The Healthy Rebellion Radio

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is a weekly show featuring listener Q and A on all things diet and health. We dig into metabolic flexibility, body recomposition, resilient aging, circadian biology, gut health, low carb/keto/paleo diets and much more. Brought to you by New York Times bestselling author Robb Wolf and his wife Nicki Violetti (hubs and wife). Welcome to The Healthy Rebellion Radio.

Air Hunger, Pain Relief, Myocarditis and mRNA | THRR196 09/27/2024

Air Hunger, Pain Relief, Myocarditis and mRNA | THRR196 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Pain Relief for Rotator Cuff Injury Kat writes: Hello from Canada. Love your podcast. I've just found out Iikely have an injury/tear as mentioned above and am pending diagnostic tests. In the meantime, I've been prescribed Baclofen (Muscle relaxant) and an NSAID. Both are making me very ill to the point where I've pretty much stopped taking the meds as Baclofen is causing me to be very unstable on my legs, horribly nauseated, physically ill and feeling very groggy/sedated/intoxicated. The NSAID...I noticed lastnight I had some blood drip during an Ileostomy appliance change. I'm aware of the bowel bleed risks to myself with Crohn's and an ostomy, but after a bleed, more. As a result of choosing not to take these meds anymore, I am in excruciating agony and nothing is providing relief...hot baths, cold packs, hot packs. I cannot sleep for the agony. Every single movement/action excruciating to the point of wanting to scream. Is there a safer, easy remedy for the pain that I can try without requiring much use of my arm? Any suggestions are appreciated. Air Hunger and Keto Joe writes: Hello Robb and Nikki. I have a couple of questions: I have been chronically experiencing "air hunger" (feeling of inability to get a deep enough breath, rather than a shortness of breath) when following a ketogenic diet. Being insulin resistant, it is critical that I find a solution. My doctor pointed me to ph balance but offered no real solutions. I've since begun drinking alkaline water almost exclusively and it seems to have helped some, though not completely. I don't think this is just in my head, though my research yields a correlation with anxiety, which I do not have. Is this real thing or am I imagining things just because of my carb addiction? If it is real, any ideas how to combat it? Next question is about LMNT. Though I've been a user for quite a while, I tend have a rather explosive intestinal response soon after ingesting it. I've tried cutting back, which is fine when not following a ketogenic diet, but when on diet I really need it. Thoughts? Thanks! Previous Myocarditis and MRNA shot Marc writes: Hi Robb and Nikki, Long time listener, and reader from the beginning here. Really appreciate all that you do as I have made vast improvements in my life which all started with the paleo solution over a decade ago. I am a healthy, active 37 year old male, living in Brooklyn NY. I cycle 4-5 days a week, lift weights 3-5 days, play ice hockey and get plenty of sun! I eat a carnivorish, paleo type diet, with a strict aversion to gluten. Sleep is pretty dialed in, though I do enjoy alcohol one or two nights a week, but am also very aware of how it effects me etc. When I was 20 years old I ended up hospitalized for over a week with myocarditis. I had strep throat, which was all the norm for me, as I used to get it once or twice a season until my mid 20's. The infection had actually gone down into my heart and which had caused the issue. It was a terrifying experience as they thought at first I was having a heart attack. After things went back to normal and I was discharged, the cardiologist told me to take a baby asprin every day, prescribed me nitroglycerin incase I had chest pain, and told me to "maybe try meatless Mondays, as heart disease runs in the family." I was far from thrilled with the "solutions" I was given. Long story short, it was after this that I started my health journey which eventually led me to you and the Paleo Diet. Within a month I was down 20 lbs, feeling great, and fast forward over 15 years later I never had another strep infection! Cutting to the chase, when covid struck, I went and got the first 2 jabs of pfizer, back in early 2021 living here in NYC I wouldn't have been able to participate in life, and they dangled the carrot in front our noses, promising freedom once the shot was taken. I had not heard anything about the dangers of myocarditis being a side effect at that point, and Needless to say I was infuriated once the side effects were made known. Its been about 3.5 years since getting my second shot, but seeing all of these healthy young people drop dead has been pretty frightening. There is also no way to "google" this stuff and get answers, we all depend on brave people like RFK Jr, and Brett Weinstein to stand up and inform us. I was wondering if you had any advice on anything I can continue to do, and/or if you think I should even be concerned at this point. I know there's probably alot to unpack here, but any advice, or information that you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for everything, and wish you all the best! -Marc Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte drink mix packets and the new LMNT Sparkling electrolyte performance beverage! Transcript: Coming soon! . /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/33239722

Peptides for Injury Recovery, Exercise for Longevity, LDL and Keto | THRR195 09/13/2024

Peptides for Injury Recovery, Exercise for Longevity, LDL and Keto | THRR195 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Peptides for injury recovery Greg writes: Hi Robb and Nikki Big fan and avid LMNT subscriber for two and a half years. I have been battling patellar tendon pain on and off for about ten years. Of recently, it has been constant in my left patellar tendon for about two months now. Any loading of the joint causes searing pain . Once warmed up it's more manageable especially with knee sleeves but I really can't do any loaded squats anymore, so I have moved to more deadlifting and sled work. My question is in regards to nutritional supplements to support tendon repair. I have been doing a higher dose 20-25g per day of grass fed hydrolyzed collagen, and I want to give it a couple months to see if it makes a difference, but have been intrigued with the rise of peptides, specifically BPC-157. Any insight on peptides in the lense of tendon repair and anti inflammation? Would love to get back to running more and Olympic lifts. Thanks! LDL Increase after starting Keto Walt writes: After starting keto in January my LDL has increased steadily to 139 mg/dl. I started this diet, ostensibly, to improve my health. (Being a type 1 with two cardiac stents) My A1C improved greatly and my blood pressure normalized with a small intervention from 5mg of Bystolic in the a.m. I was on a lot more BP meds prior. All good, right? My cardiac NP, however, is not psyched on the increase in LDL and had me speak to a lipid specialist. Lipid specialist is old school and is vehemently opposed to this diet and way of eating and started in with the whole “red meat and fats are bad” speech. My numbers: Total cholesterol: 234 LDL: 139 VLDL: 16 Triglycerides: 81 Cholesterol/HDL ratio: 3.0 ApoB: 94 Lipoprotein A: <6 I’m currently taking Repatha injection every two weeks. Thanks for any input! Walt Longevity focused exercise modalities for older adults Jay writes: Robb & Nikki, I've enjoyed following your content over the years and truly appreciate your down-to-earth approach and commitment to providing accurate information. I’ve managed to stay relatively fit throughout my life. For the first 30 years, I followed the average American diet (not so healthy), but I was never really overweight and stayed active. At age 30, I began to focus more on training and nutrition whole food omnivore diet that includes plants and meat, 1lb protein per bodyweight with 70-80% from meat an animal products and carbs and fat balanced, roughly 2000 calories per day. Over the years, I’ve been consistently inconsistent with the type of training I do, which probably explains why I haven’t seen significant improvements. I’m now 50 years old, 140 lbs, with what I estimate to be around 13% body fat (my body fat scale has read between 7-10% for over 10 years). I’m searching for a weekly training plan I can commit to, one that will help me maintain optimal physical health as I age. I’ve had some back issues over the years, so my training is tailored accordingly, mainly focusing on bodyweight exercises. After gathering information from many trusted sources, I’m leaning towards a weekly program that includes: - 4 resistance training sessions, focusing on push, pull, and leg exercises split over the days (30 minutes each session, 4-8 good sets per movement) - Maintaining a daily step count of 8,000 - 12,000 steps - One day of higher-intensity cardio to get my heart rate up - 2 days of longer-duration Zone 2 cardio (30-45 minutes each session) - 3 days of a few low-impact bodyweight power exercises, including some agility work (some of which are done on the same day as the cardio-focused sessions) I currently am following something similar and have the time to complete. I understand this plan is slightly more than 7 days, but I try to incorporate the power/agility work on the same days as the cardio. How does this plan align with your thoughts on a sustainable weekly routine? Should I focus more on certain areas or does this seem reasonable for someone aiming to stay healthy as they age? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte drink mix packets and the new LMNT Sparkling electrolyte performance beverage! Transcript: Coming soon! /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/33030772

The Great Menopause Myth with Kristin Johnson and Maria Claps | Salty Talk 048 | THRR 09/06/2024

