Mastering Nutrition - podcast cover

Mastering Nutrition

Chris Masterjohn, PhDthedailylipid.libsyn.com
Welcome to the Mastering Nutrition podcast. Mastering Nutrition is hosted by Chris Masterjohn, a nutrition scientist focused on optimizing mitochondrial health, and founder of BioOptHealth, a program that uses whole genome sequencing, a comprehensive suite of biochemical data, cutting-edge research and deep scientific insights to optimize each person's metabolism by finding their own unique unlocks. He received his PhD in Nutritional Sciences from University of Connecticut at Storrs in 2012, served as a postdoctoral research associate in the Comparative Biosciences department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's College of Veterinary Medicine from 2012-2014, served as Assistant Professor of Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College from 2014-2017, and now works independently in science research and education.
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Episodes

How to Free the Niacin in Grains and Seeds | Chris Masterjohn Lite #135

Are your whole grains and seeds good sources of niacin? That depends on you prepare them! Whole grains have 80-90% of their niacin locked up, and seeds have 40% of their niacin locked up. This episode covers how to free the bound niacin. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a ...

May 07, 20199 min

Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacin | Chris Masterjohn Lite #134

COFFEE 😍😍😍 Is it a good source of NIACIN? That depends on how you brew it. This episode has the details on the effect of roasting, coffee strength, and decaffeination. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow a...

May 02, 20196 min

How to Know If You Need More Niacin | Chris Masterjohn Lite #133

Ever wonder if you need more niacin? This episode covers the signs and symptoms of niacin deficiency as well as the reasons you'd be likely to become deficient. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain.....

Apr 30, 20199 min

How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aging | Chris Masterjohn Lite #132

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is the best form of niacin to take for anti-aging benefits. BUT… it could sap your creatine supply, making you weaker, hurting your digestion, or causing you to get depressed. AND it could mess with your dopamine, giving you "sticky brain" syndrome, causing negative thoughts and emotions to get stuck in your mind. How do we protect against this? It all comes down to dose, frequency, timing it with meals, and making sure you have enough methyl donors. Tune in for the de...

Apr 25, 20197 min

The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging | Chris Masterjohn Lite #131

Niacin, niacinamide, nicotinamide riboside, nicotinamide mononucleotide, oh my! 🙉 Which form should you take for anti-aging? In this episode, I recommend nicotinamide riboside (NR). It's better at increase NAD+ levels than niacin or niacinamide. It's probably equal to nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), but NMN hasn't been studied as well. NMN is probably absorbed as NR anyway, and might have lower absorption if your intestines are damaged. Tune in for the details of why I'm making this recommen...

Apr 23, 20197 min

Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? | Chris Masterjohn Lite #130

Should you inject yourself with NAD+ to stay young forever? 💉😮 My buddy Ben and some guys at Onnit are doin' it. 👊 I'm a little less prone to livin' on the edge. 🤓 I like the idea of living forever, but, well, I don't want to wind up 🤕 or 🥴. Tune in for my thoughts on NAD+ injections. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding...

Apr 18, 201911 min

What to Do About Fatty Liver | Chris Masterjohn Lite #129

An estimated 70 million Americans have fatty liver disease, and the strongest predictors are obesity and type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The lab I worked in when I completed my PhD specialized in fatty liver disease, so I did a lot of research on this and have published some papers on it. Here's my recommended fix, which I call the "choline-boosting modified fast." It focuses on weight loss that is as rapid as the person can handle, but no more rapid; using the foods least likely to contribute to liv...

Apr 16, 201911 min

Vitamin A and Fatty Liver | Chris Masterjohn Lite #128

Fatty liver can hurt your liver's ability to store vitamin A, which could make vitamin A supplements or vitamin A-rich foods toxic. Yet one of the main conditions that causes fatty liver -- obesity -- also makes your cell's deficient in vitamin A, deep down inside. This a big problem! You might need more vitamin A, yet not be able to handle getting it. Tune in for my solution. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed th...

Apr 11, 20197 min

Vitamin A and Pregnancy: Should You Worry? | Chris Masterjohn Lite #127

Can vitamin A cause birth defects? Maybe. Here's what I recommend to do with your vitamin A intake when you're expecting, or expecting to maybe be expecting. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... a...

