The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Show with Ben Brown

Being a man today ain't easy... The pressure of living up to societal expectations can be intense: Being a provider, a present and engaged father, a supportive and emotionally available husband, a strong leader and community member...it seems like a lot. David McMenomey, founder of BeDadStrong.com, has found that creating a community based on competition and optimistic support helps men thrive.   David is a father of 2 and has been married to his college sweetheart for nearly 11 years. He is a serial entrepreneur, and avid hunter, mountain biker, guitar player and fitness enthusiast. David is now building a powerful community of dads called Dadstrong and is helping them to be strong for their families through accountability and fitness challenges. In this great interview we discuss David's personal growth that stemmed from a tumultuous multimillion dollar business failure and his corresponding passion project: The BeDadStrong Community. Dadstrong is a space for dads to share life, get strong, and encourage each other in any areas they are hitting a wall. Episode Resources: DadStrong Website BeDadStrong Facebook Group Connect with David on Facebook If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to iTunes and subscribe to The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast if you haven’t done so already. While you’re there, leave a rating and review. It’s the best way that we can help more people ultimately make Smart Nutrition SIMPLE! ARE YOU READY TO OPTIMIZE YOUR ENERGY? If you’re ready to take your training and nutrition to the next level so that you can optimize your energy and body composition, then schedule your free strategy call with Ben - http://www.bslnutrition.com/levelup/

Today is my first actual solo podcast episode and I see it only fitting to share with you the top 10 things that I learned from the Strength Sensei - Charles Poliquin, who was a strong mentor for me. 1) The powder community: The majority of the people I know and respect the most in the industry is because of taking Charles courses. It's where I got to validate my ideas, learn what other coaches were doing and just bro out with other like minded peeps. We need community to thrive. 2) You gotta pay to play: I hired CP for a 1-1 consult in 2009. It was $1000 for the hr and, to this day, one of the best decisions I've made for my career. Not because of the consult itself, but because it helped us build rapport. Eventually this led to client referrals, networking opportunities and ultimately new business partnerships, a contract with a major NBA organization and helped me launch and grow the #CompleteEssentials. 3) Teach through storytelling: Charles was a great story teller. Many times he had me dying laughing with some of the stories he'd tell, the attention to detail, and what a great memory he had. It wasn’t the information that resonated, but the way he relayed it that made it stick. 4) Be polarizing: People loved him or hated him, and he owned it and never flinched. He taught me to be ok with putting out content that people may not agree with as well as telling clients what they need, not what they want to hear. 5) The path to success is never linear: CP had a tumultuous ride and while I won't pretend to know too in depth, I do know that his highs were certainly accompanied by plenty of lows. I’m especially saddened because despite his success, I’m confident his best had yet to come... 6) Question everything: Being brought up in an academic household, I learned early on to be analytical (and skeptical). It was the fascinating nature of the Biosignature courses (and my skepticism that ensued) that forced me dig in and find out more about nutrition and supplementation, and ultimately go back to school and to get another degree.  7) Prioritize what really matters: I always had a tremendous amount of respect for Charles and his relationship with his daughter. The way his eyes lit up when he spoke of her. You knew instantly that the hard shell of his physique was nothing but playdough to her every need and to those people in his life he really cared for. 8) How to ask good questions: When I first started taking courses with Charles in 2007, you learned very quickly not to ask dumb questions. He would look at you as if he was trying to melt you with his eyes and the verbal assault was equally penetrating.  9) Give credit where credit is due: CP had a remarkable ability to tell you exactly when and from whom he learned a certain topic, tool or tip. Having had and uncountable number of people plagerize his work to-date, he was especially great about recognizing and respecting those that blazed the trail before him.  10) What you appreciate, appreciates: Charles taught me the power of gratitude to help me attract what I want in my life. A way to focus on opportunity, new possibilities and positivity rather than problems and negativity. "No pissing, no moaning." Thank you Charles. You made an indefinable impact in my life and I only wish I could have shared this with you sooner. If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to iTunes and subscribe to The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast if you haven’t done so already. While you’re there, leave a rating and review.  It’s the best way that we can help more people ultimately make Smart Nutrition SIMPLE! ***And if you're ready to take your training and nutrition to the next level so that you can optimize your energy and body composition, then schedule your free strategy call with Ben: www.bslnutrition.com/levelup/

