Diet Doctor Podcast

Most pharmacists spend their careers dispensing medications. But Graham Phillips saw that this path wasn’t helping people get better. So he gave up selling drugs and charted a course with a new company that helps people through low-carb lifestyles.

Protecting your brain may be one of the most important things for you to do in life. The good news is that it doesn't have to be that hard. Dr. Tommy Wood reviews the practical tips and scientific support for what you can do to protect your brain.

The time has come to not just treat type 2 diabetes, but to reverse it. Dr. Bhakti Paul shares her knowledge of how to do this, both as a patient and as a clinician. She also shares ideas about how to change the perception within the world of endocrinology.

It’s been another exciting and educational year at the Diet Doctor Podcast. Here’s a breakdown of our 10 favorite episodes of the year.

A new study scientifically defines the group of people whose LDL cholesterol rises dramatically after starting a low-carb diet — so-called lean mass hyper-responders. But what does this mean if you are in this group, and what does it mean for the broader topic of cholesterol? 

Which is better for you, traditional cardio or interval training? They both have a role in health and fitness. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of each with two leading experts. Plus, we’ll give you practical tips to improve your own exercise experience.

Exercise can play an essential role in a healthy lifestyle, even if it isn’t the most effective lever for weight loss. But should exercise be our primary health focus instead of weight loss? Professor Glen Gaesser says “yes.”

Ketogenic diets work well for weight loss and blood sugar control. Dr. Susan Wolver proves this to be true with her clinical work and her new paper documenting the benefits of her clinical program. Learn what this might mean for you.

Individual experience suggests ketogenic diets may be a powerful therapy for mental health conditions. Join my conversation with an international expert, psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer, as we discuss the current and future state of the field.

Intermittent fasting has become one of the hottest health trends. But not all fasting is the same. Three experts discuss the tips and tricks you need to know to increase the chance of a safe and effective fasting routine.

Could simply not eating for 14 hours each day improve your health? According to leading researcher, Dr. Satchin Panda, the answer is a resounding “yes”! Listen in as we explore the science behind the claim.

Does an elevated LDL cholesterol on low carb confer the same risk as an elevated LDL on a standard American diet? Thanks to Dave Feldman and his colleagues, we may learn the answer sooner rather than later.

Some authorities promote vegetable oils as a healthy food, but others see them as a clear danger to our health. How do we make sense of the disparate views? Our panel of experts weighs in and helps us put things in perspective.

DietDoctor.com is the largest and most popular low carb resource on the internet. We recently adapted our message according to the growing science supporting higher protein and somewhat lower fat intake. We explore the reasoning and the nuance behind this message with Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt.

According to some evidence, eating enough protein may be the key to solving our obesity epidemic. But if too little protein is harmful, does that mean more is usually better? The answer is not so clear, and it makes for a fascinating discussion!

Muscle tissue may be one of the most important and under-appreciated elements contributing to our long-term health. Stuart Phillips has dedicated his career to the science of building muscle. We explore what that means for your health and how that differs as you age.

Weight loss surgery is an effective treatment for obesity and metabolic disease. But is it right for you? We explore the risks, benefits, and alternatives to weight loss surgery with three well-known experts. We also explore how the surgery isn’t a stand-alone treatment. Nutritional and behavioral changes are crucial additions for long-term success. Here’s how you can succeed with long-term weight loss.

The processed food industry exploits your natural biology to make you crave more of its products, causing you to overeat and gain weight. This interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Michael Moss explores the problem of hyper-palatable food and what you can do about it.

Beef may not be the environmental villian it is made out to be. In this detailed and nuanced discussion, we explore a sustainable approach to raising meat that is more likely to help the environment and improve human health.

How much protein should you eat? According to Dr. Ted Naiman and his P:E Diet principles, it may be more than you think. Let’s dig in!

Protein may be the most important nutrient for health and weight loss. In this episode, we discuss the importance and practical aspects of eating enough protein with three of our experts at DietDoctor.com.

You can learn how your diet and lifestyle affect your health if you order the right tests! Kirsty Woods is an expert in metabolic testing. She explains how to use metabolic testing to improve your health.

This episode begins with the basics and covers everything you need to know about ketone testing. Join me for all the details.

