Master Class on Fasting with Liz Coetzee

A 24-hour fast turns into a masterclass on what to do next. . Liz walks us through a simple, step-by-step way to break a fast gently, starting with blended aloe vera to support the digestive lining, then moving to gut-friendly foods that feed the microbiome before you dive back into a normal meal. If you’ve ever felt shaky, ravenous, or bloated after fasting, this pacing alone can change your results.

We talk liver glycogen, rising ketone bodies, and why the 30-hour mark can feel like a “golden window” for repair and energy. We also unpack why the first 48 hours are often the toughest, why electrolytes matter, and why a 72-hour fast can feel surprisingly smooth once your brain has ketones available.

We break down how sweet taste receptors can still send a powerful signal, why “diet” drinks can keep cravings alive, and why fruit juice can spike blood sugar fast even when it sounds healthy. We wrap with practical tools you can use today: food order (fiber then protein then carbs), walking after meals for insulin sensitivity, and longevity lessons from the Blue Zones, including Okinawa’s purple sweet potato culture, ikigai, and hara hachi bu.

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https://www.instagram.com/rangolihealth/

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Transcript

Breaking A Fast With Aloe

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Alright, Liz, welcome back.

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Real quick before we tackle that topic, uh, I'm just finishing a 24-hour fast. I might break it relatively soon. I know you tell me to probably push it.

SPEAKER_03 0:13

No, you can you you don't have to if that's not your purpose.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

No. And I just got a bunch of veggies.

SPEAKER_03 0:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

And I was thinking about just doing a veggie broth tonight and then eating tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

Very good.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

What would a good veggie broth be?

SPEAKER_03 0:28

Uh anything green. Like I would do, I would usually the the veggies I would break. Not that would not be the first step in breaking a fast. The first step I would use normally is something like aloe vera. Aloe vera, just to like coat the lining of the digestive tract. Because you're forming new intestinal stem cells when you're fasting, and you're probably gonna reach that. In 24 hours, you could.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

I'm at 26 right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

26, yes. So around 20, yeah, 20 mid-20s, you would definitely reach that. So with any fast, whether it's intermittent fasting or extended fast, I would break it with aloe vera. It's like a it's like a lining.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Wow, I never heard that before.

SPEAKER_03 1:21

So just a simple aloe vera that you scoop out.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Yeah, I got a plant out there. There you go. It's got a branch, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:26

You just do a little bit, you know, make sure you don't get any of that green uh yellow sap, because that's quite poisonous. It will cause diarrhea. You just let that drop out and wash it off. You scoop out, you know, about what is this?

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Ten like a tablespoon or more.

SPEAKER_03 1:42

Uh, probably at least, I would say two, two table two to three tablespoons on 500 milliliter of water. Put in the tablespace.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Also, not just eat it.

SPEAKER_03 1:51

No, no, no. Put it in the blender. You can put in a bit of lemon and bit of ginger if you want.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

I don't have any lemon right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

Doesn't matter. You can just do straight up. Blend it up, drink a glass.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Blend it with some ginger.

SPEAKER_03 2:03

You can put in a little bit of ginger.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Blend it.

SPEAKER_03 2:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

But the most simple way you could just do just water and aloe.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:11

And you drink that, and that's the first the first step to breaking your fast.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

So that helps with the intestinal stem cells that were just created in your gut.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

Yeah.

unknown 2:21

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 2:22

Rest restore. If there's any if there's any inflammation in your digestive tract, the repairs start to happen, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Like leaky gut or something like that.

SPEAKER_03 2:32

Yeah. Yeah. So I mean, nothing like that is going to be cured in 24 hours, right? But you are pushing, they are starting to push stem cells, like a release of stem cells within 24 hours, 25 hours. So you want to protect that.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

I want stem cells so bad.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

Sorry?

SPEAKER_01 2:50

I want stem cells so bad.

SPEAKER_03 2:51

Ooh, you have them already.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

Yeah. Is that the only way to release them other than like going and getting them exogenously injected?

SPEAKER_03 3:00

You can release them yourself.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Through long extended fasts. Yes, like four to five days.

SPEAKER_03 3:05

Yeah, definitely three days.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Well, hey, if I did seven days in vipassana, you can handle a four-day

Stem Cells And The 30-Hour Mark

SPEAKER_01 3:10

fast.

SPEAKER_03 3:10

Oh yeah. Four days is not. I mean 24 hours now. Yeah, so aloe vera, I would definitely start with that. And then the second step would be some something that's going to feed the microbiome. So something like yogurt, just plain plain yogurt, a little bit of yogurt. There you go. That would be the second step. Or, and then the third step would be some veggies.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

So you can do these like a like a like actual cooked veggies or oh okay.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

Yeah. Just small amounts. So you don't want to overdo it, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:44

I was thinking about just make like making a broth, like putting celery in a pot and like, I don't know, ginger. I can't remember what else I got. Like some no-carb vegetables, make a broth and then just drink that. Yeah. And then tomorrow break the vet fast.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

That would break the fast.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

That would break the fast.

