Good Energy

Good Energy arrived in May 2024 as a metabolic-health manifesto; within a year its author had been nominated for United States Surgeon General. That trajectory alone makes it one of the most consequential wellness books of the decade. Casey Means, a Stanford-trained physician who famously walked away from her surgical residency, argues that most of what ails modern America traces back to a single root cause: broken metabolism.

What it's about

The book's central claim is that seemingly unrelated conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, infertility, migraines and fatty liver disease are branches of the same tree. The trunk, Means argues, is metabolic dysfunction: cells starved of the ability to make energy properly, driven by ultra-processed food, chronic stress, poor sleep and sedentary living. Co-written with her brother Calley Means, a former food and pharma consultant, the book also indicts the healthcare system itself, arguing that medicine profits from managing symptoms rather than reversing root causes.

The second half turns practical. Means walks through the biomarkers she believes everyone should track, including fasting glucose, fasting insulin and triglycerides, then lays out lifestyle levers: whole foods, morning light, cold and heat exposure, movement throughout the day, consistent sleep. She is an enthusiastic advocate of continuous glucose monitors; readers should know she co-founded Levels, a company that sells CGM subscriptions.

Why everyone's talking about it

Good Energy debuted as a number one New York Times bestseller after a blitz of podcast appearances, then became a founding text of the "Make America Healthy Again" movement. When President Trump nominated Means for Surgeon General in 2025, the book jumped back up the charts. Few wellness titles have ever moved this directly from bestseller list to national health policy, which is exactly why both its fans and its critics have gotten louder.

The verdict, for now

As a wake-up call, Good Energy works. The unifying frame is genuinely useful; the lifestyle advice is mostly uncontroversial, actionable and clearly explained. The weakness is reach: Means often extends solid metabolic science into sweeping claims that outrun the evidence, while physicians have questioned both the everything-is-metabolism framing and the conflicts of interest baked into her CGM and supplement ties. Her decision to leave residency before board certification also colors how some clinicians receive the book's critique of medicine. Read it for the framework and the food philosophy; hold the grander causal claims loosely and talk to your own doctor before ordering the full lab panel.