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Stem Cell Therapy and Personal Stem Cell Banking with Sean Berman & Kevin Ferber – #1058

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EPISODE #1058

Stem Cell Therapy and Personal Stem Cell Banking

Sean Berman and Kevin Ferber

The potential of stem cell therapy to transform healthcare delivery and improve your health outcomes while also reducing your costs.

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American Cell Technology

In this Episode of The Human Upgrade™...

America is back on the map as a global leader in stem cell technology, thanks in huge part to these two FDA-conquering innovators. Sean Berman and Kevin Ferber talk about the past, present, and future of stem cell therapy – and where, why, and how to bank your own healthy cells ASAP. 

Have you heard these common myths about stem cell therapy?

  • Myth #1: Stem cell therapy is only used for rare conditions.
  • Myth #2: Stem cell therapy is not regulated by the FDA.
  • Myth #3: Stem cell therapy is always expensive and not covered by insurance.

The truth is that stem cell therapy is increasingly being used for a wide range of conditions, including more common ones like osteoarthritis and heart disease. The FDA does regulate stem cell therapy, and while it can be costly, insurance coverage is becoming more widespread.

American Cell Technology (ACT) provides a safe and trusted environment to store personal stem cells. Whether you’re saving the stem cells from the birth of a new family member or banking your own adult stem cells, American Cell Technology utilizes our proprietary xeno-free technology and GMP facility to take care of your cells. Doctors and scientists continue to advance the field of stem cell therapy. It’s become evident that your own cells have tremendous value for you. American Cell Technology grows millions of your own cells in a sterile environment, cryopreserves (freezes in liquid nitrogen) them and will make them available when requested in the future.

Watch this episode on YouTube!

"My stem cells are mine. You try and think you control my stem cells. I don't care who you are. That is an act of war against me as an autonomous human."

Dave Asprey

In this episode, you will…

  • Discover the potential of stem cell therapy and its capacity to revolutionize healthcare delivery.

  • Learn about the benefits of stem cell banking, safeguarding your future health options.

  • Explore the fascinating concept of stem cell consciousness and communication.

  • Gain insight into the importance of regulation and safety measures for stem cell therapies.

  • Understand how stem cell therapy might reshape the face of healthcare in the coming years.

Enjoy the show!

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Download a transcript of this show

Website: https://americancelltechnology.com/dave/

Website: https://californiastemcelltreatmentcenter.com/

Website: https://stemcellrevolution.com/

Video – Beyond Erectile Dysfunction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnADOr-Qskk

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This episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4R5kMhvMCk

00:00:00 – Introduction,
Dave Asprey introduces Sean Berman and Kevin Ferber, experts in the stem cell industry. They discuss the importance of stem cells for personal therapies and how it has made a difference in Dave’s biohacking journey.

00:07:09 – The FDA and Stem Cells,
Sean Berman talks about the legal battle with the FDA and how their victory allows for more innovation in the US around stem cells.

00:09:57 – The Importance of Autonomy,
Dave Asprey emphasizes the importance of autonomy over one’s own stem cells and how it is an act of war against an autonomous human to try and control their stem cells.

00:11:48 – The Benefits of Stem Cells,
Sean Berman talks about how they use stem cells to heal naturally and how Kevin Ferber’s company can take a small sample of fat containing stem cells and turn it into billions.

00:12:50 – Stem Cells and Fat,
Fat is loaded with stem cells, which store nutrients from food in the old days. Stem cells in fat are dormant unless you consume junk food, whereas stem cells in bone marrow are constantly working to maintain your immune system.

00:14:10 – Autologous vs. Allergenic Stem Cells,
Autologous stem cells come from your own body, whereas allergenic stem cells come from someone else’s body.

00:18:24 – Spinal Cord Injuries,
Stem cells combined with scar tissue removal can help people with spinal cord injuries walk again. It’s important to use stem cells as close to the injury as possible.

00:21:07 – Immediate Stem Cell Treatment,
For the best results with stem cell treatment, it’s important to treat the injury as soon as possible. Immediate stem cell treatment can prevent deficits in motor skills and memory loss after a concussion.

00:24:05 – Stem Cell Banking for Health and Wellness,
The guests discuss stem cell banking as a tool for health and wellness beyond just treating injuries. Stem cell banking can benefit anyone from a weekend warrior to someone with an autoimmune condition.

00:25:25 – Stem Cell Growth Medium,
The stem cell growth medium is plant-based and contains no animal factors or bacterial fermentation. It is designed to ensure the highest quality of stem cells isolated from fat.

00:28:25 – Cryopreservation and Stem Cell Retrieval,
Cryopreservation is the process of freezing stem cells in liquid nitrogen at minus 190 degrees Celsius, ensuring their viability and integrity for future use. Stem cells can be requested through American Cell Technology’s ordering platform after being grown out for six weeks following their isolation and culture expansion.

00:32:31 – Stem Cell Therapy Clinical Applications,
The guest shares that there are many applications for stem cell therapy beyond just treating injuries. Stem cells can be used to help regenerate spinal fluid or treat stroke patients. There is even the possibility of creating custom-produced stem cells, although this would be considered

00:36:15 – Stem Cell Therapy and Personal Regimens
The conversation starts with Sean Berman talking about his proactive regimen and how he feels healthy. The guest then jokes about launching his sports car into space and only wanting 100 million stem cells.

00:38:39 – Stem Cells and Aging
Dave talks about his preference for using his own stem cells and how he has banked them. The guest mentions a study they did on different samples of clients’ cells and how adipose cells had longer telomere lengths.

00:42:07 – Stem Cells and Kidney Function
Dave brings up the idea of using stem cells to help with kidney stones caused by a vegan diet. The guest explains that while stem cells can initiate autophagy, they may not necessarily clear kidney stones.

00:43:13 – Stem Cells and Consciousness
Dave brings up the idea of a separate consciousness inside every mitochondria and bacteria, and how stem cells have their own consciousness as well.

00:48:25 – The Power of Stem Cells and Energetic Healing,
The guests discuss the potential of stem cells and how to direct them naturally through energetic healing.

00:50:29 – The Placebo Effect and Human Experience,
The group discusses the power of the placebo effect and human experience in the field of regenerative medicine.

00:54:55 – The Future of Regenerative Medicine,
The guests talk about the exciting potential of regenerative medicine and the importance of tracking safety and efficacy data through online databases.

00:57:48 – Banking Stem Cells for Longevity,
The hosts emphasize the importance of stem cell banking for those who prioritize longevity and wellness.

00:58:57 – Vital Cells and Cord Blood Banking,
The guests introduce their new brand, Vital Cells, which offers a revolutionary process for cord blood and cord tissue banking.

01:00:16 – The Future of Stem Cell Therapy,
Kevin Ferber discusses the potential benefits of stem cell therapy, including reducing overall costs and allowing individuals to live a healthier lifestyle.

01:01:23 – Personal Cells and Health,
Ferber and Asprey discuss the importance of personal relationships with doctors and the potential benefits of stem cell therapy for improving overall health and wellness.

01:04:20 – The Future of Stem Cell Therapy,
Asprey and Ferber speculate on potential advancements in stem cell therapy, such as designer cells and de-aging stem cells.

01:06:02 – Stem Cell Banking,
Asprey thanks Ferber and his team for their work in stem cell banking and preventing tyranny over medical freedom. He encourages listeners to consider stem cell banking and intravenous stem cell therapy for chronic health issues.

01:09:27 – Safe and Effective Stem Cell Therapy,
Asprey and Ferber emphasize the safety and effectiveness of stem cell therapy in the US and the benefits of having personal stem cells banked and available for future use.

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Stem Cell Therapy in the United States and the Search for the Fountain of Youth 

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  • Personal Stem cell therapy
     and stem cell banking is readily available across the United States, with both the safest techniques and highest quality standards. However, it is imperative to understand the difference between personal stem cells (autologous) and all the other options that are riskier and less transparent.
  • People are receiving their own personal stem cells for regenerative purposes including orthopedic, autoimmune, neurological, cardiology, and pulmonary conditions, as well as cosmetic and wellness/bio-hacking purposes.
  • Keep reading below to learn more about your personal stem cell options in the United States, why it is the safest and most effective offering, and the simple process on how to receive stem cell therapy in the United States today.

When I hear the phrase “fountain of youth,” my ears perk up. There are so many gimmicks out there trying to sell us on the dream of longevity but believe me when I say that stem cell therapy is no gimmick. That said, there’s a lot of confusion about stem cells, so we’re going to suss out the whole deal in this article – let’s go. 

If you aren’t familiar, stem cells present one of today’s most promising therapeutic options for naturally healing injuries and hold potential for a range of other conditions. These unique cells can self-replicate, differentiate into other kinds of functional tissue, and send important cellular signals to other cells that ultimately promote recovery.  

Due to regulatory ambiguity, however, stem cell therapy hasn’t been as widely available as most people would like. 

In fact, athletes and those with plenty of cash to spend travel far and wide to places like China, Thailand, and Central and South America to shell out upwards of $40,000 to $100,000 for stem cell treatments promoted to help with aching, arthritic joints, neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune conditions, or just for general wellness. 

