Sugar Expert: Change This One Meal to Feel Better All Day | Jessie Inchauspé

What happened in this episode?

Jessie Inchauspé, who writes about blood sugar and diet, explains what glucose is and why she believes frequent “spikes” and crashes can contribute to fatigue, cravings and long-term metabolic illness. She describes three mechanisms she associates with sharp glucose rises: impaired energy production (via mitochondria), accelerated “glycation” linked to ageing, and inflammation, before discussing insulin’s role in storing excess glucose and its relationship to type 2 diabetes risk.

Much of the episode focuses on practical dietary tactics. Inchauspé argues that a sweet, carb-heavy breakfast can set up a day of cravings and low energy, and recommends switching to a savoury, protein-centred breakfast. She also cites research suggesting that eating foods in a particular sequence—vegetables first, then proteins and fats, with starchy or sweet items last—can sharply reduce the size of a glucose spike.

In a more personal section, she recounts a decade of anxiety, depression and depersonalisation after a teenage accident, saying a pilot glucose-monitor experiment helped her notice that her mental health was worse on days with larger glucose swings. She also advises snackers to avoid eating carbohydrates “naked”, pairing them with protein, fat or fibre. The conversation ends with a caution about over-tracking health metrics and her suggested policy idea of banning processed breakfast foods.

What are the key points?

• Inchauspé says glucose spikes can drive fatigue, cravings and inflammation, and over time contribute to metabolic disease.
• She recommends replacing sweet breakfasts with savoury, protein-based options to stabilise energy and appetite.
• She cites a study claiming meal component order can reduce a meal’s glucose spike by up to 75%.
• She advises starting meals with vegetables (fibre) and eating starches/sugars later to slow absorption.
• She shares a personal account linking glucose variability with worse anxiety/depersonalisation symptoms during a pilot CGM experiment.
• She claims type 2 diabetes can be improved and put into remission, alongside medical supervision.
• She warns that constant self-measurement (including CGMs) can become stressful and counterproductive.

Which topics are covered?

How is this page sourced?

Programme

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Published

15 August 2026

Duration

32m

Original episode

Open the original source ↗

Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.