The Tudor Dixon Podcast: Revolutionizing Health with Max Lugavere

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show Featuring Max Lugavere on Health Revolution

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
• Host/Author: Premiere Networks
• Episode: The Tudor Dixon Podcast: Revolutionizing Health with Max Lugavere
• Release Date: March 14, 2025
• Description: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics, and current events with intelligence and humor. This episode features Tudor Dixon interviewing Max Lugavere, a longevity expert and author, to discuss critical issues in health, including the overprescription of antidepressants, the impact of processed foods, and strategies for improving personal health.

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1. Introduction to Health Concerns and Current Trends

Tudor Dixon opens the discussion by highlighting the ongoing conversations around health, particularly changes in cooking practices and fast-food industry shifts towards healthier options. He references the shift by establishments like Steak 'n Shake to use tallow fat instead of vegetable oils, aiming to improve health outcomes among Americans. Dixon emphasizes the contrast between the expansive healthcare system and the pervasive state of illness among the population.

Notable Quote:

"We are very sick as human beings. Before we bring in Max, I have an exciting new partner to share with all of you." — Tudor Dixon [01:00]

2. Overprescription of Antidepressants

Dixon brings up Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s initiative to scrutinize the use of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, noting the significant public backlash. He questions why delving into the effects of these medications causes such resistance among people.

Max Lugavere agrees, pointing out the nuanced nature of the conversation. He underscores the problem of overprescription in the United States, noting that "1 in 10 people are on some kind of antidepressant drug," which increases to "1 in 4 for certain demographics" like women over 40.

Notable Quote:

"These kinds of drugs now are being prescribed almost as if from a PEZ dispenser." — Max Lugavere [04:22]

3. The Need for Informed Consent and Transparency

Lugavere shares a personal story about his mother, who suffered from Lewy Body dementia and underwent "hyper polypharmacy," being prescribed over ten medications. He highlights the lack of understanding among physicians regarding drug interactions and the challenges patients face when trying to discontinue these medications.

Notable Quote:

"These drugs are very difficult to come off of... many people lose libido, they gain weight." — Max Lugavere [06:30]

Dixon echoes the sentiment, discussing how antidepressants are often prescribed without fully informing patients of potential side effects, even when patients are not clinically depressed.

4. Impact of Processed Foods on Health

The conversation shifts to the role of ultra-processed foods in the rising rates of chronic diseases. Lugavere cites a meta-analysis linking ultra-processed foods to 32 negative health outcomes, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

Notable Quote:

"Most of us are consuming ultra processed foods that are linked to chronic diseases unlike anything we’ve seen before." — Max Lugavere [04:55]

He advocates for bolstering resilience through physical exercise and a diet rich in minimally processed whole foods as a means to combat the adverse effects of an overprocessed diet.

5. Marketing of Unhealthy Foods to Children

Dixon expresses concern over the aggressive marketing of unhealthy, processed foods to children. He draws parallels to historical marketing of cigarettes to youth, questioning why similar measures aren't in place for foods that contribute to chronic diseases in children.

Notable Quote:

"Kids shouldn't have diabetes, they shouldn't have fatty livers... this is an awakening of people." — Tudor Dixon [24:07]

Lugavere agrees, emphasizing that 70-80% of children's caloric intake comes from ultra-processed foods. He points out the challenges parents face in isolating their children from these unhealthy options and the role of schools in providing nutritious meals.

6. Strategies for Improving Health

Dixon and Lugavere discuss practical steps individuals can take to enhance their health:

• Diet: Emphasizing whole foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and minimally processed items. They caution against relying solely on supplements, advocating for obtaining nutrients from real food sources.

• Exercise: Regular physical activity is highlighted as essential for maintaining mental and physical health, countering the reliance on medications for well-being.

• Reading Labels: Educating consumers to read food labels carefully to avoid harmful additives and understand the nutritional content of what they consume.

Notable Quote:

"Staple to use whey protein is... the highest biological value source of protein that you could ingest." — Max Lugavere [28:33]

7. The Role of Supplements

The discussion turns to the use of supplements, where Lugavere advises that supplements should complement, not replace, a healthy diet. He recommends whey-based protein powders over plant-based ones due to concerns about heavy metal contamination in the latter.

Notable Quote:

"Supplements can make certain aspects of adhering to a healthy diet and lifestyle more convenient." — Max Lugavere [28:33]

8. Recommendations for Consumers and Policy

Both speakers advocate for informed consumer choices and greater transparency in both the pharmaceutical and food industries. They call for policies that restrict the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and promote the availability of nutritious options in schools.

