Battling Demons with a Ketogenic Diet with Valerie Smith

Do you struggle with mental illness? Valerie Smith healed her mind and body through a well-formulated ketogenic diet. Her story is honest, raw, and inspiring, and I know you'll take something from our conversation.

What you'll hear:

• Valerie's list of diagnoses over the past 40 years, including mental illness and eating disorders (1:55)
• Childhood trauma and disordered eating (7:26)
• Her struggle with anorexia and body dysmorphia, which led to a feeling of guilt and shame (13:31)
• The various health complications she suffered as a result of anorexia (23:18)
• Long recovery after organ prolapse surgery and the role of nutrition in her recovery (27:18)
• Struggling with multiple mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, OCD, self-harm, and hair pulling, and the shame she felt as a result (32:24)
• Overcoming her mental struggles through nutrition and an animal-based diet (39:53)
• The improvements she felt by increasing her daily intake of protein (45:57)
• How her symptoms diminished and eventually completely resolved as a result of a high-fat diet (50:47)
• Her participation in a case-study on using an animal-based diet to treat anorexia (58:22)
• Implementing a high protein diet to reverse her symptoms of osteoporosis (1:02:56)
• Overcoming the stigma surrounding mental health disorders and seeking help (1:10:57)
• Weight lifting and body transformation (1:19:19)

Where to read more of Valerie's story:

• Twitter
• Instagram

If you loved this episode and our podcast, please take some time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or drop us a comment below!