Control Glucose Spikes

The Science of Eating: 10 Hacks from "Glucose Revolution" That Actually Work

By John Fisher (assisted by AI)

If you’ve ever felt the mid-afternoon slump or the sudden craving for something sweet after a meal, you’ve experienced a glucose spike. Recently, I’ve been listening to Glucose Revolution by biochemist Jessie Inchauspé, and it offers a fascinating look at how our blood sugar affects everything from our mood to our long-term health.

What I appreciate most about Inchauspé’s approach is that it isn’t a restrictive diet. It’s not about what you eat, but how you eat it. As someone who enjoys good food and cooking, I found these "hacks" to be practical tools rather than rigid rules.

Here are the 10 core hacks from the book that can help you flatten your glucose curves without giving up the foods you love.

1. Eat Your Food in the Right Order

This is perhaps the most powerful takeaway. When you sit down to a meal, try to eat the components in this specific sequence:

1. Fiber (Vegetables)

2. Protein and Fats

3. Starches and Sugars

By eating fiber first, you create a mesh in your intestine that slows down the absorption of glucose from the rest of the meal.

2. Add a Green Starter

Building on the first hack, always start your lunch or dinner with a "veggie starter." It doesn’t have to be complicated—a simple green salad, some roasted broccoli, or even a few stalks of celery. This flattens the glucose spike of the entire meal.

3. Stop Counting Calories

Inchauspé argues that calories don’t tell the whole story. A slightly higher-calorie meal that keeps your blood sugar stable is often better for your metabolic health than a low-calorie sugary snack that sends your insulin soaring. Focus on the quality and timing of food, not just the number.

4. Flatten Your Breakfast Curve

Breakfast is the most critical meal for blood sugar control. If you start the day with a sugar spike (cereal, juice, toast and jam), you are setting yourself up for a rollercoaster of cravings all day.

• The Fix: Switch to a savory breakfast. Think eggs, avocado, leftovers, or Greek yogurt with nuts. Keep the starches low and the protein high.

5. All Sugars Are the Same

From a molecular standpoint, your body doesn’t distinguish much between "natural" agave syrup, honey, and white table sugar. They all cause glucose spikes. If you’re going to eat sugar, pick the one you enjoy the most and eat it mindfully, rather than fooling yourself that one is "healthier."

6. Pick Dessert Over a Sweet Snack

Timing is everything. If you eat a cookie on an empty stomach (a snack), it hits your system instantly. If you eat that same cookie immediately after a meal (dessert), the fiber, protein, and fat you just ate will slow down the sugar absorption. Always choose dessert over a standalone snack.

7. Reach for Vinegar

This sounds like an old wives' tale, but the science backs it up. Drinking one tablespoon of vinegar (apple cider vinegar is popular) diluted in a tall glass of water 20 minutes before a meal can reduce the glucose spike of that meal by up to 30%. The acetic acid in vinegar helps your muscles soak up glucose faster.

8. Move After You Eat

You don’t need to run a marathon. Just 10 minutes of movement within an hour of eating—a walk around the block, doing the dishes, or some light tidying—allows your muscles to use the extra glucose in your bloodstream immediately, preventing a large spike.

9. If You Must Snack, Go Savory

If you are hungry between meals, avoid the sweet treats. Go for a savory option like a handful of nuts, a piece of cheese, or a hard-boiled egg. These provide energy without the crash.

10. Put "Clothing" on Your Carbs

If you are going to eat carbohydrates (like a piece of bread or a bowl of pasta) or something sugary, never eat them "naked." Dress them up with protein, fat, or fiber.

• Example: Don’t just eat dry toast; add avocado and an egg. Don’t just eat an apple; pair it with some peanut butter or a slice of cheddar. The "clothing" slows down the breakdown of the "naked" carb.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to implement all ten of these at once. I recommend starting with the Savory Breakfast and the Order of Eating. Even these small adjustments can lead to better energy, clearer focus, and better long-term health.

Have you tried any of these glucose hacks? Let me know in the comments which one you’re adding to your routine this week.

