To achieve real, noticeable, and meaningful change in mental and physical health, one must fundamentally restructure their diet from the ground up in ways that make biological sense, rather than just sprinkling superfoods or making minor adjustments.
Adopt a ‘first do no harm’ strategy by subtracting ingredients from your diet that cause inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and destabilize hormone patterns and neurotransmitters, as this is more important than adding special foods.
Aim as much as possible to cut out ultra-processed foods and introduce as many whole foods as possible, as this is a core dietary principle that holds true for everyone.
Follow whole food principles by getting the ‘junk’ out of your diet, regardless of specific dietary preferences (e.g., plant-based or animal-based).
Avoid foods that require ingredient labels, as whole foods (like broccoli, eggs, or peaches) have one ingredient and are found in nature, helping to avoid processed foods and marketing tactics.
Avoid or remove five problematic food categories from your diet: refined carbohydrates (sugars, flours, cereal products, fruit juice), refined vegetable/seed oils (soybean, cottonseed, grapeseed, canola), alcohol, grains, and legumes, as these are considered most damaging to brain health.
Pay attention to and keep your glucose levels in a healthy range, as this is a fundamental principle for good metabolic, physical, and mental health, and can be measured at home.
Learn to distinguish between whole, natural, healthy fats (unprocessed, found naturally in plants and animals) and factory-made, refined fats (seed oils), prioritizing the former.
Avoid concentrated sources of linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid found in refined seed oils) in your diet, as it carries more risk than benefit and is not essential if consuming animal fats.
Be honest with yourself about alcohol, understanding that it carries more risk than benefit, to avoid self-deception about its health effects.
If you have mental health issues, explore your relationship with alcohol by removing it from your diet for 30 days to assess its impact on how you feel and your life.
If consuming grains, choose whole, intact grains (not refined) to protect metabolic health, as their fiber matrix slows carbohydrate digestion and reduces blood sugar spikes.
If choosing a vegan diet, include legumes, especially carefully prepared ones, as they provide essential amino acids and protein.
If you’ve made significant dietary changes and improved but are still struggling, consider a short trial period without whole grains and legumes to observe further health impacts.
Reteach yourself what food rules actually work, understanding which foods to eat and avoid, then experiment with a new dietary approach for a few weeks (e.g., six weeks) to see how you feel and if it helps reduce or eliminate psychiatric medication.
Adopt a curiosity mindset to experiment with and explore various dietary changes that make biological sense, to see how they personally affect you if you’re not feeling your best.
Eat in a way that naturally regulates your appetite, potentially leading to eating only two or three times a day without constant hunger, due to better appetite control.
Change your diet to be healthier regardless of economic situation, as it can save money in the long run by knowing which healthy foods (e.g., inexpensive animal parts like chicken legs, pork shoulder, eggs) are worth buying and which unhealthy foods to avoid.
If considering a ketogenic diet, seek support because it is a powerful intervention that can rapidly change blood sugar, blood pressure, and medication levels.
Ensure the brain is energized properly with the right types of fuel, as this is crucial for its proper functioning.
Trust your body and brain to work properly by giving them what they need and nothing more, allowing evolutionary biology to do the rest.
Prioritize making lifestyle changes, as they are always worth it because feeling better leads to living more.
Take one key learning from the conversation to apply to your own life and teach one thing to someone else, as teaching helps both retention and others’ learning.