Apr 09, 20197 min

What to Do About Vitamin A Toxicity | Chris Masterjohn Lite #126

If you have vitamin A toxicity, should you see a doctor? What foods should you stop eating, and are there any supplements you should start taking? Tune in for my suggestions. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marr...

Apr 04, 20196 min

How to Know If You Have Vitamin A Toxicity | Chris Masterjohn Lite #125

Is vitamin A toxic? It can be! It's a super-important essential nutrient and MANY people need MORE of it, yet it still has the potential to cause problems. Here is a method to use signs and symptoms, the amounts of vitamin A you've been exposed to, and lab tests to determine if you've gotten too much. There are a few symptoms that I neglected to mention in the video that are worth taking note of: skin peeling, itching, cracked lips, and fatigue. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supple...

Apr 02, 20198 min

Do Children Need Less Nutrients Than Adults? | Chris Masterjohn Lite #124

Does a growing child need a *less* nutritious diet than an adult? You would think so, looking at the RDAs! Yes, some of them are higher during childhood growth phases, such as calcium. But many of them are lower, and not because we know children need less but simply because they were scaled down by bodyweight. Should a child half your size who eats twice as much food as you eat a diet that's only 25% as nutrient-dense? I doubt it. Tune in for my thoughts on the topic and what I think we should d...

Mar 28, 20198 min

Your "MTHFR" Is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency | Chris Masterjohn Lite #123

Got MTHFR? 😬 Relax! Riboflavin will come to the rescue! 😁 MTHFR is an enzyme that uses folate (vitamin B9) to support your mental and physical health. It does so by using riboflavin (vitamin B2) to make the methyl group of methylfolate. The common polymorphisms that lower MTHFR activity may do so simply by hurting its ability to bind riboflavin, and enough riboflavin may be able to bring that activity completely back up to normal! Tune in for the details. This episode is brought to you by Ance...

Mar 26, 20198 min

How to Use an Oura Ring and HRV for Exercise Performance and Recovery | Chris Masterjohn Lite #122

Feel tanked after your workout? 😫 Well you might feel fine, but you might still be stressing your body too much. How do you know? This is my recommended protocol for using heart rate variability to determine how recovered you are. It covers everything from getting an accurate baseline measurement to discovering and testing things that impact your recovery time. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the o...

Mar 21, 20198 min

5 Signs Your Brain Needs More Vitamin C and Copper | Chris Masterjohn Lite #121

"Low Copper Low Vitamin C BRAIN Syndrome" Ok it's not a medical term. I invented it. But this is the cluster of signs and symptoms that make it sound like your brain needs more vitamin C or copper, based on the neuropeptides we need these nutrients to activate. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ance...

Mar 19, 20196 min

Niacin, Part 2: Blood Tests, Foods, and Supplements | Mastering Nutrition #62

In part 1 we covered what niacin is and why you need it. Here's part 2, where Alex Leaf and I cover blood tests, foods, and supplements! How much do we need? The RDA has some flaws, including claiming women need less than men, when all the evidence shows women need *more* than men. Why eating enough protein is so essential, yet so unreliable as a way of boosting niacin status. How the niacin in your coffee, seeds, and grains is all locked up and unavailable, and how to release it through proper ...

Mar 16, 20192 hr 21 min

Ten Steps to Healthy Sleep | Chris Masterjohn Lite #120

Here are ten steps to healthy sleep! What has been most game-changing for you? Let me know in the comments! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more infor...

Mar 14, 201912 min

How to Stop Waking Up to Pee | Chris Masterjohn Lite #119

Don't you just hate it when you keep waking up in the middle of the night to pee? If this is your biggest sleeping problem, listen up. In this episode I cover how sleeping regular hours is one of the most important ways to combat this, and how nutrients (salt, vitamin C, copper, zinc, glycine, enough calories) and stress management can also help. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a hea...

Mar 12, 20197 min

Vitamin A for Sleep | Chris Masterjohn Lite # 118

To get good sleep, your brain needs to know when it's daytime and when it's nighttime. How does it know? Vitamin A tells it! So if you don't have enough vitamin A, your brain is going to be clueless. Tune in for how to figure out if vitamin A is at the bottom of your sleeping problems. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding orga...

Mar 07, 20196 min

How to Make Your Own Melatonin | Chris Masterjohn Lite #117

Here's how to make your own melatonin. No, not in your basement -- in your brain. We cover the effect of protein, carbs, vitamins, blue-blocking, and sunshine. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs,...

