Elephant-Poop Coffee, Chocolate Ceremonies, Cold H2O Training, Holotropic Breathing, Nootropics, Ketosis, Meditation, Fasting & More: The Kevin Rose Podcast

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

Kevin Rose is a technology investor, podcaster, and self-experimenter. He has been named a “Top 25 Angel Investors”, by Bloomberg and to the “Top 25 Most Influential People on the Web” list by Time magazine. You've might have also heard or seen him on Jimmy Fallon, Charlie Rose, or Kevin's own podcast “The Random Show“, which he co-hosts with Tim Ferriss.

Kevin also serves on the advisory board of Google Ventures and the Tony Hawk Foundation. Previously, Kevin founded Digg, Revision3, and was a General Partner at Google Ventures.

Perhaps most interesting for me and you, and not as well known to most folks, is that Kevin considers himself a well-versed body hacker, and he is frequently experimenting with things like cold water training, breathwork, nootropics, ketogenic diets, meditation, and fasting. Kevin even recently released a free app to help individuals track their fasting progress, which we discuss during this episode.

During our fascinating discussion, you'll discover:

-Why Kevin microdoses with lithium (and the surprising link between lithium and 7-Up soda)…[9:00]

-The neuroscientist and mutual connection Kevin and I have that goes way back and is known as the “Summer Tomato”…[15:10]

-The surprising boost you get from 100% chocolate and Kevin's new infatuation with “chocolate ceremonies”…[18:25]

-Why Kevin gave up on ketosis and instead switched to a Katavan-style diet with purple potatoes…[24:25]

-What Kevin does with the dozen giant bags of ice he buys each week…[36:15]

-The crazy form of breathwork that made someone pass out in Ben's basement…[46:20]

-Why, if you are going to fast, you should only eat as close to sunset as possible…[54:40]

-How Kevin's friend sent his stage-4 cancer into remission with a simple dietary change…[63:00]

-What Kevin discovered in an old teahouse in the heart of Japan (and what it has to do with elephants pooping coffee)…[68:10]

-The #1 ingredient in cologne that makes women go absolutely crazy over a man's scent…[72:45]

-An app/headphone combo that drives you straight into a state of deep relaxation within 10 minutes…[75:15]

-And much more!

Resources from this episode:

Should We All Take A Bit Of Lithium

Nutritional Lithium: A Cinderella Story: The Untold Tale of a Mineral That Transforms Lives and Heals the Brain

My article on “The God Pill”

My original webcast with Kevin's wife Darya

Kevin's videos on chocolate ceremonies

Fruition 100% chocolate

-The book by Stephan Guyenet The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat

The Kitavan diet

Dr. Veech podcast on ketone esters

Rhonda Patrick's Cold Stress .pdf

My podcast with Wim Hof

My experience with holotropic breathwork

How to get a custom Kundalini yoga routine

The Transcendental Meditation podcast Ben recorded

Dr. Rhonda Patrick's fasting interview with Satchin Panda

Kevin's Zero app for fasting

Tripping Over the Truth: The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Illuminates a New and Hopeful Path to a Cure

Black Ivory Coffee (naturally fermented by elephants)

Young Living Blue Spruce oil Ben diffuses in his office (also the source for the “Shutran” and “Valor” oils Ben uses for cologne)

The Greenfield Anti-Aging Skin Serum

The Wildfulness app

Brain.FM app

Kevin's Journal

Japanese Coffee Place (Chatei Hatou)

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

Ask Ben a Podcast Question

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44 thoughts on “Elephant-Poop Coffee, Chocolate Ceremonies, Cold H2O Training, Holotropic Breathing, Nootropics, Ketosis, Meditation, Fasting & More: The Kevin Rose Podcast

  1. Brunon Kowalski says:

    Plant based diet during cancer doesn’t seem so bad.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26655228

  2. Janine says:

    Just a little clarification on fasting before chemo, should you fast 1 day prior to chemo and also the day of chemo or do you fast 2 total days before chemo? If it’s the latter, what do you do on the day of chemo?

