The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Show with Ben Brown

The Keto Diet has absolutely stormed the dieting world over the past several years as one of the most popular dieting methodologies out there. But what is it about the Ketogenic Diet that has people so excited to drop their carbs and ramp up their saturated fat intake? And how effective is it really when it comes to improved health and faster fat loss? That’s what we’re discussing on this episode of the Smart Nutrition Made Simple Show. Resources: A Beginners Guide to Ketogenic Dieting https://www.bslnutrition.com/ketogenic-diet-guide/   Connect with Ben: Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smartnutritionmadesimple Instagram: https://instagram.com/bslnutrition As always, if you love what you hear on this show, then do me a favor and subscribe, leave a positive rating and review and share this episode with a friend or loved one whom you think could benefit. AND, if you want to talk about working with me personally, I’d love to chat, just schedule your free nutrition strategy call over at www.bslnutrition.com/levelup

If you value your time, your worth, and want to be as efficient and productive as possible, then you need to create a system for not only prioritizing your nutrition and fitness but your sleep, stress and recovery. Today’s guest, Nate Palmer has done just that. Hang with us as we discuss how to create a high ROI routine around your daily meals and routines to optimize your energy and productivity, through easy and efficient planning and structure so that you too can build a million dollar body. Nate Palmer is highly passionate about helping humans perform at a higher level. He also happens to be a dad, husband, and the #1 bestselling author of Passport Fitness and The Million Dollar Body Method. Nate helps business owners and entrepreneurs improve their physique, finances, and family time using fitness and nutrition as force multipliers. Find out how to get fit by first maximizing your energy quickly and easily. n8trainingsystems.com. Resources: The Million Dollar Body Method FREE Calendar https://million-dollar-body.mykajabi.com/calendar Connect with Nate: Facebook Profile: https://facebook.com/n8palmer Facebook Community: https://n8trainingsystems.com/group LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/n8palmer Twitter: https://twitter.com/n8training Instagram: https://instagram.com/n8training As always, if you love what you hear on this show, then do me a favor and subscribe, leave a positive rating and review and share this episode with a friend or loved one whom you think could benefit. AND, if you want to talk about working with me personally, I’d love to chat, just schedule your free nutrition strategy call over at www.bslnutrition.com/levelup   Complete Essentials - 20% OFF (your first order) Use discount code at checkout: “SNMSPodcast” Wellevate Supplement Ordering - FREE ACCOUNT - (20% off for Listeners): LINK:https://wellevate.me/benjamin-brown Just click on the “Create an Account” link below the sign in button. Once you’ve registered for your account, you can view all of the products that I personally use and recommend to my private clients.

What happens when you're doing everything "right" but not getting the results you want? In this episode, I'll discuss 3 crucial factors to consider when working to lose weight, including: 1) Why exercise is NOT a very good weight loss tool 2) Food quality vs. food quantity, for example, why eating "healthier" isn't always better 3) How you track your weight loss could be deceiving you AND, I'll share ONE strategy that I've used with 100's of clients (and 1000's of pounds of fat loss) as the #1 driver long-term and sustainable fat loss success so make sure you listen until the end and I hope you learn a lot!   Resources: Here are More Ways to Connect with Ben and the BSL Nutrition Community: Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.brown.146/ Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smartnutritionmadesimple Instagram: https://instagram.com/bslnutrition   As always, if you love what you hear on this show, then do me a favor and subscribe, leave a positive rating and review and share this episode with a friend or loved one whom you think could benefit. AND, if you want to talk about working with me personally, I’d love to chat, just schedule your free nutrition strategy call over at www.bslnutrition.com/levelup

In my first podcast back after a bit of a hiatus, I wanted to share a recent interview I did with my friend Alvin Laxamana on his All Things Fresh Podcast. Now I’ve created over 100 episodes here that share the knowledge, wisdom, background, and expertise from other health and fitness professionals, but in doing so, have held back my own story and experiences that I think you may find insightful. So, moving forward part of my mission is to continue to provide as much value and real world experience by sharing more of the lessons that I’ve gleaned as I approach close to 20 years as a coach. And it all starts today, so I hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more helpful content from myself, other experts in the field, and hopefully through sharing more of my journey, you can truly see that making Smart Nutrition decisions isn’t always easy, but it can be simple.   Resources: Here are More Ways to Connect with Ben and the BSL Nutrition Community: Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.brown.146/ Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smartnutritionmadesimple Instagram: https://instagram.com/bslnutrition   As always, if you love what you hear on this show, then do me a favor and subscribe, leave a positive rating and review and share this episode with a friend or loved one whom you think could benefit. AND, if you want to talk about working with me personally, I’d love to chat, just schedule your free nutrition strategy call over at www.bslnutrition.com/levelup

