Optimal Nutrition Simplified

Dr. Shawn Baker is an orthopedic surgeon and the founder of the carnivore diet. He’s eaten nothing but meat for the last several years, and has inspired a growing community of carnivores who credit zero-carb with profound improvements in their health and performance. Join Shawn and Connor as they discuss the carnivore diet in depth, exploring questions like:- Do you need organ meat on a carnivore diet?- Is there a scientific basis for a meat-only diet?- Does eating carnivore increase your risk of colon cancer?- Why don’t carnivores get scurvy from lack of vitamin C?- How has meat affected human evolution?- How much does meat quality (grass-fed, organic, etc.) matter? (hint: it’s less than you might think)

Luis Villasenor and Tyler Cartwright have perhaps more experience than anyone training athletes for strength, muscle, and performance using a ketogenic lifestyle. Through their company, Ketogains, they’ve worked with thousands of clients over the last 10 years. The second half of our interview with Ketogains founders Luis Villasenor and Tyler Cartwright explores optimal pre-workout nutrition, the common mistakes people make on a keto diet, and why you should chase results, not ketones. Enjoy!You’ll learn:How to incorporate sugar, MCTs, and protein around your workout to optimize your results.How not to screw up a strength-based training program on ketoHow to think about total caloric intake for performance and weight lossSupport the show

Popular wisdom suggests that you can’t gain muscle while on keto, and certainly that you can’t workout for strength on a low carb diet. Luis Villasenor and Tyler Cartwright have been proving those people wrong for the last 10 years, having sustainably trained thousands of clients through the Ketogains protocol. Join us in part one of a two-part series where we go into the science and practice of low-carb hypertrophy. You’ll learn:The science of the protein leverage hypothesis, or why we get hungryWhy we’ve been scared of protein with a ketogenic diet, and how much we really needHow to find the happy medium of training for longevity and performanceWhen and when not to fastThe importance of whole foods on keto

Kelly Starrett is the co-Founder of Mobility WOD and author of NYT best-selling book: Becoming a Supple Leopard. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, for 15 years, Kelly has spearheaded the movement of natural movement especially in the CrossFit community by helping thousands of people resolve pain, prevent injury, and optimize athletic performance. In our conversation, Kelly uncovers his mental framework for prioritizing movement to reduce injury and increase longevity while still seeing results in the gym.You’ll find:How to build a solid movement foundation to reduce likelihood of injury from workouts.How and why the human body is naturally “anti-fragile”, adapting to and benefiting from stressors.How to eat to support bone and joint health to maximize recovery from stressors.Which stressors are “CNS loving” and which are CNS loathing to provide positive adaptation. How to cycle through general physical preparedness, sports preparation, and sports specific training to maximize longevity and reduce injury.

Mark is one of the most inspiring people I know, having dedicated his life to developing world-class leaders.A former Navy SEAL commander with 20 years of service, black belt in 3 forms of martial arts, Mark is committed to helping people achieve self-mastery in all areas of life: physical, mental, spiritual, and relational, for the betterment of the world. I’ve known Mark for a few years, and have always been impressed not only in how capable he is as a leader, but also how much emphasis he puts on the mental and spiritual side of things. Yoga, meditation, and breath training are essential pieces of his training, and foundational to his success. When I think of Mark, the first thing that comes to my mind is “Enlightened Warrior.”In this talk, we get into a few of the big seemingly paradoxes many of us struggle with. How do we achieve balance when you want to achieve great things? How should we develop the inner selves along with the outer? What are the benefits to training as a warrior despite having no desire for conflict?In this conversation, Mark answers:What are the things that set someone apart between getting into the SEALS versus not?How do you develop grit in circumstances of extreme uncertainty?How important is it to develop the inner domain of potential and productivity?What are the skills you believe need developing that were lost in ancient warrior traditions?What’s wrong with exclusively mindfulness or positive visualization meditation techniques?Is balance possible in extreme life? Can you define it, and how do you cultivate it?Is there a downside of too much mental or spiritual self-development work?Why are martial arts important or relevant for a civilian not trying to be trained in battle?What advice would you give to someone trying to determine their own best physical and mental development practice?If you could point to 1 or two character traits you’d like everyone in the world to have, what would they be?Is it a contradiction to be a warrior but also whole or connected to all of humanity?I came away inspired after this talk with Mark. I hope you will to.

