What Cookware Does Ben Use?, Do You REALLY Need To Avoid Gluten & How To Gain Muscle Fast: Solosode #489

My name is Ben Greenfield, and on this episode of the Boundless Life Podcast, gluten fears are overrated. So here's what I mean by that. I don't necessarily think a gluten-free diet is the best solution for many gut issues. And as I talked about with nutritionist Joel Greene, having dietary diversity and not eliminating a bunch of plants and grains and grasses and herbs and spices, um, is better for you because you develop a more robust microbiome. The more restrictive your diet, the less diverse your biome. And so, yeah, you don't want to like mainline gluten, especially in the US where wheat is bred for high-yield crop and the gluten is more concentrated and you have some glyphosate, which I'll talk about shortly, that can aggravate the issues. I also don't recommend just like mowing through an entire like 2 quarts of quinoa or lentils in one sitting, but getting exposed on a regular basis to many of these things that often get vilified can produce paradoxically a little bit better cellular resilience and a more diverse microbiome. Welcome to The Boundless Life with me, your host, Ben Greenfield. I'm a personal trainer, exercise physiologist, and nutritionist, and I'm passionate about helping you discover unparalleled levels of health, fitness, longevity, and beyond. Let's talk about ketones. If you're out of gas mid-workout, pre-workout, early on in the workout, fix your fuel. In a double-blind placebo-controlled study on trained athletes, this product, Ketone IQ drinkable ketones, gave a 19+ increase in average power during repeated sprints, 13+ increase in peak power versus a placebo, 10% less fatigue, and a 5 times increase in blood ketones. That's huge. You have to fast for days to get that. They got it within 20 minutes. The way ketones work is they improve mitochondrial efficiency. They give more energy per molecule of oxygen, so you burn cleaner, you recover fast, you train harder. It's also a natural EPO boost, meaning erythropoietin, which is something that can allow for better oxygen delivery, is something that's increased via Ketone IQ because it activates something called HIF-1 alpha pathways that stimulates your body's own natural EPO production. No illegal performance-enhancing drugs required. Gives you more red blood cells, which means better oxygen delivery, which means higher output, which is great for long-distance runners or triathletes or cyclists. This is used by elite athletes across all disciplines like Mitchell Hooper, the World's Strongest Man, Sam Laidlow, Ironman World Champion, Des Linden, Boston Marathon winner, Jon Jones, UFC GOAT, you name it. Ketone IQ was developed through a $6 million research contract with the Department of Defense, born from Battlefield Science, built for peak performance. No sugar, no artificial ingredients, just pure ketones in one convenient bottle. You save 30% off your subscription, plus you'll get a free gift with your second shipment. Fun stuff like a free six-pack, Ketone IQ merch, which actually looks good, and more. Get all this at ketone.com/BenG. That's ketone.com/BenG. Welcome to the show. Let me open up my Pepsi here. I'm just kidding, it's Mountain Dew. I'm just kidding. Again, it's this stuff called Caffeine Evolved Update Lime energy drink. Not a sponsor of this show, but what I happen to grab out of the mini fridge in my garage. It has paraxanthine in it. I did a podcast on that before. It's kind of like an upgraded version of caffeine that doesn't give you jitters but improves your confidence and your swagger and all the things that I need. I'm very much lacking confidence and swagger whenever I wander in here to my office to record a podcast. I have been bouncing off the walls lately though. I'll tell you what, I got back from Austin last week where I was speaking at this thing called the Health Optimization Summit, which was great, fantastic event. But, I stuck around Austin a few days afterwards because as everybody knows, Austin is a hub of medical tourism. That's right. I was there doing medical treatments, also some podcasts and some meetings, and inevitably, maybe a little bit of pickleball. But, this medical treatment was nuts. I did a whole podcast on it. I won't give you too many spoilers here, but I have been like a freaking 16-year-old teenage boy energy level the past few days since I got back. I know it's kind of paradoxical that I'm drinking caffeine as I'm telling you this. But anyways, what I did there, and apparently Texas is one of the few states where you can legally do this, is I had a plasma from 18- to 25-year-old healthy male donors infused into my body over the course of 3 days. I gave away my old freaking old 43-year-old plasma, replaced it with this donor plasma. And then, the doctor there, Kaash, she does all sorts of exosomes and platelet-rich plasma. They did microneedling on my face and I kid you not, smeared salmon sperm. Apparently, this is a thing. DNA and growth factors derived from salmon sperm on my face. There were a lot of jokes about aquarium porn going on while that procedure was being done. And, they even, gosh, since we just went there, they even injected my male sexual organs with Botox. My wife was very nervous that I was getting a paralytic toxin injected into my crotch regions in Austin, but apparently, it relaxes smooth muscle tissue and allows better blood flow. And then, they did a shockwave therapy to it and platelet-rich plasma. I literally had an entire medical team huddled around my crotch working on it while I cringed and observed 7 different injections going into the so-called corpus cavernosum and head of my male parts. So, probably TMI for you, but I recorded a whole podcast on it. If you want to check this place out, it was at the Austin Regenerative therapy. I'll hunt down the link and put it in the show notes for today's show. Crazy treatment. Cool that you can do that kind of stuff in the U.S. and very cool that I have been— I've been sleeping 5.5 hours a night, crazy amounts of energy. I'm really bugging my wife if you know what I mean because my male