Episode 269: Michelle Hurn

Episode 269: Michelle Hurn

Author: Dr. Brian Lenzkes October 1, 2025 Duration: 1:09:04

Thank you for tuning in for another episode of Life's Best Medicine. Michelle Hurn is a registered and licensed dietitian with sixteen years of experience as a clinical, acute care dietitian, lead dietitian in psychiatric care, and outpatient dietitian. Michelle is an avid endurance athlete, she has qualified for the Boston Marathon 12 times, and on November 7th 2020, she won her first ultra marathon covering 44.63 miles in a 6 hour timed race. While practicing inpatient and outpatient care in the hospital setting, Michelle discovered a disheartening connection between the high carbohydrate, low fat, "sugar in moderation," nutrition guidelines she was required to teach, and the rapidly declining health of her patients. In 2019, Michelle's health started to fall apart. She was experiencing severe muscle pain, spasms, and crippling anxiety. She decided to follow a low carbohydrate, high animal protein diet simply to see if it might alleviate the severe muscle pain she was experiencing. Not only was her muscle pain gone in a matter of weeks, her decades of anxiety began to fade.

 

In this episode, Dr. Brian and Michelle talk about…

  • (00:00) Intro
  • (04:04) How Michelle came to realize that standard dietary advice was wrong
  • (06:19) Diabetes reversal
  • (07:14) Mental health improvements on ketogenic diets
  • (10:34) The work of the American Diabetes Society
  • (13:44) Yerba Mate and inflammation
  • (16:22) Fiber and overall health
  • (20:11) Why calories are NOT a sufficient model for understanding what a healthy diet is
  • (25:03) High fat versus high protein
  • (31:44) Stress and high blood sugar levels
  • (35:13) Keto, eating disorders, and athletic performance
  • (43:43) How to stay in a mindset of consistency with your diet
  • (50:10) Changs in public and establishment perception of keto diets
  • (56:04) The coming GLP-1 crisis
  • (01:02:35) Outro

 

For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening!

 

Links:

 

Michelle Hurn:

 

Dr. Brian Lenzkes: 

 

HLTH Code:

  • HLTH Code Promo Code: METHEALTH

• • HLTH Code Website: https://gethlth.com


What does it truly mean to be well? For Dr. Brian Lenzkes, the answer stretches far beyond a chart of lab results. On the Life's Best Medicine Podcast, he explores the interconnected layers of a whole life, where physical health is deeply woven into the fabric of our relationships, our sense of purpose, and our spiritual grounding. Each conversation moves past simplistic advice to consider how family, community, and personal faith shape our daily resilience. You’ll hear from a variety of guests who share candid stories-not just of medical recovery, but of profound human connection, unexpected compassion, and quiet heroism found in everyday challenges. Dr. Lenzkes brings his perspective as a practicing physician who believes healing is a multifaceted endeavor. This isn't a lecture series; it's a collection of genuine dialogues that remind us our wellbeing is a holistic story still being written. Tune into this podcast for thoughtful reflections that might just change how you view your own health, relationships, and place in the world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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