And if the price weren’t enough to deter you, many of these international stem cell treatments fail to clarify some of the most important factors that you need to think about when it comes to stem cell treatment, for instance: 

  • Are they using personal (autologous) cells or donor cells (allogenic)?
  • Are they offering Live Stem Cell Count or total cell count that includes dead cells?
  • Which type of live stem cells are they using? (mesenchymal, hematopoietic, cord, bone marrow or adipose-derived) 
  • Are the cells cultured expanded, fresh, or frozen?
  • Are they offering treatments without stem cells (Exosomes, PRP, amniotic fluid)?

Despite the lack of clarity or complete understanding, people still seek regenerative treatments from these remote clinics in the hope of finding the Fountain of Youth.  

 

Chart of benefits of Stem Cell treatment

 

Evolution of Stem Cell Research and Clinical Work – Not All Stem Cells Are The Same 

One of the reasons many people feel “iffy” about stem cells is due to the shaky beginnings of stem cell research. In the beginning, stem cells were originally derived from embryos that had the potential to form teratomas or cancer, leading to warranted negative perceptions regarding stem cell treatments. However, what some people are unaware of is the fact that the clinical field has shifted towards using adult stem cells, and more specifically Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), which have no risk of cancer formation and are available in nearly every tissue in the human body. The shift in working with MSCs has led to zero clinical work with embryonic stem cells in the last 15 years.  

Today, there are three main sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) used in clinical applications[1]: 

  1. Adipose-derived MSCs 
  2. Bone marrow-derived MSCs 
  3. Birth-Associated Tissues (cord tissue, cord blood, placenta) derived MSCs 

Of these three sources of cells, all are adult MSCs, even though cord-derived MSCs are obtained after the birth of a newborn. The three cell sources all have adult characteristics and are pluripotent (able to form many tissues), as opposed to totipotent cells that can form any type of tissue (and sometimes uncontrollably – leading to cancer)[2][3]. 

Artistic rendering of the blood cycle during stem cell treatments

Furthermore, all three types of MSCs have common traits associated with healing and repairing the body[4]. 

For example, these MSCs are all anti-inflammatory and can travel to sites of inflammation throughout the body. They are immunomodulatory (can up or down-regulate an immune response appropriately), they secrete pro-regenerative cytokines (fancy word for cell signals), and they can self-replicate or differentiate into functional tissue[5]. 

Your Personal Stem Cells (autologous) – The Safest Option 

Now that we’ve cleared the air on the whole embryonic stem cell debacle, let’s consider something else; where are your stem cells coming from? When considering a cell source, it’s critical to ensure that the cell contains your own DNA (personal cell therapy). 

Using cells from a donor (allogeneic) puts patients at risk of potential disease transmission, as the only screening donor cells undergo is for certain well-known viruses and rare genetic mutations. However, hundreds of viruses and prions (proteinaceous viruses hard to detect) go unscreened for. 

Further, allogeneic cells don’t contain your own DNA. While they are deficient in MCH II markers, these cells still have MCH I markers (this is like driving with only a back license plate as opposed to one on the front and back)[6]. A deficiency in MCH II markers can cause your immune system to attack these cells, leading to graft-versus-host -disease (GVHD). GVHD occurs when the body attacks foreign DNA entering the recipient’s body and can result in chronic lifetime symptoms[7].  

Which Autologous Cells Perform Best? 

Okay, now that we’re clear that using your own stem cells is your best bet – which cell line should you go for?

Adipose and bone marrow MSCs are both great sources of autologous stem cells. However, bone marrow MSCs in patients over 40 tend to be older since these MSCs are responsible for making white blood cells within the immune system. On the other hand, adipose-derived MSCs do relatively little work over the course of their lives and are, therefore, still young and robust (measured by their telomeres) well into your 80s and 90s. 

There are also 500 to 2,500 times more stem cells in your adipose tissue than in your bone marrow, making these cells a really attractive stem cell source for regenerative medical procedures[8].  

What types of procedures? 

Mesenchymal Stem Cells are currently used in clinical trials or at regenerative medicine clinics for hundreds of uses. Including, but not limited to[9]: 

Orthopedics: knee, hip, shoulder, and back arthritis, tendon or ligament damage, avoidance of joint replacement surgery 

Autoimmune: Diabetes, Crohn’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis   

Cosmetic: hair restoration, skin repair 

Neurology: Autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Dementia, Stroke, Concussions, and Traumatic Brain Injury 

Cardiology and Pulmonology: Heart Failure, Asthma, COPD  

Bio-Hacking: Anti-aging/wellness, male and female sexual function, general body performance, and recovery  

The power of personal stem cell banking 

If your stem cells are currently not banked and cryopreserved, then the youngest personal cells you can access are those in your body today. Our stem cells are part of our body, meaning they age right along with us. Most of us had no option to properly store our youngest adult stem cells from our cord blood or tissue at birth. Currently, VitalCells is the only newborn stem cell bank that accurately stores and culture expands pure adult mesenchymal stem cells from the cord blood and cord tissue and actually provides children access to their youngest, adult stem cells throughout their life. They do this through their revolutionary processing, allowing clients to access billions of their own personal stem cells. There are only a couple million live stem cells on average natively available in the cord blood and cord tissue, so without VitalCells banking your newborn’s cord blood or tissue is severely limiting. Even though most adults today missed the opportunity to store their cells at birth, they still have the opportunity to work with the young cells within their adipose tissue[10]. 

And with American Cell Technology (ACT), the largest personal stem cell bank in the United States, you can unlock the powers and benefits of personal stem cell banking as ACT provides: 

  • Access to your youngest personal stem cells with your own DNA throughout your life.
  • Availability of cells for numerous treatments through proprietary techniques to grow potentially billions of live Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) 
  • Stem Cell retrieval options within 48 hours for emergency or on-demand requests 
  • Partnerships with leading regenerative medicine doctors nationally 
  • Avoidance of multiple stem cell extraction procedures as cells undergo cryogenic storage for access throughout their life 
  • Certainty of quality – Pure mesenchymal stem cells with accurate live stem counts and viability (health of the cells).
  • Safety and security knowing that your cells are stored using the latest technology and with the highest standards in a FDA registered cGMP facility  
  • Elimination of any risk of your body rejecting the cells and therefore developing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).  
  • Controlled processing that ensures healthy cells that must also successfully pass bioburden testing before shipment 

With thousands of clinical trials underway and countless other treatments offered at regenerative medical clinics using personal mesenchymal stem cells, banking your personal stem cells can provide the ultimate healthcare security.  

Blood samples being stored

Can you receive stem cell therapy in the United States? 

Absolutely. Personal stem cell therapy is available in the United States today. Due to less stringent marketing restrictions internationally and misinterpretations of stem cell therapy domestically with regulatory concerns, recent years have led to significant research and clinical advancement overseas. However, personal stem cell therapy within the United States has been active without a mouthpiece. 

In fact, a recent ruling in federal court made it clear that physicians have the right to work with autologous stem cells in their medical practice and that these cells are not a drug and thus not within FDA oversight. The practice of medicine and surgical procedures don’t fall within the oversight of the FDA. For example, the FDA doesn’t approve knee replacement surgery. With the recent ruling in the federal court, access to peoples’ personal stem cells within the United States in the clinical setting has drastically increased as more physicians and clinics better understand their rights as medical professionals.  

Access to Personal Stem Cell Banking and Therapy in the United States 

..the complete and simple process 

Most people like the idea of stem cell therapy but don’t want to bother with the whole process. Well, here’s the good news; it couldn’t be more straightforward.

Regenerative medicine clinics nationwide provide personal cell therapy and often offer personal stem cell banking services with American Cell Technology (ACT). The process is simple and more affordable than most think; here’s a breakdown:

#1. Talk to a doctor

Reach out to your stem cell doctor to see if you’re a candidate for personal cell therapy and stem cell banking. If you’re looking for a doctor near you, American Cell Technology (ACT) can recommend one of their partnered regenerative clinics across the United States.

#2. The procedure. 

The procedure is simple and done under local anesthesia. The total time spent in the clinic can range from an hour to a few hours, depending on whether you elect only to stem cell bank or receive the same-day stem cell procedure.  

For stem cell banking, a tablespoon of fat is drawn from the flank under local anesthesia in about 30 minutes. You are then free to go home after the procedure and return to receive your cells after six weeks from extraction.

For the same-day procedure, the medical practitioner will take an additional tablespoon of fat, isolate the stem cells from the fat and reinsert those stem cells within the body, either intravenously or direct injections into the joints or both.

Both options are outpatient procedures that may cause general bruising but will require no additional downtime. 

#3. Stem cell processing

Stem cell processing takes place with American Cell Technology (ACT). Your medical professional overnight ships your adipose (fat) or bone marrow sample for processing. Once received, lab techs in an FDA-registered cGMP facility isolate your cells from the sample in a sterile, cleanroom environment. The cells then undergo a feeding process, allowing them to self-replicate naturally through the proprietary culture expansion process.

Depending on the banking program selected, ACT can grow up to billions of live mesenchymal stem cells through this process. Various bacteria, endotoxin, and sterility testing is standard service.

#4. Cryopreservation 

Once your stem cells are grown to the desired amount, ACT cryopreserves your stem cells in time.

#5. Retrieving your cells with ease 

Requesting your cells is easy through ACT’s customer support and ordering platform. Depending on your stem cell plan, you can potentially retrieve the cells within 48 hours. If on a standard plan, three weeks’ notice for cell retrieval is required. How you use your cells will be determined by you and your administering licensed practitioner.

And that’s it. Access to your stem cells when and where you need them couldn’t be easier. 