vigor is so through the roof. I don't think she's complaining, but regardless, I feel like I'm almost too much for her to handle right now. It's A very interesting week. And these medical procedures, well, they, they do work. You know, it's one thing to get some kind of a hyperbaric treatment and take your blood testing results to see if your telomeres have lengthened or something like that. It's quite another to walk out of a therapy clinic and feel like you're literally Superman, which is how I feel right now. So anyways, I digress. I do have some interesting things for you today. Great questions that you guys have submitted. If you go to BenGreenfieldLife.com, you can submit a question. For this solo episode where it's just me talking. I'm sorry, no smart person for me to interview, just little old me. And, I found some great questions that you submitted. So, all the shownotes, anything I mentioned, you can go to BenGreenfieldLife.com/489, BenGreenfieldLife.com/489. But, Nick wrote in and Nick asked, what brand of pan do you recommend me cooking with for the best/healthiest results? And Nick, this is a very astute question because the things that we cook with and our kitchen in general can be toxic and the kitchen can be a dangerous place to be beyond just you accidentally leaving the stovetop on and risking burning the house down. There's a lot more going on in the kitchen than that. So, Here's how we break it down. Modern cookware and kitchen appliances can introduce things like microplastics. I need to insert the scary vampire music here. Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, and metals into food. And those are obviously health risks. So what are, what are some of the details behind this? So first of all, microplastics. These are tiny, tiny plastic particles. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of microplastics. They can contaminate food and drinks, amongst other things, and they're linked to health concerns, right? And a condition, inflammation, and long-term risks for things like cancer or reproductive issues. So, what are some of the things that you need to worry about when it comes to microplastics? Well, first of all, cookware. Nonstick pans are coated with something called polytetrafluoroethylene. It's a mouthful, polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as PTFE, also known affectionately as Teflon. That can release microplastics when you scratch it or you overheat it, not that anybody has ever overheated a pan or maybe used a metal spatula to scratch that pan as you're getting your scrambled eggs or your salmon off. But, a 2022 study found a single crack on a Teflon pan could release approximately 9,100 microplastic particles and a damaged Teflon coating might release up to 2.3 million— I need to make the Dr. Evil sign when I say that— micro and nanoplastics. What else? Plastic utensils, the cutting boards, especially those plastic ones, and mixing bowls, which are made often out of polypropylene or polyethylene, those all add microplastics during use. Okay. So cookwares are— cookware is one area that we need to be careful, especially if that cookware is being heated. And as the name implies, if it's cookware, you're probably heating it. What else? Appliances. So blenders. I'm a huge smoothie fan, but this is something I've been thinking a lot more about lately. Plastic components and containers and in blades of blenders can release microplastics when you're processing food, especially if it's an acidic or a fatty food, or maybe you're blending something that's heated like a sauce or a dressing. These are notorious sources of microplastics. Air fryers— I know people are getting away from frying in seed oils, but air fryer baskets often have nonstick coatings that can degrade and release microplastics. Plastic housing, plastic accessories like the silicone mats or the tubings, that can also contribute to microplastics that you're getting from your precious air fryer. I love me some, say, carrot fries drenched in a little olive oil and paprika and sea salt cooked up in that air fryer, but you got to be careful. And I will give you solutions here momentarily. I'm not just going to spend this entire podcast scaring you. Toasters, toaster ovens, nonstick coating inside toaster ovens. I didn't even realize until I started to research this that there's nonstick coating inside toaster ovens and on toaster trays, and those can also release microplastics when heated. The plastic components in toasters and many of these appliances can also degrade over time. I mean, even a coffee maker. Have you ever— well, maybe you haven't. I had a coffee maker break once, so I had to do this. Unscrewed the base of the coffee maker and looked inside it. Well, in many cases, it's full of plastic tubing or these reservoirs that contain microplastics. Not only your coffee maker but also your kettle. One study that I came across entitled "Beyond the Food on Your Plate: Investigating Sources of Microplastic Contamination in Home Kitchens," this was in the journal Helion in July of 2024, identified that the kettle that we literally heat hot water, and if that has plastic components, that can also leach microplastics. Then you have your plastic storage containers, your cling wrap, your Ziploc bags, your cleaning tools like sponges and microfiber cloths, which contain microplastics. Especially when heated or stretched. For example, when you stretch cling wrap over, let's say, a container of food. So, microplastics are one issue. Then, we move on to these so-called forever chemicals. I call them PFAS, P-F-A-S. Technically, it stands for polyfluoroalkyl substances. That would be anything that is used typically in a nonstick coating., right? So nonstick pans, these use a forever chemical coating that releases when heated, overheated technically over 500°F, but this occurs quite often when people are cooking at home or when they're scratched, and that potentially contaminates the food. You also get fumes released from this. I didn't even know this was a term again until I started to research my answer to this question, but there is a thing called Teflon flu because of what