
Nutrition
13 High-fiber meals and snacks for better blood sugar
Not all fibrous foods are created equal. These tips and recipes will help you pick the best options for your metabolic goals.
Metabolic Health 101

How healthy are school lunches?
The National School Lunch Program has succeeded in reducing student hunger. Now it needs to address the metabolic dysfunction it helped promote.

Olympian Sammy Schultz wears a CGM to improve her training and health
The retired athlete used Levels to hone her fueling strategy during training; now, she uses CGM to help manage her blood sugar after a PCOS diagnosis.

Why are triglycerides so important to metabolic health?
High triglycerides wreak havoc on your metabolism. These simple lifestyle changes can protect you.

Foods we love: Ginger
Zesty ginger delivers potent flavor and bioactive compounds that help curb inflammation, fight free radicals, support healthy blood sugar, and more.

How does weight gain actually work in our bodies?
The old story of calories in and out is an incomplete explanation for why we gain or lose weight. Here’s the latest on the physiology of obesity
Top Ultimate Guides

What is a continuous glucose monitor?
A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can help you track your blood sugar in real-time. So how does a CGM work, and who should use it?

The ultimate guide to understanding your cholesterol panel and metabolic blood tests
The "normal" ranges for cholesterol and other blood tests are far from optimal. We asked eight leading metabolic health experts what you should really aim for.

The 10 best vitamins and supplements to consider for optimal metabolic health
Discover the vitamins, minerals, and supplements that research shows may help improve metabolic health. Plus: the ones you can probably skip.

8 of the 10 of the leading causes of death are related to high blood sugar
Diabetes isn’t the only disease related to poor metabolic health: stroke, cancer, and even suicide have ties, too. Here’s how blood sugar plays a role.

The 7 factors that significantly impact your blood sugar
Certain key factors directly impact your blood glucose levels and your metabolic health. Here are the seven to pay attention to.
Nutrition

13 High-fiber meals and snacks for better blood sugar
Not all fibrous foods are created equal. These tips and recipes will help you pick the best options for your metabolic goals.

How healthy are school lunches?
The National School Lunch Program has succeeded in reducing student hunger. Now it needs to address the metabolic dysfunction it helped promote.

Foods we love: Ginger
Zesty ginger delivers potent flavor and bioactive compounds that help curb inflammation, fight free radicals, support healthy blood sugar, and more.

What is carb cycling and how does it impact metabolic health?
Switching between periods of low- and higher-carb intake may promote metabolic flexibility, improved fitness performance, hormone balance, and more. Find out if it’s right for you.

Foods we love: Jicama
This underrated tuber is low in carbohydrates and full of gut-friendly prebiotic fiber and antioxidant nutrients that support metabolic health.

How to make your preferred diet more metabolically healthy
There’s no one perfect diet for optimal metabolic health, but there are some fundamental principles you can follow, whatever your nutritional approach.
Exercise

A guide to exercise recovery and metabolic health
Recovery plays an important role in helping you realize the metabolic benefits of exercise. Here’s how to recover more effectively.

How diet affects joint health, arthritis, and longevity
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Howard Luks discusses the link between metabolic health, joint health, fitness, and longevity.

The metabolic benefits of slow, steady Zone 2 exercise
Exercise that’s easy, but not too easy, can improve your fitness and your metabolic health. Here’s how to do it.

The direct metabolic links to arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, and healing
Why Dr. Casey Means opted against surgery for a knee injury, and what we know about using optimal metabolic health to support healthy joints

What is metabolic conditioning?
Metabolic conditioning, or MetCon, encompasses a wide range of workouts, including popular ones like CrossFit. Here’s what MetCon is and how it works.

Six factors that affect glucose besides food
Diet is a significant driver of blood sugar, but factors like exercise and stress also play a significant role. Here are six key glucose levers
Metabolic Basics

How to talk to your doctor about blood sugar and why it matters
Many well-meaning physicians may not bring up blood sugar until prediabetes or Type 2 has set in. Here’s how to talk to your doctor before you get there.

Start here: an introduction to metabolic health
New to the world of metabolic health? Start here. Below we describe the basics of glucose and insulin, why metabolic health is important, and how you can improve yours.

5 Subtle signs of poor metabolic health
Metabolic dysfunction can take many forms and creep up slowly. Here are some symptoms to watch for, and ways to maintain optimal metabolic health

The 7 factors that significantly impact your blood sugar
Certain key factors directly impact your blood glucose levels and your metabolic health. Here are the seven to pay attention to.

What is the dawn effect, and how does it affect blood sugar?
You can experience early morning blood sugar spikes even before breakfast. Here’s what you should know about the dawn effect.

What are normal levels of insulin and why don’t we test it more?
Insulin is the key hormone for maintaining stable glucose, and insulin resistance leads to disease and illness, yet it’s rarely tested. Here’s why and what you should look for when tested.
Women's Health

What diet is best for PCOS?
Eating a metabolically friendly diet can have a significant impact on PCOS symptoms. Here's what you need to know.