Notable Quote:

"We have to start looking at the food supply and the additives that are making these ultra processed foods as addictive as they are." — Max Lugavere [14:10]

9. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Lugavere encourages listeners to adopt a critical thinking approach to their health decisions, utilizing available resources like scientific journals and reputable sources to inform their choices. Dixon emphasizes the power of consumer behavior in driving changes within the food industry, advocating for collective action to demand healthier options.

Notable Quote:

"Be a critical thinker and apply logic and an evolutionary lens." — Max Lugavere [36:33]

Both agree that while systemic changes are necessary, individual actions play a crucial role in improving public health.

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Key Takeaways:

• Overprescription of Antidepressants: There's a significant issue with the overprescription of antidepressants, often without proper informed consent or acknowledgment of side effects.
• Impact of Processed Foods: Ultra-processed foods are a major contributor to the rise in chronic diseases, including mental health issues.
• Marketing to Children: Aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods to children is exacerbating health problems among the younger population.
• Health Strategies: Emphasizing whole foods, regular exercise, and informed consumer choices can significantly improve individual health outcomes.
• Supplements: Supplements should complement a healthy diet, with a preference for whey-based proteins over plant-based ones due to contamination concerns.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "These kinds of drugs now are being prescribed almost as if from a PEZ dispenser." — Max Lugavere [04:22]
• "We are very sick as human beings." — Tudor Dixon [01:00]
• "Most of us are consuming ultra processed foods that are linked to chronic diseases unlike anything we’ve seen before." — Max Lugavere [04:55]
• "Kids shouldn't have diabetes, they shouldn't have fatty livers." — Tudor Dixon [24:07]
• "Supplements can make certain aspects of adhering to a healthy diet and lifestyle more convenient." — Max Lugavere [28:33]
• "Be a critical thinker and apply logic and an evolutionary lens." — Max Lugavere [36:33]

This episode provides a comprehensive look at the intersection of pharmaceutical practices, dietary habits, and public health, offering actionable insights for listeners seeking to improve their well-being.

Transcript

[Ryan]

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[Max Lugavere]

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[Clay Travis]

Hey Clay, if there was a summer camp for critical thinking, we'd be the chief counselors.

[Buck Sexton]

Those jelly heads in June would be intellectual warriors by August.

[Clay Travis]

Be a lot of fun too. Some Bill and Ted's excellent adventure references.

[Buck Sexton]

Thrown in this podcast like a daily dose of that. Minus the campfires, archery and pranking the girls.

[Clay Travis]

The Bonafide boot camp for critical thinking. You can get in on it for free at the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Just search our names Clay and Bach. Listen and subscribe.

[Tudor Dixon]

Hey everyone. Welcome to the Tutor Dixon podcast. As you have all heard, we've been talking a lot about health lately. We've been talking a lot about people changing over the way they're cooking food even. You've probably seen some stuff with steak and shake and the fact that they change their fries over to tallow fat and all of this that's going on. And we all are hoping that this changes the health outcomes of Americans because we are, even though we have this expansive, I guess some people call it a healthcare system or a sick care system. We are very sick as human beings. Before we bring in Max, I have an exciting new partner to share with all of you. I know right now you're seeing the stock market going up and down and that can be scary, but that is why you need to think about the stability of gold. I am excited to announce my newest sponsor, American Alternative Assets. They take a different approach to precious metals. American Alternative Assets gets to know you, they get to know your family, and they get to know your needs. To make sure precious metals are the right choice for you, you should just call and find out if it's a good fit because they only work with people they know they can help. And then once you're a client, they provide quarterly check ins to ensure your strategy is still on the right track. And here's the best part. American Alternative Assets is offering our listeners a free wealth protection guide. And up to $10,000 in free silver with a qualified purchase.

[Max Lugavere]

So.

[Tudor Dixon]

So call today, it's 877-522-Gold or visit tutorsgold.com right now to claim your free wealth protection guide. And don't wait until it's too late. Protect your wealth and secure your future today. Again, that's 877-522-Gold or visit tutorsgold.com so we have Max Lugavir with us here today. He is a longevity expert, health and science journalist and the author of the New York Times bestseller Selling Genius book series. So it's genius kitchen, genius foods, genius life, and we're hoping he's a genius so he can tell us all about how to be healthier. Max, welcome.

[Max Lugavere]

Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor.

