I Don’t Want to Pass That Way! | It’s Not a Destiny — It’s Your Choice (Episode 13)

After my last episode, a friend in his early seventies—fit, vibrant, and a role model for healthy aging—asked me about my favorite protein sources. My answer was simple: ribeye steak, lamb, oysters. I also eat pork because it’s affordable, and occasionally salmon or catfish. Since going ketogenic, I’ve left behind alcohol and carbs, not because I vowed “never again,” but because I no longer crave them.

His question inspired me to go deeper—not just into diet, but into the profound link between what we eat, how we live, and how we die.

I opened this episode with a memory triggered by Mordecai Richler’s short story The Summer My Grandmother Was Supposed to Die. It reminded me of my great-grandmother Emma, who suffered from gangrene. My family shielded my sister and me from the worst of it, but the memory of that time stayed with me. Later, my grandmother Elsa died from lung cancer, choking in her final moments—a way of passing I hope never to experience.

These personal memories made me ask: Are these endings written in our genes, or can we rewrite the script?

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gary Fettke believes the vast majority of chronic conditions—diabetes, vascular disease, even amputations—are preventable through diet. His patients’ suffering, he says, often comes from years of poor nutrition and chronic inflammation caused by ultra-processed foods, excess carbohydrates, and seed oils.

Cancer researcher Professor Thomas Seyfried adds another layer: cancer, he argues, is not primarily a genetic disease but a mitochondrial one—a breakdown in the cell’s ability to produce energy efficiently. When damaged mitochondria can’t use oxygen to make ATP, cells switch to fermentation, feeding on glucose and glutamine, and begin dividing uncontrollably. His research makes me believe that by restricting carbohydrates and maintaining ketosis, we can starve cancer cells and support healthy cellular function.

Psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer takes this further, showing how brain disorders—depression, anxiety, ADHD—are linked to metabolic dysfunction and impaired mitochondria. He warns that alcohol, especially in ketosis, is a mitochondrial toxin. I’ve experienced its amplified effects firsthand since going carnivore, and I now see avoiding it as an act of long-term brain protection.

When I think of my great-grandmother’s gangrene, my grandmother’s cancer, and my own health crises, I see patterns. But patterns are not destiny. They’re warnings. The traditions I inherited—gardening, eating vegetables because “they’re healthy”—were rooted in survival in a world where meat wasn’t always available. Today, I have the knowledge and resources to choose differently.

For me, that choice is to remain in ketosis, nourish myself with the most bioavailable nutrients, and protect my mitochondria from harm. Because I don’t want to pass from this world gasping for air or losing my limbs to disease. I want to leave in peace, on my terms.

Listen to the episode here: #13 | I Don’t Want to Pass That Way! | It’s Not a Destiny — It’s Your Choice