Fitness Confidential With Vinnie Tortorich

Episode 2663: Vinnie Tortorich speaks to Mike Feldstein of Jaspr air scrubbers about health, how much air quality matters, and what you can do about it. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/air-quality-matters-mike-feldstein-episode-2663 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Air Quality Matters  Mike is the founder of Jaspr, which makes air scrubbers. (3:00) He has been in the remediation business for over ten years, including fire and mold. Vinnie has a question regarding radon gas: Is it a real thing? (6:00) Radon gas is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. (9:00) Vinnie asked about outdoor air quality and fire remediation issues. (12:30) The recent fires in Southern California, in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, are challenging. The amount of toxins in the air and soil is dangerous and may not be fully removed, at least not easily. The fight with insurance companies to get proper remediation and rebuilding is a long, frustrating proc

Episode 2662: Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer discuss how you are being lied to about the Sugar Diet, the need for fat and protein, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/being-lied-to-and-the-sugar-diet-episode-2662 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Being Lied To and The Sugar Diet After a bit of discussion about cartoon musicians and bubblegum pop, they switch to being lied to. (8:45) It’s been around before, but in a different form: The Sugar Diet. It’s similar to an All-rice diet or a Fruitarian diet. Vinnie reviews his interview with Michael Arnstein. (10:30) They talk about Cole Robinson and the “Snake Diet.” (22:00) He should be ignored simply for the fact that he fat-shames. He has recommended OMAD, high fat before, but seems to have added “sugar fasting.” Chris gives the details of “sugar fasting.” (24:00) You are being lied to: there is no nutritional value to sugar, and it causes damage to how your body functions. (26:00)

Episode 2661 - Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino discuss cheese bites, go through a list of popular marketing snow jobs, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/marketing-snow-jobs-episode-2661 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE - Marketing Snow Jobs But first, and very much not a "snow job": Eat Happy Kitchen has cheese bites coming out! (6:00) Vinnie wants to enjoy them as part of his Mt. Whitney hike this summer. The cheese bites are low carb, clean (no junk ingredients), crispy, and filled with flavor. Heart-healthy grains are a lie. (15:00) Grains can create inflammation, including in your blood vessels and heart. Grains are not “heart-healthy.” (16:30 Breakfast is not necessarily the most important meal of the day. (23:00) If you eat breakfast, have a couple of eggs instead. If you have tried a smaller eating window during the day, but your weight loss has slowed down, try eating a couple of eggs in the morning. All the meals you eat are impo

Episode 2660: Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer talk to callers about how consistency makes a difference even when life gets overwhelming, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/consistency-makes-a-difference-episode-2660 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Consistency Makes a Difference  No one wakes up wanting to be fat. Fat-shaming is not acceptable; however, there are indicators in society that demonstrate the health of the country is declining. (5:00) Obesity is less about genetics than we tend to think. Even the Pixar movie WALL-E sends a nod to this trend. The Callers  Dave has a question about rowing on the Concept 2; he gives a bit of backstory on how he discovered Vinnie and Anna Vocino. (17:45) He had weight loss with NSNG, but life happened over the years, and he fell into bad habits. (22:00) He was then diagnosed with cancer and dialed back into NSNG®. He’s trying to dial in his Concept 2 routine. There is no such thing as p

Episode 2659: Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer discuss three different topics that are all promoting mixed messages about health, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/promoting-mixed-messages-episode-2659 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Promoting Mixed Messages Chris discovered an article in VegNews: a vegan Italian cookbook. (5:00) They divert to a bit of Italian-American history, which has had its challenges. (6:00) Back to the VegNews article: They ponder how an Italian meal can be vegan. (12:15) Vinnie’s family grew veggies, but all the Italian meals centered around meat. There was a keto trial—a small trial—but testing high cholesterol. (22:00) They discuss how many studies have been misrepresented by not including countries whose cultural diets contain a lot of meat. Blue Zones has been misrepresented as well. The diets vary, and the level of meat is far more than what tends to be represented. The one thing all the Blue Zone cul