[Tudor Dixon]

Absolutely. So I was, I've been like scrolling through your stuff and going through your Twitter account and everything, and there's just, there is so much. We can't even get to it in the time that we have, but there's so much going on. One of the things that is kind of near and dear to my heart is the fact that RFK Jr came out and said that he was going to look at some of these antidepressants and anti anxiety meds and people went crazy about it, which is, I think, kind of twofold. There's a strong addiction to these medications. People are very upset about letting it go, but not even just letting it go. Researching what it's actually doing is scary to people. Why is that happening?

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah, I mean, it's a great place to start the conversation. We, I think nuance needs to be brought to the conversation. Of course, everybody today is so polarized and so inflamed about so many different topics. Right. But with regards to the antidepressant issue, we have an over prescription problem in this country, which isn't to say that we also have an access to medication issue in this country as well. But these kinds of drugs now are being prescribed almost as if from a PEZ dispenser, which, you know, I might be revealing my, my age. I don't know if those things still exist, but.

[Tudor Dixon]

No, they do. You're safe.

[Max Lugavere]

They do. Okay, I'm safe. Cool. Yeah, it's a, it's a huge problem. I mean, today, many people, I think last I checked, in general, 1 in 10 people are on some kind of antidepressant drug, but that proportion shoots up to one in four for, you know, certain demographics. For example, women over 40 and, you know, we have to ask Ourselves. What is the root cause of the malaise that so many people seem to be feeling? Is it due to a SSR SSRI deficiency? I don't think so. That would be unusual.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, I, I, so here's a question for you because I believe it's like, oh, we've figured out that this can help this and this and this. And we'll just prescribe it to you without even telling you what it does, because, like, women hit that age period between 40 and 50, and let me tell you, doctors come to you and they're like, an antidepressant can help you with all of the things that your body is going to go through without telling you what an antidepressant is going to do to your body even though you're not depressed.

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah, I mean, so many people we lack appropriate informed consent today with regards to many things. I mean, whether it's the food supply that we've inherited or these pharmaceutical drugs. I mean, I saw this in my own family. Why? The reason why I do what I do is that my mother was very sick for many, many years. And she had dementia, like an early onset form of dementia called Lewy Body dementia. And then she passed due to cancer. And by the end of her life, she was, she was the perfect illustration of what is known as hyper polypharmacy. So somebody who's on over 10 prescription drugs by the end of her life, and there's no physician on earth that fully understands how these different drugs are interacting with one another in an increasingly frail system. And one of the drugs that my mom was on, actually she had been on it for, for years, was an SSRI drug because at the onset of her cognitive decline, her psychiatrist thought that the symptoms that she was exhibiting were due to depression. Now, severe forms of depression can actually mimic a type of dementia known as pseudo dementia. But of course, we realized down the road that this was not due to depression. My mom actually had a serious neuro cognitive condition. But what is not usually disclosed is that these drugs are very difficult to come off of. And they also coincide with not side effects, but effects that are secondary to maybe whatever it is that they're trying to treat. But many people lose libido, they gain weight, and often the root cause of, of depression is again, not due to SSRI deficiency. Although, you know, these do. These drugs do help a certain subset of the depressed population. But what the data shows is that for people with mild depression, for moderate depression, these drugs are no more effective than placebo, certainly not exercise, physical exercise, for example, and so, yeah, I think we do need to have greater transparency with regards to these drugs. And in, in my view, in my interpretation of what's going on, as an outsider to the movement and, you know, the, these initiatives that RFK is now champion championing, that's what he's asking for. He's asking for greater transparency, greater informed consent. And how could you argue with that?

[Tudor Dixon]

I. I saw this the other day where on, just on Twitter, someone posted like, we have the most depressed society in the world. And yet when people come to depressed people and say, I've got a great solution for you, it's just going to cause you to gain a massive amount of weight and never orgasm again. And they're like, yes, please. Yeah, you know why? And you wonder why we're still depressed. Because it's not that you're not depressed after. That's the other problem is. And that's. I think what RFK was saying is the problem is that we have all these people who are not, not depressed. It's not that they are no longer depressed after they take these medications. This doesn't seem to be solving the problem in all cases. And therefore, why shouldn't we study it more? And there. And that goes to the question of government involvement. And once you have all of these pharmaceutical that are somehow lobbying these folks in Washington and, And can you really cut through that red tape? And this is, I think, the culture shock in Washington to have somebody like a Kennedy walk in there and go, you know what, we're going to take an extra look at it. And it bothers me because I think you're right. I think you end up with a lot of people. I think you described it as something like walking zombies or some elderly people that are. And I had the same situation with my grandfather. He was on multiple medications for everything under the sun. And when you see that in their room, like next to their nightstand, you do as. Now, as an adult, now that we have been talking about this and we do have more of a questioning mind about medications, I look back on that and think, whoa, how do they know when you have 12 different medications, how they're interacting?