SPEAKER_03 4:02

If you only do the broth, nothing else, not the yogurt.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

No, not the yogurt.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

Okay, so then you wouldn't break the fast.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Right. That's what I mean. So I was thinking about doing a veggie broth tonight and then tomorrow break the fast. So I get more benefits, right? Yes. More stem cells.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Yes. Then you get you get the minerals from that broth.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 4:19

So like a mineral broth. And you do another you do another eight hours. Yeah. Tomorrow morning.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Should be 36 by then.

SPEAKER_03 4:27

36 for sure. So around 30. 30 hours is is quite a golden hour in fasting. That's when you are starting to repair or release these stem cells. The intestinal system start to repair. Your muscular skeleton cells will start to repair. So 30 hours is is pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

Your muscular skeleton system cells will start to repair.

SPEAKER_03 4:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

That's like your muscles?

SPEAKER_03 4:55

Your muscles and your bones.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Is that human growth hormone? Is that what's coming out at the 30-hour mark? Yes. Yes. Oh. I got a lot of injuries. Maybe I should really try to push it past that.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

So 30, 36 hours would be, would be very good.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Awesome. Done.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

Yeah. Done.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

What

Ketosis Transition And Muscle Loss

SPEAKER_03 5:12

else? Yeah, and you and your ketones. Your ketones will be quite, will be probably around three or four. So you would definitely re so when you release your, you know, you you've used all the the glucose that's been stored in the liver. You have about 24 hours of sugar that's stored in the liver, right? So when you when you're fasting, that would be exhausted around 24 hours. So from 24 to about 32 around there, just over the 30 hours, then you are not in full ketosis yet, right? You are in this in-between where the body is using some of the it's make it's starting to make ketones, but it's added glucose, so now it can make ketones, right? Yes, yeah. But it's it's using some some of the ketones is made from amino uh amino acids from the from the muscles. So it's starting to draw a little bit from the so you have a little bit of muscle loss. Protein, the proteins from the muscles. So you have a little bit of muscle loss between about 24 to 32 hours.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Because it the something is pulling out amino acids out of the muscles to get the ketones. The ketones. Yeah. The amino acids are forming the ketones.

SPEAKER_03 6:38

Amino acids is a building block of protein.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Right.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

So the ketones are pulling out the amino acids.

SPEAKER_03 6:44

So to form the ketones, you need some amino acids. I got you. And so slowly, slowly, it's it eventually it will only be formed in the liver, the ketones.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Oh, so it's just a six-hour period where it's kind of eating some amino acids in your muscles, and then after that it switches to full liver.

SPEAKER_03 7:03

From the liver, the triglycerides in the liver. Yeah. So there is a little bit of muscle loss, but it's it's very minor.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Do you know which amino acids it pulls out? No. Okay. Curious. No, I don't. I'm gonna figure that out. Maybe you could supplement with them.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

If it's like glycine or something.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

Glycine. Is it glycine? Yes. That's what helps with uh pro collagen absorption. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

Interesting. I've been taking that to enhance my absorption of collagen.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

It's glycine. Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Well, I got I got that. I can supplement.

SPEAKER_03 7:35

So if you supplement with that, then you won't, then you will actually, I think you will start to form your your ketone bodies faster.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

So that could even help and make it better.

SPEAKER_03 7:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Whoa.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

And then you start getting it from the liver, from the drug glycerides, right? And then you are in ketone fuel, like around 30 hours.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Wow. Cool. All right. Yeah. Sweet.

SPEAKER_03 7:59

So yeah, the longer, what's the longest you fasted?

Why 72 Hours Feels Easier

SPEAKER_01 8:03

I think I want to say 40 hours.

SPEAKER_03 8:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Probably 40, not quite two days. Okay. Yeah.

unknown 8:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Well, I've been talking to Tracy about wanting to do a retreat with you, and I really do.

SPEAKER_03 8:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

And she's super down.

SPEAKER_03 8:17

Yeah, you should do it 72 hours.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Yeah, no problem. I was just thinking four. So now when you say 72 already, it's like, okay, only 72?

SPEAKER_03 8:24

No. Once you hit that, when you're starting to get those full like ketones feeding your brain, you're gonna you just cruise. You'll feel so good.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Right on.

SPEAKER_03 8:34

It's the first two days, that's hard.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:37

First 48 hours, that's difficult. Yeah. It's difficult for me every time I fast. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

I've just been putting salt in my water.

SPEAKER_03 8:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Yeah. Yeah. That's it. That and tea, that's all.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

Yeah. That's fine. You can have some, yeah, some lemon as well for the electrolytes.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

I didn't have any, but we had some apple cider vinegar in the water last night.

