Steven Bartlett - Jessie Inchauspé

1) Jessie Inchauspé shares a personal story about jumping off a waterfall and breaking her back. She describes the extreme pain she experienced and the terrifying realization that one of her vertebrae was broken into 13 pieces. After two weeks of being immobile, she was eventually flown to a clinic in Zurich where she underwent a risky surgery that involved opening her body from both the side and the back to fix her spine. Despite her fear of dying, she woke up feeling an incredible amount of pain, which far surpassed the pain she experienced when breaking her back.

2) Jessie shares her experience of going through a traumatic event where her physical health suffered, and how it caused her to experience depersonalization and panic attacks. She explains how her realization that health should be the number one priority in life emerged from this experience, and how she believes that people often only begin to prioritize their health after a traumatic event or when they see others around the world struggling with their health. She suggests that if people lived their lives backwards, starting old and becoming young, they would appreciate their health more and complain less.

3) Jessie explains why she wrote her book, The Glucose Revolution. After experiencing mental health issues due to imbalanced blood sugar levels, Jessie embarked on a journey to understand how her body worked. From studying mathematics and biochemistry to working in genetics, Jessie realized that DNA doesn't give much information about feeling good, it is how one lives that matters. During her work at a genetics company, Jessie discovered the world of glucose and learned how it affects mental health as well as other aspects of health. Jessie emphasizes that glucose management is essential for everyone, not just people with diabetes, as glucose spikes can affect people's health and wellbeing without them realizingit.

4) Jessie discusses the scary new research on sugar and how it can make people addicted to it. Studies have shown that sugar and starches in foods can lead to glucose spikes, which can cause cravings for sweet foods multiple times a day. These cravings can also be activated by drops in glucose levels after a spike, which can, in turn, activate the craving center in the brain, leading to further cravings for sugary foods. Dopamine, a pleasure molecule that is released when someone eats something sweet, is also addictive, making the sugar addiction even stronger.

5) Jessie discusses the negative effects of excessive sugar consumption on the body. Due to human breeding of plants and fruits to be extra sweet, and extraction of sugar from fruits to create table sugar and sugary drinks, human beings have created a food landscape that is causing glucose spikes and harming physical and mental health. Symptoms of excessive sugar consumption include cravings, unsteady energy levels, fatigue, memory issues, brain fog, and inflammation seen as acne or eczema. By balancing glucose levels, people can improve their overall health and wellness.

6) Jessie explains the basics of glucose and how the body uses it as a source of energy. Glucose is found in starchy and sweet foods, and every cell in the body uses it for energy. However, flooding the body too quickly with too much glucose causes a glucose spike, which leads to the breakdown of mitochondria - organelles in cells that convert glucose to energy. This breakdown is problematic because it stops the body from producing energy, and this is often the case when people consume too many starchy and sweet foods, leading to symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog.

7) Jessie explains how sugar affects the body. Firstly, it causes stress and inflammation, which leads to various diseases; secondly, sugar leads to glycation, which isn't good and causes aging; and finally, the body releases insulin to store the glucose in muscles, liver, and fat cells, causing weight gain, and long-term increase in insulin levels lead to type-2 diabetes, connected to fertility issues. Particularly, polycystic ovary syndrome is tightly linked with glucose, and high insulin in the body increases testosterone level, which causes infertility disease.

8) Jessie talks about chronic deployment of insulin, which leads to insulin resistance and ultimately Type 2 diabetes. Insulin becomes less effective over time, and eventually, the body becomes less sensitive to it. This can happen through the consumption of sugary foods that cause glucose spikes, resulting in the symptoms of glucose spikes. The conversation then moves onto the 10 hacks mentioned in Inchauspé’s book. The first one is to eat food in the right order, specifically consuming veggies first, followed by proteins and fats, which can reduce the glucose spike of a meal by up to 75%.

9) Jessie discusses the order in which one should consume foods in order to regulate glucose levels. The ideal order according to scientists is broccoli, fish, pasta, cookie, and avocado with olive oil. Eating veggies first in a meal has a massive impact on glucose levels, which can help counteract cravings and provide steady energy. The speaker also explains that consuming starches, such as bread and sugar, first is not ideal, as it leads to a spike in glucose levels which can cause increased concentration and potential health issues. Additionally, the fiber in vegetables creates a protective mesh that reduces the spike of glucose molecules after consuming the meal, which can be particularly helpful for those who experience afternoon cravings or have unstable energy levels.

10) Jessie discusses the impact of eating speed on glucose levels and how it can be improved. She suggests that slowing down while eating can help to flatten the glucose curve, and recommends starting meals with a veggie starter as it can have a stronger impact on glucose levels than just eating the meal slowly. The topic then shifts to calories, and the origins of how they were measured through burning food and measuring the increase in temperature in water. She argues that calories are a reductive way of thinking about food and instead suggests focusing on the molecules in the food and balancing glucose levels through using hacks, rather than counting calories, to improve overall health.

11) Jessie explains that while fruit is still the best thing to eat if you want something sweet due to the fiber content, the problem arises when the fruit is denatured. This occurs when it is blended, juiced, dried, or pureed, as it separates the sugar from the protective fiber. For example, when juiced, an apple's sugar is extracted, leaving behind the fiber. This concentrated form of sugar is equivalent to the amount of sugar in two apples and is delivered to the body quickly, causing a sugar spike. She also reveals that fruit juices are nearly as sugary as a can of Coca-Cola, so it should be consumed as a dessert or treat, not for its nutritional value. She concludes with breakfast recommendations, including eating savory items instead of granolas, breakfast cereals, or oats with banana and honey, and following the ten hacks in the video's accompanying book, such as drinking vinegar before consuming food.

12) Jessie discusses two sugar hacks based on scientific research that can help reduce glucose and insulin spikes after a meal. The first hack involves drinking a tablespoon of vinegar diluted in at all glass of water before a meal to slow down the digestion process and allow muscles to soak up glucose more slowly. The second hack is to engage in light movement after a meal, such as calf raises or a short walk, to use the glucose in the bloodstream as energy and prevent it from creating a spike. These simple tricks can come in handy, especially when traveling or in situations where sugar intake is inevitable.

13) Jessie describes her typical food day and how she manages her love for sweet foods. She usually starts her day with a protein-rich breakfast of a two-egg omelet with feta and tomatoes, followed by a big salad for lunch, and a sweet snack in the afternoon. However, to reduce her glucose spikes, she uses various hacks such as the vinegar hack and adding protein, fat, or fiber (clothing) to her carbs like adding Greek yogurt to her chocolate cake. She also recommends avoiding sweet breakfast foods like granola and having a protein-rich breakfast instead. She suggests having sweet foods as dessert after lunch or dinner instead of in the morning on an empty stomach.

14) Jessie talks about her philosophy on dietary choices and eating habits, emphasizing the importance of learning glucose hacks to help break free from addictions caused by sugar, and to cut through all the noise in marketing while focusing on biological energy and stamina. She also clarifies a common myth about sugar providing energy and the dopamine hit it activates in our brain. The conversation then shifts towards the idea of vulnerability and connection as essential human qualities. The host of the show, Stephen, introduces a box of conversation cards, and together they discuss the purpose of asking questions that create this connection by unlocking levels of vulnerability.

15) Jessie talks about how her surgeon did an amazing job on her scars and how she wished she had spent more time talking to him and thanking him. She also revealed that she spoke to her dad on the phone and he sounded sad which made her sad. Jessie suspects that life is a little bit rough on her dad right now, which is a common feeling amongst older people. She wonders if the psychological nutrient that's missing is a sense of purpose or connection but notes that therapy can help provide tools for changing one's life.