Keto for Autoimmune, Cholesterol, Crohn's | THRR194 08/30/2024

Keto for Autoimmune, Cholesterol, Crohn's | THRR194 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Keto/Carnivore for Autoimmune Jacob writes: Hi Robb, I have been following you since 2009 in the CrossFit days and my entire diet has been based around Paleo since then. In 2020 I got very sick and couldn't recover fully, ending up finding out that I have post viral dysautonomia. Recently I heard you talk about how the low carb version of the Paleo autoimmune protocol is really an upgrade. In the time since getting sick my baseline became low carb Paleo, and that kept me doing pretty well. Now that I have been heavily supplementing with LMNT it's been even better! Can you try and get into the mechanics of why/how a keto-paleo diet makes such of a difference for these kinds of issues? Does it come down simply to inflammation? Really appreciate the podcast. Keep up the good work! Thank you Jacob Cholesterol…again Shane writes: Hey Robb and Nicki, I know you get asked this all the time and I've gone down the rabbit hole on every related podcast I could find of yours regarding this topic, but there is just so much information out there on this topic I don't know what to think, and I'm hoping you can help. I'm 41, fit and healthy at least by any American standard. I've been involved with CrossFit (was even at one of Robb's Nutrition Seminars back in the day where I got to meet you both), coached for a decade, life happened and now I'm a Software Engineer. While my job is nowhere near as active, I still train 5-6 days a week but more of a mix of strength training, with some metcons, and regular doses of zone2. I still prescribe to CrossFit's nutrition in 100 words and so eat meat, vegetables, some fruit little starch and no sugar about 90% of the time. We're not financially set enough to be able to buy as much from the farm directly as we'd like, so meat is still typical feedlot stuff you can get at City Market etc. but I do try to hit 1.7g/lb of protein per day and fill in with the fruits and veggies. I haven't had a PCP in forever and so decided to get one so maybe it wouldn't take 3 months to get any kind of appointment when/if I did need one and of course they wanted to do a blood panel, and I was curious too so I did. My panel came back and it wasn't great. My total cholesterol is 298, HDL is 55, triglycerides are 76, LDL is 225, LDL particle number is 2022 nmol/L, LDL pattern is A, ApoB is 162 mg/dL, LipoProteinA is 101. My doctor immediately started talking about statins so I asked about a CAC and did that and got back a score of 0. With all of that data I'm just not sure how to proceed. I hear Dr. Attia talking about prioritizing apoB reduction, Layne Norton talking about the mendelian randomization studies showing the linear relationship between LDL and cardiac risk. But then I also hear Dr. Malhotra talking about statins and their misrepresented effect on cardiac disease along with Chris Kresser and obviously I want to believe what they say but I also want to make sure I'm not cutting the time my kids get with their father shorter than it had to be. I quit drinking 2+ years ago, I don't smoke, and I feel like I eat cleaner now that I ever have, so I'm thinking I'll just keep on keeping on, continue getting yearly bloodwork, and go back for another CAC in 3-5 years to make sure things aren't progressing, but I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on the matter. Thank you both so much for all the great info you put out there and please keep it salty. Shane Crohn's Part II Fred writes: Hi Robb and Nicki, You responded to my question re: Crohn's on Podcast #156 dated June 15, 2023. Thanks again for the information. I followed up on the resources you gave me and implemented a bunch of the recommendations. My stomach has been great but now dealing with sore tendons and joints which is a side effect of the biologic meds. Anyway, I wanted to provide you some additional information because you had wondered what the "precipitating event" could have been to get Crohn's at the age of 54. Again, until this point I was incredibly healthy with no issues at all. Back to the "potential" precipitating events. March 30, 2021 I got Covid (Delta) just before the vaccines came out in Canada. I was sick but nothing too serious and then because of the vaccine mandates I had to get my first vaccine on May 12, 2021, then second shot July 6, 2021, third vaccine January 8, 2022. In August 2022 my blood pressure went through the roof. I have never had high blood pressure then in January 2022 I had major stomach issues and was diagnosed with Crohn's in March 2022. Who knows if there is any connection but its interesting that this illness came about after getting Covid and then hitting my system with 3 vaccinations in less than a year. Anyway, thought you might find this interesting. Thanks again! Fred Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte drink mix packets and the new LMNT Sparkling electrolyte performance beverage! Transcript: Coming soon! /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/32811902

Sick and Tired, Optimize Fertility | THRR193 08/23/2024

Lactic Acidosis, Eggs and Odor | THRR192 08/17/2024

Lactic Acidosis, Eggs and Odor | THRR192 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Eggs and Odor Bonni writes: Love the show and the work you do! Any idea why someone who has eaten eggs regularly for their entire life, 40+ yrs, suddenly develops bad odor after eating them? Not bad breath, not B/O, but a really bad smell (sulfur) coming from deep within? Thanks! Lactic Acidosis Lacy writes: Hi Robb and Nikki, 1st I want to say thank you for all your honesty and prospective, especially on some controversial topics recently (ie politics). I truly appreciate the perspective and makes me ponder beliefs I have/had. My question: my husband recently started doing BJJ (he did it in his 20s but stopped for a good decade) and he has had short bouts of severe burning/cramping and weakness in his arms during/after BJJ. Based on how he describes it, I think he is experiencing lactic acidosis. I had him start taking beta-alanine but he hasn't felt much improvement. He uses LMNT before and after workouts so I don't think it's an electrolyte issue. Any thoughts/recommendations on how to help him prevent this? Thank you in advance Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte drink mix packets and the new LMNT Sparkling electrolyte performance beverage! ***LMNT Give a Salt is BACK!*** This time for first responders and service members! Between now and August 20th you can nominate the first responders in your community — police and firefighters, medical professionals, service members, and others protecting health — and we’ll send them LMNT to keep them hydrated. Go to: to nominate the heroes in your community! Again, this is only through August 20th. Note - Give a Salt is available only in the United States. Transcript: Coming soon! . /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/32617762

PFAS in Contact Lenses, Choosing a Functional Doc | THRR191 08/09/2024

Gut Reset, Enclomiphene, Sunglasses and Skin Damage | THRR190 07/26/2024

Nicotine Pouches, Childhood Vaccines | THRR189 06/28/2024

Nicotine Pouches, Childhood Vaccines | THRR189 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Links to vaccine related X posts by @AaronSiriSG: Questions: Nicotine Pouches Anonymous writes: Nicotine pouches have taken the tech sales world by storm, as they have taken many worlds by storm. At first, you notice a coworker or boss lipping them, then at a team dinner after a cocktail or two you become curious and try one. Then you want a shared experience at work so you begin bumming some around the office with friends. Next thing you know you’re buying sleeves of them and using 4-6 a day… Because of the little research on them, most info on nicotine is in relation to cigarettes or tobacco chew, which both of these things I would imagine are way worse and have many more chemicals and bad shit in them, and are linked to poor cardio vascular health and increase risk of stroke, cancer and clogged arteries. Beyond the addictive nature of nicotine, what major health risks am I inviting in by using these nicotine pouches? (The brand I’m using is Zyn). Am I potentially hardening or clogging my arteries? Or increasing my cancer risk? Mouth cancer or otherwise? Weirdly enough I’ve actually noticed some potential health benefits of using them. My urge to drink alcohol has pretty much vanished. I would usually have a couple cocktails Thursday nights to unwind from the stressful week and get ready for the weekend, then continue drinking through the weekend having about 3-4 drinks a day (beer, wine or cocktails) to reward myself for the week. Now, I’ll go weeks without drinking at all, or maybe the occasional 2 lite beers a week or a glass or two of red a week. Before, once I had my first drink, I would continue to seek out more drinks (but usually never more than 4 or maybe 5). Now, if I have one or two I can easily walk away from booze. It’s like that little urge to seek more has just gone away. They have a similar effect on food, diminishing the urge to overeat or eat junk foods. I know everything is a trade off. But to me it seems like swapping alcohol for nicotine pouches is a fairly positive trade off. But please let me know what you think, would love to know your thoughts on the potential negatives of these little lip pillows. Prenatal/Childhood vaccines Maizy writes: Dear Robb and Nikki, my boyfriend and I (28yrs old) (long time listeners) are expecting our first child at the end of summer! We are in Vancouver, Canada. There’s a lot of pressure and confusion around the vaccines for pregnant mama and baby. They especially want me to get a TDaP shot, antibiotics during labour (if I’m Strep B positive) and then there’s the Vitamin K shot at birth, the antibiotic eye drops, and then there’s the whole infant/childhood vaccine schedule… We are in over our head and don’t know what to do or believe. They put the fear of God into you. They basically tell you your baby might die unless you do the “recommended” protocol. We want to do the right thing and give our baby the healthiest start we can. But we didn’t get the Covid Jabs and have lost a lot of faith in the mainstream sick-care system. Seeking any advice. Thank you! Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte drink mix packets and the new LMNT Sparkling electrolyte performance beverage! /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/31924567

Type 1 and CrossFit, Cardiovascular Risk, Sodium Deficiency | THRR188 06/14/2024

Type 1 and CrossFit, Cardiovascular Risk, Sodium Deficiency | THRR188 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Low Carb and CrossFit Brandon writes: Hey! I’m a Type 1 diabetic whom used to compete in powerlifting but whom now does mostly Crossfit and Hybrid sports. I’ve found low carb tends to work best in terms of blood sugar control and when I was powerlifting it didn’t seem to hinder performance. However I’ve noticed I tend to see my performance hindered following a low carb approach while doing CrossFit. Is there a way to have the best of both worlds? I’ve experimented with glucose tabs and UCAN with some success. Right now I’m debating if getting 150ish carbs from UCAN or sweet potatoes would be a good compromise. Sodium Deficiency Teri writes: Hello Nicki & Robb- I’ve been a lover and subscriber of LMNT since it was released. I’m a mountain runner and love that I can get my sodium from something that tastes delicious & hydrates me instead of salt pills when I need it. Also the new sparkling LMNT is so good after a long workout. I have something I’ve wondered though, is it supposed to taste “salty”? To me it tastes more sweet than anything & it’s why I usually mix it at about half-power because at full power it’s just too sweet for me. I had my son taste it and he said it tasted salty to him. Could that mean I’m deficient if I don’t taste it? I do not limit my salt outside of taking LMNT as I am very active and have very low blood pressure (90s/60s) so figure I need all the help I can get. However I do not track it either so I’m not sure how much sodium I get in a day. I eat a very non-strict but healthy, omnivorous diet, the only things I don’t consume are gluten and alcohol. Thanks for the insight, and for all your amusing banter! Cardiovascular Risk Brett writes: I'm a 44yo lean male living in Vancouver, Canada - 6'2" 180lbs who is quite active (gardening, Ultimate frisbee, weights, walking, outdoor activities) and after a bout of Lyme disease 10 years ago I have been very careful with my diet and lifestyle. I do the AIP style of eating at least once a year, generally eating Paleo with more carbs over Summer when I am more active. I am a shift worker but try to avoid the midnight shifts where I can as I know the loss of sleep affects me; I have a family history of heart issues which of course raises my risk profile on most tests. About once a year I get bloodwork done to keep on top of my health as I get older. Recently I had a SmartHealth Dx test done with my Naturopath. My IL16, FAS, Eotaxin and HGF scores were elevated giving me a heart age of over 80 years old. General blood test at the same time had Hemoglobin A1C at 5.7%, cholesterol 7.11 mmol/L, LDL cholesterol 4.59 mmol/L, HDL cholesterol 2.38 mmol/L, Apoliprotein A-1 2.22 g/L, triglycerides 0.31 mmol/L. Any thoughts on how these results could be? I am very active, I do work hard but I try to be conscious of when I am overdoing it (as I am a list maker with many things "to do"!!) Thanks so much for reading. Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte drink mix packets and the new LMNT Sparkling electrolyte performance beverage! Transcript: Coming soon! . /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/31751177

