FULL SEND PODCAST - Santa Cruz | Ep. 189 (March 20, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this health-centric installment, the Full Send crew—Kyle, Steiny, and friends—welcome health influencer/entrepreneur Brendan of Santa Cruz Paleo. They deep-dive candidly into hot topics around health optimization, modern lifestyle pitfalls, the truth (and BS) in nutrition trends, their own fitness journeys, and real talk about supplements, sleep, and living longer while actually enjoying life. The tone blends humor with straight-up, practical advice, lots of personal anecdotes, and a refusal to sugarcoat tough subjects.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Plastics, Microplastics & Water Bottles (02:00 - 04:38)

• Brendan criticizes health guru Brian Johnson's takes (e.g., sunlight avoidance), noting, "I'm not into the plant-based thing or avoiding sun. But glass > plastic for water bottles; less microplastic leaching."
• Quote: "Heat and sunlight to plastic leaches far more microplastics than a cap ever will." (Brendan, 02:19)
• Discussed endocrine-disrupting chemicals (xenoestrogens) in plastics, furniture, cologne, etc.
• Sharp rise in young men's colon cancer partially linked to poor modern diets and environmental toxins.

2. Biggest Food Red Flags and Body Positivity Real Talk (04:38 - 05:54)

• Brendan on health priorities: "The most important thing is that you don't exist as a fat person for too long. Being fat is not good for you." (04:41)
• Laughs about fat-shaming among the group, but underscores the severe health risks of obesity, especially for young men.

3. Morning Routines, Sunlight & Circadian Health (06:16 - 09:47)

• Steiny and others admit to early rising and walking/sun exposure for mood.
• Brendan: "Most people would benefit tremendously from just waking up, getting outside for sunlight—even if it's cloudy—hydration, and a simple morning routine."
• Troubleshoot seasonal depression and lack of sunlight:
  • Brendan advocates red light therapy in dark climates: "Red light is real. So many PubMed papers support its benefits." (07:36)
  • Avoids tanning beds ("not good, isolated light increases melanoma risk").
• Quote: "Early morning sun exposure makes it so you will burn less—your body starts to adapt and develop resilience." (Brendan, 09:01)

4. Vaping and Energy Drink Dangers (09:47 - 16:14)

• Steiny: "If you're a guy in your mid-20s and you vape—dude, you're…"
• Brendan rips on vaping: "You have no idea what you're inhaling, bro."
• Pushes for quitting vapes/Zyns; notes the overblown claims about nicotine's health benefits.
• Cites his work with cancer survivors: "When I hear something might be carcinogenic, I try to minimize it. Cancer rates are skyrocketing in young people." (03:57)

5. Energy, Mitochondria, Caffeine Cycles & Sleep (12:15 - 14:27)

• Brendan: Real energy is about mitochondrial health, not just stimulants.
• Warns about late caffeine: "The caffeine has a half-life of six hours. You might think you can fall asleep, but your sleep is negatively affected." (13:44)
• Advocates strict cut-off times and quality sleep hygiene.

6. Supplements, Key Nutrients & Food Essentials (18:01 - 20:15)

• Vital supplements: Vitamin D & Magnesium—"But don’t supplement if your diet and sleep aren’t dialed in."
• Quote: "Start with real food. Don’t buy any supplements if you don’t sleep well or party a lot—you need to dial in life a little bit." (Brendan, 18:03)
• Laughs about steak, cholesterol, and discredits simplistic cholesterol fear-mongering.

7. Ozempic, GLPs, and the Perils of Chasing Thinness (20:19 - 21:35)

• Brendan: "If you’re truly obese and can’t lose the weight, GLPs [like Ozempic] could help. But it’s dumb as hell for already lean, jacked kids to use it. You’ll wreck your hormones."
• Tells of doctors seeing young adults undereating and ruining their micronutrient status/testosterone.

8. Peptides & Injuries (21:35 - 22:32)

• Praises some peptides (BPC-157) for injury recovery—"Big fan, especially for Jiu Jitsu injuries."
• Warns against indiscriminate peptide or hormone use.

9. Alcohol, Cheat Meals, Practical Health Socializing (22:35 - 24:03)

• Recounts personal journey: used to party but now advocates for "cleaner" seltzers (like Happy Dad).
• Offers real-life hangover hacks—activated charcoal, hydration, vitamins.

10. Maximizing Testosterone Naturally (24:24 - 25:39)

• Sleep is #1 for testosterone; simple dark room, phone cut-off, breathwork.
• Diet: "Balanced macros, some saturated fat, quality red meat—there’s just something to it."

11. Fitness, Extreme Challenges, and Community (34:40 - 38:22, 40:01 - 44:29)

• Describes the epic "Barbarian" workout at Liver King's compound: "Two 70lb kettlebells, 70lb backpack, 120lb sled—a brutal, nearly 2hr 48min mile."
• Discusses motivation, overcoming plateaus, and the power of surrounding yourself with "locked in" friends.

12. Sleep Hygiene: Ditch the NyQuil/Melatonin Habit (30:13 - 34:23)

• Steiny admits to NyQuil/melatonin use for sleep.
• Brendan: Ditch the drugs, embrace sleep hygiene (blue blockers, magnesium, breathwork).
• Recommends orange-tinted blue light blockers at night: "They’re a game-changer, I’ll get you some." (32:22)
• Reassures magnesium is broadly safe and helps hundreds of bodily processes.