What the heck is BioHacking? Blake Bowman, of GuerillaZen.com explains that despite the fact that even though he identifies with the term “biohacking”, or is seen as a “biohacker”, what he really practices is health-optimization. Essentially this is taking sometimes unconventional steps; utilizing technology as well as natural resources from mother nature in order to optimize health. In fact, as Bowman explains, the BEST “biohackers” actually emulate nature, like getting in the ocean, grounding your body on the part with bare skin, getting in the sunlight, exercising daily, and eating whole foods that are local and seasonal. The reality however is that most people don’t practice these health optimization strategies that our ancestors have been practicing for hundreds of thousands of years. Therefore, we need someone like Blake to show us how ands what we should be doing in order to improve our sleep, manage our stress, heal our body, and nourish our soul. Blake Bowman is a holistic health expert, biohacker, human optimizer, online coach/creator.  He strives to give people the knowledge and tools they need to take their health back into their own hands. In this interview, we discuss various ways to improve health through the benefits: Sunlight and vitamin D, why it’s a necessary, and how to get vitamin D in the winter Cold therapy and it’s impact on both short and long-term health as well as the various ways to implement daily cold therapy into your busy day. The role of medicinal mushrooms in helping humans live healthier lives, which ones we should be buying, and why they’re sod beneficial. Additionally, we talk about some unique products and supplements, including Blake’s upcoming medicinal mushroom formula that he’s launching in 2019. Click here to subscribe to the Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast on iTunes. Follow Blake Bowman Here: Facebook GuerrillaZenFitness.com YouTube Instagram If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to iTunes and subscribe to The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast if you haven’t done so already. While you’re there, leave a rating and review.  It’s the best way that we can help more people ultimately make Smart Nutrition SIMPLE! ***And if you're ready to take your training and nutrition to the next level so that you can optimize your energy and body composition, then schedule your free strategy call with Ben: www.bslnutrition.com/levelup/

In this episode with Brian St. Pierre, we break down the nutrition fundamentals that anyone looking to improve their health and physique would benefit from, specifically those of us with families and “busy” lifestyles. You can think of these fundamentals as essentially the best practices of precision nutrition and what they’ve tested and proved to work through hundreds of thousands of clients over the past 10+ years. Before we jump into those, let’s not forget that the basics are the basics for a reason… Because they work. And so before you jump into the next latest and greatest fad diet or exercise program or before you feel like you need to “think outside the box”, its worth acknowledging that what works isn’t always the sexiest programs out there. Perhaps, it’s those that are most realistic done diligently and consistently that will drive the greatest results! These nutrition fundamentals revolve around: How and Why are you eating?  What and How much are you eating? Before we discuss what we should be eating or  much, it’s important to have a solid foundation of why and how… Are we actually hungry? or just stressed out? or bored? or thirsty? or is it just “time to eat”… It’s important to ask these questions to help us tap into some of the underlying mechanisms at play that cause us to make the decisions (good or bad) that we do. Additionally, we dive into the professional sports realm and how these same fundamentals apply to even the most gifted athletes in the world. Here’s the thing, “nearly all human behavior is an attempt to solve a problem” whether it be pain, grief, stress, etc… so again, by evaluating why and how we’re eating, whether its consciously or not, we can gain a lot of insight into what changes can be made, especially before we worry about the What and how much. Lastly we dive into the ever important aspect of eating & exercising while traveling and how to focus on what we can control RATHER than all of the myriad of things that could be problematic.  Brian St. Pierre is the Director of Performance Nutrition at Precision Nutrition, working with a host of fitness professionals and professional sports teams including the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Browns, US Open Champion Sloane Stephens, and many more. Prior to his work with Precision Nutrition, Brian worked for three years at Cressey Sports Performance as the head Sports Nutritionist and as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, working with hundreds of athletes and recreational exercisers of all types.  The author of the High Performance Handbook Nutrition Guide, the Show and Go Nutrition Guide, and Ultimate Hockey Nutrition, Brian is a Registered Dietitian with a Masters degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition. He's also a Certified Sports Nutritionist as well as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. As part of the Precision Nutrition mission, he helps to deliver life-changing, research-driven nutrition coaching for everyone. www.bslnutrition.com/episode55/ If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe to The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast if you haven’t done so already. While you’re there, leave a rating and review.  It’s the best way that we can help more people ultimately make Smart Nutrition SIMPLE! And if you’re ready to take your training and nutrition to the next level so that you can optimize your energy and body composition, then schedule your free strategy call with Ben: www.bslnutrition.com/levelup/

