Chapter Content
Okay, so I wanted to talk a little bit about creating, like, a good energy meal, right? It's kind of interesting, you know, when I was at Stanford Medical School, I didn't actually take a single nutrition course. I mean, crazy, right? And apparently, like, eighty percent of medical schools *still* don't require their students to take a nutrition class. Even though, you know, food-driven diseases are, like, decimating our population! It's wild.
I saw, like, occasional mentions of nutrition research, but, you know, the overall vibe was that, like, "nutrition is complicated," and that, like, the findings were always contradicting each other. Like, some studies would say red meat causes heart disease, others would say it *prevents* it. Same thing with sugar and obesity, low-carb versus low-fat diets, you know? It's like, what are you supposed to believe?
It was only, like, *after* I left medicine that I found out that, like, *so* many of these studies were, like, actually funded by food companies. And they spend, get this, like, eleven times more on nutrition research than the National Institutes of Health! So, like, unsurprisingly, this money kinda, you know, slants the findings. Like, eighty-two percent of independently funded studies, you know, show some kind of harm from sugary drinks. But, like, ninety-three percent of industry-sponsored studies show, like, *no* harm. When food companies fund the research, the studies are, like, six times more likely to have a favorable result. It’s kinda scary, isn’t it?
And the policymakers, they use this, like, highly questionable research, you know? It dictates things like food guidelines, school lunches, and even decisions on food subsidies. Apparently, like, ninety-five percent of the academics on that USDA panel that came up with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines, they had conflicts of interest with food companies! I mean, the food industry's influence has led to guidelines that say, like, ten percent of a kid's diet can come from added refined sugar, which, in my opinion, should be, like, unequivocally zero percent.
There was this study in 2022, a pretty big one, funded by the NIH, Tufts University, and some processed food companies, and get this, it ranked Lucky Charms as healthier than, like, *whole* foods like lamb or ground beef! And, like, seventy brand-name cereals from General Mills, Kellogg's, Post, they were ranked, like, twice as high as eggs. I mean, it's almost funny, if the stated goal of this study wasn't, like, to influence, you know, marketing to children.
No animals in the wild suffer from widespread metabolic problems. Humans didn't either, until maybe, like, seventy-five years ago. So, somehow animals, you know, left to their own devices, not confused by "experts," they figure it out, right? But, like, according to PubMed, there were, like, forty-five thousand nutrition studies between 2020 and 2022. It’s insane!
Honestly, I believe the U.S. would be a healthier, happier, and more prosperous place if we just replaced all those studies with some simple guidelines, guidelines that can transform anyone's health. So, here they are, the things to eat, right?
Think, organic, ideally regenerative if you can find it, unrefined, or *minimally* refined fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans. You want pasture-raised, organic, 100 percent grass-fed meats and organs, stuff like elk, venison, bison, lamb, beef, pork, goat. Go for pasture-raised, organic, 100 percent foraging poultry and eggs, too. If you can, pasture-raised, organic, 100 percent grass-fed, ideally A2-strain dairy products, like milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir. Wild, line-caught, small omega-3 fish, like mackerel, sardines, anchovies, salmon. Then, organic unrefined or minimally refined herbs and spices. Organic, minimally refined condiments, like vinegar, mustard, hot sauce. And organic, ideally regenerative, minimally refined fermented foods, like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, natto, tempeh, tofu, kefir. Oh, and reverse osmosis or charcoal-filtered water, of course!
Water is super important. Even mild dehydration can stimulate the development of obesity! Your body actually makes fat tissue as a way to store more water, it’s called “metabolic water.” The brain does this crazy thing, the polyol pathway, it triggers fructose production, which tells your kidneys to retain water and makes you create more fat to store even *more* water. So, yeah, stay hydrated. It can really impact, like, everything.
Now, the things to *cut out*. Cut processed and ultra-processed foods from your diet, particularly the ones that contain refined sugars, refined grains, or refined industrial vegetable or seed oils of any kind.