Episode 2658 - Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino discuss news from Eat Happy Kitchen, another attempt at fake fat foolishness, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/fake-fat-foolishness-episode-2658 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE - Fake Fat Foolishness Different social platforms have different levels of engagement for both Vinnie and Anna. (3:00) Vinnie experimented on X regarding the naming of a post. Changing the words in the post name altered the level of engagement, even though nothing else in the post had been changed. (10:00) They chat about personalities in the health space. (13:00) Several have presented information that was taken directly from Nina Teicholz without giving credit to Nina. (15:00) The ketogenic diet has been around for over 100 years. (18:00) There is still plenty of disbelief that fat is healthy. (20:00) They discuss menopausal changes and how they affect a woman’s belly. Serena saw changes after changing her ex

Episode 2657: Vinnie Tortorich talks with Vince Sanders about being the king of pain by harnessing CBD into various forms for pain relief, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/the-king-of-pain-with-vince-sanders-episode-2657 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  The King of Pain Vince Sanders is representing the company, CBD American Shaman. Vinnie shares his history as an athlete over the decades. (2:00) Vince talks about the bioavailability and absorption of oils and tinctures. They take cannabis oil and blend it with other oils. (15:00) His formulation and processing break down the oil into small particles that can dissolve in water. (18:00) CBD can have great benefits, but it can be cost-prohibitive. (19:00) They discuss Vince’s regimen; it not only helps with pain issues but also brings a level of calm throughout his day. (21:00) CBD doesn’t appear to affect the liver like ibuprofen does. (23:00) However, if you take a drug that is affecte

Episode 2656: Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer discuss claims made by charlatans and influencers, analyzing claims against real evidence, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/charlatans-and-influencers-episode-2656 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Charlatans and Influencers Things haven’t changed much (in society). (2:00) They chat about the controversy between Zola Budd and Mary Decker during the 1984 Olympics. (3:00) Vinnie’s memory for trivia, movie careers, and Jaws. (9:00) Back to health and fitness. (14:00) Vinnie shares some claims by a prominent influencer. The influencer has a product that sounds like nonsense to Vinnie; they give a breakdown. There are claims made about this product that do not make sense. They discuss other water-based products that were trending over the years. (29:00) Many claims are based on extremely small test groups for short periods. (34:00) Creatine is one of the most tested supplements. Be sure to get o

Episode 2655 - Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino discuss fitness, staying in Zone 2 during training, some interesting news from Eat Happy Kitchen, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/staying-in-the-zone-episode-2655 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE - Staying In The Zone Vinnie shares a story about getting some differences in strength and fitness in different activities. (5:00) He shares how even very fit people can struggle in activities they don’t do often. There is a way to strengthen your cardio and boost mitochondria to increase endurance. (15:00) Zone 2 training can make a big difference. Zone 1 is up to 69% of your aerobic capacity. An example would be a light walk or gardening. Zone 2 is 70-79% of aerobic capacity. Zone 3 is 80-89% of aerobic capacity. Zone 4 is 90-100% aerobic capacity. Zone 2 is a favorite because it’s the range at which your body is still burning fat. HIIT training typically relies on sugar-burning. Calculate your Zone

Episode 2654: Vinnie Tortorich talks with Hilda Labrada Gore about ancestral traditions around the world, wise traditions in health, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/ancestral-traditions-with-hilda-labrada-gore-episode-2654 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Ancestral Traditions Hilda considers herself an “experiential anthropologist” because she travels and observes cultures across the world to study diets. (2:00) Her interest in health started very you as she had a congenital heart condition. We have outsourced our health in a variety of ways. We have learn to listen to our bodies. (7:00) There are indigenous cultures that became unhealthy after colonization. (10:30) She shares what she has learned while traveling to Australia, Peru, and other places. (15:30) Vinnie mentions Lhakpa Sherpa, who is the only woman to summit Mt. Everest 10 times. (16:00) There’s a movie about her called “Mountain Queen.” You can witness a certain disconnect

