September 1, 2025 • 25 mins
The natural world continues to surprise us with its abundance of performance-enhancing foods, and broccoli sprouts are the latest addition catching attention in athletic circles. This deep dive explores sulforaphane – the compound in broccoli sprouts that forms when cruciferous vegetables are chopped, chewed, or blended – and its remarkable benefits for reducing inflammation, lowering oxidative stress, and potentially improving energy efficiency.
While elite athletes might shell out $7 per serving for commercial broccoli sprout juices, I'm experimenting with growing my own in a mason jar setup that requires rinsing twice daily. The real question remains: does this trendy supplement deserve a permanent place alongside proven performers like beet juice (for oxygen delivery and reduced fatigue) and tart cherry (for inflammation and recovery)?
Beyond performance hacks, I share a breakthrough in my ongoing battle with digestive issues while taking weight management medications. After years of constipation struggles, a simple combination of oatmeal, Greek yogurt with granola, and frozen berries has dramatically improved my gut health – perhaps offering more practical value than trendy supplements.
My weight loss journey continues at 320 pounds down from my starting point, though I've made an important mental health adjustment by stopping weekly weigh-ins that were triggering negative thought patterns. This reinforces my core philosophy: sustainable health improvements must be easy to implement, bring genuine joy, and offer flexibility to withstand real-life challenges.
Whether you're considering adding broccoli sprouts to your regimen or struggling with digestive issues, remember that nature provides remarkable tools – but the best "hack" isn't necessarily what's trending. It's the system you can maintain consistently that brings better movement, improved wellbeing, and authentic joy to your life.
Discover daily tips and updates on the Hacking Fat Man journey. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for transformation deep dives and more insights.
Link to download the Hacking The Fat Man Diet, Schedule and Supplements
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Hey folks, welcome back to Hacking the Fat man.
This is episode 8.
I'm your host, drew Maness.
Today I'm going to take a lookat some of the newest
performance hacks that I've reador making the headlines
broccoli juice, specifically,broccoli sprouts juice.
I'll also provide an update oncurrently how I'm doing and some
other items that I've beenworking on during the week.
(00:52):
So here's a plan for theepisode.
We'll look at why athletes arethat I've been working on during
the week.
So here's a plan for theepisode.
We'll look at why athletes arestarting to do these broccoli
sprout drinks, what the sciencesays, how it stacks up against
the supplements I currently use,and I'll share some practical
tools that you can use,including a couple of my go-tos
for dealing with.
I've spent the better part ofthe last two weeks dealing with
(01:13):
my digestive system andconstipation.
So I first, before I getstarted, a quick update on where
I am.
So I'm currently still holdingsteady.
I think I talked about it lastweek, but if not, I'll bring it
up again.
You know, when I started thepodcast and I started weighing
myself every week or every otherweek, it actually started
(01:34):
messing with my head a littlebit.
I was starting to focus on thewrong things again.
If I didn't have a week where Ilost weight, I felt that I was
letting you down and lettingmyself down, and that's my own
hangups, my own personal issuesthat I have to get through.
And so what I have found tohelp me with this, that I've
used over the last year, that Istopped last couple of years,
(01:55):
that I had stopped was I'm onlyweighing myself.
I was only weighing myself whenI thought I had lost weight.
Um, so, doing it every week andwatching the weight just go
sideways or up and down, it justit's too much for my, my mental
healthness, um, if that's evena phrase, my, my mental health.
So, yeah, when I think thatI've lost weight, I will get
(02:17):
jump on the scale again and Iwill give you guys an update
when that happens.
So, anyway, but I still, evenwithout weighing myself, I can
tell you know, right now I'meven right, the clothes are
still fitting.
The same, I don't feel thatI've lost any weight.
I don't feel like I've gainedany weight, I just feel normal
(02:37):
and that's okay.
Shoot, if I live the rest of mylife at this weight being down
now.
320 pounds I've already won.
So, yes, I'd like to get under200, but I'm just going to keep
doing what I'm doing, andeventually the weight will fall
off right?
I've gotten a number of peoplethat have reached out hey, I've
dropped 60 pounds, or 30 stones,or whatever it was, and I've
(03:00):
plateaued.
Well, when you lose weight,your body will start to reduce,
your metabolism will reduce, andso plateau isn't out of the
question.
You will not stay in a plateau.
Your body will eventually yourmetabolism slowing will not.
After a while, it will pickback up and it won't stay low
(03:21):
anymore.
So, anyway, enough on that.
So, yeah, I'm still holdingsteady.
I've gained some muscle.
I think I've lost some fat.
Yeah, the mirror just istelling me more than what I need
the scale to tell me.
So one thing I've noticed overthe last month, though, is when
I slack off on my supplements, Ipay for it.
My joints stiffen, my cravingsstart to creep back in, even my
(03:44):
own mental health starts to godown, and my risk for a gout
flare up starts to go up.
In fact, I recently about aweek ago had a situation.
It wasn't full-on gout.
I recently, about a week agohad a situation.
It wasn't full-on gout, but itwas something going on with my
foot that hurt and it feltgout-like, but it wasn't at the
toe, it was in the arch.
So I don't know if I juststrained my arch or something,
(04:13):
but anyway it was enough of awarning sign for me to make sure
to get back on my—make sure I'mtaking my supplements every day
.
So I have done that and I knowI move better and I sleep better
and I feel sharper when I takethem.
