Metabolic Mind

Metabolic Mind Metabolic Mind grew out of the first ever metabolic psychiatry conference hosted by Baszucki Group in May of 2022.
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Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them. Fifty stakeholders ga

thered to share information and define this rapidly emerging new field. It became clear in the months following the conference that an advocacy effort was critically needed to amplify research, clinical experience and life stories. The Metabolic Mind team is dedicated to filling that gap, and is working toward a vision in which metabolism is understood as a primary driver of human health and well-being.

09/02/2026

👉 Have you ever felt a difference between being “stable” and truly feeling like yourself again?

For five years, Jan and her family searched for a way to help her son recover from bipolar disorder.

Hospitalizations. Medications. Therapy. Sleep tracking. Mood tracking. TMS.

They did everything they were told to do, yet, as Jan says, “we could not get our son back.”

Then they found Dr. Chris Palmer’s work utilizing medically supervised ketogenic therapy to treat serious mental illness.

Matthew started in January 2021. By April, Jan says he was in full remission from bipolar symptoms. Nearly five years later, he remains in nutritional ketosis and has “his full mind back and his full life back.”

Today, a growing body of published studies and powerful stories of lived experience is building a strong foundation of evidence for the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry and ketogenic therapy.

Ketogenic therapy is a powerful medical intervention that can affect neurotransmitters, hormones, and even gene expression. Anyone considering ketogenic therapy who is living with a psychiatric diagnosis or taking psychiatric medications should do so in coordination with their care team.

Check the comments to find links to Jan’s full talk and to learn more about metabolic psychiatry.

Noticed a shift in thyroid levels while on a ketogenic diet? That may not be a bad thing.Thyroid labs only make sense in...
09/01/2026

Noticed a shift in thyroid levels while on a ketogenic diet? That may not be a bad thing.

Thyroid labs only make sense in context. A slight drop in T3 on a ketogenic diet can look concerning on paper, but one theory is that it reflects cells becoming more efficient and needing less thyroid hormone to do the same work. That's very different from true hypothyroidism, which usually presents with elevated TSH, fatigue, weight gain, and other clinical symptoms.

A single number in isolation rarely tells the full story. When it comes to thyroid hormones and ketogenic therapy, the bigger picture often shows the body adapting, not struggling.

Have you noticed changes in thyroid or other hormone levels while following a ketogenic diet? Share your experience in the comments. 👇

Your weekly SMART challenge: Track.In mental health recovery, the mind can be a complicated narrator, and progress is no...
08/31/2026

Your weekly SMART challenge: Track.

In mental health recovery, the mind can be a complicated narrator, and progress is not always linear. A setback can make real progress feel fragile. When you’ve been through relapse or treatments that fell short, it can feel safer not to hope too quickly.

Tracking is one way to create a gentler record of what may be changing. Not as another obligation. Not as a way to grade yourself. But as a way to notice patterns, bring more clarity to your care team, and remind yourself that change may be happening even before it feels obvious.

*THINK+SMART is our free metabolic program for mental health. SMART focuses on five daily habit areas:

S = Sleep
M = Move
A = Avoid
R = Rebuild
T = Track

Want the full THINK+SMART program? Visit the link in the first comment to explore it.

This week, choose one thing that feels useful to track:

😊 Mood for a few minutes each day

😴 Sleep and wake times

⚡ Energy levels after meals

🩸 Glucose or ketones, if you already measure them

📝 One symptom pattern to discuss with your care team

Then notice: What patterns emerge? What feels steadier? What needs more support?

The goal isn’t perfect data. It’s more clarity about patterns in your body, brain, and daily life.

What’s one signal you want to start tracking this week?

08/29/2026

If your carb cravings seem to show up like clockwork every month, you're not imagining it.

Registered dietitian Temple Stewart notes that many women notice changes the week before their period. Hunger increases, cravings intensify, and staying in ketosis can suddenly feel much harder than the week before.

