevent you from reaching 100. Some foods can accelerate aging by increasing inflammation, breaking down collagen, and promoting oxidative stress, all of which contribute to fine lines, sagging skin, and overall poor health. Jessie Inchauspé, a French biochemist, New York Times bestselling author, and nicknamed The Glucose Goddess, recently shared in a podcast episode the worst foods that accelerate aging and explained how they impact the body. According to her, the worst foods to avoid are refined bread, pasta, fruit juice, donuts, and processed snacks like chocolate cake. Read on to get all her insights. "The more glucose spikes you have, the faster you age, and this shows on your skin," which eventually makes "your organs slowly age" as well, she reveals. Your body doesn't care whether sugar came from an orange juice or if it came from a beetroot and is now in a can of Coca-Cola; "those sugar molecules will both lead to a glucose spike." Inchauspé explains that foods like bread, pasta, rice, oats, and chocolate cake should be avoided because they lack nutritional value and can be addictive. Refined versions of these foods are stripped of essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals, leaving behind empty calories that contribute to blood sugar spikes and crashes. Opting for whole, unprocessed versions, such as whole grain bread, brown rice, and sweet potatoes, is a healthier choice. Besides "faster aging," too much glucose in the body can also lead to things such as brain fog, inflammation, hormonal issues, various diseases, and type 2 diabetes. Then there's glycation. Glycation is a process where sugar molecules attach to proteins or lipids in the body, creating harmful compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). This process can contribute to aging by damaging the structure and function of proteins, which affects skin elasticity, collagen, and other tissues, thus giving "you more wrinkles." "We can't stop aging," she reveals, but "there are billionaires trying to reverse aging [that] so far haven't been able to, but we can slow it down or speed it up" through everyday choices. "Glucose spikes have something to do with glycation, which kind of sounds similar; it's because it is the glucose that is doing the glycating, the aging." Some other "top offenders" are orange juice, fruit smoothies, and breakfast cereal; "even if they say no sugar or low in sugar, that doesn't mean they don't contain glucose; it just means they don't contain any table sugar." So what should you eat instead? She recommends savory, protein-rich options such as dairy, tofu, protein powder, leftover fish from the night before, and eggs, and then add some healthy fats like avocados. 'A plate of vegetables at the beginning of your meal," such as baby carrots, steamed cauliflower with tahini, and tomatoes, "counts as well, and you'll see how different you feel after the meal—no crash, no cravings, and you know you're also helping your body become healthier.'
