The Health Expert: The One Food (WE ALL EAT) That's Killing Us Slowly: Max Lugavere | E223

The video is about the health expert Max Lugavere discussing the negative effects of consuming too much added sugar and the controversy surrounding meat in our diet, as well as his personal motivation to help people live healthier lives.

The video features an interview with Max Lugavere, a brain food expert and author of the book "Genius Foods". Lugavere discusses the harmful effects of sugar on the body and how our evolutionary history makes it difficult to resist overeating. He also challenges the belief that red meat is unhealthy and argues that animal products contain nutrients that support good mental health. Lugavere's passion for health and nutrition stems from his personal experience of losing his mother to illness, which motivated him to learn as much as he could about health and share his knowledge with others.

• The average adult consumes 77 grams of added sugar daily, leading to negative health effects.
• Overconsumption of sugar is a result of millions of years of evolution.
• Reducing added sugar intake is possible through small dietary changes and awareness of hidden sources.
• Red meat is not as harmful as previously thought and contains nutrients supportive of mental health.
• Individual factors should be considered when making dietary choices.
• Personal experiences motivate the speaker to help people live healthier lives.
• Food is powerful and can be used as medicine.
• Preventing dementia is possible through lifestyle changes.
• Added sugar is hidden in many processed foods and should be minimized or avoided.

The Health Expert: The One Food (WE ALL EAT) That's Killing Us Slowly: Max Lugavere | E223 - YouTube

The Negative Effects of Consuming Too Much Added Sugar

• The average adult today is consuming 77 grams of added sugar every day, which is almost 20 teaspoons.
• We are designed to overconsume sugar, which means we are fighting against millions of years of evolution.
• Consuming too much added sugar can lead to negative health effects, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
• Reducing added sugar intake can be challenging, but it is possible by making small changes to our diet and being mindful of the foods we eat.
• It is important to be aware of hidden sources of added sugar, such as in processed foods and drinks.

The Controversy Surrounding Meat in Our Diet

• Red meat is not associated with the health problems we've been told for decades.
• Animal products contain nutrients that are supportive of good mental health.
• Studies have shown that vegan diets put people at increased risk for depression.
• There is controversy surrounding the role of meat in our diet, and some people try to censor discussions about it.
• It is important to consider individual factors, such as genetics and lifestyle, when making dietary choices.

Personal Motivation to Help People Live Healthier Lives

• The speaker's mother was very ill from a young age, which was traumatic for him.
• He lost his mother to illness, which was a call to action for him to learn as much as he could about health and nutrition.
• His mission in life is to help people feel better, live longer, and live healthier.
• He considers himself a health and science journalist with a point of view, as well as a filmmaker, podcaster, and author.
• He wants to help people avert the kinds of conditions his mother struggled with for so many years.

The Health Expert: The One Food (WE ALL EAT) That's Killing Us Slowly: Max Lugavere | E223 - YouTube

The Fragility of Life and the Power of Food

• The speaker's mother's illness showed him how fragile life is.
• Food is powerful and can be used as medicine.
• The speaker is passionate about helping people live healthier lives because of his personal experiences.
• He believes that we have incredible agency to change our destiny and the way we age.
• He wants to share his knowledge with anyone who will listen to help them live healthier lives.

Max Lugavere's Personal Motivation

• Max's mother was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative condition
• He researched Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease to understand her condition
• Max left no stone unturned in his research, reading medical literature, books, and watching TED Talks
• He reached out to experts and actual scientists to ask questions
• Max's mission is to understand all he can about these conditions

The Importance of Preventing Dementia

• Many people ask "why me?" when diagnosed with a condition, but these conditions take years or decades to develop
• Modern society is being saddled with conditions that are preventable
• We have the agency to change our destiny and the way we age
• Max is obsessed with understanding how to prevent dementia
• He believes that we can change our destiny by making lifestyle changes

