The Hidden Traps of “Healthy” Eating (Biohacking Daily Nutrition)
Dave Asprey
Sep 5, 2025
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Acknowledge ethical cost of plant agriculture on animal life
Plant agriculture is estimated to cause 7 billion animal deaths annually, a cost to animal life comparable to that of animal agriculture.
Rethink glycemic index for better dietary choices
The glycemic index is on the cusp of being retired because its utility is very limited, as we eat mixed meals and individual blood sugar responses to food vary greatly.
Reject intuitive eating in a hyper-palatable food environment
The concept of intuitive eating is bound to fail in the modern food environment because hyper-palatable, ultra-processed foods hijack our brains and drown out our body's natural intuition.
Utilize sugar to enhance performance in explosive lifts
For people with large muscles like bodybuilders, sugar can be used as a performance-enhancing tool to stimulate insulin, a powerful anabolic hormone useful for explosive lifts.
Recognize MSG's role in triggering 'healthy' sugar cravings
MSG can drop your blood sugar, causing a 'healthy' sugar craving because the brain needs glucose to help pump out the excess glutamate.
Avoid agave syrup due to high fructose content
Agave syrup is one of the worst sweeteners as it contains 70-80% fructose, making it essentially 'high fructose corn syrup for hippies.'.
Leverage selenium in fish to counteract mercury toxicity
Fish naturally contain much more selenium than mercury, and research suggests selenium has the ability to cancel out mercury's potential toxicity.
Incorporate herbs for maximum polyphenol intake
On a per-gram basis, common herbs and spices have the highest concentration of polyphenols, far exceeding vegetables and other so-called health foods.
Reduce bread consumption to lower sodium intake
The number one source of sodium in the standard American diet is bread and rolls, not the salt shaker, which only accounts for 11% of total intake.
Limit sugar intake to maintain testosterone levels and blood pressure
A moderate dose of sugar can drop testosterone levels by 25% and increase systolic blood pressure for up to two hours after consumption.
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