3545: A Minimalist's Thoughts on Diet by Joshua Fields Millburn of TheMinimalists on Nutrition Advice

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Health Daily. A minimalist's thoughts on diet by Joshua Fields Milburn of theminimalists.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your very own personal narrator. Welcome to another edition of Optimal Health Daily. This is one of just a few podcasts in the world where blogs are read to you. And on this show, you get the added bonus of hearing my commentary at the end. And another bonus, on Fridays, I answer your questions.

[00:01:26] Now, to check out our other shows, just search for Optimal Living Daily wherever you're hearing this. But for now, let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life. A minimalist's thoughts on diet by Joshua Fields Milburn of theminimalists.com. A few years ago, I was a eat-whatever-I-want kind of guy. And I felt like fuck most of the time. I weighed 80 pounds more than I weigh now.

[00:01:56] I had stomach problems. I was tired and sluggish. And I lacked the energy necessary to live an active, fulfilling life. Today, at age 31, my diet is markedly different. And I've never felt more alive. And this is why. 1. Food My diet today consists mostly of protein and plants. Very few processed foods, if at all. I eat a fair share of fruits and vegetables. I'm particularly fond of avocados, blueberries, and cooked greens.

[00:02:25] I also eat organic meat and fish every day. My ideal meal looks something like this. A bowl containing a small portion of white rice, half an avocado, a large piece of grilled salmon, and a side salad with olive oil and lemon. 2. Avoid There are quite a few foods I've drastically reduced in my diet. Mainly sugar and most processed foods. There are many so-called experts out there. I am not one of them. But it was my friend, common sense,

[00:02:54] who advised me to avoid most of these foods. Think about it. What other animal eats candy bars? Our bodies are probably not meant to consume these kinds of foods. 3. Intermittent Fasting I eat two meals a day, generally no snacks, both consumed within an 8-hour window, usually around 11am and 6.30pm. I fast during the day's remaining 16 hours, from 7pm to 11am, consuming only water, herbal tea,

[00:03:23] or black coffee during those times. This is much easier than you think. And yes, this means I skip breakfast. 4. Water, liquids, and juice I drink roughly half my body weight in ounces of water each day. I weigh 165 pounds-ish, so I drink 80 to 90 ounces of water per day. Sometimes I also add electrolytes. I also drink coffee, albeit appreciably less than I used to, as well as herbal tea,

[00:03:52] but I eliminated sodas and all sugary liquids from my diet, including fruit juices, which contain shockingly high amounts of sugar. 5. Supplements Although I eat a large quantity of nutrient-rich foods, I find it important to take daily supplements with each meal. I take a multivitamin for comprehensive nutritional health, vitamin B complex, and fish oil. Depending on your diet, these may not be necessary for everyone, but I noticed a difference in my body

[00:04:21] after two months of these daily supplements. 6. Exercise I exercise every day, but I don't spend a ton of time, effort, or focus on it. I do only two things. 1. I walk between 3 and 8 miles each day, allowing me plenty of time to think, breathe, and de-stress as I meander the neighborhoods near my home. And 2. I work out for 18 minutes. I'm not worried about building vanity muscles. I'm concerned with how I feel.

[00:04:50] I discovered when I eat and exercise in ways that help me feel good, lean muscles are a nice bonus. You don't have to kill yourself to become fit. My friend, personal trainer Vic Magary, is the fittest guy I know, and yet he often exercises only 10 minutes a day. Everyone has 10 to 20 minutes a day to dedicate to their health, right? 7. Sleep Because of diet and exercise, I need less sleep than I used to. Most mornings, I wake up around 3.30 a.m.

