Latest / Common Sense Health / The Metabolic Reset: Lower Insulin, Lose Fat, Get Energy
Transcript
- Stephen Thomas BSc. Hons: Hello and welcome back. Before we get into today's topic, I just want to say a genuine thank you because the channel has now gone past fifty thousand subscribers, which is a slightly surreal thing for me to say out loud because when I started making videos I certainly did not imagine there would be fifty thousand people interested in me talking about low carb keto or carnivore or blood glucose or insulin and why cereal is not the breakfast superhero it's been marketed to be. So anyway, thank you. Whether you have been here for years, whether you've just joined, whether you watch every video occasionally, just dip in and out, don't forget to comment, share the videos, or quietly watch while thinking, I agree with most of this, but he does go on a bit about seed oils. So I do appreciate it. Anyway, right. Today I want to talk about mental health, but I want to do it sort of carefully because mental health is a serious subject, it is personal, it's very complex, and it's not something we should reduce down to one simple answer. So let me be clear from the start, I'm not saying that low carb, keto or carnivore eating is a magic cure for every mental health problem. And I'm not saying food replaces therapy, medication, support, professional help, or medical care where those things are needed. If you are struggling with your mental health, please don't do not see this as a replacement for getting proper support. But what I am saying is this the brain is part of the body and that Does sound obvious, but it is amazing how often it gets forgotten. We often talk about mental health as though it floats around separately from metabolism and blood glucose and insulin and inflammation and sleep and stress and nutrient status and energy production. But the brain is not hovering above the body on a little little cloud, is it? It's not refusing to be involved. The brain is an organ, a very energy hungry organ and like every other organ it needs the right conditions to work properly and that is where metabolic health comes in. Many people who move towards low carb or keto or carnivore they report changes that go far beyond weight loss. They often talk about clearer thinking and less brain fog, fewer cravings and a calmer mood, better focus, fewer energy crashes and and feeling more in control around food. Now Of course, not everyone has the same experience and we should be very careful not to overpromise. But when enough people report similar things it is worth asking well why is that? And one of the first places to look is energy. Now the brain uses a huge amount of energy, it is an expensive tissue to run. If the brain is not getting steady, reliable fuel, it makes sense that you may not feel at your best. You may feel foggy or irritable or anxious, low. Tired, unfocused, or or as if your brain has been replaced with a damp sponge and asked to complete an admin task. And this is where blood glucose matters. For years people have been told that the brain must run on glucose. And yes, the brain can use glucose. Some glucose is required, that is true, but it is not the full story. The brain can also use ketones, and ketones are produced when carbohydrate intake is low enough and the body begins using more fat for fuel. And this can happen with low carb or ketogenic or carnivore eating, depending on the person and the approach. And for some people, that alternative fuel source appears to be important. If someone has poor insulin control or unstable blood glucose, frequent energy crashes, and a diet built around sugar or grains and snacks and processed carbohydrates, the brain may not be getting the steady fuel environment that it wants. The issue is not always that energy is absent. Sometimes the energy is there, but the system for using it is not working very well. You know, it's a bit like having money in the bank but forgetting the PIN number. Technically the resources exist, but it is not much use when you are stood at the till with a cue behind you and a meal deal full of regret. You know, when people reduce carbohydrate intake and they remove sugar and refined starch or they stop grazing and build mills around protein and fat. Blood glucose often becomes a lot more stable. And when blood glucose becomes more stable, many people feel more stable too. That is not mysterious. If your energy is up and down all day, your mood and appetite may be up and down all day. It will follow. So one minute you feel fine, then you crash, then you crave something, then you eat, then glucose rises, then insulin rises, then it drops again, and then you're back in the cupboard looking behind a packet of crackers as if the answer to life might be hide you there. The pattern is not great, is it, for mental clarity. It is not great for mood and it is not great for feeling in control. This is one of the reasons many people feel calmer when they get off that roller coaster. Another important part is that ketosis appears to have an effect on the brain beyond simply providing calories in inverted commas. Ketogenic diets have been used for around a century in epilepsy, especially in some cases where seizures are difficult to control. And that matters because it tells us that ketosis can influence brain function. This is not just some weight loss trick. Ketosis is a metabolic state and it has real effects on brain energy and signalling. One neurotransmitter that often comes up in this discussion is GABA. GABA is one of the brain's calming neurotransmitters. In very simple terms, it helps apply the brakes in the nervous system. That is important because if your nervous system is constantly revved up and reactive, or you're anxious and stressed and unable to settle, life becomes exhausting. Now I'm not saying everyone needs to be in deep ketosis all the time, but I do think it is worth recognising that when people say they feel calmer, clearer, or more mentally steady on low carb keto or carnivore, there are plausible mechanisms behind that. Then we have the mitochondria. Mitochondria are often called the powerhouses of the cell, which is one of those phrases that immediately transports half of us back to