What Are Metabolic Nutritional Therapies?

Metabolic nutritional therapies use food as a powerful, targeted tool to restore metabolic balance, regulate hormones, and protect brain health. By addressing root cause such as blood sugar instability, insulin resistance, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, these therapies can help improve or may reverse many chronic conditions—including type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, PCOS, obesity, hypertension—as well as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and other psychiatric conditions.

One of the most effective and well-studied approaches is the therapeutic ketogenic diet—a way of eating rich in healthy fats, moderate in protein, and low or very low in carbohydrates. While a low-carbohydrate diet helps lower blood glucose, a ketogenic diet is specifically designed to lower insulin, a key step in reversing insulin resistance and supporting healthy brain metabolism. This shift from glucose to ketones as the brain’s primary fuel can reduce inflammation, stabilize mood, enhance cognitive function, and promote lasting metabolic health.

This is not a one-size-fits-all plan—it is a structured, science-based approach tailored to your health history, current needs, and goals, with guidance from a qualified coach to help you enter and maintain nutritional ketosis safely and effectively.

The Carbohydrate Knob: A Powerful Tool for Metabolic Health

Inspired by Dr. Ken Berry’s concept of “The Carbohydrate Knob” is one of the most effective tools we have in nutritional therapy. It is the ability to adjust carbohydrate intake based on our individual health goals. Think of carbohydrates as a dial, not an all-or-nothing switch. Turning that dial down can help reduce blood sugar, lower insulin levels, decrease inflammation, and support lasting improvements in both physical and mental health.

Dr. Berry outlines four general levels of carbohydrate intake:

• 100 grams or less per day – Helpful for weight maintenance and blood sugar awareness; can be a starting point

• 50 grams or less per day – Often effective for improving insulin sensitivity and supporting mood stability.

• 20 grams or less per day – A classic therapeutic ketogenic level that helps many enter nutritional ketosis, which can benefit those with type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, anxiety, depression, and more.

• Near-zero or zero-carb – Often referred to as carnivore or animal-based eating, this may be appropriate for those with severe insulin resistance, autoimmune conditions, food sensitivities, and more.

The key is personalization. In my coaching, we explore the right carbohydrate level for your physiology, symptoms, and goals, whether that is managing cravings, improving mental clarity, or reversing chronic disease. Adjusting your “carbohydrate knob” with nutrient-dense food becomes a simple but powerful lever for healing.

Ketogenic Nutritional Therapies for Mental Health

Metabolic Psychiatry and ketogenic diets are an increasingly recognized approach approach for improving mental health, and treatment of chronic psychiatric conditions And are a powerful complement or alternative to conventional treatments for those seeking deeper healing. A well-formulated ketogenic food plan holds promise for supporting mental health and psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, as well cognitive decline. By stabilizing blood sugar, reducing neuroinflammation, and improving brain energy metabolism, ketogenic nutrition can help calm the nervous system, improve mood stability, and enhance mental clarity. I offer metabolic nutritional therapies—primarily ketogenic, low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, and high-fat approaches—as powerful tools to support mental health, metabolism, and cognitive function. Inspired by the groundbreaking work of Dr. Georgia Ede and her book Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, and Protect Memory for a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health, this approach targets the root causes of brain-based symptoms by addressing blood sugar dysregulation, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Why It Matters

It is important to understand the difference between a low-carbohydrate diet and a ketogenic one: low-carb eating helps lower glucose, while a well-formulated ketogenic diet goes a step further by lowering insulin levels—which is essential for reversing insulin resistance, improving mental clarity, balancing mood, and restoring metabolic flexibility. These shifts can be especially helpful for those experiencing depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or cognitive decline.

Transitioning into ketosis is a significant metabolic shift, and having the guidance of a trained, qualified coach can make the process safer, more effective, and more sustainable. With thoughtful support, the right tools, and a compassionate approach, you can nourish both brain and body at the deepest level—because brain health is whole-body health.

Ketosis isn’t simply about eating fewer carbs—it’s about shifting the body’s fuel from glucose to fat and ketones, which offer a more stable, efficient energy source for the brain. This shift can improve mood, clarity, resilience under stress, and emotional regulation. OF NOTE: Clients who are taking psychotropic medications, or medications for blood pressure, diabetes and other health issues must be followed by health care provider - as medications often need adjusting when using nutritional therapies that lower blood glucose and insulin.

During the Q&A discussion from the video below, Dr. Bret Scher and Harvard‑trained psychiatrist Dr. Georgia Ede broke down the essential difference between a low‑carbohydrate diet and a therapeutic ketogenic diet, especially as it relates to mental health and brain function:

• Low‑Carbohydrate Diets (usually under ~100g/day) help reduce blood glucose levels and stabilize energy. They can support basic metabolic health and mood but might not activate deeper therapeutic processes

• Therapeutic Ketogenic Diets, - A well formulated ketogenic diet can bring your body into nutritional ketosis, which significantly lowers insulin levels, supports mitochondrial metabolism, and helps calm neurotransmitter imbalance. This makes them especially effective for mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, and cognitive decline.