13. Modern Nutrition, Japan/Blue Zones, & Gut Health Lessons (35:25 - 57:55)

• Brendan: Studied anthropology; noticed gut-microbiome and real, unprocessed foods in healthy populations.
• Not demonizing Chipotle or occasional fast food if other habits are good, but draws line at ultra-processed/junk sweets ("Crumble Cookie is the enemy").
• Dissects international health: Japanese, Vietnamese walk a lot, eat quality carbs (purple potatoes), little processed food.

14. Skin, Grooming, and Beef Tallow Skincare (62:31 - 64:10)

• "Beef tallow is cracked for skin health": non-comedogenic, moisturizing, containing stearic acid.
• Modern skin care often triggers a vicious cycle of dryness/over-oil; natural is better.

15. Electrolytes, Supplements, Honest Salesmanship (64:19 - 65:19)

• Brendan is forthright: "If you're not working out hard, you don't need electrolytes. But if you train, a scoop in the morning changes your day."
• Most supplement profits stem from Amazon, not TikTok shop.

16. Business, Ethics, and Staying Authentic (65:21 - 66:23)

• Tells of starting Santa Cruz Paleo with childhood friend in a Santa Cruz apartment.
• Criticizes investors’ profit-first mindset leading companies to cut corners on ingredients: "Investors cook it—health products get anti-health."

17. Modern Longevity, Inspiration, and Vibing with Life (69:10 - End)

• Brendan refuses to go vegan or do Super Size Me for content—"It's clear: animal protein, fruits, veggies. That’s the way."
• Stresses that health, fun, community, and movement are the ultimate life "hack": "Just get outside, find a hobby, and pull your friends into it."
• Lasting advice: focus on real food, good sleep, movement, and enjoy life—supplements are secondary.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Brendan (on health in youth):
  "The most important thing is that you don’t exist as a fat person for too long. Being fat is not good for you." (04:41)

• On vaping vs. Zins:
  "You have no idea what you're inhaling, bro. Don’t you want lung power?" (Brendan, 11:43)

• On energy:
  "Your mitochondria are the powerhouse of your cell... That’s where real energy comes from, not from another caffeine drink." (Brendan, 13:44)

• On steak and cholesterol myths:
  "If cholesterol causes heart disease, why did our ancestors eat tons of animal fat? Why don’t the Inuit, who eat whale blubber, get heart attacks?" (Brendan, 19:32)

• Supplements:
  "Start with real food. Don’t buy supplements if your life is dialed—no need if you’re partying and not sleeping." (Brendan, 18:03)

• On NyQuil addiction for sleep:
  "I’m not a fan of daily melatonin use, and NyQuil is for sick people—plus it’s got Red 40." (Brendan, 31:23)

• Barbarian workout story:
  "We had to do it. Two 70lb kettlebells, 70lb backpack, 120lb sled, ankle weights—almost three hours for a damn mile." (Brendan, 35:06)

• On fat-shaming and tough love:
  "Sometimes you have to go a little hard from love. People just don't think about health until it's ripped away from them." (Brendan, 38:33)

• Modern U.S. health outlook:
  "We need to change the culture in America. Like why are the Japanese so healthy? It’s a culture thing—we need to walk more, eat real food, and ditch Red 40." (Brendan, 56:38)

• On skin care:
  "Beef tallow skin care is the original skincare. It’s cracked. And modern products create a vicious dryness cycle." (Brendan, 62:42)

• Summing it all up:
  "Focus on food, sleep, movement, community—supplements are not the start. Pull your friends into it." (Brendan, 69:54)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | |--------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:00 | Plastics, microplastics, and water bottle safety | | 04:38 | Food red flags, fat-shaming, health risks of obesity | | 07:36 | Morning sun, seasonal depression, red light therapy | | 09:47 | Vaping is worse than Zyns; both should be avoided | | 12:15 | Real energy vs. energy drinks—focus on mitochondrial health | | 14:14 | Caffeine timing, sleep cycles, and performance anxiety | | 18:01 | Vitamins D and Magnesium—who needs them and why | | 19:15 | Should we avoid red meat? Cholesterol and diet myths | | 21:37 | Peptides: recovery tools and what to avoid | | 22:35 | Partying, alcohol, and staying practical with health hacks | | 24:24 | Testosterone optimization: prioritizing sleep and realistic nutrition | | 30:13 | Sleep routines: blue blockers, NyQuil risks, and natural alternatives | | 34:40 | Barbarian/Liver King workout story | | 56:03 | Japanese and Blue Zones health insights, the power of walking | | 62:42 | Skin care: beef tallow, simplicity, avoiding harmful ingredients | | 64:19 | Honest supplement talk—who really needs them | | 65:25 | Santa Cruz Paleo origin story and business philosophy | | 69:10 | Vegan diets and why he won't do "Supersize Me" challenges |

Recurring Themes

• No magic bullet: Optimize sleep, diet, and movement—supplements come last.
• Culture > gimmicks: True health is about social circles, daily habits, and fun challenges.
• Skepticism of nutrition/health fads: Especially when driven by profit or social media.
• Science with common sense: Practical takes on red meat, carbohydrates, moderate vices, and modern “quick fixes.”
• Tough love with authenticity: Call out unhealthy patterns, but always "roast out of love."

For Listeners New to the Show

Whether or not you’ve followed previous episodes, this conversation is a snapshot of what drives the Full Send crew’s evolving quest for better health—a non-dogmatic, science-informed, and playful approach. Brendan’s insights are credible, blunt, and aimed at helping both everyday people and high-performers minimize BS, enjoy fitness, and stay healthy for the long haul—no matter your starting point.