4 Eating Habits for Greater Brain Health | Glucose Goddess

It is a turning point, it is a fundamental layer of stable

glucose

levels and a much more pleasant life experience. Your

brain

contains only 2% of your body's mass, but it requires 20% of your energy. And then you might think, okay, I want the maximum amount of energy. My

brain

wants the maximum amount of energy, so I should eat as many starches and sugars as I can, right? That would be logical. Well, that's when things break down. That's the biggest takeaway from the story. Welcome back to the Kwik Brain podcast. I'm your host and his mental coach, Jim Kwik, and we have a very special episode.

We're actually filming this in my office for the first time, so I'm excited about that. Let's talk about blood sugar and brain capacity. This is a topic we haven't covered yet in the 350+ episodes we've done, so I want to thank you for tuning in. We're going to talk about

eating

tricks for better cognitive performance, and we have the perfect guest for this and I'm so excited. That's why I want to introduce you to Jesse Incho Spey. Very good, Jim Kwik. Yes, do you like that? Yes. Most people know the

goddess

of

glucose

. If you're on Instagram, she has millions and her content is absolutely extraordinary.

You appear very early in my feeds, so thank you for the work you do. Thanks for having me, Jim. It is a pleasure to be here. Yes, you are now a biochemist. Biochemical. Yes. And you have experience in genetics. Exactly. I worked for five years at a genetics company in Silicon Valley, learning everything about

health

technology and focusing primarily on blood sugar and food and why they are important to all of us. And you've written two best-selling books. Congratulations. Thank you. Yes, the glucose revolution and the glucose

goddess

method. Right here, my last baby. I encourage everyone to get both leaders and readers.

If someone has a lot of experience, puts it in a book and you sit down, you will gain decades of wisdom in just a handful of days. So we'll put the link like we always do in the show notes on Jim Kwik.com. Notes with forward slash. So why don't we start with what glucose is for those of you listening? Glucose is your body's favorite source of energy. So every cell in your body uses it to get energy from your brain cells to the cells in your fingers and toes. No one has ever said toe cells.

So the cells in your toes also use glucose for energy. And the main way we give glucose to our body is by

eating

food, specifically by eating two types of food. Starches, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and sugars, anything that tastes sweet, from a banana to chocolate ice cream. You might think, okay, I want the maximum amount of energy. My brain wants the maximum amount of energy, so I should eat as many starches and sugars as I can, right? That would be logical. Well, that's when things break down. I like to take the example of a plant.

So you have a beautiful tree here in your office. And you know that this tree needs some water to survive. But if you give it too much water, it dies. The human body and the human brain are the same. And glucose, everything works wonderfully. Too much glucose and problems start to occur. Well, let's talk about some of those problems. And I want to get to the solutions, especially as you describe them in your book. Hi, I'm Jim Quick, author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best Cellar Limitless. And today I am delighted to share with you some interesting news.

It expands unlimitedly. It's an updated, all-new edition of my transformative guide. And now you're enriched with new knowledge and new tools to help you navigate our post-pandemic world. For a limited time, when you pre-order your expanded unlimited copy, you'll get exclusive, free access to my 13-day Quick Start 2.0 training. It's a brain workout plus a ton of awesome bonuses. Simply go to limitlessbook.com and grab a copy for yourself and a copy for a friend. You talk about glucose spikes. So what is it and how does it affect our cognitive performance or our brain? A glucose spike is what happens after a meal if you eat too many starches and sugars.

So, it is a rapid increase in the amount of glucose in the body. Specifically for your brain, this means a couple of things. Instead of your brain having a nice constant amount of energy, you're experiencing this roller coaster, this peak and this fall. This can cause many different symptoms. It can cause mental confusion. Very interesting, right? Because that glucose roller coaster can slow down the speed of signals between your neurons. And that can feel like brain fog. It can affect your mood. It can make you more irritable. It can make you angry. It can make you feel sad.

