Mediterranean, Keto, Vegan, Paleo and Carnivore: Five Diets Compared

00:00:00: A lot of people think of a vegan diet as healthy.

00:00:03: It can be both health-promoting and harmful to your health, it just really depends on how you do vegan but... You CAN DO YOURSELF SOME GOOD IF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THE DIGREE OF PROCESSING AND IF IN THE END YOU ONLY EAT READY MEALS AND ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS THEN AT the end of day you're not doing yourself any favors and actually going to hurt yourself.

00:00:22: Every drop is basically bad for your body.

00:00:24: That's why there's no such thing as a healthy glass of red wine, but it's not all great like some influencers on social media make out to be that eating exclusively animal products only good

00:00:34: for you.

00:00:40: Worldwide about one in five deaths are linked to poor diet.

00:00:45: That means what ends up on your plate is one of the biggest modifiable factors for health and longevity.

00:00:52: No wonder people have been trying for decades to find a perfect diet!

00:00:57: Some cut out meat, others cut out carbs... ...and still others eat exclusively meat.

00:01:03: The problem?

00:01:04: Vegan, Paleo, Keto Mediterranean, Carnivore?

00:01:07: They partly contradict each other fundamentally And yet Proponents of each of these diets report sometimes massive success.

00:01:16: That's why today we're clearing up, what sets these diets apart?

00:01:20: What does the science say and what might they actually have in common.

00:01:23: At the end We'll give our clear verdict And share a simple bio hack with you to make any Of The Five Diets healthier.

00:01:31: Max Have You Ever Stuck To Any Kind Of Special Diet Yourself Ever Tried Anything?

00:01:39: Yeah, a little bit.

00:01:40: I mean not really hardcore... ...I tried being vegetarian when i was eighteen, it wasn't actually that hard and might have even done me some good.

00:01:49: Not totally sure

00:01:50: What's your motivation behind?

00:01:52: Look!

00:01:53: I just wanted to give it a try.

00:01:54: I think Thought is cool somehow but didn't stick with for more than month either so long term.

00:02:01: Then definitely cut back very heavily on gluten.

00:02:06: don't really do that anymore these days though.

00:02:09: i also cut back very heavily on lactose milk and stuff for a while.

00:02:14: Don't we need to get any more either?

00:02:15: actually um yeah and keto, I also tried starting that for few days.

00:02:23: then thought myself now good it was just too extreme for me simply because the amount of fat in oils you consume Just kind of, well they didn't make me feel good and so I stayed away from it again.

00:02:34: So i'm actually still pretty inexperienced.

00:02:37: I'd say

00:02:37: Okay Yeah for me It's uh... Actually pretty similar.

00:02:41: I'd Say I have a super Average diet But with a healthy twist!

00:02:47: So I don't follow any specific profile at all.

00:02:51: I eat carbs, I eat gluten, I consume lots And Lots Of Dairy Simply because I really Really like the taste And try to keep a bit balance everywhere.

00:03:04: And I actually haven't really tried anything we're talking about today, if anything i'd say a Mediterranean diet comes closest to how I eat what that actually means.

00:03:15: so these five diets We kind of want to talk About Today That's Paleo, Keto, Vegan Diet, Carnivore So people who mostly eat animal products or specifically meat.

00:03:26: and then the Mediterranean diet.

00:03:29: And I think the Mediterranean diet to sort of kick off the topic is already.

00:03:34: The most common one, the most well-known and the one most studies have looked into?

00:03:40: Yeah kind of the post poster child i'd say right.

00:03:43: like anyone who says okay what does a healthy diet look Like Says Mediterranean Diet Right!

00:03:50: What Does That Even Mean Now?

00:03:53: Thats Kind Of The Question You Really Have To Ask Yourself Because Looking At Italy Today For Example I think that's the best example of a Mediterranean country.

00:04:00: If you're German, where do you travel to?

00:04:03: Probably Italy maybe Croatia too right but i can't

00:04:07: forget Austria here.

00:04:08: what

00:04:08: sorry if Austrians two But certainly to italy A lot and a lot to croat Croatia Right.

00:04:13: so I Think we are pretty similar in this setup.

00:04:17: And then naturally It is easy To think okay yeah Here Is This Pizza Napoli Whatever That's Mediterranean?

00:04:27: Yeah, that's true.

00:04:28: I mean it was probably invented there but thats not what is traditionally understood as a Mediterranean diet.

00:04:34: What actually is a Mediterranean Diet?

00:04:37: First off its a diet that inherently rich in vegetables and legumes.

00:04:42: so alot of large plant based foundation really right.

00:04:46: And then on top you add some seafood meat above all a lot natural whole foods i'd claim.

00:04:54: So nothing to buy pre-packaged, but really just everything straight from the field gets prepared and I'd say mainly ingredients that naturally grow down there.

00:05:06: So not necessarily the classic potato—that's less common right?

00:05:10: But rather other things like an olive once in a while...but also classic legumes people know…like lentils!

00:05:17: That is very typical.

00:05:19: Those are more of basic building blocks only broccoli or whatever.

00:05:28: Yeah, exactly as you say I think people very often confuse what's on the menu and vacation in Italy with what Mediterranean actually means.

00:05:36: it is really more about local availability of food that just reality.

00:05:41: Italy mostly surrounded by water not meat but fish seafood for example right?

00:05:47: And a lot plant based stuff to eat too.

00:05:50: pizza and pasta are first and foremost a carb bomb not what you should traditionally think of as Mediterranean.

00:05:57: Super important, the olive oil which you also mentioned because in a Mediterranean diet that's seen as the primary fat source.

00:06:04: so all those other seed oils people tend to play around with but primarily Olive Oil.

00:06:12: That is probably another important point and You have to distinguish between what gets branded as Mediterranean in supermarket or some store or often at least doesn't have much to do with the Mediterranean diet.

