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

11 minutes ago

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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.

Show Notes

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