It can worsen your mental

health

. And then in the long term, being on a glucose roller coaster is linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease. So if you want to take really good care of your brain, you want to make sure you have stable glucose, not this big roller coaster. You mentioned before you started filming that you did an experiment with a few thousand participants. What did you discover? My second book, The Four Week Method. I recruited 3,000 people, put them through the Four Week Method, and measured how they were doing. And so, 80% of them had more energy and fewer cravings. 40% of people with diabetes began to reverse. 40% of people slept better.

We got amazing results in these four weeks just by asking people to add these four very simple tricks to their lives. These four very simple eating principles did not ask them to count calories or eliminate any foods from their diet. And you put the detailed strategy, so to speak, in your latest book, Four Weeks. Yes, exactly. So in my first book, I had 10 tricks, 10 food hacks, 10 science-based tricks to eat better and avoid the roller coaster. In my new book, I combined all of this into four tricks, four weeks. So should I delve into it? Yeah, and one of the things is we'll show footage of this, if you're watching on YouTube, which we'd rather people do because we put the extended version there on our YouTube channel.

I love the look. It is aesthetically, it has function, but it also has form. It's like a reading teacher. You designed it in a way that is very readable. That's all my passion. How can I turn this kind of dry science, you know, blood sugar science, into something that seems fun, almost cartoonish because it's so easy to understand? Lots of images, lots of graphics. You don't even need to be a very good reader. The glucose graphs that I show you give you all the information you need. So yes, I really like visual teaching elements. And, as a memory trainer, it's also very memorable.

I imagine if people followed some of the recipes you have there, they would make it once and have it. Exactly. Yes. So the recipes in the second book are meant to be looked at once, and then you never have to look at the recipe again because it's so simple, you just got it. No, I know our audience, they know what eating is important, you know, especially for your gray matter. Why don't we go through the poor? Well. So in the first week of the glucose goddess method, we have a savory breakfast instead of a sweet breakfast.

Most of us have a sweet breakfast every morning, maybe fruit juice, breakfast cereal, oatmeal with honey and banana. Or pancakes with all their syrup. Of course, or pancakes with syrup. And so when we eat something sweet, we might think we're getting energy because we feel a little awake like that. What's really happening is that your brain is releasing dopamine. It is the pleasure molecule in response to that sugar. And that tricks you into believing that you have energy, that you don't have energy, that you have pleasure in your brain. Inside, actually in the mitochondria, the little organelles that produce energy, that sweet food for breakfast will make you tired, stressed, and you won't be able to produce energy as effectively.

So we go from a sweet breakfast that creates a big glucose spike and all those side effects to a savory breakfast built around protein. That doesn't give you as much dopamine, but it gives you super stable energy. And so, all day long, you can focus well, you're focused, you feel great, your mood is leveled, and it's just a whole new experience of your days. You are also more productive. So, the salty breakfast of the first week is a game changer, it is a fundamental layer for stable glucose levels and a much more pleasant life experience. Absolutely.

And so the food you eat is fuel. And your brain is only 2% of your body mass, but requires 20% of the energy. It is an energy consumer. And your brain is also very sensitive to fluctuations in blood sugar and bloodstream or glucose levels. It is a very sensitive organ. So if you can give him a steady supply of glucose, instead of that roller coaster ride, he'll thank you. It may work much better for you. And do you recommend our listeners use a continuous glucose monitor or one of those things, or can they? You know, I don't. I think if you have one, it's great.

And if you're interested, it's a medical device designed for people with diabetes. The data can be a little difficult to understand. I recommend that you do the tricks and you will see how your experience of yourself changes. How do you feel? How do you perform? Exactly. Cravings disappear. Energy improves. You are less hungry. The inflammation decreases. Skin problems disappear. If you had hormonal problems, they also dissipate. You sleep better. Literally every system in your body improves when you get off that glucose roller coaster that many of us are on. So as you continue with week 2, week 2, week 2, I introduce a very interesting molecule that is inside a vinegar.

