A Free Metabolic Framework for Mental Health
THINK+SMART is a community-inspired framework that helps individuals employ metabolic therapies to improve mental health.
A Community-Driven Solution for Mental Health: THINK+SMART
Metabolic Mind Introduces
THINK+SMART interventions have helped our community members with a range of psychiatric diagnoses, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, chronic depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and more. Some have not only achieved symptom relief, but have begun to reclaim their lives and even achieve full remission.
Visit our research section to learn about emerging evidence and ongoing studies on ketogenic and metabolic therapies for mental health.
THINK+SMART consolidates metabolic strategies and tactics from our community of peers and clinicians to help you develop a personalized program for improving your mental and metabolic health.
What is THINK + SMART?
Hear from individuals who are improving their mental health and achieving long-term wellness using ketogenic and metabolic strategies.
Explore Strategies
By sharing your THINK+SMART journey, you’ll help build a valuable knowledge base that supports and inspires others while advancing our collective understanding of metabolism’s role in mental health.
Share StrategiesThe Foundation of Metabolic Mental Health
THINK+SMART collects and organizes metabolic strategies to help you adopt a personalized approach to mental and physical health. It was developed to encourage learning, sharing and planning key components of metabolic mental wellness, including therapeutic low carbohydrate nutrition, circadian rhythm management, movement and exercise, substance use management, medication monitoring, stress reduction, rebuilding, and tracking.
“The gifts of metabolic therapies provided me with a strong foundation to address trauma.”
“Keto felt like starting a new medication, but without any side effects.”
“Keto gave me a stable nervous system and the capacity to implement other therapies.”
“For me, it was diet. That was the key. Diet and lifestyle—sleep, exercise, relationships—are powerful tools.”
Good Energy Leads to Good Health
Human health is built upon a well-functioning metabolism that transforms oxygen and nutrients into energy that fuels life. Human metabolism is extraordinarily complex, involving countless biological pathways and dependencies in the body and brain, especially the actions of mitochondria–the processors of the cell. A comprehensive approach to mental and physical well-being must, by definition, include optimization of metabolic and mitochondrial health.
Getting Started
There is no one right way to employ metabolic strategies to improve mental and physical health, and personalization is key. To help you develop your own program, THINK+SMART consolidates strategies and tactics reported by our community of clinicians and peers as safe and effective.
A Personalized Approach
THINK stands for Therapeutic Integration of Nutritional Ketosis:
THINK describes medically supervised low carbohydrate ketogenic dietary strategies designed to reduce or eliminate symptoms of psychiatric illness and other “chronic” diseases.
Therapeutic Integration of Nutritional Ketosis
Clinical Oversight & Medication Monitoring
E.g., 6-month trial, meet weekly with keto coach, psychiatrist on call, monitor mood symptoms, sleep, medicine as needed.
Testing & Nutritional Supplements
E.g., Quarterly labs, electrolytes, multi-vitamin, MCT oil, L-carnitine, omega 3’s.
Dietary Strategy, Eating and Fasting Periods, Macronutrient Targets
E.g., Whole foods ketogenic diet, 20g net carbs, intermittent fasting 16:8.
Ketone / Glucose Testing & Target Ketone Level
E.g., Ketone target of 1.5mmol, 2x/day finger prick testing, Keto-Mojo for ketones/glucose.
SMART stands for Sleep, Move, Avoid, Rebuild, and Track:
SMART describes metabolic lifestyle strategies that complement therapeutic nutrition to enhance mental and physical well-being.
Sleep • Move • Avoid • Rebuild • Track
Optimize the quality and quantity of your sleep
E.g., 10 minutes morning sunlight, routine wake time, blue-light blocking glasses.
Prioritize physical activity
E.g., Daily morning walk, strenuous aerobic 2x/week, weekly body-weight strength training.
Moderate or eliminate destabilizing stressors and substances
E.g., Limit negative social interactions, quit smoking cigarettes, abstain from alcohol, no caffeine after noon.
Maintain your stability and invest in your future
E.g., Meditation, journaling, CBT/DBT, peer support volunteer, art practice.
Measure and monitor your progress
E.g., Quarterly insulin levels, continuous glucose monitor, Oura Ring, mood measures spreadsheet.
A Metabolic Framework for Mental Health
A Community Resource
Hear inspiring stories from our community members who have used metabolic approaches to achieve mental health breakthroughs. Discover real experiences, challenges, and successes on the path to wellness.
In remission from
Depression
Started Journey: 2022
Recovered from
Bipolar 1
Started Journey: 2021
Treating
Your Diagnosis
Started Journey: Today
In remission from
Schizoaffective Disorder
Started Journey: 2023
In remission from
Anorexia Nervosa
Started Journey: 2019
Managing
Bipolar 2
Started Journey: 2023
In remission from
Antidepressant Induced Bipolar 2
Started Journey: 2021
In remission from
Depression
Started Journey: 2016
In remission from
Bipolar Disorder
Started Journey: 2018
In remission from
Bipolar, Depression, OCD
Started Journey: 2017
Treating
Your Diagnosis
Started Journey: Today
Recovering from
Schizophrenia
Started Journey: 2023
Recovering from
Bipolar 2 Mixed, Substance Abuse
Started Journey: 2021
Recovered from
Bipolar Type 2, Binge Eating Disorder
Started Journey: 2021
In remission from
Depression
Started Journey: 2022
Recovered from
Bipolar 1
Started Journey: 2021
Treating
Your Diagnosis
Started Journey: Today
In remission from
Schizoaffective Disorder
Started Journey: 2023
In remission from
Anorexia Nervosa
Started Journey: 2019
Managing
Bipolar 2
Started Journey: 2023
In remission from
Antidepressant Induced Bipolar 2
Started Journey: 2021
In remission from
Depression
Started Journey: 2016
In remission from
Bipolar Disorder
Started Journey: 2018
In remission from
Bipolar, Depression, OCD
Started Journey: 2017
Treating
Your Diagnosis
Started Journey: Today
Recovering from
Schizophrenia
Started Journey: 2023
Recovering from
Bipolar 2 Mixed, Substance Abuse
Started Journey: 2021
Recovered from
Bipolar Type 2, Binge Eating Disorder
Started Journey: 2021
MD
There are concrete things that people with mental disorders can do today with diet, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, managing your substance use, and even addressing prescription medicines that can actually heal the brain and reduce suffering.”
MD, ABOM
The approach at my Stanford clinic integrates non-pharmacological metabolic methods – nutritional and lifestyle therapies – with medication. We are seeing encouraging improvements in mental health after treating metabolic conditions this way.”
MD
Changing your diet can bring substantial relief from even very serious, longstanding psychiatric conditions, but you have to know which changes are most worth making and why—and they’re not the ones we’re used to hearing about.”