This post is about the diets that shaped me and my journey toward finding what truly nourishes.

My Lifetime Subscription to Dieting

If you’re trying to solve the riddle of what diet is “right” for you, welcome. You’re in good company. Food has always been one of the most confusing topics for me. If nutrition experts can’t agree whether tomatoes are good or not, what hope do the rest of us have?

For most of my life, food felt like something I had to manage and figure out, even outsmart. I spent decades trying to lose the same 10–20 pounds, always believing that the next diet, the next reset would finally be the one that made everything fall into place. Then I would be happy. Then I would buy the jeans, the coat, the wardrobe I was saving for my “real” body.

My main pursuit was always fighting cravings and weight, losing it or managing it. That was the goal.

But as I got older, and as my health began whispering (and then shouting) for attention, I started to see something deeper.

The real issue wasn’t just cravings. It wasn’t just weight. It was my metabolism. Because cravings are signals. Weight gain is feedback. And both often point to something more fundamental, how well (or poorly) your metabolism is functioning.

I began to realize there is no single perfect diet. There is only the way of eating that supports who you are right now, your biology, your history, your genetics, your metabolic health, and the season of life you’re in. And sometimes, the most important work isn’t dieting harder. It’s repairing your metabolism. Stabilizing your blood sugar. Addressing insulin resistance. This is the story of how I came to that conclusion, one experiment at a time.

The Part I Didn’t Understand Yet

What I didn’t understand at the time was that my struggle wasn’t just about weight. It was about blood sugar stability.

Every time I dieted, restricted, fasted too long, or ate something that spiked me, I was unknowingly creating a cycle of glucose highs and crashes. And those crashes didn’t just affect energy, they amplified cravings, inflammation, mood swings, and especially PMS. What I thought was a discipline issue was often unstable blood sugar layered on top of hormonal shifts. That distinction changed everything.

From Dieting to Nourishing: A Shift in Perspective

For years, my mindset was simple: lose weight, fix the symptom, get the result, fit into the clothes, and then relax and eat whatever I wanted. But eventually, as a few health issues piled up, I began asking a different question: What do I want to be made of?

Around 2020, my fasting glucose started creeping up. At every physical, the number nudged higher. The advice was always the same: “Work on your diet and exercise, and we’ll keep an eye on it.” The irony was that I thought I had been doing that all my life.

Then came COVID, and with it, a new phrase entered my vocabulary: metabolic syndrome. I began following functional medicine doctors online, reading books on metabolic health, and learning everything I could. Suddenly, my lifelong “food stuff” wasn’t just about weight anymore. It was about inflammation, pain, energy, sleep, longevity, and the future version of myself I wanted to become.

I learned that food is not just calories. It’s information. It shapes your cells, determines your energy, influences inflammation, mood, and resilience, and affects which genes stay quiet and which ones wake up, the essence of epigenetics. Once I understood that, everything changed. Food stopped being an enemy I had to control and became an ally I could partner with. Instead of asking what I should cut out, I began asking what I could add that would help me thrive, and maybe lose weight in the process. That shift from restriction to nourishment became the foundation of everything that followed.

The Diets I Tried (A.K.A. My Personal Science Fair)

The Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, Seed-Oil-Free Era

This was my first major shift, and it was life-changing. My knee pain eased, my back pain improved, the bloating and puffiness disappeared, my energy lifted, and I lost 15 pounds without trying. The biggest miracle was that my decades-long eczema vanished and forgot to say goodbye. It felt so good I wanted to tell everyone, friends, family, strangers in the grocery store. This was my first real experience of food as medicine.

The High-Fiber, Eat-the-Rainbow Phase

Inspired, I doubled down on plants, colors, textures, and variety. My fridge looked like a botanical garden. I sprinkled seeds on everything, ate massive salads, and treated fiber like a mission. My digestion, skin, and mood loved it. I learned how invigorated I feel when my plate is mostly filled with greens, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. I learned how much my digestion thrives on fiber, how powerful and delicious plants can be when they’re not an afterthought, and how herbs, fruits, and vegetables from farmers’ markets taste completely different from supermarket ones. This was my introduction to gut health and anti-inflammatory eating.

Intermittent Fasting

I tried everything: skipping breakfast, skipping dinner, 18:6, 20:4, 36-hour fasts, a 48-hour fast a few times (for science and to prove to myself that I could), OMAD, sardine challenges, and eating early Sunday dinner and waiting until Tuesday morning to have breakfast. I was chasing ketones and autophagy like a hobby.