So next week I'm actually goingto go over I think it's been a
while I'll go over all thesupplements that I am taking.
I know I referred to a few ofthem the tart cherry, the
cinnamon, the beets, the H and Bturmeric, vitamin D3, magnesium
(04:34):
, glyconate, vitamin K3.
Two, but anyway, I'll go over amore um next week.
So, but I am doubling down onconsistency.
And now let's, let's, let'stalk about broccoli juice,
broccoli sprouts juice, andwhether it, whether I'm actually
going to start it or not.
So to understand why broccoliis suddenly in the news, let's
rewind a bit.
Beet juice was was one of thefirst big performance enhanced
(04:57):
well, outside of, you know,steroids, but natural supplement
beet juice was one of the first.
And why it was the nitrates.
Nitrates turn into nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels,
which helps with your bloodpressure and improves oxygen
delivery.
And for cyclists that meantlonger rides with less fatigue.
For anyone that was working outit would mean less lactic acid
(05:20):
and less fatigue in your body,and it also meant lower blood
pressure and better circulation,which is why I actually take it
was for all those reasons.
And then tart cherry and thiswas something new to me from the
article.
I didn't realize tart cherryhad.
I found out about it from mybrother specifically for gout.
I hadn't realized that it'dbecome a performance enhancing
(05:42):
supplement, so it was a littlebit of a you know.
Hey, that's cool to find out itwas.
But it's rich in antioxidantsand it's great for recovery,
reduces soreness because I'vetalked about the inflammation
reduction, even improves sleepto natural melatonin.
And that's how I got started.
I was desperate to stop thegout pain and tart cherry was
(06:02):
one of my first real hacks, andit didn't just help my feet, it
gave me a bridge or a crutchback to mobility and helped me
start moving.
And in fact it was from therethat I even got started on the
diet, because after I startedtaking the supplements I started
realizing I was losing weightprimarily because I was moving
more.
(06:23):
Now the sports scientistresearch is turning to broccoli
sprouts, not for the nitratesand not for the melatonin, but
for a compound calledseluraphane.
Seluraphane is created when youchop, chew, blend cruciferous
vegetables and I'm not going tosay that word that often, but
those are cruciferous arebroccoli, cauliflower, kale,
(06:43):
brussels sprouts.
I like three of the four ofthose.
I am not eating anything kale,it's just not sitting in the
plant waiting.
It forms as part of a chemicalreaction when you're actually
chewing it and digesting it.
So what does slurphane do?
It lowers oxidative stress,that's, the cellular damage
(07:05):
caused by free radicals.
It reduces inflammation Okay,you've got my attention there
One of the biggest drivers ofpain and chronic disease and in
my case gout.
So I'm interested in it forthat purpose and also improves
how efficiently the body usesenergy.
Think of it like updating youroperating system so it runs
smoother, giving more RAM orsomething like that.
(07:25):
And some early research says itcould actually protect the
brain and even reduce risk ofcertain types of cancer.
So it's very interesting stillearly on.
The problem is you have to eatmountains of raw broccoli to get
enough seluraphane for thosebenefits.
I mean you have to eat a lotraw broccoli.
To get enough salurophane.
For those benefits, I mean youhave to eat a lot of broccoli.
That's why they're focusing onthe broccoli sprouts is because
(07:49):
the broccoli sprouts supposedlycontain more of the salurophane
and are smaller and easier todigest than the full broccoli
leaves.
Now, if you've watched any of mydaily diaries, there have been
a number of times where I'vemade a morning smoothie and I
use frozen broccoli.
It doesn't matter whether it'sorange or vanilla.
(08:10):
I'll actually throw frozenbroccoli into my morning
smoothie.
And the real trick there is youdon't really taste the broccoli
when you add it to the smoothielike that.
However, if you don't have theright blender blade, it can
become very grainy and sandy.
So I use an Osterizer, an Osterblade.
They've been the best since thelast 80 years.
(08:31):
I just don't think you can beatit.
It will pretty much turnanything into liquid form.
So good job, oster, keep thatup.
But yeah, so you can addbroccoli in.
But to get this benefit withseluraphane, you're going to
have to add a lot in and it'sprobably more than I'm willing
to eat.
I eat a lot of broccoli and I'mstill not at where the levels I
would need to be to get any ofthe benefits they're talking
(08:54):
about here.
The Cycle World article didtalk about this product called
Nomeo N-O-M-I-O and that is abroccoli sprout juice that you
can buy.
It's only $7 a serving.
Now that's a little high for me.
For just a supplement, $7 a daySounds like a lot.
So I will be looking at how Ican add this without really
(09:21):
pumping up my dollars like that.
Not something I'm interested indoing it, so yeah.
So what does slurphane do?
It lowers the oxidative stress.
It reduces inflammation.
It may improve how the bodyuses energy, the efficiency of
the body using energy and, yeah,cancer, and I've already talked
about this, so I'm sorry I'mrepeating myself.
(09:41):
So let's pause on theperformance for a second and
talk about something a littlebit more practical.
I spent the better part becauseone of the reasons when I think
of broccoli it's fiber, andyou've heard me talk on the show
in the past of my problems withconstipation, taking the
Manjaro or the Zepbound.
That slows down your digestivesystem, and I've spent the
(10:03):
better part of three years beingconstipated to the point.
Over the last two weeks I justhad had it, I was done with it
and completely threw out myfasting day and everything else
just to focus on it.