In this enlightening interview with Dr. Ralph Esposito, we start off our discussion by talking about the differences between normal testosterone and optimal testosterone ranges as seen in conventional blood labs as well as WHY just looking at normal levels can be such a big problem. Dr. Esposito is a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist and functional medicine practitioner specializing in integrative urology, men’s health and hormonal health. In addition to being a peer reviewer for medical journals, he has authored several medical textbook chapters and has designed education modules for health professionals specifically on urological conditions, male and female hormone dysfunction, hypogonadism, exercise, men’s health and sexual dysfunction. Dr. Esposito has trained at NYU Integrative and Functional Urology Center and also holds a position as adjunct professor at New York University where he lectures on integrative medicine. Currently, Dr. Esposito serves as a medical consultant and research analyst. In this podcast, Dr. Esposito discusses why it’s imperative to not only look at total testosterone, but also free testosterone levels to get a better idea of what’s happening at a cellular level and how your body it utilizing it’s testosterone production. We discuss the numerous roles of testosterone in the body and it’s importance as we age and the internal and external factors that influence out bodies testosterone production, including HPG (hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal) axis dysfunction. Finally we dive into diet and lifestyle considerations that are the biggest factors to regulate hormones, including sleep, blood sugar regulation, and if/how we should utilize intermittent fasting as a means to improve hormone health. Click here to subscribe to the Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast on iTunes. Follow Dr. Ralph Esposito Here: Facebook Instagram Website If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to iTunes and subscribe to The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast if you haven’t done so already. While you’re there, leave a rating and review.  It’s the best way that we can help more people ultimately make Smart Nutrition SIMPLE! And if you're ready to take your training and nutrition to the next level so that you can optimize your energy and body composition, then schedule your free strategy call with Ben: www.bslnutrition.com/levelup/

What is everything we thought we knew about nutrition was wrong? Through a combination of years of hair tissue mineral analysis coupled with a insatiable desire to uncover the truth about clinical nutrition, Dr. Garrett Smith has dug up some pretty convincing data to suggest that many of the foods that we eat today could in fact be slowing eroding our health. Welcome back Dr. Garrett Smith to the show. In episode #9 we discussed the value of utilizing hair mineral analysis testing to determine both nutrient imbalances and deficiencies and why there is no one-size-fits-all model for nutrition nor supplementation. In this episode we take it one step further and pull the curtain back on one essential vitamin that could in fact be robbing us of our health and vitality. Dr. Garrett has been in the medical practice for over 10 years. Prior to that, he worked in the fitness industry training high-end athletes for 12 years. His passion for nutrition stemmed from his work in the fitness field, finding the crucial aspects of nutrition within athletic performance. In this mind-blowing interview, Dr. Garrett discusses the role of both vitamin D and vitamin A, and why food fortification and misinformation has contributed to our increasingly diseased population. Additionally, why certain diets, like the carnivore diet, seem to work so well for some people based on his Vitamin A toxicity hypothesis. Enjoy! Follow Dr. Garrett Smith Here: NutritionRestored.com Facebook If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to iTunes and subscribe to The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast if you haven’t done so already. While you’re there, leave a rating and review.  It’s the best way that we can help more people ultimately make Smart Nutrition SIMPLE! And if you're ready to take your training and nutrition to the next level so that you can optimize your energy and body composition, then schedule your free strategy call with Ben: www.bslnutrition.com/levelup/

Dr. Trevor Kashey, a biochemist, discusses the importance of combining objective and subjective methods for behavior change in weight loss. He shares insights on utilizing personal connections, navigating limiting factors in nutrition change, and guiding clients through life situations for long-term success.

Have you found yourself struggling to eat healthy without going crazy?   If so, you’re definitely not alone.   Today’s guest, Katie Kimball, creator of Kids Cook Real Food program, joins us to discuss how to empower our kids (and ourselves) to live healthier lives by embracing the meal preparation process.   Katie Kimball is a Michigan mom who has shared her journey to real food and natural living for 9 years at Kitchen Stewardship, a blog that helps families stay healthy without going crazy. Along with her 4 children, she created the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse to help other parents teach their kids to cook to stem the tide of disease threatening to wash away the young generation. The course serves over 6,000 families from 6 continents and over 10,000 kids are learning to cook!   One of the keys to helping our kids learn to love real, whole foods is to teach them to embrace the cooking process, from seemingly simple instant pot recipes to learning knife skills for chef like expertise.   Episode Resources: Katie’s Website: Kids Cook Real Food FREE Lesson from Katie on Knife Skills Connect with Katie on Facebook Connect with Katie on Instagram

