The Ben Azadi Show

Get 10% off Lineage Provisions with code FREEDOM10 at ⁠https://bit.ly/4hM7tQ6⁠

Eat less, move more. It's what almost every doctor tells you, and research suggests most people who rely on it regain the weight within a few years. Dr. Paul Saladino and I tier rank exercise, nutrition, supplements, sleep, and biohacks to show what actually moves the needle on visceral fat, and why your hunger may be the real problem.

Eat less. Move more.

It's the advice almost everyone gets when the doctor says their waistline is too big. And it can work, for a while. Then the weight comes back, often with extra.

Dr. Paul Saladino argues that's because calorie counting ignores the real question: why are you so hungry in the first place? His answer starts in a small part of your brain that controls whether you feel full, and what the modern food supply may be doing to it.

In this episode, Paul and I build a 30-day plan for losing visceral fat, the hard, round belly fat wrapped around your organs. We rank exercise, foods, supplements, sleep habits, and biohacks from S tier to D tier. Some of the rankings surprised even me.

You can't pinch visceral fat. It sits around your organs, drains straight to your liver, and Dr. Paul Saladino calls it the center of insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction.

In this episode, Paul and I break down what visceral fat is, how it forms when your body runs out of room to store fat safely, and the simple, inexpensive lab test both of us think everyone should get, even if your blood sugar looks normal.

Then we put everything to the test with a tier list. We rank exercise for visceral fat, from post-meal walks to marathon running, and Paul shares why he used to run ultramarathons and wouldn't recommend chronic cardio now. We also respectfully disagree on fasted training.

On nutrition, Paul explains how he went from carnivore to animal-based to what he calls "Food For Humans," why he believes calories are a psyop, and how processed foods may disrupt the part of your brain that tells you you're full. He also shares his view on GLP-1 medications: what they do well, and the side effect that worries him most.

Plus, Paul ranks creatine, magnesium, vitamin D, fish oil, and berberine, explains why light flicker at night may be hurting your sleep, and tells us why he won't eat at restaurants with LED lighting.

If you want to lose stubborn belly fat without white-knuckling your way through another diet, this is one to watch.

Try Lineage Provisions: benazadi.com/lineage

Code: FREEDOM10

About the Guest

Dr. Paul Saladino is a board-certified medical doctor who worked as a physician assistant in cardiology before medical school and completed his residency at the University of Washington. After using a carnivore diet to address his own eczema, he became one of the most recognized voices in the carnivore and animal-based nutrition space and wrote The Carnivore Code. He left formal medical practice to focus on asking "why" about chronic disease, and is behind Lineage Provisions, the upcoming book Food For Humans, and Mr. Tallow's, a healthy fast food restaurant coming to Austin, Texas.

FOLLOW DR. PAUL SALADINO

Instagram: Dr. Paul Saladino (@paulsaladinomd)

YouTube: Paul Saladino MD • YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@Paulsaladinomd

Health Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise, supplements, or medications.

FOLLOW BEN AZADIInstagram: Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profileFacebook: Ben Azadi, FDN-PTikTok: Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTokLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadiWebsite: Ben Azadi

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:Metabolic Freedom: Metabolic FreedomKeto Flex: Get KetoFlex + Bonuses

Would you rather be 90 with a billion dollars, or 20 with your health, your relationships, and your whole life ahead of you? Most people answer that instantly. Then they spend their lives living the opposite way. Alex and I break down the five types of wealth and why chasing only one of them could leave you rich and empty at the same time.

When you hear the word wealth, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Money. For almost everyone.

But money is just one of five types of wealth, and it's not the biggest one. You can hit your financial goals and still be broke in time, health, relationships, and peace of mind. Alex knows this firsthand. He was building a business, traveling across the country, and working nonstop "for the family." Then his marriage ended.

In this episode, we talk about what real wealth looks like, why reaching your goal can still feel empty, and how to stop climbing a mountain you never really wanted to be on.

What if you're chasing the wrong kind of rich?

In this episode, Alex and I break down the five types of wealth from Sahil Bloom's book: time, social, mental, physical, and financial wealth. Most people only measure one of them. And when money becomes the only scoreboard, everything else quietly starts to fall apart.

