How Fiber Shapes Your Gut — and Your Brain with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

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This one dietary shift can influence gut health, inflammation, and cognition. In this episode, Dr. Annie Fenn is joined by Will Bulsiewicz—known to many as Dr. B—to explore the powerful connection between the gut microbiome, inflammation, and brain health. Dr. B is a triple board-certified gastroenterologist, lifestyle medicine physician, and author of Fiber Fueled and Plant Powered Plus. They discuss why fiber is one of the most important—and most overlooked—nutrients for long-term health, how gut microbes produce anti-inflammatory compounds that influence the brain, and why plant diversity matters more than obsessing over specific nutrients. Annie and Dr. B also explore the gut barrier, chronic inflammation, the vagus nerve, and how modern habits like ultra-processed foods and alcohol may disrupt gut and immune health over time. This is part one of a two-part conversation focused on the gut-immune-brain connection and what everyday habits can do to support a healthier gut and brain. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Will Bulsiewicz 02:45 Why fiber became the missing piece of modern health 06:44 What fiber actually does in the gut 09:21 Short-chain fatty acids and brain inflammation 10:18 Why some people struggle with fiber-rich foods 11:57 Beans, resistant starch, and rebuilding the microbiome 15:52 Plant diversity and the “30 plant rule” 18:23 Fiber supplements and filling the gaps 24:00 How quickly the gut microbiome can change 26:13 The gut barrier, immune system, and inflammation 32:36 The vagus nerve and gut-brain communication 35:28 Leaky gut, LPS, and chronic inflammation 38:53 Alcohol’s impact on the gut microbiome 44:16 Jenny & Annie’s Review and Do 47:24 Practical steps to support gut and brain health LINKS & RESOURCES Dr. Will Bulsiewicz: https://theplantfedgut.com/ [https://theplantfedgut.com/] Plant Powered Plus: https://theplantfedgut.com/book/ [https://theplantfedgut.com/book/] Fiber Fueled: https://theplantfedgut.com/fiber-fueled/ [https://theplantfedgut.com/fiber-fueled/] 38TERA: https://38tera.com/ [https://38tera.com/] Brain Health Kitchen Substack: https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com/ [https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com/] Better Brain: https://betterbrain.com/annie [https://betterbrain.com/annie] NeuroReserve: https://neuroreserve.com [https://neuroreserve.com] Code: BHKPodcast

What Alzheimer's Taught Travis Macy About Family, Fear, Living Fully—and Healing After Concussion

In this episode of the Brain Health Kitchen podcast, Annie talks with Travis Macy — endurance athlete, coach, speaker, author, podcast host, and longtime Alzheimer’s advocate. Travis’s father, Mark “Mace” Macy, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at age 64. Before his diagnosis, Mace was an accomplished attorney, endurance athlete, adventurer, and one of the few people to complete all eight original Eco-Challenge expedition races. After his diagnosis, he became something else too: an extraordinary public example of what it can look like to live openly, bravely, and generously with Alzheimer’s. Travis and Annie talk about the first signs his family noticed, the difficult conversations that led to diagnosis, and what happened when Mace responded not by retreating, but by sharing his story. They also discuss the father-son adventure that became Travis’s book, A Mile at a Time, about racing Eco-Challenge Fiji together after Mace’s diagnosis. This conversation also gets into the reality of caregiving, the role shift that happens when adult children begin caring for parents, and the way Alzheimer’s can force families into hard but meaningful conversations. Travis also shares how his father’s diagnosis changed the way he thinks about his own brain health, including sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress, connection, and genetic testing. Later in the episode, he and Annie talk about Travis’s own concussion recovery, why he had to advocate for himself, and what helped him rebuild after a frightening period of post-concussion symptoms. This is a conversation about Alzheimer’s, yes. But it is also about family, grief, courage, movement, friendship, and the reminder Mace gave his team in the middle of a canyon in Fiji: spend as much time as you can with your friends and family. Chapters 00:00 — How Annie and Travis met through Alzheimer’s advocacy 02:44 — The first signs Travis noticed in his dad 05:24 — Mace’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis 10:16 — Why hard family conversations matter 12:03 — How Mace chose to speak openly about Alzheimer’s 14:37 — The Eco-Challenge adventure with Travis and Mace 20:57 — “Never quit”: what Mace wanted people to know 23:15 — When adult children become caregivers 29:34 — How Mace’s diagnosis changed Travis’s brain health habits 36:43 — Travis’s concussion and long recovery 44:13 — Nutrition, creatine, ketones, and brain injury recovery 51:22 — Meditation, connection, and slowing down 55:46 — Moving Mace into memory care 1:00:54 — Travis’s books, podcasts, and where to find him 1:03:22 — Annie’s practical advice for brain-healthy eating 1:08:21 — Why phones are for calling friends Links Travis Macy https://www.travismacy.com [https://www.travismacy.com] A Mile at a Time: A Father and Son’s Inspiring Alzheimer’s Journey of Love, Adventure, and Hope https://www.travismacy.com/books [https://www.travismacy.com/books] The Travis Macy Show https://www.travismacy.com/podcast [https://www.travismacy.com/podcast] Mind What Matters https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org] Brain Health Kitchen https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com [https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com]

3 de jul de 20261 h 22 min

How Fiber Shapes Your Gut — and Your Brain with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

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