In this podcast, I’m joined with Kelly Schmidt, a registered dietician and type 1 diabetic. All her life, Kelly has gone against the grain by implementing a low-carb approach for managing her type 1 diabetes, and primarily uses this approach for a variety of her other patients. But in her mind, it’s not just about the carbs. It’s often about the autoimmunity. In this podcast, she goes into the how, why, and what related to figuring out food sensitivities and what to do about them. Here are some of the amazing topics we discussed during the show:Where do autoimmune diseases come from, how do you test yourself for food sensitivities, and how an you how an you address them?How do you determine your carb threshold on a keto diet?Is it ok to go in and out of keto? Does it mess up keto-adaptation?Why is type 2 diabetes a liver issue? Should everyone consider going on a liver detox? Hope you enjoy the conversation. 

I’ve seen struggle with a ketogenic diet because they’re not aware of how to tweak the diet to their specific goal or objective. With such a slew of potential benefits for high-caliber athletes as well as those suffering from chronic diseases, it can be hard to tease out out how to adapt the diet to what you need.This is why I was excited to interview Dr. Cathy Saenz, PhD, RD. Cathy is one of the very few people in the keto space with experience as a researcher and clinician, for athletes, those with chronic disease, and anyone in between. She worked with Dr. Jeff Volek on the FASTER study, the Cleveland Indians, and speaks regularly at conferences.In this conversation, Cathy answers:What are the biggest differences between high carb vs. fat-adapted endurance athletes?What’s your definition of a well-formulated ketogenic diet?How much protein should we have on a keto diet?What are the benefits of keto diet? How much is known with studies vs. anecdotal in your clinical experience?Were we evolved to sustainably be in ketosis?Are there genetic differences for who does better on a keto diet?How flexible on carbs should athletes be to maintain a ketogenic diet?What are the differences in formulating a keto diet for power vs. endurance athletes?What level of ketones should people shoot for?What’s the difference between ketoacidosis and nutritional ketosis?Are there any risks for thyroid or adrenal fatigue with keto? How can they mitigate those risks?Hope you enjoy the conversation. 

From April through June last year, I did a 2 month long experiment. I ate no more than 30g of carbohydrates each day, while loading up on all the fat I could. I continued my CrossFit workouts and olympic lifting workouts with almost zero glycogen to run off, and consistently hit the wall.So why the heck would I want to do that?The goal was to transition to a ketogenic diet. A ketogenic diet is one that shifts the body’s fuel from carbs to fat. During this process, the body creates molecules called ketone bodies (like beta-hydroxybutyrate) to fuel the muscles and brain for fast fuel.And it turns out that many of today’s top athletes do some variation of a ketogenic diet. And after Dr. Jeff Volek’s FASTER study came out last year, ketogenesis has exploded in popularity among the athletic community. But being in a state of ketosis isn’t just for athletes. It’s been shown to help with weight loss, most metabolic markers, oxygen efficiency, and longevity.And while the ketogenic diet was originally prescribed to epileptic patients in the 1930s, there’s promising evidence to suggest it may be massively useful in the treatment of cancer, most metabolic diseases such as diabetes, and Alzheimer’s prevention.The science around a ketogenic diet is new and exciting, which is why I jumped at the chance to interview Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, a PhD and one of the world’s few expert in subjects.Dominic (Dom) is a recently tenured professor at University of South Florida where he studies the intricacies of the diet, and studies the most cutting edge exogenous ketones.The conversation was awesome as it was nerdy. Please enjoy! Show notes + TL;DR:3:18 How Dom's PhD in neuroscience and physiology turned into a career in pharmacology, and eventually led to his fascination with dietary and supplemental ketones.Had to understand oxygen toxicity seizures related to Navy SEALS research.6:10 - What is oxygen toxicity, and how is it affected by ketosis?Oxygen is essential for life, but it metabolizing oxygen naturally makes free radicals, or reactive oxidation species (ROS) like super-oxide anion. Having too much oxygen is called oxygen toxicity and is is toxic for the cells because of the dangerous amounts of free radicals.When you're using too much oxygen, you're naturally going to produce a bunch free radicals. They are powerful signaling molecules that tell your body something's potentially not right with the situation. They also disrupt brain energy metabolism.Ketones preserves the bioenergetic capacity of the brain under either too much or too little oxygen, and cause less free radicals than does glucose.10:04 Why ketones are a high-octane fuel that burn with greater efficiency than does glucose.Through the use of oxygen, both glucose and ketones are converted into ATP within the mitochondria, which is the energetic currency of the cell. What’s 