Takeaway 

The stem cell industry is constantly evolving, with ongoing research and clinical trials published daily. Taking the first steps in securing your future health is assuring that your youngest stem cells are banked and ready to do what they do best – heal your body from within. 

Want to secure your future health? Get your stem cells banked today so you don’t have to worry about what happens tomorrow. 

References 

  1. Hass, Ralf, et al. “Different populations and sources of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC): a comparison of adult and neonatal tissue-derived MSC.” Cell Communication and Signaling 9.1 (2011): 1-14.
  2. Andrews, Peter W. “From teratocarcinomas to embryonic stem cells.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 357.1420 (2002): 405-417.
  3. Porada, Christopher D., Esmail D. Zanjani, and Graça Almeida-Porada. “Adult mesenchymal stem cells: a pluripotent population with multiple applications.” Current stem cell research & therapy 1.3 (2006): 365-369.
  4. Salari, Valentina, et al. “The anti-inflammatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells in epilepsy: Possible treatments and future perspectives.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21.24 (2020): 9683.
  5. Mizuno, Hiroshi, Morikuni Tobita, and A. Cagri Uysal. “Concise review: adipose?derived stem cells as a novel tool for future regenerative medicine.” Stem cells 30.5 (2012): 804-810.
  6. Cho, Patricia S., et al. “Immunogenicity of umbilical cord tissue–derived cells.” Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology 111.1 (2008): 430-438.
  7. https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/graft-versus-host-disease
  8. Strioga, Marius, et al. “Same or not the same? Comparison of adipose tissue-derived versus bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem and stromal cells.” Stem cells and development 21.14 (2012): 2724-2752.
  9. Han, Yu, et al. “Mesenchymal stem cells for regenerative medicine.” Cells 8.8 (2019): 886.
  10. Burrow, Kimberley L., Judith A. Hoyland, and Stephen M. Richardson. “Human adipose-derived stem cells exhibit enhanced proliferative capacity and retain multipotency longer than donor-matched bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells during expansion in vitro.” Stem cells international 2017 (2017).

Low on Energy? It Might Be Your Minerals 

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You have about 30 trillion cells in your body and every one of them requires minerals to function. You would not be alive without minerals. Your body allocates dozens of minerals throughout your tissues to build cellular components. Minerals also have the big job of activating enzymes, which are special proteins that enable chemical reactions in your cells to take place.[1] These chemical reactions are responsible for generating energy so you can think, move, grow, repair, and perform at your highest level. With minerals, your body runs at full power. Without them, your body won’t run at all.  

There are three main categories of minerals. Macro (big) minerals are ones that that you require the largest amounts of. These include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and sulfur. Trace minerals are needed by your body in much smaller amounts but are still extremely important for your cells to function properly. These include zinc, selenium, iodine, molybdenum, cobalt, copper, fluorine, vanadium, and manganese. The third category is ultra-trace minerals. These are probably important for your health too, but their exact biological role has not yet been precisely identified. 

Since minerals are key for generating energy in your body, one of the main signs of mineral deficiency is low energy. Other signs and symptoms of mineral deficiencies include mood changes, a weakened immune system, brain fog, heart rate irregularities, weak bones, brittle hair and nails, dull skin, and more.[2] Minerals are just that important! 

Despite the fact that minerals are essential for life, chances are you are deficient in at least one of them. There are 2 main factors today that are preventing us from getting enough minerals: 

  1. Our soil is depleted of nutrients 
  2. We are eating too many anti-nutrients 

Once upon a time our soil was rich in minerals, providing us with plants that were also abundant in minerals. Ruminant animals could eat these mineral-rich plants and turn them into delicious, mineral-rich foods (like a grass-fed ribeye). However, modern farming practices have left our soil and our plants depleted of nutrients [3]. So unless you’re eating vegetables from carefully cultivated mineral-balanced soil or consuming lots of grass-fed and finished animal products, you probably are low in at least one essential mineral.  

Even if you’re eating a lot of plants from nutrient-rich soil, most of them are out to get you and steal your minerals. That’s because these plants contain anti-nutrients, which are naturally occurring chemicals that protect plants from predators. When we eat these plants, their anti-nutrients prevent us from absorbing minerals from our food, such as zinc, copper, iron, and magnesium.[4] The major anti-nutrients found in plant foods are phytic acid, lectins, and oxalates. The foods with the highest concentrations of anti-nutrients are beans, grains, and nuts, but they can also be found in other plants, such as potatoes and my favorite (wink, wink), kale. Eating too many of these high anti-nutrient foods can leave us weak and deficient in the critical minerals that keep us alive and resilient. 

What Are the Signs of a Mineral Deficiency?

The main sign of mineral deficiency is low energy, since minerals activate the enzymes responsible for generating cellular energy. Other signs include mood changes, brain fog, a weakened immune system, heart rate irregularities, weak bones, and brittle hair and nails. Most people are deficient in at least one mineral due to depleted soil and anti-nutrients in plant foods that block mineral absorption.

  • Minerals activate enzymes needed for energy production, movement, growth, and repair across all 30 trillion cells in your body
  • Anti-nutrients like phytic acid, lectins, and oxalates — found in beans, grains, and nuts — block absorption of zinc, copper, iron, and magnesium
  • Grass-fed and grass-finished meat and dairy are strong sources of iron, selenium, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus
  • Cutting grains and legumes while adding a quality mineral supplement addresses both sides of the deficiency problem

Here are 4 things you can do to increase your mineral intake to power up your cells and regain your energy:  

  1. Eat grass-fed and grass-finished meat and dairy products – Know your farmer and always choose grass fed AND finished beef. Grass-fed and finished beef is an excellent source of iron, selenium, and zinc [5]. Raw and grass-fed dairy provides calcium, phosphorus, and potassium[6].  
  2. Cut out grains and legumes – As mentioned above, grains and legumes are major sources of dietary lectins and phytates, which are anti-nutrients that steal your minerals. Swap grains and legumes for low-toxin carbohydrates such as white rice or plantains.  
  3. Drink Danger Coffee – Danger Coffee contains trace minerals in the form of Humic and Fulvic acids. Just one cup will provide your body with more than 50 trace minerals and electrolytes, leaving you feeling energized, engaged, and in the zone. If you don’t have access to Danger Coffee, you can purchase humic and fulvic minerals as a liquid or in capsules at most health food stores.  
  4. Supplement with a high-quality mineral supplement that contains both macro (big) minerals and trace minerals. My company, Suppgrade Labs has a carefully designed, highly bioavailable formula containing the minerals you need in the correct amounts. You can check it out here. 

Your energy levels directly impact how you show up in the world, so you can be a better partner, a better parent, a better coworker, or a better athlete. It’s no small thing, but it is within your control. Making a few simple shifts such as increasing your mineral intake could give your body the boost it needs to access more energy. For more hacks to give you hours of time back, while improving your life and giving you more energy so you can do the things you love, check out my new book, Smarter Not Harder here

  1. https://www.jpp.krakow.pl/journal/archive/02_16/pdf/3_02_16_article.pdf 
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8721081/ 
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8801175/ 
  4. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/anti-nutrients/  
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/ 
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723869/ 

 

5 Ways to Enjoy the Holiday Meals — and Not Feel Like Crap

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Here’s the scenario: You cut out your sugar and empty carbs in favor of high-quality fats. You pile your plate with enough vegetables to kill a cow. You’re getting more done in a day than you ever thought possible. You feel amazing, and the physical changes are the icing on your grain-free cake.

Then, comes holiday time. Will it all go down the tubes?

With a little planning, you’ll do just fine during the holidays. Rest assured, you can fully participate without derailing your progress. Read on for tips on how to join in on the festivities without losing your momentum.

Here are some ways to keep on track.

Go into the holidays strong and well-rested

Before the holiday meal, make sure you’ve had a good night’s sleep and your morning Bulletproof Coffee. When you’re tired, you feel it in places beyond your eyelids, including your hunger hormones and happiness neurotransmitters. The healthy fats in your Bulletproof Coffee will keep your hunger at bay and keep your blood sugar from doing crazy things.

It’s harder to say “no” to Grandma’s blue-ribbon pie when you’re off your game, and meeting your basic needs for sleep and energy will keep you strong.

Bring something delicious to share

If you make something to bring to the festivities, you can be sure you’ll have something to eat. You can also show the naysayers that you didn’t give anything up by upgrading your life. With a few tweaks, you can have all the wonderful things you normally see on the holiday table.

A few crowd pleasers you can whip up:

Your serving plate will go empty first. Just watch.

Let them eat cake… in peace

It’s natural to want to share something that has such an impact on your life. Instead, resist the urge to educate others on the Bulletproof Lifestyle as they’re grabbing another helping of mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. It’ll feel like helping from your end, but it’ll feel like judging from their end. Nobody wants that, especially during a celebration.

If someone asks what you’re up to with that coconut whipped cream, by all means, share why you love it. As long as they’re genuinely curious and you don’t get preachy, you’re good.

What does this have to do with kryptonite? Kryptonite isn’t limited to food — it’s anything that saps your performance, stress included.

Don’t expect anyone to accommodate your new lifestyle

Your family wants to make holiday memories with you, and they don’t want to exclude you from any bit of it.

However, expecting everyone to accommodate your new way of eating is simply unfair. Putting on a holiday feast is enough work as it is, and asking someone to learn about damaged fats, gluten, insulin, and lectins would put an unreasonable burden on the host.

