Chapters
1. <Untitled Chapter 1>2. Don’t put Max in a corner!3. Calorie Misconceptions4. GPS vs Healthy Habits5. Good vs Bad Foods6. Are you metabolically obese?7. Importance of Micronutrients8. What’s the deal with sugar?9. Satiety and Sugar10. Sleep and Food11. Behaviors and Protein12. Eat more protein!13. Nutrient Differences14. The value of novelty.15. Olive Oil Controversy16. What makes the oil unhealthy?17. Whole Foods and Sustainable Weight Loss18. Why low-carb trumps low fat.19. The skinny on time of day eating.20. Max’s go-to processed foods.21. Max’s staple meals.22. Support Max by buying his books!1. <Untitled Chapter 1>
Max Lugavere visits the studio to discuss the importance of nutrition and how it affects our health. He shares insights on how certain foods can improve brain function and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.+
2. Don’t put Max in a corner!
Max discusses the divide between science-based approaches and pragmatic philosophical approaches in the health and wellness space, and how being bound by evidence can underserve the public. He also shares his experience with social media criticism and the importance of balance and fairness in sharing information.+
3. Calorie Misconceptions
Misconceptions about Calorie Counting:Sal and Adam discuss a town's experiment where they required all restaurants to post the calories of their meals. They found that people were actually eating more calories after seeing the calorie counts. Sal explains that this is due to a misconception about calorie counting and behavior.+
Health Crisis Solution:Max Lugavere discusses the public health crisis related to obesity and how calorie counting is not the solution. He suggests that understanding how food affects our behavior and satiety checkpoints can help combat the crisis.+
4. GPS vs Healthy Habits
Adam and Sal discuss the analogy of using GPS to navigate and how it relates to being dependent on tracking macros for weight loss. They question whether this approach is teaching healthy habits or just giving people answers to the test.+
5. Good vs Bad Foods
Good and Bad Foods:Max Lugavere challenges the notion that there are no good or bad foods, arguing that ultra-processed foods are bad because they drive people to overeat. He emphasizes that people need to be aware of how foods affect their behavior, especially in a time when 60% of the calories consumed are from ultra-processed foods.+
Ultra-Processed Foods:Max Lugavere discusses a study that found that in an ad libitum feeding environment, subjects who consumed ultra-processed foods ate about 500 excess calories per day, leading to a pound of weight gain every week. He also highlights the importance of not relying on willpower to reach ideal body composition or metabolic health. The accuracy of nutrition facts labels and the absorption of calories from different types of food are also discussed.+
6. Are you metabolically obese?
Max Lugavere explains that 12% of Americans have good metabolic health, which means that a significant proportion of people who are of normal weight may still have poor metabolic health. The causes of metabolic dysregulation could be eating processed foods, circadian disruption, or exposure to environmental toxins. Micronutrients may also play a factor in obesity.+
7. Importance of Micronutrients
Max emphasizes the importance of micronutrients, specifically magnesium, for metabolic health and energy production. Sal brings up the danger of being metabolically unhealthy despite having a normal body weight.+
8. What’s the deal with sugar?
Max explains how added sugar is not satiating and provides no nutritional value, which is a concern for those struggling with weight gain and nutrient deficiencies. The debate around sugar's effects on the body is discussed.+
9. Satiety and Sugar
Max Lugavere explains the importance of protein in satiating hunger and how low protein foods tend to be junk foods. He also emphasizes the negative effects of added sugar on glucose regulation and the obesity epidemic.+
10. Sleep and Food
Max explains how lack of sleep affects hormones, particularly insulin, leptin, and ghrelin. He also highlights the neurobiological component of undersleeping, which affects the prefrontal cortex and decision making. He shares his personal experience with emotional regulation during a breakup and how undersleeping made it more difficult.+
11. Behaviors and Protein
Adam discusses the importance of teaching behaviors to clients in the fitness space, rather than just focusing on measuring and weighing food. He also highlights the negative effects of promoting a bench and restrict behavior. Max and Sal talk about the satiating effects of protein and how it can naturally lead to weight loss.+