goes into the air when you're cooking in these nonstick pans. Now, I have a standalone HEPA air filter in my kitchen called a Jasper because anytime you cook in a kitchen, the hood is too far above the stovetop to really catch a lot of the toxic substances that can be released when you're cooking, or the so-called particulate matter 2.5, the very small PM 2.5 particulates that are released into the air and cause lung damage when you're cooking. Well, a standalone HEPA air filter is a good idea, But so is choosing cookware that doesn't have this nonstick type of coating. What else has these forever chemicals? The air fryers that I mentioned earlier, in many cases the baskets or trays in those, unless explicitly labeled PFAS-free, can often have these forever chemicals in them. Toaster ovens. And then another source of these forever chemicals are slow cookers or rice cookers. They have a lining inside of them You could say the same for pressure cookers. And if you have that lining in there, then there are forever chemicals getting leached into your food. It's just a scary name. Forever chemicals. Immortal. Immortal, I should say. And then you have metals. This is no surprise, I don't think, for anybody cooking in, in the kitchen and using common metal cookware. But aluminum, you're going to find that in a lot of cookware and appliance components that can leach into food, particularly with acidic foods like, let's say, cooking with tomatoes or lemons. And some studies link long-term aluminum exposure to anemia, dementia, bone disorders. Then you have metals like lead or cadmium. Poorly manufactured cookware or appliances, especially from unregulated sources, can contain trace amounts of lead or cadmium. I was even putting a weighted tape on my pickleball paddle the other day and I realized, "Oh, this thing has lead in it." When I'm putting bullets into the magazine for my gun, I wash my hands thoroughly afterwards because that's another source of lead. But, a lot of people people don't realize they're getting exposed to a lot of lead and cadmium in the kitchen. Stainless steel is pretty safe, but low-quality stainless steel can contain nickel or chromium, and those get leached in small amounts potentially causing reactions especially in sensitive individuals. And then, of course, you have the nonstick coating, and I've already kind of kicked that horse to death. Now, there are some other things that you should know about. For example, dishwashers with plastic interiors or plastic sponges that can release microplastics onto whatever you are cleaning in the dishwasher. Pressure. Ovens and microwaves that have had plastics added to them can also produce these degradation byproducts that can contaminate food. And then you have what are called plasticizers. These are plastics in appliances like blender containers or the tubing that's used to heat water in a kettle. Those also contain endocrine disrupting chemicals, so-called EDCs, like BPA or phthalates. And that can leach into food, especially again if you're cooking fatty foods or acidic substances. So, that all being said, what are some of the better forms of cookware out there that you can use and that you can look for? Some brands that are aware of this and that are doing things right. One brand that I have been increasingly using mostly because they reached out to sponsor the show, so I had some sent to me. It's not the only brand that we use, but it's a good one. It's called Our Place. They have this one pan, it's called the Always Pan. Is incredible. As the name implies, you can do just about anything with this Always Pan from roasting to frying salmon to just about anything you'd want to do. It's shallow enough to flip an egg, it's deep enough to roast a chicken, hence they call it the Always Pan. That's a really good one. But Our Place, I think it's fromourplace.com, I'll link to it in the shownotes as well. They've got the air fryers, they've got the ovens, they've got the blenders, they have this really cool thing called the Wonder Oven. They have a Dream Cooker, My only complaint about Our Place is some of their products are a little bit small. So, if you have a large family, there's no way you're going to make enough food in their air fryer or their Wonder Oven, for example. But especially if you're just cooking for yourself or maybe— we have 4 people in our family and a lot of their stuff works just fine for us. They use a ceramic-based nonstick coating that's free of all the forever chemicals, lead, cadmium, et cetera. They have glass storage containers. They have stainless steel accessories that don't break down and release some of those other metals that I was talking about. They're not the cheapest, but they're pretty good. So Our Place would be one. A few other companies that do things well, Xtrema, spelled with an X, X-T-R-E-M-A.com. That's 100% ceramic cookware. They do skillets, they do pots, they do air fryers and air fryer accessories. That's another clean company. Caraway. Caraway does ceramic-coated aluminum cookware. Bakeware, glass storage containers. And, they do like a little bit of an aluminum core that could leach if the coating gets damaged, but that's highly unlikely. So, Caraway is another good brand. 360 Cookware, handmade in the USA. They do stainless steel cookware and accessories like cutting boards, wooden utensils, lead-free pewter measuring spoons if that's your thing. I know you had that on your Christmas list, a lead-free pewter measuring spoon, but they even do those. Boro Furnace. There's a cool company, especially if you like to do Dutch oven cooking or slow cooking. They do handcrafted cast iron skillets, Dutch ovens, and grill pans. They're made in the state of New York, so again, in the USA. They require a little bit more seasoning and maintenance as anybody who has cooked with cast iron knows to prevent rust. They're heavy, but that's a great company, Boro, B-O-R-O. O-U-G-H. And then, a few other companies I like, Klean Kanteen, spells a K and a K, K-L-E-A-N K-A-N-T-E-E-N. Really great if you're looking for food containers, canisters, and drinkware that aren't made of plastic. These are stainless