Clothe Your Carbs
Pair starches and sugars with protein, fat, or fiber
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 96%
“Clothing” a carbohydrate is Inchauspé's name for adding protein, fat, or fiber when eating starch or sugar. The episode applies it to situations where eliminating the carbohydrate is neither desired nor practical: chocolate cake can be paired with Greek yogurt, and a plane cookie can follow nuts rather than arrive on an empty stomach. The stated goal is to reduce the glucose spike while preserving the pleasure of the food. This method can be layered with the other optional habits in the episode, such as eating dessert after a meal or moving afterward. It is deliberately flexible: listeners are told to pick and choose rather than perform every hack. The pairing changes context, not the intrinsic composition of the sweet or starchy food, and the episode does not claim that it cancels every health consideration.
Origin
Extracted from The Diary of a CEO. Jessie Inchauspé uses “putting clothing on your carbs” as a memorable label for pairing carbohydrates with protein, fat, or fiber.
Core principles
- 01A carbohydrate does not have to be eaten alone
- 02Protein, fat, or fiber can accompany starches and sugars
- 03Pairing aims to reduce impact rather than remove pleasure
- 04The method is modular and can be combined with meal order or movement
How to run it
- 1
Identify the Carbohydrate
Notice the starch or sugar that would otherwise be eaten alone. Common examples in the episode include cookies, cake, bread, and pasta.
Pro tip Use the rule for the foods you actually want rather than manufacturing extra snacks to practice it.
- 2
Choose the Clothing
Select a practical source of protein, fat, or fiber to accompany the carbohydrate. The companion should fit the food and the situation.
Pro tip Nuts travel easily, while Greek yogurt pairs naturally with cake in the episode's examples.
Watch out Check allergies, intolerances, and individual dietary requirements.
- 3
Pair or Precede
Eat the companion with the carbohydrate or shortly before it. Avoid beginning with the carbohydrate alone on an empty stomach when the pairing is available.
Pro tip Dessert after a mixed meal already follows the same broad logic.
- 4
Add Only Useful Layers
Combine the pairing with meal order or post-meal movement only when convenient. The episode treats all of the hacks as options rather than a compulsory stack.
Pro tip Choose one repeatable change before adding another.
Watch out Complexity can make a simple habit unsustainable.
In the wild
Inchauspé says she pairs an afternoon piece of chocolate cake with Greek yogurt, then may walk or exercise. The dessert remains part of the day; the surrounding choices change.
→ The example preserves a desired sweet food while applying the pairing rule.
For a plane journey, Inchauspé suggests eating nuts before a cookie rather than eating the cookie on an empty stomach. Calf raises can be added afterward if practical.
→ A constrained travel snack becomes a workable use of the method.
Common mistakes
Treating Pairing as Cancellation
Adding protein, fat, or fiber does not erase the carbohydrate or prove that any quantity is suitable.
Making Every Snack Complicated
The guest says the hacks are optional; the memorable rule should reduce friction rather than create anxiety.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people who want a flexible way to incorporate desserts, travel snacks, or other carbohydrates.
Not ideal for
It is not a guarantee that any amount of sugar is harmless or a substitute for condition-specific dietary advice.
From the transcript
“when you're eating starches and sugars, add some protein, fat or fiber to them”
“Have some of those nuts before the cookie”
From the episode
The Scary New Research On Sugar & How They Made You Addicted To It! Jessie Inchauspé