Nightshades, Gotu Kola Protocol, Blood Pressure | THRR187 06/01/2024

Nightshades, Gotu Kola Protocol, Blood Pressure | THRR187 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: https://www.amazon.com/Untangled-Guiding-Teenage-Transitions-Adulthood/dp/0553393057/ Show Notes: Questions: Nightshades Kate writes: Love you guys! I have forever. And I always come back to you. I trust you. You provide enough science but also keep it real. Thank you for being tried and true. I look forward to the days when a new podcast is released. Can we talk nightshades? How inflammatory are they for someone who avoids processed stuff, feels better on no gluten, dairy or sugar? No autoimmune issues. Relatively healthy. Probably overtrain. And just always seeking to feel my best. Is it worth eliminating them to see how much better I feel? And, if it is, do I go full bore and cut all the spices too? Thanks a bunch! Charles Poliquin - Gotu Kola Andrea writes: Hey there, fine folks of The Healthy Rebellion! I was intrigued when I heard you talk about Poliquin’s gotu kola protocol for tightening skin. I jumped right in and am about 5 months into taking this supplement. I realized however, that I don’t know what to do when I hit the point of tightened skin. Do I keep taking the supplement in smaller doses forever? Do I just stop? I can’t seem to find any info what to do once the goal is achieved. I am hoping you have some insight. Thanks for all you guys do, you have been the one podcast that I have listened to without fail for almost a decade (maybe more than a decade? Time flies.) and I just want you to know how much you are appreciated. Thanks, Andrea Mysterious BP Changes Christin writes: Hi Robb and Nicki, I was looking for resources for a blood pressure question for my husband and while I found a few older show transcripts, nothing quite gave me a clear answer. My husband has seen a steady rise in his blood pressure over the last 2 years. In 2022 at his company health fair his BP was 108/72. In 2023 it was 134/84. I just took it this evening (manually) and it was 152/100. I know that consistent time of day readings can matter and for context his health fair readings were in the morning and the one I just took was about 8:45 pm, however he'd been sitting resting for a good 20 minutes on the couch watching tv. This is all confusing because his a1c and general blood sugar readings are all good/normal (I've done both some fasted and response readings to get an idea of how high he spikes with some foods). He's 5'10" about 175lbs so not really overweight. He lifts weights 2x a week and we typically go hiking and/or walking 2x/week together so he's not getting much vigorous aerobic work over the light-moderate category. HOwever, especially now that summer is here he's very active with yard work throughout the week, carrying heavy stuff and doing manual labor in the garden and stuff often for 1-2 hours at a time. He asked me if I thought he should reduce his sodium intake (he is a heavy salter of food) and after reviewing some of what you guys have talked about with past posts and some of Hubermans stuff I don't think that's the answer. I did however talk to him about his general junk food intake - he likes to snack on chips and does like his sweets - which he agreed and acknowledged that maybe he needs to reduce that. He's had a stressful previous year at his job that was messing with his regular exercise regimen and forcing him to frequently stay late/work extra hours and so I do wonder how much this could be playing into things also. Thankfully that has improved in the last 3ish months letting him get back to a more consistent schedule and workouts. Outside of these few things the only other thing I can think of to tell him is to try and add in more aerobic work to his week at least at a zone 2 level. Other than that I'm stumped. Is there anything you would suggest? Any resources I should look in to? What else can I tell him? He has no other health issues, we don't take any medication at all and despite his lack of formal aerobic work he can do a tough hike (6 miles with 2000' of elevation for example) without major fatigue or being totally dogged; that said I know that it's important to get regular aerobic work. So...help please! Thanks for all your great stuff over the years, you have no idea how helpful and appreciated it all is...even if there's only 6 of us left at any given time . Keep it up. From a fan girl and her hubs. Cheers, Christin Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte drink mix packets and the new LMNT Sparkling electrolyte performance beverage! Transcript: Coming soon! /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/31557307

Elevated Glucose, Lowering Coronary Calcium Score, Counting Protein As Energy | THRR186 05/17/2024

Elevated Glucose, Lowering Coronary Calcium Score, Counting Protein As Energy | THRR186 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: They donate $1 from every bag of coffee to the Home School Legal Defense Association Questions: Glucose Robert writes: Obi-Wan your our only hope. Have consistently high blood sugar on a full carnivore diet. Average readings around 100. After a 36 hour fast will often still be close to 100. Two days of fasting and the glucose will finally drop mid eighths and low ninetys. Post prandial readings are often in the low ninetys or high eighties. Which is always amusing since post workout readings are often 120 or higher. A little insulin goes a long way. Concerned about the AGE from constantly high blood sugar. This seems way beyond adaptive glucose sparing or the dawn effect. Signed, Mystified in New Mexico. (The details. Carnivore for four years. 99% of diet is fish, flesh and eggs. Cook in butter and lard. Only exogenous sugar is lactose in occasional yoghurt or coffee. 72 yo with around 15% fat and decent amount of lean muscle mass. Active, do weights and walk about 20 miles a week. O.K. sleep for my age. HbA1c 5.6, however HOMA-IR is 1.1. lipids are typically of a LMHR. Have used four different glucose meters over the years. Currently using two Keto-Mojos.) Lowering Coronary Calcium Score Bret writes: Hello! Wondering if you know of any potential ways to lower your coronary calcium score. Personally, I'm 56 years old, and 44 of those years were spent consuming the standard American diet. (I've been strict Paleo since.) I'm sure that those 44 years produced 2 coronary calcium scores (3 yrs ago, and 2 yrs ago) that came in around 48 (total) and 47, respectively. Obviously, my goal is zero, but I'm not sure if there is any way to lower it. My functional med doctor recommended nattokinase, which I've been taking religiously, and it may (or may not) be the reason for the lowering of my score by 1 point over those 2 years. Anyway, I'm looking for any tips you may have for lowering my coronary calcium score, if they indeed exist. Thoughts? (Long time listener - thanks for all you do!) Bret Trying to Understand Macro Nutrients Darren writes: Hi again from Tasmania. Just a brief question regarding protein. If I burn approximately 2500 cal a day, should that be made up of carbs and fat only? Because I assume that the 140 grams of protein I eat will be used for all of the processes it normally would do. How can protein be included in calories if it's not used for energy? I'm Not sure if this makes any sense. Love the podcast. Thanks Darren from taasie. Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte drink mix packets and the new LMNT Sparkling electrolyte performance beverage! Transcript: Coming soon! /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/31355577

Reducing Cardiovascular Risk, Protein with Age, Carnivore and Veggies | THRR185 05/03/2024

Reducing Cardiovascular Risk, Protein with Age, Carnivore and Veggies | THRR185 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Papers on Mid Victorian Diet: Questions: Reducing Cardiovascular Risk Charles writes: Hi Robb and Nikki, I’ve been following some of the literature on COVID-19 vaccination and myocarditis, which is concerning. I’ve also noted the uptick in pop science articles on sudden population-wide upticks in stroke risk, among other things. I’m particularly concerned about this issue because I’m 30 and Male, both of which seem to greatly increase one’s risk of vax-induced cardiovascular issues; and I got scared into getting the Pfizer vaccine in 2021. Following this, more than a couple of men I know died suddenly and prematurely of cardiovascular issues, but I didn’t seem to have any such problems. I’ve been following your recommendations for 12 years (made me a bit unusual as a freshman in college), and I’m at my peak health and performance. Objectively speaking, my bloodwork ~6 months and 1.5 years post vaccine was excellent (lipids, hA1c, free testosterone, etc.). I wouldn’t be too worried about this but I sat down to do some bench press last week and got a sudden, intense migraine that felt vascular in nature. It got me thinking about all of these “exercise induced stroke” related headlines. So the question is, would you be worried if you were me? Would you adopt any new practices, or tweak any part of the ancestral lifestyle? I imagine some people have taken to popping baby aspirin in their 30s for this, but short of that, I don’t know what else I could do. More Protein with Age? Rob writes: Nicki and Robb, First of all, thank you for all that you've done through your books, podcasts, and talks over the past several years. I know I don’t only speak for myself when I say that you’ve truly changed my life for the better, not only when it comes to nutrition and training, but also in terms of navigating this (increasingly) nonsensical world we’re living in. I'm a moderately active, lean (probably around 150 lbs.), 6'0", 38-year-old man. My physical activity generally comprises several walks every day, totaling around 8-12K steps per day, and I lift three times per week (full-body Starting Strength-esque barbell program called Greyskull LP). My sleep isn't the BEST, averaging 7 hrs. in bed (asleep for all but maybe 10-15 minutes of that time), but I wake up feeling good in the morning. Stress management is on point, although the 10-15 mg of nicotine I get per day (via tobacco-free pouches) may work against that some days, depending on the rest of my stress load. I generally eat moderate-to-high carb (200-300 grams per day). and my total caloric intake is generally around 2500-3000 kcal/day. My protein intake is currently around 250 grams per day. TBH, I just love protein. I find protein shakes to be convenient for breakfast, and I love eating meat, fish, etc. with other meals (generally around two pounds per day on top of the two-large-scoop protein shake). I also tend to feel better when I eat a ton of protein. My fat intake is, as you can tell, pretty low. All this seems to be working for me pretty well for me in terms of progress in the gym, sleep, energy, and all else. However, I’m a bit curious about my protein intake. At 250 grams per day, I'm well above what's recommended. I'm not concerned about this being detrimental or damaging in any way. However, I'm a bit concerned that as I age and my protein requirements go up, I’ll need to eat even MORE than this to compensate. Will I need to eat even more protein as I get older, or is my current intake so high that my rising requirements will still be met? If this is potentially going to be an issue, what steps might I take to figure out what my protein intake might look like now? Thank you so much!!!! Rob Are veggies as bad as they say? Tim writes: Hey Rob, I’ve been following you on and off for almost a decade now. I started Paleo due to you and have fallen off the wagon now and again. My wife is Ethiopian and not on my health bandwagon at all. We have issues occasionally due to me eating a different meal all the time because I’m more carnivore, and her more traditional Ethiopian dishes have many veggie dishes and injera, their flatbread made with Teff which is a staple. I was leaning carnivore and listening to Chaffey and others saying veggies are absolutely 100% awful. I would like to share a meal with the wife occasionally to make her happy and wonder if things like cabbage, kale, lentils, etc.. are as bad for me as all the others say. I trust your opinion more than most and thought I would shoot you this question. Thanks Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/31102153