And what I went back to, orwhat I focused on, was
water-soluble fiber, andspecifically in the form of
(10:26):
oatmeal.
So I've added oatmeal.
Now, it's funny, I hate carbsso much that even just thinking
about using oatmeal Now you canbuy oatmeal with a ton of sugar
in it, and I think that's partof the problem.
You can buy granola with a tonof sugar in it, and that's part
of the problem is.
So I had to go find healthyversions of them without the
(10:47):
added sugar.
Um, I'm not really a fan of theApril apple and the maple and,
uh, you know, I kind of justwanted plain with butter, um,
and so that's what I starteddoing.
I started taking having oatmealuh, oatmeal at least once a day
, and then I've also added inGreek yogurt, which helps with
your gut biome, along withhealthy granola, using the
(11:13):
frozen berries that I have in myfridge for smoothies.
So, frozen berries I heat themup so they're not as frozen or
defrost them.
I add the Greek yogurt to itwith some of the granola, and
actually I found that to befairly enjoyable and it took
about a week and a half.
Excuse me, but it for the mostpart.
I don't want to say it's helpedcure it, but at least it's put
(11:34):
me on a much, much better pathto it.
You know, when we're addingsupplements and we're adding
things to our diet, broccoli issomething that's a lot of fiber
that you're adding, justsomething to keep an eye on.
But let's compare that tobroccoli juice.
You'd be choking it down formaybe a slight performance boost
(11:55):
.
Meanwhile, the yogurt berryoatmeal combo can reset your
digestion and keep you regularand support your long-term gut
health, which is a much biggerwin for me.
So while I actually had readthis Cycle World article last
week, I haven't added it untilnow, and part of the problem is
the amount of broccoli andbroccoli sprouts that you have
(12:17):
to eat to get the benefit.
As I mentioned, you can go buya supplement, and supplements
look pretty expensive right now.
The other thing I saw was peopleare starting to grow it and I
guess it's really easy to grow.
I bought this.
It's a mason jar with a lid onthe top where you put the sprout
seeds in and you rinse the jartwice a day and let it just kind
(12:39):
of grow.
Now I'm week day five of this.
It usually takes five to sevendays before you can start
harvesting it I guess this isthe right word for it.
So I'll let you know how itgoes.
I'm thinking that I'm going toadd this as a kind of a salad
base grab it, throw some lettuceor throw a little bit of
vinegar and olive oil on it,some salt and pepper, and eat it
(13:01):
that way.
Or I may just end up throwingit into a blender and juicing it
that way.
But I'll let you know at thenext podcast how I see to do it.
So, but it's because of theamount of broccoli that I'm not
really sure I'm going to addthis fully to my diet, but I'm
I'm interested to see if it doesanything.
I'll try it.
I'll try anything just once.
(13:22):
But yeah, I just I'm not reallysure it will be habit and
having to grow it or the cost ofit, but we'll, we'll see.
I think the sprouts with on asandwich or the sprouts as a
salad base, I think couldactually kind of work.
So we'll see how that goes.
My problem is actually rinsinghaving the need to rinse and
water the plants twice a day.
(13:43):
I barely water my gardens twicea week.
So we'll see how that goes.
But anyway I'll let you know.
But you can add more broccoli toit.
I've talked to your diet.
If you want to help get it.
You can also add Brusselssprouts or cauliflower if you
want those.
You can also get supplementsfor it.
(14:05):
I'm not really sure I'm willingto pay the supplements just for
broccoli sprouts just yet, butwe'll see.
And then just I guess I'm kindhim and Han here a little bit.
The article was great because,like I said, I did not know that
I knew performance athleteswere using beets and I did know.
(14:26):
Well, I did not know that theywere using tart cherry.
And then this broccoli, thesalurophane sounds interesting
as one that could potentiallyadd to it.
So I'll let you know how itgoes, or you can let me know if
you want to try it and see howthat works out.
Yeah, so how do I kind oftalked about this a little bit.
How does it fit into my largerframework?
(14:46):
So let's, let's talk about so on, on Mondays I'm fasting, which
actually, with this new oatmealand granola, is I'm.
Now actually maybe I'm going tosee right, because what I've
noticed is I fast Monday.
I do very light eating Tuesdayand Wednesday and that actually
(15:08):
I think leads to because I haveputting so little into my
digestive track it actuallyleads to constipation.
So what I may be doing isadding oatmeal to my fast day a
hundred calories, 170 caloriesor whatever it is.
So making oatmeal, a breakfastof oatmeal, like I said, 170
calories, a basis across, muchlike I have the lemon water um
(15:32):
across every day.
That's what I'm, what I'm kindof thinking about right now.
Actually, I'll probably end updoing it.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays willstill be a micro fast, a little
bit more calories, but again,oatmeal or granola will probably
be a consistency across themornings.
Thursdays I'll either do amodified zone or more of a keto
protein heavy, and then I gointo the full modified zone on
(15:55):
the weekends for flexibility.
A modified zone is stillprotein heavy.
It's protein with, with.
Actually it's a handful ofprotein with two handfuls of
Broccoli right is kind of mymain meal for that.
So on top of that I layer mysupplement stack right.
So talked about it Beets, tart,cherry, cinnamon, turmeric,
(16:16):
vitamin D3, k2, magnesium, myomega-3s, hmb.
But yeah, next week we'll goover it.