Now, about grains, you might notice I didn't include unprocessed grains on the "eat" list. Honestly, I don't see a major benefit in adding grains to the diet. They’re modern foods. They give you some vitamins, minerals, and fiber, but less than other foods on that list. Like, a cup of cooked quinoa has five grams of fiber. But two tablespoons of basil seeds have, like, fifteen grams, right? Avoiding the carbohydrate-heavy foods with not so much protective stuff is probably a wise decision, especially since most people in the U.S. are having metabolic issues. Grains can contribute to leaky gut, and also, most grains in the U.S. are sprayed with pesticides.
If you’re buying meat or dairy, look for that "grass-fed" or "pasture-raised" label. It means the animal had access to natural diets without pesticides and could move around more. Oh, and regenerative practices can save farmers money, which could translate to lower food costs, too!
Okay, so what *is* processed food, right?
Ultra-processed foods make up, like, sixty percent of the calories that adults eat and sixty-seven percent of what kids eat, and they drive Bad Energy diseases like obesity, high blood pressure, dementia, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance. There was this study where they followed twenty thousand people for fifteen years, and more than four servings of ultra-processed foods per day increased the risk of death by sixty-two percent! Each serving increased all-cause mortality by eighteen percent. So, yeah, we gotta understand what ultra-processed foods are and how to avoid them. Four servings, by the way, could be like a handful of pretzels, some tortilla chips, a slice of store-bought bread, and a cookie. It adds up quick!
So, there's this system, the NOVA classification, that splits foods into four categories based on how much they’re processed, like, you know, what happens after they are, "separated from nature."
You've got your unprocessed and minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods.
Unprocessed foods are, like, zero alteration. Think eating an apple right off the tree. Whole foods that don't have added ingredients, like fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, cuts of meat, poultry, fish are generally considered minimally processed. With minimally processed foods, they might be washed, crushed, ground, roasted, canned, frozen, pasteurized, put in containers, that kinda thing. But no part of the food is stripped away or concentrated. And no extra salt, sugar, or other ingredients are added. Unprocessed and minimally processed foods need to be the biggest part of your diet.
Then there are processed culinary ingredients. Those are, like, oils, butter, sugar, maple syrup, lard, salt. They’re extracted from natural foods or nature by milling, drying, pressing, refining. They are usually unbalanced and energy-dense, and they’re rarely eaten by themselves. Some processed culinary ingredients can be okay in a healthy diet, but others, like industrially extracted vegetable and seed oils, can be harmful. Olive oil and avocado oil are typically associated with good health outcomes.
Next are processed foods. This is where they increase the "durability" and "sensory qualities" of foods by mixing minimally processed foods with processed culinary ingredients. For example, freshly made whole-grain breads, tomato sauce with sugar, bacon cured with salt, fruit in syrup, or canned beans. You can usually spot them because of the oils, salt, and sugar. Some processed foods can be part of a healthy diet. Read the label. Flaxseed crackers with simple ingredients, grass-fed cheddar cheese with unpasteurized milk and sea salt are fine. But most processed foods are not great. They're too high in sugar, salt, and oil. Avoid anything with refined vegetable or seed oil, refined grains, added sugar, or an ingredient that's not obviously recognizable as food.
Finally, there are ultra-processed foods. These are made in factories by combining different food parts with synthetic ingredients, like preservatives and food colorings. They’re “Frankenfoods.” Never eat them, never give them to your kids. These foods make up most of what we eat today, and they should be zero percent of your diet. In a study on ultra-processed foods and chronic disease, it showed that people who ate the most ultra-processed food had a much higher risk of obesity, bigger waistlines, metabolic syndrome, and low HDL levels.
Manufacturers break down whole foods into parts like oil, sugar, starch, protein, fiber. Then they change them chemically, using enzymes to extract flavors, colors, or proteins. They might add hydrogen to oil to make it solid at room temperature. Ultra-processed foods include mass-produced pastries, breads, cakes, cookies, nut milks, chips, crackers, granola bars. These foods are normal in our culture, but avoid them like they’re drugs. They have refined sugar, ultra-processed grains, or industrial refined seed and vegetable oils. Beverages like juice, energy drinks, coffee creamers, non-dairy milks, flavored milks, fruit-flavored drinks, sports drinks, sweetened teas, soda, flavored water, fruit punch, flavored ice beverages are all ultra-processed. Bakery and desserts, cereals, dairy, meat, snacks, frozen foods, sauces, packaged meals, frozen desserts, soups, spreads, those can all be ultra-processed, too. So read those labels.