00:06:28: right just because it's from that region does not automatically make a mediterranean.

00:06:32: something else very close to the mediterranean diet is that dash.

00:06:37: Diet out there.

00:06:38: where this i think dash stands for.

00:06:41: I believe dietary approaches stop hypertension.

00:06:44: so basically a diet that supposed be good for high blood pressure like for achieving normal blood pressure, And that is also very, very heavily modeled on a Mediterranean diet with the slight catch.

00:06:55: That you also drastically cut back on salt right?

00:06:59: Although we did an episode on blood pressure and salt in the context of electrolytes once talking about how it's often about the ratio between sodium and potassium.

00:07:08: not just pure potassium intake but Mediterranean Diet.

00:07:13: Salt definitely plays a role there to write especially sea salt.

00:07:17: Yeah, that factors into it as well.

00:07:19: And that's an extra component they took out when they formulated this dash diet.

00:07:25: yeah I mean scientifically It really does make sense to eat a Mediterranean diet right?

00:07:31: The numbers really back up

00:07:34: exactly so.

00:07:36: first off what people naturally found or who says naturally found.

00:07:40: So what defines the Mediterranean diet?

00:07:42: whole lot of natural foods.

00:07:44: You get plenty of fiber, but you also get I'd say a solid amount of protein through the through the legumes nuts.

00:07:51: But also through meat or the seafood and accordingly it's really not at typical strict diet at all... ...but rather includes pretty much everything just primarily natural stuff right?

00:08:05: And that what actually cool about?

00:08:06: because you can say okay It is accessible to anyone who has access to grocery store.

00:08:13: they can definitely make it work.

00:08:15: Studies have actually shown that all-cause mortality on this Mediterranean diet is significantly lower than a classic Western diet, which might consist of a lot of processed foods and very greasy products but also high carb deep fried things.

00:08:31: so you really get alot out of them.

00:08:33: That's exciting.

00:08:35: up to a twenty three percent lower all cause mortality not just like a couple percentage points either.

00:08:43: And especially, and this is really exciting because most of us will probably suffer from or die off cardiovascular disease at some point.

00:08:50: Right?

00:08:52: Also a twenty seven percent lower cardiovascular mortality.

00:08:55: so the main killer right it's really being targeted there.

00:08:59: I was just gonna say cardiovascular diseases.

00:09:02: precisely what accounts for that massive reduction in all cause mortality since its still The leading cause of death.

00:09:08: let's put That's why it definitely makes sense, but those are great numbers and the Mediterranean diet is certainly.

00:09:15: The easiest one to implement out of the four or other for we're discussing today right?

00:09:21: So It's not especially complicated to eat Mediterranean because the foods are available pretty much everywhere.

00:09:27: I mean vegetables fish seafood so on and so forth are available in every grocery store nowadays.

00:09:32: you just have to be a bit mindful.

00:09:36: Watch the pizza and pasta.

00:09:38: And then you're pretty much in good shape, something worth mentioning too that supposedly healthy glass of red wine is considered part of a Mediterranean diet to.

00:09:46: That's not really true which I think we recently discussed it an episode on alcohol.

00:09:51: every drop Is basically bad for your body.

00:09:54: so there is no healthy glass Of Red Wine.

00:09:56: but yeah still kind of rooted In The French Paradox right where back Many many decades ago.

00:10:04: They looked at how people in France lived so much longer on average Even though their diet was very unhealthy like very high and fat for instance

00:10:13: certainly, and rightly So

00:10:15: And they thought it was somehow due to the resveratrol In red wine.

00:10:19: today of course we know that That's not the case.

00:10:21: but yeah still an intriguing point.

00:10:25: The second one is keto.

00:10:28: a ketogenic diet Is definitely something where?

00:10:33: I'm sure most people know someone who eats keto.

00:10:35: Um, you actually tried it yourself once right?

00:10:38: You said that super greasy high fat content kind of bothered you and That's really the core of Keto isn't It?

00:10:45: yeah pretty much so.

00:10:46: you have a Really High Fat Intake.

00:10:47: You Kind Of Have To Do That Because What Are You Trying to Achieve When Your On A Keto Diet Basically Wanted Manage To Switch From Let'S Say Burning Carbs And Sugar To Burning Fat?

00:10:58: Right and that's usually something that you might induce by going on a long run in really avoiding any gels or stuff like, then eventually the body shifts more toward burning fat.

00:11:07: it super efficient there is nothing wrong with at all.

00:11:09: And its totally what's intended and with keto want to achieve.

00:11:14: basically constantly use fat as some.

00:11:19: your primary fuel molecule and the idea there is okay.

00:11:23: this is a much cleaner way to just generate energy in the body.

00:11:28: And therefore potentially healthier.

00:11:30: at least that's kind of the underlying idea.

00:11:34: you basically make sure really getting seventy eighty percent if your calories from fatty stuff means it could be butter in your coffee for example which other people used to do, or it's MCT oil, coconut oil.

00:11:46: Basically oils that also keep you somewhat full right?

00:11:49: Sure You can use olive oil but you're probably not going to take five spoonfuls of olive oil Right.

00:11:54: so uh... Use a lot of that and above all which is really the key point You heavily restrict your carb intake And try to stay under fifty grams per day.

00:12:05: Then pretty reliably manage to slip bit by bit into this cutosis as they call it This fat burning although it usually takes a few days until you're truly in it.

00:12:15: So, its not like just eat keto for the day and your good- You have to do this for a couple of days in a row... And then gradually reach that point where you are truly in sustained ketosis.

00:12:26: Some people say they suddenly feel more energy or better.

00:12:30: It's also pretty fascinating because it is being looked at as cancer treatments.

00:12:34: I think it really has place there in some ways Simply because cancer cells are very, very carb hungry right?