They say "the eyes are the window to the soul." Well, literally speaking, the eyes are also the window to our blood vessels. And Dr. Ana Lorenzo takes advantage of that fact to help diagnose and treat people with type 2 diabetes.

It may seem strange for an eye doctor to treat diabetes, but Dr. Lorenzo is passionate about helping her patients. She doesn't let traditional job descriptions get in her way.

She shares some valuable lessons about screening for and treating the eye disease that often accompanies diabetes. Plus, she shares how her journey has taught her more about metabolic health than medical school did.

Living in Mexico City, Dr. Lorenzo has a native understanding of how important food is in the Mexican culture and how that can present barriers to adopting low-carb lifestyles. She shares tips that are sure to help all lovers of Mexican food stay low carb!

Low-carb diets are likely the best diet for controlling diabetes, and Dr. Mariels Glandt wants the world to know all about it. She also wants us to understand the role of metabolic health in the current COVID19 pandemic. These are lessons we can all learn from.

Dr. Jason Fung is well known for pioneering the use of fasting as a medical intervention to aid weight loss and treat diabetes. In his new book, The Cancer Code, Dr. Fung applies that same approach to cancer. His book takes a deep dive into the history of how medicine has understood and approached cancer.

Insulin resistance is killing us. Professor Ben Bikman wants you to know why that is and what we can do about it.

Gary Taubes is back, employing his strong investigative journalism skills to help us rethink weight loss and make a case for ketogenic diets. Join me for a fascinating interview about his new book, The Case for Keto.

It's a tragedy that's hard to imagine. One day you are as healthy as can be, and the next day you are paralyzed. In an instant, your entire life is turned upside down.

Dr. Glen House experienced that 30 years ago in a freak skiing accident. And he has transformed his life and now serves patients just like him. But now he has a new tool to help his patients — a ketogenic diet.

Dr. House has used a keto diet to reverse his metabolic disease and now is committed to helping others do the same. In addition, he's enthusiastic about research showing that ketones may have a protective effect for acute spinal cord injury or other neurologic trauma like strokes and traumatic brain injury.

This is a field without much in the way of effective treatments, so if the research continues to show the benefits of ketones, it could transform the entire field of neurologic recovery.

Here is Dr. House's amazing story and his hope for the future.

There's more than one way to lose weight. How does the director of a weight loss clinic decide the best path for each patient?

Dr. Sandra Palavecino encounters this decision every day. And although she can choose from medications, surgery, and calorie restriction, she frequently chooses low-carb diets as her first approach.

Her personal, professional, and scientific experience has shown her that the benefits of low-carb are unmatched by other modalities. Here is her story, and a glimpse behind the scenes at her clinic.

Dr. Casey Means is on a mission to help us understand more about our metabolic health and how our food choices impact it. She's at the forefront of promoting the use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), to help us see how different foods affect blood sugar, and more importantly, show us what we can do about it.

Dr. Means' interest in blood sugar doesn't stop with food. In this interview, we also discuss how sleep, stress, and other factors can affect a patient's blood sugar response.

If you're curious about how a CGM might help you learn about your metabolic health and help you take action to improve it, this is the episode for you.

It took him more than 30 years, but Dr. Jeremiah Eisenschenk was able to transform his lifestyle to lose weight an improve his health. Now he's helping his patients do the same and is spreading the message throughout his community.

As an obesity medicine and family medicine specialist in rural Minnesota, Dr. Eisenschenk has personal experiences that help him connect with his patients and guide them on their path to health. He practices what he preaches, intensifying his passion and efficacy when helping others.

Despite Dr. Eisenschenk's medical school training, he needed to be proactive and educate himself to complete his own health journey. He's now poised as one of the leaders promoting the importance of metabolic health and how to achieve it.

As a physician, Dr. Ian Lake broke free of dietary guidelines to treat his own type 1 diabetes and prove he could do better than standard care with a low-carb approach. Lake believes that we don't need carbs for energy and that fasting is not the same as starvation. To prove it, he organized and completed the Zero Five 100 project. Zero calories. Five days. 100 miles.

Will it be enough to change the paradigm of blood sugar management? That remains to be seen. But it's an amazing start!