  3. Steve says:

    Hey Ben,

    I can’t seem to find the link to the Japanese coffee place that Kevin mentioned on the show notes. He said he was going to send you a link for it on the podcast. I am going to Japan so I would love to check the place out. Thank you!

  4. Mark says:

    Lithium orate, aspartate, carbonate, cloride, or citrate? Or maybe just get the ConcenTrace Trace Minerals?

  5. Hi Ben,
    I am interested in getting the Citran cologne, but I have been scouring the young living essential oils and can’t seem to find it. Do you have a link that you use?
    Thank you!

    1. Never mind, I found it.

    2. It's spelt Shutran… And the other one is Valor. Hope that helps!

  6. Brian Klein says:

    I want to give intermittent fasting a shot, and I’m getting Jimmy’s book to fully dive into the subject, but I have a question. I usually do a stack of supplements in the morning: Desiccated liver, cod liver oil or krill oil, multivitamin, creatine, vitamin D, vitamin C (in the winter), aniracitam, and sometimes Unfair Advantage. My question is, which of these could I take in the morning to help with mental boost, without breaking my fast? Based on what I know, my guess is that the aniracitam and possibly Unfair Advantage? Don’t you need to take aniracitam w/ some sort of fat in order for it to work? Any thoughts? Just take it at noon when I break my fast?

    1. All of these, because they are relatively void in calories, are acceptable, but I would save the fish oil, Vitamin D, multi, racetam and liver to take when you break your fast because they are best absorbed with food. You'll get *some* absorption even if not taken with meal, but suboptimal.

  7. Sarah says:

    Hi Ben,

    Great podcast (as always) and great guest!

    I have a question about the oil that you diffuse – or rather, HOW you diffuse it. I have been very curious about diffusing oils, but as you kind of eluded on this podcast, the industry seems quite “woo-woo” in terms of selecting a great diffuser that’s not just some over-priced junk. I have done some primary research and concluded that “nebulizing” diffusers are ‘best’, but I was hoping you might be able to provide some educated insight before I drop a bunch of cash on a ‘melon’.

    Thanks kindly (for your response and continued inspiration).

    1. Here is the diffuser: http://amzn.to/2ip7f1N It is the exact one I use, know and trust and have in my office and bedroom. But if you want the "cadillac" of EO diffusers, then check out my Rainbow vacuum cleaner podcast. https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2015/08/what-is-…

  8. Michael Brooks says:

    just another great podcast made my long drive back home enjoyable Ive listened to everyone of your podcast . Im a PT and a Pure Encapsulations distributor have been using and prescibing them for years but have never tried the Lithium ? think I’ll give it a try . Pure Encapsulations as you know are a Health Practitioner Brand meaning only sold through health practitioners ( atleast the legit Pure products) if I can assit any of my fellow Ben G followers purchasing some lithium Im happy to offer any of you guys a 20% discount just let me know that you are one the Greenfield fans and I’ll be happy to assist you.

    1. James Lachman says:

      Hi Michael,

      The concept of micro-dosing Lithium sounds like it could be useful. I would appreciate whatever assistance you could provide. I am thinking of the 30 ml Lithium liquid that Kevin mentioned. Ben’s podcasts are amazing and I am slowly experimenting with some of the ideas presented.

      Thank you

      Jim

  9. Scott R says:

    Hey Ben

    It’s worth noting that the Trace Mineral Drops supplement you’ve recommended in the past also contains 1.5mg of lithium per serving.

    Great podcast, can’t wait to try the chocolate!

  10. Erik says:

    Great podcast, man! Where can I find more information on the NIH study you mentioned about the effects of cold on thyroid levels? Erik

  11. Mike says:

    Nice timing…just trying out my new diffuser while listening to this. Also got the Shutran soap and shave cream for Christmas. Bring on the manliness!

  12. Allen says:

    Ben, on the cold thermo piece do you think you could achieve the same results as your cold pool with a cold vest system? Or is it orders of magnitude different?