Part of this may be tied to natural shifts in insulin sensitivity across the menstrual cycle. Instead of relying on willpower, planning ahead can help.

For some women, that might include staying on top of electrolytes, eating more magnesium-rich foods, increasing omega-3s, or having a favorite ketogenic treat ready before cravings hit.

The goal is to understand your own patterns and work with them. When you know what may be coming, it can be easier to build a plan that helps you stay on track.

👉 What strategies have helped you manage cycle-related cravings? Share your experience in the comments.

08/28/2026

With ketogenic diets, higher ketones aren’t always the goal.

That might sound surprising, especially when so much ketogenic advice focuses on “getting your numbers up.” But ketone levels only make sense in context.

For someone using ketogenic therapy as a brain-based intervention, especially for serious mental illness or certain neurological conditions, ketone levels may be more important. In those cases, working with a clinician to reach and monitor therapeutic ketosis can be part of the treatment plan.

But for someone focused on general metabolic health, energy, blood sugar stability, or clearer thinking, “light ketosis” may still be meaningful. Some people may feel better and see metabolic improvements at lower ketone levels, especially if insulin resistance is improving and their overall markers are moving in the right direction.

That’s why the better question may be “What am I using ketosis for?”

👉 What’s your ketone level sweet spot? Have you noticed that you need to reach a certain number before you start feeling better? Or perhaps you’ve found that light ketosis does the trick? Share your experience in the comments.

08/27/2026

If someone has been stable on ketogenic therapy and psychiatric symptoms return, that change can offer important clues.

This is where tracking becomes especially valuable. Ketone levels, foods, sleep, medications, stress, and symptoms create a record of what “stable” looked like for that individual. If something shifts, you have a baseline to refer to and ask: what changed?

For someone with a history of psychosis, that could mean checking whether ketone levels have fallen and working with your care team to bring them back into the therapeutic range. If ketosis has remained consistent, other dietary or metabolic factors may be worth investigating.

Over time, this kind of personalized data can help patients and clinicians recognize patterns earlier and respond more thoughtfully if symptoms change.

💡 Has tracking helped you identify patterns in your mental health over time? Share your thoughts and experience in the comments.

Metabolic Mind Podcast listeners, we want to hear from you! 🎧We’re running a quick listener survey to learn what you’re ...
08/26/2026

Metabolic Mind Podcast listeners, we want to hear from you! 🎧

We’re running a quick listener survey to learn what you’re enjoying, what you’d like to hear more of, and how we can keep making the show more helpful for this community.

As a thank-you, everyone who completes the survey will be entered for a chance to win a Metabolic Mind giveaway bundle featuring:

📊 KETO-MOJO glucose + ketone meter and test strips
🧠 Brain Energy by Dr. Chris Palmer
📘 Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind by Dr. Georgia Ede
🎨 Happy Brain Coloring Book
💧 Sugar-Free Liquid I.V.
🧢 Metabolic Mind swag
🥩 Archer Mini Meat Sticks

Plus, runners-up will receive $50 Amazon gift cards!

The survey closes on September 15, and the winners will be notified on September 18.

Check out the first comment for the link to take the survey.

Thank you for listening and for being part of the Metabolic Mind community. Your feedback helps shape what we create next. 💙Metabolic Mind Podcast listeners, we want to hear from you! 🎧

We’re running a quick listener survey to learn what you’re enjoying, what you’d like to hear more of, and how we can keep making the show more helpful for this community.

As a thank-you, everyone who completes the survey will be entered for a chance to win a Metabolic Mind giveaway bundle featuring:

📊 KETO-MOJO glucose + ketone meter and test strips
🧠 Brain Energy by Dr. Chris Palmer
📘 Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind by Dr. Georgia Ede
🎨 Happy Brain Coloring Book
💧 Sugar-Free Liquid I.V.
🧢 Metabolic Mind swag
🥩 Archer Mini Meat Sticks

Plus, runners-up will receive $50 Amazon gift cards!