This is, it's a system, right,it's not a single juice or a
powder or a single meal, it'snot one type of meal, only
eating this one thing.
That got me from five, 50pounds down to the low two
thirties.
So again, I'm just remindingmyself, and you know this, this
(16:40):
last month and a half I've kindof been slacking on my
supplements, which have led toslacking on my diet, which is
probably led to why I'mplateaued.
Right Is, I'm maintaining andI'm going to jump back into it
and start driving down,especially towards the end of
the year.
My goal was to be close to 200by the end of the year and I'm
(17:00):
right there.
So I'm going to be making a runrun at 200 here by January 1st,
hopefully.
But broccoli, this broccolijuice, january 1st, hopefully.
But broccoli, this broccolijuice, these broccoli sprouts
might be one more addition tothe system, but it's it's again
not.
One thing is is never the cureall, but if it has benefits, and
I see benefits.
But I already may be gettingthe benefits just because the
(17:22):
amount of broccoli I alreadyhave in my diet.
So this one's going to beinteresting to see where it goes
.
But again, the the you know, thereal thing to remember is it's
got to be easy, it's got tobring me joy.
It's got to have flexibilityinto it and I got to be able to
do it without thinking, becauseif I have to work too hard, it
feels like starting to feel likea chore.
I know myself I will stop doingit for a week or two.
(17:44):
Even my supplements, which dobring me joy, I sometimes have a
problem with sticking with.
So just a reminder for all youout there.
The other thing I want to remindeveryone is I'm not a doctor.
I'm giving you my health advicefrom the point of a fat man,
and this is what I'm thinkingand why I'm working on it.
But you should be working withyour doctors and or your
(18:08):
pharmacist on the or yourpharmacist on the supplements
you take to make sure thatthere's no interaction with them
.
If you haven't noticed, I tendto stay close to uh, natural
supplements.
Right, I'm?
I'm not doing testosteroneboosters or or things like that.
You know, listen to the startof the list beets, cinnamon,
tart cherry, turmeric those arespices.
(18:29):
So, anyway, just a reminderthat you should have your doctor
check out your supplements nowand again.
So here are my takeaways afterreading that Cycle World article
One, completely happy that Idiscovered that tart cherry was
being used as a performanceenhancer.
(18:49):
That was a surprise to me.
But so I am curious about thesebroccoli sprouts and this
cellulophane.
But if you're looking at doingit or adding this to your diet,
start with food.
You know I'm trying to grow thebroccoli sprouts.
We'll see.
Right now I'm kind of staring atit a little sideways because it
seems like, you know, it wassomething where I could just set
it and leave it for five daysand then eat it.
(19:09):
That would be great.
So I have to do something withit twice a day.
I can't guarantee I'll alwaysremember to do it twice a day,
so it's that's going to beinteresting.
More than likely I may end upjust purchasing a supplement,
something cheaper than $7 aserving.
But start with food, then trysupplements.
So I'm starting with food first, then I'm trying supplements.
Especially if you want a higherdose, look at the broccoli
(19:33):
sprout extracts.
They're easier than justdrinking the juice or juicing
your own, but juicing your ownwill always be cheaper.
But again, a reminder this issomething interesting, but I'm
not a fan of chasing trends, soyou shouldn't go chase every
trend that's out there and tryto take every supplement that
that's comes across and tellsyou to do it.
Stick with the ones that workfor you.
(19:55):
You know, I I have people thatswear up and down about
glucosamine.
I'm staring at it cause I havea bottle over there, glucosamine
chondroitin.
Um did absolutely nothing forme, um, but yet I I know people
that swear up and down, you knowhealed their knee, knee
problems.
It's not doing anything for me,so I cut it out of my, out of
my, my diet.
Also, remember to prioritizeyour gut health.
(20:15):
Taking the supplements can haveeffect on your gut health, good
and bad.
I so far, I'm I'm prettypleased with this yogurt,
granola, berry, oatmeal combothing, that I'm doing that, so
much so that I'm probably at itto every day now, and I'll keep
you informed on that just tohelp with my digestive health.
My stomach feels better, myintestines feel better than they
(20:37):
felt in three years, so I thinkI'm onto something there and
then measure the results.
The end of the day, it's thequality of your life, right?
The best hack isn't the one thatsounds sexy or is awesome Ooh,
that's fantastic.
It's the one that helps youmove better, one's that makes
you feel better, live better andgives you joy in your life.
(20:59):
You know so at the.
In closing, at the end of theday, nature keeps giving us
tools, and constantly amazed athow much the natural world is
actually giving us everything,pretty much everything we need
there the fact that darkcherries, the colors, the
tomatoes, anything red actuallyhelps with inflammation, and
(21:21):
that we know that now beets foroxygen and tart cherry helps for
recovery, and now broccoli withthe cellulophane.
But again, as I just mentioned,the real hack isn't the food,
it's building something that youcan live with and a system that
reduces the inflammation,forces the digestion, helps you
move and keeps you in the fight.
(21:41):
That brings you joy.
It's got to be easy to do andit's got to bring you joy and
that's what keeps the waste off,that's what keeps the joy in.
And you'll know I mean literally, I can pick up my supplement.
My body kind of tells me whatthat supplement does for me.
It's a feeling I get when I,when I look at them again
glucosamine, chondroitin.
I pick it up and my bodydoesn't have any reaction to it.