Dr. Ethan Weiss is a preventive cardiologist who supports a low-carb and keto way of eating. That is remarkable in itself. But my admiration for him goes well beyond that simple fact. As a researcher and clinician, he is uniquely positioned to understand how science, specifically nutritional science, informs decisions doctors can and should make with patients.

He believes we need to separate emotion and science, and has been vocal about what he calls low-carb tribalism. Much of this centers around the controversy about the role LDL plays in heart disease. Could it be different for those following low-carb? Yes he says. But the bigger question is what do we do about it until we know for sure? I hope you appreciate his thought process and his approach to this question as much as I do.

Above it all, however, Ethan is a human playing his part to try to make the world a better place. Whether it is volunteering to fly across the country to work in a COVID ICU, or his honesty and vulnerability surrounding his daughter with albinism, Ethan sets an example how we should behave as human beings.

Can low-carb nutrition prevent severe COVID related illnesses? We don't have data on it, but according to ICU physician Dr. Kyeremanteng, it is certainly worth discussing. He believes one silver lining that may come from the COVID pandemic is the renewed focus on the risks of metabolic disease and associated obesity.

Dr. K sees nutrition as a powerful tool to prevent the most serious diseases that he regularly sees in the ICU. He brings his energy and passion to prevention, even while caring for critically ill patients.

He also has great tips for how low-carb patients in the hospital can communicate their nutrition preferences with their doctors.

Lastly, we discuss Dr. K's battle with racism and how he sees race impacting healthcare. His voice and his message show the critical importance of addressing racial disparities and helping everyone achieve better health.

Dr. Sanghani spent years training as a physician in endocrinology and diabetology. She knows everything about the expensive medications used to treat type 2 diabetes.

Now, Dr. Sanghani has made it her mission to get her patients off those medications, and instead use lifestyle therapies, including low-carb diets, to help them transform their health.

It's easy to cheer for her and wish her success on her journey with her patients.

Black Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic metabolic diseases. Dr. Tony Hampton has made it his mission to change that.

With his comprehensive lifestyle approach, he is making a profound impact in the underserved community where he works. Not only does he educate others, but he leads by example as well.

We all could use a caring and talented doctor like Dr. Hampton. With his voice and his advocacy, we hope to see his sweeping impact on the lives of the patients in his care who struggle with chronic diseases.

We hear the question all too often. Would the world be better off without meat? Whether it's our health, the environment, or ethical concerns, many are committed to eliminating meat production. But in truth, these arguments don't hold up under scrutiny.

As Diana Rodgers points out, there's a better way to think about it. We need animals. We need meat. But we can do it better. What if there was a way to raise livestock that reduced greenhouse gases? Or a system that improved soil quality and decreased outside inputs?

It turns out, there is.

Enter "regenerative agriculture."

Diana and her co-author, Robb Wolf, just released their book, Sacred Cow. She will release a documentary under the same title soon. In both the book and the film, she describes how regenerative agriculture is the key to sustainable farming, how it is ethical, and how it can save our health as well.

It's an important message we all need to hear.

What is the true impact of livestock on climate change, and will eating less meat significantly impact global warming? That is a topic of hot debate charged with emotion and ideology on both sides of the discussion. The end result is confusion as we try to answer the question, "What can I do to minimize my contributions to climate change?"

What we eat matters. And how and where we grow our food matters, too. Our discussion with Professor Mitloehner helps clarify these complex issues.

It's time to look back and celebrate! We've reached 50 episodes and four million views and downloads of the DietDoctor Podcast! I've enjoyed this journey as your host, and I hope we have helped deepen your understanding of all things low carb. And we hope we've helped make low carb simple, too.

In this special 50th anniversary podcast, I'll review our five most popular episodes, plus five of my favorite moments, with a couple of honorable mentions thrown in at the end.

I know I've grown and learned a lot over the past 50 episodes; I hope you have as well. We could never have made this podcast so successful without you, without our incredible guests, or without the amazing team here at DietDoctor. I am grateful to you all!

Now, please enjoy this look back, and a little glimpse ahead, as we embark on the next 50 episodes of the DietDoctor podcast.