SPEAKER_03 8:55

Yeah. That's good, right? We can have a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 8:57

But that's not electrolytes.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

That can stimulate appetite.

unknown 9:02

Really?

SPEAKER_01 9:02

But then last night.

SPEAKER_03 9:03

Apple cider vinegar.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

But doesn't that help with controlling your insulin levels?

SPEAKER_03 9:07

It does.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

So it's like a good thing to take when you're fasting?

SPEAKER_03 9:10

I I usually don't take it.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Oh really?

SPEAKER_03 9:13

The lemon would be better for electrolytes. Yeah. Because it can it can st it can stimulate your appetite.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Oh, that's why.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

So you're like, Okay. I don't usually take it.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

But yeah, the 72 hours is like amazing.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

Then you get that peak of the autophagy at 72 hours.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

So you do retreats that are just 72 hours? Yes. Oh, wow. Yeah. Okay. Talk details later.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

All right.

Artificial Sweeteners And Insulin Signals

SPEAKER_01 9:40

So the reason you're here, we recently did a podcast on fatty liver disease.

SPEAKER_03 9:46

Alcoholic.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

Non-alcoholic, right? Non-alcoholic. And there were a couple like caveats, might be the right word. I don't know. Two like really key points of things. And one which maybe we forgot to discuss artificial sweeteners. Yeah. Yeah. And how I mean, how does that affect your liver, I guess? Because I think when we when we have sugar all the time, when people drink soda, every time you drink sugar, you're releasing insulin, right?

SPEAKER_03 10:15

Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

And so people think if I drink a diet or sugar-free drink, then I'm not releasing insulin, and so I'm okay.

SPEAKER_03 10:22

You are. A small amount of insulin, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:26

You not as much as sugar.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

No. No, not nearly as much as like a sugary soda. But you have sugar receptors on your tongue. Sweet, sweet sugar receptors on your tongue. Right. Right. And they they send a message to the brain. They're like releasing dopamine. That's why sugar is so addictive.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:47

It's highly addictive because you're getting a dopamine hit every time when you eat something sweet. So your brain kind of gets fooled when you're eating art when you're getting a soda with artificial sweeteners.

SPEAKER_02 11:00

Right.

SPEAKER_03 11:00

So it's like it's still tasting the sweetness. It's still getting that that message, that false message.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

Right.

SPEAKER_03 11:07

It's not re releasing nearly as much insulin as it would if you drink a normal, you know, coke or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:15

It's like a a precursor of insulin. It's a it's a it's not a full dose of insulin.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

It's activating it, but not like completely releasing it. Yeah. But still you're getting a constant release of insulin.

SPEAKER_03 11:29

So if you're trying to not to to to eat sweet things or you know, drink sugar artificial sweeteners, it's better to just go cold turkey and not have artificial sweeteners because it has a whole I thought you were going to say it would be better just to stick with sugar. Well, if you want to have something sweet, just have you know honey or something natural at least.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

I was about to say, Mike, maybe honey drink would actually be better than an artificially sweetened drink. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_03 12:00

Oh, for sure. Because I mean honey has so many other good benefits of antibacterial in it.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

Right. And what if you mixed a little apple cider vinegar in there? Oh, yeah. Because then that's going to keep your blood glucose level down, right? So even though you're having something sweet, you're countering it with something sour.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Yeah. That would be good, right? Honey, apple cider vinegar sparkling.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

It's that's good. I think you just the thing is just if you have artificial sweeteners, you are just fooling yourself. Like you are you are still releasing insulin.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

And you're right, too. There's a host of other health like side effects.

SPEAKER_03 12:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

So I don't know that much about it.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

I don't think they're good for your gut health.

SPEAKER_03 12:39

They're not good for your gut health.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Right.

SPEAKER_03 12:42

And they're not good for your brain.

unknown 12:43

Really?

SPEAKER_03 12:44

Especially like aspartame. Yeah. Yeah. I think some studies have shown like it is linked to Alzheimer's.

SPEAKER_01 12:53

Really? Yeah. All I saw is that it's like formaldehyde.

unknown 12:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

And you're kind of microdosing that, and I just know that can't be good.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

No. No. It's really not good for your brain.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:02

And not good for your gut. So if you're gonna have something sweet, have the real thing, have a good, a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Yeah.

Fruit Juice, Fructose, And Fiber

SPEAKER_03 13:10

Natural.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Protein-rich, honey flavored muffin.

unknown 13:16

Fruit.

