The ‘Glucose Goddess’ Said 3 Simple Swaps Help Balance Blood Sugar

It all started with a donut.

One morning in her 20s, Jessie Inchauspé says, she ate her usual sugary breakfast on her way to work in Silicon Valley — and noticed something strange.

His new fitness tracker showed his blood sugar rising, then plummeting. This pattern reflected her episodes of brain fog, anxiety and exhaustion, she said.

“It may seem obvious today that what we eat impacts our mental health, but at the time, for me, I didn’t make the connection,” Inchauspé told Business Insider.

That moment sent Inchauspé — now known to millions online as the Glucose Goddess — down a rabbit hole. She participated in a pilot study using a continuous glucose monitor (or CGM), a device typically reserved for people with diabetes, to see how food affected the daily mood and energy of otherwise healthy people.

Years later, she has built a massive brand around the knowledge it gained from this turning point. More than 5 million people follow her on Instagram, where she shares what she calls “glucose tips” for maintaining stable energy, metabolism and sleep cycles.

Since then, CGMs have exploded in popularity among athletes, CEOs, and everyday people trying to lose weight or feel less sluggish. Some are now sold without a prescription, like the Stelo, a Dexcom device with which Inchauspé has partnered.

The science behind “optimizing” blood sugar is evolving. It’s normal to have occasional dips and spikes in blood sugar, and researchers haven’t yet determined what the optimal range might be for people without diabetes. Dietitians caution that self-monitoring can sometimes lead to overanalysis of normal biological responses.

Still, Inchauspé said she’s seen lasting benefits in her daily life by understanding her blood sugar levels and adopting a few simple strategies that echo long-standing nutritional advice.

“Saying that glucose only matters if you have diabetes is to me like saying that brushing your teeth only matters if you have cavities,” Inchauspé told Business Insider. “We all feel the effects of our blood sugar levels on a daily basis.”

Here are three simple changes she says have made the biggest difference to her health and how they compare to nutritional advice.

Eat more protein for breakfast

Inchauspé said he was changing his morning routine helped her avoid an afternoon slump.

Previously, she started the day with cereal bars or granola bars, which seemed healthy but caused her blood sugar to skyrocket.

For a more balanced breakfast, she opted for eggs, Greek yogurt with unsweetened nut butter, or a smoothie with protein powder — and she says her mood and energy improved significantly. Now, a protein-rich breakfast has become a non-negotiable for her.

“Anchoring your day with a protein-rich breakfast that keeps you going is really, really essential,” Inchauspé said. “It changed how I felt. It changed the way I ate, the way I was connected to my body.”

After having a baby, Inchauspé says these changes became even more significant.

“It was a pretty intense journey, but having that little bit of data felt pretty grounding,” she said.

Including protein with every meal is dietitian-approved advice, although the total amount of protein you need each day depends on your weight and goals.

Start a meal with vegetables

Inchauspé insists she’s not anti-carb — in fact, she tells her large audience, carbs can be healthy.

“I love pasta and I could never give up pasta, nor do I want to,” she said.

But these days, she starts the meal with a salad with a flavorful, low-sugar miso dressing or other fiber-rich vegetables that support healthy digestion.

“It’s not necessarily about replacing things, but also just learning when and how to eat them so that I can still get all the joy from them with less impact on my glucose levels,” Inchauspé said.

Front-loading fiber helps slow the absorption of carbohydrates, so blood sugar levels follow more of a gently rolling hill than a roller coaster.

Choose fruits rich in fiber

Inchauspé used to snack on grapes, assuming they were healthy, until she noticed that they caused an afternoon slump.

“I just thought, ‘oh, they’re so healthy. They’re fruit, they’re so natural,'” she said.

Now she prefers an apple to peanut butter.

A A serving of grapes contains a fraction of fiber like an apple, so the sugars are digested more quickly, leading to a quick boost that doesn’t last. The gut-healthy fiber in an apple, combined with the healthy fats in nut butter, helps ease the digestive process.

Individual responses to carbohydrates can vary greatly, however. New research even suggests that people have different “glucotypes” that influence how their bodies handle sugar.

“I’m all for being as balanced and nuanced as possible. A donut isn’t the best thing for your blood sugar, but I’ll never tell you, ‘You’ll never be able to eat a donut again,'” Inchauspé said. “That would be ridiculous.”

Takeaways

As scientists continue to study what blood sugar monitoring means for healthy people, Inhauspé’s popularity highlights a growing trend: People want data – and simple changes – to feel more energized and in control of their health.

Bottom line: Take a sensible approach to eating: don’t try to restrict too much and be aware of your own needs and goals.