I have had it with the stupid diet wars, so it’s time for a rant and an episode highlighting the big picture perspective of leading a healthy, active, energetic lifestyle and the benefits of focusing on “perform, recover, perform, recover”—my new mantra, which should supercede all the arguing and nitpicking we do about the particulars of plant-based vs animal-based diets, etc.  This show was inspired by my friend sending me an innocent email reporting the results of a Stanford study that’s been getting a lot of headlines lately about identical twins who were each fed a different diet for eight weeks (one vegan, one animal based). I talk about the study in this show, including who funded the study in the first place (would you be shocked to learn it was a plant-based company?!), the importance of looking beyond headlines when it comes to health, and big picture insights that will help you navigate to the healthiest, most nutritious diet, and keep you on the path to longevity and disease prevention.    TIMESTAMPS: Brad is discussing the confusion over diet research and points out that maintaining your fitness, your functional muscle strength and your cardiovascular fitness is the most important intervention for longevity. [02:14] Brad’s mantra is to perform, recover, perform, recover. At the top of his nutrition list is elimination of processed foods. [09:15] There are many studies of micronutrient different foods helping you compare and contrast all the nutrient values of plant-based vs. animal-based foods. [14:13] If you consume less junk food, you will live longer. [17:11] How does one know if his energy system is out of balance? One of the main symptoms is the spare tire. [23:15] Brad has changed the routine he adapted earlier where he was delaying breakfast. If you are not in energy toxicity, your blood work is okay, you have a satisfactory body composition, and are trying to live a healthy, active, energetic life, there is no rationale to engage in fasting or restrictive eating strategies.  [32:06] Fasting is stressful but there are profound autophagy benefits as well.  The brain burns about 20% of all our daily calories. [37:51] Move more. Eat more. What exactly is a calorie that we are obsessing about?  [46:56] When you over-exert yourself, you get yourself into big trouble by kicking in very powerful compensation forces compelling you to overeat. [53:22] Human health and life expectancy have declined since the advent of civilization. [01:04:33] Sensitive people react to plant toxins and suffer from assorted autoimmune and inflammatory responses to those. [01:05:30] Brad has mentioned before how he always made green smoothies in the morning until he realized he reacted to the toxins in the vegetables. [01:13:07] If you are not eating leafy greens, how are you getting fiber? [01:21:28] Generally speaking, you are not getting enough protein when you are on a plant-based diet. [01:23:55] When talking about red meat versus chicken, fish, pork, and other sources of animal-based proteins, you need to understand where and how those animals are raised. [01:34:30] If you want to argue about the moral aspect of consuming animals, look at the statistics of cattle versus fish, chicken, turkeys, and others animals. [01:37:54]   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page B.rad Whey Protein Isolate Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet! Available in Two Delicious Flavors: Vanilla Bean and Cocoa Bean Two Meals a Day Carnivore Score Food Ranking Chart Podcast with Jay Feldman (eat less exercise more is missing the point) Podcast with Jay Feldman (hormesis) Podcast with Jay Feldman (Ditch restrictive diets) Podcast with JayFeldman (Prioritizing carb burning) Minnesota Starvation Experiment Lester Wright, 100 year old Keto Reset Diet Podcast with Dr. Cate Shanahan Burn Rip Esselstyn Podcast The Primal Blueprint Is hormesis even healthy? (Feldman) Hormesis, Part two, (Feldman) Fiber Menac