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah, nobody knows. Nobody knows. And, you know, I heard it said once that if you go on vacation and your depression lifts, you don't have depression, you just have a shitty life. And so I think often it's. I think what makes people uncomfortable is that it requires a degree of accountability for their lives. And certainly not every life circumstance is escapable. I mean, I'll just say from my own personal experience, when my mom was ill, that was the most stressful period of my life. And I wasn't able to escape that stress, nor would I if I had the opportunity, because my mom needed my help and she was a person who I loved most in the world. But what I did was I realized that, okay, I've inherited a certain circumstance which I can't escape and I need to be there for my mom. But there are ways now elucidated in our most respected peer reviewed journals that show that you can actually bolster, if you can't escape the stress, the stressful stimuli, you can bolster your resilience, for example, with physical exercise, with maybe a diet that's comprised primarily of minimally processed whole foods. I mean today your average adult, 60% of the calories that your average adult is consuming come from ultra processed foods and ultra processed foods. I mean, there was recently an updated review and meta analysis that found that these kinds of foods, which now predominate American diets, are linked to 32 different ways that your health can suffer 32 different negative health outcomes. The obvious ones of course, were included in this meta analysis. The obesity, the type 2 diabetes, the heart disease, the cancer, but also mental health conditions like anxiety and depression are now increasingly being linked to our consumption, our over consumption of ultra processed foods. And so, you know, for anybody listening who's, who is stuck in a stressful, stimulation, stressful situation, you know, I think the, the first thing that one ought to do is try to examine where in their lives they can improve their situation. And if they can't improve certain aspects of their situation, where, well then it's good to know that we can also bolster our resilience which essentially, you know, affects how our bodies handle stress, deal with stress in a way that's maybe more productive, less likely to cause chronic disease, which we know that chronic stress can be implicated in.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, I've seen you post some things about the importance of exercise and what you're putting into your body and even weightlifting and things like that. And I think that's something that we do tend to forget about in our lives. You know, we get, and we're looking for the quick fix. So that's why you see this real push for Ozempic right now is like, oh my goodness, I have this opportunity to just have this quick fix and then I'll be healthy. I think we, we forget that that doesn't necessarily mean healthy because you have to continually change your body and you have to feed your body and you have to care for your body just like you care for your child. You have to care for yourself. And so often, I mean, it's almost like when you're on the airplane and they say, make sure you put your mask on first. And then for your. The younger kids next to you. I mean, it's similar when as a parent, I certainly know this, I'm like, I couldn't do that because I had the kids and I can't work out and I can't eat healthy. And I went to fast food and, and I saw somebody saying, oh, now the ma. The Maha movement is about making sure fast food is healthy. Give me a break. And I think you made a great point saying, you know what, a lot of people, that's their only meal. And a lot of times life is so busy, you're like, oh, we'll just stop here and we'll eat. And then you get into this cycle of eating crap because it's what's available and that's the way it's just always been cooked. But I love the idea of going in and saying, hey, if this is banned in Europe, you can't use it here. And we have to be careful of what we put inside of our bodies.

[Max Lugavere]

Absolutely, yeah. I mean, the rhetoric that you now see surrounding pretty much anything that RFK does, I mean, for me, it's just another sort of extension of Trump Derangement syndrome and which has now become RFK Derangement syndrome. And you know, this is, this should be a nonpartisan issue at the end of the day. And I think what you eat determines by and large how much you're eating. So in a time where almost one in two adults are not just overweight, but obese, we do need to start looking at the food supply and the additives that are making, you know, these ultra processed foods as addictive as they are. I mean, there was a paper that came out that actually found ultra processed foods to tick all of the same boxes for an addictive substance. The same boxes that tobacco ticks.

[Tudor Dixon]

Wow.

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah.

[Tudor Dixon]

Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on the Tudor Dixon podcast.

[Ryan]

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[Max Lugavere]

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[Buck Sexton]

The best way to understand all sides of an issue is to know all sides of an issue.

[Clay Travis]

Can't get that in the mainstream media. Which is why you've got to listen to some Clay and Buck for another point of view.

[Buck Sexton]

Buck, why are you going third person?

[Clay Travis]

Because, Clay, I think this ad is running in places that might not exist. Exactly. Align with all of our politics or even know who we are.

[Buck Sexton]

It's impossible. But maybe if it's true. I bet if they did listen, they'd end up agreeing with us on at least one issue, even if they secretly want admitted.

[Clay Travis]

Well, the only way they're gonna find out is if they download the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever they get their pods.