I learned that I can go long periods without food now that I’ve trained myself. I’m no longer “hangry,” my cravings improved, and my energy stabilized. But long fasts stressed my body, and my glucose stayed oddly high. Great lessons, mixed results, and maybe not ideal for women’s hormone health.

Keto and Therapeutic Keto

Ah yes, the ketone-meter era. I measured glucose and ketones like a lab technician. Most days I was in light nutritional ketosis, sometimes medium or even high therapeutic ketosis. I ate very few carbs, mostly leafy greens, lemons, and a few berries. During this phase, I learned the importance of mineral-rich salt like Celtic or Himalayan, which became staples.

Keto made me feel great -- focused, clear, steady, and less inflamed (my hs-CRP dropped to 1.2). But then my cholesterol climbed too high, and keto and I had to break up. We’re still on speaking terms, but we don’t see each other often.

Counting Calories

Not glamorous, but incredibly educational. I learned that what I thought was 1,200 calories… wasn’t. Snacks add up. Restaurant food is a math problem with no correct answer. I discovered volume eating and fell in love with adding egg whites to everything, roasted zucchini, cabbage, and pumpkin, foods that feel abundant without adding too many calories. It was a useful tool and a great reality check, even if it wasn’t a lifestyle for me.

Wearing a CGM

This was one of the most transformative experiments of all.

My fasting glucose had been creeping up for years, and almost every woman in my family developed type II diabetes in their 60s. As soon as CGMs became available, I got one immediately.

What the CGM revealed was eye-opening. I noticed that it didn’t always rise with obvious sweets. And sometimes it spiked with certain “healthy” foods, with stress, with poor sleep, and most noticeably, during PMS. In the luteal phase, insulin sensitivity naturally decreases. That means your body has to work harder to manage the same carbohydrates that felt fine two weeks earlier. If meals aren’t structured properly during that window, especially low-protein meals or high-carb desserts eaten alone, cravings intensify. Blood sugar becomes more reactive. Inflammation creeps up. Seeing this in real time removed the shame. It wasn’t weakness. It was physiology.

I learned which foods spiked me, which kept me stable, and that “healthy” foods aren’t always healthy for me. I learned that marketing is misleading, that portions matter, and that the order in which you eat matters a lot, fiber first, protein second, carbs last. I learned that a short walk or a few dozen air squats after a meal can lower glucose significantly, and that my body is not the same as anyone else’s. I eventually tightened my personal range to 70–110 to get my blood sugar under control. After a few months of wearing a CGM, I brought my average glucose down from 110–115 to 95. I highly recommend this experiment. It’s painless, inexpensive, and surprisingly fun.

Where I Am Now: A More Grounded Way of Eating

After years of experimenting, learning, and unlearning, I’ve settled into an approach that feels balanced, sustainable, and respectful of my body. One of the biggest shifts was adjusting my eating based on hormonal phase, especially during PMS week. Instead of pretending my body was the same all month, I began increasing protein, being more intentional with carbohydrates, eating consistently, and structuring desserts instead of eating them on an empty system. That change alone reduced the monthly sugar spiral that had followed me for decades. And that framework eventually became something I now teach. If PMS cravings feel amplified and unpredictable for you, this is exactly why I created The PMS Sugar Cravings Control System is a structured system that helps you stabilize blood sugar during your most vulnerable week instead of fighting yourself every month.

👉 You can learn more about the system here.

I figured I feel better when I eat on a schedule, three meals a day and no snacks, because my digestion loves the predictability and eating snacks spikes blood sugar too often.

I eat mostly at home because I want to know what’s in my food. Restaurants are for socializing, not nourishment, and when I do eat out, I choose the simplest, cleanest protein available.

I prioritize whole, clean ingredients. If the ingredient list is longer than a haiku, I’m out.

I use phone apps like "Yuka" and "Bobby Approved" to make shopping easier.

I avoid seed oils, gluten, and most dairy, my non-negotiables, because I do not miss my eczema and I know it’s lurking in the shadows waiting to come back.

I keep things simple: I start every meal with a salad, prep vegetables ahead, keep canned fish on hand, make big batches of protein, meal-prep one or two soups per week, keep fermented veggies stocked, sprinkle nuts and seeds on everything, and rely heavily on my Instant Pot and one-sheet-pan recipes.

I drink water away from meals because it supports digestion. I prefer drinking hot water.

I practice gentle intermittent fasting, 12–13 hours overnight, enough to rest, not enough to stress.