Science is not always what it seems. And scientists don't always act the way they "should." In this episode with Professor Lucia Aronica, we learn a lot about both these statements.

We dissect the DIETFITS study, the largest study ever undertaken in personalized nutrition on low carb vs. low fat diets under the direction of Stanford Professor Christopher Gardner, PhD.

When DIETFITS was published it, was promoted as a "negative" study in that it showed healthy low-carb and healthy low-fat diets equally effective for weight loss, and found no correlation between an individual's baseline insulin secretion and their likelihood of weight loss success on either diet.

Lucia and I examine why the DIETFITS results may not be so negative after all. We also cover a variety of fascinating topics: the role of genetics and epigenetics in weight loss, societal gender stereotypes and how they can influence trial outcomes, how fasting is similar to ketosis, and even how scientists can and should behave more like children.

I hope you enjoy this discussion of both the art and science of improving our understanding of nutrition.

Few people have taken a personal and professional journey as remarkable as Dr. Tro's.

He's lost over 150 pounds (68 kilos), a personal experience that transformed his medical practice. Since then, he's helped thousands of people through his practice, his podcast, and his social media presence.

Yet, he's called a "zealot" and regularly endures strong criticism over social media. And he engages that criticism head on with a fervor that seems at odds with his easy-going personality.

In this interview, we explore why that is. We see how, at his core, his mission is to help and defend his patients.

We discuss calories in/calories out, the carbohydrate-insulin model, food addiction, and many practical aspects of how and why low-carb works for him and his patients. We also explore the limitations of our knowledge and what does or does not make him a low-carb zealot.

This is an engaging interview with a wonderful mix of personal journey, scientific exploration, and practical tips for everyone. You may see a side of Dr. Tro that you haven't seen before!

If you haven't seen the documentary Fat Fiction, I highly recommend that you watch it. It's a well-made, professionally produced film about how the U.S. dietary guidelines created an atmosphere that undoubtedly contributed to our current crisis of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

But the film also shows us what we can do about it. It provides a message of hope as it follows low-carb doctors and nutritionists, showing how they impact the lives of their patients.

Documentaries about nutrition are challenging to pull off. The director's decisions are critical: How much detail should be included on each topic? How much science should be highlighted? How much time should be spent on inspirational stories? And how should the film's point of view be balanced?

Jen and I discuss these topics and more in this engaging interview.

In this interview, we dissect the dietary guidelines from an angle many have not heard before, and we delve into topics where myths are widespread such as vegetable oils, gluconeogenesis and more.

Many people like catchy sound bites. Many like separating the world into "good" and "bad." Not Adele Hite. She has made it her mission to ensure we question dietary dogma, accept nothing at face value, and understand the science behind our beliefs. And, she keeps us focused on the implications of all this, too.

Warning: listening to this episode may open your eyes to a more careful interpretation of nutrition research!

You can't look at the world of ketone research without seeing the impact of Dr. D'Agostino. Dom is the leading authority of how ketogenic diets and exogenous ketones impact brain health and function.

In this brief interview, we learn about Dom's research interests, and the important details of of how ketones protect the brain and where their clinical potential may lie.

Although our interview was cut short, Dom packs in a wealth of information about how we can use ketones to maintain brain health.

The ability to drink your way to elevated ketone blood levels with exogenous ketones has opened a world of research about the impact of ketones on health and athletic performance.

While there is still much we don't know, Dr. Brianna Stubbs is at the forefront of this research. A former world champion rower, she is now a leader in the field of ketone research. After years studying the physical performance effects of endogenous and exogenous ketones, she is now the chief scientist at the Buck Institute, where she focuses on the health and longevity implications of ketones.

Can ketones make you a better athlete? Can they help you live longer? Is there a meaningful difference between a ketogenic diet and drinking exogenous ketones? These are the questions Dr. Stubbs addresses with her research. We'll explore them, and more, in this interview.

Cancer. The word no one wants to hear. A terrifying diagnosis with treatments aptly named "toxic" therapies.

Dr. Angela Poff is a leading researcher investigating revolutionary, non-toxic metabolic therapies for cancer. Ketones are a leading candidate for that role.

How do different types of cancer respond to ketones? How do different types of ketones affect cancer cells? The answers to these questions could revolutionize the way we treat one of the most feared and deadly diseases.