Even the most flexible and willing family would have a hard time with it. Think about it — there’s an adjustment period over the first few days on the Bulletproof Diet. The first few days your metabolism is changing while at the same time you’re reframing your thinking on what good food means. You can’t put that on your family as they’re trying to relax and enjoy each other.

Your family might ask you if they can help, and that’s incredibly considerate of them. If they insist, offer up one of the recipes above.

 

holiday diet strategies

 

Or, give in and go wild for the holidays

If you feel like it, you can toss out all the rules for a day. Doing that might even benefit you in the long run. Pay attention to how crummy you feel in the next few days.

After the bloating, the cramping, the rashes, the mood swings, the skin breakouts, the creaky joints…however your body reacts, it won’t be pretty, and you’ll think twice before doing that again. Coconut charcoal capsules help clear out your system.

If you go a little crazy, especially with the booze, some detox action may be in order. Here’s how to hack your hangover and generally get the yuck out as quickly as possible.

RELATED: Bulletproof Alcohol – What to Drink During the Holidays

Be grateful

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you eat, what spiritual practice you follow. Gratitude is uplifting to everyone.

Ask everyone who’s celebrating with you to start by going around and saying something they’re thankful for. Then, observe everyone’s expression change to a contented happy one as they relax into the meal.

Oh, and be sure thank your host, even if you couldn’t eat a single crumb. Putting on a holiday celebration is a lot of effort.

Inevitably, at least one or two people will notice how amazing you look, how good the food you brought tastes, and how much energy you have. Get ready to answer some questions about the Bulletproof lifestyle. You’re an inspiration!

Thanks so much for reading and have an epic holiday season filled with love and gratitude.

 

READ NEXT: Use Gratitude to Rewire Your Brain

 

4 Top Antinutrients to Avoid — and Why

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  • Antinutrients are chemicals found in plants that keep your body from absorbing essential nutrients from food
  • The key antinutrients that you have to watch out for are lectins, phytates, gluten, and oxalates — though not all of them are bad
  • Some people are more sensitive to antinutrients than others; test your sensitivity with an elimination diet to see if you experience symptoms
  • Eating a steady source of antinutrients can lead to gut issues, inflammation, arthritis, and brain fog, which is why it’s smarter to eat foods that don’t pose potential risks; check out the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap to learn the most nutritious foods that won’t make you feel like crap

Ask a random person on the street what an antinutrient is and he’ll likely shake his head. It sounds like the villain in an eat right PSA aimed at kids. And truthfully, that wouldn’t be too far off.

What are antinutrients?

Antinutrients are compounds found in foods that interfere with the absorption of beneficial nutrients
 and minerals. They prevent the body from being the efficient micronutrient sponge that it was meant to be. People and animals pull the nourishment we need from our surroundings, but as evolution would have it, many plants developed the capacity to fight back. Nutrient-sapping phytochemicals protect tasty edibles from being devoured to the point of extinction.

This state-of-the-art defense system taught animals that overconsumption resulted in sickness and sometimes death. Animals either evolved to digest the antinutrient-rich plants, or they stopped eating them.

Antinutrients are found in their highest concentrations in grains, beans, legumes and nuts, but can also be found in leaves, roots and fruits of certain varieties of plants.

Do you really need to avoid them?

Not all antinutrients are bad. It’s impossible to avoid them all, and you won’t feel good if you cut out every single one from your diet. Instead, you need to avoid the ones that cause big holes in your gut or the ones that are triggers for you. The Bulletproof Diet is designed to to reduce your exposure to health-sapping foods, placing problematic antinutrients in the suspect to toxic sections of the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap. Only by eliminating a food from your diet and reintroducing it can you determine whether a food is messing with your performance.

Here, the top four antinutrients, how they affect your body, and how to hack their consumption.

Lectins

Avoid Hot Peppers and Other Lectins to Stay Out of the Hospital_header Lectins are proteins that cause trouble in your digestive system by sticking to your intestinal wall and creating intestinal permeability. When food moves through your GI tract, it bangs into your gut’s lining, causing microtrauma. Usually, your cells repair those bumps and bruises before it leads to any real issue. Lectins mess up that process. They adhere to the walls of your gut, preventing repair. The ensuing damage causes low-level inflammation in your GI tract.

When you eat a lot of lectins, your gut wall develops holes, and its contents pours into your bloodstream, causing leaky gut syndrome.

There are thousands of varieties of lectins — they exist in most plant species. Not all of them are toxic or cause intestinal damage. The most common sources of lectins include grains, legumes, and nightshades. These plants contain drastically more lectins than other food sources do, which is why wheat, beans, quinoa, peas, peanuts, white potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants are suspect on the Bulletproof Diet. The more you eat, the more damage you cause to your body. Instead, concentrate on getting most of your nutrients from foods that come with low risk.

That said, lectin sensitivity varies widely person to person. You might be able to eat lectins morning, noon, and night, and never have a problem, while your friend can’t touch the stuff. You’ll know you have a problem with lectins if you experience inflammation, brain fog, migraines, stomach issues, acne or joint pain after eating a lectin-rich meal. The lectins in nightshades, in particular, are a common autoimmune trigger and can cause sensitivities in a lot of people. To test yourself, fill up on a nightshade-heavy lunch — think tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes — and see how you feel afterward.

For the most part, you can kill or reduce the number of lectins in your food by cooking it first. The Human Upgrade podcast guest Dr. Steven Gundry, renowned heart surgeon, celebrity doctor, medical researcher and author, just released a cookbook for busy families who want easy meals without the negative effects of lectins and other anti-nutrients. He explains how different preparation methods can reduce lectin content, which minimizes the unwelcome effects of anti-nutrients.

“The cool thing about pressure cooking is it will do a pretty doggone good job of destroying lectins. The idea of soaking beans with multiple changes of water definitely decreases lectins. Heat decreases lectins,” explains Gundry. “But there are very valid papers that show that’s probably not enough for very sensitive individuals.”

It’s a good idea to experiment with different foods and preparations to see how your individual biology reacts.

Bulletproof Diet Tips:

  • Choose white rice over brown rice, the lectins are in the hull
  • Sweet potatoes have drastically less lectin content than white potatoes
  • Swap in almond butter for peanut butter; the lectins in peanuts cause an inflammatory response in most people, and they’re not destroyed by heat

Phytic Acid (Phytates)

Soy products

Phytic acid, also known as phytates, is one of the more infamous antinutrients on the block, blocking the absorption of nutrient heavy-hitters like magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron, amongst others. Found in whole grains, nuts, soybeans, and seeds, phytic acid binds to these minerals, preventing their absorption, so you get little nutrition from the food.

Phytate also inhibits digestive enzymes pepsin, trypsin and amylase. Amylase is required for the breakdown of starch, while trypsin and pepsin are involved in the breakdown of protein. When those enzymes aren’t present in the right amounts, food doesn’t get processed properly, and your body misses out on key nutrients.

Think about it like this, if your body has a huge influx of phytate, it means that there are less nutrients to go around, but the body is also substantially less efficient at breaking down macronutrients into their components.

Your body can handle some amount of phytates, but it’s a good idea to eliminate the main sources so your minerals will be absorbed. Besides, removing them from your diet completely would be impossible.

To build muscle or burn fat, your body needs a certain amount of protein or carbohydrates. However, that amount largely depends on how healthy your gut is. That’s because an optimized digestive system requires less food to fuel the body properly.

Phytic acid is most concentrated in the bran of grains, which is why Bulletproof ranks white rice over brown rice. In legumes, phytic acid is found in the cotyledon layer, which is much harder to remove, hence why legumes like kidney beans, lentils and soy are not on the recommended Bulletproof Diet list.

Cooking certain foods that are high in phytates and then draining the water or soaking them in an acid like lemon or vinegar reduces phytates, but many of the grains and seeds that contain phytates are irritating to the gut even when cooked.

Bulletproof Tips:

  • Skip the canola or other seed oils; cook with avocado oil, coconut oil or butter/ghee.
  • Avoid beans — they’re high in carbs and not particularly rich in nutrients

Oxalic Acid (Oxalates)

Restoring Gut Health After Taking Antibiotics_Eat your veggies Your beloved spinach and kale green smoothies may be causing more harm than good. Oxalic acid is an antinutrient compound found in many plants, like raw cruciferous vegetables — kale, radishes, cauliflower, broccoli — as well as chard, spinach, parsley, beets, black pepper, chocolate, nuts, berries and beans.

When oxalates bind to calcium in your blood, tiny, sharp oxalic acid crystals form and can be deposited anywhere in the body and cause muscle pain. When this happens in the kidneys, it causes kidney stones. Oxalates also cause a condition in women called vulvodynia, which leads to painful sex because of oxalic acid crystals in the labia.

In sensitive people, even small amounts of oxalates cause burning in the eyes, ears, mouth, and throat. Consuming large amounts may cause abdominal pain, muscle weakness, nausea, and diarrhea. People who eat large quantities of raw vegetables may be particularly susceptible.

Like phytates, oxalates can be reduced by cooking in calcium or baking soda water, and draining the water. Added dietary magnesium and zinc bind to oxalic acid, thus lowering oxalate absorption substantially.

Bulletproof Tips:

  • Never add raw kale, spinach, or chard to salads or smoothies. Steam them first.
  • When seasoning meals, skip the black pepper to avoid oxalates.