steel. I also travel with this stainless steel water bottle called the Mobot. I like that one because they literally make their big one, I think it's called the Big Bertha, to double as a body roller. Like a foam roller. So, when I travel, I don't have a pack of foam roller or body therapy tool, I literally just use this MOBOT water bottle and it's fantastic. Plus, it's not leaching any plastics. I'm saving whatever, $17.99 from not having to buy a 4-ounce bottle of Fiji when I'm traveling through the airport. I just use the airport water filters to refill my MOBOT filter or my MOBOT water bottle, stainless steel. I like that one. And then, there's a GreenPan. GreenPan has a really great 6-quart slow cooker, which is pretty big. And, that's again ceramic-coated, free of forever chemicals, free of plastics. So, what I'll do is if you go to BenGreenfieldLife.com/489, I will list some of my favorite brands. I'll put them in there in the shownotes and you can check them out as options for clean cooking. I feel very orthorexic talking about all these ways that your kitchen is going to kill you, but it is something to be aware of. Unfortunately, it's not just fearmongering. There are solutions. So, I hope this is helpful. And one final thing, I think if you go after some of the low-hanging fruit, it's a good idea. Like, plastic cut— easy to replace with a wooden cutting board. Plastic spatula, switching to wooden or silicone. Silicone's okay. Doesn't really break down instead of plastic. That's another option. And then, just having a few good pans around like the Always pan from Our Place, a couple of good appliances. Even just a really good air fryer can do a lot. It can bake, can usually have some kind of a broil setting, can fry, of course. So, just start small. You don't have to overhaul your entire kitchen, but the things that you use regularly, I would definitely— like if you make a smoothie every morning in a blender, get a blender that is from one of these companies like Our Place that doesn't actually have the plastic components that break down. So, go after the low-hanging fruit first. That's That's my recommendation. Next up, I have a question here from Delphi. What is Delphi? Delphi is not the name of the person who submitted the question. Delphi is the name of my AI, what do you call it, clone. If you go to the lower right-hand side at BenGreenfieldLife.com, you can ask my clone a question and it'll give you a pretty decent reply. But, I also like to grab a few of those and reply to them right here on the show with a little bit more detail because I don't want my clone to put me out of business. So, the question here, "What are your thoughts on gluten?" I believe that gluten is Satan. It is the devil and it is out to kill us and probably also the Antichrist and about the equivalent of Hitler and Stalin and maybe a little bit of Genghis Khan all rolled into one. I'm joking. I think that gluten fears are overrated. So, here's what I mean by that. I don't necessarily think a gluten-free diet is the best solution for many gut issues. And, as I talked about with nutritionist Joel Greene, having dietary diversity and not eliminating a bunch of plants and grains and grasses and herbs and spices is better for you because you develop a more robust microbiome. The more restrictive your diet, the less diverse your biome. And so, yeah, you don't want to like mainline gluten, especially in the US where wheat is bred for high-yield crop and the gluten is more concentrated and you have some glyphosate, which I'll talk about shortly, that can aggravate the issues. I also don't recommend just like mowing through an entire like 2 quarts of quinoa or lentils in one sitting, but getting exposed on a regular basis to many of these things that often get vilified can produce paradoxically a little bit better cellular resilience and a more diverse diverse microbiome. So here's why a gluten-free diet might not be the best solution for gut issues. First of all, what's called NCGS, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, that's often self-diagnosed or assumed to be the case without proper testing. And what research shows is only a small subset of people actually have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, anywhere from 0.5% up to about 6% of the population. There's a great test that you can do. I run it on my clients much of the time. It's called a Zoomer panel, and the Zoomer will show you any sensitivities that you actually have that are not related to celiac disease, but as the name implies, are non-celiac gluten sensitivities. Very simple blood test. You can order it if you go to bengreenfieldlife.com or one of the clicky dropdown menus there. I've, I've got an option that says lab tests, and I think I have the Zoomer on there as one of the available tests, or you can just Google it or ask your doctor about it. But in many cases, conditions like like irritable bowel syndrome, small intestine bacterial overgrowth, food intolerance not related to gluten can mimic gluten-related symptoms, leading to misattribution of any gut issues that you're having to gluten when gluten is often not the culprit. So what is often the culprit? Well, first of all, I mentioned glyphosate. So glyphosate is an herbicide. It's commonly used on wheat crops. It's been hypothesized to disrupt your gut microbiota and what's called the tight junction integrity in the gut. Basically, it can, it can poke holes in your gut and cause leaky gut syndrome, if we want to put it in simplistic terms. For example, there was a 2013 study in the journal Interdisciplinary Toxicology that suggested glyphosate can contribute to gut dysbiosis and inflammation. So this is also likely why some people will go to, like, Italy and mow through a metric crap ton of pasta and baked goodies. And even though those things would have caused them digestive distress in the US, they feel fine in Europe because there are more restrictions on the use of herbicides over there. So again, it's not the gluten that was causing the issue, it's the glyphosate that the gluten was laced with that is causing the issue. And then there are FODMAPs. So, big