Both ketogenic diets and exogenous ketone therapy show tremendous promise, but the science is still mostly in the pre-clinical stage, meaning non-human studies. Dr. Poff is on the front lines of this important research, helping us make progress toward evidence-based answers.

What would you do if your four-year-old was diagnosed with brain cancer? Hopefully you will never need to find out. But Audra Wilford was not so lucky. She was confronted with this terrifying reality eight years ago.

Despite facing difficulties navigating the healthcare space and feeling a lack of control, Wilford was able to help her son by focusing on nutrition and lifestyle interventions in addition to advanced medical care.

Fortunately for all of us, she didn't stop there. Audra revels in giving back, so she created the Max Love Project, a non-profit dedicated to helping patients and their families learn about the therapeutic power of nutrition and lifestyle. The result just might change the mainstream approach to childhood diseases.

In today's episode, I discuss the science behind intermittent fasting and fasting-mimicking diets, also known as FMDs.

Do these two techniques achieve the same benefits? Is one better than the other? What does the science say, and what are the practical factors that impact choosing one or the other?

With intermittent fasting becoming more popular among healthcare practitioners, and with the availability of packaged fasting-mimicking diets, it's time to evaluate these two eating regimens, both from an objective and subjective perspective.

This episode is a break from our interview style — I'll take the mic for the whole show. But don't worry. We'll be back to our usual interview format in the next episode!

Dr. Brian Lenzkes is intelligent, humble, and inspiring. He's a wonderful role model for physicians, and is bullish on sharing his framework for patient care with other doctors.

Dr. Lenzkes, who was overweight and struggling with his own health issues, transformed his health by adopting a low-carb lifestyle three years ago. Now, he does the same for hundreds of patients in his practice and thousands of listeners who tune into his Low Carb MD podcast.

Dr. Lenzkes believes that, as doctors, we need to put our egos aside and do our best for our patients. And that includes acknowledging the power of low-carb lifestyles to improve or even reverse some chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes.

Please recommend this episode to your health care provider and help us educate them in the ways of low carb.

Protein is not the enemy. In fact, Dr. Naiman says it's hard to imagine anyone eating too much protein.

What about longevity, mTOR, and gluconeogenesis? Dr. Naiman says there is no evidence to suggest that these are concerns on a well formulated low-carb, high-protein diet. In fact, it's quite the opposite — he believes we need to worry about the risks of too little protein in our diets.

In addition, I think you'll enjoy hearing about Dr. Naiman's passion for efficient exercise. Although we may not all end up with his impressive physique after just 15 minutes of exercise, he shares his approach to helping his patients adopt a short, healthy life-long exercise routine.

Dr. Naiman's experience may not match the classic LCHF approach, but he sees success with his patients and wants to share that message.

Dr. Ben Bo has been practicing low carb lifestyles and slow high intensity resistance training since 1974, and his message is more prescient now more than ever. We have all heard that "you can't out run a bad diet." Dr. Ben says "Not so fast." He has a better way to exercise that does help with weight loss, metabolic health, and overall fitness. I know you will appreciate his perspective and his easy to do exercise program.

Dr. Hassina Kajee had what she thought was the perfect job caring for patients in an acute care ward in South Africa. After time, however, she realized she could have a much greater impact through nutrition and lifestyle. With that message, she joined the nUtrition network and was instrumental in bringing LCHF nutrition to thousands of underserved South Africans through the eat Better South Africa campaign. Her message of compassion and understanding is lesson for us all!

Dr. Kushner has dedicated his professional career to helping patients with type 1 diabetes. He has tremendous insight into the challenges patients have coping with a lifetime of type 1 diabetes, and over the years he has discovered that a LCHF diet is a powerful tool to help his young patients regain control of their disease, and dramatically improve their physical and mental health. If you know anyone with type 1 diabetes, this is an episode they need to hear. Please share it with those you care about as it could change their lives.

Few people on the planet have as much experience with helping patients using low carb lifestyle as Dr. Westman. He has been doing this for over 20 years, and he approaches this from both a research and clinical perspective. Through the years he has gained valuable insight about the clinical utility of low-carb lifestyles and the culture of low-carb academia. With this knowledge he has helped thousands of patients revitalize their heath and he wants to spread his message through satellite clinics across the country to reach as many people as possible. We should all jump at any chance to listen to Dr. Westman to gain a fragment of his vast knowledge and experience.

