A master-class in personal and professional development, ultra-athlete, wellness evangelist and bestselling author Rich Roll delves deep with the world's brightest and most thought provoking thought leaders to educate, inspire and empower you to unleash your best, most authentic self. More at: https://richroll.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The Crazy Benefits of Water-Only Fasting With Dr. Alan Goldhamer
When you hear the word ‘addiction’, our attention typically turns to mind-altering substances -- illicit drugs, alcohol, and prescription medications.
Typically overlooked in this conversation? Food.
But food addiction isn't just real, it just might be our biggest problem. In fact, the hyper-industrialized western world is firmly entrenched in an epidemic of dysfunctional eating, fueled by an outsized appetite for an ever-increasing array of highly processed foods that are scientifically designed -- with just the right amount of sugar, salt and fat -- to hijack our nervous system. Enslave us to compulsive habits that lead to illness. And ultimately render us wards of the pharmaceutical industry.
Meanwhile we’ve normalized this twisted and deleterious relationship. So much so that right now, more than two-thirds of adults in the industrialized world are overweight or obese.
Nonetheless, millions of people find it extremely difficult if not downright impossible to change their dietary habits -- and simply break the fatal, addictive grip.
So how does one effectively transition to a healthy diet sustained over time?
According to Dr. Alan Goldhamer, a great place to start is by fasting.
I'm not talking about a couple days of drinking juice. I'm talking about nothing but water for upwards of 40 days.
Even with strict medical supervision it sounds like scary quackery. But over the last few decades, Dr. Goldhamer has successfully supervised over 20,000 patient fasts. Along the way, he has seen lives transformed wholesale. Unhealthy eating habit addictions broken. Medications ditched. And countless illnesses overcome.
An iconoclastic pioneer in his field, Dr. Goldhamer is the founder of True North Health Center, one of the first (and largest) facilities in the world that specializes in medically supervised water-only fasting, along with medical and chiropractic services, psychotherapy and counseling, and more.
His work and studies have appeared in countless medical journals. He was featured in the hit documentary What The Health. And his book The Pleasure Trap (co-authored by Dr. Doug Lisle), has helped countless thousands transcend their prison of compulsivity when it comes to food choice.
Today he joins the podcast to walk us through all things fasting, food addiction, and the power of a whole plant diet to prevent and reverse the many chronic lifestyle ailments that unnecessarily impair millions of people across the world.
We explore all things water fasting, from it's origins dating back thousands of years across many cultures and religious traditions to the protocol Dr. Goldhamer administers today.
We discuss how fasting can create the foundation to transition to a sustainable, healthy whole food plant diet.
And we explore why he advocates an 'SOS' (very low salt oil and sugar) version of that diet.
But more than anything, this is a powerful discourse on our uncomfortable relationship with food. How most of us don’t realize we are killing ourselves with our fork and knife. How our food, and our food culture, is making us fat, sick, and frankly miserable. And how almost all of us, despite weight and health, use food as an emotional crutch.
I'm well aware that Dr. Goldhamer is controversial in certain circles. His approach represents a radical departure from our traditional western medical paradigm. But he also makes a lot of sense. And his results speak for themselves (I have several personal friends who have undergone his protocol).
Final Note: Under no circumstances should anyone undertake a water fast of any length without the medical supervision of a trained professional. In other words, please do not try this at home.
The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the podcast streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
My hope is that Dr. Goldhamer will inspire you to think more deeply about the body's profound ability to heal itself when treated properly. That food freedom is possible. And that none of us need fall prey to chronic food-borne illness.
Peace + Plants,
Listen, Watch & Subscribe
Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts
Thanks to this week’s sponsors
Four Sigmatic: Nutritious and delicious mushroom brews and elixirs made with only the highest quality adaptogens and easy to take on the go. To try ‘em out visit foursigmatic.com/roll and use the discount code ROLL to get 10% off your order.
Seed: Stewarding the future of how we will use bacteria to restore and sustain human and planetary health, Seed’s Daily Symbiotic combines 24 clinically-verified, naturally-occurring, probiotic strains with plant-based prebiotics. Head on over to seed.com/RICHROLL to learn more about their game-changing Daily Symbiotic.
Squarespace: The easiest way to create a beautiful website, blog, or online store for you and your ideas. Save 10% at checkout when you visit squarespace.com/richroll and use the discount code RICHROLL at checkout.
For a complete list of all RRP sponsors and their respective vanity url's and discount codes, visit my Resources page and click "Sponsors".
SHOW NOTES
- Connect with Dr. Goldhamer: Website | Facebook
- Book: The Pleasure Trap by Douglas J. Lisle and Alan Goldhamer
- Clinic: TrueNorth Health Center
- Research: British Medical Journal
- Research: Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
- Research: Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
- Research: Cell Metabolism
- BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Is fasting safe? A chart review of adverse events during medically supervised, water-only fasting
- Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal: The Clinical Effectiveness of Rebooting Your Body
- TED: The pleasure trap by Douglas Lisle
- GQ: How the Terrible, Insufferable Six-Day Water Fast Made Me a New Man by Ben Marcus
- YouTube: Healing From Food Addiction by Alan Goldhamer
- Fasting.com: Start Here
Related Podcasts:
- RRP #363: Ultimate Weight Loss Secrets With Chef AJ
- RRP #212: Ray Cronise: Disrupting Nutritional Science, Intermittent Fasting & How He Helped Penn Jillette Lose Over 100 Pounds
- RRP #367: Fasting For Longevity: Valter Longo, PH.D.
- RRP #498: Rewind Your Clock: David Sinclair, PH.D. Wants To Cure Aging
Thanks to Jason Camiolo for production, audio engineering and show notes; Margo Lubin and Blake Curtis for video, editing and graphics; and theme music by Ana Leimma.
*Disclosure: Books and products denoted with an asterisk are hyperlinked to an affiliate program. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THE PODCAST?
Tell Your Friends & Share Online!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Soundcloud | Google Podcasts
Donate: Check out our Patreon account
Support The Sponsors: One of the best ways to support the podcast is to support our sponsors. For a complete list of all RRP sponsors and their respective vanity url's and discount codes, visit my Resources page and click "Sponsors".
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.