Honestly, the medical system is a mess. You go in because you're exhausted, your skin is breaking out, and you've got this weird brain fog that won't quit. What happens? You get a prescription for a cream, maybe some anti-anxiety meds, and a "come back in six months" pat on the back. Dr. Casey Means saw this from the inside as an ENT surgeon at Stanford, and she hated it. She noticed she was operating on people’s sinuses over and over again, but never actually fixing the inflammation that caused the problem in the first place.
So she quit.
She walked away from a high-paying surgical career because she realized we were basically rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Her book, Good Energy, is the result of that frustration. It’s not just another "diet book." It’s a manifesto on why our cells are literally starving for power in a world overflowing with calories.
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The "Bad Energy" Crisis Nobody Is Talking About
We’re living in a weird paradox. Americans are the most overfed people in history, yet on a cellular level, we’re dying of thirst. Dr. Means argues that almost every chronic issue we face—from Alzheimer’s and heart disease to that 3 p.m. energy crash—stems from one thing: metabolic dysfunction.
She calls this "Bad Energy."
Basically, your mitochondria (the little power plants in your cells) are broken. They can't turn the food you eat into the energy you need. Instead of "clean-burning" fuel, your body is churning out smoke—inflammation, oxidative stress, and fat storage.
Think about it like this. If you put diesel in a Tesla, it’s not going to go. It doesn't matter how much fuel you pump in; the engine isn't built for it. Our bodies evolved for millions of years to process whole, fiber-rich, sun-grown foods. Now, we’re slamming them with refined seed oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial light 24/7. It’s a total system failure.
Why 93% of Us Are Breaking Down
A staggering study from Tufts University found that only 7% of American adults are metabolically healthy. That’s insane. It means the "average" person you see on the street is actually struggling with blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol issues.
Dr. Means points out that we’ve "normalized" being sick.
- Waking up tired? Normal.
- Needing three coffees to survive the morning? Normal.
- Having a "spare tire" around the waist? Normal.
- Getting depressed or anxious for no "reason"? Normal.
But "normal" doesn't mean "natural." It just means it's common.
The Good Energy Pillars: How to Actually Fix Your Cells
If you want to get your spark back, you have to stop treating symptoms and start feeding your mitochondria what they actually want. Casey Means doesn't want you to count calories; she wants you to count nutrients and biological signals.
The "Unholy Trinity" of the Modern Diet
If you do nothing else, you've gotta look at what she calls the Unholy Trinity. These are the three horsemen of metabolic apocalypse that are hidden in almost every packaged food:
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- Refined Sugars: They spike your insulin and turn off your body’s ability to burn fat.
- Refined Grains: Think white flour. It’s basically sugar that hasn't realized it's sugar yet.
- Industrial Seed Oils: Canola, soybean, corn oil. These are highly processed and cause massive inflammation in your cell membranes.
Kinda scary when you realize that’s basically the entire "middle aisle" of the grocery store.
The Five Elements of a "Good Energy" Meal
Dr. Means suggests every meal should have these five things to keep your blood sugar stable and your cells happy:
- Fiber: It’s like a slow-release valve for sugar.
- High-Quality Protein: To build muscle and keep you full.
- Omega-3 Fats: Think wild salmon or walnuts. These are like "anti-freeze" for your cells.
- Antioxidants: The colorful stuff in veggies that mops up cellular "exhaust."
- Probiotics: Fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut to keep your gut bugs happy.
Honestly, it's about eating things that actually grew in the dirt recently.
Your Body Is a Clock, Not a Calculator
One of the most mind-blowing parts of Good Energy is how much Dr. Means emphasizes circadian biology. It’s not just what you eat; it’s when you eat and how much light you see.
Your cells have internal clocks. When you look at your phone at 11 p.m., the blue light tells your brain it’s noon. Your body gets confused. It stays in "daytime mode," keeping your blood sugar high and preventing the deep repair work that’s supposed to happen while you sleep.
She’s big on "Sunlight in the morning, darkness at night." Simple? Yeah. But most of us aren't doing it. We live in a world of "perpetual noon," and our metabolism is paying the price.
The Power of "Micro-Movements"
Forget the gym for a second. Dr. Means argues that sitting for 8 hours and then "working out" for 1 hour doesn't actually fix the metabolic damage of being sedentary.
She advocates for NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). This is just a fancy way of saying "move around more."
A two-minute walk every 30 minutes is actually more effective for lowering your 24-hour glucose levels than one long session at the gym. Why? Because it keeps the "glucose gates" in your muscles open all day. You’re constantly sipping on that blood sugar rather than letting it sit and rot in your veins.
Testing, Not Guessing: The Biohacker’s Edge
Dr. Means is a co-founder of Levels, a company that uses Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) to show you exactly how your body reacts to food in real-time.
You might think "healthy" oatmeal is great for you, but for some people, it spikes their blood sugar as high as a Snickers bar. Without data, you’re just guessing. She encourages people to look at five key biomarkers that go way beyond just "weight":
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- Fasting Glucose: Should be under 90 mg/dL.
- Triglycerides: Ideally under 100 mg/dL.
- HDL Cholesterol: The "good" stuff, should be over 50 mg/dL.
- Blood Pressure: Ideally 120/80 or lower.
- Waist Circumference: Less than half your height.
If you hit all five, you’re in that elite 7%. If not, you’ve got work to do.
Is This Too "Influencer-y"? Addressing the Critics
Let’s be real—Casey Means has become a bit of a lightning rod. Critics point out that she left her clinical practice to become a "wellness influencer" and that her ties to political movements (like the "Make America Healthy Again" stuff) can feel polarizing. Some doctors worry her advice on vaccines or "listening to intuition" over "blindly trusting science" is dangerous.
But here’s the thing: she’s not saying science is bad. She’s saying the application of science in our current system is failing us.
She’s critiquing a system where the "Standard American Diet" is literally making us sick, while the pharmaceutical companies profit from the symptoms. Whether you agree with her politics or not, the core science of mitochondrial health is pretty hard to argue with.
How to Start Your Good Energy Journey Today
You don't need a PhD or a $300 CGM to start fixing your metabolic health. It’s about small, weirdly simple shifts that add up.
- Stop the "Naked Carbs": Never eat a piece of fruit or bread by itself. Always pair it with fat or protein to slow down the sugar spike.
- The 10-Minute Post-Meal Walk: After lunch or dinner, just walk. It clears the glucose from your blood like magic.
- Morning Sunlight: Get outside for 5 minutes right after you wake up. It sets your metabolic clock for the whole day.
- Ditch the Seed Oils: Throw out the bottle of "Vegetable Oil" in your pantry and switch to extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- Stop Eating 3 Hours Before Bed: Give your mitochondria a break so they can focus on cleaning up the "cellular trash" while you sleep.
The goal isn't perfection; it’s consistency. Your cells are incredibly resilient if you just give them the right signals. Good energy isn't something you "get"—it’s something you build by respecting the 37 trillion tiny machines that make you, well, you.
Start by swapping your morning cereal for eggs and greens. See how your brain feels at 2 p.m. That’s your first piece of "Good Energy" data.
Next Steps for You:
Check your last blood work for your Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio. If the number is over 2.0, it’s a strong sign of insulin resistance. Focus on increasing your daily fiber to at least 30-50 grams this week to help stabilize those levels naturally.