Ep. 225: Casey Means, MD - Improve Your Metabolic Health with "Food as Medicine" Prescription

We hear the phrase, “metabolic health” a lot, but do we really know what that means? And, more importantly, how much do we understand the massive impact that metabolic health has on literally every system of our body? Today, we explore that line of thinking with Dr. Casey Means. Casey was trained as an ear, nose, and throat surgeon, but in recent years, she has become a self-proclaimed “Food as Medicine” evangelist. Why would she make such a drastic change in a successful budding career? Well, as you’ll hear today, Dr. Means (like most doctors) pursued medicine in order to help people, but started realizing that most illnesses - even those she was treating as an ENT surgeon– came back to a person’s level of inflammation and poor metabolic health. So, as a surgeon, she was playing the proverbial “whack-a-mole” with the problems but never identifying the root causation. Now, she’s on a mission to create a healthier world through her company, LEVELS Health - a continuous glucose monitor company - along with her upcoming book, Good Energy . Today, we focus our conversation on exactly what metabolic health really means, as well as the Nine Elements of Metabolic Health. Casey also discusses the importance of metabolic health as it relates to exercise and sexual health. About Casey Means, MD Casey Means , MD is a Stanford-trained physician and Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of metabolic health company Levels. Her mission is to maximize human potential and reverse the epidemic of preventable chronic disease by empowering individuals with tech-enabled tools that can inform smart, personalized, and sustainable dietary and lifestyle choices. Dr. Means’s perspective has been recently featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The New Yorker, Men's Health, Women's Health, and more. Episode Resources Watch the Episode on YouTube Episode Webpage Learn More About our 2026 Live PLANTSTRONG Events: https://plantstrong.com/pages/events Let Us Help Your PLANTSTRONG Journey Learn More About Our Corporate Wellness Program: https://liveplantstrong.com/corporate-wellness/ COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer Follow PLANTSTRONG and Rip Esselstyn https://plantstrong.com/ https://www.facebook.com/GoPlantstrong https://www.instagram.com/goplantstrong/ https://www.instagram.com/ripesselstyn/ Follow the PLANTSTRONG Podcast and Give the Show a 5-star Rating Apple Podcasts Spotify Dr. Casey Means Instagram Levels Health