Twega

@asifarahim 100% Agree. @Leo Gura As an example, I live in Saudi Arabia, and when I was in high school, I wanted to be a scientist (either biochem or neuroscience). Here, there are no fancy science majors like Neuroscience, only standard majors like medicine and biochem. The cultural forces pulled me from pursuing science, and instead, I was in business school. I graduated a couple of months ago, and I'd never thought I would say this, but I am glad I did not pursue those majors because I would not be able to survive in this predominantly business/survival environment. I've seen peers of mine who went to study in top universities in the U.S with degrees in Chemistry who have been unemployed for a year. People living in the U.S do not appreciate how difficult it is to "follow your passion" outside first-world countries. Yes, of course, you still need to work, and your life purpose won't hand it to you; however, the infrastructure is there if you wish to do so. The same cannot be said for other countries. Of course, you can always say "move out," but that also is difficult not only emotionally, financially, but also legally. And if you are unemployed, there's no chance.

The best nootropic that synergizes amazingly well with LSD is Huperzine A. Underrated combo.

@Leo Gura I like this quote: I'm gonna be using it

@Leo Gura His archnemesis Schopenhauer also had direct consciousness of reality/mind. I recommend reading : Decoding Schopenhauer's Metaphysics: The Key to Understanding How It Solves the Hard Problem of Consciousness and the Paradoxes of Quantum Mechanics by, Bernardo Kastrup

In many of Leo's videos, he refers to the body as a "bio-machine." He also refers to the body-mind as a complex supercomputer which no one gave you an instruction manual to operate. He speaks of "jailbreaking" the mind, how heavy metals can affect your consciousness even if they are completely imaginary. I agree with all of this. The body is literally a bio-machine, and to optimize it, direct experience alone is insufficient to reach this goal. Unfortunately, Leo has made the mistake of applying the one criterion necessary for spirituality (direct experience) to the domain of health and nutrition. Think about it: can you deeply understand a computer without reading and learning many fields of knowledge (programming, engineering, etc.). I would say no way. The same goes for health; you cannot simply rely on your direct experience; you need data, you need science. You can definitely be healthy without knowing the science of nutrition/biology, as many people in history were before science was even a thing. However, if you seek to understand the body and optimize it as efficiently and perfectly as possible, you need data, science, studies, books, research, and direct experience. Leo has made many claims that are quite frankly ridiculous such as: "There is no proof green tea is safe. Again, these are mostly myths and dogmas people blindly believe." To which I replied: "No, Leo, these are not simply myths. Green tea has literally been used on cancer patients, and it has shown in both in vitro studies and human clinical trials to:- interfere with each of the stages of cancer formation: the initiation of the first cancer cell, promotion into a tumor, and then subsequent progression and spread Genoprotective effects Boost the DNA-repair enzyme in our body called OGG1 after consumption. (In fact, tea is so DNA-protective it can be used for sperm storage for fresh samples until they can be properly refrigerated.) It can cause cancer cells to commit suicide—apoptosis (programmed cell death)—while leaving normal cells alone. Reduce the risk of getting oral cancer. It can also increase the antioxidant power of our saliva and decrease the DNA damage within the inner cheek cells of smokers. Our good gut bacteria ferment tea compounds into compounds like 3,4DHPA, which appears to wipe out colon cancer cells, while leaving normal colon cells relatively intact in vitro. Does tea prevent cancer? Evidence from laboratory and human intervention studies Epidemiological evidence linking tea consumption to human health: a review Effects of single-dose and regular intake of green tea (Camellia sinensis) on DNA damage, DNA repair, and heme oxygenase-1 expression in a randomized controlled human supplementation study Preventive effects of drinking green tea on cancer and cardiovascular disease: epidemiological evidence for multiple targeting prevention. If thousands of years of historical use, thousands of research studies (meta-analysis, clinical trials, cohort, etc.), as well many people's own personal and direct experience of regularly drinking tea and deriving benefits with no documented evidence of risk and NO RISK OF fluorosis (because green tea naturally contains fluoride), is not enough to convince you that drinking tea even if it has fluoride is healthy and safe and will not give you cancer.... Then, I mean no offense, but you are too ignorant on the subject of health and nutrition to give an opinion one way or another." -End of Reply. When presented with evidence to the contrary, Leo will reply, and I quote: "I would not trust any sources on this matter." or "Nobody knows what is safe for the body. There is no such evidence. Hence caution is required." However, Leo is very keen on stating the safety profile for psychedelics (physical safety). Very biased, in my opinion. This is what happens when you rely on " your direct experience," it simply does not cut it, and you will be so confused you'll start to think green tea, and fluoride toothpaste is carcinogenic but a carnivore diet is not. Unfortunately, Leo's fixation on heavy metals because of his "direct experience" with heavy metal poisoning has also made him and many others on the forum obsessed with heavy metal detox and constantly discussing heavy metals while ignoring the plethora of other, more common, and more detrimental chemicals (such as Persistent organic pollutants, trans fat, polycyclic aromatic-hydrocarbons, and bovine hormones, microplastics) that many of you consume without even batting an eye. As well as many harmful chemicals produced in the body naturally, such as reactive oxygen species, ammonia, beta-amyloid, gut dysbiosis. The body is a system and to play a symphony you need more than one instrument. For example, fats can dramatically increase the damage done by heavy metals, yet no one speaks of this; it is all so very reductionistic. This is very counterproductive to our health goals. This is not an attack on Leo. This is constructive criticism. I wish Leo and all of you good health.