Gluten

gluten free diet benefitsGluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats that can cause intestinal permeability (i.e. leaky gut). “The problem with gluten is that no human can digest it. It’s impossible to digest the gluten proteins that are in wheat, barley and rye,” certified chiropractic nutritionist Tom O’Bryan, author of “The Autoimmune Fix.” explained on The Human Upgrade podcast.

The spectrum of reaction to indigestibility of gluten places people into two categories: celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, most of the population being the latter. Indigestible substances in the digestive system cause an immune response, immune responses take the form of inflammation. Inflammation is, more times than not, the culprit behind our brain fog, digestive discomfort and suboptimal nutrient absorption.

Gluten-containing grains break down in the gut into opioid compounds called gluteomorphins that trigger the same brain receptors as opiate drugs like heroin — meaning, they’re highly addictive.

Structurally, gluten is made up of two types of storage proteins, prolamins and glutelins. Wheat-based glutelins are called glutenins, which consist of high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) subunits. Wheat products made with higher levels of HMW tend to be more elastic and subsequently more chewy (pizza dough or pretzels); whereas lower levels of HMW tend to take the form of pastries. Originally, giladin (the wheat based prolamin) was thought to be the main antinutrient contributor to gluten, but its been shown that glutenin is equally as toxic. So just because you are eating something that feels lighter, you are still downgrading your digestive system when you eat any form of gluten.

Gluten is hidden in places beyond the obvious sources; products like soy sauce, beer and even processed meats contain gluten that may be downgrading your performance.

Bulletproof Tips:

  • Substitute cassava flour for any wheat-based flours you may be using to avoid gluten
  • If you must drink alcohol, skip the beer and reach for potato vodka or gin to avoid gluten in your drink

8 Detox Methods That Really Work

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  • There are lots of detoxes out there, and many of them don’t work.
  • Your body is wise does a lot of detoxing on its own, but certain chemicals or a higher toxic load make it tough for your body to clear toxins efficiently.
  • Here’s what you can do to help your body’s natural detox pathways along.

It’s no wonder detox diets are so popular. They promise to give you more energy, help you lose weight, and clear up your skin, among other things. You can use a good detox to bounce back from overindulgence, like a sugar binge or having one too many with your friends.

The trouble is, many common detoxes don’t work. Juice and water cleanses, for example, are often counterproductive because they deprive your body of essential nutrients it needs to function.

A good detox protocol can help you eliminate more stubborn toxins by supporting your natural detoxification pathways. Juice isn’t in the answer, but there are plenty of other ways to assist your body without spending a lot of money or a ton of your time.

[readmore title=”See the detox methods checklist”]

What are toxins?

Yes, harmful chemicals are everywhere. Car exhaust, secondhand smoke, flame retardants, plastic packaging, heavy metals, pesticides, exogenous hormones in conventional meat and dairy, BPA-coated receipts… Unless you’re living in a virgin forest, you’re going to come into contact with some less-than-optimal chemicals pretty much every day.

No reason to panic. Your body is wise and does a lot of detoxing on its own. However, certain chemicals or a higher toxic load may make it tough for your body to clear toxins efficiently.

For example, you eliminate most of the bisphenol-A (BPA) and other plastics you ingest, but a small percentage hides away in your fat cells, messing with your hormones and accumulating over time. It’s the same deal with several mold toxins, heavy metals like lead, nickel, cadmium, mercury, and aluminum, and with certain pharmaceuticals and drugs.

8 detox methods that really work_2

Benefits of detox

No one is immune from the toxic load of modern life. From the air you breathe to the food you eat (yes, even when you’re Bulletproof!), supporting your natural detox pathways can lead to some major benefits.

1) Sauna for detox

Sweating does more than cool you off. It also helps you get rid of both heavy metals and xenobiotics – foreign compounds like plastics and petrochemicals – in small but significant amounts. A 2012 review of 50 studies found that sweating can remove lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury, especially in people with high heavy metal toxicity. Another study put participants in both traditional and infrared saunas and found similar results. Sweating also eliminates hormone-disrupting BPA, which accumulates in your fat cells.

What kind sauna is best for detox?

There’s debate about the best kind of sauna for detox. A couple studies have shown that infrared saunas are the most effective for detoxing, but the research was funded by infrared sauna companies, so take the results with a grain of salt. Both traditional and infrared saunas are effective for detoxing. That said, I prefer infrared saunas for a few reasons:

Benefits of infrared saunas:

  • They don’t get as hot. Traditional saunas heat the air around you, while infrared light penetrates and heats your tissue directly. You sweat in an infrared sauna at around 130-150 degrees instead of at 180-200 degrees so you can stay in for longer without feeling like you’re going to pass out. I’ve done 2-hour infrared sauna sessions (drinking salt water the whole time to replenish electrolytes and fluids, of course).
  • They’re easier on your electric bill. Again, infrared saunas require less energy, especially if you get a sauna that reflects infrared light back on you. This one, for example, costs about 15 cents an hour to run.
  • Infrared saunas are usually cheaper. Not only are the generally cheaper than standard saunas, there are tons of different sizes and price points when it comes to infrared saunas.

I personally use a Sunlighten infrared sauna and love it. If you don’t want to buy an infrared sauna and there isn’t one around you, a standard sauna will work perfectly well. There’s probably one in your local gym.

Keep in mind that sweating pulls electrolytes and trace minerals from your body, so it’s important to drink a lot of fluids and get plenty of salt (preferably Himalayan pink salt or another mineral-rich natural salt) if you’re going to use a sauna to detox.

8 detoxes that really work_3

2) Exercise to flush toxins

Regular exercise is another way to flush toxins from your body, and through more than just making you sweat. Exercise increases lipolysis (the breakdown of fat tissue), releasing toxins stored in your fat tissue. Lipolysis is especially effective when you combine it with liver and kidney support or adsorbents that can suck up the released toxins. This article focuses on all of the above.

Studies show that people who exercise and lose body fat end up with higher levels of circulating hormone disruptors. Increasing lipolysis through diet does the same thing.

Mobilizing toxins isn’t necessarily a good thing, particularly if you’re unequipped to get rid of them. You want to be sure you’re getting rid of toxins, not just moving them to a different part of your body. Working out addresses the issue to a degree: it improves circulation, providing more oxygen to your liver and kidneys so they can better filter out toxins. You can also give your system even more support and pull out bad stuff with the next two detox tools: activated charcoal and glutathione.

7 detox methods_activated charcoal

3) Activated charcoal to bind toxins

Activated charcoal is a form of carbon that has massive surface area and a strong negative charge. It’s been around for thousands of years and it’s still used in emergency rooms today to treat poisoning.

Charcoal binds to chemicals whose molecules have positive charges, including aflatoxin and other polar mycotoxins, BPA, and common pesticides. Once the chemicals attach to the charcoal you can pass them normally (i.e. poop them out).

Charcoal can bind to the good stuff, too (i.e. vitamins and essential minerals) so I don’t recommend taking it within an hour of other supplements. Try taking a couple charcoal pills along with exercise or have a sauna session. They should absorb many of the toxins you release into your gut and GI tract.

7 detox methods_Glutathione

4) Glutathione to protect your cells

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that protects you from heavy metal damage, according to studies in both human and rat cells. This powerful antioxidant also supports liver enzymes that break down mold toxins and heavy metals. Your digestion will destroy normal glutathione, so opt for a liposomal glutathione supplement that makes it through your stomach. You can also supplement with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and alpha-lipoic acid, which your body can use to build glutathione on its own. If you have severe heavy metal or mycotoxin poisoning, talk to a naturopath or functional medicine doctor about intravenous (IV) glutathione. It’s expensive and less convenient than an oral supplement, but it works very well.

7 detox methods_calcium d

5) Calcium-D Glucarate for liver support

Calcium D-Glucarate converts to glucaric acid in your body, supporting a crucial detoxification pathway in your liver. Glucaric acid scavenges your body to bind and eliminate unavoidable toxins that would otherwise wreak havoc on your health and performance.

7 detox methods_ice bath

6) Cryotherapy to stimulate mitochondria

We’ve talked about how heat and exercise can increase fat burning to detox your fat cells. It turns out cold can do the same. Cryochambers are gaining popularity with professional athletes and other high performers for their ability to quell inflammation. It turns out they can help you burn fat – and release the toxins stored in it – as well.

A cryochamber uses liquid nitrogen to supercool your body, stimulating mitochondrial function and decreasing inflammation. Intense cold also destroys fat cells, which has led to cryolipolysis therapy as a way to slim down. You can use it to detox, too.

Can’t get your hands on a cryochamber? Try traditional cold thermogenesis instead.

7 detox methods_ketosis

7) Ketosis for fat flushing

Quick disclaimer: I haven’t found studies specifically looking at ketosis and toxin load, so you may want to take this section with a grain of (Himalayan) salt.  That said, ketosis is a very effective way to induce lipolysis, particularly if you’re fasting.

When you’re in ketosis and you haven’t eaten recently, your body breaks down your fat stores into free fatty acids, which it then converts to ketones for fuel. That means that, in theory, you should be able to supercharge your detox (and fat loss) by dropping into nutritional ketosis.

The Bulletproof Diet puts you into mild ketosis, which curbs your hunger and sharpens your brain without forcing you to forego carbs entirely. If you want to try nutritional ketosis for detoxing, you’ll have to modify the Bulletproof Diet slightly. Skip carb reefed days for a couple weeks and limit carbs to ~30-50 grams per day. You can use keto urine strips or – even better – a blood ketone meter to test and make sure you’re becoming fat-adapted. Once your levels read around 1.5 mg/dL, you’re comfortably in nutritional ketosis. At that point, fasting will attack your fat stores and mobilize toxins, which you can mop up with activated charcoal or sweat out (or both).