What are the life circumstances that drive a skinny kid to join the marines, get in the best shape of his life only to end up sacrificing his health for his work and family, ultimately getting lost down the road of what’s considered normal in today's low societal standards?   Today we bring on BSL Nutrition coaching client Gabriel Daley, to discuss the fitness and nutrition journey that led him from peak physical condition in the marines to a type 2 diabetic father of 6 struggling to perform the way he knew he could. Over the past 6 months, Gabe has transformed his physique, overhauled his nutrition, overcome type 2 diabetes, and become the father, husband, and leader that he always knew he could be by investing in himself and his future.   Gabe’s story will help you realize that you’re not alone in the struggles that we all feel day-to-day and that through structure, commitment, daily consistency, and gradual change, you are just as capable as anyone else to make profound change in your life.   It’s a pleasure and honor for me to be able to share this interview with you and I hope you enjoy it and learn as much as I did. If you did, then please leave a 5-star review and a positive rating, and share this with someone whom you think needs some motivation and inspiration right now. And if you’re ready to talk about how to make a hard pivot with your nutrition and fitness and you want the no BS, step by step approach to get you there, then let’s chat. Just schedule your free nutrition strategy call at bslnutrition.com/levelup. There’s no better time to take control of your life and your health.

From college basketball standout to cancer survivor  Professional athlete to depression and attempted suicide  Successful sales career to vagabond    To finally...father, husband, entrepreneur, and purpose-driven leader...    Today we catch up with Justin Allen, a former college and professional basketball player who through several challenges and obstacles, including 2x cancer and severe depression survivor, has reinvented himself into an entrepreneur and life coach.    In this inspiring interview, Justin walks us through the numerous trials and tribulations he has experienced as he’s navigated his way through the valuable lessons of a life well lived and what you can glean from his difficult life circumstances, adventures, and the tough questions that we can be asking ourselves to evaluate our path and purpose.    As always, if you love what you hear on this show, then do me a favor and subscribe, leave a positive rating and review and share this episode with a friend or loved one whom you think could benefit. AND, if you want to talk about working with me personally, I’d love to chat, just schedule your free nutrition strategy call over at www.bslnutrition.com/levelup    http://www.bslnutrition.com/episode106 

It’s a harsh reality that as a man, our testosterone levels likely never were and will never be what our grandparents and great grandparents experienced just 100 years ago. ​ Our world is changing, the stressors placed in, on and around our bodies are exponentially higher than they have ever been; from our air quality, water, and the chemicals in our food and in our skincare products. This hormonal disruption created from our environment adds yet another potentially significant factor when trying to improve health, gain muscle mass, and/or lose body fat. Of course, addressing your nutrition, sleep, training and mindset will all be the #1 most significant driver of healthy change, but what if that’s not enough to correct the imbalances present? ​ In this episode I bring back Ali Gilbert; men’s health, fitness, and hormonal optimization expert to discuss the nuances of testosterone replacement therapy and how to navigate the confusing and often misunderstood realm of hormonal optimization specifically for men. ​ In this episode we discuss: ​ > How Ali's views and approach on testosterone replacement changed over the past couple of years and what she knows now that she didn't know back then ​ > When and how to dose testosterone​ ​ > Some of the signs that we may need to take a deeper look into our hormonal health, both obvious and not so obvious ​ > How our level of body fat correlates to reduced health or sexual function​ ​ > The best way to improve health via exercise and which type of exercise is best ​ >​ Best nutrition guidelines for optimizing hormones ​ > If someone is diagnosed with "low T" what should they take into consideration before starting TRT ​ >​ At what point someone should consider TRT if they are doing "everything right" ​ > How to choose a TRT doc ​ >​ What daily objective and subjective physiological and lifestyle metrics can be and should be tracked to gauge progress ​ If you’ve been considering TRT and/or just want to know more about some of the considerations when looking into testosterone replacement, then you’re going to want to tune in to this episode. ​ As always, if you love what you hear on this show, then do me a favor and subscribe, leave a positive rating and review and share this episode with a friend or loved one whom you think could benefit. AND, if you want to talk about working with me personally, I’d love to chat, just schedule your free nutrition strategy call over at www.bslnutrition.com/levelup   http://www.bslnutrition.com/episode105