Seed Oils in Kid Foods, HMB Supplementation, Endurance | THRR184 04/26/2024

Seed Oils in Kid Foods, HMB Supplementation, Endurance | THRR184 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: HMB supplementation Sharon writes: Hi Robb, Love your podcast and your relentless skepticism for research and reviewing data. What are your thoughts on HMB supplementation (Beta‐hydroxy‐beta‐methylbutyrate) for 55-65 year olds who are casual athletes and work full time? Trying to keep up the muscle tone as it is rapidly decreasing is a serious concern. Thank you, Sharon Seed Oils in Kids Foods Allison writes: Hey guys, long time follower (my husband and I) , and I’ve even purchased one of your courses and have been respecting your knowledge since 2009. I’m 41 and have three girls 5, 3, and 8mo. I’ve been carnivore for 7 weeks now, but for my family we are pretty meat-based and I post a lot on IG and in my stories about good products I find for my kids that are clean and low sugar, good oils, etc… I post because I’m in a mom group of about 150 women of kids ages 7 and under and am on the board and so many of them follow me on IG. I’m trying to educate and help in a positive way. So I was at the playground with some friends of mine today and all our munchkins. I brought cheese and organic crackers and the topic of seed oils came up. A friend asked about what my thoughts were on High Oliec Safflower oil. I am not well informed on this oil but I said well it sounds like a seed oil and it’s probably like all other seed oils so we would probably avoid it. But with kids foods it’s almost impossible to find any that are super clean. We discussed how we all try our best to make things homemade that are nutrient dense and free of the crap, but often we need good choices to provide a decent snack at let’s say a park or play date. I listened to your podcast about seed oils when eating out once in a while, but I just don’t know what you all feel about them in your foods, specifically kids foods. For instance my organic crackers have organic palm oil. My friends crackers were just whole wheat, high Oliec safflower oil and salt. How as moms do we navigate these ingredients when we just don’t know what oils are worse? Is there a hierarchy of bad to worse seed/plant oils? I make sourdough for my kids and will probably just make them crackers soon here. But it’s real life, we can’t do this all the time. Is this like make or break it for you when you shop for products (theoretically)? Any suggestions? Any opinions? Thanks! Cardio/Endurance Doug writes: Hey Robb and Nikki obligatory love and follow you guys since you had 6 listeners gesture lol former rebel had to cut costs hopefully be back again soon now to the question I've started playing hockey again at 38 years of age after taking 20+ years off everything seems to be going ok the skills are most rust but coming back recovery from games isn't as bad as I thought it would be I can usually walk the next day lol but the thing I'm struggling with is endurance hockey is basically 60 min HIT training session where you skate as hard as possible for 2 minutes and rest for 2 minutes unfortunately I only last 30 seconds no jokes needed here and by the 3rd period I'm shot lucky to have enough in the tank for one rush up the ice. So the question how do I increase endurance for such a game not sure running 5 miles a day will help and frankly I hate running. Any help would be much appreciated! Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/30968143

Tinnitus, Keto For Dementia, Hydrogen Water | THRR183 04/12/2024

Tinnitus, Keto For Dementia, Hydrogen Water | THRR183 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Tinnitus Karen writes: Hi, Thanks to you both for all you are doing! I especially love your updates on homeschooling, etc. Please keep them coming when you care to share. You guys are awesome!! Quick statement/question.... Tinnitus is NOT fun. Do you have any thoughts on dealing with it? Would LMNT help? I already have all my health pillars checked and am doing great at 61 years of age, but this ringing is getting gradually louder, and I want to turn the volume down on it so to speak. Thank you!!! Hydrogen Water Steve writes: Hi Robb and Nicki (aka Hubs and Wife). First of all, thank you for all that you do. You are making a difference! The health influencers have been talking a lot about hydrogen water as of late. Looked into it a bit and looks like there may be some benefits, but would like your thoughts. Highly touted machines seem to be in the $2k-$4k range, while the smaller portable ones are much less expensive. I'm doubtful of the cheaper ones. We have a child (19 years old) who is dealing with much fatigue, brain fog, etc. He lifts heavy (probably overdoes it 7 days a week, and goes hard), as well as overeats (hard gainer). So I'm guessing his inflammation levels are high and maybe mitochondrial damage issues? He also has horrible sleep habits and seems his circadian rhythm is off. We've been doing everything we can to figure it out and try to get him to a better place. MD's, Functional Medicine practitioners, acupuncturists, etc... Blood tests came back normal (but maybe there are some markers we should be checking that weren't tested). Also started him on a keto diet (mostly carnivore) to see if that helps. With all that said, I was wondering if the hydrogen water is something we should explore. If so, any machine brands you could recommend? P.S. Can LMNT be mixed with the hydrogen water. We love us some LMNT! Best, Steve from Seattle Keto for dementia Becky writes: Hi Robb & Nicki-- Long time, first time. :) I am a 45 year old female, about 80 lbs overweight, but my bloodwork is pretty darn good. (Total cholesterol 203, HDL 65, Tri's 52, BP 118/72 on average). I was 365 lbs 10 years ago, and now I'm around 225 (5'5") through a low-carb paleo diet. I feel pretty good besides my thighs chaffing from the 10-15k steps I get everyday. I usually eat during a 16:8 window. My feeling is that I could fast and diet down to a healthy weight, but I can't sustain longer fasts without bingeing. I can, however, stick to low carb pretty easily. Here's the crux of my issue: my mom is 64 and getting dementia. She's always maintained a healthy weight and is very active. From what I understand, the doctor is concerned about her fasting glucose, A1C, and Triglycerides. He put her on a CGM, but she wouldn't use it. I am concerned for myself because I don't want dementia. Is keto good enough to help ward off dementia, or do I need to lose the weight, too? I've failed so many times to get under 225, but I can't give up if the extra weight is going to contribute to mental illness. Many thanks for your work. Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/30792623

Collagen and Joints, Modify Estrogen with Diet, Electrolytes and Respiratory Rate | THRR182 04/05/2024

Collagen and Joints, Modify Estrogen with Diet, Electrolytes and Respiratory Rate | THRR182 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Dietary changes to suppress estrogen Dana writes: Hi, Robb and Nicki! Thank you for all you are doing in the health space! I am a long time listener and appreciate your podcast! I am 51 years old, 5'4", and 145#. I am fit, and have been competing in CrossFit and Functional Fitness for a long time, including some international masters competitions. I have eaten a paleo diet since 2016, and added dairy to that in 2020 when my whoop told me my recovery was better every time I had dairy. More recently, my diet is leaning toward carnivore, but I still do eat fruits and vegetables, just not as frequently as before. Unfortunately, I was recently diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer). I underwent a bilateral mastectomy on 3/18/24 and will be seeing the medical oncologist for treatment planning on 4/12/24. I know your podcast can not give medical advice. My question is regarding dietary changes that could reduce my estrogen levels. My cancer was estrogen positive. Through conversations with my surgeon, as well as the breast cancer groups I have recently joined, it is likely the medical oncologist is going to recommend I start hormone blockers. I would prefer to find ways to reduce my estrogen with lifestyle changes vs medications if I can. I am in perimenopause, so my total estrogen is lower to begin with. It was 43 pg/ml when it was tested in January. So, my question - Is there anything I can do dietarily or with other lifestyle changes that can reduce my estrogen levels? Thank you so much for your assistance. I look forward to hearing your answer! Dana Electrolytes and respiratory rate Colette writes: "I have a question about electrolytes affecting respiratory rate. I got a notification from Apple Health that my respiratory rate had gone up over the last 10 days from an avg of 13.7 breaths a minute to 15.9. I’ve never received that particular notification from Apple before and I’m wondering if it correlates with me starting LMNT around the same time. I did a google search and did see that salts and water along with a list of other things can affect respiratory rates so I wanted to check to see if I should cut back on the amount I’m using (1 packet a day)or be concerned?" Supplementing collagen for joint pain Ann writes: Hi Robb, I’m wondering if you could shed some light on the efficacy of adding collagen to treat knee pain/arthritis. I’m 61 years old, normal weight, low carb diet, regular walker, and I resistance train 3-4x/week. After a lot of years of sports, running etc I’ve developed some pretty bad knee pain and have been advised that knee replacement surgery is in my future. I’m not really on board with that and have been experimenting with red light therapy and recently added collagen supplements to my diet. I followed the advice of another individual in the low carb/wellness space and ordered from a particular company. While the product seems fine so far (I think its too soon to see improvement), the over-the-top aggressive daily emails and constant pushing of other products are starting to make me think there something scam-like going on. My understanding is that it’s important to get types I and III, bovine, grass fed, hydrolyzed collagen, but I’m having trouble finding objective advice that isn’t promoting a specific company’s products. I’d appreciate any advice you can give. I’m a big fan of LMNT and I appreciate all you do. Thank you Ann Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/30695603

Linoleic Acid, Saturated Fat Type 1, Migraine with Aura | THRR181 03/22/2024

Linoleic Acid, Saturated Fat Type 1, Migraine with Aura | THRR181 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Linoleic Acid Gerry writes: Rob and Nickie.. Fellow Montanans here.. from the Kalispell area snd have seen you both around town! Hope you are enjoying Bozo town, you will definitely get more sunshine there.. My wife and I have been avoiding seed oils for several years now. Recently, I heard Dr.Mercola speak about the dangers of linoleic acid. He urged everyone to avoid bacon and eggs from conventionally fed chickens and pigs. He stated that the soy and corn fed to these animals contains seed oils and is stored in muscle and fat.. When we eat bacon or eggs we are loading up on toxic fats! I have not heard others warn of this danger, even high profile carnivore advocates.. I have been carnivore for over a year and noticed much less joint pain and substantial weight loss ., Bacon and eggs are a major part of my diet! It’s is disheartening to think of avoiding them. What do you two think about this?? Saturated Fat for Type 1 Will writes I'm a 51 y/o type 1 diabetic. I'm 5'10" and 170 lbs. I'm also very lean and carry a healthy amount of muscle mass. Since I'm wholly reliant on exogenous insulin, I'm hyper aware of my own insulin sensitivity, or lack thereof. Every time I eat a large bolus of saturated fat, especially beef, my insulin sensitivity drops dramatically and I end up taking 2 - 3 times the amount of insulin for a known food than normal. The worst food offenders are saturated fat + starch combinations like steak and potato or coconut curry and rice. Even if I restrict the carbs completely, large doses of saturated fat leave me chasing blood sugars and often injecting large doses of insulin to counteract the high glucose levels. Aside from limiting intake of beef, lamb, and other meats containing lots of saturated fat, what proteins would you rely on for health and body composition? Migraine with Aura Renea writes: My daughter has suffered from monthly migraines since the age of 2. She vomits every-time. Around the age of 8 she began getting migraines with aura and the vomiting went from one occurrence to 6-15 hours long. She is now 12, almost out of puberty and still suffers from auras. We have tried a lot of functional medicine but can’t seem to find many answers. Her neurologist wants to put her on anti seizure meds but we have put it off due to the side effects of that class of drug. Preventative drugs are not favored either due to the side effects. I too suffer from auras but only get them when I workout at 100% (CrossFit causes many of my auras and have since stopped CF) I try to workout at 80% to prevent them. Any advice how to prevent auras with migraine? Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/30496598