Why is insulin so important for us to control and why does a ketogenic diet help so many people? Professor Ben Bikman has been studying these questions in his lab at BYU for years and he is one of the foremost authorities on the subject. As you will see in this interview, he is also passionate about this topic. He describes the roles of insulin and glucagon, how protein intake affects them, the role of ketones as a metabolic actor, and of course the practical aspects of living low carb while being a father, a husband and a researcher.

Given a terminal diagnosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer at the young age of 19, Dr. Winters chose to fight. And fortunately for us all, she won. Now more than 20 years later she has helped thousands of patients battle with cancer with a unique approach that combines the best of allopathic and alternative care. She acknowledges that treating the cancer is important, but so is treating the person, and targeted lifestyle approaches can enhance cancer care, quality of life and even survival. Dr. Nasha is a force of nature with a passion and energy that are unmatched. She has already accomplished so much, and has her sights set much higher as you will hear in this interview.

Dr. Unwin was on the verge of retiring as a general practice physician in the UK. Then he found the power of low-carb nutrition and helped hundreds of patients in ways he never thought possible! As a result, he won the prestigious NHS Innovator of the Year award and was named one of the top ten most influential GPs in the UK.

Unwin continues to help patients dramatically improve their health through low-carb living. His story is an inspiration to physicians and patients alike. Dr. Unwin is leading the way to spread the message: there's a better way to achieve health.

Life changes can be hard. No question about that. But they don't always have to be. Sometimes you just need a little hope to get you started. Jen Unwin has decades of experience helping people change their ways to improve their lives. More recently, she has focused her attention to helping people succeed instituting low carb lifestyles. Know what to eat is one thing. Implementing it and sticking with it is an entirely different issue that involves our psyche and emotions as much as our glucose and insulin. Jen helps us see the challenges and potential solutions most of us face as we embark of our quest for healthy life changes.

Dr. Ken Berry wants us all to be aware that much of what our doctors say may be a lie. Maybe not an outright malicious lie, but much of what "we" believe in medicine can be traced back to word-of-mouth teachings without a scientific basis. In his book, "Lies My Doctor Told Me" he uncovers the most common of these misconceptions. He also shares his story how he learned the power of a ketogenic diet and how that has revolutionized his ability to help his patients. Dr. Berry has an open and honest approach and pulls no punches. That's one reason why he is always informative and entertaining!

They tried to silence him simply for trying to help his patients eat better and improve their health. Fortunately they failed. Now Dr. Fettke, along with his wife Belinda, has made it his mission to uncover the truth behind the anti-meat establishment and much of what he has discovered is shocking. He continues to work as an orthopdeic surgeon, but he sees a better way to helping those who are obese or suffer from diabetes- LCHF. Or as he calls it, real food nutrition. He is outspoken, witty and a true low carb hero.

It's no secret that health and nutrition is a polarizing topic with experts frequently disagreeing on the best path and the best evidence. Dr. Spencer Nadolsky is a bit of an anomaly as he openly wants to explore low carb nutrition, low fat nutrition, multiple forms of exercise, and use it all to help his individual patients. He is board certified in family medicine, obesity medicine, and is about to start his preventive medicine fellowship, It's clear his mission is to help people improve their health and improve their lives, and he believes we don't have to agree on one way to do it. He also has a particular interest in lipids and how they apply to low carb lifestyles, and is spearheading an effort to learn as much as we can about the unique physiology of Lean Mass Hyper Responders. I hope you will appreciate his approach, his willingness to defy being in a specific "camp" of practice, and his goal of helping us all improve our health.

Amy Berger from tuitnutrition.com has a perspective that benefit us all-- We don't have to go crazy trying to go keto. Amy has a no nonsense, practical approach that helps people see how they can get the benefits from keto without all the struggles. Based on the popularity of her Youtube channel, this message has struck a cord with many. If you are looking for a practical guide for how to use a ketogenic lifestyle as a tool to regain your health, Amy's message will definitely help you on your journey.

