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Home » Podcast » What Cookware Does Ben Use?, Do You REALLY Need To Avoid Gluten & How To Gain Muscle Fast: Solosode #489

What Cookware Does Ben Use?, Do You REALLY Need To Avoid Gluten & How To Gain Muscle Fast: Solosode #489

solosode #489

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Reading time: 5 minutes

What I Discuss:

  • My wild week of cutting-edge regenerative treatments in Austin—from plasma infusions and salmon sperm facials to Botox injections in very private places—and how they left me feeling like a teenage superhero…06:01
  • Listener Question: The best clean, non-toxic kitchen brands, and how everyday cookware and appliances expose you to hidden toxins like microplastics, forever chemicals, and heavy metals…10:22
  • Listener Question: Why gluten isn’t always the villain it’s made out to be—and how gut issues blamed on gluten are often caused by glyphosate, FODMAPs, or other food additives, not the gluten itself…27:22
  • The hidden downsides of gluten-free diets—from nutrient-poor flours and blood sugar spikes to over-processed substitutes—and why choosing ancient grains and quality wheat is often a better path…34:37
  • Listener Question: How to build muscle as fast as possible, the benefits of using five key compound lifts, plus simple tips on sets, reps, and rest strategies to get the best results in minimal time…41:44
  • How to fuel rapid muscle growth with nutrient-dense whole foods, high-quality proteins, and smart supplements…47:42

In this fascinating episode of Boundless Life, you’ll get to explore some of today’s most misunderstood and debated health topics—from gluten myths and kitchen toxins to advanced regenerative treatments and rapid muscle growth strategies. It’s an eye-opening mix of science, personal experimentation, and practical tools you can start using right away to upgrade your health.

We kick things off with a fresh look at gluten. I'll reveal why most gut issues blamed on gluten are often caused by other culprits—like glyphosate, food additives, or FODMAPs—and why going gluten-free might not be the magic bullet it’s made out to be. You’ll also hear why extreme elimination diets can backfire, and how diverse, whole-food nutrition is often the smarter path.

From there, I dive into your kitchen—the most overlooked source of hidden toxins in your daily life. You’ll discover how common cookware and appliances may be exposing you to microplastics, forever chemicals, and heavy metals—and how to clean up your kitchen without stress or spending a fortune. I share my go-to brands, what to avoid, and simple swaps that make a real difference in optimizing your long-term health.

I'll also break down the five most effective compound lifts for fast muscle gain, how to structure sets and rest periods, and how to fuel your body with nutrient-dense, muscle-supporting foods. You’ll get a clear protocol for protein timing, supplement support, and even how to incorporate raw dairy and organ meats for next-level results—without falling for hype or gimmicks.

And finally, I take you inside one of my wildest weeks of biohacking yet—an experimental trip to Austin where I tried everything from exosome injections and shockwave therapy to youthful plasma infusions and a salmon sperm facial. It’s cutting-edge, a little crazy, and surprisingly effective. You’ll hear exactly how these treatments made me feel like a teenage superhero, and whether or not I’d do them again.

Packed with research, personal experience, and honest insight, this episode is your roadmap to living stronger, smarter, and more boundless every single day.

Please Scroll Down for the Sponsors, Resources, and Transcript

Episode Sponsors: 

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Ben Greenfield [00:00:00]: My name is Ben Greenfield, and on this episode of the Boundless Life podcast, gluten fears are overrated. So here's what I mean by that. I don't necessarily think a gluten free diet is the best solution for many gut issues. And as I talked about with nutritionist Joel Greene, having dietary diversity and not eliminating a bunch of plants and grains and grasses and herbs and spices is better for you because you develop a more robust microbiome. The more restrictive your diet, the. The less diverse your biome. And so, yeah, you don't want to like mainline gluten, especially in the US where wheat is bred for high yield crop and the gluten is more concentrated and you have some glyphosate, which I'll talk about shortly, that can aggravate the issues. I also don't recommend just like mowing through an entire like two quarts of quinoa or lentils in one sitting.

Ben Greenfield [00:00:51]: But getting exposed on a regular basis to many of these things that often get vilified can produce, paradoxically, a little bit better cellular resilience and a more diverse microbiome. Welcome to the Boundless Life with me, your host, Ben Greenfield. I'm a personal trainer, exercise physiologist, and nutritionist. And I'm passionate about helping you discover unparalleled levels of health, fitness, longevity, and beyond. Welcome to the show. Let me open up my Pepsi here. I'm just kidding. It's Mountain Dew.

Ben Greenfield [00:01:30]: I'm just kidding again. It's this stuff called Caffeine Evolved Update Lime energy drink. Not a sponsor of this show, but what I happen to grab out of the mini fridge in my garage, it has Paraxanthine in it. I did a podcast on that before. It's kind of like a. Like an upgraded version of caffeine that doesn't give you jitters, but, you know, improves your confidence and your swagger and all the things that I need. I'm very much lacking confidence and swagger whenever I wander in here to my office to record a podcast. I have been bouncing off the walls lately though.

Ben Greenfield [00:02:07]: I'll tell you what. I got back from Austin last week where I was speaking at this thing called the Health Optimization Summit, which was great, fantastic event. But I stuck around Austin a few days afterwards because as everybody knows, Austin is a hub of medical tourism. That's right, I was there doing medical treatments, also some podcasts and some meetings, and inevitably a little bit of pickleball. But this medical treatment was nuts. I did a whole podcast on it. I won't give you too many spoilers here, but I have been like a freaking 16 year old teenage boy energy level the past few days since I got back. I know it's kind of paradoxical that I'm drinking caffeine as I'm telling you this, but anyways, what I did there, and apparently Texas is one of the few states where you can legally do this, is I had a plasma from 18 to 25 year old healthy male donors infused into my body over the course of three days.

