How To Test Your​ ​Nutritional​ ​Status & How To Know Which Supplements To Take: The​ ​Ultimate​ ​Cheat​ ​Sheet

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Body, Diet & Nutrition, Health & Wellness, Podcast, Podcast-new, Supplements

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Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Dr. Chris Masterjohn is a former podcast guest from the episode “Why Sugar Isn’t As Dangerous As You Might Think, How Your Genetics Affect Your Sleep, Liver Toxicity & More With Dr. Chris Masterjohn.”  and “What Happens If You Take Too Much Creatine, A Notorious Deficiency On High-Protein Diets, How To Become A Nutrition Ninja & More With Chris Masterjohn.” He earned his Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences in 2012 from the University of Connecticut at Storrs, served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2012 to 2014, and served as Assistant Professor of Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College from 2014 to 2016. He now works independently in health and nutrition research, education, and consulting. Chris has authored or co-authored ten peer-reviewed publications.

Chris just put the finishing touches on his Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet e-book, which distills all of the practical information from the confusing nutrition supplement industry and packs everything you need to know about testing and customizing your supplement regimen all into one, single document. So you never need an appointment with Dr. Google. You never need to rummage through long articles, podcast transcripts, or endless lists of links. The Cheat Sheet is published as a PDF, Kindle book, and iBook. This allows you to use your favorite devices and apps to read it in your favorite way. It means you can read it on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. It is threaded with links throughout. This makes finding exactly what you need always just one click away.

All of the lab testing required for comprehensive nutritional screening is reduced to a single page, with hyperlinks making ordering any of the tests just one click away. In just five pages, Chris provides full instructions for lab testing, blood pressure, and dietary analysis, as well as an algorithm for quick decisions on what to do next for each marker that may be off. Over 70 pages list the signs and symptoms associated with all the possible nutrient imbalances, the potential causes of nutrient imbalances, and an action plan for correcting each imbalance. To top it off, it ends with an index of the signs and symptoms of nutrient deficiencies and imbalances. The index has 178 entries, and each entry links directly to the sections of the text where those signs and symptoms are discussed. This makes it incredibly easy to browse through the index for the things that seem most interesting or relevant to you and find exactly what you’re looking for without having to read the whole guide.

During my discussion with Chris about how to test your nutritional status, you'll discover:

-Why you need to care about supplements, even if you're eating a good diet… 9:45

-Whether nutritional testing is too expensive to justify… 22:00

-Three different ways to know if you have nutritional deficiencies… 33:00

-Whether someone should really do this on their own vs. asking their doctor what’s best…44:00

-How you can test for fat-soluble vitamins, and why someone would be low in fat-soluble vitamins…50:00

-How you can test for oxidative stress and what antioxidants are people commonly deficient in…59:00

-Why Chris says “I do not recommend high-fat ketogenic diets unless there is a demonstrated medical purpose for this diet or trial and error has proven it useful to increase well being or resolve health problems that have not been resolvable through other means”…1:07:30

-What Chris' diet looks like, and why he doesn't consume casein protein…1:11:00

-And much more!

Resources from this episode:

Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet (BEN5 saves $5).

DirectLabs

WellnessFX

The Genova Ion Panel + 40 amino acids comprehensive test Chris and Ben discuss

The Weston A. Price Conference

The Ancestral Health Symposium

Animals That Self-Medicate

KetoManna

Episode Sponsors

Kion Coffee

Onnit Save 10% off anything using our link!

Birdwell Britches Use discount code “ben” and receive 10% off your purchase.

-Penguin/Random House Audio Books Your first audio book is free!

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Chris or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

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10 thoughts on “How To Test Your​ ​Nutritional​ ​Status & How To Know Which Supplements To Take: The​ ​Ultimate​ ​Cheat​ ​Sheet

  1. kaizokou says:

    Hello,

    I’m a bit disappointed about this podcast. At the end, I’ve learned nothing except that I should do a blood test or buy a cheat sheet. I feel like I wasted my time. I’m ok with free content in exchange of product placement, but I wish I could end with some concrete activatable advices.
    More generally speaking about your podcast, I think they’re very uneven, some are great and on others we hear that it’s not at all prepared and filled with not so funny jokes. So great content, but very, very diluted.
    Anyway, thank you.

  2. Frank says:

    REcently got the three day stool panel from Genova. I know you said it was intuitive but curious if there is a service that you (or anyone else) offers for analyzing the results?

    1. Doctor, or if you're interested in a consult, BenGreenfieldFitness.com/coaching

  3. Todd says:

    Hi Ben – I have an upcoming annual physical and they will be doing blood work, urine testing, etc. Before I purchase the Cheat Sheet, I wanted to know if it will help me a) interpret my results and b) have a conversation with my doctor on additional things for which to test to get a more comprehensive view of potential deficiencies. Thanks!

  4. Bill Farrell says:

    Hi Ben, I was surprised to hear that you use nicotine as a nootropic during flights. I am considering using lozenges to combat drowsiness on my job (I’m a local route driver averaging about 200 miles a workday). I am concerned about becoming addicted obviously, although my thought is to use this on an as needed basis only, not daily. I currently follow this protocol to stay alert when driving on the job: 1) I go to bed at the same time every night and sleep at least 6 or 7 hours before a workday 2) I only eat twice a day, between 7 and 9 a.m. and before 6 p.m. with snacks being coffee only with MCT oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, coconut butter, cinnamon added, 3) when I become drowsy at the wheel I alternately lift one foot off the floor and rotate my foot clockwise and then counterclockwise to get my heart rate up a bit 4) I take caffeine tablets (200 mg) with MCT oil softgels once per day as I am driving. I would like to learn more about nicotine or other hacks I could use to stay awake when driving. I should add that I only eat a salad at work consisting usually of greens (spinach, kale, chard), celery, radishes, sauerkraut, nuts, one boiled egg, with olive oil, MCT oil, hemp oil, salt , pepper, and cayenne pepper. Love your show. Thanks for all that you do.

    1. Check out my podcast with Aubrey Marcus to hear what he had to say about making sure you don't become addicted to these sorts of things: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/transcripts/tran… And here's a podcast with some tips for staying awake without coffee: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/biohacki… Hope this helps!

  5. Lisa says:

    Chris – I own and love your vest sheet. Question: when trying at natural foods and diet first as a way to get all the nutrients in, have you or can you put together a daily menu that hits 100 percent of the daily nutrients within a reasonable calorie range on a paleo diet. I’ve tried many tunes but am always lacking in certain nutrients and can’t seem to hit them, given either the categories missing from paleo or not wanting to over consume calories to get them.
    Thanks!
    Lisa

  6. Stella Andrews says:

    Impressive!! I’m absolutely blown away by the amount of time and effort that must’ve gone into this. Thank you both (now if only it were all free 😭 cause it sucks to be poor-sigh I’ll send this to myself and make
    the most of it though yay me 😏).
    Plus I’m not even close to being an athlete. I’m someone who’s been sick for years & was just finally diagnosed with both Celiac disease and Pernicious Anemia last Oct. & still being diagnosed w deficiencies because they insist on doing routine tests unless I complain till I’m blue in the face. Then they add one more test… It’s like pulling teeth and IT SHOULDN’T BE.
    Thanks

  7. Kiya Chatfield says:

    I like Cronometer. It’s really complete for macros and micros.

  8. Jason Skinner says:

    What were some of the apps Chris mentioned that you could track daily food nutritional values? I see several apps based on calorie count and not nutritional content. Thanks

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