SPEAKER_03 13:17

Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, if you have a fruit juice, it's it's the amount of insulin that's released, it's like having, you know, a coke. It's so concentrated because you don't have the fiber in a drink, like in a in a juice.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Like a juice you buy at the store, you mean? Like that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:35

Even if you buy a hundred percent, you know, orange juice.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:40

Your insulin gets spiked so much. Because there's no, you know, if you would think about a Coca-Cola that has how many teaspoons of sugar, it's something crazy.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

Something, or maybe more, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

Ten teaspoons or I don't know, a lot. Yeah. A lot. You have that. And of course the acidity of Coca-Cola, it's like, you know, it's so bad for your gut. Right. It's like a three or a four or something.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:12

But then if you think, okay, I'm gonna have a glass of of orange juice, but your sh your insulin's getting spiked, it's almost the same as having that coke. I mean, you have vitamin C. Yeah. You have all of that. You have some benefits to drinking a fruit juice, but in terms of insulin, you you're not sure.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Why were you saying that is because you're not eating anything containing fiber?

SPEAKER_03 14:38

Yes. You have the fructose, right? So insulin so the fruit juice is having fructose. So fructose is the the two sugars that gets metabolized in the body, fructose and glucose. So glucose can be used by all cells in the body, it can be absorbed in all the cells, the heart, the heart, the lungs, everywhere. Okay. Fructose is only metabolized in the in the liver.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 15:06

So if you have a glass of of of juice, you're still going to spike your insulin and you're still getting fructose.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

Because they add that?

SPEAKER_03 15:17

No, it's it's naturally it's naturally in in fruit.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:22

But what I was gonna say about the fiber is like if you if you have a smoothie, even if you put a lot of fruit in your smoothie, but you have the whole fruit in the smoothie and it's a bunch of fruit, it's it's still very high in glucose and fructose, it's so high in sugar. But the fiber is slowing down the absorption of the sugar in the in the bloodstream.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:49

So you're not spiking your blood sugar so much.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

That's better.

SPEAKER_03 15:53

Yeah, yeah.

Food Order To Blunt Blood Sugar

SPEAKER_03 15:55

Or even, you know, like the French people, they eat a salad, a small salad, before they have their meal. So when you have the order in which you eat, you can have exactly the same food, but the order in which you eat is going to de is going to influence how your blood sugar is going to spike or not.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

Right. I heard when you go out to eat, or when you eat in general, you should have your protein first, because doesn't that blunt the effects of carbohydrates on your blood sugar level?

SPEAKER_03 16:24

I think the best is to start with fiber, start with vegetables. Because you are coating your whole digestive tract with fiber, and it's almost creating like a buffer zone for sugar to be not so abs absorbed so quickly into the bloodstream. Then I would have protein, and lastly I would have carbs.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Yeah, like a rule of thumb.

SPEAKER_03 16:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Mmm, veggies, protein, carbs are always last.

SPEAKER_03 16:54

Yeah. And then your sugar lasts. That's why we have dessert at the end.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Yeah. If you have dessert. If you have dessert.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

If you have your su your ice cream.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Yeah. But so really like that was in terms of the last podcast, like the worst thing is giving your body a constant spike in insulin. Yeah. So snacking. Snacking. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Which is crazy.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Yeah. So the the yeah, the four things that you know I've come across here, they say, you know, to to make yourself more insulin sensitive is you know, stop snacking. But you're constantly releasing, every time you're eating, you're releasing insulin, insulin, insulin.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

Even if it's just like sunflower seeds.

SPEAKER_03 17:37

Yes. Damn it. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I would I would say like something like, oh, like a nice handful of nuts, you know. It's like, oh, that's so good. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:48

Just like, oh, and I love the crunch.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

We just gotta eat them all in one go.

SPEAKER_03 17:51

Yeah.

unknown 17:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

Yeah. So yeah, smacking definitely, you know, you're just constantly pumping insulin and your pancreas get tired.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:05

That's why they, you know, that's type two diabetes.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

It's like your pancreas produces insulin. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

So when you have type 1 diabetes, they just don't produce anymore. They die. Then you have to inject. And that's, I mean, that's just my sister has type 1 diabetes. Wow. Man.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

So the pancreas just doesn't work.

SPEAKER_03 18:27

No. It's not reversible.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

That's why you have to inject insulin.

SPEAKER_03 18:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 18:31

So if if she knows she's gonna have a piece of cake, she'll inject like insulin.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Can you get a new pancreas? Is that something people do? You can't. That's not something you can't. You can get a new liver, right?

SPEAKER_03 18:41

You can have a new liver, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

But not a pancreas.

SPEAKER_03 18:44

No.

unknown 18:44

Damn.

SPEAKER_03 18:45

No. That's also why when people have pancreas pancreas cancer, it's the worst.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

Yeah. It's like basically not really reversible.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Damn.

SPEAKER_03 19:00

Yeah. You don't wanna make that guy tired.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

Yeah. Yeah. So do you have a list of things you said to

Insulin Sensitivity Habits That Work

SPEAKER_01 19:08

be more sensitive?