(22:03):
But I pick up the tart cherryand my I can literally feel my
body relaxing.
Same with the uh, same withbeets, same with cinnamon.
So anyway, that's what keepsthe weight off.
For me, that's what helps me,that's what helped me lose 320
pounds.
For all of you out therestruggling it.
And, uh, I want to make a shoutout to fit the fat Gabby, who
I've been watching your uh,struggle, not struggle, but your
(22:27):
journey, um, and I want toencourage you to keep going.
My older brother, if you'relistening still, keep going at
it, keep doing it.
We'll do it together and youcan do it.
But it's all about bringing joyand it's all about making it
easy on your life and doing whatyou need to do to make your
life the life you want.
It's not just about the weightand it's not just about the
(22:49):
scale.
So I'm Drew.
This was episode eight ofHacking the Fat man.
Thank you for listening andI'll catch you in a couple of
weeks.
Thank you, bye.
Hey folks, welcome back to Hacking the Fat man.
This is episode 8.
I'm your host, drew Maness.
Today I'm going to take a lookat some of the newest
performance hacks that I've reador making the headlines
broccoli juice, specifically,broccoli sprouts juice.
I'll also provide an update oncurrently how I'm doing and some
other items that I've beenworking on during the week.
(00:52):
So here's a plan for theepisode.
We'll look at why athletes arethat I've been working on during
the week.
So here's a plan for theepisode.
We'll look at why athletes arestarting to do these broccoli
sprout drinks, what the sciencesays, how it stacks up against
the supplements I currently use,and I'll share some practical
tools that you can use,including a couple of my go-tos
for dealing with.
I've spent the better part ofthe last two weeks dealing with
(01:13):
my digestive system andconstipation.
So I first, before I getstarted, a quick update on where
I am.
So I'm currently still holdingsteady.
I think I talked about it lastweek, but if not, I'll bring it
up again.
You know, when I started thepodcast and I started weighing
myself every week or every otherweek, it actually started
(01:34):
messing with my head a littlebit.
I was starting to focus on thewrong things again.
If I didn't have a week where Ilost weight, I felt that I was
letting you down and lettingmyself down, and that's my own
hangups, my own personal issuesthat I have to get through.
And so what I have found tohelp me with this, that I've
used over the last year, that Istopped last couple of years,
(01:55):
that I had stopped was I'm onlyweighing myself.
I was only weighing myself whenI thought I had lost weight.
Um, so, doing it every week andwatching the weight just go
sideways or up and down, it justit's too much for my, my mental
healthness, um, if that's evena phrase, my, my mental health.
So, yeah, when I think thatI've lost weight, I will get
(02:17):
jump on the scale again and Iwill give you guys an update
when that happens.
So, anyway, but I still, evenwithout weighing myself, I can
tell you know, right now I'meven right, the clothes are
still fitting.
The same, I don't feel thatI've lost any weight.
I don't feel like I've gainedany weight, I just feel normal
(02:37):
and that's okay.
Shoot, if I live the rest of mylife at this weight being down
now.
320 pounds I've already won.
So, yes, I'd like to get under200, but I'm just going to keep
doing what I'm doing, andeventually the weight will fall
off right?
I've gotten a number of peoplethat have reached out hey, I've
dropped 60 pounds, or 30 stones,or whatever it was, and I've
(03:00):
plateaued.
Well, when you lose weight,your body will start to reduce,
your metabolism will reduce, andso plateau isn't out of the
question.
You will not stay in a plateau.
Your body will eventually yourmetabolism slowing will not.
After a while, it will pickback up and it won't stay low
(03:21):
anymore.
So, anyway, enough on that.
So, yeah, I'm still holdingsteady.
I've gained some muscle.
I think I've lost some fat.
Yeah, the mirror just istelling me more than what I need
the scale to tell me.
So one thing I've noticed overthe last month, though, is when
I slack off on my supplements, Ipay for it.
My joints stiffen, my cravingsstart to creep back in, even my
(03:44):
own mental health starts to godown, and my risk for a gout
flare up starts to go up.
In fact, I recently about aweek ago had a situation.
It wasn't full-on gout.
I recently, about a week agohad a situation.
It wasn't full-on gout, but itwas something going on with my
foot that hurt and it feltgout-like, but it wasn't at the
toe, it was in the arch.
So I don't know if I juststrained my arch or something,
(04:13):
but anyway it was enough of awarning sign for me to make sure
to get back on my—make sure I'mtaking my supplements every day
.
So I have done that and I knowI move better and I sleep better
and I feel sharper when I takethem.
So next week I'm actually goingto go over I think it's been a
while I'll go over all thesupplements that I am taking.
I know I referred to a few ofthem the tart cherry, the
cinnamon, the beets, the H and Bturmeric, vitamin D3, magnesium
(04:34):
, glyconate, vitamin K3.
Two, but anyway, I'll go over amore um next week.
So, but I am doubling down onconsistency.
And now let's, let's, let'stalk about broccoli juice,
broccoli sprouts juice, andwhether it, whether I'm actually
going to start it or not.
So to understand why broccoliis suddenly in the news, let's
rewind a bit.
Beet juice was was one of thefirst big performance enhanced
(04:57):
well, outside of, you know,steroids, but natural supplement
beet juice was one of the first.
And why it was the nitrates.
Nitrates turn into nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels,
which helps with your bloodpressure and improves oxygen
delivery.
