On this episode of Peak Human, Brian sits down with Abel James beside a stream in Montana, about eight days into a 10-day trip through Yellowstone, the Tetons and Wyoming. Abel created the Fat-Burning Man podcast, which held the #1 spot for years, and wrote The Wild Diet. He tells how he got healthy by doing the exact opposite of what his doctor told him, and how that grew into 15 years of blogging and podcasting. Brian and Abel talk about eating well on the road for very little money, why being rigid about health can make you more fragile, and why music is one of the most human things we do. Abel also describes his recovery from a serious hit-and-run accident. They finish with the idea that this is the moment to get people together in person, in beautiful places.

 * 04:00 Welcome to Montana: Abel and Brian's Yellowstone and Tetons trip
 * 05:20 Abel grew up on holistic medicine in the backwoods of New Hampshire
 * 06:30 His doctor said no red meat, no cholesterol and lots of whole grains, and his blood work kept getting worse
 * 08:00 Five prescriptions, an apartment fire and a look in the mirror
 * 08:50 Fasting, red meat and cutting grains: 25–30 lbs lost and new personal bests
 * 09:30 From a blog to the Fat-Burning Man podcast
 * 10:40 Why he chose the word "wild": marketers have worn out "natural"
 * 12:00 Travel, seasons and adapting as a way to age well
 * 13:00 A family of farmers and where food comes from
 * 14:50 The value of boredom and breaking out of phone loops
 * 17:50 Protein first, and what OMAD really looks like
 * 18:50 Eating more on active days and less on rest days
 * 20:50 Being antifragile instead of chasing perfect health
 * 22:00 The basic plate: good protein, many kinds of plants, carbs matched to activity
 * 24:00 Eating well on the road: pizza bowls, batch cooking and jerky
 * 26:00 Sauces, fermented foods and the microbiome
 * 28:30 What DoorDash costs compared with cooking at home, and how hard it is to avoid seed oils
 * 29:30 GLP-1s and falling out of love with food
 * 30:50 Setting short-, medium- and long-term health goals
 * 31:30 Setting up your surroundings so the bad option is out of reach
 * 32:30 Primal positions: deep squats and getting up and down off the floor
 * 33:30 Why humans make music: the evolutionary story
 * 37:00 Creating instead of consuming
 * 38:50 Austin, the Sapien Center, and how the trip came together
 * 39:30 Abel's hit-and-run accident, his TBI and his road back
 * 41:30 Foraging, scent, memory and remembering who you are
 * 43:30 Three days in nature, benefits that last 30 days
 * 44:00 AI, uncertainty and why we need awe
 * 46:30 Retreats and decentralized in-person gatherings
 * 51:50 Where to find Abel
 * 53:00 The Perfect Wednesday and the experiences that matter most

GET OYSTER PILLS http://NosetoTail.org [http://nosetotail.org/] FREE SAPIEN FOOD GUIDE http://sapien.org [http://sapien.org/]

Follow along: http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg http://instagram.com/food.lies http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg

Going Wild: Ditching Doctor's Orders, Eating on the Road, and Why We Need Each Other in Person with Abel James

Brian welcomes Ann Bennett, creator behind Simply Unconventional, who started her health journey after hearing a Peak Human episode on seed oils. Ann describes cleaning up her family's diet and home, switching to raw milk and local meat, and seeing colds, stomach bugs, chronic sinus issues, and her sons' severe asthma disappear. That success led her husband to rethink their farm, slowly transitioning from heavy chemical spraying to regenerative practices that helped their crop survive extreme heat and drought.

She shares how, despite doing "everything right," she was still exhausted, irritable, and holding onto stubborn belly fat until Coach Chris Kruger's natural hormone optimization method showed her that going too low carb was part of the problem. Adding back whole-food carbs like potatoes, rice, and sourdough helped both her and her husband finally lose the belly fat. The conversation also covers rancid store-bought pecans, why "eat less, move more" fails women, the limits of conventional blood work, HRT vs. natural optimization, the Beast, Feast, Fast, Sleep framework, and a first look at Brian's upcoming book, The New Theory of Food.

