Although I personally have yet to use a continuous glucose monitor like Levels*, I am loving this video about how to feed your brain for better mental health and metabolic health, using ketosis and the low-carb ketogenic diet as a tool for better brain health.
I have loved Harvard-trained Dr Georgia Ede‘s work of Metabolic Psychiatry ever since I discovered her videos about how ketosis–via food and/or fasting–can help one to reduce seizures. Back when I used to take bipolar type 2 meds, I was prescribed anti-seizure medication, but when D, my partner, got cancer in 2014, I accidentally discovered that not only did it help with his cancer symptoms (he’s now in remission, but back then, he never got nausea, hair loss, and his oncologist and oncology nurses said: “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it!”), it also helped my prediabetes and bipolar type 2 symptoms. I was able to completely ramp off all meds and simply use food and fasting as a way to manage my mind. Totally life-changing!
I’m currently working on a memoir about my journey with keto and bipolar and my discovery of its existence and my deep dive application once my partner was diagnosed with cancer (now in remission in 2023, told by his latest oncologist to keep on doing what he’s doing, which is a mostly carnivore keto way of eating). I feel stronger now at 51 than I did in my 20s and 30s as a result of using nutrition and other lifestyle choices such as exercise, meditation, sleep, creativity and mindset/nervous regulation changes I’m still implementing.
Also in 2018, I got to meet Dominic D’Agostino at the Low Carb USA San Francisco conference. I told him how keto had helped my bipolar and he was very interested. We talked about different therapeutic potentials of ketone esters, as there were different kinds at the time in the works.
One of my dreams is to attend the Metabolic Health Summit someday and just absorb all the new information about the connection between ketosis and mental health, whether through eating and/or fasting, as well as how insulin resistance may be connected with so many metabolic and neurological disorders and diseases — whether cancer, bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, diabetes, PCOS, Alzheimer’s, dementia and more.
*Note: I currently use the Keto-Mojo meter (combined with Heads Up to track my health records, like my HbA1c or inflammation levels) once in a while, but in the beginning in 2014, when my partner had cancer, now in remission, we used the Precision Monitor to measure glucose and ketones and our GKI (Glucose: Ketone Index; GKI under 9 means you’re in ketosis).
Anyhow, there’s a lot to say but for now, I’ll leave you with this recent video with two of my favorite keto, mental and metabolic health people for you to absorb. To learn more about how to feed your brain better so you can feel good, look good, reduce the possibilities of dis-ease, and reduce and/or possibly ramp down from prescription meds. One of the reactions both my partner and I get every time we see doctors and hospital staff now is this incredulity of how we can not be on a whole cocktail of prescription meds at our age (51 and 60).
It’s true what they say: Health is wealth! Feed your brain better and you’ll be on your way.
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