Ben Greenfield [00:03:03]: I gave away my old freaking old 43 year old plasma, replaced it with this donor plasma and then the doctor there, Kashi, she does all sorts of exosomes and platelet rich plasma. They did microneedling on my face and I kid you not, smeared salmon sperm. Apparently this is a thing like DNA and growth factors derived from salmon sperm on my face. There were a lot of jokes about aquarium porn going on while that procedure was being done and they even, gosh, since we just went there, they even injected my male sexual organs with Botox. My wife was very nervous that I was getting a paralytic toxin injected into my crotch regions in Austin. But apparently it relaxes smooth muscle tissue and allows blood flow. And then they did like a shockwave therapy to it and platelet rich plasma. I literally had an entire medical team huddled around my crotch working on it while I cringed and observed seven different injections going the so called corpus cavernosum and head of my male parts.

Ben Greenfield [00:04:17]: So probably TMI for you. But I recorded a whole podcast on it if you want to check this place out. It was at the Austin Regenerative Therapy. I'll hunt down the link and put it in the show notes for today's show. Crazy treatment. Cool that you can do that kind of stuff in the US and very cool that I have been, I've been like sleeping five and a half hours a night, crazy amounts of energy. I'm really bugging my wife, if you know what I mean, because my, my male vigor is so through the roof.

Ben Greenfield [00:04:47]: I don't think she's complaining. But regardless, I feel like I'm almost like too much for her to handle right now. It's a very interesting week and these medical procedures, well, they, they do work. You know, it's one thing to get some kind of a hyperbaric treatment and take your blood testing results to see if your telomeres have lengthened or something like that. It's quite another to walk out of a therapy clinic and feel like you're literally superman, which is how I feel right now. So anyways, I digress. I do have some interesting things for you today. Great questions that you guys have submitted.

Ben Greenfield [00:05:22]: If you go to BenGreenfieldLife.com, you can submit a question for this solo episode where it's just me talking. I'm sorry, no smart person for me to interview, just little old me. And I found some great questions that you submitted. So all the shownotes, anything I mentioned, you can go to BenGreenfieldLife.com/489. BenGreenfieldLife.com/489. but Nick wrote in and Nick asks, what brand of pan do you recommend me cooking with for the best, healthiest results? And Nick, this is a very astute question because the things that we cook with and our kitchen in general, can be toxic. And the kitchen can be a dangerous place to be beyond just you accidentally leaving the stovetop on risking burning the house down. There's a lot more going on in the kitchen than that. So here's how we break it down. Modern cookware and kitchen appliances can introduce things like microplastics.

Ben Greenfield [00:06:25]: I need to insert the scary vampire music here forever. Chemicals, also known as pfas and metals into food. And those are obviously health risks. So what are some of the details behind this? So, first of all, microplastics. These are tiny, tiny plastic particles. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of microplastics. They can contaminate food and drinks, amongst other things. And they're linked to health concerns.

Ben Greenfield [00:06:49]: Right. Endocrine inflammation and long term risks for things like cancer or reproductive issues. So what are some of the things that you need to worry about when it comes to microplastics? Well, first of all, cookware, nonstick pans are coated with something called polytetrafluoroethylene. That's a mouthful. Polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as ptfe, also known affectionately as Teflon, that can release microplastics when you scratch it or you overheat it. Not that anybody has ever overheated a pan or maybe used a metal spatula to scratch that pan as you're getting your scrambled eggs or your salmon off. But a 2022 study found a single crack on a Teflon pan could release approximately 9,100 microplastic particles. And a damaged Teflon coating might Release up to 2.3 million.

Ben Greenfield [00:07:38]: I need to make the Dr. Evil sign when I say that. Micro and nanoplastics. What else? Plastic utensils, the cutting Boards, especially those plastic ones, and mixing bowls, which are made often out of polypropylene or polyethylene. Those all microplastics during use. Okay, so cookwares are. Cookware is one area that we need to be careful, especially if that cookware is being heated. And as the name implies, if it's cookware, you're probably heating it.

Ben Greenfield [00:08:08]: What else? Appliances. So blenders. I'm a huge smoothie fan, but this is something I've been thinking a lot more about lately. Plastic components and containers and in blades of blenders can release microplastics when you're processing food, especially if it's an acidic or a fatty food. Or maybe you're blending something that's heated, like a sauce or a dressing. These are notorious sources of microplastics. Air fryers. I know people are getting away from frying in seed oils, but air fryer baskets often have non stick coatings that can degrade and release plastic housing, plastic accessories like the silicone mats or the tubings that can also contribute to microplastics that you're getting from your precious air fryer.

Ben Greenfield [00:08:51]: I love me some say carrot fries drenched in a little olive oil and paprika and sea salt cooked up in that air fryer. But you got to be careful and I will give you solutions here momentarily. I'm not just going to spend this entire podcast scaring you. Toasters, toaster ovens, nonstick coating inside toaster ovens. I didn't even realize until I started to research this that there's nonstick coating inside toaster ovens and on toaster trays. And those can also release microplastics when heated. The plastic components in toasters and many of these appliances can also degrade over time. I mean even a coffee maker.