[Buck Sexton]

We're easy to find. Unlike your wife at Costco, Clay, you speak the truth.

[Clay Travis]

But we're already losing people.

[Buck Sexton]

I think I gained one or two just now.

[Clay Travis]

In case you haven't noticed, we like to have a lot of fun as well as talk about what's going on in the world.

[Buck Sexton]

Come hang with us today and every day at Clay and buck. Download the iHeartRadio app, search out those names. Clay Travis, Buck Sexton, and come hang.

[Tudor Dixon]

I also don't know how to read labels. You know, I bought protein powder the other day. I'm like, okay, I'm going to, like, make smoothies, and we're going to all, like. It'll be an easy way for us to all have something quick in the morning, and we'll put, you know, fruit and bananas in it. And then I flip that over and I'm reading it after I get it home, of course, because I'm like, this is in the healthy section of the grocery store. We're all good here. Like, wait a minute. Saw sunflower seed, this and that, and like, is this all bad for us?

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah. I mean, that's kind of the grand irony is that I said something recently that kind of went viral at my. At the recent Senate hearing that I was invited to partake in with Senator Ron Johnson. I don't know if you caught. If you saw any of that footage, but if your supermarket has a health food section, what does that make the rest of the store?

[Tudor Dixon]

Yes, I did see that.

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah, but, but the irony is that most of the items in the health food section of the supermarket are garbage too. So you're, you know, you can't win today. And I think that's why, you know, a simple heuristic like just remembering to shop around the perimeter of the supermarket can be so valuable for people because the perimeter of the supermarket is where you find all the fresh, perishable foods. Protein bars and things like that. Yeah, I mean we're, you know, now there are a lot of ultra processed foods that the concept is protein washing. So they're putting like high protein this, high protein that on all of these ultra processed foods. But it's essentially just lipstick on a pig. Most of the, the protein that they'll use to inflate the, the protein content of these ultra processed foods are of, of extremely low quality and generally make up a very small proportion of the calories anyway. So, um, yeah, definitely worth being mindful of.

[Tudor Dixon]

So we're just eating. I mean I see it all the time on, on granola bars and this and that and it is really like this is a sugary snack. But I feel like it's good because it says it's got 24 grams of protein on the front and that is totally meaningless to me but in my mind it must be great. So I, and, and that is how my mind works because I'm a marketer's dream. I say this all the time. If something comes in a new package, I'm like, that looks delicious. You know, it's like I already have eaten that. I know what it tastes like, but it looks wonderful and it's so funn because it, I think it is ingrained in us because I sent my daughter, My daughter is always looking for like the how can we get rid of food dyes and everything? And there was this thing, a meme, the, or a picture the other day of. I think it was Doritos. And they're like, they're trying to make Doritos into like the simply brand that they have that has no. Supposedly no bad stuff, you know, but it's obviously just like you said, health food. But she, she is so funny because the Doritos bag was like super exciting and it looked really. And then the Simply bag looks like someone who is trying to be like one of those, those people that is very clean in their house. They have like no knickknacks or anything. You know, it's like it's supposed to look like there's nothing in it, but it, it does look like there's nothing in it. And I sent it to my, my 15 year old. And she goes, yeah, but nothing about that package makes me want to eat this. And I'm like, that's so funny that she noted that, you know, because it just looks like a minimalist. You know, you walk into someone's house and you're like, does anybod. That's what the package looks like. And the Doritos package, they're like, oh, we're going to make it so much healthier. But the Doritos package is like, come and eat me, I look wonderful.

[Max Lugavere]