one. So, FODMAPs, technically it's a mouthful, but it stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. FODMAPs. These are short-chain carbs they find in wheat and in other foods like onions, apples, and garlic would be 3 perfect examples. These cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea in people. Now, because FODMAPs can be found in wheat, often people who have this bloating, gas, and diarrhea will eat wheat and think, well, I must be gluten sensitive or have a gluten intolerance because I get this every time I eat wheat. But if they don't pay attention, they don't realize they also have those symptoms arise when they have apples and onions and garlic and anything else that would cause a person with FODMAP sensitivities to have some type of a painting the back of the toilet seat type of reaction. In many cases, people shift to a low FODMAP diet instead of a purely gluten-free diet and find that simply restricting FODMAPs gets rid of a lot of the excess fermentation that's occurring in the gut.. And as a matter of fact, there have been a couple of studies that have showed that a low FODMAP diet is more successful than a gluten-free diet at getting rid of irritable bowel issues in people. So there is even a device. I have one somewhere in my cabinet here in the office. It's called a FoodMarble. I'll put a link to it in the show notes. It's an at-home breath testing app that can help to identify if you might be a FODMAP-sensitive person. And the solution is pretty simple. Well, the, the basic solution is simple. You restrict FODMAPs. Sometimes if you're FODMAP sensitive, it means you have a lot of bacterial overgrowth in your gut, and that can require something like a prescription antifungal or the regular use of things like oil of oregano, berberine, etc., to kind of nuke some of the bacterial overgrowth in the gut while you simultaneously follow a low or no FODMAP diet until your symptoms have subsided. You retest, you see if the SIBO is gone. And, you know, in my book Boundless, I have a much more thorough SIBO eradication protocol than that, but that's the basics of it. So sometimes it's glyphosate, sometimes it's FODMAP, sometimes it's not gluten. There are even other additives in a lot of processed and ultra-processed foods like emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners. Sugar alcohols are a big one. You'll even find that in a lot of like keto type of products because it's a very commonly used sugar substitute. These can often also cause the same type of gut issues that often attributed to gluten. And so you may not actually need to go on a gluten-free diet. You may instead need to look at glyphosate intake, FODMAP intake, processed and ultra-processed food and filler intake. So in many cases, people don't have celiac disease or they don't have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. There's just other stuff in the diet that is removed when you eliminate gluten, but it doesn't mean that gluten was the it in the first place, and it doesn't mean you have to avoid it for the rest of your life, even though a lot of the ones in the US you might be well advised to. So, what are some of the potential downsides if you get rid of gluten? Because I know a lot of you thinking, "Well, why can't I just eliminate gluten anyways?" Well, we do know that many whole grains, even though I think whole grains are often overly lauded as a decent source of nutrient density, they are rich in fiber, they're rich in B vitamins, vitamins. The right kind of grain is rich in natural forms of folate, thiamine, iron, magnesium. You know, they, they can be a heart-healthy alternative to a diet. And if you look at gluten-free alternatives like, say, rice flour or tapioca starch, compared to our whole grains, they're less nutrient-dense and they're lower in fiber. If you are cooking with grains, I still think you need to be careful, right? Like, when we cook with grains in our house, we use more ancient forms of grain like Dr. Jeff Pan's, what's it called, Himalayan Tartary buckwheat flour. That's a great one. It's featured in my cookbooks, Boundless Kitchen and Boundless Cookbook. We use einkorn wheat. We use local red wheat berries. So, there are ways that you can get whole grains that haven't been sprayed, for example, and that also come with the wheat and the germ and the bran kind of more intact. So, you're getting more of the actual benefits benefits of the whole grain. And that can support your gut microbiota diversity. And the whole grain diet completely may harm long-term gut health. There was a 2018 Nature Reviews Microbiology review all about what happens if you just completely eliminate grains across the board. I don't think they're the devil. Some people— and again, if you get a Zoomer panel, uh, or Cyrex would be another good company to test with— you can see if you're actually truly gluten sensitive sensitive, but in many cases, you're not and you don't need to eliminate whole grains from the diet. Many gluten-free products are also very high in the glycemic index. They are made with refined starches like rice flour or potato starch that can have a very high glycemic index food leading to potential for insulin resistance, potential for type 2 diabetes, and the potential for metabolic abnormalities due to a high amount of blood sugar spikes up and down during the day because, again, the gluten-free products are often lower in fiber, lower in nutrients, and tend to be higher in the glycemic index. Gluten-free products are also often heavily processed, right? A lot of these gluten-free crackers and gluten-free substitutes, they have additives like xanthan gum and emulsifiers that paradoxically can cause gut distress in a lot of people. There was a 2019 study in the journal Nutrients that found that gluten-free processed foods often have higher sugar and higher fat content, contributing potentially, depending on the type of fat, to weight gain and to inflammation. So my recommendation to you, if you've gone gluten-free and you don't have something like celiac disease or you've truly tested for gluten sensitivity, you may instead, if you feel like going gluten-free