Ben Greenfield [00:09:25]: Have you ever. Well, maybe you haven't. I had a coffee maker break once. So I had to do this unscrewed like the base of the coffee maker and looked inside it. Well, in many cases it's full of plastic tubing or these reservoirs that contain microplastics. Not only your coffee maker, but also your kettle. One study that I came across entitled beyond the food on your plate, investigating sources of microplastic contamination in home kitchens. This was in the journal Helion in July of 2024 identified that the the kettle that we literally heat hot water and if that has plastic components that can also leach microplastics, then you have your plastic storage containers, your cling wrap, your Ziploc bags, your cleaning tools like sponges and microfiber cloths which contain microplastics, especially when heated or stretched.

Ben Greenfield [00:10:17]: Like, you know, for example, when you stretch, cling, wrap over, let's say a container of food. So microplastics are one issue. Then we move on to these so called forever chemicals. I called them PFAS. PFAS? Technically it stands for polyfluoroalkyl substances that would be anything that is used typically in a non stick coating. Right. So non stick pans, these use a forever chemical coating that releases when heated, overheated, technically over 500 degrees Fahrenheit. But this occurs quite often when people are cooking at home or, or when they're scratched and that potentially contaminates the food.

Ben Greenfield [00:10:58]: You also get fumes released from this. I didn't even know this was a term again, until I started to research my answer to this question. But there's a thing called Teflon flu because of what goes into the air when you're cooking in these nonstick pans. Now, I have a standalone HEPA air filter in my kitchen called a Jaspr, because anytime you cook in a kitchen, the hood is too far above the stovetop to really catch. A lot of the toxic substances that can be released when you're cooking are the so called particulate matter 2.5, the very small PM2.5 particulates that are released into the air and cause lung damage when you're cooking. Well, a standalone HEPA air filter is a good idea, but so is choosing cookware that doesn't have this nonstick type of coating. What else has these forever chemicals? The air fryers that I mentioned earlier. In many cases, the baskets or trays in those, unless explicitly labeled PFAS free, can often have these forever chemicals in them.

Ben Greenfield [00:12:00]: Toaster ovens, and then another source of these forever chemicals are slow cookers or rice cookers. They have a lining inside of them. You could say the same for pressure cookers. And if you have that lining in there, then there are forever chemicals getting leached into your food. It's just a scary name. Forever chemicals. Immortal. Immortal, I should say.

Ben Greenfield [00:12:19]: And then you have metals. This is no surprise, I don't think for anybody cooking in, in the kitchen and using common metal cookware, aluminum, you're gonna find that in a lot of cookware and appliance components that can leach into food, particularly with acidic foods like let's say cooking with tomatoes or lemons. And some studies link long term aluminum exposure to anemia, dementia, bone disorders. Then you have metals like lead or cadmium. Poorly manufactured cookware or appliances, especially from unregulated sources, can contain trace amounts of lead or cadmium. I was even putting a weighted tape on my pickleball paddle the other day and I realized, oh, this thing has lead in it. You know, when I'm putting putting bullets into the magazine for my gun, I washed my hands thoroughly afterwards because that's another source of lead. But a lot of people don't realize they're getting exposed to a lot of lead and cadmium in the kitchen.

Ben Greenfield [00:13:14]: Stainless steel is pretty safe, but low quality stainless steel can contain nickel or chromium, and those get leached in small amounts, potentially causing reactions, especially in sensitive individuals. And then of course, you have the non stick coating and I've already kind of kicked that horse to death. Now, there are some other things that you should know about. For example, dishwashers with plastic interiors or plastic sponges that can release microplastics onto whatever you are cleaning in the dishwasher. Ovens and microwaves that have had plastics added to them can also produce these degradation byproducts that can contaminate food. And then you have what are called plasticizers. These are plastics and appliances like blender containers or the tubing that's used to heat water in a kettle. Those also contain endocrine disrupting chemicals, so called EDCs like BPA or phthalates, and that can leach into food, especially again, if you're cooking fatty foods or acidic substances.

Ben Greenfield [00:14:15]: So that all being said, what are some of the better forms of cookware out there that you can use that you can look for some brands that are aware of this and that are doing things right. One brand that I have been increasingly using, mostly because they reached out to sponsor the show, so I had some sent to me. It's not the only brand that we use, but it's a good one. It's called Our Place. They have this one pan, it's called the Always Pan. It's incredible. As the name implies, you can do just about anything with this Always Pan, from roast into frying salmon to just about anything you'd want to do. It's shallow enough to flip an egg, it's deep enough to roast a chicken.

Ben Greenfield [00:14:57]: Hence they call the Always Pan. That's a really good one. But Our Place, I think it's from our place.com, i'll link to it in the show notes as well. They've got the air fryers, they've got the ovens, they've got the blenders. They have this really cool thing called the Wonder Oven. They have a dream cooker. My only complaint about our place is some of their products are a little bit small, right? So if you have a large family, there's no way you're going to make enough food in their, in their air fryer or their Wonder oven for example. But especially if you're just cooking for yourself or maybe, you know, we have four people in our family and a lot of their stuff works just fine for us.

Ben Greenfield [00:15:29]: Us, they use a ceramic based nonstick coating that's free of all the forever chemicals, lead, camium, etc. They have glass storage containers, they have stainless steel accessories that don't break down and release some of those other metals that I was talking about. They're not the cheapest, but they're pretty good. So our place would be one. A few other companies that do things well. Xtrema spelled with an X. X T R E M A dot com. That's a hundred percent ceramic cookware. They do skillets, they do pots, they do air fryers and air fryer accessories.