Alex opens up about the moment he realized he'd prioritized business so hard that his marriage paid the price, and what he does differently now. We get into why money is like a magnifying glass, why reaching a big goal can feel strangely empty, and the definition of success that completely changed how I think about goals.

We also talk about the question that makes everything clear: would you trade places with a 90-year-old billionaire? Plus, why I believe in dying with zero, the biggest regret people are likely to have at 80, and the story of a single conversation that almost stopped Bob Proctor before he ever started.

Alex also shares how he got turned down by 30 to 40 investors before raising $1.45 million, and why the next wedding photo, business milestone, or number in your bank account isn't where the wealth actually lives.

If you're an entrepreneur, a high achiever, or someone who's hit the goal and still feels like something is missing, this one's for you.

FOLLOW BEN AZADIInstagram: Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profileFacebook: Ben Azadi, FDN-PTikTok: Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTokLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadiWebsite: Ben Azadi

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:Metabolic Freedom: Metabolic FreedomKeto Flex: Get KetoFlex + Bonuses

You're eating clean, exercising, and trying to sleep on time, but that round, hard belly won't budge. In this episode, I share the exact 7-day plan I'd follow if I had one week to start reversing cortisol belly. Almost every step is free, and none of them involve working harder.

You're eating clean. You're working out. You're going to bed on time.

And the belly still won't budge.

Here's something most people don't know: the area around your vital organs has about three times as many cortisol receptors as other parts of your body. So when you're chronically stressed, your body may be far more likely to store fat right there, around your belly.

Alex learned this the hard way. Two weeks off after eye surgery, a little travel, a few extra sweets, and he could literally feel the inflammation in his belly. With his wedding less than 45 days away, he asked me one question: if you only had 7 days, what would you do?

This episode is my answer.

Why does belly fat stick around even when you feel like you're doing everything right?

In this episode, Alex and I break down cortisol belly: what it is, why it's different from the fat you can pinch, and why your body may hold onto visceral fat when it thinks it's under threat. Your body can't tell the difference between a tiger chasing you and stress from your finances, your commute, or a late-night argument. To your body, it's all a threat, and threats tell it to store fat.

So the goal isn't to fight harder. It's to change the signal.

I walk through a simple 7-day plan where you stack one new habit each day, starting with the change I believe has the biggest impact on your deep sleep. We talk about why scrolling first thing in the morning and watching intense shows before bed could be working against you, and the "palate cleanse" trick my wife and I use at night. I also share the four daily habits I'd keep if I had to simplify everything.

Alex gets real about how wedding stress, poor deep sleep, and a few weeks off track showed up in his body. I share what happened to my own stress levels after a few days of eating off-plan in Mexico.

We also get into why more workouts, more restriction, and more fasting can sometimes make things worse, and why getting good at the "get back" matters more than avoiding setbacks.

If you're dealing with stubborn belly fat, high stress, or poor sleep, start here.

Health Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine.

FOLLOW BEN AZADIInstagram: Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profileFacebook: Ben Azadi, FDN-PTikTok: Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTokLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadiWebsite: Ben Azadi

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:Metabolic Freedom: Metabolic FreedomKeto Flex: Get KetoFlex + Bonuses

What if your weight, hunger, sleep, and belly fat aren't controlled by food alone?

Dr. Eric Berg joins Ben Azadi to reveal how the environment around you can influence your metabolism, insulin, stress, sleep, movement, dopamine, and even your relationship with food. From the cues in your kitchen to the light you see at night, the amount of time you spend sitting, and how often you check your phone, your daily environment may be shaping your health more than you realize.

Dr. Eric Berg joins Ben Azadi to explore a bigger question: What if changing your environment is just as important as changing your diet?

Drawing from his new book Change Your Environments, Dr. Berg explains how modern life can create constant triggers for eating, sedentary behavior, poor sleep, stress, distraction, and isolation. He shares why environmental cues can drive eating even when you're not physically hungry, how repeated insulin spikes can interfere with fat burning, and why morning sunlight and consistent sleep timing can be powerful environmental inputs.

The conversation also explores movement and physical work, the hidden cost of constantly checking your phone, loneliness as a threat signal, chemical exposure, indoor air quality, liver fat, and the nutrients Dr. Berg believes are important to consider. Rather than focusing on one isolated habit, the episode looks at how multiple environmental factors can stack together and influence metabolic health, stress, recovery, and everyday behavior.