The Negative Effects of Sugar

• Sugar is addictive and can lead to overconsumption
• Added sugar is found in many processed foods
• Consuming too much added sugar can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease
• Sugar can also lead to inflammation in the body
• Max recommends limiting added sugar intake to 25 grams per day

The Controversy Surrounding Meat in Our Diet

• There is controversy surrounding the role of meat in our diet
• Some studies suggest that red and processed meat can increase the risk of certain diseases
• However, meat can also be a good source of protein and other nutrients
• Max recommends choosing high-quality, grass-fed meat and limiting consumption to 3-4 servings per week
• He also recommends incorporating more plant-based foods into our diet

The Negative Effects of Added Sugar

• The biggest problem with sugar today is added sugar.
• Added sugar is not naturally found in food.
• Most ultra-processed foods have added sugar to make them hyper-palatable.
• Added sugar tends to over-consume and has inconvenient hormonal effects.
• One in two people in the US is trending towards obesity, and one in two people have some degree of glucose dysregulation.

The Insidiousness of Added Sugar

• Added sugar is hidden everywhere in the modern food supply.
• Consumption of added sugar is insidious, meaning it's just hidden everywhere.
• Commercial bread products, sauces, and sugar-sweetened coffee drinks all contain added sugar.
• The average adult today is consuming something like 77 grams of added sugar every single day.
• That's almost 20 teaspoons of pure sugar extracted from the food matrix.

The Evolutionary Basis for Overconsumption

• Our brains are still operating on version 1.0 of the operating system that told them to consume sweet and savory foods because we don't know when the next feast is going to be.
• Our brains and our palates are doing exactly what they're programmed to do.
• People tend to think that overconsumption of hyper-palatable foods is a moral failure, but it's not.
• Overconsumption of hyper-palatable foods is a result of millions of years of evolution.
• Added sugar tends to over-consume and has inconvenient hormonal effects.

The Importance of Moderation

• No single food can sway your health in any one direction, either towards health or towards disease.
• It's important to be mindful of all the many different places of added sugar in the modern food supply.
• Added sugar should be minimized if not altogether avoided.
• A little bit of added sugar here and there is not going to be a problem.
• Most people today have some degree of metabolic dysfunction, so added sugar really is something that ought to be minimized if not altogether avoided.

Sugar-free products

• Sugar-free products may use maltodextrin, which is essentially sugar but technically a complex carbohydrate.
• Manufacturers may also add fake fibers like chicory root fiber or tapioca starch fiber.
• The FDA is investigating whether these fibers actually act like fiber once in our bodies.
• Overconsumption of these fibers can cause digestive upset and bloating.
• Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols can also cause digestive issues if overconsumed.

Max Lugavere's diet regime

• Max Lugavere tries to minimize his consumption of ultra-processed foods.
• Unprocessed foods include meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruit.
• Minimally processed foods include ground beef and cooked food.
• Fruit smoothies are considered processed fruit.
• Ultra-processed foods are foods that cannot be made in your own kitchen and tend to be shelf-stable.

What are ultra-processed foods?

• Ultra-processed foods are foods that cannot be made in your own kitchen.
• They tend to be shelf-stable and have long shelf lives.
• They come in packages and have long ingredient lists with ingredients that you may not recognize.
• 60% of the calories consumed by the average person come from ultra-processed foods.
• The food industry has lied to consumers in the past and prioritized profit over consumer health.

The negative effects of consuming too much added sugar

• Consuming too much added sugar can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
• Sugar is addictive and can lead to cravings and overconsumption.
• Sugar can also cause inflammation in the body.
• Added sugar is found in many processed foods, including savory foods like bread and pasta sauce.
• It is important to read food labels and be aware of how much added sugar you are consuming.

Ultra Processed Foods

• Ultra processed foods are generally to be avoided as a screening tool.
• Not all individual food products that happen to be ultra processed are necessarily bad.
• Examples of some ultra processed foods that are actually quite good include whey protein, fat-free Greek yogurt, and dark chocolate.
• Food manufacturers are becoming wise to this and are now offering various high protein options that are shelf-stable.
• Most ultra processed products are bad and tend to be refined grain products packed with added sugar and excess sodium.