Ben Greenfield [00:16:05]: That's another clean company, Caraway. Caraway does ceramic coated aluminum cookware, bakeware, glass storage containers and they do like a little bit of an aluminum core that could leach if the coating gets damaged, but that's highly unlikely. So Caraway is another good brand. 360 cookware handmade in the USA. They do stainless steel cookware and accessories like cutting boards, wooden utensils, lead free pewter measuring spoons. If that's your thing, I know you had that on your Christmas list, a lead free pewter measuring spoon. But they even do those borro firmis. There's a cool company, especially if you like to do like Dutch oven cooking or slow cooking.

Ben Greenfield [00:16:49]: They do handcrafted cast iron skillets, Dutch ovens and grill pans. They're made in the state of New York. So again in the USA they require a little bit more seasoning and maintenance as anybody who has cooked with cast iron prevent rust. They're heavy, but that's a great company. Borough. B O R O U G H. And then a few other companies I like Klean Kanteen spells a K and a K. K L E A N K A N T E E N, really great. If you're looking for food containers, canisters and drinkware that aren't made of plastic, these are stainless steel. I also travel with this stainless steel water bottle called the Mobot. I like that one because they literally make their big one.

Ben Greenfield [00:17:31]: I think it's called the Big Bertha to double as Like a body roller, like a foam roller. So when I travel I don't have a pack of foam roller or body therapy tool. I literally just use this Mobot water bottle and it's fantastic, you know, plus it's not leaching any plastics. I'm saving whatever 17.99 from not having to buy a 4 ounce bottle of Fiji when I'm traveling through the airport. I just use the airport water filters to refill my Mobot filter or my Mobot water bottle. Stainless steel, I like that one. And then there's a company Green Pan. Green Pan has a really great 6 quart slow cooker which is pretty big and that's again ceramic coated free forever chemicals, free of plastics.

Ben Greenfield [00:18:13]: So what I'll do is if you go to BenGreenfieldLife.com 489 I will list some of my favorite brands. I'll put them in there in the show notes and you can check them out as options for clean cooking. I feel very orthorexic talking about all these ways that your kitchen is going to kill you. It is something to be aware of. And fortunately it's not just fear mongering. There are solutions so I hope this is helpful. And one final thing, I think if you go after some of the low hanging fruit, it's a good idea. Like plastic cutting boards, easy to replace with a wooden cutting board, plastic spatula, you know, switching to wooden or silicone.

Ben Greenfield [00:18:53]: Silicone. Okay. Doesn't really break down. Instead of plastic, that's another option. And then just having a few good pans around like the, the always pan from our place, you know, a couple of good appliances, like even just like a really good air fryer can do a lot. It can bake, can usually have some kind of a broil setting. Can fry of course. So you know, just start small.

Ben Greenfield [00:19:13]: You don't have to overhaul your entire kitchen. But the things that you use regularly I would definitely like. If you make a smoothie every morning in a blender, get a blender that is from one of these companies like our place that doesn't actually have the plastic components that break down. So go after the low hanging fruit first. That's my recommendation. Next up, I have a question here from Delphi. What is Delphi? Delphi is not of the person who submitted the question. Delphi is the name of my AI.

Ben Greenfield [00:19:46]: What do you call it? Clone. If you go to the lower right hand side of BenGreenfieldLife.com you can ask my clone a question and it'll give you a pretty decent reply. But I also like to grab a few of those and reply to them right here on the show with a little bit more detail because they don't want my clone to put me out of business. So the question here, what are your thoughts on gluten? I believe that gluten is Satan, it is the devil and it is out to kill us and probably also the Antichrist and about the equivalent of Hitler and Stalin and maybe a little bit of Genghis Khan all rolled into one. I'm joking. I think that gluten fears are overrated. So here's what I mean by that. I don't necessarily think a gluten free diet is the best solution for many gut issues.

Ben Greenfield [00:20:36]: And as I talked about with nutritionist Joel Green, having dietary diversity and not eliminating a bunch of plants and grains and grasses and herbs and spices is better for you because you develop a more robust microbiome. The more restrictive your diet, the less diverse your biome. And so yeah, you don't want to like mainline gluten, especially in the US where wheat is bred for high yield crop and the gluten is more concentrated and you have some glyphosate, which I'll talk about shortly, that can aggravate the issues. I also don't recommend just like mowing through an entire like two quarts of quinoa or lentils in one sitting. But getting exposed on a regular basis to many of these things that often get vilified can produce paradoxically a little bit better cellular resilience and a more diverse microbiome. So here's why a glute might not be the best solution for gut issues. First of all, what's called NCGs, Non Cceliac Gluten sensitivity. That's often self diagnosed, diagnosed or assumed to be the case without proper testing.

Ben Greenfield [00:21:42]: And what research shows is only a small subset of people actually have non celiac gluten sensitivity, anywhere from 0.5 up to about 6% of the population. There's a great test that you can do. I run it on my clients much of the time it's called a Zoomer panel and the Zoomer will show you any sensitivities that you actually have that are not related to celiac disease, but as the name implies are non celiac gluten sensitivities. Very simple blood test. You can order it if you go to BenGreenfieldLife.com or one of the clicky dropdown menus there. I've got an option that says lab tests and I think I have the Zoomer on there as one of the available tests, or you can just Google it or ask your doctor about it. But in many cases, conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, small intestine, bacterial overgrowth, food intolerance not related to gluten can mimic gluten related symptoms, leading to misattribution of any gut issues that you're having to gluten, when gluten is often not the culprit. So what is often the culprit? Well, first of all, I mentioned glyphosate.