And for cyclists that meantlonger rides with less fatigue.
For anyone that was working outit would mean less lactic acid
(05:20):
and less fatigue in your body,and it also meant lower blood
pressure and better circulation,which is why I actually take it
was for all those reasons.
And then tart cherry and thiswas something new to me from the
article.
I didn't realize tart cherryhad.
I found out about it from mybrother specifically for gout.
I hadn't realized that it'dbecome a performance enhancing
(05:42):
supplement, so it was a littlebit of a you know.
Hey, that's cool to find out itwas.
But it's rich in antioxidantsand it's great for recovery,
reduces soreness because I'vetalked about the inflammation
reduction, even improves sleepto natural melatonin.
And that's how I got started.
I was desperate to stop thegout pain and tart cherry was
(06:02):
one of my first real hacks, andit didn't just help my feet, it
gave me a bridge or a crutchback to mobility and helped me
start moving.
And in fact it was from therethat I even got started on the
diet, because after I startedtaking the supplements I started
realizing I was losing weightprimarily because I was moving
more.
(06:23):
Now the sports scientistresearch is turning to broccoli
sprouts, not for the nitratesand not for the melatonin, but
for a compound calledseluraphane.
Seluraphane is created when youchop, chew, blend cruciferous
vegetables and I'm not going tosay that word that often, but
those are cruciferous arebroccoli, cauliflower, kale,
(06:43):
brussels sprouts.
I like three of the four ofthose.
I am not eating anything kale,it's just not sitting in the
plant waiting.
It forms as part of a chemicalreaction when you're actually
chewing it and digesting it.
So what does slurphane do?
It lowers oxidative stress,that's, the cellular damage
(07:05):
caused by free radicals.
It reduces inflammation Okay,you've got my attention there
One of the biggest drivers ofpain and chronic disease and in
my case gout.
So I'm interested in it forthat purpose and also improves
how efficiently the body usesenergy.
Think of it like updating youroperating system so it runs
smoother, giving more RAM orsomething like that.
(07:25):
And some early research says itcould actually protect the
brain and even reduce risk ofcertain types of cancer.
So it's very interesting stillearly on.
The problem is you have to eatmountains of raw broccoli to get
enough seluraphane for thosebenefits.
I mean you have to eat a lotraw broccoli.
To get enough salurophane.
For those benefits, I mean youhave to eat a lot of broccoli.
That's why they're focusing onthe broccoli sprouts is because
(07:49):
the broccoli sprouts supposedlycontain more of the salurophane
and are smaller and easier todigest than the full broccoli
leaves.
Now, if you've watched any of mydaily diaries, there have been
a number of times where I'vemade a morning smoothie and I
use frozen broccoli.
It doesn't matter whether it'sorange or vanilla.
(08:10):
I'll actually throw frozenbroccoli into my morning
smoothie.
And the real trick there is youdon't really taste the broccoli
when you add it to the smoothielike that.
However, if you don't have theright blender blade, it can
become very grainy and sandy.
So I use an Osterizer, an Osterblade.
They've been the best since thelast 80 years.
(08:31):
I just don't think you can beatit.
It will pretty much turnanything into liquid form.
So good job, oster, keep thatup.
But yeah, so you can addbroccoli in.
But to get this benefit withseluraphane, you're going to
have to add a lot in and it'sprobably more than I'm willing
to eat.
I eat a lot of broccoli and I'mstill not at where the levels I
would need to be to get any ofthe benefits they're talking
(08:54):
about here.
The Cycle World article didtalk about this product called
Nomeo N-O-M-I-O and that is abroccoli sprout juice that you
can buy.
It's only $7 a serving.
Now that's a little high for me.
For just a supplement, $7 a daySounds like a lot.
So I will be looking at how Ican add this without really
(09:21):
pumping up my dollars like that.
Not something I'm interested indoing it, so yeah.
So what does slurphane do?
It lowers the oxidative stress.
It reduces inflammation.
It may improve how the bodyuses energy, the efficiency of
the body using energy and, yeah,cancer, and I've already talked
about this, so I'm sorry I'mrepeating myself.
(09:41):
So let's pause on theperformance for a second and
talk about something a littlebit more practical.
I spent the better part becauseone of the reasons when I think
of broccoli it's fiber, andyou've heard me talk on the show
in the past of my problems withconstipation, taking the
Manjaro or the Zepbound.
That slows down your digestivesystem, and I've spent the
(10:03):
better part of three years beingconstipated to the point.
Over the last two weeks I justhad had it, I was done with it
and completely threw out myfasting day and everything else
just to focus on it.
And what I went back to, orwhat I focused on, was
water-soluble fiber, andspecifically in the form of
(10:26):
oatmeal.
So I've added oatmeal.
Now, it's funny, I hate carbsso much that even just thinking
about using oatmeal Now you canbuy oatmeal with a ton of sugar
in it, and I think that's partof the problem.
You can buy granola with a tonof sugar in it, and that's part
of the problem is.
So I had to go find healthyversions of them without the
(10:47):
added sugar.
Um, I'm not really a fan of theApril apple and the maple and,
uh, you know, I kind of justwanted plain with butter, um,
and so that's what I starteddoing.
I started taking having oatmealuh, oatmeal at least once a day
, and then I've also added inGreek yogurt, which helps with
your gut biome, along withhealthy granola, using the
(11:13):
frozen berries that I have in myfridge for smoothies.
