The Good Energy Plate
Casey Means' Good Energy plate applies six food principles that work on any diet, vegan or carnivore, to avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes. Build meals from whole, unprocessed food with fibre, protein and healthy fat, and minimize added sugar, refined grains and seed oils; her stance against seed oils remains more contested than the evidence for fibre.
Build the plate from whole, unprocessed foods Make most of every meal recognisable whole food; minimise ultra-processed products
Whole foods carry the fibre and micronutrients that processing removes; this is the foundation.
Get fibre, protein and healthy fat together Aim for protein, a high-fibre plant portion, and a healthy fat at each meal; non-starchy veg first
This combination flattens the glucose response and keeps you full and energised.
Push fibre much higher than average Work toward 50 g per day from beans, vegetables, seeds, berries; ramp up slowly with water
Fibre is her top lever for stable blood sugar and gut health; most people get a third of this.
Cut added sugar and refined grains Minimise added sugars and white-flour products; read labels for hidden sugar
These are the primary drivers of glucose spikes and metabolic dysfunction.
Reduce industrial seed oils, lean on whole-food fats Cook with olive oil, use whole-food fats (avocado, nuts, olives); reduce heavily processed oils
Her view; the whole-food-fat swap is sound even where the specific anti-seed-oil claim is debated.
Eat earlier and with attention Front-load the day, stop eating a few hours before bed, eat without screens
Timing and mindset both affect how food is metabolised; aligns eating with the body clock.
Use a few markers, or a CGM, to see what works Periodic fasting glucose, insulin, triglycerides, HDL, HbA1c; an optional CGM to learn your responses
Turns the principles into your own data; optional, see cautions on cost and disordered eating.
This protocol works from your actual levels. Testing partner coming soon.
- Metabolic panel / CGM
We may earn a referral fee if you book testing through a future partner link; it will never affect which tests are listed here. This is not medical advice or a diagnosis.
Whole foods come packaged with fibre and micronutrients that blunt glucose spikes and feed the gut, while ultra-processed food strips those out and drives the spike-and-crash cycle behind low energy and metabolic disease.
View sources
Good Energy: the six principles of eating that apply to any diet (Dr. Casey Means)
Fueling Good Energy and Metabolic Health (Casey Means interview, Whole30)
Dr. Casey's Ultimate Food List (Good Energy foods, free guide)
Not medical advice. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a qualified clinician before changing your health routine.
Independent curation. YourProtocol is an independent platform. This protocol is based on the publicly available work of Casey Means and is not created, reviewed, endorsed by, or affiliated with Casey Means or Physician · Levels.
Is this for you
- Not a fit if you have a history of disordered eating (see cautions)
- Energy crashers and label-readers
- Anyone confused by competing diets
- People raising fibre and cutting processed food
- Data-minded eaters
Cautions
- History of disordered eating: strict food lists and rules can tip into orthorexia or anxiety; the whole-food basics work without rigid restriction or any device
- Means co-founded Levels and has a commercial interest in the CGM and testing here; for people without diabetes, evidence of clear CGM benefit is limited
- Her anti-seed-oil position is more contested than the case for fibre and whole foods; prioritise the well-evidenced parts
- 50 g of fibre a day is a lot; increase gradually with water to avoid GI upset, and some medical conditions need lower fibre
- Educational only, not medical advice
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