The Energy Balance Podcast

Debunking myths about insulin resistance and diabetes, clarifying the role of fat burning and stress. Recommending specific diet, movement, and supplement strategies to reverse insulin resistance. Exploring the bioenergetic perspective on glucose metabolism and the adaptive nature of insulin resistance. Addressing the importance of hormonal balance, micronutrients, gut health, and sleep in managing insulin resistance.

In this episode we discuss: Our thoughts on Chris Palmer’s “Brain Energy” theory of mental health Why low carb diets are not the solution for anxiety and depression and what to do instead What most people miss when it comes to weight loss and why we shouldn’t focus on fat-burning Strategies to optimally manage blood sugar for Type 1 Diabetes Whether we should lower our fat intake to lose weight    Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Food Guide: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide    Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/   Click here to check out the show notes: https:/jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-109-chris-palmers-brain-energy-type-1-diabetes-and-low-fat-diets-for-weight-loss-qa   Timestamps: 0:00 – intro 1:19 – our take on Chris Palmer's “Brain Energy” theory of mental health disorders 5:04 – challenging the misconception of a separation between the brain and body 8:03 – why low-carb, ketogenic, and carnivore diets can produce temporary mental health benefits 10:36 – how impaired energy production underlies poor brain health and how to fix it without using low-carb diets 14:05 – how fat burning can temporarily relieve symptoms of poor glucose utilization (with a major cost) 18:29 – why fatty acid oxidation is our default metabolic state under stress and underlies all chronic disease 22:20 – whether ketogenic diets promote metabolic flexibility 24:53 – poor glucose metabolism as a driver of Alzheimer’s disease and other mental health conditions 28:13 – the adaptive benefit of burning fat during stress 31:31 – blood sugar management for Type 1 Diabetes and whether a low-carb diet is optimal 38:13 – whether lowering fat intake is necessary for burning and losing fat 42:09 – whether improving metabolic function alone is enough to reduce stored fat and when a decrease in dietary fat intake may be necessary 47:32 – the difference between subcutaneous fat and visceral fat and their potential implications 50:34 – how to fix our hunger signals to prevent excessive eating 54:33 – weighing the costs of extreme diets and the need for more innovative thinking around health

Herman Pontzer, an expert on energy expenditure, and Ted Naiman, a physician focused on nutrition, delve into fascinating insights on metabolism and diet. They discuss the drawbacks of relying heavily on exercise for weight loss and explore Pontzer's constrained model of energy expenditure. Naiman presents his protein to energy ratio diet, emphasizing the balance needed in protein intake. The duo also tackles how to raise metabolism by increasing caloric intake and highlights overlooked nutrients crucial for mitochondrial function.

In this podcast, they discuss studies showing that omega-3 consumption may decrease lifespan, increase disease processes, and potentially harm offspring during pregnancy. They also explore the impact of omega-3s on inflammation, endotoxin, and mitochondrial respiration. They highlight data from native cultures that suggests omega-3 intake doesn't improve cardiovascular disease or mortality. Lastly, they discuss extremely healthy populations with high-carb and high-saturated fat diets that have low omega-3 consumption.

In this episode we discuss: Studies showing that fish oil and cod liver oil supplementation increase oxidative damage in humans, even in the triglyceride form alongside antioxidants  Why omega-3s are harmful in both healthy and unhealthy humans  The harmful metabolic and hormetic effects of omega-3s (and why omega-3s aren’t beneficial due to hormesis)  The research showing that omega-3s do not improve chronic health conditions or mortality in humans      Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy     Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/     Click here to check out the show notes: https:/jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-106-omega-3s-increase-inflammation-and-oxidative-stress/   Timestamps: 0:00 – intro 1:26 – a summary of the harmful effects of omega-3 consumption in humans 9:14 – omega-3 consumption amplifies the damage from stress (including fasting) 17:08 – vitamin E does not protect against lipid peroxidation from fish oil consumption 20:06 – studies showing that increased omega-3 consumption (including fish oil and cod liver oil) in humans and other animals increases lipid peroxidation, even in triglyceride form 31:45 - how omega-3s triggers hormesis, and why this doesn’t make omega-3s beneficial 39:50 – the context of the omega-3 research and its application 42:57 – studies showing that omega-3 supplementation doesn’t improve chronic health conditions or reduce mortality in humans

In this episode we discuss: Whether the research suggesting that omega-3s decrease mortality is valid Omega-6 intake as a major confounding variable when looking at omega-3 research The dramatic lifespan-lowering effect of omega-3s and total PUFA across all species How omega-3s increase susceptibility to oxidative stress and damage Looking at the Masai diet as an example of a low-omega-3 diet with high omega-3s in the red blood cells     Download the Free Energy Balance Food Guide here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide/     Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/     Click here to check out the show notes:  https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-105-challenging-the-idea-that-increased-omega-3-consumption-lowers-mortality/   Timestamps: 0:00 – intro 1:35 – why we’re discussing omega-3s and lifespan 8:10 – the studies showing an association between omega-3 content in phospholipid and reduced mortality 16:48 – conflict of interest as a confounding variable in these studies 18:12 – healthy user bias as a confounding variable in these studies 20:46 – omega-6 consumption as a confounding variable in these studies 29:04 – problems with using RBC phospholipids and serum fatty acids as markers of fatty acid composition of the diet 30:35 – a low omega-6 diet will increase omega-3 content in the RBC phospholipids and serum fatty acids 36:35 – the effect of heritability on RBC phospholipid and serum fatty acid composition 43:58 – the effect of oxidative stress on RBC phospholipid and serum fatty acid composition 52:57 – why it’s important to consider interventional studies and other research to determine whether we should increase omega-3 consumption to reduce mortality 55:30 – research looking at the relationship between composition of phospholipids and lifespan across species 1:07:33 – research looking at the relationship between composition of phospholipids and lifespan within species 1:23:30 – increased consumption of omega-3s increases omega-3 content in phospholipids and therefore the peroxidizability index 1:28:53 – looking at the Masai diet: low omega-6 intake increases omega-3 content in RBC fatty acids

