I think Dr. Rhonda Patrick sucks as a health and wellness leader.
Not only because she posts terrible exercise videos online, demonstrating she has no idea what she’s doing when it comes to training. (Or, if she’s working with a trainer that they have no idea what they’re doing.) But also because she doles out research-based advice with seemingly no concern or consideration for practicality. It is obvious that she does not work with real people, that she does not consider the secondary or tertiary consequences of the advice she gives.
Recently, she’s run a smear campaign on bananas. She wants people to stop putting them in their smoothies. In the words of my dear friend, Rabetta, Jesus Murphy Christ!
Dr. Patrick cites research that bananas contain polyphenol oxidase, which limits absorption of beneficial polyphenols. This is true. You will not get the full benefit of those polyphenols, which can help with vascular health, in that specific context. But, holy hell, is it ever a narrow context. There’s a whole lot of missing the forest for the trees going on here.
You still get the benefit of consuming all of the other vitamins and nutrients contained in the bananas and blueberries, including vitamin C, potassium, manganese, and vitamin B6. You also get a solid dose of soluble and insoluble fiber.
Putting a narrow constraint on an otherwise healthy behavior is silly and unhelpful. Especially considering that you could toss some blueberries in your spinach salad later in the day and get plenty of polyphenols. Toss in a cut up apple with the skin on and some strawberries and, boy, do you ever get some polyphenols. And, wait for it, if you use extra virgin olive oil to dress your salad, the polyphenol load goes up even more!
This kind of advice causes people to second guess good behaviors while majoring in the minors. There are so many food interactions like this in a normal diet that don’t truly matter, especially if you’re eating a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day.
Her recommendation was to replace banana with avocado. That’s not a bad idea. However, when you consider that many people struggle with overconsuming fat, then it might not be the right move. But she’s not a fitness or nutrition coach. So, that wouldn’t cross her mind.
Context matters. Seeing the entire picture and understanding that most people struggle to build and maintain baseline healthy behaviors matters. Hyperfocusing on minute details that cause people to overthink does more harm than good, even if you’re truly trying to help.
If you like putting bananas and blueberries in your smoothies, please, for the love of God, keep doing it. If you hate raw bananas and will only eat them in bread form, wonderful. Just eat fruits and vegetables throughout the day and don’t overthink it.
Now, onto some more bullshit.
Recently, my Instagram feed has been bombarded by posts from fitness influencers stating that running is the worst form of “cardio” for longevity. One lady went so far as to say that it “wastes too much muscle.” Jesus Murphy Christ!
Of course, she flashed a picture of an elite endurance athlete on the screen when she said that. It looked like the fella was in the middle of a race and likely covered at least 30-some miles. Yes, he looked like shit. But it was a purposefully sensationalized choice made by the woman who produced the video.
Let’s talk about another choice—that runner’s choice to be that skinny. Carrying extra muscle is a no good, very bad idea for elite endurance runners. Big muscles are less oxidative than small muscles, meaning they are not as good at using the aerobic system to generate and utilize energy. Also, it just costs more energy to move a heavier body across the earth. He’s skinny on purpose. It’s also true that people tend to select sports and hobbies based on how they fit their natural body types and proclivities. Muscular, powerful people drift towards sports that fit their frames. Skinny people do the same. Running did not “waste” away that man’s muscle. He was likely naturally skinny and made the choice to remain so in order to perform well as an endurance runner.
Distance running is one of the fastest and best ways to develop the aerobic system. And a solid aerobic system, dear friend, is hugely beneficial for longevity. If you eat enough, and strength train along with your distance running, you will not devolve into some emaciated milquetoast who dies early. Besides, there is zero scientific evidence that says endurance runners have shorter longevity spans.
If your joints are healthy enough for running, and you want an aerobic system that promotes your longevity, you should run.
You should also lift weights, power train, and eat like an adult.
The woman in the video made a sensational claim because she had a HIIT program to sell. And she knew that making sensationalized claims would bring attention to her video. She’s likely either ignorant about training or doesn’t care about the long-term health and fitness outcomes of the people who consume her content. It’s more likely that both of those things are true.
Put a banana in your smoothie. Go for a run. Don’t take fitness advice that does more harm than good.
Stop overthinking your fitness.
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