Actually, you can't verify that. You can only see correlations between brain states and consciousness. You cannot see where consciousness is "generated" A simple rebuke to this line of reasoning is just because things are correlated, doesn't mean one caused the other. If you take a drug, it will dramatically influence your consciousness. Does that mean the drug causes consciousness? No. If you change brain activity by something as simple as increasing the temperature of neurons, your consciousness will change. That doesn't mean it caused consciousness.

@Leo Gura Is there any hope for normies if essentially, in the marathon to enlightenment, we are running with beings who are athletically gifted and also use steroids

@Hello from Russia Thanks! It was not an accurately labeled dose, but from my extensive experience with LSD it felt like 300 micrograms.

My LP is 'To communicate knowledge and insight. My top Values are ' Health, Truth/Wisdom, Actualization, Consciousness/Spirituality, Knowledge, Richness/Holistic, Freedom, Love, Nature, Adventure.' Ideal medium: Writing, maybe also video (still experimenting) Before I ask, let me first tell you, very briefly, about myself so that you can answer my question. Series of events that shaped me(and my LP) profoundly: I was born to a very religious Muslim family in the middle east. I have always been an inquisitive person, so my curiosity about the origins and cause of the universe led me to become an atheist at 17. I've always loved science, but it turned into an obsession and ideology after I became an atheist. Thus, I consumed books on an array of scientific fields (physics, biology). I wanted to become a neuroscientist because I had an interest in the brain, especially psychopharmacology and consciousness. There are no science majors except medicine in my country, my dad refused to let me study abroad, so I ended up in business school. I considered university a game of survival, so I did what I needed to do to survive, but I had no intention of making it any serious source of knowledge. I continued to read and develop (PUA, Fitness, Psychology, Western Philosophy, Self-Development) are all subjects I was fascinated with. This stream of curiosity led me to discover content on nutrition and plant-based diets. Discovered Leo's content 3 Years later. I fell in love with Leo's content, and I also liked the direct style in which Leo spoke. I loved watching the videos, and I did so almost every day for the next year. I trip on LSD and ask what is myself, what is my life purpose?! The answer I get is not direct: "Consciousness and studying the mind is the most important thing" & "Follow the Plants"------------ Plants as in nutrition, pharmacology, and psychedelics I complete the LP course 5 years later, I'm 24 now, I am still fascinated with nutritional biochemistry, pharmacology, and I spend 2-3 hours a day reading journals, books, articles on this subject. I've been plant-based ever since. I am also still fascinated with consciousness and psychology, albeit now (after discovering Leo's content), I view these words much differently than before. My question is, "What skills should I focus on building right now?" in the LP course, the segment on skill-building, I answer it by writing that the most important skills to build are Writing skills Expanded knowledge Introspection Is there something I have missed? Is there another skill, perhaps even more crucial, I'm neglecting? Thank you all for your insights.

@Michael569 Thanks, man. From my interactions with you on this forum, I feel like we have many of the same interests and values. I appreciate the advice, especially coming from you. The role of a researcher is more analytical and technical. For me: I am more attracted to creating a synthesis of knowledge, not an analysis. I love examine.com and I did actually consider creating something similar But I don't think that is my LP. My chosen field of mastery is self-development: I consider nutrition and self-development to go hand in hand.