00:12:43: But even that isn't always true.

00:12:45: Either way, it has its place but also a bit overhyped in a lot of ways I'd say because what's completely missing is fiber.

00:12:56: It is pretty extreme in general when you consider the normal diet as somewhere in range of big buckets carbs protein fats maybe thirty forty Right, meaning it's usually relatively balanced.

00:13:15: I'd say an average diet in the Western world is definitely higher and carbs just because we have so many processed foods And then you just double that right?

00:13:25: If you're getting eighty percent of your calories from fat That doesn't leave much room for carbs especially not protein.

00:13:33: Protein often falls short.

00:13:35: Then there are fiber as mentioned In grains fruit legumes.

00:13:40: There's no fat in there, right?

00:13:43: Or very little comparatively.

00:13:45: And so it's not something that balances out the diet a bit.

00:13:49: what you see in A lot of cases like with people eating keto is first of all during The First few days.

00:13:58: yeah You already mentioned It takes an adjustment period Right and some People get What's called the Keto flu.

00:14:05: So meaning In the first Few Days Of Eating Keto your body is going through this process of shifting its energy supply from carbs to fats, so it no longer runs on glucose but rather ketone bodies are formed.

00:14:21: That's why it called a ketogenic diet meaning that ketones produced and then act as an energy supply including for the brain for example.

00:14:31: there another minor point very important mention here in insulin regulation if you're barely eating any carbs Hardly any insulin gets released because why would it right?

00:14:43: There's no need to keep blood sugar levels within a certain range, but insulin is really crucial for the body to retain Sodium or electrolytes in general.

00:14:53: So when insulin is released sodium gets reabsorbed and the kidneys.

00:14:58: that means we just have more fluid in our vessels Or the body is generally a bit more hydrated.

00:15:04: if you have insulin resistance That can obviously turn into a negative Consistently high.

00:15:09: insulin also means a lot of sodium is constantly retained and potentially high blood pressure, so on.

00:15:16: On a ketogenic diet it flips to the other extreme where suddenly you have barely any insulin hardly any Sodium is retained And you lose a whole lot of fluid.

00:15:26: that means You might have to supplement with electrolytes at times.

00:15:30: sure The body adapts At some point but if you were eating A standard diet before Switch to a ketogenic diet.

00:15:38: It can be pretty tough, right?

00:15:39: Right you definitely should take electrolytes as well or just add a spoonful of salt to your water.

00:15:43: But that's definitely important too ward off to keep the symptoms away.

00:15:48: Yeah You really have to balance out that sodium loss.

00:15:51: So if anyone wants to try it Just keep in mind to maybe pick up a pack of electrolytes and remember its normal That for the first two or three days you won't suddenly feel amazing but probably worse than before, and you just have to push through that brief slump.

00:16:08: And another thing that gets worse seemingly even over a longer period or permanently worse is cholesterol.

00:16:16: Yeah exactly right LDL.

00:16:20: It goes up in most cases too.

00:16:23: We specifically check beforehand whether ApoB also increases, which is actually the particle count.

00:16:28: that's even more interesting and it actually does so.

00:16:30: that's also relevant to know especially if you have a family history.

00:16:34: this definitely an issue should watch out for.

00:16:38: What's really interesting though?

00:16:40: It depends on the fat source.

00:16:42: If you focus primarily on olive oil nuts or plant based fat sources then This LDL increase is far less pronounced or non-existent.

00:16:54: That means you can kind of tweak it and work with it quite well without triggering an LDL spike, You just tend to have to rely on those unsaturated fatty acids rather than saturated ones?

00:17:04: Yeah I mean It actually makes total sense again right

00:17:07: the way its always been

00:17:08: exactly that an avocado Is healthier then a slice of bacon because once Again The level of processing plays A huge role here And also whether it's plant fats or animal fat.

00:17:21: But this LDL increase which happens in almost everyone, its worth noting is not just the case and ten percent of people but many studies that occurred in all most participants.

00:17:33: well you can keep them under control if u just pay attention to your fat sources.

00:17:39: yeah probably should do because personally both us kind share opinion.

00:17:45: A permanently elevated LDL level or APOB level, whatever just isn't good.

00:17:51: Whether that's genetic caused by a ketogenic diet or cause by something else right?

00:17:56: Because every year you spend with elevated LD L is in way worse for your long-term prognosis.

00:18:03: That's just wonderfully well documented by now.

00:18:06: Plus a ketogenic diet.

00:18:07: Isn't that easy to stick too In daily life anyway How many uh how many days did you say you did it?

00:18:13: yeah Yeah I think six seven days from me.

00:18:15: six, seven days.

00:18:16: Was that easy?

00:18:17: No I found it really tough.

00:18:19: especially what i imagine being particularly hard is relying mainly on unsaturated fatty acids long term because for me well butter leaves me with a different feeling of fullness than olive oil does and with olive oil you don't want to consume large quantities unless you're constantly having something carb-heavy with it, to pair it with or salt and carbs.

00:18:43: It just doesn't taste that good in the long run.

00:18:46: so naturally want use something else like butter.

00:18:48: That's super practical because get a lot of fat in And its super easy integrate into your daily cooking routine.

00:18:55: So personally I found this really hard.

00:19:01: Also kind messed up my gut.

00:19:02: My GI tract was uncomfortable too You know, because it felt like you were lacking substance.

00:19:10: And you could probably do a lot better than I did if you make sure that you get enough fiber in there too.

00:19:17: If you manage to eat a whole avocado every day for example and maybe add some other types of vegetables let's say low-carb then you can probably manage them a bit better.

00:19:31: So this is the biggest pitfall.

00:19:34: Well, on the one hand.

00:19:35: The idea behind it is to induce something like a fasting state but maintaining that permanently.

00:19:42: you know.

