Ever feel like you’re doing everything “right” but you still wake up feeling like a human slug? You’re eating the salad, you hit the gym three times a week, yet the brain fog just won’t lift. It’s frustrating. Honestly, it’s beyond frustrating—it feels like a betrayal by your own body.
Dr. Casey Means, a Stanford-trained surgeon who basically walked away from a high-flying career in head and neck surgery, thinks she knows why. She realized she was just cutting people open to fix symptoms while the actual fire—the root cause—was burning unchecked. Her book, Good Energy, argues that almost every modern ailment we’re terrified of is actually just one thing: a massive, body-wide energy crisis.
The "Bad Energy" Trap We're All In
We’ve been told that heart disease, depression, and diabetes are separate "buckets" of bad luck. Means says that’s nonsense. According to her, these are just different ways your body screams when your mitochondria—the tiny power plants in your cells—start failing.
When your cells can’t turn food and oxygen into power efficiently, you get what she calls "Bad Energy." It’s not just about being tired. It’s about your cells being too "weak" to repair DNA, clear out toxins, or keep inflammation at bay. Think of it like a city where the power grid is flickering. The streetlights go out first (brain fog), then the water pumps fail (hormonal issues), and eventually, the whole infrastructure collapses (chronic disease).
Why Casey Means Good Energy Is Actually About Your Mitochondria
Most of us think of metabolism as "how fast I burn calories so I can stay thin." That's a tiny, surface-level way of looking at it. Casey Means Good Energy reframes metabolism as the literal "processing plant" of life.
She points out something pretty startling: 93% of American adults are metabolically unhealthy. That means only 7% of us have cells that are actually functioning the way they’re supposed to. The rest of us are walking around with "clogged" cellular machinery because of what she calls the "Holy Trinity" of metabolic destruction:
💡 You might also like: Why Three People Yoga Poses Are Actually Harder Than They Look
- Refined Sugars: They spike your insulin so hard your cells eventually stop listening.
- Refined Grains: Basically sugar in a trench coat.
- Industrial Seed Oils: Think canola, soybean, and corn oils. They’re highly processed and, according to Means, act like "biological sand" in your cellular gears.
It sounds intense. And it is. But the logic is that we’ve evolved over millions of years to process real, whole foods, and in the last 100 years, we’ve completely swapped that for lab-made sludge. Our mitochondria literally don't know what to do with it.
The Problem With "Normal" Lab Results
One of the most eye-opening parts of the book is how she critiques the medical system. Have you ever had blood work done, and your doctor says, "Everything looks normal," even though you feel like garbage?
Means argues that "normal" ranges in the U.S. are based on a population that is increasingly sick. Being "normal" just means you’re as healthy as the average person—and the average person is on the road to a chronic condition. She pushes for "optimal" ranges instead. For example, a fasting glucose of 99 mg/dL is technically "normal" in a standard lab, but she argues you want that number much lower (ideally in the 70s or 80s) to truly have Good Energy.
How to Actually Build Good Energy (Beyond Just Diet)
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the "don't eat this" lists. But the book isn't just a diet plan; it’s a lifestyle overhaul that focuses on "bio-observability."
1. Watch Your Spikes
She’s a big advocate for Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs). Even if you aren't diabetic, seeing how a "healthy" oatmeal bowl sends your blood sugar into the stratosphere can be a game-changer. It’s about biofeedback. If you eat a banana and your sugar spikes to 160, your body is struggling to process that energy.
2. The 5-Element Meal
Instead of counting calories, she suggests building every meal around five pillars. If you get these right, your mitochondria have the "spare parts" they need to function:
- Fiber: Aim for a whopping 50g a day (most of us get barely 15g).
- Omega-3s: Wild-caught fish, chia seeds, flax.
- Probiotics: Sauerkraut, kimchi, or plain Greek yogurt.
- Antioxidants: The more colors on your plate, the better.
- Clean Protein: Grass-fed beef, organic poultry, or wild fish.
3. Light and Movement
This part is often ignored. Your cells have "clocks." If you’re staring at a blue-light screen at 11 PM, you’re telling your mitochondria it’s high noon. They get confused. Means suggests getting sunlight in your eyes within 20 minutes of waking up. It sets your circadian rhythm and tells your cells, "Okay, time to make energy."
👉 See also: How to Avoid Nightmares in Adults: What You’re Probably Getting Wrong About Your Sleep
Also, stop thinking of "exercise" as a one-hour block. If you sit for eight hours and then run for 30 minutes, your metabolism is still sluggish. She advocates for "micro-movements"—air squats between Zoom calls or a 10-minute walk after every meal to help your muscles soak up excess glucose.
The Controversy: Is She Overpromising?
Look, no book is perfect. Critics of Casey Means Good Energy point out that she can be a bit "reductionist." Some doctors argue that not every single disease is caused by metabolic dysfunction. Genetics, environment, and plain old bad luck still play a role.
There’s also the "price of health" debate. Buying organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised everything is expensive. Not everyone can afford a $180-a-month CGM or a fridge full of wild-caught salmon. Means does address this by suggesting cheaper staples like beans and frozen veggies, but the "ideal" lifestyle she describes definitely carries a premium price tag.
Putting It Into Practice: Your Next Steps
If you’re tired of feeling "fine" but not "great," you don't have to change everything overnight. That’s a recipe for burnout. Instead, focus on the low-hanging fruit that Dr. Means emphasizes:
- Read the damn labels. If a "health bar" has cane sugar, brown rice syrup, or agave as one of the first three ingredients, put it back. It’s a candy bar in disguise.
- The 10-Minute Walk Rule. Commit to walking for just 10 minutes after your biggest meal of the day. It’s the single most effective way to blunt a blood sugar spike without taking medication.
- Front-load your fiber. Eat a small salad or some broccoli before you eat the pasta or bread. The fiber creates a "mesh" in your gut that slows down sugar absorption.
- Fix your morning light. Before you check your phone, step outside. Even if it’s cloudy, that natural light tells your mitochondria to wake up and start producing energy for the day.
Ultimately, Casey Means Good Energy is a wake-up call. It’s a reminder that we aren't just "aging" or "getting unlucky." We are biological systems that require specific inputs to function. When you stop gunking up the works with "Bad Energy" and start giving your cells what they actually need, the vitality everyone’s looking for usually follows.