‍To: Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer, Channel 4

CC: Channel 4 Editorial Standards Team

Subject: Concerns Over Scientific Accuracy in Eat Smart: Secrets of the Glucose Goddess

Dear Mr. Katz,

We at The Freedom Food Alliance, our advisory board, and the undersigned leading nutrition and health professionals, are writing to express our serious concerns regarding the recent Channel 4 documentary Eat Smart: Secrets of the Glucose Goddess, which featured Jessie Inchauspé.

While we welcome efforts to improve public knowledge of nutrition and metabolic health, we are concerned that this programme presents misleading information, oversimplifies complex scientific concepts, and promotes narratives that could foster distrust in medical professionals or confusion among the public and nutrition and medical conditions. Below we have outlined some of our key concerns. 

Key concerns:

  1. Oversimplification of medical conditions– The documentary implies that conditions such as nodular acne can be resolved through “glucose hacks.” This is misleading and potentially harmful, as it disregards the well-established medical understanding of multifactorial conditions that require treatment from healthcare professionals. While lifestyle factors including diet contribute to many diseases, we are concerned that the programme’s messaging puts the responsibility on the individual to ‘fix’ complex conditions that are not necessarily tied to their diet. 
  2. Misrepresentation of blood sugar science– The programme promotes the idea that all individuals should strive to minimize glucose “spikes.” However, extensive scientific evidence confirms that glucose variability is a normal and healthy physiological response in individuals without metabolic disorders. Overemphasis on glycemic control in non-diabetic individuals could lead to unnecessary dietary restrictions, fear around food, and increased anxiety over physiology.
  3. A presentation that could fuel distrust in medical professionals – Many of the dietary principles in Eat Smart—such as eating whole foods, consuming fibre, avoiding excessive sugar, and balancing meals—align with standard nutritional guidance. However, the documentary frames these recommendations as novel “hacks,” rather than long-established, evidence-based principles supported by registered dietitians and medical professionals. By presenting a social media personality as having uncovered unique solutions, the programme risks fostering distrust in qualified experts. In an era already plagued by health misinformation, this approach is not only misleading but also potentially harmful. 
  4. Potential to Promote Disordered Eating – Nutrition professionals, including Bethany Francois, MSc, RD, and Sophie Corbett, MNutr, RD, have raised concerns that the programme's messaging encourages obsessive dietary control. The repeated emphasis on glucose monitoring and “hacks” can contribute to disordered eating patterns and fuel orthorexic tendencies, particularly in vulnerable individuals.
  5. Lack of professional credentials and accountability– Jessie Inchauspé is not a registered dietitian, nutritionist, or medical professional. While she has a background in biochemistry, this does not qualify her to provide dietary advice at the level promoted in the programme. Furthermore, she has been criticised by medical professionals for spreading misinformation online and for promoting a commercial product that claimed to reduce glucose spikes—without the specific product having sufficient scientific validation. Positioning a social media figure as a leading authority in nutrition without appropriate scrutiny is problematic, especially given the growing landscape of nutrition misinformation online. 

Examples of misleading claims 

1. Episode 1 – Misrepresenting a Healthy Breakfast

In the first episode, Jessie frowns upon serving fruit and porridge to a child for breakfast, suggesting that it is an unhealthy choice. However, there is no scientific basis for this claim. A breakfast of porridge and fruit provides fibre, essential vitamins, and slow-releasing carbohydrates—elements that are widely recognised as part of a balanced, nutritious meal. For many parents, getting a child to eat such a breakfast would be considered a success, not a concern.

2. Episode 2 – Contradictory Messaging on Snacks

In Aaron’s case (Case 4), Jessie initially states that his glucose levels are not a major issue. Instead, she identifies unhealthy fats in his diet—particularly from fried foods and processed snacks—as the primary concern due to their role in chronic inflammation. However, she then pivots to recommending that he replace sweet snacks with savoury ones, arguing that sugar between meals will cause glucose spikes, crashes, and increased cravings.

This shift is contradictory: if glucose levels were not his issue, why is glucose regulation the focus of the solution? Moreover, while the suggested alternative snack is nutritionally sound (featuring vegetables with anti-inflammatory properties), the reasoning behind it becomes muddled—blurring the lines between managing inflammation and controlling glucose.

This highlights a larger issue with the programme’s approach: pinning every dietary concern on a single factor—glucose—can be misleading and confusing. While some of the advice presented may be beneficial in context, removing that context creates inconsistencies. For viewers with limited nutritional knowledge, this one-size-fits-all framing risks fostering an overly narrow focus on glucose while overlooking the broader importance of balance and variety in a healthy diet. Although Eat Smart features nutritious recipes, its underlying message suggests that everything comes down to glucose control—potentially leading to unhelpful or even obsessive dietary habits.

Final thoughts

We acknowledge that Eat Smart includes some general dietary advice that can benefit the public, such as increasing fibre intake and reducing processed sugar consumption. However, the way this information is presented—framed as revolutionary, yet lacking nuance and scientific rigour—undermines its value.

The public deserves accurate, clear, and evidence-based health information that is free from unnecessary fear-mongering. We urge Channel 4 to uphold its editorial responsibility by ensuring that nutrition programming reflects the best available scientific evidence, is guided by qualified professionals, and does not contribute to misinformation or dietary anxiety.

Our Request to Channel 4:

Given the widespread influence of televised nutrition programming, we urge Channel 4 to:

  • Issue a response addressing the concerns raised in this letter
  • Commit to more rigorous scientific scrutiny when producing future health and nutrition content
  • Host a follow-up discussion featuring independent registered dietitians and nutrition scientists to ensure the public is provided with balanced, evidence-based perspectives.