school biology. But the phrase is useful because mitochondria are involved in energy production. And the brain needs a lot of energy. Ketones, particularly beta-hydroxybutyrate, can be used by the brain as an inter as an alternative fuel. They may also act as a signaling molecule, influencing inflammation and oxidative stress and cellular behaviour. So again, this is bigger than calories in inverted commas. It is about the environment the brain is living in. And inflammation matters too. Many people know what it feels like when the body is inflamed or metabolically unwell. They may describe brain fog or mental heaviness, fatigue, low mood, poor concentration, and a general sense that everything takes more effort than it should. The brain is vulnerable to oxidative stress because it uses a lot of oxygen, contains a lot of fat, and has a very high energy demand. So if someone improves their food quality, reduces their processed foods, stabilizes their blood glucose and improves sleep, while lowering inflammation and giving the body better nutrients, it would not be a surprise if the brain notices. And that brings me to nutrient density. I mean animal foods are incredibly nutrient dense. Meat, fish, eggs and seafood provide high quality protein, essential fats, B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium, choline, creatine, carnitine, taurine, And many other nutrients that matter for brain and nervous system function. And when we are talking about brain health, we really should also mention DHA, as I did in a previous video. DHA is an omega-3 fat that is critical for good brain health. It is a major structural fat in the brain and the retina, and it plays an important role in cell membrane function and signalling. That is one reason oily fish and seafood can be so useful if you include them. This does not mean everyone has to eat the same diet, but it does mean we should stop pretending that a diet based on ultra processed carbohydrate foods is automatically better for the brain than one based on proper, nutrient dense food, because frankly that idea needs to take a lie down. If every meal leaves you tired or bloated, foggy and hungry again two hours later, that is not good for mental health. If every day feels like a fight against cravings, that is not good for mental health. If your blood glucose is swinging up and down, that's not good for mental health. If you are under eating protein, avoiding essential fats, missing important nutrients, and trying to run your brain on snack bars and willpower, again, that is not a great long term strategy. At some point we have to stop acting surprised that the brain cares what we feed the body. The brain is not sitting there saying, I'm above all this, just send me some biscuits. You know, the brain has requirements. It needs a lot of energy. It needs nutrients. It needs stable signaling. It needs sleep. It needs recovery. It needs a body that is not constantly inflamed and metabolically confused. And this is where I think the mental health conversation needs more joined up thinking. Not every mental health issue is caused by diet. Not every solution is dietary, but diet is part of the picture. For some people it may be very important as a part of the picture. If someone has spent years eating cereal, toasts, sandwiches, pasta, biscuits, crisps, snack bars, low fat processed foods, takeaways and sugary drinks, while also sleeping badly and living under stress, I do not think it is unreasonable to ask whether their brain might benefit from a better metabolic environment. I mean that's not extreme, that's just common sense. And this is why people often report that when they eat proper food. Reduce the carbohydrates, remove the ultra processed rubbish and build mills around protein and fat, they start to feel more in control. And that really matters because mental health is not just about mood in an abstract way. It is also about whether you feel steady, whether you feel in control around food, whether cravings are running the day, whether you can concentrate, whether you can get through the afternoon without feeling like your brain has just left the building. Whether you wake up feeling Like you are actually present in your own life. So if you're moving towards low carb, keto or carnival, or even if you're just trying to eat better, pay attention to your mental state and make note of your clarity. Notice your mood. Notice your cravings. Notice your anxiety levels. And notice how you feel after meals. Simple really. Notice whether your brain feels steadier, whether your food is steadier. Now do not Falser conclusion, just observe, because if improving your food does improve your appetite and your energy and your blood glucose, your sleep and inflammation, it would not be surprising if your brain responds as well. So this this video is actually a shorter version of a longer lesson I made as part of my metabolic reset program where we go through these topics in more detail across 30 days. But I wanted to share this shorter version here because I think the message is important for everyone. We're not just trying to lose weight. We are trying to improve the environment the body and brain have to live in. So to bring this together, we've got mental health, it's complex and deserves proper respect. Food is not the only factor, but food is a factor. So blood glucose stability matters, insulin matters, ketones may matter, inflammation matters, mitochondrial matter, DHA matters, sleep matters, stress matters. The brain is part of the body. And if we want the brain to work well, we should probably stop treating the body like a neglected office printer and then complaining when it starts making strange noises. So let's keep it simple. Eat proper food, reduce the foods that destabilize you, prioritize protein and nutrient density. Do not fear natural fats. Pay attention to your sleep and notice how you feel. Once again, thank you for helping the channel past 50,000 subscribers. I genuinely appreciate it. And if you found this useful, please Like the video, subscribe if you have not already done that and let me know in the comments whether changing your food has changed your mood clarity and reduced your cravings. And I'll see you in the next video.