Food For Thought

Join us for an enlightening and fact filled conversation with Peter Ballerstedt PhD on "The Ruminant Revolution!" Counter-intuitive to most of the environmental science in the media, ruminants play a vital role in the eco-system, including carbon sequestration and your own ! This podcast covers the gamet from differences in the digestive tracts of ruminants from other mammals (including humans) to their role in nature, to nutritional facts about ruminant red meat and how they fit into the OFM Program. We also dispense a lot of the polarization when it comes to sourcing red meat to take out the stress and fear most consumers are led to believe about ruminant meats and feeding/grazing practices. Boatloads of "Meaty" information without the fluff or hyperbole, which the listener can use to improve not only their health and well being. All from the people "Leading the Science" on fat adapted health!

Another groundbreaking podcast from the leaders in fat adapted performance. For the past 20 months OFM has been developing and implementing the inoculation of Nitrosomonas eutropa bacteria for a number of natural fat adapted performance enhancements. These include, but are not limited too, improved vasodilation and thermoregulation; two factors which are critical to performance.   This past spring and summer elite athletes Jeff Browning and Romain Bardet inoculated themselves and raced successfully at the highest levels of their respective sports. Jeff raced to 3rd Overall at Western States 100 then turned around 19 days later to finish 4th Overall at the Hardrock 100 setting a new WS/HR combined time record. 7 weeks later he continued his performance with a 4th Overall finish at Run Rabbit Run 100.  Romain Bardet became a hero in France after winning Stage 19 and 2nd Overall at the Tour de France.    Learn about restoring our dermal biome with this critical ammonia oxidizing bacteria from AOBiome Chief Medi

Prepare to rethink everything you thought you knew about Cholesterol with this conversation with Dave Feldman. As you will learn cholesterol and cholesterol dynamics are very much a part of Optimizing Fat Metabolism. As Dave explains cholesterol's principle job is that of energy substrate delivery and in a fat adapted athletes we begin to see how this vital element of every cell in our body really works. Learn how VLDL particles may not be so bad after all when the individual is burning "fat as fuel". This is the ground breaking information OFM provides for you, the athlete to achieve that optimal state of health and fitness.

Dr, Daniel returns for a conversation on Thyroid Health. Lots of practical information for maintaining optimal Thyroid Health such as all the various food, environmental and lifestyle factors which can negatively impact the Thyroid. We also get into the basics of function and interaction on a level the average consumer can consume and use to his/her benefit.  We look at how an OFM lifestyle can produce the very kind of Thyroid Health people desire.  . Another key area of discussion centers around carbohydrate restriction and its impacts on the Thyroid and Thyroid Hormone values.  

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Marita Wallace PhD who is Post Docing in the Kieth Baar Lab at UC Davis studying muscle hypertrophy using mice/rat models. Her personal story thus personal interest in the Ketogenic Diet prompted a portion of her research to look at the effects of ketosis on muscle hypertrophy and degeneration. Great follow up to Kaayla Daniel's podcast as we learn what the emerging science says about the collagen found in broth!

Join us for a great conversation with Dr. Kaayla Daniel, aka: "The Naughty Nutritionist" on the importance of incorporating bone broth into the diet and how to make it work in the real world. Kaayla also discusses the science and parses out the myth from the reality on this vital food for humans.    http://drkaayladaniel.com/

Jenny Hart shares her OFM experience and how it has improved her performance and taken her to the next level of not only making the podium as an IM Age Grouper but WINNING her F50-54 AG at IM 70.3 Bintan and even 7th Overall Female!  Jenny will be competing for the F50-54 AG Title at the IM World Championships in Kona this weekend! Training under OFM has indicated she is well on her way to have a great race!   Listen to this real world athlete; Professional educator, wife, mum of 3 boys and elite age group triathlete and how OFM has made it all sustainable. 

Nikki Kimball joins us for a candid interview on her OFM Journey from her teenage years as an elite Biathlete to the present! This is a CRITICAL interview for young athletes and parents of athlete, in particular young women. Fat and the ability to metabolize fat is absolutely critical for optimal health and performance but particularly with young women at a critical stage of their life! In the natural scheme of things, young people begin to exert independence during this time but as they exert this independence from their parents they also become particularly impressionable to outside influences to anchor to.....Nikki puts this in perspective in amazing ways!    Resources:    Finding Traction   Nikki's FB Page   Girl's on the Run

Veteran Ultrarunner Jeff Browning comes on Food For Though: The OFM Podcast to share his journey to becoming an OFM Athlete and how it has literally transformed his performance since making the switch in December 2015 only 6 weeks out from his first 100 Miler, The HURT 100 which he won handily to a CR and WIN at The FREE State 100K, An epic 4 day/146 mile run/hike of the Owyhee River Canyons to a Podium Finish at Western States 100 then 19 days later coming in a strong 4th at Hard Rock 100 Miler and setting a new WS/HR double record! This is an information packed episode for anyone yearning to live epic and realize their health and performance potential.  Check out more on Jeff at his blog gobroncobilly.com

Nell Stephenson, calls herself “The Paleoista” and with good reason. Nell was on the ground floor of the Paleo movement working with Dr. Loren Cordain when “The Paleo Diet” first hit ground in a big way on the net. Author of 2 Paleo cookbooks and Master Chef, Nell is a chef and nutritional consultant based out of Pacific Palisades near Malibu. Nell is also a elite Age Group Triathlete and in this interview you will learn how & why she made the transition from Paleo to a more OFM Paleo diet to increase her performance, health and recovery.