    Thanks

    1. Yep, using http://www.CoolFatBurner.com – especially if you use the gut burner too – you can get into "super shiver" mode…

  13. mike brock says:

    Great podcast!!!!!!!!!! just getting turned onto podcasts. the info here is awesome. Im turning 50 in February and decided to train for my first 50k to celebrate. Always been into fitness. do a lot of crossfit training, but really getting into the mental aspect of endurance. as a family physician I try so hard to make a diff in my patients lives by always giving them little health nuggets of info each visit, so love the info you all present! Keep up the great work guys

    Mike

  14. Bill Zimsky says:

    Ben,

    Another far ranging and informative podcast. You guys touched on a lot of different and interesting topics. I have downloaded brain.fm and the wildfullness apps on my phone today and given them a spin.

    I have a question. I have been doing the cold shower routine for about a year and a half and love it. In the podcast, you talked about a presentation someone made about the fat burning effects of taking a shower, alternating between cold and hot water. Is there a link to that presentation or a link to the study?

    Thanks.

  15. Blake B. says:

    Thanks Ben. Love the vein of nutritional, sleep and performance hacking. Been tracking with you for a long while and read your book, Beyond Training, way back. While I’m not a professional athlete – far from it – I want more than simple consumer products for wellness/nutrition/training. Clearly interest in more advanced products is growing. Now, just wishing sauna access were easier for wellness and recovery around US cities.

  16. GJ says:

    Isn’t it better then, to “skip” dinner instead of breakfast, like most people do when IF?

    1. Nope, you should check this out: http://goo.gl/V0gOSg

      1. gj says:

        Hey Ben the link doesn’t work?

        1. Which link doesn't work?

          1. gj says:

            The one after i asked a out skipping dinner, you say “nope you should check this out”. That one

  17. Kathryn says:

    Where can I find out more about ApoE types that shouldn’t follow a ketogenic diet? I think you mention E3 on the podcast but looking on the internet it seems to be the E4 variant that has the most trouble with high fat diets.

    1. Start here: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/APOE

      If you want to go into detail just go to https://greenfieldfitnesssystems.com/product/ben-… and then choose a 20 or 60 minute consult, whichever you'd prefer. I can schedule ASAP after you get that.

  18. Loved this one. So many things.

  19. Blake D says:

    Thanks for the mention of Black Ivory Coffee. You may be interested to know that elephants are classed as hind gut fermenters. This is necessary because they consume so much green leafy matter and fermentation is a more effective method of breaking down cellulose than acidity. Levels of acidity are more effective in breaking down protein and because a civet is an omnivore, they consume much more protein. This is also why Black Ivory Coffee and civet coffee taste different.

    Full disclosure: I am the Founder of Black Ivory Coffee but prior to developing the Black Ivory Coffee process I worked with roughly 1000 civets in Ethiopia.

    1. Blake, thanks for clarifiying man. I have to say I am very intrigued to try your coffee someday! Or perhaps interview you! Feel free to email me: [email protected]

  20. Nate says:

    I was a bit confused about best time to fast. I gathered that its good practice to eat as close to sunrise as you can, but then you talked about eating a couple hours after sunset – that wouldn’t seem to give you long enough period for great benefits. Do you think its a better idea to eat just breakfast and lunch or just lunch and dinner – what does the research show?

    Also, there is no spruce oil when you go to the link in your show notes. Do you also have a link to the stuff you use as a cologne? Thanks for your insights! Great show – I’ve been a subscriber to kevin’s journal for several months and have a big box of fruition 100% bars in my office.

    1. oh and as far as the cologne and stuff…read the shownotes above dude.

      1. Nate Dodson says:

        Nothing in the shownotes about the cologne stuff, but I found it nonetheless. Thanks

  21. Geocof says:

    Ben, I’d like your thoughts on what it takes to break an intermittent fast. I have my evening meal 6-7pm. I’m usually in bed by 9:30 and up 4-4:30am. I can hold off until 8-9am for my morning meal, but I have to have a large glass of coffee with stevia and 4-6oz of half and half when I get up. I drink this over several hours. Do you think this breaks the fast?

    1. Anything with calories bro. Not rocket science. ;) Just stick to coffee, buckle down, and control your appetite. Or read this: https://amzn.to/2iQDffM

  22. kevin says:

    Cannot download shows on my blackberry due to the ask Ben a Question banner on right side. Boo

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