Jeff Krasno’s Post

88% of Americans have insulin resistance. And most folks don’t know it. I was one of them!  Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome sit upstream from virtually every one of our modern chronic diseases. Here are some basic tips to reverse insulin resistance:  Control carbs: You don’t need to eliminate carbs. Fiber is good. Resistant starches can be healthy. And there are important phytonutrients in plants. BUT … avoid refined and ultra-processed carbs!  Prioritize Protein: Get between .7 - 1 gram of protein per ideal body weight daily. The amino acids in protein are responsible for more than muscle synthesis. They are the building blocks for many hormones, neurotransmitters and enzymes. Protein is also very satiating. Don’t fear fat: Don’t go crazy. Fat is highly caloric. But fat and protein often come together in nature. And dietary fat does not trigger insulin. Get your essential Omega-3s!  Check out my conversation with the brilliant Dr. Benjamin Bikman on the Commune Podcast at https://commune.to/podcast.

What happens when we give without expectation of return?  In my experience, sometimes individual relationships can become imbalanced and one-sided - where there is a giver and a taker.  However, I have found that being generous over time shapes your broader reputation. You begin to attract relationships that are reciprocal.  Further, the less you identify with your ego, the less you need other people to fulfill your own needs. And then love can become something largely given and not taken.  These are the conversations I love to have with my friend Light Watkins, author of the book “Travel Light.” This man has so much wisdom. Listen at https://commune.to/podcast – or on your streaming platform of choice. 🎙️ Commune with Jeff Krasno: 503. Faith, Serendipity, and Spiritual Minimalism with Light Watkins

Fermented foods have been consumed by humans for thousands of years across various cultures and offer several health benefits. The process of fermentation is a metabolic one in which microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts, and molds break down food components (like sugars and starches) into simpler compounds. The benefits are myriad:  Probiotics: Many fermented foods are rich in beneficial bacteria, known as probiotics. Consuming these can help balance the gut's bacterial environment by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and inhibiting harmful ones. A balanced gut microbiome is linked to improved digestive health and a reduced risk of gut-related issues like irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and diarrhea. Nutrient Enhancement: Fermentation can increase the availability of certain nutrients. For instance, the fermentation process can increase levels of certain B vitamins, including folate and riboflavin.  Bioavailability: Fermentation can break down compounds that interfere with the absorption of minerals, making them more bioavailable. For instance, fermentation reduces phytic acid, which can inhibit the absorption of minerals like iron, zinc and calcium. Digestibility: Some people find fermented foods easier to digest. The fermentation process breaks down some of the food components, essentially "pre-digesting" them. This can be particularly beneficial for foods like dairy, which some people find hard to digest due to lactose. Fermented dairy products, like yogurt, have reduced lactose content. Production of Bioactive Compounds: Fermented foods can be sources of bioactive compounds, including peptides, that may have health benefits. These compounds can act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents or even natural blood pressure-lowering agents. In our conversation, Dr. Uma Naidoo explains how our guts are directly connected to our brain and how what we eat can impact mood and cognitive function.  Listen at https://commune.to/podcast or on your streaming platform of choice. 🎙️ Commune with Jeff Krasno: 499. Nutrition for Mental Health with Dr. Uma Naidoo

Soluble fiber feeds the gut - specifically the microbes in our colon. Prebiotic fiber is actually metabolized by bacteria in our guts who produce post-biotics. There is a specific class of post-biotics known as SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids) which include acetate, propionate and butyrate. These SCFAs have so many health conferring functions from upregulating insulin sensitivity to balancing the immune system to strengthening the tight junctions that create the barrier between our gut and our bloodstream.  In our conversation, Dr. Uma Naidoo explains how our guts are directly connected to our brain and how what we eat can impact mood and cognitive function.  Listen at https://commune.to/podcast or on your streaming platform of choice. 🎙️ Commune with Jeff Krasno: 499. Nutrition for Mental Health with Dr. Uma Naidoo

Sometime in the middle of the night, in the depths of slow-wave sleep, the mitochondria in my neurons and in my cardiac cells gradually reduce production. My energy factories produce one last plume of carbon dioxide out their chimneys. My roles as a link in a continuous chain of captured sunlight come to a close. In my sleep, my life becomes rounded by a greater one. This life, the way I have known it, returns to the silence from whence it came. I float outside the vacillations of time, space, location and form. And it’s ok.