SPEAKER_03 19:08

To make it more sensitive, so no snacking, walking after a meal, just going for 10 or 15 minutes. And we have more insulin receptors in our legs than in other parts of our body. So when you actually when you're walking, you don't even have to run. You are you are using all those insulin receptors are like little they they it's like um every cell has like a receptor that is in the cell. It's like these little straws that come out to like get the insulin to like go in, right? The glucose, sorry, the glucose to go in. So it feeds the cell. But the insulin is making it possible for these little things to come out. The insulin's like sitting on the cell. It's like a key to a door, it's like opening up the door, and then the the glucose can go in and like feed the cell.

SPEAKER_01 20:09

Okay, okay, okay. So when you glycogen. Is this like glycogen?

SPEAKER_03 20:13

Glycogen is the form of glucose that is stored in the liver. It's called glycogen.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

Oh, right. Not in the muscle.

SPEAKER_03 20:20

No, in the liver.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Oh. Glucose is stored in the muscle.

SPEAKER_03 20:25

Glucose can be stored anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Anywhere, but glycogen is stored only in the liver.

SPEAKER_03 20:29

Is the form of glucose that is stored in the liver is glycogen. Gotcha. Okay. So the liver releases that again if you like when you're fasting. So it stores the stores about 24 hours of glycogen in the liver.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 20:42

Yeah. So when you are walking, you are you are absorbing the glucose in the muscles.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 20:50

So walking is so good after a meal.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

So after eating, you wouldn't want to like do some bicep curls. It'd be much better to like walk around or use your legs.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

Yeah. Or not lie on the couch. You know, when people are like, oh, Sunday lunch, I have like food coma.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

It's the worst.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

You can always just walk in place and keep watching your TV. Yeah. You can just walk in place, exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:13

Yeah. And then of course reducing sugar and carbs, like simple carbs, not complex carbs.

Choosing Better Carbs And Potatoes

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Give me some examples. Complex or like healthy carbs?

SPEAKER_03 21:22

Healthy carbs. So will be sweet potatoes, popkin. What else? And squash. Squash.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

I got a question because I did some research and I stand by this now, but you might disapprove me. White potatoes. I used to think they were the devil, but then I started eating sweet potatoes and they make me gassy. And then I did some research and comparing white potatoes and rice. And it looked like white potatoes are much more nutritionally dense than white rice. Yes. So then I was like, white potatoes are good.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

When you compare them to white rice. So now I do eat white potatoes. Yes. And it's Is that a complex carb?

SPEAKER_03 22:01

That is a complex carb. It is it is but I would still have like vegetables with that. With the with the white potato.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

To coat your stomach and blunt the effect of the carbohydrates.

SPEAKER_03 22:13

Yeah. And to slow down. I mean, it is. I think white potatoes are not as nutritional as sweet potatoes. Yeah. Or like purple potatoes. Yeah. Purple sweet potatoes. I would still, yeah. I don't think they have to have such a bad rap. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

I'm trying to undemonize them.

SPEAKER_03 22:33

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

Yeah. Especially if you get those good little ones from Australia. Those are kind of nice.

SPEAKER_03 22:37

Little ones that you just cook the whole thing with a skin. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

I make potato chips with them sometimes in the oven. Yeah. Great.

SPEAKER_03 22:44

What is there's this m dish somebody recently talked about in the States. It's like tots, like? What's that?

SPEAKER_01 22:55

Oh man. Usually it's like a frozen food you take it out of the freezer and put it in the microwave though. But it's like like shaped like a little like sausage almost, but it's like the potato. A potato that's battered, sort of, and it comes out all crispy. Like it's very comparable to like a French fry, but it's like short, fat, and kind of like battered. Oh. Yeah. It's not good.

SPEAKER_03 23:17

It doesn't, it it sounds displayed.

SPEAKER_01 23:19

It's like traditional, like a frozen fried food or some shit.

SPEAKER_03 23:22

Oh man.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

Was somebody telling you you should try them?

SPEAKER_03 23:27

No, I'll tell you later.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

Yeah. No better than a French fry.

SPEAKER_03 23:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:34

Or a hash brown.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Yeah. But there, you know, sweet potatoes, there are good ones and bad ones.

unknown 23:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 23:40

I feel like.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Well, like the lighter white, yellowish.

SPEAKER_03 23:43

Sometimes I find some of them in Taiwan and they when I peel them, they t they smell like lavender.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

Purple ones.

SPEAKER_03 23:51

No.

SPEAKER_01 23:51

All of them.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

No, like white ones. White.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

Oh, the white ones.

SPEAKER_03 23:54

It's not a good, it's not a good, it it's they smell like lavender. I've had it many times.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

Like you think that it's like.

SPEAKER_03 24:01

It's almost, it's almost like a little bit, like almost like a chemical lavender smell. So bizarre.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

They gotta be really rich orange for me to like them.