Lots of new packaged food brands are trying to make healthier versions of ultra-processed foods. You've got organic frozen pizzas with cauliflower crust, pasta made with legume or nut flours. Check the labels to make sure they're organic, no added sugars, no refined grains, no seed and vegetable oils.
And ultra-processed foods have an environmental cost. A liter of grapeseed oil needs 120 pounds of grape seeds, or a ton of grapes, to produce. Ultra-processed foods are stored in plastic. They're made from crops grown conventionally, so they're bad for our health *and* the environment.
Eating unrefined, sustainably sourced foods can be expensive, right? Well, here's the truth: you'll either pay for healthy food now, or you'll pay for medical problems and lost productivity later. Medical problems are a huge cause of bankruptcy. Adults with obesity have higher medical costs. People with type 2 diabetes have medical costs of almost seventeen thousand dollars per year. Chronically ill people lose work hours, which costs them up to ten thousand dollars per year. It's cheaper for a lower-income family to buy a Coke than a bottle of water because the Coke ingredients are subsidized. We need to change that! In the meantime, do what you can to reject ultra-processed food.
Want some tips?
Buy frozen organic fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish in bulk, or buy fresh and freeze it yourself. Cook big batches of organic beans or lentils in the slow cooker. Buy the cheapest organic nuts and seeds in bulk. Buy whatever organic produce is on sale. Buy wild-caught canned fish instead of fresh fish. Join a community-supported agriculture program or sign up for an organic produce delivery service, some of those will deliver stuff that is misshapen and otherwise unsellable. Replace meat and fish with plant-based proteins like beans and lentils sometimes to save money. Talk to farmers at the farmers’ market for the best deals. They will lower the prices on stuff that they have too much of that week.
So, to build a meal that supports good energy, you want to maximize five things and remove three things.
Every day, every meal should have micronutrients and antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, fermented foods, and protein. And cut out the refined added sugar, refined industrial vegetable and seed oils, and refined grains.
Micronutrients and antioxidants tell the mitochondria that they are resilient. Micronutrients are those small molecules like magnesium, zinc, selenium, B vitamins, that support good energy. They are structurally incorporated into proteins to make them function right, they serve as cofactors for chemical reactions in the cell, they act as antioxidants to reduce damage, and they become precursors for key biologic processes.
Vitamin D, magnesium, selenium, zinc, B vitamins, alpha lipoic acid, manganese, vitamin E, CoQ10, taurine, L-carnitine, creatine, vitamin C, these are all key micronutrients. And polyphenols. Polyphenols are those tiny plant chemicals that are antioxidants and feed the microbiome. Fermentation turns polyphenols into metabolites that can reduce the growth of cancer cells.
Foods with the most polyphenols are dried spices, herbs, cocoa, dark berries, seeds and nuts, vegetables, coffee, and tea. So eat a diverse array of foods.
Omega-3 fatty acids tell the cell, “You are safe.” They're important for cell structure, inflammatory pathways, and metabolic pathways. Omega-3s can also make your arteries more elastic.
Getting enough omega-3s also helps limit the impact of omega-6s, that fatty acid that can cause inflammation. Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio should be closer to one-to-one. The standard diet has a much higher ratio because of refined seed and vegetable oils.
Chronic inflammation is a key part of Bad Energy. The fats in your cell membranes do different things. Your immune cells can use omega-6 fats to make signaling molecules to worsen inflammation, but they can use omega-3s to make signaling molecules that reduce inflammation.
The best way to get omega-3s is to eat chia seeds, basil seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies, salmon, trout, fish roe, oysters, grass-fed game, beef, lamb, and eggs.
Fiber tells the microbiome, “I love you.” It's a type of carbohydrate in plants that doesn't break down in the body. The microbiome ferments fiber into “postbiotic” by-products, like short-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids regulate metabolism and improve insulin and glucose levels. Fiber also protects the gut lining and slows digestion.
