At The Noakes Foundation, we are delighted to welcome Joomee Kyler as our newest Foundation Ambassador.

Joomee’s journey is one of resilience, curiosity, and hope. As a diagnostic cytologist with over 20 years of experience, she has dedicated her career to helping detect cancer and disease through laboratory science. Yet it was her own health challenges—including metastatic thyroid cancer, Type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, depression, and anxiety—that led her to discover the life-changing potential of therapeutic carbohydrate restriction, a ketogenic lifestyle, and intermittent fasting.

Today, Joomee is a passionate advocate for metabolic health, committed to helping others understand that there are evidence-based lifestyle approaches that can improve metabolic and mental health. She is currently working towards her Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners (SMHP) designation and Nutrition Network certification while also leading several community initiatives, including Metabolic Health Stories, a photography project highlighting real healing journeys, and volunteer support communities focused on intermittent fasting and metabolic health.

Her passion for challenging conventional thinking, supporting responsible scientific inquiry, and empowering others aligns perfectly with the mission of The Noakes Foundation. We are honoured to welcome her as an ambassador and recently sat down with Joomee to learn more about her inspiring journey.

 

Meet Joomee Kyler: A Conversation with Our Newest Ambassador

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background.

Joomee:

My name is Joomee. I am originally from South Korea and currently live near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I am a diagnostic cytologist and have been practicing in the field for the past 20 years. As a laboratory scientist, I examine cell morphology under a microscope to detect signs of cancer, precancerous changes, and infectious diseases.

Throughout my life, I struggled with chronic health issues—from frequent childhood illnesses and long-term antibiotic use, to severe depression, adenomyosis requiring a partial hysterectomy, and a diagnosis of metastatic thyroid cancer in 2020 that required a radical neck dissection and radioactive iodine ablation. In December 2022, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Discovering ketogenic metabolic therapy and intermittent fasting on that very same day completely transformed my health, allowing me to reverse my diabetes and various metabolic conditions.

2. What inspired you to pursue your work in health, nutrition, medicine, science, or wellness?

Joomee:

My initial inspiration stems from my educational background as a scientist who studied human anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry, combined with my two decades as a diagnostic cytologist. However, my deep dive into metabolic health and nutrition was born out of sheer desperation and a desire to save my own life.

After my Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in December 2022, alongside my history of metastatic thyroid cancer and years of chronic inflammation, I knew I had to make a drastic change. Searching for answers led me to experts like Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Ken Berry, Professor Tim Noakes, Dr. Ben Bikman, Robert Lustig, Nina Teicholz, and Dr. Chris Palmer. Their science-backed explanations regarding hyperinsulinemia and root-cause resolution deeply resonated with me, inspiring me to pursue further education and advocacy, including working towards my SMHP (Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners) and Nutrition Network certification.

3. Was there a defining moment that changed your perspective on nutrition or metabolic health?

Joomee:

The ultimate defining moment occurred on December 8, 2022—my “Diabetes-versary”. On the exact day I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, an online algorithm recommended The Obesity Code and The Diabetes Code, which led me to a video of Dr. Ken Berry interviewing Dr. Jason Fung. I implemented keto and intermittent fasting immediately the next morning.

Within just one month, my inflammation, GERD, and chronic allergies disappeared, and within three months, my HbA1c dropped from 7.3 to 5.2, completely reversing my Type 2 diabetes. Seeing my fatty liver reverse and a benign colon tumour disappear made me realize how profoundly hyperinsulinemia and nutrition drive systemic health and tumour growth.

4. What are you most passionate about in your work today?

Joomee:

I am most passionate about raising awareness, sharing the power of metabolic therapies, and helping others realize that they do not have to live with chronic illness or rely solely on symptom-managing treatments. Having navigated the healthcare system as both a patient and a medical professional, I am dedicated to being a voice for root-cause healing.

I love using media and storytelling to connect with others. I recently launched a still-media project called Metabolic Health Stories to capture portraits and written journeys of individuals who have healed through metabolic health. I also share my own journey publicly. I enjoy building a supportive community, including running a volunteer peer support intermittent fasting group.