Ben Greenfield [00:22:43]: So glyphosate is an herbicide. It's commonly used on wheat crops. It's been hypothesized to disrupt your gut microbiota and what's called the tight junction integrity in the gut. Basically, it can poke holes in your gut and cause leaky gut syndrome, if we want to put it in simplistic terms. For example, There was a 2013 study in the journal Interdisciplinary Toxicology that suggested glyphosate can contribute to gut dysbiosis and inflammation. So this is also likely why some people will go to like Italy and mow through a metric crap ton of pasta and baked goodies. And even though those things would have caused them digestive distress in the US they feel fine in Europe because there are more restrictions on the use of herbicides over there. So again, it's not the gluten that was causing the issue, it's the glyphosate that the gluten was laced with that is causing the issue.

Ben Greenfield [00:23:37]: And then there are FODMAPs. So big one. So FODMAPs, technically it's a mouthful, but it stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. Fodmaps, these are short chain carbs they find in wheat and in other foods like onions, apples and garlic would be three perfect examples. These cause bloating, gas and diarrhea in people. Now, because FODMAPs can be found in wheat, often people who have this bloating gas and diarrhea will eat wheat and think, well, I must be gluten sensitive or have a gluten intolerance, because I get this every time I eat wheat. But if they don't pay attention, they don't realize they also have those symptoms arise when they have apples and onions and garlic and anything else that would cause a person with FODMAP sensitivities to have some type of a painting the back of the toilet seat. Type of reaction.

Ben Greenfield [00:24:30]: In many cases, people shift to a low FODMAP diet instead of a purely gluten free diet and find that simply restricting FODMAPs gets rid of a lot of the excess fermentation that's occurring in the gut. And as a matter of fact, there have been a couple of studies that have showed that a low FODMAP diet is more successful than a gluten free diet at getting rid of irritable bowel issues in people. So there is even a device. I have one somewhere in my cabinet here in the office. It's called a food marble. I'll put a link to it in the show Notes. It's an at home breath testing app that can help to identify if you might be a FODMAP sensitive person. And the solution is pretty simple.

Ben Greenfield [00:25:10]: Well, the basic solution is simple. You restrict FODMAPs. Sometimes if you're FODMAP sensitive, it means you have a lot of bacterial overgrowth in your gut. And that can require something like a prescription antifungal or the regular use of things like oil of oregano, berberine, et cetera to kind of nuke some of the bacterial overgrowth in the gut. While you simultaneously follow a low or no FODMAP diet until your symptoms have subsided. You retest, you see if the SIBO is gone. And in my book Boundless, I have a much more thorough SIBO eradication protocol than that. But that's the basics of it.

Ben Greenfield [00:25:46]: So sometimes it's glyphosate, sometimes it's FODMAP, sometimes it's not gluten. There are even other additives in a lot of process and ultra processed foods like emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, sugar, alcohols are a big one. You'll even find that in a lot of like keto type of products because it's a very commonly used sugar substitute. These can often also cause the same type of gut issues that are often attributed to gluten. And so you may not actually need to go on a gluten free diet. You may instead need to look at glyphosate intake, FODMAP intake, processed and ultra processed food and filler intake. So in many cases people don't have celiac disease or they don't have non celiac gluten sensitivity. There's just other stuff in the diet that is removed when you eliminate gluten.

Ben Greenfield [00:26:35]: But it doesn't mean that gluten was the culprit in the first place. And it doesn't mean you have to avoid it for the rest of your life. Even though a lot of the ones in the US you might be well advised to. So what are some of the potential downsides if you get rid of gluten? Because I know a lot of you thinking, well, why can't I just eliminate gluten anyways? Well, we do know that many whole grains. Even though I think whole grains are often overly lauded as a decent source of nutrient density, they are rich in fiber, they're rich in B vitamins. The right kind of grain is rich in natural forms of folate, thiamine, iron, magnesium. They can be a heart healthy alternative to a diet. And if you look at gluten free alternatives like say rice flour or tapioca starch, compared to our whole grains, they're less nutrient dense and they're lower in fiber.

Ben Greenfield [00:27:30]: If you are cooking with grains, I still think you need to be careful. Right. Like when we cook with grains in our house, we use more ancient forms of grain like Dr. Jeff's what's it called? Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat flour. That's a great one. It's featured in my cookbooks Boundless Kitchen and Boundless Cookbook. We use Einkorn wheat, we use local red wheat berries. So there are ways that you can get horrible whole sprayed for example, and that also come with the wheat and the germ and the bran kind of more intact.

Ben Greenfield [00:28:02]: Right. So you're getting more of the actual benefits of the whole grain and that can support your gut microbiota diversity and the reduction whole grain diet completely may harm long term gut health. There was a 2018 Nature Reviews Microbiology review all about what happens if you just completely eliminate grains across the board. I don't think they're the devil. Some people people. And again, if you get a Zoomer panel or Cyrex would be another good company to test with. You can see if you're actually truly gluten sensitive. But in many cases you're not and you don't need to eliminate whole grains from the diet.