Well, yeah, and you're an adult with a fully formed prefrontal cortex. I mean, imagine being a 12 year old and seeing all of these, like flashy colors at the supermarket. I mean, that's, that's where this whole argument about removing artificial food dyes from the food supply comes from. I don't think if you remove food dyes, artificial food dyes from the American food supply, that it's suddenly going to make Americans healthy again. That's a red herring. But also, I mean, if it makes the products even a smidgen less attractive to children who are now seeing startling rates of overweight and obesity and even hypertension, we're seeing now creep up in adolescence and all kinds of conditions that were once limited to adult populations, like adult onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes used to be considered adult onset diabetes. And now we're seeing more and more children show signs of insulin resistance. And it, it all comes back to the food supply. So, you know, I think that I don't want to throw the food industry completely under the bus, nor do I want to throw the baby out with the bad bathwater. I think that these incremental changes. There's an argument to be made against incrementalism. I think, you know, there, I think we've reached a point in society now where it's maybe helpful to have the bull in the china shop approach, as we're now seeing in so many areas of government. But I do think that it is a step in the right direction for, for example, these ultra processed food manufacturers to start slowly removing some of these additives from their products and make incrementally healthier versions. For example, the whole steak and shake switch from frying their french fries in vegetable, although I've heard there's some controversy there that maybe they're precooked in vegetable oils, I don't know. But the switch, at least from a, from, you know, the point of sale from frying their french fries and vegetable oil to tallow. I mean, I think that's a move in the right direction. I think that, you know, the more we can limit our exposure to potentially rancid, refined, bleached and deodorized seed oils, I mean, isn't that going to be a good thing over the long term for long term health? I mean, we know that beef tallow is comprised of fats that are chemically stable, which can't be said for the kinds of fats that, you know, we would typically find in the fryer setting. You know, soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, things like that. These fats go rancid at high temperatures, particularly when they're kept at high temperatures and reheated, which they often are. This can expose people to really harmful, you know, not just fats that have essentially gone bad by way of the. A process known. Known as oxidation, but a lot of really harmful aldehydes. Chemicals called aldehydes are generated in the fryer setting, which doesn't happen as readily when you fry, for example, potato in beef tallow. So fast food is still going to be fast food, but people are always going to eat fast food. So if we can incrementally make it somewhat healthier, then I think that's a good thing. Now, would I prefer the oils used to be more unsaturated? Would I prefer them to fry French fries in extra virgin olive oil, for example, which I think is actually healthier than beef tallow? Yes, but we can't let perfect be the enemy of the good.

[Tudor Dixon]

Yes, yes, that's. So do you think that. I mean, you mentioned that kids. This is being marketed to kids. And we are a unique society where we market everything to everyone. We market pharmaceuticals, we market. It used to be that you could market cigarettes even to kids. And then that stopped. And to me, I think that really was. I mean, it was a tough movement in government, I think, to say that, because when I was a kid, we had Camel, we had the Marlboro man, you know, that's very cool. And when I was a kid, I remember everybody smoking. And you would go to restaurants, obviously you could smoke in restaurants, but you would also be just walking through town and people would be smoking. And that's something that I. It's almost shocking now to me when I'm walking behind someone that has a cigarette, I'm like, oh, gosh, you forget that people used to smoke all the time. And then when you stopped the advertising, it was not just the advertising that Stopped though I think it was also the campaign of like, this is also going to kill you, by the way. But what is different about some of these foods that are being marketed to kids? And it's a constant. They're constantly pushing really, really bad foods on children. And when you think about the fact that Secretary Kennedy said I want to go in there because of this chronic disease in our children, and it's not just chronic disease in kids, is I think the shocking part of it because we look at it and we go, this is, has never been before and this shouldn't be. They're little kids, they shouldn't have diabetes, they shouldn't have fatty livers, they shouldn't have all of these problem problems that we're seeing that we've never seen in children before. But the cancer rate on adults is higher than we've ever seen before too. So is this an issue where we shouldn't be marketing what is essentially toxic to kids and to humans?

[Max Lugavere]

Absolutely, yeah. I mean, ultra processed foods now. And I think that is, that's already, like, we've already brought this conversation to the national stage. Whereas, you know, even six months ago, I mean, very few people were talking about this or it was a, it was considered, you know, wellness chatter as opposed to something that we actually do need at this stage to take a magnifying glass to. I mean, I cited the fact that 60% of your average adult's calories today come from ultra processed foods. For children, that proportion is even higher. It's about 70 to 80%. And these are the kinds of foods that now, I mean, they're highly calorie dense, they're nutrient poor. So I mean, this is one of the reasons why 90% of people today have a deficiency in at least one essential nutrient. They're hyper palatable. So our efforts to moderate our consumption of these foods often fails. And yet we, you know, we see that failure as being a moral failure when in fact it's, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's human nature to want to over consume these foods that are rich in nutrients that were scarce for the majority of our time on this planet up until very recently. And when these foods are marketed to children, I mean, I think that's where it all goes out the window. I mean, it's, as any parent knows, I mean, it's hard to isolate your kids from these kinds of foods. Which isn't to say that a little bit here and there is a problem. I mean, ultimately your health is made up is determined largely by your dietary pattern. There's no single meal or single food that's going to sway your health in any major direction. But when we're consuming these foods day in and day out, as so many of us are, that's when real problems occur. And so I think it's. It's amazing that we're starting to have this conversation now at the public. At the public scale.