So, frozen berries I heat themup so they're not as frozen or
defrost them.
I add the Greek yogurt to itwith some of the granola, and
actually I found that to befairly enjoyable and it took
about a week and a half.
Excuse me, but it for the mostpart.
I don't want to say it's helpedcure it, but at least it's put
(11:34):
me on a much, much better pathto it.
You know, when we're addingsupplements and we're adding
things to our diet, broccoli issomething that's a lot of fiber
that you're adding, justsomething to keep an eye on.
But let's compare that tobroccoli juice.
You'd be choking it down formaybe a slight performance boost
(11:55):
.
Meanwhile, the yogurt berryoatmeal combo can reset your
digestion and keep you regularand support your long-term gut
health, which is a much biggerwin for me.
So while I actually had readthis Cycle World article last
week, I haven't added it untilnow, and part of the problem is
the amount of broccoli andbroccoli sprouts that you have
(12:17):
to eat to get the benefit.
As I mentioned, you can go buya supplement, and supplements
look pretty expensive right now.
The other thing I saw was peopleare starting to grow it and I
guess it's really easy to grow.
I bought this.
It's a mason jar with a lid onthe top where you put the sprout
seeds in and you rinse the jartwice a day and let it just kind
(12:39):
of grow.
Now I'm week day five of this.
It usually takes five to sevendays before you can start
harvesting it I guess this isthe right word for it.
So I'll let you know how itgoes.
I'm thinking that I'm going toadd this as a kind of a salad
base grab it, throw some lettuceor throw a little bit of
vinegar and olive oil on it,some salt and pepper, and eat it
(13:01):
that way.
Or I may just end up throwingit into a blender and juicing it
that way.
But I'll let you know at thenext podcast how I see to do it.
So, but it's because of theamount of broccoli that I'm not
really sure I'm going to addthis fully to my diet, but I'm
I'm interested to see if it doesanything.
I'll try it.
I'll try anything just once.
(13:22):
But yeah, I just I'm not reallysure it will be habit and
having to grow it or the cost ofit, but we'll, we'll see.
I think the sprouts with on asandwich or the sprouts as a
salad base, I think couldactually kind of work.
So we'll see how that goes.
My problem is actually rinsinghaving the need to rinse and
water the plants twice a day.
(13:43):
I barely water my gardens twicea week.
So we'll see how that goes.
But anyway I'll let you know.
But you can add more broccoli toit.
I've talked to your diet.
If you want to help get it.
You can also add Brusselssprouts or cauliflower if you
want those.
You can also get supplementsfor it.
(14:05):
I'm not really sure I'm willingto pay the supplements just for
broccoli sprouts just yet, butwe'll see.
And then just I guess I'm kindhim and Han here a little bit.
The article was great because,like I said, I did not know that
I knew performance athleteswere using beets and I did know.
(14:26):
Well, I did not know that theywere using tart cherry.
And then this broccoli, thesalurophane sounds interesting
as one that could potentiallyadd to it.
So I'll let you know how itgoes, or you can let me know if
you want to try it and see howthat works out.
Yeah, so how do I kind oftalked about this a little bit.
How does it fit into my largerframework?
(14:46):
So let's, let's talk about so on, on Mondays I'm fasting, which
actually, with this new oatmealand granola, is I'm.
Now actually maybe I'm going tosee right, because what I've
noticed is I fast Monday.
I do very light eating Tuesdayand Wednesday and that actually
(15:08):
I think leads to because I haveputting so little into my
digestive track it actuallyleads to constipation.
So what I may be doing isadding oatmeal to my fast day a
hundred calories, 170 caloriesor whatever it is.
So making oatmeal, a breakfastof oatmeal, like I said, 170
calories, a basis across, muchlike I have the lemon water um
(15:32):
across every day.
That's what I'm, what I'm kindof thinking about right now.
Actually, I'll probably end updoing it.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays willstill be a micro fast, a little
bit more calories, but again,oatmeal or granola will probably
be a consistency across themornings.
Thursdays I'll either do amodified zone or more of a keto
protein heavy, and then I gointo the full modified zone on
(15:55):
the weekends for flexibility.
A modified zone is stillprotein heavy.
It's protein with, with.
Actually it's a handful ofprotein with two handfuls of
Broccoli right is kind of mymain meal for that.
So on top of that I layer mysupplement stack right.
So talked about it Beets, tart,cherry, cinnamon, turmeric,
(16:16):
vitamin D3, k2, magnesium, myomega-3s, hmb.
But yeah, next week we'll goover it.
This is, it's a system, right,it's not a single juice or a
powder or a single meal, it'snot one type of meal, only
eating this one thing.
That got me from five, 50pounds down to the low two
thirties.
So again, I'm just remindingmyself, and you know this, this
(16:40):
last month and a half I've kindof been slacking on my
supplements, which have led toslacking on my diet, which is
probably led to why I'mplateaued.
Right Is, I'm maintaining andI'm going to jump back into it
and start driving down,especially towards the end of
the year.
My goal was to be close to 200by the end of the year and I'm
(17:00):
right there.
So I'm going to be making a runrun at 200 here by January 1st,
hopefully.
But broccoli, this broccolijuice, january 1st, hopefully.
But broccoli, this broccolijuice, these broccoli sprouts
might be one more addition tothe system, but it's it's again
not.
One thing is is never the cureall, but if it has benefits, and
I see benefits.