Testosterone and Fasting Insulin, Neu5Gc, Too Many Cals or Not Enough? | THRR180 03/08/2024

Testosterone and Fasting Insulin, Neu5Gc, Too Many Cals or Not Enough? | THRR180 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Testosterone levels and fasting insulin Kevin writes: Hey Robb and Nikki, I am 65 1/2 years young. The last couple of years my sex drive has not been like it had been (it comes and goes, but mostly goes). I did a self referred testosterone level test thinking my levels were low ( also was feeling sluggish and just not feeling quite like myself, but I was thinking that was from my age). To my surprise, my level came back at 1150! I have been taking a prostate supplement the last 6 months called Prostagenix. Before that I was taking flow-max for about 5 years and it just seemed to not be helping my symptoms (taking a lot longer to empty bladder and when I had the urge to go, I had to go, if you know what I mean!) so I switched to this natural supplement. It has a sterol blend on the supplement so I am thinking that maybe that is causing my elevated levels? I also googled it and seen that adrenal gland problems can also cause the high level. I had never had a testosterone level done before so I have nothing to compare this high level with. What are your thoughts on that? Also I did a self referred fasting insulin test and it came back at 5.2. My last 2 fasting glucose test were at 112 and 117. I did a fasting A1C and it was 5.1. Just want to know if 5.2 is high and will lead to insulin resistance or am I there already? The test shows I am in the “normal” range between 2.4 and 26 something! I don’t trust what they think normal is. I have been listening to you guys for a while now. I first heard of you when you were in the Tom Woods show and been following you since then! Keep up the great work! Neu5 GC Teresa writes: Hi Robb and Niki I love your show and listen to it all of the time. I recently listened to Dr. Gundry speaking on Gabby Reese‘s podcast about Neu5 GC, which we get when we consume red meat. He says it causes inflammation and cancer, and that we should only eat it sparingly or only naturally fermented. Not exactly what I want to hear and I find it kind of hard to believe. I have cut out high fodmap vegetables, nightshades,high oxalate vegetables and I’ve adopted a higher protein diet, 1 g of protein per pound of desired body weight. Chicken is not my favorite and I find it hard to digest. Can you shed light on how much truth there is to this claim . Thank you! Am I Eating Too Much or Not Enough? Jessica writes, Hi Robb and Nicki, Been listening to the podcast for a few years, and appreciate the content! Also love the way you interact with each other--the love and respect in your relationship comes through--it's encouraging! My question is: Am I eating too much, or not enough? For context, I'm 43 years old, 5'7, 211lbs, and while I am feeling better than I have in probably the last 5 years, I cannot get the scale to budge. My goal would be about 155 (I felt my best at this weight about 8 years ago) I've spent the last 2 years working with a functional medicine practitioner who has helped me clear up some gut infections, mold, and sort out some other digestive concerns (constipation) I've had all the tests: Dutch, GI Map, HTMA, OAT, full thyroid panel (not just TSH), and bloodwork. I'll mention that I'm MTHFR heterozygous, and FNP says based on HTMA, also a "slow oxidizer". Not sure how relevant those two things are to the question. We redid the Dutch recently, and I do seem to be on the low side of progesterone, so she's having me supplement on days 14-28 of my cycle (I'll note my cycle has always been very regular). I sleep 8+ hours a night (actual sleep according to tracker) average 9300 steps/day according to my garmin watch, and lift heavy 30 to 45 minutes 3x/week. I do have a desk job, but I have a walking pad I use daily at the office. I've been working with a nutrition coach at my gym since about August of last year, and while we are seeing some slight body comp changes based on pics and measurements...I'm still carrying more body fat than I would like, and it absolutely seems like it's NOT going anywhere. We started at 1880 calories. (160 grams protein, 175 grams carbs, 60 grams fats), and have adjusted all of those levers to a degree over these 6 months (sometimes up, sometimes down). I'm still basically exactly where I started with my weight. My gym has an InBody Machine, and according to that, my skeletal muscle mass is 76.5 lbs, with a 35.6% body fat. I hear you guys recommend the keto gains calculator, and when I've input my data there, I get the following recommendation: 1489 cals (143 P, 20 C, 93 F) for rest days, and 1679 cals (168 P, 20 C, 103 F). The overall calories seem low, and I do tend to have issues with fat digestion. I hear and read so many things that say women shouldn't be eating less than 2000 calories because of stress on the body, etc....but then some other macro calculators I use put me anywhere between 1800 and 2500 calories. I lost 25 pounds in 3 months about 4 years ago, but didn't keep it off. At that time I was eating 1400 cals, lifting heavy (oly) 3x a week, and training for a 10k 3x a week. It was unsustainable, and I also think may have contributed to some of my other issues. Would really appreciate your all's input as to whether my current macros really are "too much", or if it's not enough. Thanks so much. Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/30265628

Carb Tolerance, Stevia For Birth Control, 600 Drinks Per Year | THRR179 03/03/2024

Carb Tolerance, Stevia For Birth Control, 600 Drinks Per Year | THRR179 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: 600 drinks a year Mike writes: Hey Robb, For a number of years my friends and I, all mid to upper 30’s at this point, have been back-of-the-napkin tracking our alcohol consumption. Why? To be honest, no real reason other than a little accountability to oneself, something to talk shit about in group texts, and potentially to nudge some improved habits. I led with the part that seems shocking. ~600 drinks last year. Every year I’ve counted has ranged from about 450-675, the low end being the years we had infants, the higher numbers being when I was 30ish and didn’t have a care. Here’s the question. 500+ adds up pretty easily for someone who likes to drink. 10/week can be 0-1-2-1-0-4-2 and often is, and I don’t need to tell you this but that becomes 520 drinks across the year. We all know alcohol is bad. Can you weigh in on your feelings about this kind of volume, given very very little of what anyone would call binge drinking?? 6 foot Male, ~165, 38 yrs old. Hike and/or lift weights approx 6 days a week and drinking doesn’t affect me negatively in any accute way. Is this bad? Any time I’ve had labs done they’ve been normal accross the board. What does Robb think?? I know less is probably better but is the juice worth the squeeze?? I like drinking, and again, very rarely drinking to imparement, and the count is very honest. Thanks, your fifth listener. Carb tolerance Holly writes: I just tested sweet potato, utilizing your carb tolerance protocol using a CGM. While my blood sugar returned under 100 after two hours, the spike was significant at 60 over baseline. So would you say this food is okay for me because of the test at two hours or potentially still a problem if trying to minimize the glucose variability? Stevia for Birth Control Jonathan writes: Hi Robb and Nicki, I'll first say that I really appreciate everything the two of you have put out into the world. My question is regarding the legitimacy of a Tik-Tok conspiracy about Stevia (I felt very strange typing that sentence). My wife and I have two young girls (coming up on 4 and 2 years old), and in June of 2023, we started trying for the third and final addition to our family. My wife got pregnant on the first try, as she did with the first two pregnancies. Miracles, yes, but a part of me was cursing this cruel, cruel world - my wife's pregnancy hormones cause a 180 on her libido. At the first ultrasound for fetus #3, however, we couldn't find a heartbeat - it turns out there was a "missed" miscarriage around week 9 or 10. It came as a shock to both of us, since the first two pregnancies were quite healthy, and conceiving was not an issue. We took a break from trying, but still have plans to try again in a few months. In the meantime, my wife is working on stacking the deck where she can to make sure her body is 100% ready this time around, so that we don't repeat the difficult experience we had last year. She recently came across a Tik-Tok video that warned of the dangers of Stevia - allegedly, native cultures used to use the Stevia leaf as a form of contraception. Despite heavy skepticism, I've looked into it a little bit, and it's not entirely baseless. A textbook written by Obama's former science czar, for example, contains an anecdote of native Paraguayans adding a powdered form of Stevia to tea to serve as a contraceptive. A cursory glance as more recent research has some mixed results in rats, but the "consensus" seems to be that Stevia is no issue. I typically tend to trust "ancient wisdom" passed down through generations, but the anecdotal evidence seems a little weak in this case. What is your take on the legitimacy of Stevia as a contraceptive? My wife, who probably did increase her intake of Stevia during the first couple months of that pregnancy, is avoiding Stevia altogether just in case, since it's a very one-sided risk. Regardless, I would be curious of your thoughts. Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/30210133