A Prophetic Warning and Global Depopulation

In her article "A Voice of Warning," Charolette Winder argues that the "calamities" mentioned in the Family Proclamation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not just natural disasters but the measurable social decay resulting from family disintegration. One of the most significant "macro" calamities is the current global crisis of population degrowth.

Key Principles and Social Calamities

The article argues that the "calamities" warned of in the Proclamation are manifesting through the disintegration of the family unit, which has measurable, generational impacts on society:

• The Weight of Divorce: Social data indicates that divorce diminishes a child's future competence in areas such as education, earning power, and emotional well-being.

• Irreparable Social Decay: The American College of Pediatrics and other studies suggest that the negative long-term consequences of family breakdown are harder to rebuild than physical homes lost to natural disasters.

• The Duty to Warn: Leaders emphasize that teaching unpopular truths about family and gender is an act of love and a fulfillment of their "stewardship" as watchmen.

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The Crisis of Depopulation 

A central focus of the article is the "macro" level threat of depopulation, which it links to the "disintegration of the family" mentioned in the Proclamation:

• Falling Fertility Rates: To sustain population replacement, a rate of 2.1 children per woman is required; however, most developed nations are now well below this threshold.

• Global Predictions: A 2024 study in The Lancet warns that by the year 2100, over 97% of countries will have fertility rates below the necessary replacement level.

• Failed Incentives: Nations like Russia, Hungary, and Denmark have attempted to "bribe" or incentivize citizens to have children through cash bonuses and tax breaks, but these efforts have yielded few results due to high "opportunity costs" and shifting social priorities.

• Economic Consequences: Shrinking populations lead to a smaller workforce, increased tax burdens, and potential societal upheaval as deaths begin to outnumber live births.

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Conclusion

Winder concludes that while the Proclamation's warnings are stark, they are intended to persuade individuals toward choices that lead to stability and happiness. Despite the "messiness" of modern family life, the article offers a message of hope, stating that through Jesus Christ, families can find healing and restoration even when they fall short of the ideal.

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Reference:

 Winder, C. (2025, May 27). A voice of warning: Prophets and proclamations. Public Square Magazine. https://publicsquaremag.org/faith/proclamation-on-the-family/a-voice-of-warning-prophets-and-proclamations/

Healthy Snacks

Practical guidance for choosing afternoon snacks that stabilize blood sugar, reduce cravings, and support long-term health

By John Fisher (assisted by AI)

Afternoon snacking often gets a bad reputation, but according to Jessie Inchauspé, the problem isn’t snacking—it’s what and how we snack. When blood glucose rises sharply and then crashes, we experience fatigue, brain fog, cravings, and overeating later in the day. Inchauspé’s work focuses on keeping glucose curves flat through simple, practical food choices. A well-chosen afternoon snack can support steady energy, focus, and appetite control rather than undermine them.

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What Makes a Good Afternoon Snack?

In Inchauspé’s framework, a glucose-friendly snack is:

• Low in added sugar

• High in protein, fiber, and/or healthy fats

• Preferably savory rather than sweet

The goal is to slow digestion and prevent rapid glucose and insulin spikes.

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The perfect midday snack—two hard-boiled eggs with salt & pepper

Glucose-Friendly Snack Ideas

These options consistently align with Inchauspé’s principles:

• Plain, full-fat Greek yogurt with nuts or seeds

• Cheese with a small handful of nuts

• Apple slices paired with almond or peanut butter

• Hummus with raw vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, peppers)

• Hard-boiled eggs

• A few squares of 85%+ dark chocolate paired with nuts

Why These Work

These snacks:

• Slow digestion

• Reduce insulin spikes

• Support sustained energy and concentration

• Prevent late-afternoon crashes and overeating at dinner

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Snacks to Avoid

Inchauspe advises limiting snacks that spike glucose quickly, including:

• Cookies, pastries, and granola bars

• Fruit eaten alone (without fat or protein)

• Sweetened yogurt

• Crackers or pretzels by themselves

Rule of thumb: never eat carbohydrates alone—always pair them with protein or fat.

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What About Protein Bars?

Protein bars are not automatically “bad,” but Inchauspé would urge caution.