Ketogenic Diet

• The ketogenic diet is a very important diet to study and talk about from the standpoint of the brain.
• It's an important diet to talk about because it's been used to treat certain types of epilepsy for a hundred years.
• The ketogenic diet is the only diet that changes the biochemistry of the brain in a significant way.
• It provides an alternate fuel substrate to the brain which normally relies on glucose.
• The ketogenic diet is not necessarily needed for weight loss.

Controversy Surrounding Meat

• There is a lot of controversy surrounding meat in our diet.
• Some people believe that meat is bad for us and that we should avoid it.
• Others believe that meat is an important part of our diet and that we should eat it in moderation.
• There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
• It really depends on the individual and their specific health needs.

Personal Motivation

• Max Lugavere's personal motivation is to help people live healthier lives.
• He believes that the key to living a healthy life is to eat a diet that is rich in whole, unprocessed foods.
• He also believes that it's important to exercise regularly and get enough sleep.
• Max Lugavere is passionate about educating people on how to live healthier lives.
• He believes that by doing so, we can all live longer, happier, and more fulfilling lives.

The Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet

• The brain's ability to generate ATP from glucose is diminished in Alzheimer's disease by about 50 percent.
• The ketogenic diet provides an alternate fuel source for the brain.
• Studies have shown that the ketogenic diet seems to provide some degree of symptom improvement in Alzheimer's disease.
• Patients with Alzheimer's disease will actually start to develop a sweet tooth.
• Various ketogenic therapies like MCT oil or powder or exogenous ketone supplements can be useful in the setting of various types of mental illness.

The Controversy Surrounding Meat in Our Diet

• Eating fish is associated with reduced risk of dementia.
• Other forms of animal products like beef, chicken, and dairy are associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline.
• Animal products are the richest source of choline.
• Higher consumption of choline is associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline.
• Vegans and vegetarians may be putting themselves at increased risk of mental health problems and dementia because some of the important chemicals to avert those diseases are found in animal products like fish and eggs and meat.

The Negative Effects of Consuming Too Much Added Sugar

• Sugar in the diet does not cause type 2 diabetes, but overconsumption of calories and the overfilling of a person's fat silos that then causes fat to accumulate is part of the problem.
• For somebody with type 2 diabetes who has gotten to a point of glucose intolerance, being on a low carb diet might actually be a good therapeutic option.
• The average person does not need to be on a ketogenic diet for good health or to prevent dementia.
• Carbohydrates are part of the problem for somebody with type 2 diabetes, but that does not mean that carbohydrates caused the issue.

Max Lugavere's Personal Motivation to Help People Live Healthier Lives

• Max Lugavere's mother was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia at the age of 58.
• He became interested in the science of brain health and nutrition after his mother's diagnosis.
• He wrote a book called "Genius Foods" to help people optimize their brain health and prevent cognitive decline.
• He believes that the ketogenic diet is a powerful therapeutic diet that needs to be talked about more.
• He thinks that if you're talking about neurology and you're not also talking about the ketogenic diet, then you're doing a massive disservice to patients around the world.

Studies on Meat Consumption

• Observational studies show that consuming animal products is associated with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
• Red meat is not associated with health problems like cancer.
• Meat consumption on a low-quality diet (fast food) does not increase the risk of cancer.
• Consuming meat with fresh fruits and vegetables completely abolishes the risk of cancer.
• Healthy user bias is important to consider when studying meat consumption.

Controversy Surrounding Meat in Our Diet

• Early studies on meat consumption were of poor quality and sponsored by biased parties.
• It is easy to draw links between meat consumption and negative health outcomes at the population level.
• Most people who consume more meat tend to be more sedentary, smoke more, and eat more fast food.
• Healthy user bias is also present in the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Red meat eaters tend to consume it in the form of hot dogs, hamburgers, and other ultra-processed meat products.