00:19:43: whether That's healthy in the long run remains to be seen.

00:19:45: honestly We don't know for sure either.

00:19:47: For LDL It's definitely a bit tricky right?

00:19:50: But You still have to keep in mind that there are some basics your body simply needs and fiber Is one of them protein as One Of Them And you shouldn't necessarily.

00:20:00: yeah Let's say neglect those you know, and brush them aside.

00:20:04: You should really make sure to include them

00:20:08: not just bash it completely.

00:20:10: what has been shown is that its easier lose weight obviously also good for blood sugar levels.

00:20:16: right.

00:20:17: so makes total sense.

00:20:19: if your borderline diabetic before then a ketogenic diet certain period certainly idea if you can integrate well into everyday routine Can make it work with your fat sources if you end up eating only butter bacon lard and so on And so forth, then it's certainly not healthy But otherwise It can totally makes sense.

00:20:41: Would I do it personally?

00:20:44: Totally

00:20:44: no let's put it that way but also because right now I don't have any of those reasons where i'd say blood sugar is an issue or weight loss Is an issue.

00:20:53: That's why a balanced diet Or like a Mediterranean diet is probably still the better approach.

00:20:57: Right, but there's nothing wrong giving it a try for yourself, you just need to be aware that.

00:21:04: It's going to be a bit tough in the first few days.

00:21:06: watch your electrolytes and pay a little attention to your fat sources.

00:21:11: then The third diet we wanted to talk about is a vegan diet.

00:21:16: That's also such a polarizing topic Also with all the products that have hit the market Just starting with this fundamental question of whether vegan products or meat substitutes, need to look like me.

00:21:31: Need to taste like meat but just aren't meet.

00:21:35: you know does it have?

00:21:36: that resemblance has to exist?

00:21:38: I can definitely understand a lot of people saying yeah hey!

00:21:41: But i want too...i don't wanna give up meat per se because i really liked the taste..but i dont'wanna support industry behind right everything that uh has do with factory farming and stuff And i think thats totally valid argument.

00:21:56: two or three years ago, I would have said okay why does a vegan schnitzel need to look like a schnizzle and be like-or taste like a Schnitzel?

00:22:04: Just eat regular Schnitzels then.

00:22:06: i've kind of moved away from that now because it really is very valid argument which totally applies right.

00:22:11: so um yeah its still brings some limitations with you just having to be aware

00:22:20: It's probably not a bad diet at all, right?

00:22:23: Because you'll be doing a lot of things.

00:22:25: Right from the start will probably have a relatively clean diet.

00:22:30: to begin with.

00:22:31: You make sure that your...you definitely have to eat a lot vegetables basically or should write off course.

00:22:36: you can also load up on fries and chips And whatever Sure!

00:22:41: But when really think about vegan diet mostly vegetable based fruit whole grains.

00:22:47: That's awesome to start with, right?

00:22:49: The only problem you have of course is that literally all animal products drop out.

00:22:54: And that's where you have a small but subtle problem which is your de facto getting zero vitamin B-twelve.

00:23:01: Most people had on their radar I'd say by now But it still happens sometimes and the problems are not critical if we do for two months But it gets critical if you do it for a year or two and then eventually your B-twelve levels, which actually are stored in the body.

00:23:20: Actually get depleted right?

00:23:22: And You just never want to end up in that situation.

00:23:25: So basically every vegan should get their b-twelve Levels checked regularly.

00:23:31: an above all simply take be twelve through a supplement.

00:23:35: That's no brainer honestly Right.

00:23:37: so you definitely have to do that.

00:23:39: on top of that Your vitamin D level also tend to lower Right?

00:23:43: You get vitamin D, you get it more from the sun.

00:23:46: That's actually way more important right but um...you're definitely going to get less vitamin d intake than say someone who eats vegetarian or well let's say Mediterranean.

00:23:59: those are things that have to keep on your radar But in its own per se a vegan diet is probably very healthy too.

00:24:06: Well

00:24:07: I differentiate bit more because I think a lot of people think about vegan diet as healthy.

00:24:13: It can be health-promoting, but it also can harmful to your health.

00:24:16: It just totally depends on how you eat vegan.

00:24:19: You already mentioned fries earlier.

00:24:22: Fries are vegan too right?

00:24:24: But fries aren't in any story or world a healthy food... Or if you live heavily on rice and potatoes then sometimes run into issues with The with the protein content.

00:24:39: So that's just something you really need to look out for.

00:24:42: plant based protein versus animal protein, we've talked about that a lot frequently.

00:24:47: Plant-based protein tends to have slightly poorer bioavailability meaning you have to eat more plant base protein.

00:24:54: if it soy then its almost equivalent but there are plenty of people who don't like Something like rice protein or pea.

00:25:01: protein just has poorer bioavailability, which means you basically have to consume more protein per portion.

00:25:07: To get into your preferred range.

00:25:10: and other than that something else You should keep an eye on besides vitamin B-twelve while we're on micronutrients is omega three Because in a lot of plant products Omega Three doesn't come as EPA And DHA but as ALA so alpha linoleic acid.

00:25:28: The problem there is that the conversion rate so poor.

00:25:39: those are the actually important omega-three fatty acids.

00:25:44: Those are also measured by the omega three index, that's why walnuts might say rich in Omega Three Fatty Acids but they have almost no EPA and DHA.

00:25:53: so what you I mean?

00:25:53: You do need ALA too But there is plenty of that plant based diet anyway.

00:25:58: And just remember to make transfer happen somehow.

00:26:01: maybe get it tested.

00:26:02: check if you can incorporate into your diet some other way.

00:26:05: So keep an eye on this.

00:26:07: Otherwise Vegan is definitely not a bad idea.

00:26:09: I mean Brian Johnson is vegan too, right?