Ben Greenfield [00:28:36]: Many gluten free products are also very high in the glycemic index. They are made with refined starches like rice flour or potato starch that can have a very high glycemic index food leading to potential for insulin resistance, potential for type 2 diabetes and the potential for metabolic abnormalities due to a high amount of blood sugar spikes up and down during the day. Because again, the gluten free products are often lower in fiber, lower in nutrients and tend to be higher in the Glycemic index. Gluten free products are also often heavily processed, right? A lot of these gluten free crackers and gluten free substitutes, they have additives like xanthan gum and emulsifiers that paradoxically can cause gut distress in a lot of people. There was a 2019 study in the journal Nutrients that found that gluten free processed foods often have higher sugar and higher fat content, contributing potentially depending on the type of fat, to weight gain and to inflammation. So my recommendation to you, if you've gone gluten free and you don't have something like celiac disease or you've truly tested for gluten sensitivity, you may instead, if you feel like going gluten free has helped you look at the potential for the existence of small bacterial overgrowth and maybe some FODMAP sensitivities. And maybe you should focus on the fermentable carbohydrates instead of completely eliminating gluten. And being that person who carries the card to the restaurant that says I'm allergic to gluten when you really glyphosate reduction, being careful of the sources of your wheat and trying to choose sources of wheat that have not been sprayed with herbicides.

Ben Greenfield [00:30:19]: And a lot of times you can find those locally. And again, huge shout out. I think if I could choose one flour and one brand to be in the kitchen the rest of my life, it would probably be Dr. Jeffrey Bland's Himalayan Tartery Buckwheat flour. I have a whole podcast with him about it which is just fascinating. And I'll link to it in the show notes so you can check that out and educate yourself on that. And again, if you read my cookbooks, the main flour used in those cookbooks is that one. And so.

Ben Greenfield [00:30:47]: And then the other thing is just be aware of some of the potential downsides of going gluten free. I think that gluten is overly vilified. I'll get off my high horse now about it, but I just want to say I'm not one of those guys who endorses a purely gluten free diet. I think in many cases the bigger culprits are glyphosate and FODMAPs and often many of the fillers that we find in foods, especially if we're eating foods that are ultra processed, processed or packaged. I want to throw in a couple of quick last little things about this gluten story. So first of all, there is a gal named Sue Becker. She was interviewed. It was a fantastic interview.

Ben Greenfield [00:31:34]: I'll put a link to it in the show [email protected]/489 she was interviewed on the Culture Apothecary if I Can Spit that Out podcast about how the decline in American public health is directly charted to the widespread switch to commercially milled white flour. She makes a very good case for kind of sort of the idea that I just harped on that bread isn't the culprit, but modern bread is the culprit, and that grains that have the germ and the bran and all the fiber intact can actually be really good for you. And she has a website called breadbeckers.com My wife and I have been kind of geeking out on it because my wife makes bread. But in terms of grain selection, she has grains that actually kind of pass the litmus test there. Bread makers that are just like set it and forget it. A great deal of wonderful content on how to now you could instead of going gluten free, go healthy grain free. So I would listen to that podcast with her or check out her website Breadbeckers like B E C K E R S.com the other thing I have to give a head nod to because I'm incapable when I go to a steakhouse of not reaching for a couple of those wonderful rolls or slices of bread that are on the table, especially if there's a little bit of steak tartare or bone marrow next to them. But I also have to give a shout out to one of my favorite travel companions, Gluten Guardian.

Ben Greenfield [00:33:04]: Gluten Guardian basically is an enzyme called dipeptidyl peptidase that essentially turns gluten into soup. It has this peptidase in it, it has these proteases and digestive enzymes in it and things that you shouldn't use an excuse to mainline bad forms of gluten like modern wheat and modern pasta, but that can really help you to digest digest gluten and support the occasional gas and bloating and indigestion that comes from the breakdown of the starches and the proteins in gluten containing foods. So that's called Gluten Guardian. It's made by bioptimizers, not a sponsor of this show, but I don't think they are. But anyways, I have to give a shout out to Gluten Guardian too. I always have a little bit of that in my fanny pack when I'm going out in the town. So hopefully those extra resources help you out. And let's go ahead and move on.

Ben Greenfield [00:33:54]: So this is a great one. This is all about muscle building. Another question, this one came from Delphi also. How can I gain muscle as fast as possible with the right exercises, diet and supplements? Now this alone could be like a two hour long podcast, but I'm gonna give you the basics of everything you need to know if you want to put on muscle as fast as possible. First, exercises. So to maximize muscle hypertrophy, you should ideally be targeting muscle groups using multi joint exercises. If you're not a professional bodybuilder. Yes, if you have a ton of time to spend in the gym, and the gym is your happy place and you're a gym rat and a gym junkie, you can do these splits that are like biceps and triceps on one day and then you're just crushing whatever chest and back on another day and maybe core and legs and calves on another day.

Ben Greenfield [00:34:54]: But you have to hit the muscles over and over and over again for long periods of time with many sets and many repetitions if you're using a lot of these single joint exercises. Even in college when I was pretty low on available amounts of time, I did bodybuilding. I got up to 215 pounds at about 3% body fat. Almost all my lifts were deadlifts, clean and jerks, overhead push press, heavy back squats, bench press, et cetera. I spent very little time doing these so called single joint vanity exercises. So that being said, what are some of the best, most effective research supported exercise based on actual electromyographic studies of how the muscles contract when it comes to hyper hypertrophy or building muscle? Barbell back squat. Without a doubt, if it hurts your back or hurts your knees, you can always do a goblet squat with something like a kettlebell. But the squat elicits very high amounts of electromyographic activity and stimulates anabolic hormone release. You have a ton of androgen receptors in your legs.

Ben Greenfield [00:35:59]: The release of testosterone and growth hormone from something like a back squat can really help with muscle gain due to its endocrine effects and also just the biomechanics of the squat itself. So even superior to leg press. And there has been a study on that. The Journal of Strength Conditioning Research, which I subscribe to, has released research showing squats to be superior for leg muscle building compared to a leg press. I know they're not fun. They feel like you're getting attacked by a giant grizzly bear. But back squats are in there. Barbell deadlifts, or really any form of deadlift would be right up there as well, for many of the same reasons.