Dr. Eric Berg is a chiropractor, health educator, and longtime health content creator with approximately 40 years of experience in practice. He is known for his large health-focused online audience and joins Ben to discuss his new book, Change Your Environments.

In this conversation, Dr. Berg shares his perspective on how food cues, light, sleep, movement, technology, social connection, chemical exposure, and nutrition can influence the environment in which our health decisions take place.

Health Disclaimer

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health, diet, or medication.

GET DR.BERG BOOK

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:

Metabolic Freedom: ⁠⁠⁠Metabolic Freedom⁠⁠⁠

Keto Flex: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Get KetoFlex + Bonuses⁠



FOLLOW DR. ERIC BERG

Website: Dr. Berg Dr. Berg – Keto, Fasting & Natural Health EducationAbout Dr. Berg: Who Is Dr. Berg? Health Educator & AuthorInstagram: Dr. Eric Berg DC (@drericberg) YouTube: Dr. Eric Berg DC

FOLLOW BEN AZADI

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profile⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠Ben Azadi, FDN-P⁠⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTok⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadi⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadi⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠Ben Azadi⁠⁠⁠

Your blood sugar can look perfectly normal for up to 14 years while insulin resistance quietly builds underneath.

Dave Asprey and I get into why most doctors never test for it, why the restaurant "tallow fries" you ordered may not be what you think, and what happened to my cholesterol, gut bacteria, and inflammation markers after 90 straight days of carnivore.

93% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy. In 2018, that number was 88%. It's getting worse, not better.

And most people won't find out until years after the damage starts, because the test that could catch it early usually isn't ordered.

There's no medication for high insulin, so why check?

In this conversation, Dave Asprey and I go after the things that keep people stuck as sugar burners: high insulin, seed oils hiding in "healthy" menu items, oxalates in so-called superfoods, and the idea that your metabolism slows down just because you got older.

Spoiler: a 6,800-person study says otherwise.

What if your labs look fine and you're still years into a metabolic problem?

In this episode, I sit down with biohacker Dave Asprey to talk about why so many people are stuck burning sugar, and what it takes to get your metabolic flexibility back.

We start with insulin, the marker most doctors skip, and why a fasting insulin over 6 may be a warning sign even when your glucose and A1C look normal.

Dave and I also break down why high insulin, not salt, may be what's pushing your blood pressure up.

From there, we get into seed oils and why "high smoke point" doesn't mean what most people think. A study on cooking oils found that the oils with the highest smoke points produced the most harmful polar compounds, while one oil most people are told not to cook with produced the least.

Dave and I don't fully agree on this one, and that's part of the fun.

I also share the results of my 90-day carnivore experiment, including full blood work, stool tests, and a review from a heart surgeon.

My total cholesterol went from 300 to 450. What the rest of my markers showed may surprise you. Dave shares his own carnivore experiment, which went very differently, and we talk about where the upper limit should be.

Plus: how Dave gave himself gout in three days, why almond flour gave me recurring styes, the right way to think about gut diversity, and why your metabolism isn't fast or slow, it's efficient or inefficient.

If you care about insulin resistance, seed oils, keto, carnivore, fasting, gut health, or longevity, this one's for you.

About Dave Asprey

Dave Asprey is a biohacker, entrepreneur, and host of The Human Upgrade podcast.

He founded Bulletproof and wrote The Bulletproof Diet, one of the first major books to bring intermittent fasting and keto to a mainstream audience. He's also the author of Heavily Meditated and the founder of Danger Coffee, and he's involved with Upgrade Labs.

After losing 50 pounds in three months on keto, Dave spent the next decade experimenting to lose the last 50. That journey shaped his data-driven approach to metabolic flexibility, longevity, and biohacking.

Health Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise, supplements, or health routine.

FOLLOW DAVE ASPREY

Website: Dave Asprey | Official Website

About Dave Asprey: Biohacking, Longevity & Human Performance

Instagram: Dave Asprey (@dave.asprey)

YouTube: Dave Asprey

FOLLOW BEN AZADIInstagram: Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profileFacebook: Ben Azadi, FDN-PTikTok: Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTokLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadiWebsite: Ben Azadi

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:Metabolic Freedom: Metabolic FreedomKeto Flex: Get KetoFlex + Bonuses