Professor David Diamond says you have been misled and deceived when it comes to LDL cholesterol and statins. But he isn't just going to tell you his opinion. He wants to show you the science. In his quest to set the record straight, he has been compared to "anti vaxers" and been called "dangerous." But the fascinating thing is that he is pointing out data that is in published, respected, peer-reviewed journals and showing a vastly different perspective than what we "know" about cholesterol and statins. In a world of pharma industry influence and a medical culture that isn't good at reevaluating its beliefs, it's important to have voices like Dr. Diamond's to help us realize the science is far from settled. Please remember, this is meant for educational purposes only and in no way constitutes medical advice. Please contact your physician before making any changes or medical decisions.

Dr. Cuaranta is one of only a handful of psychiatrists focusing on low carb nutrition and lifestyle interventions as a mean to help his patients with a variety of mental disorders. He has a refreshing approach, trying to keep his recommendations simple yet still making sure they are impactful. Psychiatric diseases carry with them an unfortunate stigma, and we all too often separate them from general medical conditions. Yet, as you will hear, the treatment is remarkably similar. Although there is not much scientific data in this field, the clinical experience is growing and becoming hard to ignore.

Alison Gannett has an amazing story to tell, and she is using that story to help people in their most desperate time. She went form winning championships as an extreme skier to facing her own mortality with brain cancer. Fortunately, 6 years later, she is thriving and now is an oncology diet coach to help people use a ketogenic diet as well as comprehensive lifestyle changes to augment other potential cancer therapies. Alison is a big believer in genetic and serial blood testing to inform her treatment protocols, and she understand the importance of individualization. We are likely all going to be touched by cancer at some point in our lives, either personally or through a loved one, so this episode applies to us all.

Robb Wolf was one of the pioneers of the popular paleo nutrition movement and one of the first Crossfit franchise owners. Thus, Robb is sometimes labeled as "The Paleo Guy". In reality, Robb has a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience helping people transform their health with ketogenic lifestyles. Yet Robb defies being put in any one box. He has knowledge on par with many functional medicine docs, anthropologists, biochemists and more. Hear his perspectives on carb and metabolic flexibility, the good and bad of using low carb for athletic performance, the politics of helping people and so much more.

If fasting has been around since the beginning of time, why is it so controversial? Dr. Jason Fung has a different perspective. When done right, fasting should not be controversial at all. In fact, it should be one of our most powerful tools for treating insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes. He also believes insulin resistance has an even further reaching impact on our health affecting our risk of cancer and our chance for longevity. As the foremost expert on fasting, Dr. Fung has a perspective we can all learn from.

It turns out, the brain and the body aren't that different when it comes to the risk of toxicity from too much glucose and carbohydrates. As a practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Georgia Ede has seen the benefits of reducing carbohydrate intake on the mental health of her patients. She shares her experience and the unfortunate reluctance of some to acknowledge this association. Georgia is also an expert in nutritional science, and she lends her take on incomplete and baseless reports such as the EAT-Lancet report. Is it science? Or is it vegan propaganda cloudy by faulty science? Georgia dissects the science and clearly shows how the report falls short of its "evidence based" claims.

Few people in this world have done more to unearth the fallacy and shoddy evidence behind our dietary guidelines than Nina Teicholz. Her book The Big Fat Surprise is one of the seminal books opening our eyes to the problems the dietary guidelines have caused and their complete lack of quality evidence. But Nina didn't stop there. As director of the Nutrition Coalition, Nina is spearheading the effort to make sure nutritional recommendations are based on quality science or aren't made at all. On the surface it makes sense that we would all agree on that. Yet there is no shortage of controversy and deception still happening and the 2020 guidelines committee may not help matters much. Hear Nina's perspective on this, plus some the advances we have made, and where we can find hope for the future.

Dr. Ryan Lowery has firmly established himself as one of the leading researchers and thought leaders in the field of ketogenic lifestyles. He has clinical experience and research spanning from athletic performance to longevity to neurocognitive disorders. His goal is to bridge the gap between academia, research, and practical individual implementation, and he does an amazing job of that. In this interview we continuously cycle between research and practical tips that everyone is sure to get something out of this discussion. We discuss optimal amounts of protein on a ketogenic diet, ketones for longevity, role of exogenous ketones, how to read the labels of synthetic ketogenic products and so much more.