So week 2 we took a tablespoon of vinegar in a large glass of water before one of our meals a day. Why are we doing this? Because acetic acid is amazing. Acetic acid, this molecule, slows down how quickly food is broken down into glucose molecules. This way you can continue eating the food you love to eat later. But by adding the drink with vinegar, you are reducing the glucose spike. Then you are reducing the impact of that food on your health. It's pretty magical, but it's actually science. There are many wonderful clinical trials demonstrating its effectiveness. That's week 2.

Week 1, salty breakfast, week 2 vinegar. Yes. I mean, I know our audience remembers this because they are trained with their memory. There is no good or bad memory. There is a trained memory and an untrained memory, so they especially know the way you present it. And by the way, you are passionate about vinegar. Could it be apple cider vinegar? It can be any type of vinegar. And if you are not a vinegar lover, you can also replace it with lemon juice. So lemon juice is less powerful. You need the juice of about three lemons to get the power of a tablespoon of vinegar.

But it's also useful if you somehow have a new version. And dulls the tip. So I don't like that I love you on your social media. I have the graphs and maybe we could show them in a post where sometimes you see a very high peak. So for example, for vinegar, let's say you're eating a big plate of pasta, that would be a big glucose spike. If you have a drink with vinegar before the pasta scoop, you will see a smaller glucose spike. However, afterward you continue eating the same pasta. And if they want to, they are not denying themselves the foods they want.

You're saying how you could do it in a more sustainable way without all the symptoms. And especially what you want to avoid is that once you start that glucose spike and roller coaster, you're going to have a full day of cravings and more hunger. So you want to be able to eat the things you love, the pasta and the chocolate you love, without it hurting you. Really annoying and unfortunate vicious cycle of cravings. We have all been there. You have a cookie. And then an hour later you're like, Oh my God, I need ice cream now.

That's the glucose roller coaster that gives you all these cravings for the rest of the day. So you want to eat pasta with peak levels, to have fewer consequences. Well. And as we move into the third week. Oh, so week three, week three is vegetarian starter week. vegetable starters. Yes. So once a day before one of our meals, we are going to have a plate of vegetables at the beginning of the meal. so why do we do this? Because vegetables contain an amazing substance called fiber. When we eat fiber at the beginning of a meal, its amazing powers.

It has time to unfold over the walls of the upper part of the intestine and create a network of protective fibers. This protective mesh will slow down and reduce the amount of glucose molecules that will be absorbed from food into the bloodstream. Again, you're eating the samemeal, but by adding the vegetable starter, you are reducing the glucose spike of that meal. So you're helping your brain health, you're helping your physical health. It's super powerful. So it's not just about what you eat. It's how you eat it and also when. Absolutely. In terms of syntax, the order.

Exactly. Because for vegetables, of course, they are great to eat anytime. Good. How to eat vegetables at any time. But if you want them to be more powerful, take them at the beginning of your meal. So when they serve bread, you know, when you're in a restaurant, that's the first thing people eat. I think it's a whole conspiracy because your food. Well. If you eat bread, the first thing you do during a meal is starch. Then that will be broken down into glucose molecules. You'll get a big boost at the start of a meal. Then about an hour and 90 minutes later, you'll get that drop.

This is usually the time when the waiter comes over and asks if you want dessert. Good. And that drop can make you feel hungry and crave some sweet foods. So you're more likely to crave dessert if you started with that bread and had a big glucose spike. You know, I always notice with bread, they put it on the table and it's warm and there's butter and there's everything. I don't ask them for bread when they ask you if you want bread or if they automatically bring you bread, ask them not to. Otherwise, I find myself throughout the meal.