But I already may be gettingthe benefits just because the
(17:22):
amount of broccoli I alreadyhave in my diet.
So this one's going to beinteresting to see where it goes
.
But again, the the you know, thereal thing to remember is it's
got to be easy, it's got tobring me joy.
It's got to have flexibilityinto it and I got to be able to
do it without thinking, becauseif I have to work too hard, it
feels like starting to feel likea chore.
I know myself I will stop doingit for a week or two.
(17:44):
Even my supplements, which dobring me joy, I sometimes have a
problem with sticking with.
So just a reminder for all youout there.
The other thing I want to remindeveryone is I'm not a doctor.
I'm giving you my health advicefrom the point of a fat man,
and this is what I'm thinkingand why I'm working on it.
But you should be working withyour doctors and or your
(18:08):
pharmacist on the or yourpharmacist on the supplements
you take to make sure thatthere's no interaction with them
.
If you haven't noticed, I tendto stay close to uh, natural
supplements.
Right, I'm?
I'm not doing testosteroneboosters or or things like that.
You know, listen to the startof the list beets, cinnamon,
tart cherry, turmeric those arespices.
(18:29):
So, anyway, just a reminderthat you should have your doctor
check out your supplements nowand again.
So here are my takeaways afterreading that Cycle World article
One, completely happy that Idiscovered that tart cherry was
being used as a performanceenhancer.
(18:49):
That was a surprise to me.
But so I am curious about thesebroccoli sprouts and this
cellulophane.
But if you're looking at doingit or adding this to your diet,
start with food.
You know I'm trying to grow thebroccoli sprouts.
We'll see.
Right now I'm kind of staring atit a little sideways because it
seems like, you know, it wassomething where I could just set
it and leave it for five daysand then eat it.
(19:09):
That would be great.
So I have to do something withit twice a day.
I can't guarantee I'll alwaysremember to do it twice a day,
so it's that's going to beinteresting.
More than likely I may end upjust purchasing a supplement,
something cheaper than $7 aserving.
But start with food, then trysupplements.
So I'm starting with food first, then I'm trying supplements.
Especially if you want a higherdose, look at the broccoli
(19:33):
sprout extracts.
They're easier than justdrinking the juice or juicing
your own, but juicing your ownwill always be cheaper.
But again, a reminder this issomething interesting, but I'm
not a fan of chasing trends, soyou shouldn't go chase every
trend that's out there and tryto take every supplement that
that's comes across and tellsyou to do it.
Stick with the ones that workfor you.
(19:55):
You know, I I have people thatswear up and down about
glucosamine.
I'm staring at it cause I havea bottle over there, glucosamine
chondroitin.
Um did absolutely nothing forme, um, but yet I I know people
that swear up and down, you knowhealed their knee, knee
problems.
It's not doing anything for me,so I cut it out of my, out of
my, my diet.
Also, remember to prioritizeyour gut health.
(20:15):
Taking the supplements can haveeffect on your gut health, good
and bad.
I so far, I'm I'm prettypleased with this yogurt,
granola, berry, oatmeal combothing, that I'm doing that, so
much so that I'm probably at itto every day now, and I'll keep
you informed on that just tohelp with my digestive health.
My stomach feels better, myintestines feel better than they
(20:37):
felt in three years, so I thinkI'm onto something there and
then measure the results.
The end of the day, it's thequality of your life, right?
The best hack isn't the one thatsounds sexy or is awesome Ooh,
that's fantastic.
It's the one that helps youmove better, one's that makes
you feel better, live better andgives you joy in your life.
(20:59):
You know so at the.
In closing, at the end of theday, nature keeps giving us
tools, and constantly amazed athow much the natural world is
actually giving us everything,pretty much everything we need
there the fact that darkcherries, the colors, the
tomatoes, anything red actuallyhelps with inflammation, and
(21:21):
that we know that now beets foroxygen and tart cherry helps for
recovery, and now broccoli withthe cellulophane.
But again, as I just mentioned,the real hack isn't the food,
it's building something that youcan live with and a system that
reduces the inflammation,forces the digestion, helps you
move and keeps you in the fight.
(21:41):
That brings you joy.
It's got to be easy to do andit's got to bring you joy and
that's what keeps the waste off,that's what keeps the joy in.
And you'll know I mean literally, I can pick up my supplement.
My body kind of tells me whatthat supplement does for me.
It's a feeling I get when I,when I look at them again
glucosamine, chondroitin.
I pick it up and my bodydoesn't have any reaction to it.
(22:03):
But I pick up the tart cherryand my I can literally feel my
body relaxing.
Same with the uh, same withbeets, same with cinnamon.
So anyway, that's what keepsthe weight off.
For me, that's what helps me,that's what helped me lose 320
pounds.
For all of you out therestruggling it.
And, uh, I want to make a shoutout to fit the fat Gabby, who
I've been watching your uh,struggle, not struggle, but your
(22:27):
journey, um, and I want toencourage you to keep going.
My older brother, if you'relistening still, keep going at
it, keep doing it.
We'll do it together and youcan do it.
But it's all about bringing joyand it's all about making it
easy on your life and doing whatyou need to do to make your
life the life you want.
It's not just about the weightand it's not just about the
(22:49):
scale.
So I'm Drew.
This was episode eight ofHacking the Fat man.
Thank you for listening andI'll catch you in a couple of
weeks.
Thank you, bye.
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