has helped you, look at the potential for the existence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and maybe some FODMAP sensitivities. And maybe you should focus on the fermentable carbohydrates instead of completely eliminating gluten and being that person who carries the card to the restaurant that says, "I'm allergic to gluten," when you really— glyphosate reduction, right? Being careful of the sources of your wheat and trying to choose sources of wheat that have not been sprayed with herbicides. And a lot of times you can find those locally. And again, huge shout out I think if I could choose one flour and one brand to be in the kitchen the rest of my life, it would probably be Dr. Jeffrey Bland's Himalayan Tartary buckwheat flour. I have a whole podcast with him about it, which is just fascinating, and I'll link to it in the shownotes so you can check that out and educate yourself on that. And again, if you read my cookbooks, the main flour used in those cookbooks is that one. And then, the other thing is just be aware of some of the potential downsides of going gluten-free. I think that gluten is overly vilified. I'll get off my high horse now about it, but I just want to say I'm not one of those guys who endorses a purely gluten-free diet. I think in many cases, the bigger culprits are glyphosate and FODMAPs and often many of the fillers that we find in foods, especially for eating foods that are ultra-processed, processed, or packaged. I want to throw in a couple of quick last little things about this gluten story. So, first of all, there is a gal named Sue Becker. She was interviewed. It was a fantastic interview. I'll put a link to it in the shownotes at BenGreenfieldLife.com/489. She was interviewed on the Culture Apothecary, if I can spit that out, podcast. About how the decline in American public health is directly charted to the widespread switch to commercially milled white flour. She makes a very good case for kind of sort of the idea that I just harped on, that bread isn't the culprit, but modern bread is the culprit, and that grains that have the germ and the bran and all the fiber intact can actually be really good for you. And she has a website called called breadbeckers.com. My wife and I have been kind of geeking out on it because my wife makes bread. But, in terms of grain selection, she has grains that actually kind of pass the litmus test there, bread makers that are just set it and forget it, a great deal of wonderful content on how you could instead of going gluten-free, go healthy grain-free. So, I would listen to that podcast with her or check out her website, Bread Becker's, like B-E-C-K-E-R-S.com. The other thing I have to give a head nod to because I'm incapable when I go to a steakhouse of not reaching for a couple of those wonderful rolls or slices of bread that are on the table, especially if there's a little bit of steak tartare or bone marrow next to them. But, I also have to give a shout-out to one of my favorite travel companions, Gluten Guardian. Gluten Guardian basically is an enzyme called dipeptidyl peptidase. That essentially turns gluten into soup. It has this peptidase in it, it has these proteases and digestive enzymes in it and things that you shouldn't use an excuse to mainline like bad forms of gluten like modern wheat and modern pasta, but that can really help you to digest gluten and support the occasional gas and bloating and indigestion that comes from the breakdown of the starches and the proteins in gluten-containing foods. So, that's called Gluten Guardians made by Bioptimizers, not a sponsor of this but I don't think they are. But anyways, I have to give a shout-out to Gluten Guardian too. I always have a little bit of that in my fanny pack when I'm going out in the town. So hopefully, those extra resources help you out. And let's go ahead and move on. So this is a great one. This is all about muscle building. Another question. This one came from Delphi also. How can I gain muscle as fast as possible with the right exercises, diet, and supplements? Supplements. Now, this alone could be like a 2-hour-long podcast, but I'm going to give you the basics of everything you need to know if you want to put on muscle as fast as possible. First, exercises. So, to maximize muscle hypertrophy, you should ideally be targeting muscle groups using multi-joint exercises if you're not a professional bodybuilder. Yes, if you have a ton of time to spend in the gym and the gym is your happy place and you're a gym rat and a gym junkie, you can do these splits that are like biceps and triceps on one day and then you're just crushing whatever chest and back on another day and maybe core and legs and calves on another day. But, you have to hit the muscles over and over and over again for long periods of time with many sets and many repetitions. If you're using a lot of these single joint exercises, Even in college when I was pretty low on available amounts of time, I did bodybuilding. I got up to 215 pounds at about 3% body fat. Almost all my lifts were deadlifts, clean and jerks, overhead push press, heavy back squats, bench press, et cetera. I spent very little time doing these so-called single-joint vanity exercises. So, that being said, what are some of the best most effective research-supported exercise based on actual electromyographic studies of how the muscles contract when it comes to hypertrophy or building muscle? Barbell back squat without a doubt. If it hurts your back or hurts your knees, you can always do a goblet squat with something like a kettlebell, but the squat elicits very high amounts of electromyographic activity and stimulates anabolic hormone release. You have a ton of androgen receptors in your legs. The release of testosterone and growth hormone from something like a back squat can really help with muscle gain due to its endocrine effects and also just the biomechanics of the squat itself. So, even superior to leg press, and there, there has been a study on that. The Journal of Strength Conditioning Research, which I subscribe to, has released research showing squats to be superior for leg muscle building compared to a