Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #94 with personal trainer and fitness model, Jason Wittrock.

Watch the interview on YouTube here.

My name is Andrea Samadi,  and if you are new here, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, whether you are an educator, or in the corporate space, to take your results to the next level. If we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain. 

I first found our next guest, Jason Wittrock late 2016/  2017 when I was searching for answers with my diet. I was at a crossroads with my health, and knew I needed to do some things differently, I just didn’t know exactly what to do, and I had heard some friends in some of my online groups talking about how they were drinking keto coffee, and experiencing health benefits, like increased energy and weight loss.  So I went to YouTube, and typed in “how to make keto coffee” and Jason Wittrock’s video came up called “Keto Coffee”[i] and my journey began here, taking my health to a whole new level, and have never looked back. I’m sure there are thousands of stories just like mine.

Welcome Jason, thank you so much for your time today to come on the podcast and share what you have been doing with your YouTube videos, inspiring people around the world with their health, nutrition and lifestyle for years.

Jason, I’ve got to tell you this. Back when I first found your videos, I saw something different with what you were doing. This was the beginning of my health journey, but it did stick, and here we are all these years later speaking.

There’s a few things that I wanted to tell you that stuck out to me, looking back, about why I think the results stuck and it’s that you really come across that you want to help people. You said quite a few times on your videos, as you spoke 100 miles an hour about what you were doing, the products you were using and why, you said “hey, I’m just trying to help” and it really did come across that you were, so I listened. You said “look, some guy just did this diet for 45 days, that’s awesome, make it a lifestyle” so I did, and pretty sure I posted a million times on my social media about how much I was loving keto coffee, and your fat bombs[ii] (those were awesome)! I’m just one person, so can just image the ripple effect of your work. Way to go and thank you for what you are doing.

So let’s get to some questions here--

Q1: Jason, I reached out to you, as I have recently recorded an episode on the TOP 5 Health Staples[iii] that have been proven to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and that I’m looking to dive deeper into these 5 health strategies.  I thought of you a few times when I was thinking about when I changed my diet after watching your videos. Can you share how your journey to health began, and what’s been happening with you since I first saw your videos?

Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise

Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep

Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet

Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome

Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting

Q2: A few years ago, it was a huge paradigm shift for me to think about putting butter in my coffee. I’m not sure about other people, but you are talking to someone who used to count calories (not anymore) and used to be terrified of eating anything high in fat.  I did some research, and then watched you making your keto coffee, then bought exactly the same ingredients, then trusted you. Now this is all from a YouTube video, and maybe from one other person I knew who was drinking coffee this way who I also trusted. Now, we’ve got Dave Asprey and his Bulletproof Coffee products, but back then, he was just getting started with that and I didn’t know about it. What are you hearing now from people who have made the switch from eating a diet that’s higher in fats now, and how easy is it for them to map out their macros (the percentage of fats/proteins and carbs)?

Q3: I was surprised when I listened to a recent health documentary called “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention”[iv] where they listed intermittent fasting as one of the top 5 health staples for brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention. They say that Intermittent fasting “fights insulin resistance, lowering your risk of type-2 diabetes, reduces inflammation in the body, is beneficial for heart health, and may prevent cancer.”[xxxiii]  What are your current thoughts on IF? I remember watching your video[v] from 2016 when I was first starting the keto diet, and I didn’t fast at this time. (I do now). Do you still not fast?  

Q4: After a few years of eating this way, what have you seen with your blood results? What have you noticed? What would you say to someone who is worried about stressing out their liver over time?

Q5: I see that you have 2 kids (not sure of their ages). How do you plan to keep them eating healthy as they grow up? This has been the hardest thing for me, trying my best to let them be kids and eat an ice-cream and then say “hey, who wants some scrambled eggs!” Is living by example enough?

Q6: What is your current vision for your personal training and coaching?  (Do you plan to create something personalized like the Vshred program) or others that we see out there? What’s next for you?

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me Jason. I’m so grateful to have found you all those years ago when I was searching for a change, and the change stuck around. Keep going, you are making an incredible impact on the world. I highly encourage those listening to learn more about you (is there anything you want to promote?)

For people who want to learn more about you, they can find your helpful videos on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOfJHaFLpfbi87xPoAa_NbQ

https://www.facebook.com/jasonwittrock/

https://www.instagram.com/jason.wittrock/

RESOURCES:

How to Eat Keto on the Road for 21 Days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC3pMTPtfPU

Full Day of Eating Keto at Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2TH1c_qucc

14 Healthy Fats for the Keto Diet https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-fats-for-keto

Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore (Aug. 2014)  https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Clarity-Definitive-Benefits-Low-Carb/dp/1628600071

The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won’t Prevent Heart Disease by Johnny Bowden PhD and Stephen Sinatra M.D. (Nov. 2012)  https://www.amazon.com/Great-Cholesterol-Myth-Disease-Statin-Free/dp/1592335217

Is the Ketogenic Diet Good or Bad for Brain Health? By Dr. Daniel Amen Dec. 2019 https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/is-the-keto-diet-good-or-bad-for-brain-health/

Does the Keto Diet Work? Dr. Mark Hyman Published on YouTube Jan.2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp2qO6UGmos

REFERENCES:

[i] Keto Coffee with Jason Wittrock Published August 2017 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzLwqBDMgGc

[ii] How to Make Fat bombs| The Ketogenic Diet Published August 2016 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do7o-jykU_4

[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #87 on the Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/do-you-know-the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/

[iv] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” https://scienceofprevention.com/

[v] Keto and Intermittent Fasting with Jason Wittrock Published on YouTube Dec. 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY9Ix0hIa_g