02:50 Meet Ann Bennett 09:00 How Peak Human Started It All 10:55 Belly Fat Is a Hormone Problem 12:45 From City Kids to Pecan Farmers 15:00 Detoxing the Home and Diet 17:40 Taking the Farm Regenerative 19:50 Cover Crops and Drought 20:45 Why Store Pecans Taste Bitter 23:55 Raw Milk and Asthma 25:30 Meat, Milk and Height 26:30 Low Carb and Crashed Hormones 28:30 CrossFit and Stubborn Belly Fat 30:00 Keto as a Short-Term Tool 31:55 Japan and Rice 36:55 Maasai vs. Tsimane Diets 38:05 Weston A. Price 40:40 Is Obesity Genetic? 41:00 Eating With Your Cycle 43:00 Why Eat Less, Move More Fails 46:45 Normal Blood Work Isn't Optimal 48:30 HRT vs. Natural Hormones 49:15 Hormones After Menopause 52:15 Breaking the Snacking Habit

Free Live Training here: http://Krugerbody.com/sapien [http://krugerbody.com/sapien]

GET OYSTER PILLS http://NosetoTail.org [http://nosetotail.org/] FREE SAPIEN FOOD GUIDE http://sapien.org [http://sapien.org/]



Follow along: http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg http://instagram.com/food.lies http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg

Why Low Carb Crashed Her Hormones (And What Fixed It) with Ann Bennett

Brian introduces Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America, which grew from efforts to label GMOs into a national nonprofit focused on reducing pesticide and toxin exposure through education and extensive testing that has found glyphosate in items including tap water, urine, breast milk, foods, and other products. Honeycutt describes launching a legislative arm (Moms Across America Movement/"Yes Ma'am") to promote health-focused policy, discusses MAHA-era progress and perceived corporate pushback, and urges contacting representatives via calls, email, visits, and X. She shares outcomes from switching to organic, including a story of a child's mental health improving, and recounts her son's strict organic veganism, subsequent nutrient/toxin findings (including thallium, mycotoxins, DDT), and suicide, informing proposed newborn genetic disclosure and EPA reforms. The conversation also covers EMFs, vaccine safety, microplastics, and major concerns about data centers' noise, energy, and water impacts.



Show Notes:

01:16 Meet Zen Honeycutt

02:46 Austin Events and Community

04:55 Moms Across America Origin

06:53 Testing Glyphosate Everywhere

08:26 MAHA Movement and RFK Jr

12:49 Policy Slowdown and Pushback

15:13 What You Can Do Now

19:46 Organic Food Changes Everything

22:06 Organic and Mental Health Story

26:42 Ben's Story and Vegan Risks

31:57 Genes Toxins and New Bills

38:22 Fat Fuels Survival

38:45 Cholesterol and Brain Health

39:16 Food Lies and Plant Toxins

41:39 Why Carnivore Helps Some

42:24 Fermentation and Gut Issues

45:08 Vegan as Reset Not Nutrition

51:32 Africa Anecdotes on Meat

53:39 Glyphosate and Vegan Exposure

55:32 Moms Across America Issues

56:41 Data Centers Health Threat

01:04:00 Microplastics and Fertility

01:05:36 Self Regulation and Identity

01:09:05 Unstoppable Take Action



GET OYSTER PILLS http://NosetoTail.org

FREE SAPIEN FOOD GUIDE http://sapien.org

Follow along:

http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg

http://instagram.com/food.lies

http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg

GMOs, Toxins, and the Fight for Real Food with Zen Honeycutt

Brian sits down with Erin Martin, CEO/founder of Fresh RX Oklahoma and co-lead of the Oklahoma Food Is Medicine Policy Coalition. They discuss her background in gerontology, early work in long-term care, and observations that U.S. older adults average 15+ prescriptions, contrasting with healthier aging and cultural differences she saw in Italy. She describes launching Fresh RX during the pandemic with $185,000 to prescribe locally sourced, low-pesticide food plus lifestyle education for type 2 diabetes patients in North Tulsa, now serving 500+ patients via 22 clinics, measuring biometrics and cost savings with a reported 4–5x ROI. They discuss scaling Food Is Medicine through insurance, bridging it with regenerative sourcing, planned nutrient-density testing, and Erin's shift from veganism to eating beef, bone broth, and marrow. 02:55 Meeting at Sovereignty Ranch 04:37 Erin's Early Gerontology Path 07:15 Regenerative Ag and Hope 08:31 Aging in Italy vs US 12:44 Myths of Aging and Genetics 17:37 Fresh RX in Oklahoma 22:15 Insurance and Policy Momentum 28:32 Bridging Food and Regeneration 31:33 Sourcing Standards Gap 32:13 Accountable FIM Act 34:04 Hill Briefing Explained 34:46 Three Program Types 35:58 Measuring Food Quality 37:09 Nutrient Density Testing 39:36 Meat Dairy Debate 41:01 Aging Protein Myths 43:18 Keto Meets FIM 51:13 Fermented Feed Beef 54:06 Older Adults Can Change 58:25 Leaving Veganism Benefits