Mar 05, 20198 min

Niacin, Part 1: What It Is and Why You Need It | Mastering Nutrition #44

Niacin is vitamin B3. You use it to make NAD, the ultimate anti-aging molecule that repairs your DNA and lengthens your telomeres, and the most foundational molecule in our entire system of energy metabolism. It is especially important to protecting your mind, your skin, and your gut. You use it to release all your neurotransmitters. This is why depression sets in as the earliest sign of deficiency and why, when it gets bad enough, it leads to suicidality or schizophrenia-like psychosis. You use...

Mar 01, 20192 hr 6 min

Why You Shouldn't Take Melatonin Too Often | Chris Masterjohn Lite #116

I used to be addicted to melatonin. I couldn't sleep without taking a time-release melatonin every night. Well, it wasn't really an addiction. It was that my sleep just sucked, so I was stuck using melatonin because my body wasn't working right. I haven't needed melatonin to sleep for *years.* I regard it as a sign of the success of what I've done to fix my sleep that I don't need it anymore. Do you take melatonin? I'm not against it. I think everyone should have some melatonin on hand in their ...

Feb 28, 20198 min

Tryptophan and Carbs for Sleep | Chris Masterjohn Lite #115

In order to sleep well, you need to get a good dose of tryptophan into your brain at any point during the day. The simplest way to do that is with natural, whole-food, high-glycemic carbohydrates like white potatoes and sweet potatoes. Tune in for how to make this work on a high-carb, low-carb or even keto diet, when to include a tryptophan supplement, and what to consider when timing the supplements or carbs. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Nat...

Feb 26, 20197 min

Should You Eat Protein At Night? | Chris Masterjohn Lite #114

Could eating protein at night hurt your sleep? In this episode I discuss why it *might* hurt your sleep. Eating protein at the last meal of your day is important if you are trying to build muscle, but if you are trying to resolve sleeping problems then trying a lower-protein meal at night should be one of the tools in your kit. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from...

Feb 21, 20195 min

Can Alpha-GPC and Gingko Hurt Your Sleep? | Chris Masterjohn Lite #113

In the last episode, I covered how and why I use alpha-GPC and ginkgo biloba supplements during periods where I need increased focused concentration. But could this hurt your sleep if you take them at night? Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-...

Feb 19, 20196 min

Why You Should Manage Your Riboflavin Status and How to Do It | Mastering Nutrition #58

Riboflavin is the ultimate fat-burning nutrient. It makes even a bad MTHFR work right, and it keeps you looking young and beautiful forever. Here's everything you need to know about why you should manage your riboflavin status and how to do it. In this podcast I join with Alex Leaf of Examine.Com. I focus on what riboflavin is and what it does, while Alex focuses on riboflavin supplements. Going into this podcast I changed my mind about three important things: While I had always discussed ribofl...

Feb 16, 20192 hr 46 min

Alpha-GPC and Ginkgo Biloba for Focused Concentration | Chris Masterjohn Lite #112

Here's how and why I use alpha-GPC and ginkgo biloba supplements during periods where I need increased focused concentration. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and m...

Feb 14, 20197 min

How to Make Your Own GABA | Chris Masterjohn Lite #111

Here's how to make your own GABA, not in your basement, but in your brain. GABA helps relax you, helps you make faster and better decisions under pressure, and helps you face your fears with less of a harmful stress response. To make it ourselves we need glucose to enter the brain, then we need to use seven B vitamins, at least four minerals, and a robust supply of cellular energy to make the GABA, and we need salt, potassium, and energy to make it function properly. Tune in for how to get all t...

Feb 12, 201910 min

How to Get GABA from Food | Chris Masterjohn Lite | Chris Masterjohn Lite #110

GABA helps relax you, helps you make faster and better decisions under pressure, and helps you face your fears with less of a harmful stress response. Tune in to find out how to get it from FOOD! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver,...

Feb 07, 20196 min

Why You Might Need Carbs With Your GABA or Glycine | Chris Masterjohn Lite #109

Most people won't have adverse effects from taking GABA or glycine supplements, but some do. If you find that either of these cause anxiety from tanking your breathing or heart rate, a dose of high-glycemic carbs like white potatoes, sweet potatoes, or rice, could be the thing that helps. Tune in to find out why! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health ...

Feb 05, 20196 min
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