How Having Variety In Your Diet Creates Health

Feb 13, 2023

Guest

Jeffrey Bland

Guest

William W. Li

Dr. William Li, a physician and author known for his research on disease prevention through diet, joins Dr. Jeffrey Bland, a pioneer in functional medicine. They dive into the necessity of a diverse diet for optimal health, discussing how varied foods boost immune defenses and support brain function. The conversation explores phytochemicals' role in wellbeing and the importance of colorful, whole foods in disease prevention. They also address the dangers of ultra-processed diets and offer tips for incorporating more nutritional variety into daily meals.

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INSIGHT

Food as Medicine

Food contains medicinal compounds that have pharmacological activity.
These compounds bind to specific receptors, like a "broccoli receptor."

INSIGHT

Co-evolution with Food

The body has pharmacological targets designed for internal processes and interaction with plants and animals.
These compounds, often considered non-essential, are crucial for preventing chronic diseases.

INSIGHT

Food's Journey in the Body

Food interacts with our health defenses starting in the mouth.
Nitric oxide from foods like beets and spinach improves circulation and activates stem cells.

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This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Athletic Greens, and InsideTracker.

It can be easy to fall into a food rut, eating the same things week in and week out. Consuming a variety of foods not only adds more excitement to your meals, but it’s also essential for expanding the nutritional diversity of your diet. There are thousands of phytochemicals, also called phytonutrients, found in whole foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, spices, and tea, among many other things. These natural compounds create a variety of colors in our plant foods and signal various benefits.

In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. William Li, Dr. Jeffrey Bland, and Dhru Purohit about why having diversity in your diet and eating a range of colorful produce is the ideal way to promote optimal health.

Dr. Li is a world-renowned physician, scientist, speaker, and author of Eat to Beat Disease—The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. He is best known for leading the Angiogenesis Foundation. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than 70 diseases, including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity.

Dr. Jeff Bland is the founder of Big Bold Health, a company on a mission to transform the way people think about one of nature’s greatest innovations—the immune system. A nutritional biochemist by training, Jeff began in academia as a university professor. Jeff then spent three decades working alongside other pioneers in the natural products industry. In 1991, he and his wife, Susan, founded the Institute for Functional Medicine. In 2012, Jeff founded another educational nonprofit called the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute.

Dhru Purohit is a podcast host, serial entrepreneur, and investor in the health and wellness industry. His podcast, The Dhru Purohit Podcast, is a top 50 global health podcast with over 30 million unique downloads. His interviews focus on the inner workings of the brain and the body and feature the brightest minds in wellness, medicine, and mindset.

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Athletic Greens, and InsideTracker.

Rupa Health is a place where Functional Medicine practitioners can access more than 2,000 specialty lab tests from over 35 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, and Great Plains. You can check out a free, live demo with a Q&A or create an account at RupaHealth.com.

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Full-length episodes of these interviews can be found here:

Dr. William Li

Dr. Jeffrey Bland

Dhru Purohit