leg press. I know they're not fun. They feel like you're getting attacked by a giant grizzly bear, but back squats are in there. Barbell deadlifts or really any form of deadlift would be right up there as well for many of the same reasons as squat is good for muscle building. A 2020 meta-analysis in the journal Sports Medicine actually confirmed deadlifts as one of the most effective exercises for hypertrophy and strength. Next up, even though I don't think it's the most functional athletic exercise, the bench press, gold standard for chest, for triceps, for what's called anterior deltoid or shoulder development. You can use dumbbell for greater range of motion. You can use barbell. These days, I'm personally a bigger fan of push-ups with a weighted vest or resisted push-ups just because I feel like it's a little more activating for the core and there's a little bit of leg action in there as well. But the bench press, especially with free weights, is up there. As a matter of fact, a 2017 study in the European Journal of Sports Science compared bench press to machine-based chest press alternatives. Bench press wins out when it comes to muscle building. Pull-ups and chin-ups weighted if possible. I know the pulldown is fun and you put your weight on that stack and it's easy to do, but pull-ups and chin-ups, absolutely the most superior exercise besides a deadlift that you can do for lats, for biceps, triceps, and especially for upper back development. And then finally, we've got the overhead press, barbell or dumbbell. We're looking at deltoids, triceps, upper chest, huge amount of deltoid activation, especially for the shoulders. And that's based on, again, studies done in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. So, in review, if you were going to choose just 5 exercises to form the base of your program, and this would be like, let's say, 3 times a week: back squat, deadlift, bench press, pull-ups or chin-ups, and overhead press. As far as sets, you're basically training 2 to 3 times per week. You're looking for 10 to 20 sets per muscle group, which allows for enough of what is called time under tension to allow for hypertrophy. Not 10 to 20 sets per workout, but 10 to 20 sets total in the week. Week over the number of times that you're visiting the gym to do this. Resting anywhere from depending on the research that you look at 2 to 3 minutes. I'm a fan of doing some core exercises, riding the bicycle, walking around, bouncing, doing some stretching and stuff like dynamic stretching in between each set. So, you're not just that person sitting on the bench at the gym scrolling through your phone or watching the television. That really annoys me. I think you can use every minute in the gym to make yourself a better person. But, you do if your goal is to build strength need to recover in between each set. As far as number of reps, you can go high rep low weight. So, you go 12 to 20 reps. You can go low rep high weight, 4 to 8 reps. Research has shown that both work. But really, the main goal here is to do it 2 to 3 times a week, get 10 to 20 sets per muscle group use those 5 exercises primarily: your back squat, your deadlift, your bench press, your pull-ups or chin-ups, and your overhead press. So, very, very basic. I realize that I could have taken a much deeper dive into that, but I still want to fill you in on nutrition. So, nutrition, I will put a link to it in the shownotes. But, if you just look at the diet behind the Weston A. Price Foundation, which emphasizes nutrient-dense whole foods animal products, fermented foods, organ meats, clean protein sources. It's a fantastic approach for building muscle. So, the main things that you would be looking at are high-quality protein sources. And, the minimum amount of protein that you should be eating if you really want to put on muscle is 0.8 grams per pound of body weight. And, I'm a bigger fan of 1 gram per pound of body weight. You'll see some values that go higher than that in literature, but 0.8 to 1 gram per pound is a good starting place to look at for protein intake. Look at eggs, right, rich in leucine, which is key for muscle protein synthesis and bioavailable protein. Uh, also pretty good for omega-3s and vitamin D. Look at grass-fed beef for protein, for creatine, for iron. Wild-caught fish like salmon or sardines for more protein, for more omega-3 fatty acids. Raw or fermented dairy, dairy designed by our Creator to turn very small mammals into very large mammals. And, this is why raw milk, cheese, probiotic, kefir, yogurt, all of these things can help out with muscle building. Poultry, not the biggest fan of that compared to things like beef, bison, buffalo, et cetera. But not bad. It's a good protein source, decent amount of essential amino acids. And then if you're using beans, lentils, grains, etc., make sure you soak them, sprout them, ferment them, engage in slow cooking preparation methods to unlock a lot more amino acids from those healthy fats for hormone production and reduction of inflammation. And the omega-3 intake, which again helps to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, that's key as well.. So, nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, butter and ghee, grass-fed for all your fat-soluble vitamins, coconut oil, avocados, huge fan of any of those. Don't be carb-phobic if you want to put on muscle, just choose good carbs, right? Sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, yams, white rice, fermented veg like sauerkraut or kimchi, low glycemic index fruits, especially things things like berries. When you work those in, you're going to allow for adequate muscle glycogen, so you really fill out and also have the ability to have really good workouts. I personally, even if I'm in like a muscle building phase, tend to save the majority of my carbohydrates for dinner just because I kind of like to be a fat burning machine, so to speak, most of the rest of the days and just like pile on the carbs with dinner. Helps you to sleep well at night because you get a good serotonin production, which then leads to good melatonin production and good sleep, stocks up your muscle glycogen