Keto and Xanthelasma, High Blood Sugar, Mindset Change | THRR178 02/16/2024

Keto and Xanthelasma, High Blood Sugar, Mindset Change | THRR178 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: High Blood Sugars Eric writes: Hi Robb & Nicki - long time listener and fan! I’m hoping you have some thoughts or suggestions on this one. Background: I’m a lean, 56 yo male who follows a lower carb (50-75g daily) / higher protein diet (1+g/body weight). I’m very in tune with my diet given my wife is a T1D following Bernstein. I lift weights 3x/week and run about 20 miles/week (because I enjoy it). Admittedly, my work stress is high and I work about 50-60 hours/week. I get about 7.5 hours of sleep nightly and do all the sleep hacks to ensure I’m getting restful sleep. I’ve been wearing a CGM in hopes to better understand a recent A1c test of 6.0. I also had my fasting insulin level checked and it was 3 - so I don’t think I’m insulin resistant. The CGM consistently shows fasting glucose around 115 and staying there through mid afternoon, when I’ll typically drop into the 90s. I see spikes for exercise as high as 160, but come back down within 1-2 hours. I’m trying berberine (even though I don’t have a carb load) and l-theanine for the stress spikes, but so far, I’m not seeing much change Could this all be stress related? Any suggestions on how to fix this? Could this be gluconeogenesis from too low calorie? I don’t think I eat too few calories and am about to embark on some tracking to see where I am. Keto and xanthelasma Fredrik writes: Hi Robb and Nikki, I have a question about a condition I heard you mention once on the podcast, xanthelasma. Basically yellow spots around the eyes. I have been on paleo since 2009 and keto since 2012 and you were some of the first people I found on my journey. It really has changed my life for the better. Back in 2009 I was training 5-6 days a week as a 28-year old with good performance but still had a less than optimal body composition and generally did not feel great. Now many years later on keto, as you guys often say, I look, feel and perform much better. There is just one nagging issue, yellow spots around my eyes. They started to occur after about three years on keto and I had a couple of them removed surgically but they are now coming back slowly. Obviously I cant keep on having surgery, so what to do? I have theorized that dairy might be a contributing factor but the problem of just trying to remove something is that I will not know if it is effective until years later. I have tried but it is very hard to find any useful advice for this online. Some people mention that supplementing with bile salt could help, what do you think? Physically and mentally I feel my absolute best on keto bordering to carnivore so I really want to maintain that. Dairy has also been really helpful for me to get enough calories for my workouts (three days a week of heavy weights and two days of either running or cross country skiing). So how do I know what to do and is dairy a likely contributor? Also, what else, other than dairy, could I eat to get in the calories for not just maintaining but building muscle? Protein is at 150-200 grams per day btw and aiming for around 2600-3000 calories a day. Thanks for all your great work with the books and podcast! Fredrik Weight loss/mind change Mark writes Robb, Long time follower, my wife and I went to Nutrition seminar in 2009 at crossfit Monrovia. I like listening to yall. I am the former football/rugby player that eats too much food and sits at a desk. It has come to a point now that Life Insurance is requiring me to lose 60 pounds. I need to get to 231 pounds at 6'0". Currently i range between 285-295. I have tried diets the last couple of years for challenges, clean it up for a month and lose 30 pounds, super focused, lift, train without burning the joints. Skip meals, Skip Carbs. I lose the weight. Then i go back to normal life and eat my normal food which is too much. The question is how do i reset my need to eat and take in extra calories. Should I consider counseling? I eat as a feeling. I eat the same as I used to when I was playing rugby. I do also follow Dan John and I try to use Easy Strength for lifting. But I have not found a balance where i steadily lose. I have been maintaining my weight at about 285 with what i normally eat. My sleep is ok, Normal is 10:30 pm to 6 am. I sit at a desk 30 hours a week. I lift 15 minutes once a week. I play/run/yard work one time a week also. I have heard you talk about this before where we have been trained to gain and grow. Now that I am not trying to keep muscle mass on I have trouble shutting off eating. I still have not written my food down, like in the ketogenic reset. Is it habitual and I need to change how I eat for 25 days? Or is there another mental change needed? Mark Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/29980148

Burning Junk Calories, Last 15 Pounds, Diabetes and Cardio | THRR177 02/09/2024

Burning Junk Calories, Last 15 Pounds, Diabetes and Cardio | THRR177 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Questions: Too much cardio for diabetes? Thomas writes: Hi Robb and Nicki, second time questioner with an answer on the first question. First was about long term Imodium use. I am one of the six who truly appreciate what you do and listen all the time. I’m also an LMNT believer. This one is for my mother in law. She has controlled diabetes with diet and exercise for years. I would say they are Paleo on the lower end of protein. Now her A1C and fasting glucose are going up. Lots of walking and biking (weather permitting on the biking). Walking upwards of 7-10 miles a day. Could this be causing her body to produce more glucose for energy if protein is low or is her time up and leading towards insulin after all these years. Would weights be a benefit? Failed to mention she is in her low 70’s and pretty small framed. Junk food calories - can the junk be burned? Caleb writes: Howdy Robére and Nikki, I'm an OG supporter that came across you all while I was working for one of the first Whole30 approved products, Tessemae's All Natural. I've been to a handful of PaleoFX events and my last one was a few years back where we connected at the LMNT booth and I just want to extend my appreciation for you two staying true to real food and nuanced information without turning into sh*thead snake oil salesman selling Beauty Counter or other garbage products like the majority of the old "real food influencers". I recently started ultra training and found that if I use whole foods for all my fuel I end up with a giant rock in my stomach and occasionally have to sprint off trail to test my below 90 degree wall sits on a tree to relieve myself. I've since gone towards gu's and swedish fish for my training and race fuel and the rest of my calories come from lean red meat, fruits, japanese sweet potatoes, avo oil, ghee, and trace amount of calories from a little slice of heaven called LMNT (plug). My digestion is great, my stool is strong, my skin is clear(ish. I always have trouble with acne), and my energy is solid. I just want to make sure I'm not causing any long term issues by crushing swedish fish, gu's, and chilled peanut m&ms during training and wondering if the fact that I'm currently a furnace for calories, if that furnace burns the "bad" stuff in processed foods along with the calories themselves. Stay salty, C Weight Loss and Maintenance Jenn writes: Hi Robb & Nikki, I want to start by first saying thank you for the entertaining and informative podcast as well as the delicious electrolytes! My question today is related to weight loss and how to potentially move that needle. Sorry for the long winded story and question! I'm a 34 year old female 5'7" and 175 pounds. I have a desk job, but I am active every day. I box/kickbox twice a week, crossfit once a week, swim laps once a week, practice yoga/mobilty several times a week, strength train at least once a week (aim for 2-3x) and I walk between 7 & 10,000 steps every day. I have in the past lost weight doing chronic cardio and extreme calorie restriction, and I have reached 155 pounds, which is where I feel the best (confidence and energy wise), but of course, once I stop the extreme dieting and exercise, the weight comes back on. At my heaviest I was 215 pounds but I am able to maintain 175 very easily now, but getting that last 15-20 pounds off and keeping them off is a major struggle. Peter Attia has said that your waist should be half of your height or less, so at 5'7", my waist should 33.5" and I'm at 37" and it will not budge. I eat a very clean diet, following Paul Saladino' animal based framework - beef, eggs, chicken, apples, blueberries, hard cheeses (parmesan and old cheddar), potato, carrots, squash, sauerkraut, mangos, bananas etc. and I follow Dr. Mindy Pelz's intermittent fasting framework. Chronometer shows that I'm eating between 140-160g of protein, 50-150g of carbs and the remaining calories are fat, and on average I'm eating between 1800-2000 calories a day and feel satiated. Taking my activities into account, I have between a 250 and 500 daily calorie deficit which means that I should be losing weight at a slow, steady pace, but I'm not. I'm wondering if my hormones are possibly causing a problem? I have regular bloodwork done and my thyroid levels are in normal range and my fasting glucose is 4.6 mmol/L and all other markers are normal. A problem is that I live in the socialist country of Canada and my doctor won't test my hormones because of my age and the fact that I don't have any health issues and I'm not obese (preventative healthcare does not exist). I've tried to look at CGM's and private hormone testing, and each of those will put be out of pocket between $500 and $1000, which is more than I can afford at the moment. I try not to overdo the fasting and exercise so as not to increase cortisol levels too much, I do have a stressful job and I purposefully take a break in the middle of the day to go for a walk or exercise to help keep those stress levels under control. I try to get outside for at least 30 minutes a day (not always possible due to the weather) and I get between 7.5 and 8 hours of sleep a night - usually good quality sleep but I do have the occasional restless night. The supplements I take besides LMNT are magnesium, Vitamin D and CBD. My only vices are coffee and tea, which I drink black or with a small amount of honey or coconut milk. I feel like I'm doing everything right, I feel healthy and have a great partner and life but I just can't seem to get the weight under control. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions that may help me to move the needle and keep the weight off for good? Or am I worrying over something that is not a big deal? I want to be as healthy and strong as I can be going into my mid-life years. Appreciate any thoughts you may have. Jenn Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/29879363

Border Brinkmanship, Climate Change, and Homeschooling | THRR176 01/26/2024

Border Brinkmanship, Climate Change, and Homeschooling | THRR176 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Homeschooling Jessica writes: Hi Robb and Nicki! I have been a fan for over 10 years. You, along with a couple others, helped me to find the paleo diet when I was in the midst of several health issues. Long story short, I changed not just my diet, but my lifestyle years ago and have never looked back. I am actually writing to you on something unrelated to diet, something I never thought I would do! My husband and I live near a big city and over the last few years we have become increasingly unhappy with our environment. We have always loved cities for their walkability, culture, and convenience, but our city leaders keep developing to the point where my 5-year old daughter doesn’t even know what “the woods” are. Also, while my daughter seems to love school, we have concerns for her staying in the public education system with all its current issues. We are seriously contemplating a move into the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, my husband would have a long commute to work, but this would enable us to possibly do some things we have dreamed about such as homeschooling or finding a microschool for our daughter, have chickens and/or goats and bees, and create our own environment instead of worrying about the city building something in our backyard. I am writing to you all for advice. Do you have any tips for starting this journey? Any thoughts on starting homeschooling for a 5 year old, especially for a kid that is extremely social and extroverted? I currently work fulltime, but will have to quit to either support her schooling or look for a remote position that will offer me some flexibility. Either way, I have some obvious anxiety over all these changes, but it would be good to hear your thoughts and any lessons learned. Thanks for all you do and for continuing fighting the good fight. Homeschooling Jack writes: Hi Robb and Nicki We’re struggling a bit with our daughter just now. She’s not loving school, not wanting to go, not engaged by it particularly, all this against a backdrop of some sensory processing disorder that makes the whole environment a little much for her. The occupational therapist thinks autism - if it’s there it’s fairly mild. So we were discussing all options - pushing the school a bit harder, moving her elsewhere etc and the possibility of home schooling. I was wondering what that actually looks like for you guys. How much of their academic learning do you provide personally? Are any of the online teaching resources really good? What is a realistic time commitment? Would you do this if you just had the one child, or do you feel that they’d be too isolated? Do you take steps to ensure that they spend time away from home or from you, for example. Are there other aspects of this that we may easily miss as we try to anticipate what it might look like? Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/29668568