Without enough energy, the gut lining gets weak, which leads to "leaky gut." Harmful stuff can enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation. Fiber is part of the solution to the obesity epidemic. We should aim for fifty grams or more of fiber every day.
So the best ways to get fiber are to eat chia seeds, basil seeds, flaxseeds, beans, tiger nuts, konjac root, artichokes, chicory, jicama, avocados, pistachios, raspberries, lentils, split peas, almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans. Eat at least thirty different plant foods per week. It’s amazing how tied depression and schizophrenia are to poor gut bacteria, too.
Fermented foods tell the body, "You can do it.” They help your digestion, nutrient absorption, immune function, and mental health. Probiotic-rich foods have live microorganisms that are like the ones in our gut. These can colonize and multiply, helping to maintain balance. They’re helpful because of their bacterial, probiotic content, but they also contain postbiotics.
Eating fermented foods can increase microbiota diversity and decrease inflammation. Load your kitchen with probiotic sources and add them to every meal.
Eat sauerkraut, fermented vegetables, minimally processed yogurt, kefir, natto, tempeh, kombucha, miso, kimchi, brine-cured olives, beet kvass, and water kefir.
Protein tells the cells, “Let’s build!" It’s important for maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Protein is made up of amino acids, which are structural and functional building blocks. We need protein to maintain skeletal muscle tissue, which is a sink for glucose and releases hormones that are anti-inflammatory.
Leucine is an amino acid that boosts muscle protein synthesis. You can find it in beef, chicken, fish, soybeans, and lentils. Other amino acids, like lysine and methionine, are found in dairy, eggs, meat, and legumes.
Protein helps with weight loss and prevents weight regain. High-protein diets can also increase satiety and reduce food intake, reducing overall calorie intake. So it makes sense.
To get more protein in your diet, eat meats like beef, chicken, turkey, pork, elk and bison; fish and seafood; dairy; eggs; legumes; soy products; nuts; and seeds. If you use protein powders, choose organic, grass-fed, or regenerative brands with minimal ingredients, no added sugars, no colorings, and no "natural flavors."
You know, protein can’t be an afterthought in our diet. We must actively fight the muscle decline that comes with age by eating protein and doing resistance training. I'd even recommend reading Gabrielle Lyon’s book Forever Strong for more info. The RDA is .8 grams per kilogram of body weight, but that doesn’t account for how active you are. It also doesn’t account for dynamic metabolic needs, like recovering from illness. So, I think a minimum of thirty grams of protein at every meal is good.
Bad Energy Foods
Remember that cutting the trinity of refined added sugar, refined industrial vegetable and seed oils, and refined grains from your diet will completely change your health.
Let’s see why.
Refined added sugar causes astronomically more deaths than COVID-19 and fentanyl. The body needs zero grams of it. Added sugar is the worst thing for our cells. As Robert Lustig says, it shows up on labels in fifty-six different names and sneaks in everywhere.
High-fructose corn syrup is one of the biggest offenders. The body doesn’t know how to deal with that. Like, a kid who drinks one bottle of Coke gets as much sugar as someone living 150 years ago might’ve had in an *entire* year.
Refined Industrial Vegetable and Seed Oils
These are canola, corn, sunflower, soybean, grapeseed, safflower, peanut, and cottonseed oils. You’ll see them everywhere.
These oils are high in omega-6 fats, which throw off the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio and increase inflammation. They are also subsidized by the Farm Bill. Seed oils need intensive industrial processes, like using chemicals like hexane, heating, bleaching, and dewaxing.
Since 1909, we’ve increased consumption of soybean oil by a thousand times. It is the largest source of calories for people in the United States. Cutting fat and following the disastrous 1990s guidance to eat more refined carbohydrates, we’ve taken omega-3 fats out of our diet and replaced them with inflammatory oils and sugar.
Refined Grains
A "whole grain" has the bran, germ, and endosperm. A corn kernel, brown rice, and a wheat berry are whole grains. The bran is the outermost layer of the kernel with fiber, B vitamins, and minerals. The germ has fat and micronutrients. The endosperm is the majority of the kernel with starch.
