The author of the New York Times bestselling Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life, previous podcast guest on the episodes: The Surprising Facts About What Bread Does To Your Brain (And What You Can Do About It) and also Why A High-Fat, Ketogenic Diet Chock Full Of Saturated Fat, Coconut Oil & Butter Could Be Destroying Your Brain (& What To Do About It) is back! His name is Max Lugavere and his new book The Genius Life: Heal Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, and Become Extraordinary features a lifestyle program for resetting your brain and body to its “factory settings,” to help fight fatigue, anxiety, and depression and to optimize cognitive health for a longer and healthier life. In The Genius Life, Max expands the Genius Foods plan, which focused on nutrition and how it affects brain health, and expands it to encompass a full lifestyle protocol. We know now that the health of our brains—including our cognitive function and emotional wellness—depend on the health of our gut, endocrine, cardiac and nervous systems as there is a constant feedback loop between all systems. Drawing on globe-spanning research into circadian biology, psychology, dementia prevention, cognitive optimization, and exercise physiology, The Genius Life shows how to integrate healthy choices in all aspects of our daily routines: eating, exercising, sleeping, detoxing, and more to create a healthy foundation for optimal cognitive health and performance. Among Max’s groundbreaking findings, you will discover: · A trick that gives you the equivalent of a “marathon” workout, in 10 minutes · How to get the benefits of an extra 1-2 servings of veggies daily without eating them · The hidden chemicals in your home that could be making you fat and sick · How to boost melatonin levels by up to 58% for deeper sleep without supplements Max is a filmmaker, health and science journalist and author. He is also the host of the #1 iTunes health podcast The Genius Life. Lugavere appears regularly on the Dr. Oz Show, the Rachael Ray Show, and The Doctors. He has contributed to Medscape, Vice, Fast Company, CNN, and the Daily Beast, has been featured on NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, and in The New York Times and People Magazine. He is an internationally sought-after speaker and has given talks at South by Southwest, TEDx, the New York Academy of Sciences, the Biohacker Summit in Stockholm, Sweden, and many others... During our discussion, you'll discover: -Just how bad is bread?...8:08 It's one of humanity's oldest and most revered processed foods Max's views have softened slightly over the years Grains can serve a functional purpose Glycogen storage Help to power through resistance training Not as toxic as made out to be, but not the most ideal option available Changed views on brown rice Preparation methods are important Avoid GMO forms of GMO foods No such thing as a one size fits all diet, nor an exercise regimen Increased carbs in the diet may lead to increased strength (performance enhancing tool) -How Max's views on MDMA have evolved over the years...19:45 Being used to treat PTSD; given "breakthrough drug" status by the FDA Being used to treat alcoholism, autism Chronically dangerous to the brain; imbalance in neurotransmitters Serotonin is modulated w/ MDMA Acute doses are limited in potential harm; benefits outweigh the risks Psilocybin can reduce activity in default mode network in the brain Can damage mitochondria when consumed in large amounts Increase Omega 3 fatty acids Vitamin D levels Supplement w/ liposomal glutathione (code: BENGREENFIELD10) Dr. John Lieurance's glutathione/antioxidant suppositories (code: BEN) -Max's overall goal in writing The Genius Life...29:00 The goal was to help people identify diseases such as dementia or cancer years or decades before they manifest physically Genius Foods was to identify which foods affect the brain We're essentially in "The Hunger Games" b