Episode 2653: Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer discuss choosing a different way to be by living a strong and healthy life, gut health, and more.. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/a-different-way-to-be-episode-2653 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  A Different Way to Be It’s important to keep inflammation as low as possible. (8:00) Vinnie is focusing on gut health and wonders if the raw milk kefir he’s incorporated into his diet helps; he isfeeling better. There is a point at which hyper-focusing on health and longevity detracts from the quality of life, not necessarily enhancing it. (11:30) They discuss several public figures who lived a robust, long life. (13:00) Many people resign to getting older, but others keep going strong for as long as possible. Those examples are people who are choosing a different way to be. Store-bought kombuchas are flavored and have more sugar. (18:00) Vinnie makes his own at home. It's stronger flavored and way

Episode 2652 - Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino discuss cooking, candy, and coffee talk, while Anna cooks a lovely scallop dinner, and much more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/06/cooking-candy-coffee-talk-episode-2652 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE - Cooking, Candy, and Coffee Talk Karen Carpenter was a talented musician who died young due to anorexia. (2:30) This episode is taking place in Anna’s kitchen, so tune in on YouTube to watch. Anna is cooking up a meal and is including fava beans and scallops. (3:30) Fava beans can be tricky to work with, but they are so good. Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen. (10:30) What is Vinnie’s stance on candy? (13:00) Candy doesn’t pretend to be healthy, and if you eat it, you know you’re making a choice. That’s why LIL (Life Into Living) is meant as an infrequent treat. Some people are addicted to sugar, however, so they need to adjust their intake accordingly. He shares a story about going home

Episode 2651: Vinnie Tortorich talks with Dr. Amy Gutman about her TED Talk, how "kind" lies are the hurting kind, her journey from being vegan, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/05/the-hurting-kind-dr-amy-gutman-episode-2651 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  The Hurting Kind Dr. Amy Gutman is an emergency room physician. (9:30) Vinnie shares a recent episode of back pain. (10:00) Dr. Amy did a TED talk on pain perception. (16:00) They discuss Vinnie’s back pain further, leading to insurance issues. She shares the subject of her TED Talk “Patients Are Hurt by Kind Lies.” (36:00)     Patient satisfaction is based on the idea that “happy patients have better outcomes,” but this is not always the case. (44:30) Physicians hesitate to counsel their patients because of the way funding works for hospitals. (45:15) It’s a sick-care problem. (47:00) There is fear and pushback on the ideas around shaming. (50:00) Many doctors’ offices avoid weighing

Episode 2650: Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer discuss decades of abuse of drugs for weight loss, road trip food, football, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/05/abuse-of-drugs-for-weight-loss-episode-2650 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Abuse of Drugs for Weight Loss Jimmy Buffett mini-tribute. (2:00) “Cheeseburger in Paradise” is analyzed and reflects the long-time movement to adopt a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Carrot juice has almost as many carbs as a Coke. (10:00) Eating a carrot is better than drinking any juice. They discuss the various ways people have used to lose weight over the years, including hard drugs and other pharmaceuticals. (15:00) Vinnie has been in the fitness industry for forty years and has heard it all when it comes to drugs used for weight loss. A special story of a “hydration specialist” named Andrew. (28:20) Vinnie has suggestions for those who need to drive for long distances for work, such as long-haul d

Episode 2649 - Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino discuss social media, bro science, the lies and claims of charlatans, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/05/the-claims-of-charlatans-episode-2649 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE - The Claims of Charlatans BOGO on spices for Eat Happy Kitchen is still happening for approximately 1 more month. (3:00) Anna’s cheese bites will be available soon! Vinnie has been having issues with Meta for years. (7:30) Social media in general is a time suck. Vinnie has been transferring his Instagram content to X, and he’s reaching more people. (11:00) Vinnie is toying with the idea of an “oatmeal challenge.” (16:00) They chat about the poor bro-science advice given on social media. (17:00) Vinnie explains why cardio is a terrible way to lose weight. (21:00) He’s not a fan of OMAD, and he explains how the body switches from sugar-burning to fat-burning. The Honey Diet is the claim of charlatans. (36:00) They r