Healthy Eating Habits

• Consuming quinoa is likely associated with robust health due to healthy user bias.
• People who consume quinoa are likely health-conscious and shop at Whole Foods and have gym memberships.
• It is important to consider diet quality when studying the effects of meat consumption.
• Meat is a nutritious food and a wonderful source of protein.
• Randomized controlled trials show no negative impact of red meat consumption on clinical outcomes.

Conclusion

• Observational studies show that consuming animal products is associated with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
• Red meat is not associated with health problems like cancer.
• Healthy user bias is important to consider when studying meat consumption.
• Consuming meat with fresh fruits and vegetables completely abolishes the risk of cancer.
• Meat is a nutritious food and a wonderful source of protein.

The Importance of Red Meat in a Balanced Diet

• Red meat is a wonderful source of many micronutrients that people tend to under consume today.
• Red meat is a great source of nutrients of concern like zinc, vitamin B12, and iron.
• Iron deficiency anemia is a real global problem, and red meat is the ultimate iron supplement.
• Red meat is an important part of a balanced diet and a highly nutritious part of a diet.
• Animal products tend to be our most nutrient-dense foods.

Clearing Out Your Kitchen

• Clear out all ultra-processed foods.
• Eliminate all sources of wheat and gluten.
• Avoid sources of industrial-grade emulsifiers like polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose.
• These emulsifiers degrade the mucosa, which is a really important lining that separates the inner contents of our GI tract from the gut epithelial cells.
• Avoiding these emulsifiers is important because they have a profound inflammatory effect on the gut.

The Controversy Surrounding Meat in Our Diet

• Red meat is an important part of a balanced diet, but some people think that a high meat diet or even a carnivore diet is necessary.
• Animal products tend to be our most nutrient-dense foods, with the exception of dark leafy greens.
• Red meat and animal products in general are highly nutritious and an important part of a balanced diet.
• Some people believe that a low meat diet is better for health, but there is no evidence to support this claim.
• It's important to consume a variety of foods, including animal products, to ensure that we get all the nutrients we need.

Personal Motivation to Help People Live Healthier Lives

• Max Lugavere is passionate about helping people live healthier lives.
• His mother was a vegetarian, and he believes that her low meat diet may have contributed to her illness.
• He doesn't advocate for a high meat diet or a carnivore diet, but he believes that animal products are an important part of a balanced diet.
• He is unapologetic in his endorsement of animal products because they are highly nutritious and tend to be our most nutrient-dense foods.
• He believes that it's important to educate people about the importance of a balanced diet and to help them make healthier choices.

The Negative Effects of Fruit Juice

• Fruit juice contains a lot of sugar, even from just one glass of orange juice.
• Whole fruit is self-limiting and slows down the speed at which you eat.
• Chewing whole fruit leaves large particles that take longer to digest.
• The fiber in whole fruit slows down the transit of sugar and blunts the blood sugar spike.
• Drinking fruit juice is easier to consume a lot of fruit sugar in a short amount of time.

Why Pringles are Addictive

• Pringles are ultra-processed and minimally satiating.
• Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, and Pringles lack protein.
• Increasing protein consumption can help with hunger pangs and ultimately reduce carb and fat intake.
• Carbs and fat are essentially energy, while protein has many roles in the body.
• Low-fat diets can lead to lower testosterone levels and hinder hormone production.

The Importance of Protein

• Protein is the most satiating macronutrient and important for nourishing musculature.
• Increasing protein consumption can help reduce carb and fat intake.
• Protein has many roles in the body, including creating neurotransmitters and rebuilding muscle tissue, bones, and ligaments.
• Carbs and fat are essentially energy, while protein is difficult for the body to store.
• There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate, but they are important for optimizing hormones and exercise performance.