00:26:11: He'll certainly make sure it's a healthy whole food vegan diet and not just ultra processed products.

00:26:19: You know the ticket if you can incorporate into your diet in some other way.

00:26:22: So just keep an eye on that.

00:26:24: otherwise again is definitely Not A Bad Idea.

00:26:26: i mean brian johnson Is vegan to write.

00:26:27: he'll Certainly Make Sure It's A Healthy Whole Food Vegan Diet And Not Just Ultra Processed Products Because I think a lot of these meat substitutes are very, very ultra-processed products.

00:26:37: It's not just like a soy base or bean or pea base in there but also a ton of additives because a pea doesn't taste like steak right?

00:26:44: So it has quite the gap you have to bridge and that usually happens with some kind of additive.

00:26:48: so be careful there In many cases.

00:26:50: vegan is definitely healthy alternative if really don't want eat animal product under any circumstances.

00:26:58: but it can also backfire if you overlook a few nutritional gaps that come with the diet, or just live off ultra-processed foods like whatever fries and so on.

00:27:06: You have to watch out for that!

00:27:07: Would you ever want to try vegan yourself?

00:27:09: Is that in your Bingo card?

00:27:13: Yeah probably at some point anyway... Well let's put this way I think why don't i do any of that right now?

00:27:23: It has to fit into daily life.

00:27:25: somehow I'd have to invest a lot more time into prepping my food, maybe even meal prepping myself.

00:27:56: Should I meal prep something for tomorrow?

00:27:58: so in the end that just takes a ton of time and i think thats valid point to say okay it's not right thing from you right now.

00:28:05: I think if society were set up all of us germans eight vegan anyway then wouldn't be problem me at all, but that is just not case makes everyday life really complicated.

00:28:16: definitely downplay restaurant thing abit.

00:28:21: all of us Germans ate vegan anyway, then it wouldn't be a problem for me at all.

00:28:26: But that's just not the case and makes everyday life really

00:28:28: complicated.".

00:28:29: I definitely downplayed restaurant thing because even in almost every rustic Bavarian pub out on sticks.

00:28:36: there are vegan options.

00:28:38: now everything is clearly labeled so you can get by whether meat substitutes or just inherently vegan dishes because they're based on some vegetable, then yeah.

00:28:52: I don't think you have that big of an issue but food is still restaurant-food right?

00:28:55: So that's not necessarily always healthy either.

00:28:58: so we still have to meal prep a lot.

00:28:59: Yeah But it's desperate isn't easy when the last five to ten years has gotten much easier To actually stick to it on a daily basis?

00:29:06: Totally.

00:29:07: Let's move onto Paleo The so called caveman diets.

00:29:09: I thought that was really interesting too.

00:29:12: It kind of comes, from the idea saying back in the day it's just how people ate so let us eat today like our ancestors did.

00:29:20: That argument falls a bit flat when people say well at this age they didn't live as long than we do now but due to many other factors such as hygiene and so on.

00:29:28: So yeah its definitely an interesting approach.

00:29:32: Mark Hyman is big proponent of the paleo

00:29:36: mix between Paleo Something else.

00:29:38: Yeah,

00:29:39: okay definitely wrote a book or two on it pretty close

00:29:41: to it.

00:29:41: Definitely

00:29:42: wrote cookbooks too.

00:29:44: For my part I've never tried it.

00:29:46: It's also the last let's say diets out of The five we're talking about today that i kind Of learned About Or read about but yeah?

00:29:54: I mean what does A stone age diet consist of?

00:29:56: What did people eat back then?

00:29:58: Yes actually i mean is Pretty obvious.

00:30:00: Okay, what if you try To put yourself in the shoes of someone living In the Stone Age?

00:30:04: ok what Did they Probably Eat?

00:30:08: They probably gathered berries.

00:30:09: They definitely got fruit.

00:30:10: somehow they got Anything you can kind of pick and that grew like right around them, they got that right?

00:30:20: What they didn't get on the plant side is stuff like grains because for that You needed agriculture first.

00:30:27: Milk wasn't really the norm either Because using cows for dairy production I mean that actually came along quite a bit later too And I think that was really interesting when rethinking it.

00:30:37: Okay, no all of that's gone and thats a pretty massive part.

00:30:40: todays diet so definitely makes more complicated.

00:30:43: but on the other hand you have meat fish eggs typical vegetables right?

00:30:49: Like stuff would typically grow in garden.

00:30:51: even zucchini is totally fine.

00:30:56: You can pick.

00:30:57: nuts has always been around too if maybe not quite as big they are today.

00:31:02: and traditional oils Yeah, but obviously probably not in their pure form right meaning you might have eaten the olive and gotten olive oil from that.

00:31:11: But obvious you didn't press it Right?

00:31:13: That was Probably pretty rare.

00:31:16: on The other hand they definitely saved the fat and everything From the animals for sure right?

00:31:20: so You're allowed to eat stuff like goose fat or whatever right?

00:31:23: So It's Definitely I think a natural way of thinking And i also Think that For most people it probably wouldn't be bad at all.

00:31:33: Because first of all, all the bad stuff that's been added today—the processed stuff that has been added... The added sugar… You just radically cut it out and you'll probably end up better off than before most likely depending on how your eating right now.

00:31:48: but its definitely a positive point.

00:31:53: I mean..you have to admit this diet is actually pretty close to a ketogenic diet because you're cutting out lot these modern carbs grains, sugar for example.

00:32:06: Anything industrially processed in any way which means they're pretty close with keto.

00:32:11: the degree of processing doesn't really matter.

00:32:13: fundamentally nobody dictates that.

00:32:15: so you can totally eat ultra-processed Keto though you definitely won't be doing yourself any favors.

00:32:21: but setting that aside That's why there not really that far apart because anything came along later on.

