I thought I had all the knowledge on eating healthy.
Wholefoods only, guilt-free nourishment. Count macros, avoid indulgence.
Then I heard Dr. Alia Crum from Stanford on the Mel Robbins podcast and couldn’t stop thinking about it. I dove into her research papers, read everything I could find, and honestly? My entire relationship with food shifted overnight.
Here’s what I learned.
Why Your Body Responds to Belief, Not Just Nutrients
Dr. Crum’s most famous study is the one that broke my brain:
She gave people the exact same 350-calorie vanilla milkshake twice, spaced over 2 weeks. Same ingredients, same nutrients, same taste!
But first time, the label yelled “INDULGENT”—620 calories, high fat, pure yummy decadence.
The other time? “Sensible”—140 calories, low-fat, responsible choice.
The results were insane.
When people believed they drank the indulgent shake, their ghrelin levels (that’s your hunger hormone) dropped THREE TIMES faster than when they thought it was the sensible version.
Their metabolism literally responded as if they’d consumed more food—just because they believed they had.
Published in Health Psychology. Peer-reviewed. Replicated.
This isn’t manifestation fluff. It’s measurable biology.
Mindsets Are Settings You Can Actually Change
After hearing her on the podcast, I went deep into her research. And Dr. Krum kept saying: “Mindsets are quite literally settings of the mind.”
They’re not true or false. They’re lenses that shape your reality through four powerful mechanisms:
- Attention – What you believe determines what you notice
- Emotions – Your mindset creates emotional states
- Motivation – Beliefs drive your actual behaviors
- Physiology – Here’s the kicker—your beliefs directly alter hormones, immune function, nervous system responses
So when I was eating “guilt-free” foods while drowning in shame about calories? My body stayed in restriction mode despite getting enough nutrition.
The minute I started embracing my meals as nourishing and pleasurable, my digestion has improved and my relationship with food transformed. It’s too new to measure the effects on the weighing scale, but I am so much happier!
Just like that.
It’s Not Mind Over Matter—It’s Mind AND Matter Working Together
The placebo effect isn’t magic, its nature, science and research.
It’s your body’s natural healing systems getting activated by belief.
You already have a growth-promoting endocrine system. An adaptive immune system. A regulating nervous system working 24/7 to heal you.
But here’s what her research showed me: the total effect of anything = what’s actually in it + what you believe about it.
It’s not medication OR mindset.
It’s medication AND mindset.
Mind and matter, working together.
This completely reframed how I think about everything from supplements to stress.
Transform Your Health Starting With Your Next Meal
Here’s what I started doing immediately after diving into her work and what you can try today:
- Reframe every bite. When you eat, tell yourself: “This is nourishing my cells. My body knows exactly what to do with this.” Watch how your digestion changes when you stop the guilt spiral.
- Activate your supplements. Before taking vitamin D or any medication, pause. Think: “This is supporting my immune system. My body is using this to heal.” Her research shows this belief actually increases effectiveness.
- Change your stress story. Next time your heart races before something important, reframe it: “My body is giving me energy. This stress response is helping me perform.” This single mindset shift changes your physiological response from harmful to enhancing.
Your Body Is Already Wired to Heal You
What excites me most about Dr. Crum’s work is how empowering it is.
You don’t need expensive biohacking protocols or complicated supplement stacks.
You already have everything you need.
Your mindsets just need to align with your body’s natural healing capacity instead of working against it.
So next time you eat, take medicine, or face stress—pause for five seconds. Set your mind intentionally. Choose the belief that serves your healing.
Because your mind isn’t separate from your body. They’re profoundly interconnected.
And you get to choose which settings you run.
Coming Up Next: Mindset Hacks for Every Life Stage
I’m working on a follow-up article showing exactly how one can use these mindset principles at different life stages and for different purposes — a great cheat sheet for all of us to navigate life for ourselves, kids and parents!
Real scenarios. Specific scripts. Practical applications you can use tomorrow.
Because honestly? This research is too good to not try to biohack / life hack!
Stay tuned.
Citation List
- Crum, A. J., Corbin, W. R., Brownell, K. D., & Salovey, P. (2011). Mind over milkshakes: mindsets, not just nutrients, determine ghrelin response. Health Psychology, 30(4), 424–429.
- Crum, A. J., Salovey, P., & Achor, S. (2013). Rethinking stress: the role of mindsets in determining the stress response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(4), 716–733.
- Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2007). Mind-set matters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18(2), 165–171.
- The Mel Robbins Podcast. (December 2025). “Simple Mindset Shifts to Transform Your Body, Energy, & Life” with Dr. Alia Crum.
- Stanford Magazine. (November 2022). “Better Believe It.”
https://stanfordmag.org/contents/better-believe-it
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the placebo effect really work without medication?
Yes, research shows belief activates your body’s natural healing systems—reducing pain, improving sleep, lowering blood pressure, and calming immune responses through measurable physiological changes not just emotional comfort.
How quickly can changing my mindset affect my health?
Studies show physiological changes happen within minutes—ghrelin levels shift during meals, stress hormones change with reframing, and immune markers respond to belief about treatments almost immediately.
Can mindset replace medical treatment?
No, mindset enhances treatment effectiveness. The most powerful approach combines evidence-based medicine with empowering beliefs—it’s mind AND matter, not mind over matter.
What's the best mindset for eating healthy foods?
Focus on nourishment and pleasure rather than restriction or guilt. Research shows believing food is indulgent and satisfying triggers better metabolic responses than viewing it as low-calorie or sensible.