5. Why did you choose to become an Ambassador for The Noakes Foundation?

Joomee:

I first learned about Professor Noakes’s trial from the documentary Fat Fiction early in my keto journey. While his resiliency throughout the trial was inspiring, what I found most admirable was learning that Professor Noakes—who originally coined the term “carb loading”—later publicly retracted it upon realizing he was mistaken. This display of intellectual honesty and open-mindedness—the willingness to embrace a paradigm shift when presented with new scientific evidence—is a truly noble quality in a scientist and innovator.

I support The Noakes Foundation’s values, founded on Professor Noakes’s belief that supporting responsible dissent is essential to true science; questioning established dogmas is how the most valuable scientific research is achieved. I am deeply honoured by The Noakes Foundation’s invitation, as the organization’s mission aligns perfectly with my own beliefs and values as a medical science professional.

6. What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing public health today?

Joomee:

I believe the biggest challenge in public health today is the medical system’s overwhelming focus on treating surface symptoms rather than addressing underlying metabolic root causes—specifically hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. Standard care frequently overlooks nutritional and lifestyle interventions that can reverse disease.

Conventional diagnostic approaches often rely heavily on normal baseline laboratory results while failing to detect the progression of underlying metabolic dysfunction or hyperinsulinemia until severe conditions, such as diabetes or hormone-related cancers, have already developed.

7. What advice would you give someone who wants to improve their health but feels overwhelmed?

Joomee:

My main advice is to become your own advocate, keep an open mind, and focus on removing the biggest offenders first. You don’t have to overhaul everything perfectly overnight or obsess over counting macros if it feels overwhelming. When I started, I focused simply on cutting out the main driver foods: refined sugars, grains, seed oils, and constant snacking.

If standard care or current approaches aren’t working for you, don’t be afraid to do your own research, question the science, ask questions, and look at different scientific perspectives. While modern medicine certainly has its place, remember that you have the power to take charge of your lifestyle and give your body the environment it needs to heal.

8. Is there a common nutrition myth you wish people would stop believing?

Joomee:

I wish people would stop believing the myth that individuals with insulin resistance or pre-diabetes need to eat multiple small meals and snacks throughout the day that are high in complex carbohydrates.

During my pregnancy, I was instructed to eat three meals and three snacks a day to reach 150 grams of carbohydrates, and my body’s natural production of ketones was treated as a failure rather than a sign of healing. Constantly fueling the body with carbohydrates and frequent meals keeps insulin levels continuously elevated, which only worsens metabolic disease. Another major myth is that fat-burning and therapeutic ketosis or fasting are dangerous when, in reality, combining keto with intermittent fasting can be a safe and powerful tool for reversing metabolic damage.

9. What exciting projects are you currently working on?

Joomee:

Metabolic Health Stories is a personal still-media and photography project where I capture portraits of individuals who have restored their health through metabolic therapy and share their personal stories.

I also founded the Fasting Friends Community, a volunteer initiative that welcomes anyone interested in using intermittent fasting to improve metabolic and mental health.

In addition, I serve as a moderator for the Metabolic Collective, a non-profit organization building a grassroots, healing-centred community that empowers people to adopt metabolic therapies, sustain recovery, and turn personal transformation into collective impact.

10. If you could leave our readers with one message, what would it be?

Joomee:

You can turn your life around, and you can live a happy, energetic, and disease-free life. No matter how sick or overwhelmed you feel right now, your health is not a lost cause, and you do not have to accept living in chronic pain, illness, or fatigue as your inevitable future.

Always be your own advocate, ask questions, and keep an open mind to metabolic solutions. You have the ability to take control of your health and heal—sometimes, the path forward is as simple as taking that very first step.

Welcome to The Noakes Foundation

We are incredibly proud to welcome Joomee Kyler to The Noakes Foundation as one of our ambassadors. Her scientific expertise, lived experience, and passion for empowering others through metabolic health make her a wonderful addition to our ambassador family.

We look forward to working alongside Joomee as we continue advancing education, supporting research, and helping people around the world discover the life-changing potential of metabolic health.

Connect with Joomee:
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/joomee.kyler