Ben Greenfield [00:36:36]: Reasons as squat is good for muscle building. 2020 meta analysis in the journal Sports Medicine actually confirmed deadlifts is one of the most effective exercises for hypertrophy and strength. Next up, even though I don't think it's the most functional athletic exercise, the bench press, gold standard for chest, for triceps, for what's called anterior deltoid or shoulder development, you can use dumbbell. For greater range of motion, you can use barbell. These days, I'm personally a bigger fan of push ups with a weighted vest or resisted push ups just because I feel like it's a little more activating for the core and there's a little bit of leg action in there as well. But the bench press, especially with free weights, is up there. As a matter of fact, a 2017 study in the European Journal of Sports Science compared bench press to machine based chest press alternatives. Bench press wins out when it comes to muscle building, building pull ups and chin ups, weighted if possible.

Ben Greenfield [00:37:34]: I know the pull down is fun and you can wait on that stack and it's easy to do, but pull ups and chin ups, absolutely the most superior exercise besides a deadlift that you can do for lats, for biceps and especially for upper back development. And then finally we've got the overhead press, barbell or dumbbell. We're looking at deltoids, triceps, upper chest, huge amount of deltoid activation, especially for the shoulders. And that's based on again, studies done in the Journal of Strength Conditioning Research. So in review, if you were going to choose just five exercises to form the base of your program and this would be like let's say three times a week, back squat, deadlift, bench press, pull ups or chin ups and overhead press. As far as setups, you're basically training two to three times per week. You're looking for 10 to 20 sets per muscle group, which allows for enough of what is called time under tension to allow for hypertrophy. Not 10 to 20 sets per workout, but 10 to 20 sets total in the week over the number of times that you're visiting the gym to do this, resting anywhere from, depending on the research that you look at two to three minutes.

Ben Greenfield [00:38:47]: I'm a fan of doing some core exercises, riding the bicycle, walking around, bouncing, doing some stretching and stuff like dynamic stretching in between each set. So you're not just that person sitting on the bench at the gym. Scrolling through your phone or watching the television really annoys me. I think you can Use every minute in the gym to make yourself a better person. But you do. If your goal is to build strength, need to recover in between each set. As far as number of reps, you can go high rep, low weight, so you can go 12 to 20 reps. You can go low rep, high weight, 4 to 8 reps.

Ben Greenfield [00:39:25]: Research has shown that both work, but really the main goal here is to do it two to three times a week. Get 10 to 20 sets per muscle group. Use those five exercises, primarily your back squat, your deadlift, your bench press, your pull ups, your chin ups and your overhead press. So very, very basic. I realize that I could have taken a much deeper dive into that, but I still want to fill you in on nutrition. So nutrition, I will put a link to it in the show notes. But if you just look at the diet behind the Weston A Price Foundation, which emphasizes nutrient dense whole foods, animal products, fermented foods, organ meats, clean protein sources, it's a fantastic approach for building muscle. So the main things that you would be looking at are high quality protein sources, right? And the minimum amount of protein that you should be eating if you really want to put on muscle is 0.8 grams per pound of body weight.

Ben Greenfield [00:40:21]: I'm a bigger fan of 1 gram per pound of body weight. You know, you'll, you'll see some values that go higher than that in literature, but 0.8 to 1 gram per pound is a good starting place to look at for protein intake. Look at eggs, right? Rich in leucine, which is key for muscle protein synthesis and bioavailable protein. Also pretty good for omega 3s and vitamin D. Look at grass fed beef for protein, for creatine, for iron, wild caught fish like salmon or sardines, for more protein, for more omega 3 fatty acids. Raw or fermented dairy. Dairy designed by our creator to turn very small mammals into very large mammals. And this is why raw milk, cheese, probiotics, beef or yogurt, all of these things can help out with muscle building.

Ben Greenfield [00:41:12]: Poultry, not the biggest fan of that compared to things like beef, bison, buffalo, et cetera, but not bad. It's a good protein source, decent amount of essential amino acids. And then if you're using beans, lentils, grains, et cetera, make sure you soak them, sprout them, ferment them, engage in slow cooking. Preparation methods to unlock a lot more amino acids from those, those healthy fats for hormone production and reduction of inflammation. And the omega 3 intake, which again helps to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. That's key as well, so nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, butter and ghee grass fed for all your fat soluble vitamins. Coconut oil, avocados. Huge fan of any of those.

Ben Greenfield [00:41:56]: Don't be carb phobic. If you want to put on muscle, just choose good carbs, right? Sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, yams, white rice, fermented veg like sauerkraut or kimchi, low glycemic index fruits, especially things like berries. When you work those in, you're going to allow for adequate muscle glycogen so you really fill out and also have the ability to have really good workouts. I personally, even if I'm in a muscle building phase, tend to save the majority of my carbohydrates for dinner just because I kind of like to be a fat burning machine, so to speak, most of the rest of the day and just like pile on the carbs with dinner. Helps you to sleep well at night because you get a good serotonin production which then leads to good melatonin production and good sleep. Stocks up your muscle glycogen levels for a great workout the next morning. And then I'll give a head nod also to liver and organ meats, to shellfish like oysters, for a lot more of the micronutrients that you might not be getting from muscle meat. So that's just the overview of what I'd be doing from a nutritional standpoint.

