The Energy Blueprint Podcast

If you've ever felt confused by conflicting nutrition advice, like keto vs. carbs, low-fat vs. high-fat, protein concerns, you're not alone.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Mike Israetel, Chief Sport Scientist at Renaissance Periodization and former professor of public health, to cut through the noise and reveal what the research actually says about eating for optimal health. 
Dr. Israetel has spent years analyzing thousands of research papers on nutrition and health, and the picture he's uncovered is surprisingly clear. 
We dive deep into the hierarchy of what actually matters for your long-term health, and spoiler alert: it's not what most people think. 
In this podcast, Dr. Israetel and I discuss: 
Why calorie balance is responsible for roughly 60% of the variance in health between individuals 
How food quality and composition account for 20% of health outcomes, and why this matters more as you age 
The surprising truth about macronutrient ratios: why the carb vs. fat debate is overblown 
Why the "metabolically healthy obese" concept is largely a myth and what the research really shows 
How to debunk the keto myth: what ketosis actually does (and doesn't do) for your health 
The evidence on gluten, grains, red meat, and eggs: which foods are actually harmful and which are fine 
Why most people's concerns about specifics like mTOR and protein are premature 
How a concept called hedonic adaptation explains why healthy food tastes better the more consistently you eat it 
The nutrient timing hierarchy: why meal frequency matters far less than you've been told 
How to build a sustainable, evidence-based approach to eating that doesn't require perfection

Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby has been pioneering food allergy research since 1985, back when doctors called him a quack. Today, he's recognized as one of the world's leading experts in identifying hidden food intolerances that sabotage your health and energy. 
 
In this episode, we dive into why you're not bouncing out of bed in the morning and what's really causing it.
 
Surprisingly, we discuss how most people are actually addicted to the very foods making them sick. Your body goes into withdrawal at night, you wake up grumpy and tired, and then you "dose" yourself with breakfast to feel better. It's a cycle that repeats every day, and according to Dr. Scott-Mumby, it's completely fixable once you understand the mechanism.
In this podcast, Dr. Scott-Mumby and I discuss:
Why you're not bouncing out of bed with energy (he says food allergies are the #1 culprit)

The addiction mechanism: how food intolerance and withdrawal symptoms work exactly like drug addiction

Why blood tests for food intolerance have massive false negatives and miss critical triggers

The barrel model: how your body's protective systems work…until they suddenly don't

How to run a proper elimination diet in just 10 days to identify your specific food triggers

Why expensive IgG testing is unreliable compared to simple elimination and challenge testing

How stress, environment, and even a vacation explain why you can "get away with" eating certain foods sometimes

Why almost any food can cause almost any symptom (lettuce causing colitis, carrots causing epilepsy, etc.)

How to reintroduce foods safely after identifying your intolerances without creating new sensitivities

We're living in a paradoxical moment. Technology promises to elevate us, yet we're more disconnected from our bodies than ever. 
Master Mingtong Gu, a Qigong master and author of Coming Home to Embodied Awakening, shares a radical insight: our humanity isn't defined by our thinking. Rather, it's defined by our capacity to feel, experience, and inhabit our bodies.
In a world hijacked by screens, data, and AI, Master Mingtong reveals why returning to your body is an act of resistance and reclamation. He's spent decades teaching thousands of people how to recover from "incurable" conditions and discover profound peace by reconnecting with their physical existence.
This conversation challenges everything you think you know about spirituality, health, and what it means to be truly human in the 2020s. If you've ever felt lost in your own mind, this episode is for you.
 
In this podcast, Master Mingtong Gu and I discuss:
How he recovered from "incurable" conditions like asthma and sclerosis through Qigong practice and a radical shift in mindset
That Qigong is the Chinese equivalent of yoga and has been practiced for thousands of years across multiple spiritual traditions
The three core questions Qigong asks: What is the nature of life? Who am I? What is the nature of my body?
How energy works as an infinitely present, infinitely connected, and infinitely creative force in your body and the universe
The critical difference between "I think, therefore I am" and "I feel, therefore I am," and why this distinction matters now more than ever
Why we're experiencing a slow-motion crisis of disconnection from our bodies and what that means for our humanity
The concept of embodied awakening: integrating mind-body connection as the foundation for true spiritual growth
How to practice present moment awareness by connecting directly with your body, not just your thoughts
The Chinese philosophical perspective on the inseparable nature of form and formlessness, physical and spiritual
A guided meditation practice that initiates you into reconnecting with your body as a living temple

Are you experiencing symptoms like your mind feeling cloudy, forgetting basic things, and constantly struggling to stay focused on the task at hand? If so, there is a likely chance that you suffer from brain fog. In itself, brain fog can be frustrating as it keeps you from living your optimal life. However, it could be a sign of underlying issues. In order to improve your brain health, it is critical to first uncover the primary causes of brain fog.
You will learn all this and more as I talk to health journalist Jordan Fallis, the founder of Optimal Living Dynamics. Jordan's passion for treating brain fog and improving brain health started out when he, after a series of unfortunate events, ended up suffering from brain fog and sought ways to treat it. In this episode, Jordan shares his knowledge on the root causes of brain fog and the simple yet powerful steps you can take today to optimize your brain health.


In this podcast, Jordan covers
The primary causes of brain fog
The one mistake most people make when they want to heal their brain
Can I self-diagnose my brain fog? (Why identifying the primary cause of poor brain health is tricky)
The link between hormone balance and brain health
What are the most common brain fog symptoms?
Jordan's best tips to get rid of brain fog (One of these treatments is a favorite of Ari's)

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Stephan Guyenet, an obesity researcher with a Ph.D. in neuroscience who spent 12 years studying the science of body fatness. 
His groundbreaking work has completely changed how I think about fat loss and nutrition science. This conversation is one I've been looking forward to for years.
Dr. Guyenet challenges one of the most popular narratives in health today: that carbs and insulin are the primary drivers of fat gain. We dive deep into the scientific evidence that contradicts this widely-believed hypothesis, and it's eye-opening. If you've ever wondered why the low-carb movement became so dominant despite conflicting research, this episode will give you answers.
In this podcast, Dr. Guyenet and I discuss:
Why the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis of obesity doesn't hold up to scientific scrutiny

How animal studies prove dietary fat is just as fattening as carbs without raising insulin

Why lean populations worldwide eat high-carb diets and stay lean (the Japan paradox)

What calorie-controlled metabolic ward studies reveal about low-carb vs. low-fat diets

How Gary Taubes' narrative became mainstream despite contradicting research evidence

The evolutionary mismatch theory: why our brains misfire in the modern food environment

How dopamine and brain reward circuits drive overeating of junk food

Why controlling your food environment is more powerful than willpower

The satiety per calorie equation and why adding fat to meals backfires

Practical strategies to lose fat by engineering your food environment and choosing whole foods