It is very difficult. Like 10 times every 20 times saying, should I eat it? Yes. And then you know that when you start, you can't stop. Good. I totally feel you. So what I do is save the bread after the main course. Well. Because if you consume carbohydrates closer to the end of the meal, the rest of the food already in the digestive system will slow down the absorption of glucose. Therefore, the ideal is to start with vegetables and the starches or sugars are at the end of the meal. Well. And in the third week, you can also do something very smart.

You can mix the vinegar trick and the vegetable starter trick by adding a vinegar dressing to your vegetable starter. It's two tricks in one and you will be completely protected for the rest of the day. That's the biggest takeaway from the story. I hope you're enjoying this episode and if you want to go deeper with a lot of these authors that we have on our podcast, these experts, I want to invite you to join our quick hit show. This is our monthly life that I do, where I teach something new that we haven't taught before. Answer your burning questions and we'll also have something people have been asking for for many years.

A quick reading club. This is your unlimited book club where every month we read a book together like a book provided by this author. And then we have the author come online and join us for an hour and dive into these strategies and how to put them into practice. I share my five tips on how to memorize things from these books. Many people want to read a book a month or prepare for that and this would be the program. So if you want to join, just go to quicksuccess.com and get your spot, join us live and get to know these authors up close and personal and come back to the episode.

So in the fourth week we are going to recruit our muscles. Powerful allies for stable glucose levels. So you know I said the cells in our toes use glucose. All of our muscle cells also use glucose for energy and we can use it to our advantage. So here's the trick. After one meal a day, we are going to move for 10 minutes. This can be walking around your block. This could be cleaning your house. It can be dancing in your living room. It might be doing some calf raises on the floor of your desk. By contracting your muscles for 10 minutes, they will absorb some of the glucose from the food you just ate.

They will reduce the peak. So this is all about Jim. How do we eat what we love and also help our brain function better, help inflammation go down, help slow aging, help our glucose levels be more balanced? And then it becomes a virtuous cycle because once you add these four tricks during these four weeks, you feel like a new person. So you want to do more and more things. It's like the perfect on-ramp to better health. I love that. And does this work for us, the people listening to us and are they vegan, keto, paleo or what?

Absolutely. Whatever your diet, whatever your preferences, these tricks will work for you. Even for children, it is very important to teach them to eat a salty breakfast and try to avoid cereals and fruit juices. Vinegar for children, how not to force them. It might be a little weird. But all the others will really apply. And it's great to teach little ones how to eat vegetables first and how fiber protects them. I like to see Fiber as a superwoman. Well. I know you love superheroes. Yes. For me, fiber is my superwoman. I love that. So, the ideal is that the sequence is that of vegetables.

Then you have your proteins and fats. Exactly. And then towards the end of the meal, you have the carbs and sugars that you want. So, for example, if your meal is broccoli, salmon, avocado, rice, and a cake, the perfect order for your glucose levels will be broccoli first. Then the salmon, the avocado, then the rice and the cake. And if you do that instead of eating them in the opposite order, you'll reduce your peak glucose by 75% from that meal without changing what or how much you're eating. I like your work. It's parallel to ours in that you do all the research.

Just like we do a lot of research on adult learning theory and neuroscience. But we also want it to be fun and practical. And I love the basis of your work and your books. You must be very passionate about behavior change. Am. That's really my biggest passion because, you know, I didn't invent this science. I'm simply translating and making accessible the work of wonderful scientists around the world who ran all these clinical trials and discovered all these tricks. I'm just here to make it easier to understand and act on. The acting part is really what I found most interesting because we all know we should eat better and exercise more.

But starting somewhere is the hardest part. And with these tricks you can start without restrictions, without getting too complicated, without creating a complex diet and not doing it again after a week. They're like gentle giants that you carry with you your whole life, a bit like brushing your teeth or drinking water, using sunscreen. That's the level at which I think we should operate with these principles. And you will also find that, although modern science is bringing this to light, we have been doing many of these things for a long time in many cultural traditions. So, for example, vegetables are first disliked in Italy and in France, we have crudité, all these things.