00:32:27: just skip it and I think you can get a relatively whole food diet that isn't even hard to stick in everyday life.

00:32:34: The only restriction is really just grains, right?

00:32:38: You cannot eat bread or pasta and so on... That's something off the table especially in the Dach region.

00:32:48: Germany Austria Switzerland France too very widespread eating tons of bread lots of carbs Grain products to and with paleo.

00:33:00: that's out now looking at it.

00:33:02: Why would you do it?

00:33:03: Scientifically, It's not even that well researched right And there are tons of books on it and everything told in those books sometimes gets a bit exaggerated.

00:33:16: But much like keto it really can help you if you have blood sugar issues which actually makes complete sense because you're already eliminating so many of your carbs right off the bat like grains and sugar, dairy.

00:33:30: And so on.

00:33:30: Dairy has sugar too So that means it's definitely good for blood sugar.

00:33:35: It's also definitely fine or at least fairly neutral for cholesterol Because unlike keto You also have a protein component and dietary fiber Right?

00:33:47: That definitely plays a role to.

00:33:51: That's why it's a bit easier when it comes to feeling full because protein is way more satiating than fat.

00:34:01: But yeah, It really only validated short term.

00:34:05: so people who've done this for five ten fifteen years now There aren't many where you could actually look and see.

00:34:13: do You really get a solid benefit after many many years?

00:34:15: but again?

00:34:17: It's certainly worth looking into if you have issues with cholesterol, blood sugar and so on or when it comes to weight loss.

00:34:26: Yeah I think people don't look at that closely either.

00:34:28: of course you can cheat on paleo right?

00:34:30: You could eat tons of honey and constantly be having fruit.

00:34:35: Theoretically you also argue melons and stuff like pineapple whatever are paleo.

00:34:43: but you're right sits between keto And in the end, paleo kind of gets well it gets a bit lost because with keto you can find use cases right.

00:34:54: You can say okay maybe I want to lose weight extra fast or maybe its cancer topic i brought up where there might be an indication in your specific case.

00:35:05: but palio is neither fish nor fowl ,it's like a mix of both and if you're doing it go all-in you know, okay.

00:35:16: You're also taking advantage of civilization let's say right?

00:35:19: You can have grains sometimes you could have dairy things that were insanely valuable for humans to I think evolve evolved civilizatially.

00:35:30: put it that way um and That makes everyday life way easier Right And that's why paleo kind of falls by the wayside.

00:35:38: but It's definitely yeah Definitely not uninteresting.

00:35:41: Yeah, I thought that was interesting while researching.

00:35:44: Uh i also found this nice quote paleo is a workable but fundamentally unnecessarily restrictive version of more vegetables and fewer processed foods And if you look at it completely objectively That's pretty much what It Is.

00:35:58: So A lot Of A Lot Of Process Stuff Is Left Out.

00:36:01: Instead You Eat More Vegetables Meat And Fish Naturally Have Their Place Too But On Top Of That You Make Things A Bit Harder on Yourself By Cutting out Grains.

00:36:09: One Hundred Percent Right Yeah, exactly.

00:36:11: Things that are just so ubiquitous in our environment

00:36:16: totally yeah.

00:36:17: and then there's carnivore.

00:36:19: That's super super popular with some biohackers Just shoveling down as much meat is possible.

00:36:26: but it's not just meet It's mainly exclusively animal products.

00:36:32: Yeah well I wonder.

00:36:34: But i think There a lot of people who genuinely do And there are a couple of very, very successful Instagrammers who practice that very aggressively too.

00:36:43: So yeah I just think okay yes you can do it and i mean... Let's put this way looking at it with nuance we get the arguments.

00:36:52: its obviously extremely nutrient dense right?

00:36:56: You're basically getting from animal.

00:36:58: There is almost nothing more nutrients than you have high protein high vitamins minerals Um, you get plenty of electrolytes and so on.

00:37:08: So in the end.

00:37:09: it's an awesome package right?

00:37:10: So let's say I was assuming that animals had a reasonably decent environment is probably

00:37:14: worth adding as well.

00:37:15: ideally Of course they should have been healthy animals too Right.

00:37:18: but anyway Let's just assume That.

00:37:20: then sure i'm onboard And then offcourse You can also eat fish.

00:37:23: thats totally fine.

00:37:23: On carnivore to write you Can eat eggs two.

00:37:26: So basically you definitely Have products across The board that are all very Very very nutrient dense Which means you Definitely won't have any Nutrient deficiency.

00:37:35: um dairy products are sometimes allowed to.

00:37:37: i think mostly it's limited to raw milk though.

00:37:39: right raw milk is obviously another radical topic.

00:37:42: We won't dive deeper into that right now but uh, that is usually fine as well?

00:37:46: Right!

00:37:47: But what's obviously a huge problem and I personally would always criticize you completely lose any fiber content.

00:37:57: And there people who do carnivore still try somehow get fiber in.

00:38:03: In my view, that's not really carnivore anymore.

00:38:05: Right?

00:38:05: Like the real Carnivore diet doesn't have it and is just completely missing.

00:38:11: Yeah And I mean we haven't even started talking about LDL right.

00:38:15: so for cholesterol levels That's obviously really really bad.

00:38:18: sometimes they shoot way up into a range that's Obviously Not healthy any more right when We're talking About an LDL of two three will

00:38:25: get to that next

00:38:26: meaning that through diet fruit, cutting out grains.

00:38:36: Cutting out sugar so everything that we'll get to next basically developed alongside the modern world.

00:38:42: let's say in that sense carnivore isn't even that far off from the paleo diet except you also cut vegetables and fruits entirely right?

00:38:52: So a much more restrictive form of Paleo.

00:38:58: pretty interesting.

00:38:59: why anyone would choose to do that.

00:39:01: And there's practically zero data out there, like scientific data in a study where this was actually examined in a structured way.

