Joe Rogan is known for being a strong proponent of the ketogenic diet, so it’s not at all surprising that he gets guests on his show to talk all about it. And when you hear what his guests have to say about you can easily be persuaded to give it a try, although he does aim for a complete picture on the topic, criticisms and all.
Here we’ll present you with a good overview of his best keto-related podcasts, including one with scientist Dom D’Agostino who presents the keto diet as something of a miracle.
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The Joe Rogan Experience #994: Joe Rogan & Dom D’Agostino
In this episode, you learn just how miraculous the ketogenic diet can be. Joe Rogan speaks with Dom D’Agostino, an assistant professor in molecular pharmacology and physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.
As you may imagine, the episode covers many more well-known benefits of the keto diet, such as how it produces no spikes in the body’s insulin levels. D’Agostino says that the keto diet can be used to reverse Type II diabetes.
And if that’s not miraculous enough for you, you should check out what D’Agostino says about how it can also help prevent seizures in those who have epilepsy and how it can enhance wound healing in animals.
D’Agostino then touches on epigenetics, which is how such effects are achieved, and how the keto diet changes the body’s cells so that different proteins are selected to be made from the DNA blueprint. Fascinating stuff.
D’Agostino further proposes that the keto diet can also help Alzheimer’s, brain injury, and glut-1 transporter deficiency. He explains how it is currently being used to treat dogs with cancer.
As to the experience of being on the keto diet, D’Agostino explains how your palette adapts and changes over time. He also explains how the keto diet can aid appetite suppression, which is a great way to ensure you don’t consume too many calories.
Then he goes on to discuss luxury items that have been specially developed for those on the keto diet, including the likes of keto wine and keto cookies, something you’d think would be impossible on the keto diet. And even a keto ice cream that tastes just as good as regular ice cream.
D’Agostino also discusses keto supplements, including which ones he uses himself. It’s worth turning on for that alone.
And it’s also worth tuning in for D’Agostino’s tips on what apps to use to aid your keto diet.
But both participants don’t just blindly follow keto, however, and they acknowledge that it does present issues. Rogan directly asks D’Agostino, “What are the criticisms of the keto diet, and are they valid?”
This is where the two discuss what they call keto flu, which is basically how the body starts to struggle with its new regime and can leave dieters feeling drained in the early stages.
And D’Agostino covers the difficulty in following the keto diet if you are vegan – there aren’t as many food options available to you. Interestingly, though, he argues that you can easily ascribe to the keto diet if you are vegetarian rather than vegan and discusses the benefits of eggs for the diet.
It’s super easy to find this episode on Spotify; when you enter the search terms “Joe Rogan” and “Keto,” this episode is the top result.
The Joe Rogan Experience #1110: Joe Rogan & Zach Bitter
Occasionally Joe Regan speaks with top athletes in their field, and in this instance, he speaks to none other than Zach Bitter. Those who don’t know, Zach Bitter is an ultramarathon runner who holds world records for both the 100-mile run and the 12-hour run.
As you can imagine, this takes incredible fitness levels to achieve, not to mention exceptional levels of energy. And this becomes incredibly relevant because Zach Bitter is also known to use the keto diet as part of his health and fitness training regimen.
It sounds very much like an impossible thing to achieve. How can someone have so much energy to complete such immense feats when limiting themselves to just 50 grams of carbs per day. It sounds made up.
So, Rogan directly asks Bitter how much following the keto diet helps him achieve such intense, hard-earned goals. And Bitter’s reply is fascinating.
It turns out Bitter doesn’t stick with the keto diet full time. He alternates between two very different diets, one when he is training and when he’s completing a marathon, and another entirely different diet when his body is in recovery from taking part in such a marathon.
Bitter prides himself on adjusting his metabolism to function well on both a high carb and a high-fat diet.
Bitter admits that when he’s training for a marathon, he does increase his carb intake so that between 15 to 25 percent of his calories come from the carbs he eats, which is quite a significant chunk and doesn’t ascribe to the keto diet at all.
So, the overarching theme is that despite the keto diet being able to give the body increased levels of energy when in full swing, the keto diet is not for everybody.
The lesson here is that no matter how much healthier and leaner you are in ketosis, you may have to allow yourself more carbs if you train hard for some very physical event.
But, I guess listeners will believe it more when they hear it direct from Zach Bitter himself.
The Joe Rogan Experience #1364: Joe Rogan & Brian Redban
If you’re interested in tuning into this episode, I recommend watching the clip on YouTube if you can. Joe Rogan is chatting with his producer Brian Redban, and they’re both wearing orange NASA spacesuits and appear to be high the whole time as they smoke a few huge cigars.
And perhaps it’s because the two of them are so relaxed that they both come out agreeing on a few home truths about the keto diet.
In this episode, both participants agree that going on the keto diet can be tedious and complex. They admit that they love cookies and how keto cookies aren’t the same.
Brian Redban later says that he only sleepwalks when he is on the keto diet and always finds himself in the kitchen going through the cupboards. And he then goes on to say that he believes it’s his body’s way of getting up and looking for sugary substances to treat this ketogenic state that he’s put himself in. Saying that, he’s created a problem that his subconscious is trying to resolve when he sleepwalks.
This may be very reassuring for listeners who have tried the keto diet and have struggled with it—hearing that you’re not the only one in the situation can be pretty comforting to hear, especially from such strong advocates of the diet.
Joe Rogan ends up telling his boss that he thinks he should see a nutritionist. AndBrian’ss excuse for not going further with the keto diet is that he’s waiting for the best opportunity to take a before picture to contrast to the after shot.
The Joe Rogan Experience: “Sugar – A BIG No No” Keto diet and sugar addiction
In this episode, Joe Rogan talks to not one but two guests, including, once again, assistant professor DomD’Agostinoo. It gives the podcast a more dynamic feel and a better overall vibe.
In this episode, they are explicitly talking about the keto diet for those with sugar addiction and how difficult it can be for them. They discuss how it can be particularly distressing for those with sugar addiction to attempt the keto diet. And how they can come down with “keto flu” in the early stages, and sadly, may even put on more unwanted weight.
But, thankfully, the guests begin to talk about various coping mechanisms and how the keto dieters should avoid succumbing to their carb addiction as much as possible. However, it’s important to note that the guests talk about flexible dieting, which places less strict a limit on the dieter’s carb intake so that they have sufficient carbs in their system to see them through the more difficult stages of the keto diet.
One of the highlights of this episode is the discussion around keto cookies. This is an excellent resource for those who struggle with sugar cravings.
