Happy Thursday afternoon! For anyone new here: this is The Skinny, where we serve up curated, need-to-know lifestyle news designed to entertain and save you time, which is everyone’s most valuable resource.

• Digesting the Skinny’s curated news = 5 minutes + more time spent on meaningful activities.

• Mindless social media scrolling = hours you’ll never get back. 

What we’re covering this week:  

• Who is the ‘Glucose Goddess,’ & why you should follow her

• Is there anything this cult-fave “powerwasher” can’t do?

• Our fall mini-preview, which includes all the foods, drinks & home trends you need to know about

• Diving into biohacking, along with 3 easy ways to try it

• Breaking Costco muffin news, cardio drumming & how to tie a sweater

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Pantry raid

Don’t forget the vinegar

The Skinny: Who is the “Glucose Goddess?” Also known as Jessie Inchauspé, we discovered her on Instagram and have been following along. Aside from her creds – which include degrees in biochemistry and mathematics, from prestigious institutions – she has a je ne sais quoi that not only we appreciate, but also landed her on the cover of ELLE. 

In short, the Glucose Goddess focuses on the science behind balancing your glucose levels (which is important for everyone). A lot to unpack here, but the short story is that she outlines ways to do this such as how to “put clothes on your carbs” – which means to always eat carbs with protein, fat or fiber. Definitely follow along on her Instagram feed, where she includes visual representations of studies (like this one for french fries) that show hacks/ways to reduce glucose spikes. 

There’s way more to investigate. But, worth noting that it’s related to one of Nicole’s favorite childhood memories: the taste of Thrasher’s french fries (plus the smell of the boardwalk, salt air and taffy) at the DE/MD beaches in Bethany/Rehoboth/Ocean City. Thrasher’s, an iconic establishment, has been frying since 1929 and was in on the secret since its inception: the only accompaniment available with Thrasher’s french fries, to this day, is vinegar. And when you taste them, exclusively cooked in peanut oil and with the season’s most select spuds, you won’t want them any other way.

Crème de la Skinny  

Just powerwash it

The Skinny: This product has been out since 2019, and it’s unclear if its celebrity status was only recently achieved, but the ad intrigued us enough to purchase. We hadn’t actually used it yet, but a visit with our friend Tina this week revealed a high level and enthusiastic user (and we watched her clean enchilada sauce off a friend’s shirt in real time). So now we know – IT’S A THING. 

This multitasking powerhouse boasts its own Reddit thread and, according to this story, has 600 MILLION views on social media (and here’s a DIY formula to make your own by refilling the empty bottle). (Caveat: some will argue these DIY recipes can’t match the cleaning power of the original.) 

Sustainability-wise, this isn’t really a fully “clean” product per se, but it does not contain phosphates (which can cause water quality problems), phthalates or triclosan. It is basically the Swiss Army knife of cleaning products, with the ability to tackle grills, sneakers, dishes (duh), laundry and your grimy stovetop. What’s not to love? Buy it here.

Fall mini-preview

Everything BUT the ‘p-kin s-ice’

The Skinny: With the U.S. Open ending soon, we will be closing the 2024 book on the $10M Honey Deuce and thanking the delicious cocktail for its service. The clock now turns to sweater weather, and this fall cocktail preview of easy seasonal drinks. And while there is definitely nothing wrong with drinking a Hugo or Aperol Spritz all year long, or anytime of the day, if you need to get all autumnal on us, grab a grapefruit wheel and mix up a more seasonal version, known as the Ruby Vermouth. Or, for a cocktail more complex in flavor and preparation, this Maple Bourbon Smash is calling out to us but will likely require a proper muddler. 

For fall food, we will not discuss anything “PS” (IYKYK). Sidebar: an editor at one of the top entertainment weeklies once told me that “pumpkin spice” articles were hands down the highest clicked links, far above anything else. That is scary, and also why we were excited to unearth a list specifically omitting it and instead focusing on more tasteful/less cloying flavors like bourbon, salted caramel, apple and butterscotch. Finally, for the TJ’s fans out there, this Parade writer put in the work so you don’t have to, and scoured reviews for the “best 15 fall finds at Trader Joe’s” – including Apple Cider Donuts, Mocha Latte Pretzels and Chile Crackers (to serve with TomaRashi).  

Moving on to decor: lest we get too sappy with whimsical toaster cozies or these crazy-ass pumpkin cocottes from The Pioneer Woman, your true decor inspiration should come from the annual reminder that it’s “Decorative Gourd Season, Motherf–ers.” 

But seriously, the easiest way to warm up a room for fall is with a stylish throw blanket. Picks here: 

• Splurge: Softly luxurious Quiet Town blankets, with their chic, graphic designs; anything from Clic; and of course, nothing beats a classic Pendleton for quality, history, longevity and style. 

• Save: This “cozychic” throw from Amazon, so you can get your hygge on as cooler weather settles in.

Biohacking 101

And, 3 simple ways to try it

The Skinny: Reports that the former RXBAR founder Peter Rahal is launching his own “protein-focused” brand, and that one of the investors is Andrew Huberman, got us thinking about biohacking. 

And if you’re wondering who Huberman is: he is a wellness podcaster, professor of neurobiology and (some would argue) the face, voice and—in addition to Dave Asprey—an almighty being of biohacking. 

Essentially, biohacking is taking the best of the human body, available technology, and scientific knowledge, and seeing what works for maximum output, mentally and physically. One easy example is cold plunging and sauna. Here are two old art/ancient traditions that have been looked at through a scientific lens and studied, with the conclusion that it has a healthy effect on the body. 

Biohacking, while often associated with “tech bros” and those who can afford pricey in-home infrared saunas, is really not limited to the 1%. We love this Fortune story on women who are biohacking on their own terms and more affordably. It doesn’t need to be complicated, and we’ll leave you with these three simple ways to biohack.

OHM, THERE'S MORE

This week’s newsfeed

• Is there such a thing as “too much muffin?” Costco shoppers thought so, and now the latest Costco “breaking news” headline is that they’re introducing a new size/package of muffins,

• “Recommerce” is gaining popularity with high-end fashion and outdoor brands (which we’ll cover in greater depth) but if you love Arc’teryx and have EUC product you’re ready to part with, they have a juicy 30% incentive right now for their ReGEAR program.

• The definitive step-by-step on how to wrap a [food] wrap, courtesy of Epicurious.

• Not a wrap, but here are all the different ways to tie a sweater that go beyond preppy girl style. And, five must-know hoodie hacks for bros. 

• Cardio drumming is this fall’s hottest trend (and now that we said it, you’ll see it everywhere.) They say it can be as good (if not better) for your mental health as it is for your body. At home hack: this set + YouTube, just make sure you crank the music loud.

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