The Role of Fat in the Body

• Fat is energy and has a minimal daily requirement for essential fats.
• Higher fat can support energy and hormone production.
• Fat facilitates the absorption of important fat-soluble nutrients.
• Low-fat diets can hinder hormone production and lead to lower testosterone levels.
• Carbs and fat are essentially energy, while protein has many roles in the body.

The Negative Effects of Ultra Processed Foods

• Ultra processed foods lack nutrients like vitamins and plant compounds.
• Carbohydrates and fat are easily stored by the body, making them less satiating than protein.
• Ultra processed foods are often devoid of fiber, which slows digestion and makes us feel more satiated.
• Ultra processed foods are designed for shelf stability, which means they lack hydration.
• Protein, fiber, and hydration are all lacking in ultra processed foods like Pringles.

The Importance of Prioritizing Protein and Fiber

• Prioritizing protein and fiber in our diets can aid in weight loss.
• Water is the number one enemy of shelf stability, so ultra processed foods lack hydration.
• Hunter-gatherers obtained hydration from food sources like fruits, vegetables, and animal products.
• When we feel hungry, we may actually be thirsty and in need of hydration.
• Prioritizing protein, fiber, and hydration can help us feel more satiated and prevent overeating.

The Difference Between Health Span and Lifespan

• Health span refers to the amount of time we spend in good health, while lifespan refers to our overall length of life.
• Modern medical advances have allowed us to live longer, but we are also spending more of our later years sick and burdened with chronic disease and disability.
• Lengthening our health span is crucially important in preventing chronic disease and disability.
• Eating a healthy diet, exercising, and staying socially connected can all help lengthen our health span.
• Many people today only think in terms of lifespan, but it is important to prioritize our health span as well.

Airbnb Sponsorship Announcement

• The podcast has a new sponsor, Airbnb.
• Airbnb offers both guest and supply-side options for users.
• The host side of Airbnb allows individuals to create a revenue stream from their living space.
• Details about the supply-side of Airbnb will be shared in future episodes.
• The host side of Airbnb has been used by the podcast host for over a decade.

The Role of Diet in Mental Health

• Mental health is highly responsive to our environment, including our diet.
• Vegan and vegetarian diets, particularly vegan diets, put people at increased risk for depression.
• Animal products contain nutrients that are supportive of good mental health, such as zinc, vitamin B12, and folate.
• Low folate consumption is associated with depression.
• Whole food dietary patterns, such as Mediterranean diets, are beneficial for mental health.
• The SMILES trial used a Whole Foods diet to treat major depression and saw a three-fold increase in remission compared to standard care.

The Controversy Surrounding Meat in Our Diet

• Observational studies show that not consuming the nationally recommended three to four servings of red meat per week puts women at twice the risk of developing major depression.
• Red meat contains nutrients that directly support the brain, such as zinc, vitamin B12, and folate.
• Animal products, such as eggs and fatty fish, are also important sources of nutrients for mental health.
• A whole food dietary pattern, including both animal and plant products, is likely better than not.
• The SMILES trial used a Whole Foods diet that included red meat, fish, dark leafy greens, berries, olive oil, and eggs to treat major depression.
• Using diet as an intervention to improve symptoms is a growing field of nutritional psychiatry.

The Negative Effects of Consuming Too Much Added Sugar

• Consuming too much added sugar is linked to an increased risk of chronic health conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
• Added sugar is found in many processed foods, such as soda, candy, and baked goods.
• Added sugar is often hidden in foods that are marketed as healthy, such as yogurt and granola bars.
• Consuming too much added sugar can lead to insulin resistance, which can cause inflammation and damage to the body's cells.
• Reducing added sugar intake can improve overall health and reduce the risk of chronic health conditions.
• Reading food labels and choosing whole foods over processed foods can help reduce added sugar intake.

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The Health Expert: The One Food (WE ALL EAT) That's Killing Us Slowly: Max Lugavere | E223 - YouTube