In this episode we discuss: Individualism and competition vs. collaboration and communitarianism Whether humans are inherently selfish and destructive  The cost of social media and other forms of distraction How drugs and alcohol can function as numbing agents  Why many causes that appear worthy turn out to be distractions from the real problems   Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/   Download the Free Energy Balance Food Guide here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide/   Click here to check out the show notes:  https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-104-how-western-culture-keeps-us-distracted-and-fighting-amongst-ourselves/   Timestamps: 1:14 – individualism and competition vs. collaboration and communitarianism 25:45 – randomness, subjectivism, moral relativism, and the resulting nihilism 31:20 – the consequences of the idea that humans are selfish, destructive, and useless other than what we can produce 41:39 – how potentially beneficial advancements become co-opted to maintain the current power structure 48:04 – how western culture degrades esteem and prevents self-actualization 49:43 – the many aspects of modern technology and entertainment that distract us from what’s important 55:26 – how drugs and alcohol can also function as numbing agents 1:03:42 – how worthy causes become co-opted to prevent legitimate progress 1:13:18 – contrasting with cultures that are family-oriented and less distracted by technology 1:16:10 – the effects of culture in science, health, and everyday life   

In this episode we discuss: How lower wages and higher costs have dramatically reduced our quality of life How we’ve ended up working more and resting less with worse outcomes Whether advancements in technology have improved the quality of life of the average person How marketing and consumerism keep us on the hamster wheel The hidden costs of convenience culture Concerns surrounding the collusion between government and corporations How divide and conquer tactics convince us to blame each other rather than the powers that oppress us   Download the Free Energy Balance Food Guide here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide/   Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy   Click here to check out the show notes:  https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-103-how-western-culture-keeps-us-poor-and-destroys-our-family-community-and-relationships/   Timestamps: 1:34 – how western culture degrades safety and security through financial means 7:33 – how lower wages with higher costs reduces safety and forces people to prioritize work over quality of life 15:14 – we currently work more with less leisure time than ever before, with worse outcomes 20:24 – the cost of consumer culture and marketing as an engine that drives consumerism 30:53 – the cost of convenience culture: freedom, privacy, morals, ethics, and health 36:14 – the problems with profit-driven motives and the collusion between government and corporations 45:36 – how western society has become fragile and unstable 51:13 – how western culture degrades relationships and feelings of love and belonging 52:41 – continued how western culture degrades relationships and feelings of love and belonging 53:27 – divide and conquer tactics within western culture and encouraging the “us vs. them” mentality   

In this episode we discuss: Why culture matters and how we can effectively navigate it The impact of the diet culture and the “eat less exercise more” paradigm How Western culture blames the individual for their poor health and the toll that this takes  The problems with excess work, time indoors, and sedentarism How the modern medical system takes away your capacity to improve your health Why the alternative health sphere can be just as problematic as mainstream medicine    Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy   Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/   Click here to check out the show notes: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-102-how-western-culture-mainstream-medicine-keep-us-sick/   Timestamps: 0:00 – why we’re discussing culture and our concerns with the culture in the US and the relationship between culture and health   6:05 – frames through which we can view culture and the importance of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 13:00 – how western culture degrades health: diet culture and the food industry 27:43 – how western culture degrades health: excess work, time indoors, and sedentarism  34:30 – how easily we can become numb to the effects of our culture or environment  38:07 – the broken modern medical system and the problems with the allopathic, symptom management model  48:21 – problems with the alternative health sphere  

In this episode we discuss: Why you want to avoid vegetarian-fed chicken and acorn-fed pork  The best bioenergetic fat, protein, and carb sources  Why it’s best to avoid salmon and bluefin tuna, and what fish and seafood to have instead  Whether we should be including vegetables and fiber in our diet  How to avoid vegetable oils and what fats to use instead  When it makes sense to include high-FODMAP foods    Download the Free Energy Balance Food Guide here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide/   Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/   Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy   Click here to check out the show notes: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-101-building-a-bioenergetic-diet-optimal-carb-fat-and-protein-sources/   Timestamps: 0:00 – intro  1:34 - bioenergetic food guide  2:59 - bioenergetic fat sources  6:20 - bioenergetic protein sources  15:01 - the importance of collagen/gelatin  18:51 - bioenergetic carbohydrate sources  31:25 – foods and additives to avoid  34:15 – experimentation and context as primary components of the bioenergetic view