Semaglutide, Psoriasis, Magnesium Supplementation | THRR175 01/13/2024

Semaglutide, Psoriasis, Magnesium Supplementation | THRR175 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Magnesium Supplementation Charles writes Hi Robb and Nikki, I have a question about Magnesium intake. For years I've supplemented 400 mg of Mg nightly based on Rhonda Patrick's recommendation. I always use a highly bioavailable form (e.g. Glycinate or Malate). Recently I've had some discussions with people online who brought to my attention that supplemental Mg *at best* provides like 15% elemental Mg (i.e. a 400 mg supplement gives you 50-60 mg Magnesium). I thought this was fine since I eat a paleo diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which presumably provide a few hundred milligrams of Mg, and I supplement LMNT; but some argue that with our modern soil situation plus anti-nutrients in other foods (not sure if that applies to Paleo people) means that our dietary Mg intake is effectively zero. My questions: 1) Can you get most of your Mg from food in a reasonably simple Paleo diet? 2) If supplementing, is 400 mg (The Rhonda Patrick recommendation; 50 mg elemental) Mg enough if you do (1)? 3) Can you supplement hundreds of milligrams of elemental Mg without shitting your pants? Keep up the good work. Charles Psoriasis Steve writes: Any evidence on any particular dietary solutions to help with psoriasis? I turned 50 and it hit me, mainly my right hand and right foot. Makes lifting difficult. Chalk, Wash, leather up with doc spartan and repeat. I am on a medication, lowest dose. Prefer not to use meds at all, it helps, keeps the tearing pain to an acceptable level to keep moving forward. Semaglutide Trevor writes: What’s the deal with semaglutide? I’ve read that it slows down stomach emptying, but wonder what the health risks might be? I have a family member who legitimately needs to lose about 100 pounds. They have some orthopedic and neurological issues that make exercise pretty difficult right now. Some version of semaglutide seems pretty appealing right now, if just to get the weight loss ball rolling. Thanks to you both for your podcast. Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/29471918

Collagen Type, Blood Pressure as Paraplegic, Diatomaceous Earth | THRR174 01/05/2024

Collagen Type, Blood Pressure as Paraplegic, Diatomaceous Earth | THRR174 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Collagen Type From Eric: Hi, I've seen some recent research indicating collagen supplementation doesn't help with joint repair. However, they were testing types I and III. Perhaps type II is required?: Types I and III can be purchased in bulk powder form, but type II appears to be only easily available in small doses via capsules or mixed in with types I and III in unknown, probably small amounts. I suffered a massive ankle injury from a bike accident, so am looking for as much extra help healing as I can get. I'm already getting 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and eating paleo plus lots of homemade bone broth. Maybe the extra collagen isn't necessary? Thanks, Eric Diatomaceous Earth for Silica and Heavy Metal Detox Nate writes: Hey Robb and Nicki, Appreciate all you do. Long time reader and listener. Have you dug into (or tinkered around with) diatomaceous earth as a supplement? I’ve been hearing about how consuming a food grade version of this at low doses (~a teaspoon a day) can detox heavy metals from your body, and that it is high in silica, which has been claimed to have health benefits of its own. As more and more metals are discovered in our food, our foods packaging (such as aluminum cans), our water supply, and really in our environment all around us, do you see the consumption of diatomaceous earth as an effective and also safe way to help rid your body of some, or any of these metals? Thanks guys. Exercise and Blood Pressure as T-10 paraplegic Eric writes: Robb and Nicki, thanks so much for your balanced approach to all the questions you answer. And thanks for all the wisdom you dispense. It’s truly appreciated. A rundown on myself: I’m a 35yo male, 5”10 and 155lbs. I’ve been a T-10 paraplegic for 20 years. I had a MVA when I was 15, which resulted in my spinal cord injury (SCI). I’ve been eating paleo for about 3 years now with great success. I’ve never felt better and I’ve never been more regular. Being regular can be a very difficult thing when you have a neurogenic bowel. I recently had bloodwork done. Cholesterol 215. Triglycerides 34. HDL 69. LDL 136. Non HDL 146. Coronary risk ratio 3.12. Hemoglobin A1C 5.2. Mean glucose 103. Insulin 5.3. Every man in my family seems destined to have a heart attack or need a stint at age 50, so I’ve really tried to be as healthy as possible. I feel like I’m doing pretty good. If not, please tell me. I work 40 hours a week and try to be as active as possible. I also have an 18 month old so she keeps me moving. But I have a couple concerns. Exercise: it feels like, damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I know it’s important, but every single time I try to exercise regularly, I always end up pulling something. EVERY DAY IS ARM DAY. And when that’s the case, it takes forever for things to heal up. I’ll inevitably have to take 2 or 3 entire weekends where I do nothing but sit on the couch and watch movies all day, trying to rest the injury as much as possible. This is on top of regular “wheelchair life” repetitive stress injuries. I can’t help but feeling like the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze. I’m probably better off staying as generally active as possible. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Maybe one just inevitably has a shorter lifespan as a paraplegic. If so, I’m okay with that. It’d just be nice to know. The second question is about blood pressure. Coffee and tea seem to raise my top number between 130-150, and it typically stays elevated within that range throughout the day. The bottom number will get up to about 80. When off caffeine my BP is typically 120/70. Should I be worried about this? Also, what the heck? This is from one 12oz cup of black coffee a day. It doesn’t mess with my sleep or anything else. Just BP. Could there be a way to counteract it? Please don’t tell me I need to give up the nectar of the gods. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Eric Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/29362848

High A1C, Supplement Absorption, Dog Food | THRR173 12/22/2023

High A1C, Supplement Absorption, Dog Food | THRR173 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: High A1C Brenna writes: Hello from Minnesota. I'm an active 38yr young full time mom to two boys, 5 and 3. And I have an A1c problem. This isn't a new problem, so I cant blame it on my still occasionally disrupted sleep. Years before my kids my A1C was 5.7 and as a dietitian I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. At that time I lifted weights, occasionally swam, and ran 1-2x wk. I didn't eat 100% paleo, but I also didn't eat junk and I was relatively lean around 14-16% body fat. I worked with a naturopath on some hormone issues (low estrogen and progesterone from not eating enough to fuel exercise), and she never had a good answer as to why my a1c was on the high side of normal. The only factor we found was my fasting insulin was kinda low at 3. I did get my A1c down into the 4s following a keto diet, but was again not eating enough food to maintain my weight or support hormone production and lost my period. I used a CGM for a while and nothing surprising came from it other than sweet potatoes = giant spikes but pasta and white potatoes do not. Fast forward to now, I'm 5'3" 124# and guessing around 18% body fat. I started competing in Kettlebell Sport 2yr ago and I want to continue getting stronger so I can lift 16kg bells this coming year. My coach wants me to put on 3-5# of muscle. But my recent A1C once again at 5.7 has me scared to eat the 180-200g of carbs recommended by him and most fitness calculators. I'm in a hypertrophy phase for the next couple months and lifting heavy 4x wk with no real cardio. Daily food is often a high protein/fiber smoothie with about 30-40g of carb and 10+g fiber. Post workout I usually have a cup of cereal or kids cliff bar + whey protein powder. Lunch is usually a big ass salad + a piece of bread or leftovers meat and veg with rice, pasta, potato. When I track these days I do get 130-150g protein. I have a dietitian friend who has gone through Joel Greens program and she believes the issue lies in my gut and that underlying inflammation is disrupting my insulin signaling. Because we cant come up with any other ideas as to the cause. So what's a girl todo? Keto gains? Lean Gains? Jason Seib's old AltShift diet? Joel Greens 2 day core? How do I eat enough calories to support my goals of strength and maintaining my hormone levels, while simultaneously not overeating carbs. Or is 5.7 good enough? Thanks for any thoughts you might have. Proper Supplement Absorption Angie writes: I’m looking for solid information on vitamin and supplement absorption and best time of day to be taken. Can you shed light on this? It is one thing to know or Rx for supplement but another when and with what to take or not take with it. Great show! Thank you What do you feed your dogs? Jason writes: I have been a fan of y’all since I read sacred cow, currently I’m reading wired to eat. I try to practice carnivore, but with life and kids I’m moderately successful, but overall happy with my diet choices. I’m also a veterinarian and after reading your books and thinking about our 4 legged friends, I’m trying to figure out what diets to recommend. I have recommended canned food for cats for years because they are obligate carnivores. Dogs are a little tougher, I feel like they would benefit from the carnivore lifestyle, but who has time to cook for their pets that much? I barely have time to feed myself and family. So what do the wolf’s feed their dogs? Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/29200783

