Biohack the planet – and your biology
Dr. Mark Hyman on diet principles that are good for body, mind and planetFood is medicine – so why don’t we approach it like a science? Instead of proven principles, we have hundreds of “dietary dogmas”: rigid, restricted diets that aren’t personalized to what each of us needs as an individual. Keto. Atkins. South Beach. Paleo. While they can be effective, they’re notoriously difficult to stick to long-term. What is a dieter to do?
In this podcast, Dr. Mark Hyman joins us to discuss his new book, The Pegan Diet: 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World. Dr. Hyman is a practicing family physician, a 13-time New York Times best-selling author, Board President for Clinical Affairs for the Institute for Functional Medicine, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator and advocate in the field of functional medicine.
Dr. Hyman has treated tens of thousands of patients, and began to notice the similarities between the Paleo and vegan diets. Both are plant-rich diets that focus on eating good fats and whole, unprocessed foods. The only difference is where they get their protein: animals versus greens and beans. The Pegan Diet is a set of practical diet principles around the common ground we all share, cutting through the noise so you can biohack the planet – and your biology. As he says in the podcast, “We have to listen to our bodies, not our ideology.”
Proper nutrition doesn’t just help us lose weight and increase energy. When we create health in the body, we also create health in the mind. They are connected. Depression is related to diet. Behavioral issues are related to diet. Academic performance is related to diet. Eating the right things can even be good for the planet. It can lower healthcare costs. Listen to the podcast to hear more about the power of nutrition:
- Reveal how to save the planet through regenerative agriculture, eating the rainbow and the 75% rule
- Unlock foods that can help your brain, mood and focus
- Discover the difference between good meat and bad meat
- Learn about one environmental phenomenon scarier than climate change
“How do I use food to biohack my way to high performance, great energy, great focus and abundant life?” – Dr. Mark Hyman
When you understand food as medicine for not only the body but also the mind, you’ll finally understand how to reach your peak state, physically and mentally. You’ll be able to completely transform your mindset around dieting, and begin to enjoy working out, eating healthy and achieving lasting weight loss. You’ll also biohack the planet, helping to leave it better for future generations. That’s the ultimate way to give back.
EPISODE NOTES
[00:00] Brought to you by UPWvirtual.com/pod
[00:50] Hyman ID/Intro
[02:15] Hyman’s relationship with Tony
[03:45] What is a Pegan?
[07:00] Pegan diet principals – food as your pharmacy
[08:10] How do I use food to biohack my life?
[08:55] The 75% rule
[10:35] Favorite recipe from the book?
[12:55] How will you feel on day 1 vs day 3?
[14:00] Depression is brain inflammation
[15:30] Nutrition and academic performance
[16:30] Growing healthcare costs due to mental illness
[17:45] Food access – distribution and education
[21:00] Meat consumption and factory farmed meat
[22:15] Regenerative agriculture
[23:20] Principal 9: How to save the planet
[27:10] Composting
[28:40] Soil, fertilizer, and upcycling
[31:15] Billions of dollars flowing into food and agriculture technology
[33:10] Futuristic developments in food
[37:20] Virtuous cycle of life
[37:30] Sign off