Snake Super Health Podcast EPISODE 2: Lead in the protein powders (special emergency episode)

Howdy everyone: second EMERGENCY episode of Snake Super Health the POD, a health discussion for people interested in severe alleyways of health—nutrition, red light, lifting, the like—who are otherwise let us say… normal. Listen here or on Spotify (Apple Pod soon). Protein powdersIn this episode, I chat with my friend and COHOST Josh Feola, a fellow writer and onetime bandmate about the Consumer Reports story about protein powders, specifically about the methodology used, the different results between vegan and non-vegan proteins, the toxicity benchmark used in the story (and whether it’s relevant), as well as the change in the protein powder market from niche market to general use, and how this has affected the gulf between the FDA’s protein RDA (50 grams) and the magic lifting number of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight… and the longevity argument against supplementation. A more thorough discussion of these themes and ideas is also found in the news post I sent out Monday:Show notes:0:01: Intro0:30: Josh frames the CR story about powders2:30: Lead, and aggregation—are all powders the same? 3:00: Why are the vegan powders so much more lead-laden? (It’s funny)5:00: Previous CR stories about protein didn’t go viral because it was niche then.6:30: Old school proteins come out clean: Optimum Whey and mass gainers7:30: Creatine and protein powder: both ground up to dust.10:00: The surprise, and the vegan halo/morality effect (cue Day of Suffering)13:00: Lead levels in Prop 65—and is this story BS? 15:00: The story’s anti-supp bias: How many grams do you need a day?18:00: The difference between the RDA and hypertrophy numbers. 19:00: Is adding protein to the SAD dumb? 21:00: Powders are American, and the muscle meat culture23:00 Different whey powders, yeast protein—the market beyond the gym24:00: What to… buy?25:00: The higher trad path of getting a high level of protein with no powders26:00: Supplementation vs. replacement: Are powders for new jacks? 27:00: Arnold’s ice cream protein shake. 29:00: Understating the wild west aspect of supplementation30:00: Josh One for the road: Yeast protein?31:00: Snake One for the road: Honey and pollen.Selected reading:* The Consumer Reports story about protein and lead* One theory: Newer protein powders may be filthier (Swole Woman)* 2018 CR story* 2012 CR story* Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1970s protein shake; ice cream protein shake* Yeast protein study from 2001* Study on whey protein and cognition from 2020* Study on lead contamination in Chinese powders from 2021—anti-China bias but maybe the lead in these powders is just because they’re from China? Low key* Bee bread…That’s it.Thanks for listening. Follow me on IG here. As always—more to come.SAMI REISS Get full access to SNAKE SUPER HEALTH at superhealth.substack.com/subscribe