The Food & Stress Crisis Keeping You Chronically Unhealthy (& How to Fix It)
top of page
Search

The Food & Stress Crisis Keeping You Chronically Unhealthy (& How to Fix It)

  • Writer: Dr. Mindy Pelz
    Dr. Mindy Pelz
  • 1 hour ago
  • 3 min read

EP342 with Dr. Austin Perlmutter



One in three women will experience Alzheimer's. Mental health is the top health concern for men and number two for women. And yet the conversation about what actually protects the brain — day in, day out, for free — is still barely happening.


Dr. Austin Perlmutter is an internal medicine physician, researcher, and author of Brainwash. He's also one of the few voices in the health space willing to say plainly: the modern world is set up for your health failure. And the most powerful tools to fight back aren't for sale.


This conversation goes deep on the science of polyphenols, what researchers are calling the dark matter of nutrition and why nature itself may be one of the most underutilized brain health interventions available.


The modern world is set up for your health failure unless you consciously choose differently.

-Dr. Austin Perlmutter


Here's what you'll learn in this episode:


  • Why brain disease exists on a continuum that starts 20 to 30 years before diagnosis — and what early warning signs to watch for

  • What the "dark matter of nutrition" is the 139,000 molecules in food that science is only beginning to understand

  • Why bitter foods signal polyphenol content and how to use your taste buds as a nutrient detector

  • How polyphenols act as prebiotics for the gut microbiome and change brain health from the inside out

  • What the DIRECT-Plus Green Med study found including its stunning results on hippocampal atrophy, visceral fat, and metabolic function

  • Why anthocyanins — the red, blue, and purple pigments in berries and dark vegetables may be the most important polyphenols for brain health

  • How sprouting food dramatically increases polyphenol content and what Dr. Perlmutter's current randomized trial with 850 people is studying

  • What 20 minutes of nature exposure once a week does to cortisol and why birding may rewire the brain

  • Why the answer to most of what ails us is less, not more and how to start



Resources Mentioned




Meet the Guest

Dr. Austin Perlmutter


Dr. Austin Perlmutter is an internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, researcher, podcaster and health entrepreneur on a mission to help millions better their brains through lifestyle medicine. His work has been featured in PBS, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, NPR, Fox and other top media outlets.


Dr. Perlmutter is the Chief Science Officer of Big Bold Health, where he authored a pioneering clinical trial on plant nutrients for human aging and is the CEO of Lichen Air, providing indoor air solutions for brain health and longevity. He is part of a university team publishing clinical data on the microbiome and epigenetic impact of ayahuasca and is currently overseeing the largest double blinded RCT ever conducted on an individual food for brain health.



More on Dr. Austin Perlmutter


Never Miss an Episode

If these conversations support you, I’d love to keep them coming directly to you.



This is where we explore hormones, brain health, fasting, midlife, and what it really means to trust your body, together.

bottom of page