[Tudor Dixon]

It is, because even my kids have come home and I've noted that they're like, oh, so and so's off dice. And that's how they talk about it. And then so and so's not having seed oils. Her mom's stopping her from having that. So she can't eat this and she can't eat that. And I'm like, man, suddenly as consumers, we are really at labels and really taking a step back and saying we're not going to purchase and that purchasing, you as a consumer have a lot of power when you're purchasing. And if people in mass decide we're not purchasing certain things, then that. That pushes those manufacturers, those food manufacturers to say, okay, well, maybe we will take all of the artificial diet of lucky charms, you know, or maybe we will reduce the sugar content, but these are all foods that have become something we're used to and we are not as used to. I mean, when you say that kids are eating more processed food than adults, that's. That's horrifying to me. But also, I look at our schools, they're providing lunch and they're providing breakfast and lunch, but those are not healthy breakfasts and lunches. And that's the frustrating part to me is like, here our taxpayer dollars are going to put food, and that's better than no food at all. And I do not argue that at all, of course. But I also say, gosh, at what point do we say if you are government and you are supplying meals for children, there has to be some health requirement there too, as well. And that I. I think that's just this awakening of people. Even when you talked about medications, we have historically never questioned when a doctor says, you need to be on this. And that, I think, also changed recently. I think that, you know, there was a movement a few years ago really starting out of California before COVID where parents were like, I don't know, we really need all these vaccinations. And I remember people were just bananas about it, like, how could you question anything? How could you question what is the standard procedure? And now you have people really saying, should we be on all of these medications, is there a better way to do it? And there is a better way to do it because you don't have to. You don't necessarily. I mean, I, the tweet that you put out, it was like exercise and sleep, and sleep is so critical. And that's another thing that we can just put aside. Oh, well, I'll just get, I'll catch up on sleep later. You really need to figure out how to, to manage your time so that you can get enough sleep. So my question to you is you, I know you talk about supplements a lot. Are supplements good? Are supplements bad? Is there an opportunity for parents to bring that into their child's world? What is the story on supplements?

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah, well, I think supplements need to be, need to be thought of as exactly that supplement supplements. And they're certainly not a replacement for real whole foods, but they can, certainly they can, can make certain aspects of adhering to a healthy diet and lifestyle more convenient. Certainly you just want to focus on what I call the big rocks. So within the bucket of supplements that have a strong evidence base, I mean, we have supplements like protein powders, which I actually consider to be a food product. But protein powders can be a great way to augment your diet to hit your protein targets. I mean, the RDA for protein is insufficient for maintaining optimal body composition. I mean, we, we know that from the literature now at this point, the RDA is currently set to 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. We know that for somebody who's on a resistance training regimen as, as everybody should be, that we need at least double that to maximize the effort that we're spending training.

[Tudor Dixon]

How do you know which ones, though? Because I also saw you talking to someone that said that there's heavy metals in these protein powders. I'm like, what?

[Max Lugavere]

Well, protein powders, you know, are not impervious to the same kinds of problems that we see across the, you know, the industrialized nature of our food supply today. So, you know, fruits and vegetables can often harbor heavy metals depending on where they're grown. You know, what, what is the quality of the soil that our fruits and vegetables are grown in, for example? And the same goes for certain protein powders. And the protein powders in question are the plant based protein powders. Again, plants will suck up minerals from the soil, but they'll also suck up whatever heavy metals tend to be lingering around. And so what the research shows is that plant based protein powders tend to be contaminated or, you know, at least harbor to a certain degree certain heavy metals like lead and cadmium and stuff like that. So unless you have a very specific reason for using plant based protein powders, my view is that you should always be using a whey based protein powder which is dairy based. But a whey protein isolate is, actually has negligible quantities of usually the component of whey of dairy that gives most people problems. So dairy can be very allergenic for people. It's the most common sort of dietary allergen. But a whey protein isolate has virtually no lactose in it, it has no casein in. So it's very well tolerated by people that even that, that have dairy, even by people that have dairy sensitivities. And it's the highest biological value source of protein that you could ingest pretty much. So I always say that, you know, if you want to augment the protein in your diet, whey protein is, should be a staple. And there's also data that suggests that chocolate flavored tend to carry contain more lead because cacao can be a source of lead. And so vanilla whey protein is generally the, the go to which I know sounds really specific but it is the saf kind of supplementary protein that you could, that you could buy. So there's a lot there. But, but you know, the industrial, the industrialized food supply, it's a double edged sword, right. We've solved for food scarcity. So food is now more abundant than it's ever been. But it comes with problems. And that's why you know, we again, we can't let perfect be the enemy of the good. Right. If you're consuming dark leafy greens like kale. Yes. There's a, you know, there's a, there's a chance that you're maybe ingesting some heavy metals along with it. But, but the risk, benefit analysis, I think the benefits outweigh the risks. You just want to be an informed consumer. The same way that you know, if you're a physician is prescribing a drug. You want to be an informed patient. I think this is just now it's a call to arm yourself with as much, as much information as you can. Because today more than ever before, the, we have fewer excuses, right? Like we have AI, we have, you know, PubMed is available to, to every person. We have all of the world's knowledge at our fingertips 24 hours a day. There's no excuse to not be as informed as you can possibly be for you, for your loved ones, your children, et cetera.

