Dr. Goldhamer’s Wild Idea: To teach people to lead healthy lives unharmed by unhealthy foods that many put into their bodies. To also share the benefits of water-only fasting.
With the new year coming up and the tendency for lots of people to make resolutions, many of which are health oriented, I wanted to do a show focused on health. One of the most popular shows I’ve done was with David Goldman, a proponent of intermittent fasting, who worked at a place called TrueNorth Health.
Fasting may seem like a wild idea, but the practice has actually been around for thousands of years and is still used in many cultures and religions. This episode is specifically about water-only fasting, and eating a plant-based, sugar-free, oil-free, and salt-free diet. Dr. Alan Goldhamer, who founded TrueNorth Health, is a huge supporter of these practices. Since 1984, he’s helped thousands of people take back control of their health with these techniques. He’s also a licensed osteopathic physician, author of The Health Promoting Cookbook, and the co-author of The Pleasure Trap.
To dig into this topic and to do this podcast, I went to TrueNorth Health in Santa Rosa, California, and did a five-day water-only fast, where I was supervised the whole time by an MD. I had some interesting results, which I share about at the end of the show. After I started eating again, I sat down to talk to Dr. Goldhamer about the results he’s seen from fasting, who can or should do a fast, how to maintain a plant-based diet, and what being featured in the film, What The Health, was like. He is super knowledgeable, and he doesn’t shy away from a spirited debate, which I appreciated.
Disclaimer time: I am not a doctor and this podcast is solely for informational purposes! Please consult your doctor and do your own research before trying a fast or any other unusual health practices.
Listen to this Episode if
- You’re ready to get healthy.
- You’re not afraid to try something unconventional.
- You want to try a water-fast or are interested in fasting.
- You’re thinking about moving to a plant-based diet.
- You think Western medicine is too focused on medication.
Key Takeaways
- 5:50 – What they do at TrueNorth Health.
- 6:30 – The diseases that occur when people overeat.
- 8:00 – What the hardest part of fasting is.
- 9:25 – The difference between intermittent fasting and water-only fasting.
- 10:40 – What long-term water-only fasting does?
- 13:30 – What happens when you fast?
- 15:00 – The importance of following protocols when you’re fasting.
- 16:00 – Why you have to re-feed after a fast carefully.
- 17:20 – The most interesting cases he’s seen.
- 19:20 – How Dr. Goldhamer decided to open TrueNorth Health.
- 22:00 – What a whole food, plant-based diet looks like for three meals a day.
- 25:25 – Why there’s resistance to a plant-based diet.
- 25:50 – Why there is no problem getting the right quantity or quality of protein on a plant-based diet.
- 27:00 – What Dr. Goldhamer loves most about his job.
- 30:00 – How to shop for healthy foods.
- 31:20 – One of Dr. Goldhamer’s favorite patient stories.
- 34:40 – Books to read about this kind of diet.
- 38:25 – How TrueNorth has been achieving its goal.
- 39:40 – I’m answering some questions about fasting