Digestion and Regularity, GERD and Ammonia Breath | THRR172 12/08/2023

Digestion and Regularity, GERD and Ammonia Breath | THRR172 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Questions: Shitty question: digestion and regularity Jonathan writes: Hey Robb and Nikki, Long time listener, first time caller. Have been listening on and off since the paleo solution days with Greg Everett. (six listeners can't be wrong!) Quick back story (that you can cut if this is too much but maybe helpful context), about a year ago I had a bout of food poisoning and developed a weird aversion/anxiety around eating for a few months after. I got through it with meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy and completed the Nerva hypnotherapy course recently (which was pretty nice). I think a lot of ibs symptoms that I developed came from anxiety, panic, hypervigilance and fixation and have mostly subsided as I worked in it. However, I still have problems with Regularity. I'll have a few days of slow digestion and some heartburn, bloating, and gas then a few days of everything coming out with some moderate to severe "get your ass to the bathroom quick!" mixed in, then back to slow... You get the picture. It's like things get backed up then all move at once, rinse and repeat. Went to a gi doc and he was pretty not helpful - tested for celiac (I don't have it) and IBD (I don't have it) and then told me to, like, ya know, drink Metamucil and maybe, if I wanted, follow a low fodmap diet, or whatever man... Oh, and stop drinking kombucha. Good luck! I also did a Viome test and it told me my overall gut health was good but digestion scores were poor and have some very vague dietary recommendations, though I haven't tried their probiotic yet. Anyway, with the testing behind me I went down the path of looking back at diet and driving myself insane, it's just so hard to pick through the noise Fiber is good! No fiber is not necessary! Eat yogurt! No actually, dairy is bad! Take Probiotics! No, Probiotics don't matter, take prebiotics instead! It's probably Sibo bro! But you can easily check for that so.... And on and on it goes. OK, so my actual question is: Are there any general dietary or lifestyle non-negotiables you would reccomend to help with digestion and regularity? What are the food or diet boxes to tic. Maybe there are even some supplements or other potential things like zone 2 cardio, abdominal massage, cold showers... Anything. I'm pretty healthy otherwise with my exercise being wendler powerlifting and rucking, but don't follow a super strict diet. I do now super enzymes before the first bite of lunch and dinner and take Probiotics on and off along with some fermented foods. I try to drink a lot of water but fiber drinks tend to give me some stomach upset. Appreciate you taking the time to read this. Thanks for any help you can give! GERD, ammonia breath, and macros Nancy writes: Hi Robb and Nikki: Been one of your 6 listeners since the Paleo Solution Podcast days and first just want to thank you both for the wealth of knowledge you continue to share... your curiosity, smarts, humility and sanity have been a godsend, especially over the last 3 years. Okay, here goes... I'm having two troubling issues and am wondering if they're related: I've had what I'm pretty sure is undiagnosed GERD for about the last 3 years, but a recent overindulgence at a cookout sent it over the top. I don't feel so much heart-BURN as bloating (in the stomach, not abdomen), along with a dry cough (mostly at night), a globus sensation in my throat, the feeling of post-nasal drip, and even fluid on the middle ear when things really flare up. Oh, and the first symptom I ever noticed was after an emergency appendectomy when I discovered my tooth enamel was being corroded... coincidence? To mitigate symptoms since this recent flare-up, I've been sleeping propped up at a 45-degree angle, chewing my food into oblivion, walking after meals, practicing diaphragmatic breathing and hoping like hell to get a handle on this (without meds) before it destroys my esophagus. (Tried pickle juice, ACV and ginger... very modest effects, at best, but tasty!) No one has had the balls to tell me this, but I'm pretty sure my breath smells like urine. I constantly smell it on the rim of my drinking glass, and no, I'm not drinking pee. Also did the lick-the-wrist test and got the same smell. The internet wants to convince me I have chronic kidney failure but my kidneys appear to be working fine... no pee issues at all other than smelling it where I shouldn't. For context: I'm a 56-year-old, post-menopausal female, 5-ft 8, 150-lb mesomorph, active daily (yoga and hiking), in good shape, strong immune system, don't smoke or drink (other than a glass of white wine once a week), have regular, near-perfect poops, and eat fairly clean (whole foods plus olive oil, butter, the occasional white basmati rice and super dark chocolate), with a long, never-fully consummated flirtation with keto... hey, fat is flavor, what're ya gonna do? I also, pretty naturally, tend to stick with a 16:8 fasting-feeding window, skipping breakfast most days. I'm wondering if (despite getting a decent amount of vegetable-, fruit-, and rice-based carbs) my high fat intake and the IF might have generated enough ketones to make my breath smell pee-ish, or if that's almost always a sign of too much protein. Thing is, I don't typically get more than 40-50g of animal protein a day (e.g., 2 or 3 eggs for lunch and a 6-oz. slab of salmon for dinner) and as a post-menopausal woman, feel my protein intake is already low. My hunch is that the pee breath and GERD are related, but I'm not clear as to how. I'm wondering — if I AM getting enough fat to be in ketosis, could the fat in my diet be causing the GERD? Or is it more likely that I'm not actually in ketosis but that the GERD is causing the pee breath? (And do you think the appendix surgery could have caused the GERD, what with things getting shoved around in there willy-nilly?) Apologies for the long-winded question-palooza... totally understand if this is too long for the podcast, but if you ARE able to offer any insights, they would be very much appreciated. Thanks again for all you do! Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/29000208

Essential Tremor and GABA, Alcohol, Cauliflower Ear | THRR171 12/01/2023

Essential Tremor and GABA, Alcohol, Cauliflower Ear | THRR171 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Time to Rethink Alcohol Karen writes: Love you guys!! I would appreciate your take on the effect of alcohol on the body. I am a health coach and I am trying to get as many perspectives as possible so I can offer knowledge to the clients who ask, about the pros and cons of the nightly glass(es) of wine, or the occasional weekend over indulgence. It seems that the deeper I dig on the subject, the more I feel we as a society need to educate ourselves about the potential impact that alcohol can have on our health rather than just look at it as a social acceptance or a “good source of resveratrol”. Please feel free to take a deep dive into the industry as well and a possible comparison to the tobacco industry and the lies that were being told regarding smoking. Are we being told the truth about the effects of alcohol on our body? Please know that your podcast is very much appreciated and I look forward to hearing what is going on in the Wolf household. (Team Home Schooling!!) Thank you for your time. Karen Cauliflower ear and BJJ Kristi writes: Hi Robb and Nicki, Have you found cauliflower ear to be something to worry about in BJJ? I worry about it more as a woman, so I'm curious especially if Nicki has ever thought about it. Do you see a lot of people in classes developing it? Do you do anything like putting binder clips on your ears to prevent it? Thanks, and I appreciate all you both do. Essential Tremor and GABA connection? Drew writes: Because I haven't seen a response on the podcast yet re: the potential connection between ET's and a GABA deficiency, I was curious what your thoughts were on that deal. I got diagnosed with ET's about 18 months ago and noticed that my sleep has also been inconsistent in that time. I assumed it was mostly lifestyle (stressful job, two special needs kids, etc), but started to wonder how the sleep inconsistency and ET's could be connected. I know it's a bit of a correlation/causation deal, but based on Doc Parsley's work on sleep and this study (), I'm curious what your thoughts are on the subject and if you've had any more luck in piecing this whole thing together. If it helps, been Paleo for a more than a decade, and recently leaned into more of Paul Saladino's stuff, especially adding the fruit & honey after jits, which I've been training for 2-3 days a week for about 8 months. I too notice a bit uptick in the ET severity after more than 2 cups of coffee, which is pretty rare nowadays since cutting back the caffeine helps so much with sleep and the ET severity. Thanks, Drew Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/28890683

Genetics vs Epigenetics: A Deep Dive into Robb’s DNA | THRR170 11/24/2023

High Blood Pressure, Lifting Philosophy, Fungal Rash | THRR169 11/17/2023

High Blood Pressure, Lifting Philosophy, Fungal Rash | THRR169 Please Subscribe and Review: | News Topic: Show Notes: Questions: Lifting Philosophy Changes Kevin writes: Hi Robb and Nicki. First time question submitter, but I am a huge fan as I have been following your work since 2012. I am an active 35 year old male, 5'10", and about 165-170lbs. I eat whole foods, walk about 9,000-12,000 steps/day, lift 5x/week (switched to bodybuilding split for joint recovery), and most importantly train Jiu Jitsu 4x/week. I am very conscious with respect to my training and lifting as I would like to make this a lifetime practice. I have been training Jiu Jitsu for a little over 8 years and lifting about 12 years. I am always thinking about longevity and how I can preserve my body to the best of my ability. Obviously Jiu Jitsu can have other plans and can disrupt this preservation process, which is why I made an effort to switch to a more controlled/"old man" game about 5 or so years ago. However, my question is more focused on the lifting aspect. I am curious how your philosophy has changed on weight training and what you think would be the best long term solution. I have a home gym with barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, weight vests, etc., but the older I get the more I realize that recovery and longevity is paramount. I would still like to maintain and/or gain muscle, but I would not like to sacrifice my longevity. How do you tackle this problem nowadays? Are calisthenics with or without a weight vest a good solution? I am always curious to hear your thoughts. I hope Montana has been treating you well and thanks in advance! Fungal Rash Sam writes: Hello! Love you guys and all the info and perspective you put out. Hoping you can help add some thoughts here. Long story short I have UC that I just can’t control well with diet and lifestyle- 2 years ago, yes TWO YEARS I was put on humira when I first noticed an itchy rash on my back. No one could really figure it out back then. While on humira I got septic arthritis in my knee. 4 surgeries a PE and DVT later I was on IV and oral antibiotics for nearly 6 months. As you can imagine that rash got 1000x times worse along with the IBD. Anyway eventually the rash was identified as a pityrosporum folliculitis. Put on oral Fluconazole and ketaconazole creams which worked for a month or so then rash comes back with force. Had a bad UC flare up and put on steroids recently which completely masked the rash, and once off steroids it comes back 100x worse. It’s incredibly itchy and irritating. Outside of the antifungals I’ve tried probiotics like s.boulliard but doesn’t help. Besides the IBD I have PCOS I work hard to remain otherwise healthy. Very physically active and eat a healthy diet mostly paleo but because Im gallbladder less and don’t tolerate much fat, and do all the things to prioritize sleep, getting outside and supporting well being. Any thoughts on this rash that won’t quit. I clearly have an underlying process going on that the FOUR goddamn dermatologists I have seen for this are completely clueless on. Thanks for any input! High Blood Pressure Sissy writes: Hello Robb, Long time listener first time caller. Big fan of all that you and Nikki do. Both books have helped me properly wire myself to eat and sacred cow has been a gift I’ve given to all of my coworkers and friends. So thank you for shedding the light on all things about health for our bodies and the planet. I’ve been on a journey of losing a whole human. 523lbs to 265lbs. I’m 6’7 and My blood work done regularly and everything is at peak condition or so my doctor says. Healthy as a Clydesdale they say. A1c is 5.1 and my hdl/tris are in the optimal range and a body fat around 22%. Still high and working on losing the last 30ish pounds. Healthy life style weights 4 times a week zone 2 4 times a week. Eat a 90% paleo diet. Make all my meals at home with The occasional splurge on date night with my wife. Not a drinker and don’t smoke. But for some damn reason my blood pressure is still fuckin high 150/105. I’ve been on beta blocker with no results other than the effects (side effects) of cough itchy through and swelling. But let me get to the point. The new Rogan podcast he has Gary breka on and first thing they speak about is high blood pressure so my ears were perked to say the least. Saying most just need to supplement with TMG in order to break down homosistein for well this would get long if I typed it all out. He goes on a tangent of methylation of certain compounds help the body process things we eat to turn them into Things we need. And goes on about 5 gene mutations that certain folks have that doesn’t allow for certain proteins/micronutrients to be processed properly. I’m typically skeptical of all snake oil salesman and even more of the pharmaceutical industry. Whole other convo of docs throwing everyone on a pill that diet and exercise can fix. Anyway your the scientist and really the only expert I trust with empirical data. So give it to me straight. Am I fucked genetically with hypertension(doc says so) or can it really be as simple as a supplement and vitamin. Again thanks for all the amazing insights you give for free to the world. I wish you and your family a long, healthy and prosperous life. Sissy Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, . Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Transcript: Coming soon... /episode/index/show/thehealthyrebellionradio/id/28689788

Your Gym is Too Important to Screw Up with Craig Patterson | Salty Talk 047 | THRR 11/10/2023

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