Habits and Hustle Ep. 484: Dr. Josh Axe - "Why Your Healthy Smoothie is Making You Sick (And What Actually Heals)"

Date: September 16, 2025
Host: Jennifer Cohen
Guest: Dr. Josh Axe

Episode Overview

This eye-opening episode features Dr. Josh Axe, functional medicine doctor, founder of Ancient Nutrition, and author of the new book The Biblio Diet. Dr. Axe challenges common beliefs in the wellness space, especially around what it actually means to eat “healthy,” and spotlights the often-overlooked roles of emotional, spiritual, and lifestyle habits in truly healing the body. The discussion covers why staples like smoothies and salads can be problematic for certain people, the key role of stress, the limitations of supplements and medications, and a radical rethink on bread, red meat, dairy, and even organ meats—all through a functional and historical medicine lens.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Adaptogens and Supplement Cycling

[03:19-06:50]

• Ashwagandha and Nightshades: Dr. Axe clarifies that ashwagandha is a nightshade, and while many can use it long-term, those sensitive to nightshades should avoid it.
• Classes of Adaptogens: "Panax ginseng ... are very, very strong adaptogens" (Axe, 04:23), and should be cycled unlike gentler ones like ashwagandha or cordyceps.
• Reishi Mushroom: Can be taken "pretty much forever" due to its restorative, non-stimulatory nature.
• Why Cycle Supplements: The body acclimates; effects can diminish over time, as with magnesium or sleep supplements.

2. Stress, Lifestyle, and the True Roots of Disease

[07:16-16:46]

• Fundamentals Over Biohacking: Axe warns against overemphasizing biohacks like saunas/cold plunges and neglecting basics like rest, emotional regulation, and lifestyle habits.
• “Rest Deficiency”: High achievers often make themselves sick through overdoing, not underdoing.

  "My issue is not a nutrient deficiency, it's a rest deficiency." – Dr. Axe [11:30]

• Adrenal/Cortisol Mismanagement: Stress and busyness (especially in women/moms) underpin many thyroid and hormonal issues.
• Birth Control & Thyroid: Long-term contraceptive use depletes key nutrients, raising hypothyroid risk.

3. “Healthy” Foods Can Harm—Especially for Some Women

[08:16, 23:03-24:31]

• Smoothies, Salads, and Hypothyroidism:

  "Smoothies are cooling, salads are cooling... superfood smoothies are terrible for people with hypothyroidism." – Dr. Axe [08:14]

• Ancient medicine and research agree: If you run cold, go warming (soups, teas, root vegetables with spices), not cooling.
• Personalized Nutrition:

  "Everybody is different. Your diet versus my diet should probably be pretty different." – Dr. Axe [22:57]

4. Emotion and Disease

[13:49-16:46, 45:15-46:35]

• Emotional patterns and unresolved childhood trauma drive physical illness.

  "Stress is the number one thing that makes people sick. It's not food—that's number two." – Dr. Axe [13:49]

• Chinese medicine links emotions to organ systems:
  • Fear → adrenals/kidneys
  • Worry → digestion
  • Grief → immune system/gut (Crohn's, colitis, esp. prevalent in Jewish populations due to generational trauma)
  • Anger → liver/metabolic system
  • Anxiety → heart

5. Bread, Dairy, and Organ Meats: A Functional/Biblical Reappraisal

[35:12-42:17; 68:04-72:29]

• Bread: Sourdough from ancient grains (sprouted or fermented) is far healthier; "bread is not a villain." Avoid modern, hybridized, highly processed breads.
• Raw Dairy: If non-pasteurized and from animals bred for easier-to-digest proteins (A2 cows, sheep, goats), dairy can be highly healing, especially if fermented.
• Organ Meats & Peptides:

  “Organ meats ... are the number one food we're missing in our society today.” – Dr. Axe [68:08]
  They provide peptides and nutrients tailor-made for specific organ support (like heals like).

6. Biblio Diet: What and Why

[25:20-33:42]

• Based on biblical principles, it echoes—and expands upon—kosher:
  • Avoid pork and shellfish (most toxic meats)
  • Emphasize organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised, and biblically slaughtered animals
• “You are what you eat ate”—animal diets and sun exposure deeply affect the nutrient quality of food.
• Spiritual health and community are built into the prescription.