But refining a whole grain means removing the bran and germ, leaving just the starchy endosperm. It gives the product a chewier texture and increases shelf life. Since most of the vitamins are removed, manufacturers "enrich" the grain with synthetic vitamins and minerals.
Ultra-processed grains are bad for you. Preprocessed carbohydrates from the endosperm absorb into the bloodstream rapidly, raising blood glucose levels. They are also sprayed with pesticides.
Studies showed that people who ate the most refined grains had a higher risk of death and cardiovascular events. You should aim for zero grams of refined grains per day. They are damaging! I don’t even recommend whole grains, but they are still a little better than refined grains.
So, choose alternatives with nut flours, or make whole food swaps. Instead of cereal, make chia pudding. Use butter lettuce leaves instead of tortillas. And choose cauliflower rice instead of rice.
By avoiding added sugar, industrial seed and vegetable oils, and processed grains, you avoid almost every ultra-processed food, along with additives that directly damage us, like synthetic preservatives, flavorings, emulsifiers, and colorings. Many additives in ultra-processed foods are banned in other countries. Potassium bromate, a dough conditioner, is strongly carcinogenic to animals and possibly to humans. Red 40 is a synthetic food dye made from petroleum. Foods like Skittles, Gatorade, Jell-O, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and Takis incorporate it. Never eat food with "Red," "Blue," or "Yellow" in the ingredients. There are so many natural alternatives for colors, like organic beet powder.
Managing Glucose
We've covered what you need to eat, and what you need to avoid. Now let's talk about eating strategies to stabilize blood sugar. Erratic glucose levels are both a cause and an effect of Bad Energy. High glucose levels overwhelm the body and create metabolic stress, leading to oxidative stress, damage, and inflammation. And it causes glycation.
Because it’s the only biomarker we can track in real time, glucose can help us fine-tune our exposures. 42 percent of our calories are coming from foods that convert directly to sugar. They give the body nothing it actually needs.
So learning to eat for stable blood sugar is of utmost importance.
Don’t Eat "Naked Carbohydrates" Pair carb-rich foods with healthy protein, fats, and/or fiber to slow digestion, increase satiety, and reduce the influx of glucose in the bloodstream. Eat almonds with a carb-heavy meal.
Sequence Meals for Optimal Metabolism by "Preloading" with Low-Glycemic Foods. Eat vegetables, fat, protein, and/or fiber before the higher carbohydrate part of a meal. Avoid bread and chips. Eat a salad filled with greens and some protein before eating a starchy entree. Start with the vegetable, then eat the protein, and then end with the starch. Eat a handful of nuts, a hard-boiled egg, or some chopped veggies about a half hour before sitting down to a meal or going to an event.
Eat Earlier. The exact same meal will likely cause a lower glucose spike if it’s eaten in the morning instead of late at night. Avoid high-glycemic meals and desserts at night.
Tighten the Eating Window. Eating in a narrower window leads to lower glucose and insulin spikes. To practice time-restricted feeding, try limiting the time when you eat to twelve hours, then ten, then eventually eight.
Avoid Consuming Liquid Sugar. Any sugar delivered to the GI tract in liquid form will be absorbed quickly, causing glucose spikes. One exception is a smoothie, filled with vegetables, fat, fruits, and protein.
Add Fiber to All Meals. Aim for at least fifty grams of fiber per day.
Use Food Adjuncts, Like Vinegar and Cinnamon, to Lower Glucose Responses. Apple cider vinegar may modulate the activity of insulin. Similar to vinegar, cinnamon may improve glucose levels and insulin sensitivity.
Walk for at Least Fifteen Minutes After Meals. It can reduce the glucose impact of your meal by up to thirty percent!
Eat Mindfully and with Gratitude. Research shows that mealtime behaviors and thought patterns affect the metabolic response to food. Fast eaters have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes because they can consume more calories before feeling full.
So yeah, the pathway to Good Energy starts with your fork! And moving away from an ultra-processed diet toward whole, unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods grown in healthy soil.