Books to Change Your Life: The Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspé
Even if you don't *think* you have trouble with your blood sugar, this is worth reading
Introducing a new series! Books to Change Your Life is born of my love for reading and my inclination to share helpful information with people. So many of my clients love to read, but simply don’t find the time in their jam-packed schedules. I figured I would start to compile a collection of the books I recommend the most along with why I recommend them. This series won’t be a cliffnotes summary, but it will highlight the big picture concepts I think make the books so helpful. My hope is it can inspire your reading list, your curiosity, and help take the overwhelm about navigating the self-help world. The books won’t all be self-help, but it will skew that way because that’s where my interests lie — plus who comes to a holistic health coach to get recommendations for fiction novels? As of now, I don’t have any affiliates with any of the books or products mentioned, they’re simply items I’ve used myself and of course books I’ve read. My intention is to write one Books to Change Your Life a month, for now, on the 15th of each month.
Who should read this? Everyone. Especially good if you know you have a high A1C, Type 1 or 2 diabetes, get tired midday, get hangry when you haven’t eaten, get shaky or lightheaded when you haven’t eaten in a while, or you were brought up eating cereal, granola, or baked goods for breakfast. But literally, if you have a body, you should read this.
You may have heard about Jessie Inchauspé, the Glucose Goddess, from an IG post from your friend or on TV or just generally on every corner of the internet. She has brought the conversation around healthy blood glucose levels even more forward into the mainstream media. She’s not the only one talking about blood glucose levels, but what I like about her is that she explains things in a very accessible way and gives lots of information on why she says what she says. She’s also realistic about the kinds of changes people are willing to make in their lives. In short, she isn’t selling a super extreme diet, but rather more a methodology for managing your blood glucose levels.
As with any singular person touting helpful health information, I think it’s excellent to keep a healthy skepticism as you’re diving in. You don’t need to become a disciple of hers, but I do recommend reading the books The Glucose Revolution to start. Her website has a ton of information available, but I think it’s helpful to start with the book. It’s not a long read and has plenty of charts that help illustrate her points.
If you’re thinking that this book doesn’t apply to you, you’re probably mistaken. The only people who don’t need to read this book are people who already read this book, or are eating ketogenic/low carb already. When I was eating ketogenic, my blood sugar levels were outrageously steady, it was very satisfying to see on the continuous glucose monitor (CGM). If you’ve never thought twice about your blood sugar levels, even if you don’t suspect an “issue,” I believe you should still read it. The standard American diet is abysmal at blood sugar level support, so even things you might have considered healthy before aren’t actually healthy for your blood glucose levels. And even if you have Type 1 diabetes and already know so much about your blood sugar levels, you might find some helpful tips to help keep your spikes even lower, thereby lowering the need for insulin (which of course you’d want to tag-team this process with your endocrinologist).
Blood glucose levels have an impact on absolutely everything in your body. If you want to be properly healthy, you must pay attention to your blood glucose management. With the advent of the Stelo CGM being over-the-counter (and not outrageously expensive at under $100 a month), it’s never been easier to know your blood sugar levels. You can also go old school with something like a KetoMojo to prick your finger and test your blood sugar that way (blood strips are more accurate than the CGM’s which use the interstitial fluid to measure blood sugar BUT the CGMs are more user-friendly and give you a much better picture of overall trends throughout the day and night). I recommend doing at least a month of wearing a CGM so you can see how your stress levels, hormones, and other factors might play into your levels, as well as giving you time to play around with your food choices.
But you don’t have to spend any money on trackers to pay close attention to how you’re feeling. Blood glucose levels impact your energy levels/fatigue, bloating and general puffiness, as well as weight. If you start to play around with her framework for managing healthy blood sugar, listen to how your body is responding (not your brain or your incessant cravings that might have another plan for you).
Stelo syncs with Cronometer now, so if you’ve been looking for a food diary that also aggregates your movement, CGM stats, mood (if you log it!), water intake, and overall nutrient breakdown, look no further! There’s a free version, but if you get really into it, the Gold version features are more than worth the cost (again, I honor if that’s not in your budget right now). Think of it as an investment in preventative medicine — you can avoid future doctor’s visits later if you take responsibility for your health now.
In the Metabolic Approach to Health, there are Ten Terrains to keep balanced in your body for optimal health and blood sugar is one of them. It’s an enormous piece of the wellness puzzle and one that doesn’t get nearly enough air time. The Glucose Revolution does an excellent job of explaining what happens with glucose in your body, and why/how you gain weight eating excess sugar, what your body is actually doing with glucose, and the overall impact on your health.
The Glucose Revolution book is a call-to-action to take charge of your blood glucose levels. I dare you not to recommend it to everyone you know once you’ve read it.