In fact, we have known them for a long time and now we have to recover them with this modern science that explains them. Yes, we always tell our audience that genius leaves clues that if we look even when we train our memory, we look at ancient civilizations, how they remember things before computers and printing presses and all that, but there are many Ancient wisdom for sure. Absolutely. Yes, and behind every principle you are talking about, there is a promise of energy, of a better mood, it is a sustained vitality, not the big crashes or food comas that people usually have.

And a healthier brain and the ability to pursue the things you want and not feel paralyzed by fatigue, cravings or mood swings, food is so important. It is not only our fuel, it is a determining factor in how we feel throughout the day. So if we want to feel our best, we need to make sure our food works for us. I love that. The food is serving us and we are not serving it. Yes. I love that. What I love about the principles is that they are very simple and sometimes common sense is not common practice.

But the way you share it with your community, now with our community, it's very easy to implement. It is easy. And then you get used to it and it reinforces itself because nothing tastes as good as feeling fit without the brain fog, forgetfulness and fog. And you can also continue eating all the sugar you like, just have it after your vegetable starter and your meal and you know, after the vinegar, you don't have to eliminate anything. You just have to rethink a little when and how you are eating all of these foods. Yes. So it's not what you eat.

It's when you eat it. It's about how you eat it, also because a lot of people eat and maybe they're working and they're not in that kind of parasympathetic rest and digestion. And his book describes all this. Yes. Who did you write the book for? Because when I was going through that, I felt like I guess something better would be if you lived with the person for four weeks or something like that. So after my first book where I described 10 tricks, a lot of my readers came to me and said, Jesse, I get it. I want to do the tricks.

Can you move in with me? Please. And help me do it. In fact, that's in the introduction of the book. So this glucose goddess method is like me moving in with you for four weeks and helping you get started with the tricks. And I would say it's for anyone who thinks they might feel better than they currently do. It is very important to balance your glucose levels. For me, it is the basis of health. If you're on a glucose roller coaster like most of us and like I used to be, you just won't feel good. So you have to stabilize it and sort it out and then you can start building the rest of your life.

I'm certainly glad you wrote this book and I think leaders, their readers, and everyone should get their copy. With your genetic background, you still haven't found a way to clone yourself. Not yet. You're working on it. But through your social networks, your books, your platform and your courses, all of this is possible. That's why I highly recommend people get the book. Where can you get your copy? Anywhere online, the glucose goddess method is now available. That's a question for everyone watching this. Maybe they could post on social media and tag you, tag me. Do you have a question for our audience and could you post the answer and maybe the screenshot?

Whatever platform you're listening to this on. A question that relates to the topic we just discussed. Well. How much vinegar should you have in your vinegar drink to have a glucose-lowering impact? I said. You have to remember. How much vinegar should you put in your vinegar drink? Perfect. Everyone does that. Post your answer. Maybe take a screenshot of where you're consuming this on iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube. Tag us both. How did people connect with you on social media? Who coast goddess on Instagram? Who is the goddess of the coast? Who is the goddess of the coast?

What a fun account name. Thank you. I was actually thinking it used to be my name, it was just my account name for a year when I started. But as you can attest, it's not very easy to write or say, remember. So I thought, what will be something that people will remember? And I love terraces. So I thought, of course, that the issue was glucose. So I thought glucose, glucose girl, blah blah. And I thought, glucose goddess, she's perfect. It has your energy. Exactly. They were all going to put everything in the show notes on gymquick.com, forward slash notes with links to Jesse's books, his social media or his website and so much more.

And also, I highly recommend that you follow her on all these incredible platforms. And if you can't watch it on YouTube so we can see some of the graphics, maybe we'll ask your team to send us some of that. Absolutely. Yes absolutely. Jess, thank you very much. Thanks Jim for inviting me.