7 detox methods_Chelation therapy

8) Chelation therapy for heavy metals

Chelation therapy is the strongest way to detox heavy metals. It can also be dangerous, so many doctors don’t recommend it unless you have moderate to severe heavy metal poisoning. Chelation therapy uses compounds called chelators that form strong bonds with heavy metals, leaving them unable to further poison your body. Chelators mobilize the toxins, and you can either pass them normally or bind them up with adsorbents like activated charcoal. Chelation therapy is very effective for removing lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, iron, and copper.

If you’ve been exposed to a lot of heavy metals, talk to a functional medicine doctor about chelation therapy. You really want to go to a medical professional for this one, because it’s so effective that if your liver and kidneys aren’t able to process the metals (a common problem in people with heavy metal poisoning) you can get seriously ill.

7 detox methods_bottom

Bulletproof detox protocol

Each of these 8 methods works well on its own, and you can stack methods for an even greater effect. Exercise and sauna sessions are a good example. Preliminary evidence suggests that exercising and then hitting the sauna afterward will detoxify you better than either one alone does. With that in mind, here’s a sample detox protocol:

If you have a lot of fat and you’re burning it off quickly, you’re probably getting rid of a lot of toxins at once, and you may get a headache, digestive problems, brain fog, etc. If that happens try taking more glutathione, vitamin C, and charcoal. Be sure you take charcoal at least an hour away from other supplements, as it binds to vitamin C.

Toxins are a fact of modern life, especially if you live in a city or somewhere with poor air quality, mold, and/or a lot of petrochemical byproducts. These detox methods can give your body a little extra support dealing with pollutants and help you perform your best.

 

How To Hack Your Happiness

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The Dalai Lama famously said, “Happiness is not ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”

He was onto something. Happiness can feel out of your control (especially if you’re unhappy), but you actually have a lot more influence over your mood than you might think.

Bulletproof Radio podcast guest and bestselling author Gretchen Rubin explains that most people feel adequately happy, but there are simple things you can do to feel happier that are easy to achieve.

“Most people are pretty happy, but at the same time, there’s a lot of low hanging fruit. There are a lot of things that are well within our reach without spending a lot of time, energy or money that can make us happier. I think, why would you not do that if there are these fairly straightforward, easy, concrete, manageable things to do that are going to boost your happiness?” says Rubin.

With a few well-placed biohacks, you can take your happiness to new levels.

Subtypes of happiness

There are two major components of happiness:

  • Hedonia is pleasure, pure and simple. It’s a quick spike of enjoyment. Think sex, good conversation, an impulse buy, or a delicious meal.
  • Eudaimonia comes from meaning and purpose. Personal growth, self-acceptance, life goals, and deep friendships all contribute to eudaimonia.

Hedonia and eudaimonia feed into each other and add up to your overall happiness. You want both in the right amount. Hedonia is easy to come by and short-lived; too much of it can lead to addiction. Eudaimonia, on the other hand, takes a lot of work, and chasing your dreams without taking a minute to enjoy yourself can burn you out. Sustainable happiness comes from balancing pleasure and purpose. Let’s talk about how you can get plenty of both in your life.

Ways to create long-term, sustainable happiness

Exercise

8 Ways to Increase BDNF_Exercise Exercise improves just about everything, including mood. Moderate aerobic exercise makes you happier and more creative.[ref url=”http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/11427764″][ref url=”http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/31/3/240.full.pdf”] Strength training’s effect on happiness is less clear,[ref url=”http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ccp/55/5/748/”][ref url=”https://www.psychiatrist.com/JCP/article/Pages/2009/v70n06/v70n0602.aspx”] although there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that you’ll feel a lift in mood after hitting the weight room.

If you don’t want to break a sweat, you can always just walk. 10 days of power walking was enough to relieve symptoms in depressed people.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2465130/”]

Get angry

Nobody’s positive all the time. Sadness, anger, and other “negative” emotions are a part of life, and getting in touch with them can actually make you happier overall. A hallmark study of about 37,000 people found that greater emodiversity – the variety of emotions you express – correlates with greater happiness overall, even if you’re experiencing emotions like sadness, shame, and anger on a regular basis.[ref url=”http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/quoidbach%20et%20al%202014_9105d828-db78-49eb-b434-23f53cdba042.pdf”]

Some people are naturally in touch with their emotions, but if you tend to bottle things up, try this: the next time you feel like crying, let yourself. If someone makes you angry, let that person know. And on the flip side, if you’re feeling grateful or loving, express that too. The more aware you are of your emotions, the happier you’ll be.

Spend time with friends…and touch them more

hack your happy

Humans are the most social creatures on the planet,[ref url=”http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/quoidbach%20et%20al%202014_9105d828-db78-49eb-b434-23f53cdba042.pdf”] so it’s no surprise that the strength of your connection with others plays a tremendous role in how happy you are.http://science.sciencemag.org/content/317/5843/1344.long Social connectedness also decreases your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1693420/pdf/15347534.pdf”]

You know the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you hit it off with someone? That’s thanks to oxytocin, a hormone that increases trust, kindness, empathy, gratitude, and a cascade of other emotions, all of which contribute to your overall happiness.[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159102000739″][ref url=”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04504.x/abstract”] It also activates reward pathways in the brain, so you and the person you touch feel good.

Human touch, in particular, sparks huge oxytocin release,[ref url=”http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7042/full/nature03701.html”] making it one of the fastest ways to bond with people.

Unfortunately, interpersonal contact is rare these days. One of the downsides of technology is that it’s tough to give someone a hug through your phone. Non-sexual human contact is becoming less and less common, especially among friends and acquaintances. Here are a few workarounds:

  • Make it a goal to communicate via touch more. It can be as simple as a nudge on the arm or a high-five. You may get uncomfortable with intimacy at first, but it’ll start to feel natural quickly.
  • Take up a hobby that involves prolonged physical contact. Two superb options are jiu-jitsu and acro-yoga. As a bonus, both require trusting your partners, which is another happiness booster.[ref url=”http://www.psyneuen-journal.com/article/S0306-4530(13)00336-3/abstract”][ref url=”http://stat.psych.uiuc.edu/~ediener/Documents/Kesebir-Diener_2008.pdf”] Plus you’ll learn to use your body in badass new ways.
  • Get a dog. Pet owners are happier on average,[ref url=”http://stat.psych.uiuc.edu/~ediener/Documents/Kesebir-Diener_2008.pdf”] and a 2012 study found that when owners gave their dogs kisses both parties released oxytocin.[ref url=”http://happierhuman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/5.-Friends-With-Benefits-On-the-Positive-Consequences-of-Pet-Ownership.pdf”] Petting is good too, but don’t hug your dog; the feeling of being grabbed can stress a pooch out.[ref url=”https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eva_Hydbring_Sandberg/publication/231556739_Associations_between_the_Psychological_Characteristics_of_the_HumanDog_Relationship_and_Oxytocin_and_Cortisol_Levels/links/09e41506c34d5e52a4000000.pdf”]

Spend time with your friends and touch them more. It’s one of the best ways to make yourself happier.

Buy happiness (sort of)

Being rich isn’t enough to make you happy – lottery winners are no happier a year after collecting their jackpots,[ref url=”https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201604/the-data-says-dont-hug-the-dog”] and while people who earn more are happier to a point, the correlation dies off once you hit $75,000 in income.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/690806″]

“This is why people need gratitude practices because it’s very easy to forget how much it contributes to your happiness when you can write the rent check without worry,” says Rubin.

You can use money in ways that will bolster your happiness, though. The trick to buying happiness is spending your money well. Harvard researchers studied how to use money to maximize your happiness.[ref url=”http://www.pnas.org/content/107/38/16489.long”] Here are a couple of their conclusions:

Be generous

Spending money on others seems to be universally satisfying. Studies in the US and Uganda – two vastly different cultures – found that in both cases, spending extra money on a friend is more satisfying than spending it on yourself.[ref url=”http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/danielgilbert/files/if-money-doesnt-make-you-happy.nov-12-20101.pdf”] A brain-imaging study from 2007 revealed that generosity in the form of gift-giving also lights up the reward center of your brain.[ref url=”https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-104-4-635.pdf”]

If you want to turn generosity into a habit, set aside a percentage of your paycheck to spend on other people. It doesn’t have to be much – 5% is a good number. What’s important is getting in the habit of spreading the love.

Buy experiences, not things

The Bulletproof Exercise Roadmap_hiking_what counts as exercise A new pair of shoes may give you brief pleasure (hedonia), but in the long run you won’t get satisfaction (eudaimonia) from buying material goods. The study’s authors put it well:

“After devoting days to selecting the perfect hardwood floor to install in a new condo, homebuyers find their once beloved Brazilian cherry floors quickly become nothing more than the unnoticed ground beneath their feet. In contrast, their memory of seeing a baby cheetah at dawn on an African safari continues to provide delight.”[ref url=”http://www.pnas.org/content/107/38/16489.long”]

Spend your hard-earned cash on experiences. Join a class. Book a trip. Try a crazy new biohack. Take a friend out to dinner. View money as a tool to fuel your passions instead of a way to accumulate things. You’ll get more out of it that way.