[Tudor Dixon]

Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on the Tudor Dixon Podcast.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Tudor Dixon]

Before I let you go, what is your best advice to people out there that are just trying to, to get more, more energy? You know, we're at the, we're at that point as parents. Once you, you hit a certain point, you're tired, you're not thinking about your own health, you're thinking about your kids health. What are some quick things that you can do to just get back on track and sort of change that lifestyle trend of processed foods and feeling sluggish?

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah, I think you just, well first you have to be kind to yourself. Like it's, we live in complicated times and I know that you know, whole foods can be more expensive but I try to lay out in my books ways to cost cut in a way that's super effective but still allows for the most nutrient dense diet possible. So buying frozen, I think buying frozen whole foods, I mean I have been doing this long enough to now see that you can go to Target and you can get organic food on the cheap. You can buy frozen wild salmon for example, from Costco. Grass fed grass finished beef is now more ubiquitous than it's ever been before. But again, you know, I'm going to repeat this. We can't let perfect be the enemy of the good. I think the fear mongering around industrially produced animal sourced foods is really harmful. It's really harmful rhetoric. Like even a conventionally produced piece of lean red meat is going to be a much better option for dinner than what most people are consuming today and serving their children. So, you know, I think it's important to get back to basics and to remember to shop the perimeter and, you know, foods like red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, I mean, these are all great foods. They're whole foods, fruits and vegetables. We gotta stop fear mongering. I mean, the carnivore community, fear mongers, fruits and vegetables and things like that. I think that's a big shame. So be a critical thinker and apply logic and an evolutionary lens. You know, the longer a food has been available to us as humans, I think the more we can safely assume that it's gonna be worthwhile integrating into our diet diets and the less time a food or product has been, you know, in the human food supply, I think the greater scrutiny that we should apply to it, the greater skepticism we should apply to foods like refined bleach and deodorized seed oils. I mean, we're told all day long that these are a heart healthy alternative to, you know, the fats naturally found in animal source foods. But who's telling us that? Are these studies that we're looking at funded by the seed oil industry, for example? I mean, there's plenty of that out there. So I just think we all need to get back to a sense of reason, logic, common sense, and. And yeah, stick to whole foods is the bottom line.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate you coming on and talking to us about all this today. Tell us where we can get the books.

[Max Lugavere]

Yeah, so my books, Genius Foods, Genius Kitchen is a cookbook, actually, that came out about a year and a half ago. Those are available wherever books are sold. And then I host my own podcast called the Genius Life. So we put up two episodes a week and yeah, really enjoy doing that.

[Tudor Dixon]

And this is where I learned about the protein powders. And also you had one on having a disc replaced in your back. And I was like, I gotta send this to my mom. So really there it. I was looking through some of the things that you've talked about and these are all interesting facts about life that you can learn. I mean, the podcast is very valuable because everybody who's a human going through what humans go through can find something in your podcast. So I appreciate that.

[Max Lugavere]

That. Thank you so much. Yeah, I'm just trying to take my audience with me along for the ride of, of curiosity and, and lifelong learning. And, you know, I'm not perfect. I try to be as transparent with my audience about my biases and where I've maybe, you know, evolved my, my perspective on certain things. And so I think that's what my audience appreciates. Like the science. Science is never settled. Anybody who says that, I mean, that right there, that is a pseudo scientific statement. So, yeah, just maintain an open mind, be a critical thinker, and good things will happen.

[Tudor Dixon]

I agree. So, okay, before I let you go.

[Max Lugavere]

Where is the podcast Podcast available wherever people listen to podcasts. We're also on YouTube again. It's called the Genius Life.

[Tudor Dixon]

All right. Awesome. Max Lugavere, thank you so much for being on Tutor.

[Max Lugavere]

Thank you.

[Tudor Dixon]

And thank you all for listening to the Tutor Dixon podcast. For this episode and others, go to tudordixenpodcast.com, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts and join us next time. Have a blessed day.

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[Clay Travis]

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