If you're interested in learning how to lose weight in the most effective and sustainable way possible, then definitely check out my podcast with Brad Dieter, Ph.D.   Brad is a trained exercise physiologist, molecular biologist, and biostatistician. He received his B.A. from Washington State University and a Masters of Science in biomechanics and Ph.D. at the University of Idaho. Additionally, Brad completed his post-doctoral fellowship in translational science at Providence Medical Research Center, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital where he studied the intersection between nutrition, exercise, and disease.   Currently, Brad is a research scientist at the Providence Medical Research Center and co-owner of Eat to Perform, an online nutrition coaching platform. He also sits on several different advisory boards and writes articles on health, nutrition, and supplementation on his website ScienceDrivenNutrition.com.   During my our awesome podcast, Brad and I talk a lot about physical activity for weight loss, nutrition for weight loss, total caloric intake, metabolism, set point theory, intermittent fasting, the ketogenic diet and so much more. You guys are definitely going to enjoy this interview.   In This Podcast We Also Discuss:   - How Brad got into the health and wellness space [4:11]   - The idea of set point theory and what it means for you [8:00]   - Different adaptive mechanisms our bodies use to regulate weight [14:07]   - What your body fat percentage really indicates [15:04]   - The connection between resting metabolic rate and weight loss [16:44]   - Why longterm diets are NOT beneficial [18:42]   - What dieting provides you vs. what exercise provides [21:23]   - The concept of NEAT and how to incorporate it more into your daily life [24:21]   - Brad's Eat to Perform  coaching program and how it's different from other weight-loss programs [32:06]   - Brad's take on intermittent fasting [38:24]   - The TRUTH about the ketogenic diet   Follow Brad Dieter Here: Eat to Perform Science Driven Nutrition Facebook Twitter   You can check out Brad's article on set point theory here.   If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to iTunes and subscribe to The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast if you haven’t done so already.   While you’re there, leave a rating and review.  It's the best way that we can help more people ultimately make Smart Nutrition SIMPLE!

If you've struggled with cardiovascular issues or generally want to learn how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle, then check out my interview with Jack Wolfson, DO.   Dr. Wolfson is a holistic cardiologist who was sick and tired of seeing a revolving door of patients failing to get well from conventional pills and procedures. As a result, Dr. Wolfson opened up Wolfson Integrative Cardiology where he uses a combination of in-depth testing and targeted nutrition to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease naturally. Rather than treating symptoms, Dr. Wolfson focuses on the whole person and getting to the root cause of their heart problems.   "It will be the public, the individual people that really call on their physicians to come up with something different. And when enough people are asking their healthcare provider about probiotics, digestive enzymes, about taking a multivitamin, about exercise recovery powders, the doctors are going to have to realize that they either change or they’re going to be left behind."   Additionally, Dr. Wolfson is the author of the Amazon bestseller The Paleo Cardiologist, a book focused on practical solutions for heart health.   In this week's awesome podcast, Dr. Wolfson and I go into depth about what it means to not just eat paleo, but also live a paleo lifestyle, his position on the pharmaceutical industry, lifestyle and supplement tips for improved heart health, the importance of cholesterol and so much more. Dr. Wolfson absolutely practices what he preaches and I think a lot of the information in this podcast will really change your views on what you can do to prevent or treat cardiovascular disease.   In This Podcast We Also Discuss:   - How his father's failing health changed his entire perspective on cardiovascular health and treatment [3:59]   - The need for doctors to change their approach to health and wellness [7:49]   - Why he is such a big proponent of a paleo diet and living a paleo lifestyle [11:37]   - His take on eating excess healthy fats [14:06]   - The truth about saturated fats and cholesterol [17:05]   - The best predictors of cardiovascular health and it's not total cholesterol [19:48]   - What it means to find the perfect paleo cholesterol [23:42]   - Why the Wolfson family hangs out naked in their backyard on the weekends [24:47]   - The best form of exercise for heart health [33:16]   - Why marathoners and other endurance athletes are more likely to experience cardiovascular problems [34:37]   - Dr. Wolfson's top 5 foundational supplements [37:03]   - Negative implications of statin use that everyone NEEDS to know [42:00]   Follow Dr. Wolfson Here: The Drs. Wolfson Wolfson Integrative Cardiology Dr. Wolfson's Supplements Facebook   You can purchase a copy of The Paleo Cardiologist on Dr. Wolfson's website or on Amazon.     If you enjoyed this episode, head on over to iTunes and subscribe to The Smart Nutrition Made Simple Podcast if you haven’t done so already.   While you’re there, leave a rating and review.  It's the best way that we can help more people ultimately make Smart Nutrition SIMPLE!