Is cardio good or bad?   Well, as with all things in life, the devil’s in the dose. This especially holds true when we talk about the pro’s and con’s of cardiovascular training, or if we were to be more specific; the type, frequency, duration, and intensity of the exercise will determine the individual's response.   So what should we know about how to manipulate these variables relative to our long-term health and body composition goals?   Today I bring back Dr. Dan Dodd, Ph.D. Exercise Physiologist and owner of DexaFit in central Illinois - a testing facility specifically looking at Body Composition Analysis using DXA scans, Metabolic Assessments, and Cardiovascular Testing.   In this illuminating conversation, we discuss the numerous applications of cardiovascular training, depending on the individual and their goals, including:   Relationship between cardiovascular exercise for health and for fat loss - is there a difference? Different types of Cardio based on the intensity Ways to create a calorie deficit with nutrition vs. training volume AND metabolic adaptations Downsides of too much cardio Health Benefits of Cardiovascular exercise Stigmas of Cardio based on sex How to measure Aerobic fitness / cardiovascular function   If you’ve been wondering how to determine the right type and volume of cardiovascular exercise for you, then you’re going to want to tune in to this episode.   As always, if you love what you hear on this show, then do me a favor and subscribe, leave a positive rating and review and share this episode with a friend or loved one whom you think could benefit. AND, if you want to talk about working with me personally, I’d love to chat, just schedule your free nutrition strategy call over at www.bslnutrition.com/levelup   http://www.bslnutrition.com/episode104

If you’ve been concerned about how to prepare yourself and your family for if and likely when Covid-19 hits your household, then you’re in the right place.   Today I bring back Dr. Elisa Song, pediatric holistic physician and mother to 2 kiddos that were recently diagnosed with Covid-19 - one of whom was hospitalized due to his symptoms. In this episode, we discuss her experience with the virus as a doctor, as a clinician, and as a mother and what she’s done and continues to do within her family and for her patients that will not only help possibly protect them from getting sick but also arm them with the necessary tools to know exactly what to do if and when they do get sick, not just with Covid-19, but any virus that comes along.   Additionally, we discuss:   > The severity of Covid-19 in kids and what are the myriad of symptoms and duration of illness one could expect > How this virus is much more contagious and potentially serious than the seasonal flu > What’s happening at a cellular level with SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 protection from lifestyle and supplementation > IgG antibody testing for those that have had it, when to get it, and who needs it > How to support your immune system through lifestyle and stress management > The incredible and FREE resources that Dr. Song has created for families to teach them how to get and stay healthy during these times as well as how to manage sickness when it comes to staying calm and being informed and educated   Dr. Elisa Song, MD is a holistic pediatrician, pediatric functional medicine expert, and mama to 2 crazy fun kids. In her integrative pediatric practice, Whole Family Wellness, (www.wholefamilywellness.org) she’s helped 1000s of kids get to the root causes of their health concerns and helped their parents understand how to help their children thrive – body, mind, and spirit – by integrating conventional pediatrics with functional medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and essential oils. These health concerns have ranged from frequent colds, ear infections, asthma, and eczema; to autism, ADHD, PANS/PANDAS, anxiety, depression, and autoimmune illnesses. Dr. Song created Healthy Kids Happy Kids to share her advice and adventures as a holistic pediatrician and mama. Now everyone can have their very own virtual holistic pediatrician! You can follow her blog at Healthy Kids Happy Kids (www.healthykidshappykids.com) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/drelisasongmd) and Instagram (@healthykids_happykids).   www.bslnutrition.com/episode-103

If you’ve ever learned to play an instrument, then you’re well aware of how much time, practice, consistency, and effort are required to even become proficient, let alone develop any semblance of mastery. The practice of developing these instrumental skills can certainly be compared to the process of improving your eating skills, to the degree that in order to truly master your eating behaviors, you need to be willing to give the same amount of time, effort, and dedication.   Today we bring back eating behavior coach, Josh Hillis, author of the recent publication - Lean and Strong - for a candid discussion of the importance of, and how to truly begin to master your eating behaviors as a means to overcoming the dieting mentality that so many of us have at one point or another embraced.   We talk about: > The difference between dieting mentality and a habit-based eating mentality  > What types of eating skills can make the biggest difference in long-term weight loss > The role of meta-skills as an overarching framework for how to approach your daily habits > Why and how eating skills are similar to weight lifting skills, and how to effectively learn them > How “intuitive eating” fits into mindful eating and mindful decision making   Josh has been a trainer since 2004. he’s written two books, Fat Loss Happens on Monday, and the new Lean and Strong: Eating Skills, Psychology, and Workouts and his specialty is helping people with stress eating and mindless snacking.   It’s a pleasure for me to be able to share this interview with you and I hope you enjoy it and learn as much as  I did. If you did, then please leave a 5-star review and a positive rating, and share this with someone whom you think needs some motivation and inspiration right now. And if you’re ready to talk about how to make a hard pivot with your nutrition and fitness and you want the no BS, step by step approach to get you there, then let’s chat. Just schedule your free nutrition strategy call at bslnutrition.com/levelup. There’s no better time to take control of your life and your health.   http://www.bslnutrition.com/episode102