In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter explores how to determine the right diet for yourself rather than searching for a universal “best” diet. He begins by laying out five non-negotiable criteria that any sustainable eating pattern must meet—energy balance, metabolic health, adequate protein, micronutrient sufficiency, and long-term adherence—before introducing a practical rubric for evaluating different diets. Using this framework, Peter walks through the ketogenic, carnivore, vegan, and Mediterranean diets, highlighting their strengths, ideal candidates for each, and common pitfalls such as micronutrient gaps or adherence challenges. He explains why this guidance is aimed at people who feel overwhelmed by diet choices, not zealots defending a single approach, and provides practical advice on using tools like DEXA scans, lab markers, continuous glucose monitors, and symptom tracking to assess whether a diet is truly working.
If you’re not a subscriber and listening on a podcast player, you’ll only be able to hear a preview of the AMA. If you’re a subscriber, you can now listen to this full episode on your private RSS feed or on our website at the AMA #75 show notes page. If you are not a subscriber, you can learn more about the subscriber benefits here.
Would you like access to this entire podcast episode, its extensive show notes, and more premium content?
We discuss:
Timestamps: There are two sets of timestamps associated with the topic list below. The first is audio (A), and the second is video (V). If you are listening to this podcast with the audio player on this page or in your favorite podcast player, please refer to the audio timestamps. If you are watching the video version on this page or YouTube, please refer to the video timestamps.
- Peter’s family chess battle [A: 3:00, V: 1:27];
- Framing the diet discussion: moving past tribalism to practical frameworks for evaluating various dietary strategies [A: 5:00, V: 3:45];
- Peter’s high-level nutrition framework [A: 11:00, V: 1:20];
- Why diet is such a uniquely polarizing subject [A: 14:15, V: 14:15];
- The five non-negotiables that apply to any diet [A: 17:45, V: 18:23];
- How to think about energy balance in the context of evaluating a specific diet [A: 20:15, V: 21:10];
- How diet can address metabolic health [A: 21:45, V: 22:56];
- Protein as a dietary foundation [A: 23:30, V: 25:15];
- Micronutrient essentials: avoiding deficiencies in restrictive and processed diets [A: 24:45, V: 26:36];
- Why adherence and sustainability are essential for diet success [A: 27:15, V: 29:21];
- Examining the standard American diet through the five non-negotiables [A: 31:00, V: 33:57];
- The evaluation framework for specific diets [A: 33:30, V: 37:00];
- The ketogenic diet: defining ketosis, clinical origins, modern uses, and potential health benefits [A: 35:00, V: 38:33];
- The main strengths and weaknesses of the ketogenic diet [A: 43:00, V: 48:00];
- How to avoid micronutrient deficiencies while on a ketogenic diet [A: 47:15, V: 52:49];
- Electrolytes and fiber and the ketogenic diet: preventing magnesium loss and maintaining digestive health [A: 49:15, V: 55:22];
- Adherence challenges of the ketogenic diet [A: 51:30, V: 58:00];
- The carnivore diet: definition, motivations, anecdotal benefits, and possible mechanisms [A: 53:15, V: 59:58];
- The main strengths and weaknesses of the carnivore diet [A: 57:30, V: 1:05:03];
- Plant exclusion on the carnivore diet: nutrient gaps, gut changes, and unanswered questions [A: 1:03:15, V: 1:12:38];
- Adherence challenges of the carnivore diet [A: 1:04:45, V: 1:14:28];
- The vegan diet: definition, core beliefs, and various motivations for this strategy [A: 1:05:45, V: 1:15:46];
- The main strengths and weaknesses of the vegan diet [A: 1:09:15, V: 1:20:15];
- Adherence to the vegan diet: social acceptance, edge cases, and personal sustainability [A: 1:13:15, V: 1:24:40];
- The Mediterranean diet: definitional challenges, traditional patterns, and its relatively strong evidence base [A: 1:15:15, V: 1:26:57];
- Limitations of the Mediterranean diet: loose definitions and indulgence risks [A: 1:19:30, V: 1:31:45];
- Measuring diet success: why setting clear goals and tracking outcomes matter [A: 1:21:00, V: 1:33:51];
- Tracking body composition using DEXA scans [A: 1:22:15, V: 1:35:27];
- Tracking metabolic health: key blood tests and advanced glucose monitoring tools [A: 1:22:45, V: 1:36:07];
- Using elimination diets to identify food sensitivities that may cause digestive problems, autoimmune symptoms, or low energy [A: 1:23:30, V: 1:36:45];
- Evaluating “anti-inflammatory diets”: confirming inflammation through symptoms and hs-CRP testing [A: 1:25:15, V: 1:38:54];
- Final takeaways: flexibility, structure, and avoiding dogma in dietary choices [A: 1:27:00, V: 1:40:49]; and
- More.
Show Notes
Peter’s family chess battle [A: 3:00, V: 1:27]
Quick chess update (See AMA #74 for previous chess talk):
- Peter’s family had an “in-house” chess tournament this weekend
- Peter made it to the finals with his youngest boy
- Peter was playing lights out until he made an idiotic blunder, and in a second, the game changed.
- Five moves later, it’s checkmate against Peter
- Nick pokes fun at Peter commenting: “You started this by bragging about making it to the finals of an in-house chess tournament which was composed of three people. . .two of which can’t even drive yet.”
- Peter claims there were more than 3 people: “No, no, no. There were a few others. There were some other people in the tournament.”
- Thankfully, Peter restrained himself and didn’t throw any pieces across the room
Framing the diet discussion: moving past tribalism to practical frameworks for evaluating various dietary strategies [A: 5:00, V: 3:45]
Framing of the Episode
- Focus is not on which diet is “best,” but on how to evaluate diets pragmatically.
- This episode aims to help people navigate the overwhelming information on diets.
- The structure of the discussion:
- Start with five non-negotiables for any sustainable diet:
- 1) Energy balance
- 2) Metabolic health
- 3) Adequacy of protein
- 4) Micronutrient sufficiency
- 5) Long-term adherence
- Use a framework for each diet:
- Define the rules clearly
- Identify strengths and who it suits best
- Highlight weaknesses and pitfalls, plus how to mitigate them
- Apply the framework to four common diets: ketogenic, carnivore, vegan, and Mediterranean.
- End with practical takeaways for implementation and tracking progress.
Peter’s Reluctance and Motivation
- Peter admits he generally dislikes discussing diets because:
- Conversations often degrade into tribal, moral, or religious-like arguments rather than scientific discourse.
- He dislikes the fanaticism in diet culture.
- He was reluctant to record this episode but was convinced by:
- Audience demand.
- His team, especially Josh Roche, who framed it as targeting the 87% of confused, non-zealot individuals who just want clarity and practical guidance.
- Key mental shift: focus on the majority of people seeking common-sense frameworks, not extremists in dietary “camps.”
Nutrition vs. Diets
- Distinction Peter makes:
- Previous Nutrition AMA (AMA #66 released in Dec. 2024) covered big-picture topics:
- Is there a “best” diet?
- Nutrition vs. exercise in health outcomes.
- Protein requirements for maintenance vs. muscle growth.
- This episode focuses on dietary approaches themselves, their frameworks, and practical decision-making.
- Intention is to bridge the gap between nutritional biochemistry (his preference) and diet strategy/application (audience demand).
Peter’s high-level nutrition framework [A: 11:00, V: 1:20]
High-Level Nutrition Framework
{end of show notes preview}