Have fun

This one seems obvious, but it’s all too easy to get caught up in adult life and forget to enjoy yourself. Work and other obligations can pile up quickly, and they’re important, but if you don’t balance them they can dominate your life and burn you out. Take a hint from your childhood self and play every day.

Relaxing is as important as working, and one feeds into the other: having fun makes you about 12% more productive at work.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569866″] Cook, read, dance, run around with your kids, or just kick back and watch some TV. Whatever it is you like to do, make time for yourself to do it, and don’t let obligations get in the way. As author Marthe Troly-Curtin said, “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

Practice gratitude

Gratitude is one of the strongest predictors of happiness. In a 2003 study, participants wrote down things for which they were grateful at the end of every day, things that annoyed them, or neutral things. After two weeks, the grateful participants were happier, more positive, more socially courageous, more likely to help others, and more emotionally open.[ref url=”http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/eproto/workingpapers/happinessproductivity.pdf”] They even slept better.

It seems so simple, but gratitude is seriously powerful. Take a minute before bed to think about the good things in your life and the positive moments in your day.

Bonus tip: have your kids list three gratitudes before bed. Seriously. Try it for the next week. The results may surprise you.

Boost your mood with supplements

Hyaluronic Acid supps_Best hyaluronic acid supplements Supplements can make you happier, too. Here are four supplements that improve mood:

5-HTP

5-HTP is what your body naturally makes from the amino acid tryptophan. From there, 5-HTP is converted into serotonin and melatonin. You know serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for boosting mood and emotional well being – all while helping your body deal with stress? But your body can sometimes struggle with turning 5-HTP into that all-important happy neurotransmitter. Supplementing with 5-HTP — which readily crosses the blood-brain-barrier — is the easiest way to organically support your levels of the mood-lifting neurotransmitter serotonin.

Dose: 50 mg

Recommended brand: NOW Foods 5-HTP

L-tryptophan

Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates your mood. Prescription antidepressants like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) work by increasing serotonin. Tryptophan does the same, but much more weakly. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have found that tryptophan can increase optimism and reverse mild depression.[ref url=”http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/pdfs/GratitudePDFs/6Emmons-BlessingsBurdens.pdf”][ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7156248″] Tryptophan also improves sleep quality and combats stress.

NOTE: If you’re on any kind of antidepressant, talk to a doctor before taking tryptophan. The two stack with each other, which can be dangerous.

Dose: 1000-2000 mg/day

Recommended Brand: Jarrow Formulas L-tryptophan

St. John’s Wort

St. John’s wort is another way to boost your serotonin and, in turn, your mood. Several meta-analyses have found that it can reverse mild to moderate depression, sometimes as effectively as prescription antidepressants.[ref url=”http://anp.sagepub.com/content/22/1/83.abstract”][ref url=”http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1048.html”]

St. John’s wort interacts with antidepressants and common ADHD drugs, and it can decrease the effectiveness of hormonal birth control, so again, talk to your doctor before trying it.

Dose: 300 mg/day, taken in the morning

Recommended Brand: Source Naturals St. John’s Wort

Modafinil (Provigil)

Modafinil is a potent nootropic that improves mood, as well as focus, motivation, and vigilance– all without causing withdrawal and with very low risk of dependence.[ref url=”http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=485215&resultclick=1#CONCLUSIONS”][ref url=”http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2015/020717s037s038lbl.pdf”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23065655″] You’ll need a prescription for modafinil. Doctors prescribe it for daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and off-label for depression. You can read more about it here.

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D is one of the most important supplements you can take. It acts on over a thousand genes and helps balance your hormones. Many people are deficient, particularly in the winter, and low vitamin D correlates with depression.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4319252/”] Supplementing with it improves mood.[ref url=”http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/bjprcpsych/202/2/100.full.pdf”]

Dose: 1000 IU per 25 lbs. bodyweight, taken in the morning

Recommended Brand: Vitamins A-D-K (Vitamins A, D, and K work together to support bone, heart, and immune function.)

Happiness is contagious

Dry February With Friends Happy Happiness can be hacked, and with a little practice, you can turn it into a habit. Once you do it starts to spread. A 20-year-long study of 4700 people found that how happy you are depends on the happiness of the people you interact with most.[ref url=”http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/bjprcpsych/202/2/100.full.pdf”] Find good friends, connect with them, and build a network based on love and gratitude. It sounds a little clichéd, but it can change your life.

 

Eat These Foods for Radiant Skin

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It turns out, the secret to fighting the effects of aging isn’t in applying expensive creams, but in the foods that you eat. Specifically, eating a healthy diet can help keep skin radiant and youthful.

Who doesn’t want a healthy and youthful complexion? Many will attempt to achieve it through absorbing more sun at the beach, but it’s not the most effective method. Getting more natural sunlight does help your body produce the vitamin D you need. But, too much of a good thing puts undue stress on your cells, to the point where you look older than you are. Even small amounts of sun every day add up, causing oxidative stress, cell damage, dark spots and, yes, even wrinkles. Even worse, the damage can have long-lasting effects on your skin. So once you’ve gotten your daily 20-minute quota of sun for vitamin D, be sure to apply non-toxic sunscreen.

Besides, the real secret to youthful skin is not under a sun lamp, but at the farmer’s market. A nutrient-dense diet with plenty of micronutrients, carotenoids and polyphenols will give your skin that healthy, rosy radiance without wrinkles and cancer.

Here are a few ways you can eat your way to better skin:

Collagen

Which foods you can find it in:

  • Homemade bone broth
  • Tougher cuts of meat cooked low and slow
  • Organ meats
  • Hydrolyzed collagen

Collagen is in every cell in your body – in membranes, ligaments, fingernails, and more. Collagen strengthens your skin and makes it more plump and firm.

Knowing the structural role collagen has in the skin, people are starting to seek collagen-rich food for skin health: by simmering bone broth, making gelatin desserts, and blending collagen powder into their morning Bulletproof Coffee.

Beauty products that boost collagen production help, but supplementing your diet ensures your body has what it needs for collagen production and repair. Your body prioritizes which cells get fed first, and since hair, skin, and nails are lowest on the totem pole, they suffer the most when your body isn’t getting enough collagen.

That’s why supplementing collagen helps keep skin sagging and wrinkles at bay, especially as you age. Not only does collagen production drop as you get older, daily environmental aggressors like UV light and pollution also interfere with collagen production.

If that sounds like an uphill battle, don’t fret. Collagen supplements provide all the building blocks your body needs to make more. Powdered supplements taste like nothing at all, they’re easy to mix, and they add a healthy dose of all of the skin-friendly amino acids that not many of us get enough of in the Western diet.

You can also get collagen in homemade bone broth (not the saltwater from the store) and organ meats, but there’s no consistency in the amount of collagen you get from your ingredients.

Science says it works. Supplementing collagen thickened the collagen fibrils (nerd speak for scaffolding) in animal skin. [1][2]

Humans experienced the same benefits. Researchers measured significant increases in collagen and elastin (the stuff that keeps skin bouncy) after two months of collagen supplementation. [3]

Vitamin C

How to get it:

  • Deeply colored vegetables
  • Lemons, limes and other low-fructose citrus fruits
  • L-ascorbic acid supplements

Vitamin C helps you make new collagen when it has the right amino acids from your diet and/or collagen supplement. Vitamin C is so important that you can’t make collagen without it. [4] [5]

Vitamin C-rich foods like leafy greens, citrus, red pepper, and cruciferous vegetables protect your cells from sun overexposure and cut down on inflammation in the skin.[6] Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects your skin from free radicals you encounter just by going about your day. [7]Free radicals, FYI, are major skin-agers, so guarding against them is key.

Carotenoids

How to get them:

  • Bright yellow-orange vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, squash)
  • Wild-caught salmon
  • Carotenoid complex supplements

A nutrient-dense diet goes a long way in enhancing your attractiveness.[8] Among the many skin-happy nutrients in vegetables are carotenoids, the plant pigments in bright yellow, orange, and red vegetables. They protect the plant by neutralizing free radicals, and they do the same for people who eat them.

We can’t see what carotenoid-rich vegetables are doing on the inside, but we can see what getting more of them does to our complexion. Eating more foods rich in carotenoids gives skin a rosy hue that people perceive as more healthful and attractive.[9] [10]

Lycopene, found in asparagus and red cabbage, is a red-hued carotene that protects your skin from sun damage and promotes healthy mitochondria in your skin. Mitochondria keep cells functioning as they should, and tired mitochondria make tired-looking skin.[11]

Glutathione

  • Whey protein gives your body the building blocks to make it
  • Glutathione supplements

We get antioxidants like carotenoids by eating them, but your body makes some on board, including glutathione. Glutathione has profound effects on skin. Scientists found reduced levels of glutathione in people with acne, compared to those who don’t have acne. You don’t make as much glutathione starting around age 20, so if you’re dealing with adult acne, you might want to consider boosting your glutathione. [12]

Where to find glutathione-rich food for skin health? Undenatured, grass-fed whey protein provides the building blocks your body needs to make glutathione. Or, you can take a glutathione supplement.

Polyphenols

  • Herbs
  • High-quality chocolate
  • Clean coffee
  • Polyphenol supplements

Polyphenols are compounds in highly pigmented plants. Resveratrol is the polyphenol that gets all the press because it’s in wine. Because of this, doctors started saying red wine is good for you. Red wine has some resveratrol, but it doesn’t have the highest polyphenol dose you can get.