The survey closes on September 15, and winners will be notified on September 18.

Check the first comment for the link to take the survey.

Thank you for listening and for being part of the Metabolic Mind community. Your feedback helps shape what we create next. 💙

What comes after feeling better? For many, symptoms ease before life feels whole again. Daily structure and a sense of w...
08/26/2026

What comes after feeling better?

For many, symptoms ease before life feels whole again. Daily structure and a sense of who you are can take longer to return, and tending to them is part of recovery.

Rebuild invites you to engage in therapies, relationships, and habits that support healing.

That’s why this National Wellness Month, we’re inviting you to explore Rebuild using SMART at whatever pace feels right for you.

*SMART is the second part of our THINK+SMART program, which includes nutritional ketosis. Check out the first comment for a link to the whole program.

SMART is a simple approach to building daily habits that support your brain and body:

S = Sleep
M = Move
A = Avoid
R = Rebuild
T = Track

This week, choose one small way to support the life you’re rebuilding:

🤝 Reach out to someone supportive

🕰️ Revisit a routine that helped you feel steady

📝 Spend five minutes journaling or reflecting

🧘 Practice a grounding tool like breathwork, mindfulness, or gentle movement

🌱 Choose one small responsibility that helps you feel connected to daily life

Notice what helps you feel more grounded, connected, or like yourself.

We’ll share more SMART challenges throughout the month. Save this post, try what feels supportive, and let us know how it goes.

08/24/2026

What if metabolic health became part of everyday mental healthcare?

That's the future many clinicians in metabolic psychiatry are working toward.

Imagine a psychiatric evaluation in which questions about nutrition, sleep, movement, inflammation, and insulin resistance are as routine as asking about psychiatric symptoms, medications, and side effects.

The brain depends on a steady supply of usable energy, and metabolic dysfunction can affect how that energy is converted and used. Integrating these factors into psychiatric care could expand the information clinicians have and the treatment options their patients could consider.

This is where metabolic psychiatry is headed: mental healthcare that recognizes that healthy brain function depends on healthy metabolism.

👉 What types of questions do you think mental health care practitioners should ask their patients about metabolic health? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Your weekly SMART challenge: Avoid.Avoid is not about restriction or willpower. It is about noticing what may be drainin...
08/23/2026

Your weekly SMART challenge: Avoid.

Avoid is not about restriction or willpower. It is about noticing what may be draining your brain, body, mood, sleep, or energy — and choosing one small boundary that may help you feel steadier.

Sometimes the habits we use to get through the day are doing something important for us.

Coffee might help us push through exhaustion. Scrolling might distract us from stress. Saying yes might keep the peace.

And when you’re struggling with your mental health, it can be even harder to change the inputs around you. For some people, ketogenic therapy may help support steadier energy and mood, making small boundaries feel more possible.

The goal isn’t to judge those patterns. It’s to get curious about what they may be costing us.

That’s why this National Wellness Month, we’re challenging you to focus on Avoid using our SMART framework.

*SMART is the second part of our THINK+SMART framework, which includes nutritional ketosis. Visit the link in the first comment to explore the whole program.

SMART is a simple framework for building daily habits that support your brain and body:

S = Sleep
M = Move
A = Avoid
R = Rebuild
T = Track

This week, choose one small boundary to experiment with:

📵 Put your phone away 30 minutes before bed

☕ Notice whether excessive caffeine affects your sleep

🍷 Pay attention to how alcohol affects your mood or energy

🧘 Step away from one draining interaction when you can

🍽️ Notice whether a certain food leaves you feeling foggy or depleted

Then notice: How do you feel afterward? How is your energy? Your stress? Your mood?

If you’re managing a mental health condition, work with a qualified clinician before making major changes to your routine.

What’s one habit, routine, or pattern you want to get curious about this week?

Check back here weekly for more SMART challenges this month, and be sure to share your experiences in the comments!

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