SPEAKER_03 24:11

I like them orange or the purple ones.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Yeah, I haven't seen it. I don't know. Maybe I'll give them another shot.

SPEAKER_03 24:17

The purple ones.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

If they're making me gassy, what could I do?

SPEAKER_03 24:21

They make you gassy?

SPEAKER_01 24:22

Yeah, I thought so. Really? That was my excuse for quitting. Or maybe I just really wanted to start eating white potatoes again. I'll give them another go. Yeah, I ate them religiously for years. Because they're much they have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes, right?

SPEAKER_03 24:37

Higher fiber as well.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Higher fiber and that probably more vitamin A.

SPEAKER_03 24:41

Yeah, I don't know. Tons of stuff. And they help with I know with depression.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Really?

SPEAKER_03 24:48

Yeah. I've heard about sweet potatoes. There's some correlation where it's it can actually help with mood.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

I was told my nephew told me that I was depressed and he's like, eat some

Gut Health, Serotonin, And Immunity

SPEAKER_01 25:00

yogurt. He's Indian. He's like, that's what my grandma always says.

SPEAKER_03 25:02

Oh, it's probably with your gut. Yeah. To do with the gut.

SPEAKER_01 25:05

Because that's where you produce serotonin, right?

SPEAKER_03 25:08

70%.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

Yeah. 70% of your serotonin is produced in your gut.

SPEAKER_03 25:11

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

So repairing your gut repairs your mind.

SPEAKER_03 25:15

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 25:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 25:16

Yeah. A lot of a lot of that serotonin does not really make it to the brain. There's also the serotonin that's produced in the brain.

SPEAKER_00 25:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 25:24

Some of that serotonin that's produced in the gut help with organ function.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Really?

SPEAKER_03 25:30

Like with kidneys. It helps you, it helps your kidneys to to function better.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 25:36

Yeah. And like 70% they say 70% of your immune system is in your gut as well.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

And 70% serotonin is produced in your gut. 70% of your immune system is in your gut. So people that get sick all the time probably have an unhealthy gut.

SPEAKER_03 25:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

They like frequently get sick.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

Yep. I don't think you can have a healthy, uh, unhealthy gut and feel great.

SPEAKER_01 26:01

You know? My gut must be alright. All right. Yeah. Have we covered it?

SPEAKER_03 26:07

What else was there? Okay.

Blue Light And Blood Glucose Question

SPEAKER_03 26:10

Oh, and this thing I came across that I don't know if you know about this, that the blue light from our devices increase blood glucose levels.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

What?

SPEAKER_03 26:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:23

That's insane. I knew it was bad, but I didn't really know.

SPEAKER_03 26:26

Yeah. I really want to look into that further. Have you heard of that?

SPEAKER_01 26:31

No.

SPEAKER_03 26:32

Me neither.

SPEAKER_01 26:33

You think it's true?

SPEAKER_03 26:35

I I I don't know how that can be how that can release glucose.

SPEAKER_01 26:41

It's bad for like your circadian rhythm, right? Yes. Blue light. Yeah. I don't know what else is bad about blue light. I just know that fancy biohackers wear blue blocking glasses. I think I have on my phone. I think I have a screen that kind of blocks the blue light a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 26:56

I mean, yeah, it messes your messes messes up your circadian rhythm. So you get this message of like, hey, it's daytime. Right. Right. Wake up.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

Huh.

SPEAKER_03 27:06

Yeah, I want to look into that.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

I wonder if blood sugar and dopamine are related.

SPEAKER_03 27:11

Blood sugar and dopamine.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Like when you get an increase in dopamine, do you think you tend to also get an increase in glucose?

SPEAKER_03 27:20

Or vice versa. I think if you have a increase in like we talk about earlier, this the spike in glucose, or you like the connection of sugar and dopamine. Like the the message your brain gets is like when you're when you have sugar, you have a dopamine rush. I mean the thing is with sugar, it's it has a bad wrap now because it's in in so many foods, especially processed foods, right? And the corn high fructose corn syrup. So but uh through evolution, we are here because of sweetness, you know. Like if if you're a caveman, you know that you can only eat fruit that is ripe, that is ripened. You cannot eat, you know, a green papaya, you're gonna have a stomachache, or you can have, you know, or other green unripe fruits. So sweetness tall if we eat something sweet, it's like, oh you you're allowed to eat that, you you're gonna survive eating that. But now we have sugar everywhere. Like we have way too much sugar all around us. So it's not about you know a question of survival anymore. Now we just eat way too much.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

It's a case of self-control.

SPEAKER_03 28:43

And it's and it is addictive. It's addictive.

SPEAKER_01 28:47

It's very hard to be disciplined in such a consumerist society, right?

SPEAKER_03 28:50

Because I mean you walk into a convenience store, I mean, point at one thing that is healthy.