GET BEEF TALLOW PRODUCTS AND OYSTER PILLS http://NosetoTail.org

FREE SAPIEN FOOD GUIDE http://sapien.org

Follow along:

http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg

http://instagram.com/food.lies

http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg

Food Is Medicine Policy, Fresh RX Oklahoma, and Regenerative Agriculture with Erin Martin

Brian interviews Calley Means from HHS about the Trump administration and Secretary Kennedy's push to address chronic disease by focusing on root causes like food and reforming scientific agencies. He describes entrenched incentives in healthcare and government, updates on dietary guidelines and a revised food pyramid emphasizing protein, fruits, vegetables, and reduced ultra-processed foods, and discusses efforts to redefine "ultra-processed" foods. He addresses controversy around glyphosate, explaining farmers' concerns about sudden bans disrupting agriculture, and highlights commitments and incentives for regenerative agriculture. They cover policies to remove soda, candy, and other ultra-processed items from SNAP, changes in school, hospital, and military food procurement, and mention work with outside partners on tools to help Americans make healthier choices.



02:07 Inside HHS Role

04:21 Why Reform Now

05:30 Food Pyramid Overhaul

06:37 NIH and Root Causes

08:16 Health Gets Political

09:41 Empowered Patients

12:35 Glyphosate Backstory

16:52 Market Shifts and SNAP

21:21 Regenerative Ag Funding

23:49 SNAP Soda Crackdown

26:20 School Lunch Pushback

28:35 Fixing School Breakfast

29:43 Farmers And Food Procurement

30:45 Hospitals Stop Serving Junk

33:45 Root Causes Of Chronic Disease

36:11 Defining Ultra Processed Food

39:17 Traditionally Prepared Foods

42:12 Messaging And Food Transparency

44:41 Lifespan Project Incentives

46:55 Policy Shift Toward Prevention

50:35 Inside The White House Role



GET BEEF TALLOW PRODUCTS AND OYSTER PILLS http://NosetoTail.org

FREE SAPIEN FOOD GUIDE http://sapien.org

Follow along:

http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg

http://instagram.com/food.lies

http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg



Reforming America's Food and Health System: A Deep Dive with Calley Means

In this episode of Peak Human, Brian Sanders sits down with physician, athlete, and author Dr. Jaime Seeman to discuss what it really takes to become "hard to kill."

Dr. Seeman is a practicing OB-GYN, former Mrs. Nebraska, competitive athlete, and metabolic health advocate. After struggling with her own metabolic issues, including prediabetes and hypothyroidism, she transformed her health through diet, strength training, and lifestyle changes.

Together, Brian and Dr. Seeman explore how metabolic dysfunction develops, why muscle is one of the most powerful tools for longevity, and why focusing on nutrients instead of calories may be the key to fixing modern health problems.

They also dive into women's metabolic health, perimenopause, visceral fat, and the role of diet evolution—from ketogenic to carnivore to a flexible real-food approach.

This conversation breaks down the science of human nutrition and performance while offering practical strategies for living stronger, longer, and healthier.

Show Notes 04:00 – Why modern medicine focuses on treatment instead of prevention 07:00 – The growing movement for metabolic health 11:00 – Diet tribes vs. real food 12:00 – Dr. Seeman's personal metabolic health journey 15:00 – Keto, carnivore, and evolving diets 18:00 – The Sapien lifestyle: eating like humans evolved to eat 20:00 – Women's hormones, carbs, and the menstrual cycle 23:00 – Fasted training and metabolic flexibility 27:00 – Nutrient density vs calorie counting 31:00 – Muscle: the most overlooked organ in medicine 33:00 – Visceral fat and hidden metabolic disease 35:00 – Beauty and nutrition 42:00 – C-sections, childbirth, and the infant microbiome



BEEF TALLOW PRODUCTS: NosetoTail.org [http://nosetotail.org/]

Preorder the film here: http://indiegogo.com/projects/food-lies-post

Film site: http://FoodLies.org [http://foodlies.org/]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FoodLies

Follow along:

http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg

http://instagram.com/food.lies

http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg

How to Be Hard to Kill: Metabolic Health, Muscle, and the Truth About Diets with  Dr. Jaime Seeman

After a short break, Peak Human returns with a powerful conversation about one of the biggest problems in modern healthcare: the sick care system.

For decades, the system has been structured around treating illness rather than maintaining health. Incentives are misaligned across the entire industry—from insurance companies and employers to doctors and digital health startups. Despite technological advances, healthcare costs continue rising while population health declines.

