Diet
623 protocols, ranked by how often the world’s top health podcasts mention them.
- Get Enough Calcium
Ensure adequate calcium intake through diet, supplementation, or both, especially in the context of caffeine use and bone health.
▶ 1 - Herbal Tea
If coffee is not working well for you, herbal tea can be paired with a 125–150 mg caffeine tablet as a way to develop a preference for herbal tea.
▶ 1 - Maintain adequate iron intake
Mentioned as important, especially when in a caloric deficit.
▶ 1 - Nut Butters
Recommended in limited amounts because they are calorie dense, unless someone is trying to increase calories.
▶ 1 - Butter or Ghee
Small amounts were described as probably okay, but not excessive amounts.
▶ 1 - Prefer More Satiating Whole-Food Protein Sources Over Protein Bars
Whole-food protein sources such as chicken breast are described as more satiating than highly palatable processed protein bars.
▶ 1 - Eat Plain Baked Potatoes for Satiety
Plain baked potatoes are described as among the most satiating carbohydrate foods.
▶ 1 - Prioritize Fiber Over Obsessing About Sugar
Rather than focusing excessively on sugar alone, prioritize getting enough fiber; if fiber intake is high, sugar intake may be less concerning in context.
▶ 1 - Cook Protein Foods Rather Than Eating Them Raw
Cooking protein-containing foods generally makes them more digestible and bioavailable.
▶ 1 - Ingest Cooking Liquid from Vegetables
If colored fluid leaches out of dark leafy greens or cruciferous vegetables during cooking, ingest that fluid as well because it contains adaptogenic molecules.
▶ 1 - Ingest Sufficient Calories
Eat enough calories for your needs and goals; restricting calories too much increases cortisol output and creates a mild stress state.
▶ 1 - Limit Sugar
Limiting sugar is recommended as part of improving nutrition and likely supporting neurotransmitter systems via the gut microbiome.
▶ 1 - Eat Breakfast to Shift Circadian Clock
If needed, force yourself to eat breakfast even if you are not normally a breakfast eater in order to help shift your clock.
▶ 1 - Papaya or Pineapple for Digestive Enzymes
Eating a bit of papaya or pineapple can assist digestion of certain aspects of macronutrients due to their digestive enzymes.
▶ 1 - Refrigerated Pickles With Brine
Pickles can support the gut microbiome only if they are bought refrigerated and include the brine; non-refrigerated pickles will not provide the same microbiome-supporting effects.
▶ 1 - Eat Adequate Calories From High-Quality Sources
Consume enough calories from high-quality sources to support hormones; inadequate intake can reduce testosterone and estrogen, disrupt menstrual cycles, and very low carbohydrate intake can raise SHBG. Eating enough calories, including foods that raise insulin somewhat, can help lower SHBG and increase free testosterone.
▶ 1 - Get Significant Nutrition From Whole Foods
Get a significant fraction of nutrition from whole foods because they provide fiber, bulk and satiety, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids not present in many food-mimic powders.
▶ 1 - Eat enough calories and macronutrients to support menstruation and fertility
For women, underfueling can stop menstruation and impair ovulation/fertility. This includes total calories being too low, not eating enough to offset physical activity, and inadequate intake of fats (especially essential fatty acids), protein, and carbohydrates.
▶ 1 - Avoid further caloric restriction if already very lean
For already lean men, further calorie restriction and fat loss can lower testosterone. If using time-restricted feeding while already lean, ingest enough calories to maintain weight to support testosterone and sperm quality.
▶ 1 - Limit alcohol intake, with stricter limits for conception, pregnancy, and breastfeeding
For healthy adults not trying to conceive, the upper limit given is probably two drinks per week total. Avoid binge drinking episodes of five to six drinks in a night or 12-hour period. During attempts to conceive, abstain from more than one or two drinks total and ideally drink zero. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, alcohol intake should be zero.
▶ 1 - Caffeine From Coffee or Tea for Headaches
Caffeine from coffee or tea can either alleviate or worsen headache depending on headache type, timing, sleep status, withdrawal state, and individual response; it may relieve caffeine-withdrawal headache and help some headaches, but can also make others far worse.
▶ 1 - Reduce Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Reduce omega-6 fatty acids to improve headache outcomes, especially alongside increasing omega-3 intake; this includes deliberately reducing linoleic acid and likely reducing excess seed oils as a major source of omega-6s.
▶ 1 - Avoid Carolina Reaper Peppers
Specifically avoid eating Carolina Reaper peppers because they can trigger thunderclap headache and, in extreme cases, brain damage.
▶ 1 - Use Polyphenols Selectively
Use prebiotics and selective polyphenol intake to support the microbiome, as the evidence is stronger for these approaches.
▶ 1 - Use a Pulsed Clean Ketogenic Diet
Discussed as a temporary tool to improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility rather than a permanent diet. She prefers pulsing keto instead of staying on it for years, and gives an example of four weeks of clean keto including vegetables.
▶ 1 - Adjust Calorie Intake by Training Phase
Match calorie intake to the current goal and training block: increase calories to support recovery when endurance work is interfering, use a small surplus for hypertrophy or muscle gain, reduce calories during fat-loss phases, and return to maintenance during conditioning or transition phases. For muscle gain, aim for about 10–15% above baseline (roughly 250–400 extra kcal/day for someone normally eating 2,500 kcal/day) and avoid excessive overeating that leads to unnecessary fat gain.
▶ 1 - Use a 50 g Carbohydrate Challenge to Assess Carb Utilization
Consume about 50 g of carbohydrate and observe whether you crash about 30 minutes later; a crash suggests poor carbohydrate utilization.
▶ 1 - Eat More Carbohydrates at the End of the Day
Higher-carbohydrate meals later in the day are described as useful, including for athletes cutting weight or trying to reduce weight; the idea that late carbs inherently increase fat gain is rejected.
▶ 1 - Use Pre-Workout Fat Intake to Bias Fat Utilization
Eating fat before a workout biases the body toward using more fat as fuel and can be used to train fat utilization; caveat: this does not necessarily increase fat loss and may reduce peak performance.
▶ 1 - Use Pre-Workout Carbohydrate Intake to Bias Carbohydrate Utilization
Consuming carbohydrate before or right before exercise biases the body toward using carbohydrate as fuel and can help train carbohydrate utilization, especially with higher-intensity training.
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