SPEAKER_01 28:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:57

The water, the banana, the banana, the sweet potato.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

The white potato.

SPEAKER_03 29:05

Now they have white potatoes.

SPEAKER_01 29:11

Yeah. I'm gonna give the sweet potatoes a go though.

SPEAKER_03 29:14

Get the proper ones.

SPEAKER_01 29:16

Yeah, I've seen them at the grocery store. You can get them, right?

Blue Zones, Ikigai, And Hara Hachi Bu

SPEAKER_03 29:19

I love them. You know, in the in Okinawa, they I mean, it's one of the five blue zones, right?

SPEAKER_01 29:26

Right. I read about I think my very first podcast ever was about the blue zones.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

I'm very, very fascinated by it. It's by the way, not the only blue zone in Japan. There's another blue zone just like west of Tokyo. That's actually now considered more of a true blue zone than Okinawa. Because Okinawa's diet is it's going downhill.

SPEAKER_00 29:49

Really?

SPEAKER_03 29:51

It's not really. I don't know if it's gonna be considered a blue zone for much.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

The whole city of Okinawa.

SPEAKER_03 29:58

Well, they are there are villages in Okinawa on the island that's considered Ugimi, Ogimi village, I think. It's considered the you know, the heart of the the blue zone in Okinawa.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

How's their diet though?

SPEAKER_03 30:12

I was just there, right? So I made a point of like trying to like find old people. So we'll just go to like old villages and walk around, like not tourist areas at all. Right. And I actually found this lady who was working in our garden, and I talked to her through the translator, and she was 83. She was working in our garden, she lived by herself, beautiful garden. You know, they grow their own vegetables, and that is what defined the the blue zones in Okinawa or the the society, gardening, gardening, veg vegetable gardens, gardening itself, like light exercise.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

Right.

SPEAKER_03 30:55

Then the diet, that's what I want to get to with a purple sweet potato. 67% of their diet is purple sweet potatoes.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

Get out of here for real.

SPEAKER_03 31:05

67% of their whole diet.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

So not very rich in protein at all.

SPEAKER_03 31:10

No, no, all the blue zones are all the blue zones? All the blue zones.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Don't eat a lot of protein.

SPEAKER_03 31:16

No. They're actually quite low in animal protein. All the blue zones.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

They drink wine.

SPEAKER_03 31:24

They do. In Japan too? Not in Japan. They so in they drink wine in Sacramento in the Loma Linda.

SPEAKER_00 31:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:33

So they drink no uh do they?

SPEAKER_01 31:36

I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 31:36

No, they're vegetarian.

SPEAKER_01 31:38

But there's one in like Italy or Greece, right?

SPEAKER_03 31:40

So Greece and Italy, Sardinia, they drink wine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

In Japan, do they drink any alcohol at all?

SPEAKER_03 31:46

Or they drink they have this in that blue zone area. No, it's not really mentioned. It's not really mentioned. They drink green tea.

SPEAKER_01 31:57

Wow. So they don't eat like a lot, a bunch of raw fish or anything.

SPEAKER_03 32:00

No.

SPEAKER_01 32:01

Basically almost vegetarian.

SPEAKER_03 32:03

They do eat they do eat pork.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:05

They do eat fish, but uh very small. Not like in small amounts. Like maybe with some noodles or rice or something, but it's not like they have a big steak. Uh-huh. You know, a massive steak or something.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 32:23

But the in general, the Japanese eat tons of I mean, they eat so much fish. So much. Yeah. I mean, they are one of the prime culprits of raw fish. They're not a few.

SPEAKER_01 32:38

Other they cause a lot of overfishing.

SPEAKER_03 32:41

Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Huh.

SPEAKER_03 32:43

I mean it's it's one of the rest of Japan, not so much Okinawa.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:50

But yeah, the purple sweet potato, when I watched the documentary on Netflix on the blue zones.

SPEAKER_00 32:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:56

That's where I saw it the first time. The purple sweet potato, Benny Okina.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

And all of them?

SPEAKER_03 33:02

Sorry?

SPEAKER_01 33:02

All the blue zones, or just which blue zones eat the purple sweet potatoes?

SPEAKER_03 33:06

Okinawa.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

Okay, there specifically.

SPEAKER_03 33:09

In Japan as well, the rest of Japan. But the amount that they eat in Okinawa is like out of the roof.

SPEAKER_01 33:16

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 33:16

It's just 67% of their diet is sweet potato.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

What about the other blue zones? Do they eat any sweet potatoes?

SPEAKER_03 33:24

In the other blue zones, no, not that I know of.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

Interesting. So they're all kind of different, really.

SPEAKER_03 33:31

They're all different.

SPEAKER_01 33:32

They're very different.