In  this  episode  of  Health  Hacker  Radio,  we  are  talking  to  the one  and only Mike Burgener,    seasoned    Level    5  Senior    International    Weightlifting    coach    in  California. Mike has trained hundreds of athletes throughout his career, and also runs his own regional Training Center for weightlifting and Cross Fit training.He   is   also   a   longtime   Cross Fit   coach,   overseeing   numerous   lifting   clinics throughout the country.  He has also coached a number of noteworthy title winning games, including the Junior World Women's Weightlifting Team. Mike’s son Casey Burgener is a notable American Olympic Weightlifter. Here,  Mike  talks  about  the  hard  stuff  -  mindset  and  motivation  for  a  consistent Olympic training program, how to keep training and recovery safe and his top 3 tips or strategies for living a fulfilled life.Here’s what we covered      1. How  can  Olympic  lifting  be  safe  and  which  is  the  better  choice                     between Cross Fit and Olympic style weightlifting.Who are the top 2 - 3 athletes that Coach Burgener has trained.What is the mindset that will take an athlete to the Olympics?How can training be balanced, so motivation doesn’t end up in injury?How long does it take to understand perceived exertion?What’s the benefit of having a coach when you are training?What tips and techniques does Coach Burgener suggest for fast recovery?What is the importance of rejuvenating and relaxing through sauna?What do the best athletes do in terms of nutrition?What are some common mistakes that most novice lifters make? Reach Out to UsTweet to us at @amplemeal and let us know your thoughts. Looking for something healthy and fun for those days when you don’t have time to grab a sandwich let alone cook a meal? Check out Ample Meal and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to learn about our nutrition  solutions  for  busy  people  on the  go.  You can also listen  to  our  podcasts  and discussions  with leading  health experts on Soundcloud.

In this episode of Health Hacker Radio, we are talking to Joe Bauer, certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning expert. Joe is a Crossfit coach in Seattle who loves to inspire people in achieving optimized fitness and nutrition for a better life.With the Cross fit Games going on, we asked Joe for tips on balancing workout, diet and a hectic daily routine, and picked his thoughts on mastermind training. We also discussed his daily routine, meal plans he swears on and tools and tricks he himself uses to optimize his mindfulness, productivity and motivation. Here’s what we covered 1. What can be done to optimize productivity, health and work habits with a full time job? 2. How to plan and prep daily meals and start basic workouts that give results. 3. What is the suggested protocol for beginners trying to stay fit and active at home and work? 4. What Macro-nutrient ratios are advisable for people who just want to be healthy and are not working out? 5. How to test a diet and decide that it works for you. 6. What are some issues faced by people who start a hardcore workout program. 7. How can athletes develop mindfulness and why meditation is important?Reach Out to Us Tweet to us at @amplemeal and let us know your thoughts on this podcast. Looking for something healthy and fun for those days when you don’t have time to grab a sandwich let alone cook a meal? Check out Ample Meal and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to learn about our nutrition solutions for busy people on the go. You can also listen to our podcasts and discussions with leading health experts on Soundcloud.Support the show