There’s a LOT of talk later about semaglutide better known as Ozempic or Wegovy. This drug has been hailed as the solution to the obesity epidemic.  Ozempic acts as a GLP-1 agonist - binding to the GLP-1 receptor - essentially mimicking the action of the naturally occurring “nutrient-sensing” hormone. Mimics eating even if you didn’t.  This increases satiety and slows gastric emptying. Satiety is limiting calorie intake and people are losing weight.  It also inhibits the production of glucagon and stimulates the production and secretion of insulin. Insulin then keeps blood glucose regulated.  BUT…  Does it contribute to disproportionate muscle loss? And contribute to lowering your basal metabolic rate?  Does it mask maladaptive behavior and eating habits?  Does it inhibit ketone production?  Is it a viable long-term solution for weight management?  I explore these questions and others relating to metabolic health with Dr. Ben Bikman, author of Why We Get Sick, on the Commune Podcast.  Listen at https://commune.to/podcast, or on your favorite streaming platform. 🎙️ Commune with Jeff Krasno: 497. The Hidden Epidemic: Insulin Resistance, Fertility, and Chronic Disease with Dr. Benjamin Bikman

One never falls purposefully. Certainly, one doesn’t choose to fall ill or fall from grace or fall out of favor. It’s never optimal to fall asleep at the wheel or apart at the seams or by the wayside. For the Romans, the sky was falling when its empire fell. You fall quite by accident, often against your will. You’re left splattered on the sidewalk, falling all over yourself as you collect your affairs and wits. The same could be said for falling in love. It’s not an act you engineer or enter into your calendar. Love wells up from somewhere deep below the crust of consciousness, falling drop by drop upon the heart, emanating outward, perfuming your state of being with joy.

This timeless quote has many applications. You can apply it to your closet and your pantry. And, of course, you can apply it to your mind. Accumulating knowledge is a worthy pursuit, but, more importantly, what will you do with that knowledge? Wisdom is a moral character that requires humility and a recognition of what you don’t know. The wisest people recognize their blind spots and surround themselves with others that have expertise where they are lacking.  Wisdom admits and recognizes mistakes. It alchemizes missteps into experience.

Today we released episode 500 of the podcast. We’ve been producing on average 2 shows per week for five years. And … I’ll be honest – from time to time – it can feel like a slog. And, sometimes, I ask myself … “Jeff, when does this project end?" But if I am true to the philosophy that I so often preach, I can’t live in the future. I am bound to the ever now. So while I don’t know what will emerge from the great void, I am happy to be present and immersed in this work without the attachment to any end result. When I do step back and open the aperture … I realize that this show has been an opportunity of a lifetime for me to glean the wisdom of so many diverse and brilliant humans – to paddle conversational canoes with some of my greatest influences. I probed the mental gladstones of functional and integrative medicine physicians like Mark Hyman, Sara Gottfried, Jeff Bland, Zach Bush, Casey Means, Kara Fitzgerald, David and Austin Perlmutter, Jolene Brighten and Terry Wahls. I’ve spoken with neuroscientists like Andrew Huberman and Adam Gazzaley, with nutritionists like Elissa Goodman and Simon Hill, with environmentalists like Paul Hawken, Warren Brush, Finian Makepeace, Ryland Engelhardt and Kate Nelson, with spiritualists such as Deepak Chopra, Danielle LaPorte and Marianne Williamson. and with trauma and addiction experts including Gabor Maté, Hala Khouri and David Kessler. I’ve jawed and nattered with purveyors of every bespoke wellness modality including Wim Hof, Byron Katie, Davidji, Tracee Stanley and Michael Beckwith and with those who defy categorization like Matthew McConaughey, Mickey Hart, Marie Forleo, Jim Kwik, Dave Asprey and Rener & Ryron Gracie. It's beyond humbling because every week I speak with someone who is not only smarter than I am but who also has an expertise. And this requires me to rigorously read and research a salad bar of fascinating and, at times, complicated topics – if only out of vanity and the risk of public embarrassment. I try to distill all of this wisdom into ideas that people can understand and apply hopefully in a manner that improves their lives. And it simply would not be possible without all of you who listen, who send me emails (mostly of encouragement), who write reviews and share the podcast with friends. In an era where time and attention are the most valuable commodities, I am honored to have yours. I don’t take it for granted. So, thank you. It’s a privilege to do this work.

Health, in all of its expressions, is reflected by balance. Balance is a sensitive state of equilibrium - always in flux and in relationship with its environment.  Balance in the human body is known as homeostasis.  The foundational intelligence of nature pulls opposing forces into an imperfect, unstable balance. When you align with nature’s operating system and flow with her current, you will almost always find health.