172: Voices of Courage with Ken D. Foster & guest Dr John E. Lewis

172: Voices of Courage with Ken D. Foster & guest Dr John E. Lewis

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Here, the focus is on how everyday choices, especially around food and alcohol, may shape long-term brain health and vitality. Host Ken D. Foster chats with clinical nutritionist and researcher Dr John E. Lewis, who shares how childhood sport, drug-free bodybuilding, and a grandfather with severe rheumatoid arthritis led him into decades of nutrition research.

He explains how his thinking shifted from simply eating for taste to eating for performance and, later, for long-term health. You’ll hear a clear link drawn between chronic inflammation and conditions like arthritis, heart disease and cognitive decline. As Dr Lewis puts it, if you ignore the body’s warning signs, “you do so at your own jeopardy.” He ranks nutrition as the number one lifestyle factor for health, with movement coming a close second.

A big part of the conversation centres on polysaccharides – complex sugars from aloe vera and rice bran. Dr Lewis explains why these are very different from table sugar: they’re long, information-rich molecules that, in his words, help “instruct our cells in how to function.” He outlines research suggesting benefits for inflammation, immune function, adult stem cells and cognition, including work with people who had moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease.

For anyone sober or rethinking alcohol, there’s a blunt discussion on booze. Alcohol is called a “known neurotoxin”, and Dr Lewis notes that newer research questions whether there is any safe level at all, especially for cancer risk and brain health. The episode wraps up with practical chat about daily habits, supplements, and why no product replaces solid basics like good food, regular movement, quality sleep and stress management.

If you’re serious about protecting your brain while building a healthier, alcohol-free life, this one might get you rethinking what you put in your glass and on your plate. So, what small upgrade to your daily routine could move your health in a better direction this week?