12. Eat more protein!
Max and Adam discuss the importance of protein in maintaining muscle mass and overall health, while debunking the myth that low protein diets promote longevity. They also touch on the difficulty of consuming enough protein and the common issue of under-consuming protein in diets.+
13. Nutrient Differences
Nutrient Differences:Max and Sal discuss the differences between grass-fed and conventional meats and eggs. Max explains that while grass-fed is ideal, conventional options are still nutrient-dense and a better option than ultra-processed foods. He also notes that the robustness of an eggshell can indicate how healthy the chicken was.+
Nutritional Differences:Max explains the nutritional differences between pasture-raised eggs and conventional eggs, highlighting the higher mineral density and presence of carotenoids in the former. He also emphasizes the importance of carotenoids in protecting neural tissue and maintaining cognitive function.+
14. The value of novelty.
Adam, Max, and Sal discuss how humans are fixated on novelty in their diets. They talk about the importance of switching things up and keeping things interesting, while also emphasizing the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which is known for its preponderance of minimally processed food and use of extra virgin olive oil. Max also addresses the misconception that all oil is bad, including olive oil, which is not supported by science.Show transcript +
15. Olive Oil Controversy
Max and Sal discuss the controversy surrounding extra virgin olive oil and its effect on endothelial function. Max debunks claims that oil is harmful to the body and explains how it is a natural and healthy fat.+
16. What makes the oil unhealthy?
Harmful Seed Oils:Max explains how seed oils like grapeseed oil, corn oil, and soybean oil are harmful due to the deodorization process that creates trans fats and the fact that they are predominantly polyunsaturated fat, which are easily oxidized and become damaged fats.+
Harmful Oils:Max and Adam discuss the dangers of consuming oils that are stripped of antioxidants, like grapeseed oil. While these oils can lower cholesterol, the long-term effects on brain health are unknown. The Minnesota Coronary Survey found that switching from saturated fats to these oils increased the risk of heart attack and death.+
17. Whole Foods and Sustainable Weight Loss
Minimally Processed Foods:Max Lugavere recommends moving away from ultra-processed foods and opting for minimally processed foods with singular ingredients, such as whole foods. He also has a bias for low carbohydrate diets for most people.+
Processed Foods:Max and Adam discuss the dangers of ultra-processed foods and the benefits of whole foods. Max explains how ultra-processed foods are easily absorbed by the body, leading to downstream consequences. Adam shares his approach to helping clients transition from a highly processed diet to whole foods.+
Sustainable Weight Loss:Sal, Adam, and Max discuss the difference between counting calories and focusing on behaviors when it comes to sustainable weight loss. They also touch on the psychological aspect of making better food choices and how it can lead to natural calorie reduction. Max explains his preference for lower carb diets.+
18. Why low-carb trumps low fat.
Max discusses the benefits of a low carbohydrate diet, including managing glycemic variability and hunger levels. He also explains the benefits of intermittent ketosis for brain health and the signaling benefits of ketones. Max emphasizes that low carb diets are helpful for achieving weight loss goals, but it's important to not add excessive amounts of fats and oils to the diet.+
19. The skinny on time of day eating.
Max explains the benefits of early time restricted feeding and how it can improve metabolic health. Eating carbohydrates earlier in the day can lead to better insulin and blood sugar regulation. Building habits around one or two changes is more successful long-term than strict diets.+
20. Max’s go-to processed foods.
Max discusses the nuance of processed foods and shares his go-to healthy options, including dark chocolate, sardines, beef jerky, and protein shakes. Sal also asks for simple meal ideas for bachelor guys.+
21. Max’s staple meals.
Max shares an easy and tasty recipe for dark chocolate covered blueberries, perfect for impressing house guests. Just melt a bar of dark chocolate with coconut oil and sweetener, add fresh blueberries, sprinkle with sea salt, and chill.+
22. Support Max by buying his books!
Max Lugavere talks about his book, The Genius Life, which covers various aspects of a healthy lifestyle including exercise physiology, environmental toxicity, diet, circadian biology, nature, and technology. The book is easy to understand and research-based, making it highly recommended by Sal Di Stefano.+