In this episode, Anil, a scientist, investor, and systems thinker, introduces a bold alternative: the Lifespan Model. Drawing on experience in biotechnology, Silicon Valley startups, digital health investing, and incentive design, Anil explains how healthcare could be rebuilt around the simple idea that people should be rewarded for keeping others healthy.

Instead of replacing the current system overnight, the Lifespan Model proposes a parallel structure—one that aligns financial incentives with longevity, prevention, and long-term wellbeing.

If implemented, this model could transform healthcare from a trillion-dollar illness industry into a system that actually rewards health.



SHOW NOTES:

00:00 – Peak Human Returns & Show Updates 04:30 – Anil's Background in Science and Startups 08:30 – Systems Thinking and Incentive Design 10:30 – Why the Healthcare System Is Broken 14:30 – The Incentive Problem in Medicine 17:00 – Employer-Based Health Insurance Issues 19:00 – Why Digital Health Hasn't Fixed Healthcare 21:00 – The Technologist's Journey Through Healthcare 23:30 – How Incentives Shape Entire Systems 26:00 – Introducing the Lifespan Model 29:30 – Learning From the Life Insurance Industry 33:00 – Aligning Financial Incentives With Health 36:30 – The Role of Lifespan Agents 40:00 – Technology's Role in Preventive Health 43:00 – Building a Parallel Health System 47:00 – Challenges to Implementing the Model 51:00 – The Future of Healthcare Incentives



BEEF TALLOW PRODUCTS: NosetoTail.org [http://nosetotail.org/]

Preorder the film here: http://indiegogo.com/projects/food-lies-post

Film site: http://FoodLies.org [http://foodlies.org/]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FoodLies

Follow along:

http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg

http://instagram.com/food.lies

http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg

Redifining Healthcare: The Lifespan Mode

In this episode, Chris Krueger and Brian Sanders discuss hormone replacement therapies, particularly HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy), highlighting their pitfalls and advocating for natural solutions. Broadcasting from Hawaii, they touch on the importance of lifestyle changes to balance hormones and emphasize dependency on natural hormone production over synthetic replacements. Chris shares critical stories and analogies to illustrate the potential dangers of these therapies, including how improper use can disrupt lives. The discussion also covers the new food pyramid, nutritional insights, and promotes a nutrient-dense diet over processed foods. They touch on the importance of resilience, community, and maintaining a balanced lifestyle. 01:09 Discussing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) 03:03 The Dangers of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) 06:01 The Analogy of American Lawn Mowers 12:57 The Food Lies Project and Public Perception 18:37 Discussion on the New Food Pyramid 21:28 Brian's Beach Encounter 22:16 Scientific Papers on Food and Nutrition 25:38 Debate on Carbohydrates and Insulin 33:58 Promoting Products and Upcoming Events

GET BEEF TALLOW PRODUCTS http://NosetoTail.org

FREE SAPIEN FOOD GUIDE http://sapien.org

Follow along: http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg

http://instagram.com/food.lies

http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg

Sapien Podcast- Beyond Hormones: A Deep Dive Into HRT and TRT

Brian Sanders (@peakhuman) · Zencastr

Brian Sanders (@peakhuman)

Peak Human is a curated audio series taking an unbiased look at health & nutrition. With so much conflicting information available, filmmaker and health coach Brian Sanders sifts through the dogma and provides a framework that unifies all nutrition and dietary habits that lead to optimum health. World renowned doctors, researchers, and journalists are interviewed to find out what is the true human dietary framework that we should all be eating to live well and free of chronic disease. It is based around principles of nutrient density and uses a combination of ancestral health and modern science. It is produced ad-free to support the documentary 'Food Lies' (FoodLies.org)

Peak Human - Unbiased Nutrition Info for Optimum Health, Fitness & Living

Going Wild: Ditching Doctor's Orders, Eating on the Road, and Why We Need Each Other in Person with Abel James

Going Wild: Ditching Doctor's Orders, Eating on the Road, and Why We Need Each Other in Person with Abel James

Why Low Carb Crashed Her Hormones (And What Fixed It) with Ann Bennett

Why Low Carb Crashed Her Hormones (And What Fixed It) with Ann Bennett

GMOs, Toxins, and the Fight for Real Food with Zen Honeycutt

Food Is Medicine Policy, Fresh RX Oklahoma, and Regenerative Agriculture with Erin Martin

Reforming America's Food and Health System: A Deep Dive with Calley Means

How to Be Hard to Kill: Metabolic Health, Muscle, and the Truth About Diets with Dr. Jaime Seeman

Redifining Healthcare: The Lifespan Mode

Sapien Podcast- Beyond Hormones: A Deep Dive Into HRT and TRT