Our guest today is Ultramarathon champion and coach Zach Bitter, who is a badass at ultramarathoning with a fat-optimized metabolism nutritional approach. In this conversation (Website Link Comes Here), Zach shares his regime for training and practice and discusses his low carb, fat based diet that keeps his stamina and energy levels up.Here’s what we covered --1.How Zach tracks his metrics and progress and what’s his mantra to make sure he is focused on his goal. 2.What tools and tricks can be used to improve focus and drive when training.3.How mental training techniques like meditation and breath work help during rigorous training. 4.What can be done to bring the crossfit or athlete mentality into the other aspects of your life.5.Why a diet based on healthy fats and low carbs is important especially during the recovery phase after a race.6.What is the importance of healthy fats and a ketogenic style of nutritional approach in your lifestyle.Reach Out to UsTweet to us at @amplemeal and let us know your thoughts on this podcast. Looking for something healthy and fun for those days when you don't have time to grab a sandwich let alone cook a meal? Check out Ample Meal and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to learn about our nutrition solutions for busy people on the go. You can also listen to our podcasts and discussions with leading health experts on Soundcloud.Support the show

Talking to us today is Board certified nephrologist, Dr. Jason Fung, a foremost expert on nutrition, diet, obesity and type-2 diabetes. in this Podcast, Dr. Jason Fung talks about the ins and outs of the calories in and calories out equation and why it's wrong.Here’s what we covered -- 1.How most kidney diseases are actually related to obesity and unhealthy eating. 2.How following the simple "Calories in, Calories Out" equation kills optimal health and what can be done to balance out calories the right way. 3.How eating an early breakfast makes you sluggish and refined carbs in breakfast make you hungrier. 4.What 'circadian rhythm' is and how to track varying levels of hunger throughout the day.5.Why is psychological hunger a big NO and how it affects your health. 6.What magic amount of fiber should one person have everyday. 7.How one can successfully pull off intermittent fasting. 8.How conventional wisdom has it all wrong about saturated fats. 9.How sodium and protein have been wrongly accused for causing kidney issues.10. How the opinion of the medical sphere and public changed on nutrition over the years. Reach Out to UsTweet to us at @amplemeal and let us know your thoughts on this podcast. Looking for something healthy and fun for those days when you don't have time to grab a sandwich let alone cook a meal? Check out Ample Meal and follow us on Twitter and Facebook. To learn about our nutrition solutions for busy people on the go. You can also listen to our podcasts and discussions with leading health experts on Soundcloud.Support the show

We bust the most common myths about cholesterol and saturated fats in this episode of Health Hacker Radio , with fitness blogger and author, Jimmy Moore.  Today we have with us the amazing Jimmy Moore of Livin La Vida Low Carb fame, who I met at PaleoFX a couple of years ago. Jimmy has had an incredible journey of weight loss after battling chronic obesity for years, he finally hacked his health with a low carb diet, and lost 180 pounds.  Here ’s what we covered :  1.How Jimmy hacked his health with tons of saturated fat and low carbs on a keto diet to lose 180 pounds and reclaim his life.  2.How avoiding saturated fat and good cholesterol can backfire at your health in the long term.  3.Why maintaining optimal blood sugar levels is important for leading an active, healthy lifestyle.  4.How a low carb, high fat diet can actually lead to weight loss minus the energy drain.  5.What are the two to three things related to health and fitness that a majority of people are doing wrong.  Reach Out to Us Check out Ample Meal and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to learn about our nutrition solutions for busy people on the go. You can also listen to our podcasts and discussions with leading health experts on Soundcloud. Tweet to us at @amplemeal and let us know your thoughts on this podcast.