Episode 2648: Vinnie Tortorich talks with Robert Soulliere about learning to just breathe for performance, mindfulness, your nervous system, and more.  https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/05/just-breathe-with-robert-soulliere-episode-2648 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Just Breathe Robert helps people learn how to breathe properly for performance and health. (3:00) Breathing correctly can improve your nervous system, mental clarity, and even your eyesight. (8:00) Doing Zone 2 cardio while breathing through your nose can improve your health. (11:30) The longer you can stay in an aerobic state, the less lactic acid builds up. (20:00) The goal is to keep your breathing calm regardless of the intensity of the exercise. (23:00) Breathing can help regulate your emotions and your nervous system response. (35:00) You can get the effects of Viagra or nitrous oxide by breathing through your nose; proper breathing increases NAD, which is a vasodilator. (41:00) Brea

Episode 2647: Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer discuss traveling, going down a bad road with GLP-1s and muscle loss, and more. https:vinnietortorich.com/2025/05/going-down-a-bad-road-episode-2647 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Going Down A Bad Road Vinnie is traveling soon and is looking forward to going back home for crawfish season. (2:30) A good road trip is a nice “mental massage.” (5:15) He shares what he packs for the road trip. All of Vinnie’s businesses will be consolidated into one website soon. (16:00) Pure Vitamin Club, Pure Coffee Club, and NSNG Foods will be available on one website. Chris brings up Good Morning America and GLP-1s. (18:00) Zepbound is being touted as the most effective, but, of course, it will come at a cost. The drastic loss of muscle is a concern; after all, your heart is a muscle! Ten percent (the low-end percentage) of muscle loss in the 60 to 72 week time span is the same as 20 yearsof sarcopenia. (25:00)

Episode 2646 - Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino discuss net carb trickery, the benefits of fermented foods, making kefir, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/05/benefits-of-fermented-foods-episode-2646 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE - Benefits of Fermented Foods Vinnie’s wife Serena tried a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) for a short time, to see how foods affected her body. (7:00) She tried a small amount of chips that are touted as “low carb,” but her blood glucose shot up to 200 points. Vinnie has been preaching how “net carbs” are a false claim for years. Anna just got back from a food show and shares the experience. (11:30) Vinnie shares his method for making cold brew coffee. (22:30) Fermented foods are super-healthy and have beneficial bacteria for gut health. (28:00) You can make kefir easily at home. (28:00) Vinnie wants to learn how to make kombucha, too. The kombuchas that are in grocery stores often have a lot of sugar in them t

Episode 2645: Vinnie Tortorich speaks to Chef James Barry about valuing ancestral concepts, stress in today's society, sharing celebrity stories, and more. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/05/valuing-ancestral-concepts-james-barry-episode-2645 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Valuing Ancestral Concepts James Barry is a chef and podcaster who focuses on ancestral health and habits. (2:00) Keeping a connection with ancestral elements, community, and nature is important. (21:00) James is also curious whether current items like technology prevent people from exploring a deeper connection to themselves and their goals. (30:00) They discuss the dynamics of working for a celebrity. (33:00) James discusses how today’s world exposes our nervous systems to constant stress. James shares how he would work with his top clients to encourage them to choose real, healthy options. (1:01:00) They discuss how, even when eating healthy foods, overeating is still possible.

Episode 2644: Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer discuss sugar and eating addiction, setting your boundaries, disordered eating, and more. https://vinnietortotich.com/2025/05/setting-your-boundaries-episode-2644 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE PODCAST EPISODES ON YOUTUBE -  Setting Your Boundaries Vinnie has heard the stories and sat in AA meetings to help friends struggling with alcohol. (2:00) People can be addicted to sugar; Vinnie has struggled with it over the years himself. He makes sure to go a very long time between any sweets, and he’s figured out a method that curbs his craving. Chris reads through a questionnaire regarding eating habits and broken relationships with food. (12:30) Vinnie shares a story about making an appearance at an event with a particular celebrity, and the conversation she had with him about staying thin. (15:30) They discuss poor prepping habits that bodybuilders use. (23:00) People treat themselves in a disordered way: they do some level of overe