These Influencers Transformed How We Approach Low Carb Keto Living
Nobody climbs alone
We often talk about our journeys as if we did them solo, but the truth is that a whole community of doctors, researchers and everyday storytellers lit the trail ahead of us. On a recent episode of Lessons from the Ketoverse, we went back through the guides who influenced us most, what each one taught us, and why they might be worth your time too.
One note before the list: following someone does not mean doing everything they say. These voices sometimes disagree with each other, and that is healthy. Take what resonates, test it against your own body and your own healthcare team, and leave the rest. Almost every person below shares a common origin story: they got sick, the standard advice failed them, they found their own way back, and they chose to share the map with others.
The pioneers
Dr. Shawn Baker (@ShawnBakerMD) is one of the original voices of the carnivore movement: a surgeon, world record setting masters athlete, and author of The Carnivore Diet. What stands out is his humility and search for truth in a controversial space. He also founded Revero, a clinic connecting people with hundreds of clinicians who treat metabolic health through diet, exercise, sleep and stress, not just prescriptions.
Dr. Jason Fung (@DrJasonFung) is the Toronto nephrologist who brought intermittent fasting into the mainstream. His turning point came from a patient who asked why, if the standard treatments were so good, he kept getting fatter and sicker. Dr. Fung's core message, that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease that can be put into remission, changed one of our lives directly.
Dr. Ken Berry (@KenDBerryMD) might be the single best starting point on this whole list. A practicing physician who got metabolically sick following the very advice he was giving patients, he has a rare gift for breaking complex topics into plain language, and zero patience for what he calls the standard American diet. If you want passion and clarity, start here.
Dr. Anthony Chaffee (@anthonychaffeemd) is a physician and former professional rugby player known for the provocative line that plants are trying to kill you, a reference to the natural defence compounds in many vegetables. Provocative framing aside, he is one of the deepest wells of advanced metabolic knowledge in the community and one of the most genuinely kind. We have walked hundreds of kilometres listening to his podcast.
The teachers
Dr. Eric Berg (@Drberg) has built one of the largest health education libraries on the internet, with thousands of short, focused videos on everything from sleep to inflammation to gut health. His videos get to the point in under ten minutes, and if you listen long enough, the individual tips knit together into a coherent picture of metabolic health.
Dr. Sten Ekberg (@drekber) is a former Olympic athlete turned health educator with a calm, methodical, whiteboard style of teaching. He will walk you from a food label all the way down to what happens inside the cell, and somehow make it interesting. He is the one who taught us that the "healthy" banana carries about as much sugar as a soft drink.
Jessie Inchauspe, the Glucose Goddess (@GlucoseRevolution), is a biochemist who translates blood sugar science into simple, testable hacks: eat your food in the right order (vegetables, then protein and fat, then anything sweet), avoid naked carbs by pairing them with protein or fat, and consider a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water before a carb heavy meal. We have tested her tips against a continuous glucose monitor, and they genuinely blunt the spikes.
The researchers
Dr. Bret Scher and Metabolic Mind (@metabolicmind) focus on one of the most exciting frontiers in this space: the connection between metabolic health and mental health. Metabolic Mind funds and communicates independent research, free of food and pharma money, and Dr. Scher has a wonderfully curious, open minded interviewing style.
Nick Norwitz (@nicknorwitzMDPhD) is a Harvard trained MD with an Oxford PhD and boundless enthusiasm for metabolic science. He is famous for provocative self experiments designed to challenge assumptions and spark better questions about cholesterol and metabolic health. If you like your science advanced and a little mischievous, he is your guide.
Dave Asprey (@DaveAspreyBPR) brings the provocative energy. His reframe of fasting stuck with us: done properly, fasting is not about suffering, it is about overcoming suffering, and it applies to more than food. His concept of metabolic flexibility, training your body to run well on whatever fuel the day brings, is a goal worth keeping.
Sally K. Norton (@sknorton) wrote Toxic Superfoods, a deeply researched book on oxalates, natural compounds found in foods like spinach, almonds, beets and sweet potatoes that can contribute to kidney stones, joint pain and inflammation in sensitive people. If a daily spinach smoothie is your idea of health, her work is worth a careful read.
Dr. Georgia Ede wrote our favourite book of recent years: Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind (https://a.co/d/fce8dbC). A Harvard trained psychiatrist, she makes a rigorous, referenced case that metabolic health drives mental health far more than we ever believed, and her recommendations work whether you are carnivore, keto or vegetarian. If someone you love struggles with mental health, this book could genuinely matter.
The storytellers
Laura Spath (@LauraSpath) is not a doctor and never claims to be. She and her husband transformed their health together on carnivore, and her videos feel like chatting with a friend: real blood work reviews, kitchen setups, family meals and honest reflections. Sometimes the most powerful guide is simply someone living it well.
Kerry Mann of HomesteadHow (@Homesteadhow) tells one of the most moving turnaround stories in the community, from his lowest point physically and mentally to a completely transformed life, and now a documentary in the works called Healing Humanity. Watching his journey unfold, episode by episode, was part of what inspired this very podcast.
Joanne Ozug created The Road to Carnivore podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-road-to-carnivore/id1565058210), a 35 episode series tracing her journey from vegan all the way to carnivore, told like a diary with the science woven in. If someone asks us for one single thing to listen to, this is the answer. We binged it start to finish.
The practical guide
Dr. Tony Hampton (@DrTonyHampton) is the doctor you wish you had: relentlessly positive, deeply knowledgeable, and practical. His one page keto food guide (https://www.dietdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dr-hampton-Keto-Handout-with-colors.pdf) is the single simplest answer to the question "so what am I supposed to eat?" Print it, stick it on the fridge, and let it cut through the noise. Pair it with Sally Norton's oxalate knowledge and you have a remarkably complete starting map.
Where to find them all
Dr. Shawn Baker: @ShawnBakerMD
Dr. Anthony Chaffee: @anthonychaffeemd
Sally K. Norton: @sknorton
Dr. Eric Berg: @Drberg
Dr. Ken Berry: @KenDBerryMD
Dr. Bret Scher, Metabolic Mind: @metabolicmind
Nick Norwitz: @nicknorwitzMDPhD
Dr. Georgia Ede, Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: https://a.co/d/fce8dbC
Laura Spath: @LauraSpath
Dr. Tony Hampton: @DrTonyHampton
Dr. Hampton's Food Guide: https://www.dietdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dr-hampton-Keto-Handout-with-colors.pdf
HomesteadHow: @Homesteadhow
Dr. Sten Ekberg: @drekber
Joanne Ozug, The Road to Carnivore podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-road-to-carnivore/id1565058210
Dr. Jason Fung: @DrJasonFung
Jessie Inchauspe, Glucose Goddess: @GlucoseRevolution
Dave Asprey: @DaveAspreyBPR
You are not alone
Here is the biggest thing this list represents: proof that you are not alone. Whatever stage of the climb you are on, someone above has stood exactly where you stand, felt what you feel, and found a way through. That is worth more than any single tip.
And when you are ready for a guide who knows your name, your story and your specific mountain, that is what coaching is for. At Ascent, we take everything these voices taught us and help you build a route that fits your life. You are the climber. We carry the map.
Want to go deeper? Listen to the full conversation on Lessons from the Ketoverse, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
This article shares personal experience and general education. It is not medical advice. The people listed are independent voices; their views are their own and following them is no substitute for guidance from your healthcare provider.