00:39:08: I do think That is really important especially when it comes something as comprehensive as diet To look at what happens with one hundred people or a thousand who did this relatively consistently over many weeks and months.

00:39:23: What changed across the board?

00:39:25: Surely there are also maybe.

00:39:26: There are things that improved right?

00:39:27: I'm not saying they're aren't but it's not all as amazing As some social media influencers make it out to be That eating purely animal products is doing you nothing.

00:39:37: But good, right the evidence Right now just doesn't back that up.

00:39:40: if anything cholesterol becomes an issue where you think hmm Is that really necessary?

00:39:46: Yeah, i think words often brought-up with chronic gut issues when You have Some kind of let's say It doesn't have to be full on Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, right?

00:39:55: But it's often brought up there because plants have certain compounds that can kind of irritate the intestinal wall.

00:40:01: Right and then the argument is okay if you eat purely animal products, purely steak for example That you could dial back.

00:40:09: yeah that inflammatory process... ...that would be a cool study to see for example To really look into whether that can actually be true Because on the flip side fiber is usually what recommended.

00:40:21: That's why I'm skeptical, right?

00:40:23: But if people want to explore that it would definitely be a fascinating route to look into.

00:40:29: It is not something suitable as the baseline diet for most people.

00:40:34: Yeah i could certainly see myself trying keto or paleo but really have hard time with carnivore Especially super-hard to stick in everyday life.

00:40:46: Think about breakfast.

00:40:47: What do you eat then?

00:40:49: You can have three eggs

00:40:51: Yeah, it's very trendy.

00:40:52: Or just have a steak.

00:40:53: Steak

00:40:53: works too of course.

00:40:54: then for lunch you'll have some fish and dinner you can have another steak.

00:40:57: You're definitely full after that.

00:40:58: Maybe little milk on the side?

00:40:59: You could drink with it otherwise water

00:41:02: will hit your calories put in that way.

00:41:04: So if anyone at home has tried carnivore before we'd be interested to hear what your experience was like.

00:41:12: Also how you subjectively felt because there are a tonne case reports from people who got achieved amazing results with carnivore, but you hear that with paleo too.

00:41:22: You hear that Keto?

00:41:23: You heard that with vegan and Mediterranean or whatever else you can possibly do in the end With all these diets They need a common denominator Right.

00:41:35: so Do you have to go on a diet?

00:41:38: I don't think so.

00:41:39: i think you can eat A solid balanced diet just by paying attention To a few Yeah basic principles like The level of processing For instance,

00:41:48: yeah.

00:41:49: So I think the level of processing is probably one of the most important aspects.

00:41:53: i mean fundamentally Yeah.

00:41:56: It's also about how much you eat.

00:41:57: Of course when it comes to health?

00:41:58: I think The most important thing Is How Much Do You Eat?

00:42:01: right?

00:42:01: because if you take in too many calories long term that's a problem Right off the bat.

00:42:04: But the main reason people consume Too Many Calories is ultra processed foods and If you ban those let's say Ninety percent from your life or even just eighty Then um You've probably already gone far enough for it to work really well in everyday life, be healthy and stop gaining weight.

00:42:23: Let's say a lot of problems pretty much solve themselves.

00:42:27: doesn't mean that is necessarily easy though or... For us too I think its not easy sometimes because every day life has just gotten faster.

00:42:36: you shovel down some food during the super quick break otherwise don't get to eat at all because your life is stressful ,you dont get around cooking in evening cause kids are exhausting whatever Right.

00:42:46: So I think there are plenty of good reasons to go, okay wow i just couldn't pull it off today right?

00:42:53: And I think that's totally fine.

00:42:54: but um...I think the main thing is keeping in the back of your mind that ultra processed stuff Is really the problem and That what so interesting that It runs through all these different diets because if you do any Of them properly You're essentially cutting out ultra-processed foods.

00:43:09: and thats probably why none of These diets or actually All that bad for a lot people To begin with because it obviously brings your base align inflammation levels and stuff down right completely setting aside all the ldl issues of course but per se you're probably going to bring information down initially just from having less sugar.

00:43:28: Yeah so i mean, If it's unprocessed foods and you pay a bit of attention to the fat sources, then keto might actually be great idea for your right.

00:43:48: It is exact same with paleo um... Same thing mediterranean or vegan just like that.

00:43:54: so do yourself good if any of them watch the level processing end up eating ready-made ultra processed food at the day.

00:44:03: not doing self favors hurt yourselves And that's why you can try out all of these diets, maybe carnivore.

00:44:09: I wouldn't actively recommend to anyone like go for it but it's... All of that is an option But in the end You don't have to do It right?

00:44:17: You can just answer These two big questions How much goes on my plate and how processed Is it In your everyday eating habits That you already Have anyway Uh..and then you'll be in pretty good shape

00:44:28: Exactly Yeah.

00:44:30: We're definitely going To drop a poll On Spotify as well.

00:44:33: We'd love to know which of you have already tried one, one of these five diets.

00:44:38: that it definitely be super interesting.

00:44:41: Now we come to the community hotline our segment where we also tackle a question or two from the audience.

00:44:51: so feel free to send us your questions.

00:45:04: I've been eating vegetarian for a year and lifting weights three times a week.

00:45:08: Will i still build muscle or do i inevitably need meat?

00:45:14: What would you say?

00:45:15: no

00:45:17: Thanks done that covered, that's

00:45:19: it now.

00:45:19: i mean You obviously still build mussel And you don't inevitably need meet.

00:45:25: Mario brought up really well at the beginning That protein bioavailability is simply often worse with plant-based foods.

00:45:33: soy On the other hand is great.

00:45:35: We mentioned that too, but it's not right for everyone.

00:45:37: It's also an allergen per se.

00:45:40: you can work with various high protein products there.

