Max Lugavere

It's the capacity of exercise to fight off depression, I think is crucially important.

And depression in midlife is a modifiable risk factor for dementia.

So that's really important as well.

So that would be a non-negotiable for me.

I would say number three is eating a nutrient-dense diet.

I try to major in the majors as best I can.

You guys know, I mean, if you're a regular listener of the show, you know that I'm not an absolutist.

I don't eat zero ultra-processed foods.

I certainly enjoy my share of ultra-processed foods.

They just make up a small percentage of my diet.

When I'm on a cutting phase, when I'm trying to lose body fat, I even enjoy diet sodas here and there, even though I'm not the biggest fan of artificial sweeteners.

I try to default to sodas now on the market that are artificial sweetener free.

There are plenty that exist.

There's Nixie, there's Zevia, no affiliation.

But beyond that, beyond sticking to mainly whole foods, which I think is the biggest lever,

um as we you know get a little bit more granular i try to prioritize protein circling back to 0.2 prioritizing protein is a great way to support the health of your skeletal muscle which is super important it's really important for brain health there are dozens of uh correlational studies now linking um greater muscle strength to reduced all-cause mortality better metabolic health better cardiovascular health better brain health

And eating dietary protein indirectly, well, directly supports that, which indirectly is going to support the brain.

And then on top of that, protein, prioritizing protein, especially in the context of a food environment that is 73% ultra processed foods, right?

Prioritizing protein is a great way to assuage hunger.

It's a great way to nip hunger in the bud, to get ahead of hunger, because we all today have felt and experienced food noise, right, because of our diet.