What you need to know about PCOS and pregnancy
PCOS is a leading cause of infertility, but a diagnosis doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant. Here’s what PCOS means for reproductive health.

The link between PCOS and insulin resistance
PCOS is a metabolic disorder that is intricately tied to insulin resistance. Here's how the two conditions influence each other.

What half of women in America will die of—and how to prevent it
Functional medicine leader Dr. Sara Gottfried discusses the unique health challenges many women face and how they can reclaim a sense of aliveness.

Why women have higher cardiovascular risk than you think
Levels advisor Sara Gottfried on why cardiometabolic disease is so common—and so overlooked—in women.

New paper reveals cardiometabolic disease risk in women
A new article by Dr. Sara Gottfried shows unique disease risk in women and how functional medicine can improve gaps in diagnosis and treatment.
Mental Health

Does food affect mental health?
Dr. Chris Palmer discusses his new book, Brain Energy, which explores how a keto diet might manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and more

How to stay mentally and metabolically healthy during time off
Four things I learned on my summer vacation about maintaining metabolic health during leisure time—and what happens when it all goes wrong

New research reveals more ways metabolic health impacts cognitive decline
Four new studies highlight how diet—as well as blood sugar and obesity—increase risk of cognitive decline, even for younger adults

Six factors that affect glucose besides food
Diet is a significant driver of blood sugar, but factors like exercise and stress also play a significant role. Here are six key glucose levers

The connection between stroke and metabolic health
High blood sugar and metabolic dysfunction is associated with increased stroke risk. Here's what the latest research says about the connection.

Can sugar cause headaches?
Sweet snacks and carb-heavy meals can spike your blood sugar. Here’s what that means for whether sugar can cause headaches.
Weight Loss

How does weight gain actually work in our bodies?
The old story of calories in and out is an incomplete explanation for why we gain or lose weight. Here’s the latest on the physiology of obesity

The relationship between sleep and weight loss
Poor or limited sleep can drive metabolic dysfunction and make healthy weight management more difficult through multiple mechanisms.

How uric acid drives weight gain, disease and more
Dr. David Perlmutter, author of the new book Drop Acid, on why humans don’t need to eat sugar and the dangers of uric acid in our modern diet.

Are chemicals in our products making us sick and obese?
Dr. Rob Lustig discussed newly published landmark research showing how certain environmental toxins can lead to obesity.

Isabelle Kenyon, founder of Calibrate, wants to improve metabolic health to drive sustainable weight loss
The company focuses on metabolic health through intensive lifestyle intervention and GLP-1 medication. Here’s how it works and what they’ve found.

HVMN lead researcher Latt Mansor, PhD, is making the keto diet easier to follow
Scientist Latt Monsor talks about creating keto products for a wide audience and the future of getting into ketosis.
Inside Levels

Olympian Sammy Schultz wears a CGM to improve her training and health
The retired athlete used Levels to hone her fueling strategy during training; now, she uses CGM to help manage her blood sugar after a PCOS diagnosis.

The disease most likely to kill you … that your doctor won’t tell you about
Three leading voices in metabolic health argue why giving people access to their own data is crucial in fighting the metabolic health crisis

New study debunks carb-loading before exercise
Research done in conjunction with Levels finds that packing in the carbs before exercise doesn’t confer any performance benefits.

How Good Measure is experimenting with blood-sugar-friendly foods
The new brand from food giant General Mills targets those who want to snack with little blood sugar impact.

For Patricia Sylwester, MD, blood sugar regulation is a cornerstone of wellness
Using a CGM gave her the tools to teach her patients how to maintain a very low-carb diet successfully.

CrossFit owner and coach Stephanie Nickitas wears a CGM to check in on her health
The former tennis pro watched how her blood sugar reacts to food and workouts and learned the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ stressors.
All Metabolic Insights

How healthy are school lunches?
The National School Lunch Program has succeeded in reducing student hunger. Now it needs to address the metabolic dysfunction it helped promote.

Olympian Sammy Schultz wears a CGM to improve her training and health
The retired athlete used Levels to hone her fueling strategy during training; now, she uses CGM to help manage her blood sugar after a PCOS diagnosis.

Why are triglycerides so important to metabolic health?
High triglycerides wreak havoc on your metabolism. These simple lifestyle changes can protect you.

Foods we love: Ginger
Zesty ginger delivers potent flavor and bioactive compounds that help curb inflammation, fight free radicals, support healthy blood sugar, and more.

How does weight gain actually work in our bodies?
The old story of calories in and out is an incomplete explanation for why we gain or lose weight. Here’s the latest on the physiology of obesity

The disease most likely to kill you … that your doctor won’t tell you about
Three leading voices in metabolic health argue why giving people access to their own data is crucial in fighting the metabolic health crisis

New study debunks carb-loading before exercise
Research done in conjunction with Levels finds that packing in the carbs before exercise doesn’t confer any performance benefits.

The Month in Metabolic Health: February 2023
In this monthly article, we round up our favorite stories, research, podcasts, and videos—from Levels and elsewhere—across metabolic health.