This is the first podcast of Arielle Fitzgerald's fascinating and continuing journey to performance and health using the OFM approach. Like most young women Arielle started off with a high carb / low fat diet and fueling which, along with the stress of growing up, school, athletics led her down a dark road of injury, chronic illness and depression....after learning of fat adaptation and starting down a road to healing by getting the body back to burning fat as fuel Arielle has not only regained her health but turned into one of Canada's premiere ultra distance runners which include a few world records (future podcast). 

Nicole Recine is a registered nurse, certified diabetes educator, who has a Masters in Nursing from Rush University Medical Center. She not only practices a ketogenic lifestyle but embodies it! She instructs her clients on managing T1&T2 diabetes from a Low Carb/Keto perspective rather than the conventional ADA approach that gets results. This conversation with Nicole will give you a real world sense of just how tightly controlled and crucial Blood Sugar management is to help understand why becoming fat adapted is absolutely key to long term health, performance and sustainability. Nicole also reveals her Lipid panel and her take on her cholesterol numbers which you will find contradict what the conventional "standard of care" would suggest. 

One of the benefits of OFM is to enhance the sex hormones and their balance to provide for a healthy libido and the drive to perform in every aspect of your life! Additionally, the increase in aerobic capacity on a vascular levels has a profound benefit on the sex organs. Listen and learn why......

In his own words Andre calls his former self a "fatty", Hear how this former Australian Special Forces, Cisco/Samsung Exec, Firecam CEO transformed himself and how OFM and VESPA were critical final breakthrough steps in Andre reclaiming his health, performance and achieving his "Personalized Performance Potential". For Andre this transformation has inspired him to leave a very successful corporate executive career to dedicate it to helping others make that fundamental shift back to fat as fuel, the way Nature intended. Come listen to this wonderful and engaging conversation about a regular person making an extraordinary transformation and learn how you can make too!

In today's episode Stephanie, Naomi and Peter run through the Hard Reset. Peter goes into the physiological reasons why this is necessary to make the fundamental shift back to fat as fuel along with many of the pitfalls, ways to set your self up for success, The HR is the critical first step in your OFM journey so listen in to see how & why!

John Mahoney has one of the most moving and compelling stories on why humans truly need to get their body's back to burning fat as fuel. Diagnosed in 2012 with an aggressive form of brain cancer which only has a 2% survival John underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy John came upon the Ketogenic Diet as a means to control his seizures and place metabolic pressure on the cancer. Thus far John has not only survived this ordeal but is thriving! John is a much stronger and fitter person than he was prior to this life-altering event. During the summer of 2015 as John was looking to increase his performance to build robustness he came across VESPA and subsequently to contact VESPA and start a dialogue with Vespa GM, Peter Defty, on how he could use Vespa and a modified version of OFM to really up his game. Listen in as John discusses "The Race of his life!" (literally) and why the rest of us better be paying attention!

Christine Abrego was an "early adopter" of OFM. This is fitting because Christine is one of Silicon Valley's "Best & Brightest" analysts with lead analyst stints at Apple, Walmart and currently with Franklin Templeton. But all this talent and drive won't save you from the vagaries of high carb, low fat athletic diet. Christine's story is a compelling one. Its a lifetime journey but, as you will hear, it is on track as Christine has a wonderful husband and son and, along with her family and professional responsibilities is on the road toward her first 50 miler this April at the American River 50. Join us for another insightful conversation on why getting your body back to burning fat as fuel, the way Nature intended, not only makes sense but is crucial for vibrant health and athletic performance.

The Food for Thought Optimized Fat Metabolism (OFM) was born out the the quest for optimal health and endurance.  The brains behind the OFM program, Peter Defty, found that using your fat for fuel can not only improve your health but can make you a better athlete.  The OFM program helps to get the body back to its natural state of wanting to burn fat for fuel.   Host Zach Bitter has implemented the OFM Program to help him recover faster and become a better ultra-runner.  With the OFM Program, Zach has been able to avoid the pitfalls of a high carbohydrate diet and Overtraining Syndrome highlighted in the Ouside Magazine article Running on Empty.  Zach has broken the 12 Hour world record and the 100 mile United States record for running.   Host Stephanie Holbrook was able to recover from adrenal fatigue and make a return to endurance sports.  As a coach, Stephanie felt like she had lost her ability to help athletes because the information she learned as a personal trainer and coach had left her sick, injured a