SPEAKER_03 33:33

They're very different. They're very different. And then you can look at the overlapping things that they all have.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

It's like a sense of community working outside. Sense of community.

SPEAKER_03 33:43

Sense of community, working outside, some kind of exercise. Some exercise always, some kind of light exercise.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:52

And then, yeah, sense of community. What else do they have? Purpose. Sense of purpose.

SPEAKER_01 33:58

Sense of purpose.

SPEAKER_03 33:58

So in Okinawa, they call it igikai.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

Oh, I just read about that.

SPEAKER_03 34:02

So it originated in Okinawa. Okay. Sense of igikai, the sense of purpose, you know.

SPEAKER_01 34:07

That's what in igikai means. Sense of purpose.

SPEAKER_03 34:09

Yeah. It's what do you wake up for? You need to have you need to have something.

SPEAKER_01 34:14

Why do you do what you do? Or why do you even wake up?

SPEAKER_03 34:16

Why do you wake up?

SPEAKER_01 34:17

You know.

SPEAKER_03 34:19

Yeah. So and simple eating, not like very, you know, variety of foods, but simple eating, not like you know, massive plates of food. Not feasts. Massive feasts and they also have a thing in Okinawa, they call it Hariba Hari Haribachi eight out of it translates to eight out of ten. So stop eating when you are when you get to number eight. When you like don't don't eat until you feel like, okay, now I'm full.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

Right.

SPEAKER_03 34:55

Stop eating. I mean, people just overeat. We have more diseases linked to obesity than you know, more people are dying of diseases linked to obesity than people dying of hunger in the world.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

That's pretty sad.

SPEAKER_03 35:12

That's pretty sad. No.

SPEAKER_01 35:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:16

So overeating. Overeating. Yeah, exercise, community. It's wonderful that we can learn from them. We can kind of recreate it in your own life.

SPEAKER_01 35:28

The blue zones? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:31

So I love olives. I mean, I love olives now, but I definitely like remember watching a documentary also. And they eat a lot of olives and nuts and stuff like that.

Cooking Oils, Smoke Points, And Rancid Food

SPEAKER_01 35:40

Maybe sardinia.

SPEAKER_03 35:41

Yeah. Olives, uh, olive oil.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Olive oil.

SPEAKER_03 35:44

Really good olive oil.

SPEAKER_01 35:45

Yeah, and you told me I told you that I don't cook with olive oil because of the low smoke point, but you said actually you can.

SPEAKER_03 35:51

You can.

SPEAKER_01 35:52

But it needs to be very good sourced olive oil.

SPEAKER_03 35:56

Like good quality olive oil and not high heat, like low heat.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

Like when you buy the olive oil. Or you mean when you cook with it.

SPEAKER_03 36:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

You must cook on low heat.

SPEAKER_03 36:05

Yeah. I don't cook I don't crank it like you see smoke coming off it. Right. No.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

So just need like high quality organic, cold pressed. Yeah. Or not even all that. Extra virgin. Extra virgin cold pressed.

SPEAKER_03 36:16

Extra virgin cold pressed.

SPEAKER_01 36:18

And then you just cook at a lower heat.

SPEAKER_03 36:20

Yeah, I only cook in that olive oil and uh coconut oil.

SPEAKER_01 36:26

I've just been using avocado oil. Yeah. Yeah. Coconut oil is good.

SPEAKER_03 36:29

Avocado oil as well.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Coconut oil has a low smoke point. Yes. That's a good one.

SPEAKER_03 36:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:34

Yeah. So what happens if you do uh heat avocado oil, I'm sorry, olive oil to a high heat, it just becomes carcinogenic?

SPEAKER_03 36:41

Become rancid.

SPEAKER_01 36:42

Just like any oil.

SPEAKER_03 36:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:45

So rancid. So that just it becomes, yeah, rancid and carcinogenic. So like, you know, like barbecue. Like any barbecue with with black on it, any, you know, black charred barbecue.

SPEAKER_01 37:00

It tastes so good. That's rancid.

SPEAKER_03 37:04

That's carcinogenic.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

That's carcinogenic. Yes. That sucks. So yummy. You don't bry anymore, Heaver?

SPEAKER_03 37:13

I never bry.

SPEAKER_01 37:14

Never. You're an anti-briar?

SPEAKER_03 37:16

I don't ever eat meat.

SPEAKER_01 37:19

You can bry

Quick Wrap And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_01 37:20

vegetables?

SPEAKER_03 37:24

I'm not the bra guy.

SPEAKER_01 37:28

Do you know him?

SPEAKER_03 37:30

No.

SPEAKER_01 37:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 37:31

No.

SPEAKER_01 37:31

All right. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 37:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 37:34

I think we covered everything. Oh look, you're not even on the you're not even on the camera.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Oh, here I am.

SPEAKER_01 37:39

That's okay. That's okay. We got some. You can see my whole flash.