Glucose Revolution, Jessie Inchauspe (9/10)

Rating: 9/10

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🤔 Pre Read Exercise: What Do I Know About This Topic/Book?

• Know very little about this book specifically, besides that it was recommended by someone I trust.
• On the topic in general, I know some basic stuff about glucose and insulin from high school biology, and that different foods affect blood glucose in different ways, which is often attributed to various health issues and symptoms, most notably diabetes and tiredness.
• I’m interested in fixing some dietary issues and am always looking to improve performance. Also v intellectually curious so like to understand the underlying mechanisms for the tips/hacks, etc., that I subscribe to/try, hence my interest in reading the book itself rather than just a 1 page TLDR/blog post.

🚀 The Book in 3 Sentences

1. Glucose science for dummies, translated to comprehensive practical advice
2. 140 pages – the first 70 is elementary science, the second 70 uses that science to give you 10 practical tips to flatten your glucose curves
3. Short, easy, accessible, and very well worth a read

🎨 Impressions

This was a good book. I liked the structure, I liked the narrative, I found it informative, objective, and comprehensive. It’s also very short, easy, and accessible, and I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone interested in keeping healthy (which should be everyone!).

The book begins with the author’s personal story, health journey, and motivations. She leverages this throughout to give the book a friendly narrative, which I liked.

She then spends a couple of chapters explaining what glucose is, what carbs are, what sugar is, the differences between glucose, sucrose and fructose, where plants get involved, what these mean for our bodies, and how western trends and diets fit into this picture.

She then spends a couple chapters explaining glucose spikes, why flatter glucose curves are better, and gives examples of why and how this works.

She then spends the rest of the book outlining 10 examples of things people can do to help keep their glucose curves flat, including:

• exercise or walk before and after meals
• eating meals in the order: veggies/fibre → protein → fat → carb → sugar/dessert
• always have greens/veggies with a meal (and ideally first)
• having some vinegar before/during a meal
• dont have a carb-heavy breakfast
• have a dessert (with a meal) rather than a sweet snack alone
• if you must snack, have a savory one (nuts, humous, etc.)
• avoid counting calories
• all sugar is the same

🔍 How I Discovered It

• A personal trainer and nutritionist friend recommended it

🥰 Who Would Like It?

• Anyone interested in health

☘️ How the Book Changed Me

• Taught me some biology basics and helped me order my foods correctly and move around before and after meals