levels for a great workout the next morning. And then I'll give a head nod also to liver and organ meats, to shellfish like oysters, for a lot more of the micronutrients that you might not be getting from muscle meat. So that's just the overview of what I'd be, what I'd be doing from a nutritional standpoint. And then finally, Finally, supplements, if I could choose just a few, creatine, dirt-cheap creatine monohydrate, totally up there, 5 to 10 grams per day, no-brainer for muscle building, great research behind it. Essential amino acids, which typically have about 9 of the amino acids that your body can't make themselves. You could go with anywhere from 5 grams a day. I've had some athletes and like actors getting ready for movie roles to put on a bunch of muscle. Up to 40 grams of essential amino acids per day. I do need a financial disclaimer that I own a company called Kion that makes essential amino acids. They are our most popular products for good reason. But I mean, gosh, if you were to do just like 10 to 20 grams of essential amino acids per day, game changer for muscle building. Whey protein to fill in those protein gaps that you're not getting from beef, bison, buffalo, fish, eggs, et cetera, such as a smoothie, you're looking at really good bioavailability. And whey protein has been found to be superior to soy protein or casein protein for muscle growth. And so whey is the whey to go if you're looking for muscle building, in my opinion, unless you're like super duper duper dairy sensitive, in which case, if you got to use like a rice, pea, hemp protein, just make sure you digestive enzymes along with it, which will increase the amino acid bioavailability from that protein. A few other supplements to think about: omega-3s to enhance muscle protein synthesis and battle inflammation, vitamin D. Just make sure you are getting adequate vitamin K and magnesium if you're using vitamin D. And then beta alanine is not bad. I see more and more research on beta alanine. It increases what's called muscle carnosine, which reduces fatigue and potentially could aid with hypertrophy. Not opposed to beta. A few good sources for some of these, like essential amino acids, creatine, whey protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and beta alanine. Probably my two favorites right now are Kion. Obviously, I'm a fan because I'm co-founder and co-owner of it, but we've got colostrum, we got creatine, we've got a fish oil called Omegas, we've got whey protein, we got essential amino acids. A company called Vitaboost, I helped to develop a really great pre-workout and post-workout for which are these little travel packs that work really, really well if you're on the go. I typically grab those when I'm on the go and then use the Kion stuff when I'm at home. I like the company 10X because you can do your genetics test and blood test with them and even be a little bit more dialed in with your supplementation. I'm also a spokesperson for 10X. Again, disclaimer there, but I have been using a lot more of their supplements. The majority of my supplements, if you open my pantry, Antra or 10X, Kion, and Vitaboom. Those are 3 that I rely on quite a bit. So, there are some really great sample strength and muscle-building programs in my book "Boundless." I think another really, really great collection of guys who are putting together wonderful muscle-building programs for the gentlemen and the ladies are my friends at Mind Pump. Their MAPS programs are really good. So, that would be another great resource for you. Dan John is a guy I follow all the time. His work is great. I'm not a huge fan of his approach with nutrition. I think it could be a little bit cleaner. He might be a little bit more of like an If It Fits Your Macros guy, but Dan John is pretty great. And then, Mike Matthews also has some really good stuff. So, give a shout to Mike Matthews, Dan John, Mind Pump, and my book Boundless for more resources. And I will also, of course, make sure the show notes are nice and robust for you over at BenGreenfieldLife.com/489 where you can leave your questions, your comments, and your feedback. So, I hope this is helpful. Typical week for the muscle building, you could do like if you wanted to split it up, you could do day 1 bench press, overhead press, tricep dips. Day 2, weighted pull-ups, bent-over rows, deadlifts. Day 3, back squats and lunges. You could break it up like or you could just have the same workout on 3 days of the week. A little boring, but some boredom and focus is what it takes for muscle gain. And then, eat enough calories, eat enough food, eat enough protein, eat enough carbohydrates, throw some supplementation in there, sleep well, have low amounts of stress. And, that's really the key to muscle building in a very, very short sum. So, thanks so much for listening in. Leave your questions, leave your comments, leave your feedback over at BenGreenfieldLife.com/489. If you like this podcast, give it a like, subscribe wherever you're happening to listen in. I also have a raw insider ad-free podcast inside the Life Network at golifenetwork.com if you're not tired of my voice already. So, thanks so much for listening in. Have an incredible week. To discover even more tips, tricks, hacks, and content to become the most complete complete boundless version of you, visit BenGreenfieldLife.com. In compliance with the FTC guidelines, please assume the following about links and posts on this site. Most of the links going to products are often affiliate links of which I receive a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same for you. And sometimes, I even get to share a unique and somewhat significant discount with you. In some cases, I might also be an investor in a company I mention. I'm the founder, for example, of Kion LLC, the makers of Kion-branded supplements and products, which I talk about quite a bit. Regardless of the relationship, if I post or talk about an affiliate link to a product, it is indeed something I personally use, support, and with full authenticity and transparency recommend recommend in good conscience. 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