Dr Robert Cywes is an expert at weight loss surgeries. But if it were up to him, he might not do any of them. His first step is always to help his patients break their addiction to carbohydrates. He still uses surgery in the right situation, but he is the first to admit that surgery without addressing the underling carbohydrate problem is destined to fail. His focus on emotional attachment, finding alternative to meet our emotional needs, and whole lifestyle intervention is a refreshing break from the "just have this surgery and everything gets better" approach. If you or a loved one is thinking about bariatric surgery or struggling with weight loss, this episode is for you.

Anyone who has tried to change a habit knows that it involves much more than knowing what to do. You also need to know how to do it - how to make the change and how to make it stick. Lauren Bartell Weiss has made it her job to help people understand this concept. With a PhD in Behavioral Nutrition, a background in nutritional research, and a clinical nutritional practice, Lauren has the knowledge, the passion and the experience to help people achieve their goals. In this interview she shares her experience in the research world, and more importantly, provides numerous take home points and strategies to help achieve meaningful lifestyle change.

Dan Scholnick once said, "It seems like every VC I know in Silicon Valley is on some kind of a low carb diet." Dan is no exception. Despite having the diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia, he decided to try his hand at a low carb diet after hearing a talk by Gary Taubes. Since then, Dan has experimented with numerous diets to see which work best for him, but he also has "put his money where his mouth is" by being an early investor in BulletProof Coffee. In this discussion we discuss his personal journey, as well as the role silicon valley plays in the emerging health and nutrition scene. For instance, how do they evaluate a company that produces a product we could all make on our own? And what does he think of the emerging trends of lab grown meat or hydroponic vegetables versus making current agriculture and farming practices more efficient? Dan has a unique perspective as patient, investor, and self described biohacker.

Dr. John Limansky is the Keto Hacking MD and a well known podcast host. He helps high performance clients use a ketogenic diet to improve their performance, their health and their lives. Plus, he helps them understand how to be an ultimate biohacker. What does biohacking really mean? Does it have to be a complicated intervention, or can it be a simple lifestyle change? Which of the numerous biohacking tools are really worth the investment? After listening to this episode, you will have clear answers to these questions and more.

The PURE study is one of the largest epidemiological studies in recent memory, and its findings seriously question the dietary guidelines around fat, carbohydrates and salt. In fact, the PURE study suggests that higher fat intake reduced mortality, that lower salt intake increases mortality, and it even shows us how LDL is a poor predictor of health outcomes. As an epidemiology study, how much faith can we place in the results, and how do these results fit into to our current knowledge base? Professor Mente helps us make sense of these questions and more.

The debate wages. Is a calorie just a calorie? Or is there something specifically dangerous about fructose and carbohydrate calories? To anyone who has experienced the benefits of a low carb lifestyle, the practical answer is obvious. But answering that question on a global scale and making meaningful changes to improve the health of millions of people is much more complex. That's where Dr. Robert Lustig comes in. As a pediatric endocrinologist who is now armed with a law degree, Dr. Lustig has made it his mission to fight our health crisis on the legal and policy front. It won't be easy, but after this interview, I for one am glad he the one leading the charge.

Peter Ballerstedt has the background and personality to help us bridge the knowledge gap between how we feed and raise our animals, and how we feed and raise ourselves. His fascinating story begins with understanding animal nutrition and food systems, but quickly transitioned to human nutrition as well after a personal health discovery. Since then, he has become a leading voice to promote a rational and science based approach to ruminant agriculture and how ruminants can save our human health crisis.

In the messy world of nutritional science, some researchers rise above the others in their attempt to produce high quality and useful data. Dr. Ludwig exemplifies that role. As a practicing pediatric endocrinologist, he has seen first hand the rise in obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and other previously rare complications in adolescents. As a result, he has made it his mission to help us better understand the role of calories, the importance of quality of calories, and the importance of the quality of the science we read. Is a calorie just a calorie? Why are so many scientific studies not helpful in answering this question, and what can we do about that? Dr. Ludwig answers these questions and more.