The best way to get your polyphenols is to eat your veggies and cook with herbs. All vegetables contain polyphenols and ounce-for-ounce herbs are packed with them.[13]

Polyphenols scavenge free radicals and prevent them from damaging your cells. They protect against the signs of photoaging (i.e. sun spots and wrinkles),[14] [15] and they increase circulation[16]  which makes your skin appear more rosy and awake.

The best polyphenol-rich food for your skin: Dark green and purple veggies are packed with them. High-quality, high-cacao chocolate is one of the tastiest and richest sources of polyphenols around.

Caffeine

Most of us don’t think of coffee as a beauty food. However, key ingredients make it a good-for-skin food. Coffee contains massive amounts of polyphenols and a lot of the benefits overlap with resveratrol, plus it has caffeine. Caffeine cuts down on inflammation, boosts circulation, repairs DNA, soothes sun damage and reduces redness from irritation.[17]  You can get a dose of caffeine and polyphenols as soon as you wake up with a cup of Bulletproof Coffee. Get the recipe here.

All of the best foods for skin laid out above are cornerstones of The Bulletproof Diet. It makes you lose weight, think more clearly, and gives you steady energy. As a bonus, veggies, quality protein and caffeine smooth and tone your complexion, too. Besides, having energy and great skin from nutritious foods makes you feel confident, which is the most attractive feature of all.

REFERENCES

Hack Your Sex Drive With Maca Root

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Maca is an interesting little root. The Peruvian plant only grows in the most inhospitable parts of the Andes, yet it’s becoming popular worldwide as an aphrodisiac and fertility booster. It also has a decent nutritional profile — it’s a good source of vitamin C, iron, potassium, and copper, and it has a fair amount of B vitamins. Maca comes in several shades, and the darker roots are high in tough-to-find iodine.

Maca’s earthy butterscotch taste means it pairs nicely with chocolate and disappears into smoothies. There’s been a decent amount of research on maca for sex drive and libido, with interesting results. Here’s a closer look at what maca root does, along with a few thoughts on when and how to eat it.

Maca may boost sex drive…we’re just not sure why

Hack Your Sex Drive with Maca_Maca may boost sex drive Unlike powdered rhinoceros horn, dried tiger penis, and most other traditional aphrodisiacs, maca actually seems to work. There’s some evidence to back up claims of its sex-enhancing properties. Here’s what the science says about maca.

Scientific studies on maca root

lab tests_Check your vitamin D levels In a double-blind 2002 study, researchers gave 57 men either 1.5g maca, 3g maca, or placebo. The men received the supplements daily for 12 weeks. After 8 weeks, men in the two maca groups reported heightened sexual desire.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12472620″]

Another study looked at 20 depressed men on SSRIs – antidepressants that often decrease sex drive – and found that 3g of maca daily significantly increased self-reported libido, although 1.5g of maca did not.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18801111″] A similar study looking at 45 women on antidepressants found maca had the same effect.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25954318″]

A fourth study of 8 endurance athletes found that maca extract (the equivalent of 10g/day maca) increased self-reported sexual desire (though it did not improve endurance training).[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19781622″]

These studies were small and they relied on self-reporting. That said, they were also all double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomized, and each one showed the same pattern of results: maca increased libido. Add in a 2001 study showing that both 1.5g and 3g of daily maca increased sperm count and sperm motility,[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11753476″] plus another one showing that it improved erectile dysfunction,[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19260845″] and it seems like there may be something to the claim that maca is an aphrodisiac.

What makes maca so interesting is that we still don’t understand why it increases sex drive. Sex drive usually links to sex hormones, though with maca that doesn’t seem to be the case. Researchers have measured testosterone and estrogen levels of people taking maca and found no changes, even when the participants reported increased libido.[ref url=”[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12472620″]”]

Maca root side effects

There aren’t many side effects when taking maca root, and you can easily avoid them if you know how to take maca root. Here are a couple potential side effects and how to avoid them.

Brain fog and sluggishness

Hack Your Sex Drive with Maca_Maca gets moldy Maca root gets moldy. Traditionally, Peruvians dry maca root and crush it into a powder. Dried maca powder is what you’ll typically find in health food stores as well. The trouble is that maca often grows mold during the drying process, and the resulting powder often contains aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen. Maca was on the drawing board as a Bulletproof product for a while, but it was difficult to find a pure source; even the highest quality maca root contained about 13 ppb aflatoxin. That’s not up to Bulletproof standards.

If you buy maca, get it from a high-end brand, and if you take it and you feel sick or foggy afterward, consider that your discomfort could be due to a moldy batch and not maca root itself.

How to avoid ingesting mold toxins in maca root

There are two options that will reduce your mold exposure when taking maca:

  1. Buy whole maca root and soak it overnight to wash away some of the mold toxins.
  2. Opt for an extract or tincture instead of a powder. Extracts are made by soaking the fresh root in alcohol for a few weeks, and molds aren’t able to grow.

Another maca side effect: thyroid problems

5 Reasons Why You Arent Getting Pregnant_Your thyroid is out of whack While maca looks and tastes like a root, it’s actually a cruciferous vegetable, which is the same category as cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and other members of the Brassica family. And like other cruciferous veggies, maca contains goitrogens, anti-nutrients that disrupt thyroid hormones. There are two ways to reduce goitrogens in maca root.

1. Cook whole maca

While goitrogens are bad news, they don’t stand up to heat well. That means you should always cook your maca (and your cauliflower, kale, cabbage, etc.). If you find maca root whole, you can bake or boil it and then make it into a mash, the way you would prepare potatoes.

2. Choose gelatanized maca powder

If you buy powdered maca, skip the raw variety and instead go for gelatinized maca. Despite its name, gelatinized maca isn’t gelatinous. It’s still a powder, and it will still mix into most dishes well; the gelatinization process just removes antinutrients, proteins, and starches. It seems to leave maca’s aphrodisiac properties intact.

How to use maca powder

Bulletproof – How To Treat and Prevent Runners Knee_Add a collagen protein powder to your supplement regimen Maca has a malty, nutty, slightly sweet flavor that pairs well with chocolate and vanilla, so it’s a great addition to smoothies or protein shakes. You could even spoon some into your morning coffee, although the high starch content may take you out of ketosis. However you take it, be sure your maca’s cooked, and get the high-quality stuff to avoid mold toxins as much as possible.

Maca powder dosage

Creatine supplements on table To use maca powder, mix one teaspoon, which is roughly 5g, into your smoothie or protein shake.

You can also get powdered maca in capsule form, which will be measured for you. Capsule sizes differ, so follow the package directions.

Scientists gave test participants 3g of maca a day for three months with no adverse effects. Plus, only potatoes and maca are able to grow in the highlands of Peru, so the locals eat a serving or more almost every day. It’s generally safe as a food and as an herbal supplement.

Do you have a favorite brand of maca? Have you felt any effects from taking it?

 

Can Borrowing Athletes’ Gut Bacteria Make You More Athletic?

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Researchers have identified a strain of bacteria that enhances the performance of endurance athletes.[ref url=”https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0485-4″]

The scientists collected and analyzed stool samples from Boston Marathon runners the week leading up to the race and the week following the event. After the race, researchers measured a substantial increase in a particular bacteria genus called Veillonella.

Veillonella breaks down lactic acid, which is a compound that your muscles produce during exercise. The most noticeable indication that you have lactic acid buildup is that your muscles feel sore and tired. The bacteria converts lactic acid into propionate, a short-chain fatty acid that increases exercise capacity.

Imagine having a bug that gobbles up your muscle soreness as it builds, then turns it into energy — that’s essentially what Veillonella does in athletes’ bodies. It’s self-perpetuating. The more you exercise, the more lactic acid your muscles produce for Veillonella to feed on. If you set out the buffet for them, they’ll reproduce, and more bacteria will be available to break down your lactic acid faster.

The researchers took it a step further and wanted to know whether they could increase the endurance of mice by giving them a poop transplant. As expected, it increased the rodents’ treadmill run time.

Poop transplant? Before you gag… Doctors have already been using fecal transplants in humans as an effective treatment for a dangerous overgrowth of bacteria called clostridium difficile[ref url=”https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/1108660″][ref url=”https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00365521.2012.672587″] and it is being investigated for other conditions. This particular research group intends to use this information to develop probiotic supplements targeted to athletes.

Your gut bacteria affect everything you do

Your gut bacteria are making you old_header Each person’s gut microbiome, the colonies of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that help you break down food and fight off disease, is more unique than your fingerprint and it changes every day — every meal, for that matter.

Your gut bacteria have a lot of say in how you show up in the world. You’re the boss of your gut, though. Here’s how to get your gut in balance so they can work for you, not against you.

What to do for a stronger gut

restless_leg_subhead_gut One of the best ways to influence your gut microbiome is to decide what you want to be, then become that:

  • To increase your exercise capacity, exercising will feed the good guys. You’ll get the most bang for your buck with high-intensity interval training over endurance training.
  • To be a person who craves healthy food, feed your gut bacteria healthy food and starve the strains that like sugar and junk. After a few days, your healthy-food-loving bacteria will turn on your cravings for healthy food.
  • If you want to be a low-stress person, start stress-management techniques like meditation shuts down the kitchen for the chemicals that feed stress-loving bacteria. Yes, your gut bacteria influence your mood, too.

 

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