I’m “keto-leaning,” focusing on high protein, healthy fats, and lower carbs, choosing complex carbs like squashes, berries, apples, and root vegetables.

My “No-Decision-Fatigue” Plate Formula

Ideally, every plate includes: something colorful, something sour or fermented, something bitter, a rich fiber source like leafy greens, a detoxifier from the cruciferous or allium family, an omega-3 source, a healthy fat, protein, and good mineral-rich salt. This removes 99% of the mental load.

I don’t ask “What should I eat?” I simply assemble the pieces.

This plate structure became the backbone of how I prevent blood sugar crashes and inflammation from escalating into cravings, and it can help you, especially during PMS.

Inside The PMS Sugar Cravings Control System, I break this down step-by-step and show you exactly how to apply it during your luteal phase. Because structure is what protects pleasure.

👉 Explore the system here.

Think about elevating your food game. Adopt simple recipes that are also nourishing. For example, this Ginger Pumpkin Soup is my favorite recipe because it combines everything I love and is very easy to make. It has a very few simple, anti-Inflammatory ingredients, It looks stunning and you can serve it to your family or at fancy dinner party.

The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything

At some point, I stopped eating for weight loss and started eating for my future self, the one who wants to move freely, think clearly, age gracefully, and live fully. Eating well stopped feeling like restriction. It became an act of respect.

I realized that your body is always communicating, that symptoms are not inconveniences but information (cravings tell a story) and that food is one of the most powerful tools you have to respond. Epigenetics teaches us that your choices matter more than your genes. If you want to try gluten-free, dairy-free, or anything else, don’t say, “Poor me, everyone else gets croissants.” Say, “I’m doing this for my future self, the one without eczema, pain, auto-immunity, inflammation, or fatigue.”

The Big Lesson: There Is No Perfect Diet

In the last 10 years, I’ve tried high protein, low protein, high fat, low fat, high fiber, low carb, keto, plant-heavy eating, fasting, counting calories, CGM-guided eating, and many more approaches. Every single one taught me something. The same diet will affect you differently at different times in your life. Your body changes. Your needs change. Your diet should change too.

There is no universal “correct” way to eat. There is only the way that works for you, your biology, your history, your goals, your season of life. Every diet I tried gave me insight, new skills, better enteroception, and a deeper appreciation of my body.

If Cravings Are Controlling Your Life

and especially if PMS turns cravings into chaos, if you feel in control most of the month, and then everything intensifies before your period, it’s not random. It’s metabolic.

The PMS Sugar Cravings Control System walks you through:

• Why cravings spike during PMS
• How to adjust protein and carbs strategically
• How to build desserts that don’t destabilize you
• How to prevent the monthly spiral before it starts

No sugar elimination.
No extreme restriction.
Just smarter pleasure.

👉 Start here.

Final Thoughts: Be Curious. Be Brave. Be Your Own Hero and a Cheerleader.

You have the ability to shape your health, one meal at a time. No doctor, coach, or expert can do this for you. You have a choice. You have agency. You have a body that wants to improve and heal if you give it the right conditions.

Metabolism is the basis of your existence, it is the foundation of everything. It’s what powers you to be alive.

When it’s compromised, your lights don’t go out, but they dim. You’re no longer functioning at your most fundamental level.

I’m incredibly grateful I realized this: fixing my insulin resistance and stabilizing my blood sugar wasn’t just another health goal, it was the starting point for everything else.

I don’t struggle with cravings anymore.
And I honestly feel better in my early 50s than I did in my 30s and 40s.

Try things. Experiment. Learn. Adjust. Repeat. Listen, your body is always speaking.

Choose Your Hard

Realizing your metabolism is broken is hard.

Changing habits is hard.

Going gluten-free in a gluten-filled world is hard.

Lifting heavy weights is hard.

HIIT workouts are hard.

But what is even harder?

Not having enough energy because your metabolism is broken.

Being controlled by cravings.

Aging poorly.

Being sick.

Taking medications for chronic conditions.

Choose your hard. Choose your future. Choose yourself.

You deserve to feel good in your body. You deserve energy, clarity, strength, and joy. And food can help you get there.

Thought leaders in the space of health and wellness, my teachers who I follow, read and greatly admire:

Mark Hyman M.D.

Casey Means, M.D.

Terry Wahls, M.D.

Gabrielle Lyon, D.O.

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Robert H. Lustig, M.D., MSL

Jason Fung, M.D.

William Davis, M.D.

And many more ...

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Ginger Pumpkin Soup featured in this blog