We would welcome an opportunity to discuss these issues further and provide evidence to support our concerns below.

Sincerely,

The Freedom Food Alliance

Signatories:

Dom Haigh – MSc Nutrition, BSc Psychology

Lovely Ranganath – MSc Food & Nutrition

Begum Demircan – Registered Clinical Dietitian, Diabetes Dietitian

Katharine Jenner – MSc Public Health Nutrition, BSc Biological Sciences

Bethany Francois – HCPC Registered Dietitian, MSc Eating Disorders & Clinical Nutrition

Suzanne Fletcher – MSc Public Health Nutrition

Dr. Swati Trivedi Dave – Certified Diabetes Educator

Ashley Robbins – Registered Dietitian, Licensed Nutritionist (State of Texas)

James Collier – BSc (Hons) Nutrition & Dietetics

Rhiannon Lambert - BSc MSc RNutr

David Strickland – MSc Nutrition Science, BSc Nutrition & Exercise Science

Tamara Bennett – MSc Nutrition 

Priya Tew – MSc Dietetics

Carrie Ruxton – BSc and PhD in Nutrition

Rianne Costello – PhD in Exercise Physiology & Nutrition, MSc in Applied Sports Nutrition

Izzy Szembek – ANutr, SENr

Llion Griffiths – BSc Human Nutrition

Kara Roberts – BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, BSc (Hons) Dietetics

Lewis Macleod – MSc in Clinical Nutrition

Matt Lockley – Level 5 Diploma in Advanced Nutrition Science, MNU Certified Nutritionist

Gemma Fagan – MSc Dietetics

Sophie McFarland – BSc in Dietetics, PhD in Nutritional Management of Chronic Disease, AFHEA, Mary Seacole NHS Leadership Programme

Grace Hollinrake – BSc Nutrition (AfN Accredited)

Shannon Western – MSc Nutrition

Patrick Elliott – PhD Student (Human Nutrition, University College Dublin), Master’s in Public Health (Nutrition), BSc in Sport Science & Health

Danielle Shine – B. Comm, B. Nutrition, M. Nutrition & Dietetics

Libby Tearne – Master of Dietetics, Bachelor of Science (Nutrition)

Kimberley Neve – RNutr, MSc Global Public Health Nutrition

Mia Donovan – MNutr Nutrition & Dietetics, Registered Dietitian

Kirsty Pourshahidi – PhD, BSc

Reshma Patel – BSc, PGDip, NLP, CBT

Dr. Hilda Mulrooney – PhD Nutrition, BSc (Hons) Nutrition, Diploma in Dietetics

Sophie Corbett – MNutr, RD

Lucy MacLellan – Associate Nutritionist (ANutr)

Lisa Poole – BSc in Nutrition & Dietetics, MSc Psychology

Victor Pena – BA (Biology), MB, BCh, BAO (Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics), IMRCS (Intercollegiate Member of the Royal Colleges of England, Ireland), Dip ACLM (Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine), NBC-HWC (National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach)

Jemma Jessup – BSc Nutrition & Health

Natalie Rouse – PhD, BSc (Hons), MRes, RNutr

Rhea Long – BSc Food, Nutrition & Health

Sadie Lennox – BSc & MSc in Nutrition

Zahistha Gafoor – ANutr, MRSPH, CDE

Rebecca Hellyer – BSc (Hons) Nutrition Science

Kathy Lewis – R.Nutr., MSc

Miriam Fleming – (Limerick)

Bhuvaneshwari Gupta – MSc Nutrition for Global Health, AfN Registered Associate Nutritionist

Irene Beltramini – BSc Human Nutrition

Alice Haley – BSc Human Nutrition

Amanda Barron – BSc Nutrition, PGDip Nutritional Medicine

Appendix A: Evidence & Expert Commentary

  1. Scientific Literature on Blood Sugar and General Health:

Hengist, A. et al. (2025). “Imprecision nutrition? Intraindividual variability of glucose responses to duplicate presented meals in adults without diabetes.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916524008141

Wolever, T. MS. (2025). “Personalized nutrition by prediction of glycemic responses: garbage in → garbage out.” https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(24)00874-8/fulltext

Health and Nutrition experts flagging Jessie’s misinformation online:

  1. ‍Expert Commentary:

Bethany Francois, MSc, RD: “The notion that blood glucose fluctuations must be tightly controlled in all individuals is misleading. The body is well equipped to handle natural variations in blood sugar.”

Sophie Corbett, MNutr, RD: “Programs like this risk creating unnecessary dietary fear and encouraging restrictive eating behaviours that are not supported by long-term nutrition science.”

Begum Demircan, Registered Clinical Dietitian, Diabetes Dietitian – “Acetic acid has some benefits and can have a modest effect on glucose levels, but claiming a 30% reduction is highly misleading. No peer-reviewed scientific study proves that the Glucose Goddess supplement reduces glucose spikes by 40%, yet this is heavily marketed. The lack of transparency is concerning.”

Katharine Jenner, MSc Public Health Nutrition – “The entire program suggests that these so-called ‘hacks’ can dramatically improve health, but they are more likely to contribute to disordered eating and unnecessary anxiety about food. Channel 4 must recognize the responsibility it holds in broadcasting nutrition content that is misleading and potentially harmful.”

Bethany Francois, RD, MSc Eating Disorders & Clinical Nutrition – “There is no evidence that improvements in symptoms shown in the program are due to changes in glucose levels. The show’s messaging simplifies metabolic health while disregarding the complexities of nutrition science, leading to misleading conclusions.”

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If you want to submit a complaint yourself you can do so using a copy of this letter