7. Critique of Modern Trends: Paleo, Keto, Medications

[25:31-27:49]

• Dr. Axe isn’t doctrinaire about Paleo; personalizes nutrition to the individual.
• Medications and supplements are no panacea:

  "A drug cannot heal you... the root of what's actually happening has never fully [been] fixed." – Dr. Axe [52:58]

8. Natural Approaches to Mental Health

[51:01-59:01]

• Pandemic of Youth Mental Health: Kids as young as 10 are put on antidepressants/Adderall.
• Roots: Increase in social comparison, identity crises (less religion, less purpose), and lifestyle disconnection are to blame.
• Alternatives:
  • Find identity and purpose, build community, spend more time outdoors.
  • Dietary strategies: More omega-3s, higher protein/fat, saffron as a natural antidepressant with supporting studies.

  "Number one thing people need to do is find identity and purpose." – Dr. Axe [56:53]

9. Testing and Personalization

[88:05-91:13]

• Dr. Axe advocates for “root cause” testing: tongue diagnosis (Chinese medicine), detailed nutrient/hormonal labs, GI mapping.

10. Other Hot Topics Addressed

• Fruit: Pomegranate wins for fiber, antioxidants, mitochondrial health (Urolithin A).
• Colostrum: Only for some; listen to your body.
• Essential Oils: Lavender for sleep, tulsi for stress, citrus peel oils for lymphatics, frankincense for immunity/anti-inflammatory.
• Salt: Personalized—most people need less sodium/more potassium (coconut water + pinch of salt is better than most electrolyte formulas).
• GLP-1 Drugs: Microdosing may not be as harmful, but doesn’t fix root causes (diet/lifestyle do).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the harms of “overdoing” health:

  “My issue is not a nutrient deficiency, it's a rest deficiency. I'm just doing too much all day long and it's burning out my body.” – Dr. Axe [11:24]

• On smoothies and thyroid:

  “Smoothies are cooling, salads are cooling ... superfood smoothies are terrible for people with hypothyroidism.” – Dr. Axe [08:14]

• On community:

  “The people who live the longest are the happiest, right? And they have the best community and the best relationships.” – Dr. Axe [16:46]

• On bread:

  “Bread is not a villain. If you're going to eat bread, eat sourdough from ancient grains.” – Dr. Axe [37:54]

• On organ meats:

  “Organ meats ... are the number one food we're missing in our society today.” – Dr. Axe [68:08]

• On faith and healing:

  “I personally believe ... while we have free will, God is intervening in our lives constantly, especially if we ask Him to.” – Dr. Axe [49:08]

• On GLP-1 (Ozempic) weight-loss drugs:

  “People are losing... 40% of the mass they're losing is muscle mass... They're skinny fat now.” – Dr. Axe [75:15]

• On salt & electrolytes:

  “Coconut water, throw sea salt in there, there you go, there's your electrolyte drink.” – Dr. Axe [97:33]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01–04:32: Adaptogens: Use and cycling (ashwagandha, ginseng, reishi)
• 07:16–13:41: Stress, rest deficiency, and “doing too much”
• 13:49–16:46: Emotional root causes of illness; stress and organ systems
• 23:03–24:31: Why smoothies and salads are often the wrong choice for women/hypothyroid
• 35:12–42:17: Bread, dairy, organ meats—rethinking “villains” and superfoods
• 45:15–46:35: Generational trauma and gut diseases in Jewish communities
• 51:01–59:01: Anxiety, SSRIs, identity, and natural approaches to mental health
• 68:04–72:29: Organ meats, peptides, and “like heals like”
• 88:05–91:13: Best tests for true internal health
• 97:33–98:52: Electrolytes—salt vs. potassium, commercial vs. real food solutions
• 99:19–100:27: Dr. Axe’s 5 tips for longevity in your 50s

Dr. Axe’s Top 5 Longevity Tips for Your 50s [99:19]

1. Spiritual growth practice
2. Build community (weekly lunches, deeper relationships)
3. Upgrade your breakfast (more protein/fiber/nutrients, warming if you run cold)
4. Move daily—in ways you enjoy (racket sports, walking, swimming)
5. More time outdoors (sun, nature, hiking)

Final Thoughts

Dr. Axe's approach is holistic and individualized, advocating a return to time-tested wisdom, daily habits, and a strong emotional and spiritual foundation as the true pillars of health. He challenges fads, quick fixes, and even some “health foods,” urging us to think deeper about what we really need to heal. "More" and "newest" does not always mean better—sometimes, the oldest ways are best.

Pick up Dr. Josh Axe’s new book, “The Biblio Diet,” for more on these life-changing insights.