Emerging research is showing us something powerful:
People with mental health conditions – ADHD, anxiety, depression, and more – often have sluggish glucose processing in the brain. Their brains don’t use glucose efficiently as fuel.
When fueled by ketones (through a ketogenic diet of protein, vegetables, and healthy fats), the brain functions more effectively.
To understand this further I recommend the book Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind by Dr. Georgia Ede (Harvard-trained psychiatrist). She breaks down the research in an accessible way. You can also check out her audiobook and YouTube channel.
Dr Georgia Ede says, “If you talk to any practitioner who has been using ketogenic diets in their work, whether it’s a psychiatric practitioner or a medical practitioner, there are a couple of things they’ll tell you are the most predictable benefits of a ketogenic diet.One is reduced anxiety and the other is mental clarity. Most people will experience tremendous reductions in anxiety, often within three days to three weeks of starting a ketogenic diet.”
As an ADHD coach, I’ve seen firsthand how clients with ADHD, depression, anxiety, and autoimmune conditions credit reclaiming their health to this dietary shift. There are physicians prescribing these metabolic interventions and witnessing remarkable results all over the world. Search Dr. Georgia Ede’s free clinician directory for providers trained in metabolic psychiatry. Visit Dr. Ede’s Website
A few short testimonials capture what this can look like:
Symptoms of ADHD and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Improvement
For more stories and science, visit Metabolic Mind – a nonprofit founded by Jan Ellison Baszucki and David Baszucki inspired by their son Matt who recovered from treatment-resistant bipolar disorder using this dietary intervention.
And one more striking point: Alzheimer’s disease is increasingly being referred to as “Type 3 diabetes” because of the brain’s impaired ability to use glucose. This underscores just how central metabolism is to cognitive health.
For many, combining standard care with metabolic strategies is opening new paths to remarkable recovery – and offering renewed hope.