[00:05:20] after 6 to 8 hours of sleep. Some days, however, I sleep later until 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. I let my body dictate how much sleep I need, which happens to be far less sleep than just a few years ago. It is important, however, to get as much sleep as your body requires. Operating on a deficit is unhealthy. And 8. Stress We don't get stressed. We do stress. If I were to ask you what a stressed person looks like,

[00:05:48] you'd easily be able to mimic his or her physiology. Frowning, shallow breathing, muscle tensing, and so on. Once you become aware of your stressed physiological state, you can change your physiology, the way you move your body, to become unstressed. Nearly everyone feels stressed these days, but I am significantly less stressed than I've ever been because I make an effort to be aware of my triggers and change my physical movements accordingly. When I feel overwhelmed,

[00:06:17] I'll change my breathing pattern, I'll take a walk, I'll exercise, I'll look in the mirror with a big grin, or I'll make sure no one's looking and I'll jump up and down like a crazy person. Anything to get me out of that stressed state. These techniques effectively combat depression, anger, and sadness too. Most importantly, after changing my diet and embracing a healthier lifestyle, I feel amazing. But Joshua, your diet sounds so boring and unentertaining. I don't think so,

[00:06:47] but then again, I no longer look at food as entertainment. Food is fuel, nothing more. I can still enjoy a great conversation over a healthy meal with friends. I simply don't let the food be my source of entertainment. I enjoy the foods I eat, but I enjoy the rest of my life too. Does that mean my exact diet will also work for you? Maybe, but maybe not. There's only one way to know for sure. Test it out yourself. You can emulate my diet for 10 days and see how it makes you feel.

[00:07:17] See what aspects work for you. Or try any one aspect for 10 days, like going without processed foods, or adding a green drink, or daily exercise and notice the changes. I'm certain you can do anything for 10 days. See how those changes make you feel and then adjust accordingly. Improving one's health is the foundation of living a meaningful life. Without your health, nothing else matters. I don't care what you eat or how you exercise. I'm not looking to convert

[00:07:46] anyone to my way of eating. I don't care whether you're a vegetarian, a vegan, or a primal, paleo, whatever. None of these labels apply to my own dietary lifestyle and arguing the particulars is silly anyway. What I do care about is how you feel. I want you to feel great so you can better enjoy your life. You just listened to the post titled A Minimalist's Thoughts on Diet by Joshua Fields Milburn of TheMinimalists.com

[00:08:16] and I'll be right back with my commentary. Best thing that's ever happened to you financially. Go. Easy. Sold my car on Carvana. Amazing offer. Really? I hit 200 on a scratcher. Did the scratcher come to your house and hand you a check? No. How many scratchers did you hit to get that? I hit a button on Carvana.com once. You always win. Not like the lottery at all actually. Exactly. Inexplicably good. Offers worth bragging about.

[00:08:45] Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees may apply. Your heart can tell you a lot about your health. Apple Watch Series 12 measures your heart rate every five seconds with the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable. So your vitals app now with heart rate variability can tell you when something is off. And your readiness score can let you know when to rest and when to push. Hear the story in every heartbeat. With Apple Watch Series 12. The features described are for wellness purposes only and not for medical use. iPhone 11 or later required. Based on Apple conducted study of heart rate accuracy

[00:09:15] August 2026. Visit apple.com slash apple watch series 12. Dr. Neal Malik here with my commentary. I liked when today's author Joshua was talking about managing stress. He mentioned that being aware of the fact that we're in a stressed physiological state can be helpful. Because once we're aware of this we can do something about it. We can take steps to get ourselves out of this state and again as Joshua said become unstressed. He gave us examples of changing his breathing pattern exercising

[00:09:45] and even jumping up and down. Those are all fantastic tips. But another suggestion that's been shown to be helpful is to expose the body to cold. For example if we notice our body is starting to tense up and feel stressed placing a cold ice pack or a cold towel on the back of our neck can reduce this stress response. Dunking our heads in cold water would also do the trick. If you're in your car and those stressful feelings are creeping up if it's safe to do so

[00:10:15] turn the air conditioning system to full blast. Now you may be wondering why cold? Why do all of these suggestions involve cold temperatures? It's because in response to cold the body's nervous system slows down. When we're stressed the body's on high alert. Thoughts are racing muscles are tensing heart rate is increasing blood pressure is going up. So again the nervous system is on high alert. We want to slow things back down and exposing the body to things that are

[00:10:44] cool to the touch will help do that. Try it for yourself. Alright that'll do it for another edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for being here. I hope you have a great rest of your day and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual where your optimal life awaits.