Ben Greenfield [00:43:03]: And then finally supplements if I could choose just a few. Creatine, dirt cheap creatine, monohydrate, totally up there. Five to ten grams per day. No brainer for muscle building. Great research behind it. Essential amino acids, which typically have about nine of the amino acids that your body can't make themselves, you could go with anywhere from five grams a day. I've had some athletes and actors getting ready for movie roles to put on a bunch of muscle. Up to 40 grams of essential amino acids per day.

Ben Greenfield [00:43:35]: I do need a financial disclaimer that I own a company called Kion that makes essential amino acids. They are our most popular product for good reason. But I mean, gosh, if you were to do just like 10 to 20 grams of essential amino acids per day. Game changer for muscle building. Whey protein to fill in those protein gaps. So you're not getting from beef, bison, bison, buffalo, fish, eggs, et cetera, such as a smoothie, you're looking at really good bioavailability. And whey protein has been found to be superior to soy protein or protein for muscle growth. And so whey is the way to go if you're looking for muscle building in my opinion.

Ben Greenfield [00:44:14]: Unless you're super duper duper dairy sensitive, in which case if you got to use a rice pea hemp protein, just make sure you digestive enzymes along with it which will increase the amino acid bioavailability from that protein. A few other supplements to think about. Omega 3s to enhance muscle protein synthesis and battle inflammation. Vitamin D. Just make sure you are getting adequate vitamin K and magnesium if you're using vitamin D and then beta alanine is not bad. I see more and more research on beta alanine. It increases what's called muscle carnosine which reduces fatigue and potentially could aid with hypertrophy. Not opposed to beta.

Ben Greenfield [00:44:53]: A few good sources for some of these like essential amino acids, creatine, whey protein, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D and beta alanine. Probably my two favorites right now are kion. Obviously I'm a fan because I'm co founder and co owner of it. But we've got colostrum, we've got creatine, we've got a fish oil called Omegas, we've got whey protein, we got essential amino acids. A company called Vitaboom, I helped to develop a really great pre workout and post workout for them which are these little travel packs that work really really well if you're on the go. I typically grab those when I'm on the go and then use the Kion stuff when I'm at home. I like the company 10x because you can do your genetics test and blood tests with them and even be a little bit more dialed in in with your supplementation. I'm also a spokesperson for 10x again disclaimer there.

Ben Greenfield [00:45:46]: But I have been using a lot more of their supplements. The majority of my supplements if you open my pantry are 10X, Kion and Vitaboom. Those are three that I rely on quite a bit. So there are some really great sample strength and muscle building programs in my book. Boundless. I think another really, really great collection of guys who are putting together their wonderful muscle building programs for the gentlemen and the ladies are my friends at Mind Pump. Their MAPS programs are really good. So that would be another great resource for you.

Ben Greenfield [00:46:20]: Dan John is a guy I follow all the time. His work is great. I'm not a huge fan of his approach with nutrition. I think it could be a little bit cleaner. He might be a little bit more of like a if it fits your macros guy. But Dan John is pretty great. And then Mike also some really good stuff. So give a shout out to Mike Matthews, Dan John, Mind Pump and my book Boundless for more resources.

Ben Greenfield [00:46:44]: And I will also of course make sure the shownotes are nice and robust for you over at BenGreenfieldLife.com/489 where you can leave your questions, your comments and your feedback. So I hope this is helpful. Typical week for the muscle building you could do if you wanted to split it up up you could do day one bench press, overhead press, tricep dips, Day two weighted pull ups, bent over rows, deadlifts. Day three back squats and lunges. You could break it up like that. Or you could just have the same workout on three days of the week. A little boring, but boredom and focus is what it takes for muscle gain. And then eat enough calories, eat enough food, eat enough protein, enough carbohydrates, throw some supplementation in there, sleep well, well have low amounts of stress and that's really the key to muscle building.

Ben Greenfield [00:47:35]: In a very, very short summary. So thanks so much for listening in. Leave your questions, leave your comments, leave your feedback over at BenGreenfieldLife.com/489 if you like this podcast, give it a like subscribe wherever you're happening to listen in. I also have a Raw Insider ad free podcast inside the Life Network at Go LifeNetwork if you're not tired of my voice already. So thanks so much for listening in. Have an incredible week. To discover even more tips, tricks, hacks and content to become the most complete, boundless version of you, visit BenGreenfieldLife.com.

Ben Greenfield [00:48:20]: In compliance with the FTC guidelines, please assume the following about links and posts on this site. Most of the links going to products are often affiliate links, of which I receive a small commission from sales of certain items. But the price is the same for you and sometimes I even get to share a unique and somewhat significant discount with you. In some cases I might also be an investor in a company I mention. I'm the founder, for example, of Kion LLC, the makers of Kion branded supplements and products, which I talk about quite a bit. Regardless of the relationship, if I I post or talk about an affiliate link to a product, it is indeed something I personally use, support and with full authenticity and transparency recommend. In good conscience, I personally vet each and every product that I talk about. My first priority is providing valuable information and resources to you that help you positively optimize your mind, body and spirit, and I will only ever link to products or resources, sources, affiliate or otherwise, that fit within this purpose.

Ben Greenfield [00:49:20]: So there's your fancy legal disclaimer.

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Ben Greenfield

Ben Greenfield is a health consultant, speaker, and New York Times bestselling author of a wide variety of books.

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Thoughts on What Cookware Does Ben Use?, Do You REALLY Need To Avoid Gluten & How To Gain Muscle Fast: Solosode #489

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  1. Is there a reason you didn’t mention the our place titanium pan? It’s virtually nonstick, significantly more than ceramic coated le crueset for example and is 100% coating free- just a 100% titanium and a patented hexagonal imprint.

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