00:45:44: on the soy side You have stuff like tofu Right?

00:45:47: Let's say grain-side.

00:45:48: There are things like satan.

00:45:51: Right there are plenty of different ways to definitely hit your protein targets with vegetarian.

00:45:57: I even have the option to use cheese dairy products and all that yogurt skier.

00:46:01: That's super high in protein, an even highly bio available right.

00:46:04: so they're many options which means you don't even necessarily have to use a protein powder.

00:46:11: it totally possible without but otherwise.

00:46:15: Protein powder is totally fine too because even though still vegetarian i mean even away protein whey protein from milk is still vegetarian.

00:46:22: And if you wanted to switch over the vegan route, then there's peas, fava beans rice all kinds of stuff right?

00:46:31: Chickpeas!

00:46:32: So they're definitely plenty options.

00:46:35: so nothing wrong with it at all and nowadays even lots bodybuilders who are actually vegan works for them too.

00:46:42: It just maybe a little bit more work To hit those protein targets because you have consume a bit more volume to hit the same bioavailability target value?

00:46:55: Yeah, I think it's totally fine.

00:46:57: As long as you've looked into what protein is in what and what bio availability has... And its pretty easy to calculate that like i don't just need thirty grams of this but maybe forty.

00:47:07: so It has the same amount.

00:47:09: a protein or So The Same Amount Gets Absorbed By My Body As If I Had The Standard Animal Product For Example.

00:47:16: Right There Are Lots Of Different Ways To Do It.

00:47:21: Now onto the biohack.

00:47:22: It wasn't easy at all to pick something out because nutrition is such a massive topic and we kind of settled on this one ingredient meal idea, And what does this one-ingredient meal mean that you should plan?

00:47:39: At least one meal every day That consists of foods that are as unprocessed as possible.

00:47:46: Meaning Every main component you have sitting in front of you on your plate should be recognizable as an individual food in the sense of I have a potato here, i have yogurt.

00:47:56: Here i have legumes hear vegetables heres a carrot and fruit.

00:48:00: here is apple for example.

00:48:03: it can also be fish or meat strictly speaking if its fresh meat and fresh fish.

00:48:09: so not fish sticks.

00:48:10: those are fundamentally unprocessed food.

00:48:14: right.

00:48:16: every meal has two anchor points.

00:48:19: one protein we essentially always need enough protein per meal.

00:48:24: That can come from plants like legumes, or of course it could come from animal products when it comes to fish or meat right?

00:48:30: So you have a lot different options there but that should be one anchor and every meal should have two anchor points.

00:48:36: One is protein.

00:48:37: We essentialy always needs enough protein for meals that can come form plants Like Legumes Or ofcourse It Can Come From Animal Products When It Comes To Fish Or Meat.

00:48:45: Right.

00:48:45: so You Have A Lot Of Different Options There But That Should Be One Anchor.

00:48:49: And what can't be missing alongside protein?

00:48:51: fiber, of course.

00:48:52: Right?

00:48:52: That means we also need fiber at the same time.

00:48:54: so it's not a great idea to put uh... A piece of meat on the left and a piece fish in right.

00:48:57: you're falling a bit short on fiber there.

00:49:00: probably very few people would do that anyway.

00:49:02: instead It makes more sense maybe have a piece of fish for example.

00:49:07: yeah I think thats really cool because basically if let say one your main meals during day You make sure its unprocessed then you've already Forty-five percent of your calories that day already coming from unprocessed foods, meaning you're satiety cues work so much better.

00:49:24: You've taken in way more healthy fats and fiber proteins And then it's totally okay if one meal misses the marker bit.

00:49:32: That kind of balances out I'd say to some extent because The foundation is at least solid.

00:49:39: It becomes a problem when literally every meal of the day Is somehow processed Because then you can't really get out of that rut anymore and above all, You don't have a solid baseline.

00:49:48: And That's why we actually thought this was a really neat biohack.

00:49:51: Yeah maybe just a quick point of clarification.

00:49:53: single ingredient food?

00:49:55: I mean tofu is also a single ingredient Food right.

00:49:58: it doesn't have to grow on the tree or come Out Of The Ground To Be A Single Ingredient Food.

00:50:02: Like i said frozen veggies are Also a Single Ingredients Food in the end as long As It Is Not Those Processed pharmacy veggies or butter veggies, but frozen vegetables without any additives.

00:50:10: That's really just fresh vegetables that were harvested and then flash frozen right?

00:50:14: That's just as good of an idea.

00:50:16: Rolled oats to plain yogurt works too meaning you actually have quite a few options.

00:50:20: And when you focus on protein and focus on fiber Then usually the ratio of fat and carbs falls right into place because that big protein chunk is already Locked in.

00:50:29: And then you've got a great anchor during the day and ultimately something where you know You're definitely doing yourself some good at least once a day.

00:50:36: And if you manage to do it for two meals, wonderful!

00:50:39: I probably wouldn't manage more than one-a-day.

00:50:41: that's already hard enough... For me that would have been dinner or breakfast is something totally due too but lunch when your away from home its really not easy unless you meal prep right?

00:50:53: If you meal prepped its totally doable of course.

00:50:59: Awesome.

00:50:59: thats it on nutrition.. Feel free to leave a question on Spotify or YouTube, feel free to email us as well at podcastatbeyondlifespan.de.

00:51:11: Just another quick reminder about the Spotify poll.

00:51:14: definitely answer that too Or drop in your experiences with different diets.

00:51:18: That's always super exciting for us.

00:51:20: Definitely Leave A Question and we'll pick it up In an upcoming episode.

00:51:24: Yeah thanks Max.

00:51:25: Thanks For Listening Thanks For Watching Until Next Time

00:51:30: And Bye!

00:51:33: Two doctors on longevity and biohacking.