Common Problems

• Hidden sugars (syrups, honey, dates)

• Refined carbohydrates (rice syrup, tapioca starch, maltodextrin)

• Ultra-processing that worsens metabolic response

• Marketing that overemphasizes protein while ignoring glucose impact

When a Protein Bar Is Acceptable

Occasionally, a bar may work if it has:

• ≤ 5 g added sugar

• ≥ 10 g protein

• ≥ 8 g fiber

• Healthy fats from nuts or seeds

• A short ingredient list you recognize

Even then, whole foods are preferred.

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Snack Strategies by Goal

1. Diabetes Management

Goal: flat glucose curves and minimal insulin spikes
Best options:

• Full-fat Greek yogurt with nuts

• Cheese and nuts

• Hard-boiled eggs

• Vegetables with hummus or guacamole

Avoid fruit alone and highly processed “health” snacks.

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2. Weight Loss

Goal: satiety and fewer cravings later
Best options:

• Greek yogurt with cinnamon and nuts

• Apple slices with nut butter

• Eggs with vegetables

• Cheese with olives

• Chia pudding made with unsweetened milk

Stable glucose reduces rebound hunger and evening overeating.

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3. High-Energy Teaching Days

Goal: focus, endurance, no 3–4 p.m. crash
Best options:

• Yogurt with nuts

• Eggs with a pinch of salt

• Hummus with crunchy vegetables

• Dark chocolate with nuts (small portion)

• Cheese with apple slices

If drinking afternoon coffee or tea, pair it with food.

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Simple Weekly Prep (10 Minutes)

• Boil a half-dozen eggs

• Portion nuts into small containers

• Wash and cut vegetables

• Keep plain yogurt and cheese readily available

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The Bottom Line on Snacking

The bottom line is simple: snack to stabilize blood sugar, not to chase quick energy.

A good snack should prevent glucose spikes and crashes by combining protein, healthy fats, and fiber. When blood glucose stays steady, energy lasts longer, focus improves, cravings decrease, and overeating later in the day becomes less likely. Highly processed, sugary, or carb-only snacks do the opposite—even when they’re marketed as “healthy.”

If you remember one rule, make it this: never eat carbohydrates alone. Pair them with protein or fat, favor whole foods over bars and packaged snacks, and treat convenience foods as occasional tools—not daily staples. Stable glucose leads to stable energy, better appetite control, and better health overall.

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Reference

Inchauspé, J. (2022). Glucose Revolution. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

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AI in research and writing

Using AI in research and writing is like flying a plane on autopilot: The pilot must always be in control.

 

Image created by chatGPT

By John Fisher (assisted by AI)

I recently shared the following message with my students, comparing the use of artificial intelligence in research and writing to a pilot operating a plane on autopilot.

Using artificial intelligence for research and writing is like flying a modern aircraft on autopilot during a long flight. The autopilot can hold altitude, maintain course, and manage routine adjustments with remarkable precision, reducing workload and fatigue. In the same way, AI can handle repetitive cognitive tasks—summarizing sources, generating drafts, organizing ideas, or checking grammar—allowing the researcher or writer to focus on higher-order thinking.

However, no responsible pilot abandons the cockpit. Autopilot does not replace judgment, situational awareness, or accountability. The pilot must continuously monitor instruments, verify assumptions, and be prepared to intervene when conditions change or when the system behaves unexpectedly. Likewise, AI does not understand truth, ethics, or context in the way a human scholar does. It can produce plausible text that is incomplete, biased, or incorrect unless carefully supervised.

People remain responsible for defining the destination, selecting credible sources, interpreting evidence, and making final decisions about tone, argument, and accuracy. When turbulence appears—conflicting data, ethical concerns, or messy analysis—the pilot disengages autopilot and flies manually. Used well, AI is a powerful flight system that enhances performance. Used carelessly, it creates risk. Effective scholarship, like safe aviation, depends on human oversight, expertise, and command.

I expect my students to use AI in their studies—for research, summarizing sources, brainstorming, organizing ideas, analyzing and evaluating, and editing and formatting their work. Throughout this process, students must remain in control by providing appropriate prompts and using their own creativity to generate initial ideas and to write the final work. Students need to learn how to use AI responsibly because these tools will be part of their professional practice in their future careers.

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