@Windappreciator So? Do you know what also increases dopamine release? Strategizing Planning Exercise Contemplating https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dopamine-fasting-misunderstanding-science-spawns-a-maladaptive-fad-2020022618917 Dopamine is not bad. You cannot detox dopamine as it is synthesized in neurons and controlled tightly. It is a good thing you can't detox dopamine or else you would have Parkinson's.

WTF?! There is no such thing as a low dopamine diet..

It is not just dopamine, ADHD involves many neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tpB-B8BXk0

If you show me evidence that it is and not anecdotes, sure I will. Some people have a genetic mutation that makes them unable to synthesize creatine, and if they go vegan, they can die. However, if they take creatine monohydrate, a more soluble form of creatine, they can go vegan. The nutritional academy of dietetics has stated that veganism applies to everyone at all stages of life. Please give me a reason why some people have the biology to go vegan, and others do not. I never said you were. I said you have a bias against the claim that whole foods plant-based diets apply to everyone who doesn't have pre-existing health conditions / and or nutritional deficiencies (b12, iodine). I clearly admitted my bias towards advocating the claim; you can't even admit you have one........ LOL, I guess the stories I hear about china's lack of sanitation when it comes to food is true I meant no insult, I believe you when you say you are healthy. I'm just saying it is a red flag when someone eats an apple and starts falling apart, something very common with people who eat carnivore and switch to eating omnivorous or plant-based. I also said this isn't just unusual of you to eat plants. If I ate a piece of meat (assuming it's not infected with e.coli) and I started breaking down, that also would be a red flag! It goes both ways, not just for plants. Haha, I'm not the typical vegan you've met. I focus mostly on health, not morality. If your health requires you to kill animals for meat, I find that 100% okay, I'm just not convinced from my own experience and from the plethora of literature on human nutrition and physiology that it is. Side note: I live in the middle east, so literally 99% of the people around me are not vegan and kill goats with their bare hands. I'm not gonna hate someone because they are not vegan. I got my sister into watching Leo and she was surprised to know that he was not vegan, and I told her that not everyone has to be vegan for you to consider them "awake/conscious" I have no judgment against, I'm only speaking as to what my interpretation of the evidence says as nutritional biochemistry nerd who has been researching this field for 5 years now.

You're also not feeding your good bacteria, it seems like a double-edged sword. I hope it works out for you Leo

I am skeptical of this claim. It seems people base this on the molecular structure of the compound i.e., in vitro. Are there any in vivo studies or any evidence that translates to the organisms as a whole when ingested? Thank you for the information. I found it edifying.

* Peer-reviewed papers from reputable journals, not articles. I definitely have a bias towards veganism, and you against it. This is why I try only to give data and not opinions. I am aware of bias, and thank you for reminding me, are you also aware of yours? This is one of the most common responses I get when I give data to someone. Instead of directly responding, they always make an appeal to the futility fallacy, "Yeah, well, there are other studies that say the opposite." Ignoring things like 1- Replication 2- Hierarchy of evidence 3- Propounderous of evidence. As someone who studies nutritional biochemistry for a living. This is not propaganda I have been fed, it is something I observed by studying people's health. I do not know anything about you, so I can't say anything about whether you fall in that category or not. If people become sick by going vegan, that is something unusual and is a sign that something is wrong. You can not be vegan or even say that it didn't suit you well. But becoming sick and having brain fog from eating plants? That is a red flag. I can eat meat tomorrow if I wanted to I would feel fine (health biomarkers might show a different story though) I am very familiar with the whole spectrum of data on nutritional science. I would like to see the data you claim that "debunks" mine. I'll wait. Other than that, I wish you good health.

I appreciate that you stated it is your opinion. I respect honesty. If anyone is interested in actual research with blood tests done to assess health status. Here is a new german Cohort study, there are also meta-analysis done if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll post them. Nutrient Intake and Status of German Children and Adolescents Consuming Vegetarian, Vegan or Omnivore Diets: Results of the VeChi Youth Study Conclusion: The results of the VeChi Youth Study confirms the position of several national nutrition or paediatric societies [68,69,70,71] that a vegetarian, including a vegan, diet can meet the recommended nutrient requirements in childhood and adolescence. However, due to the cross-sectional design, the VeChi Youth Study only provides a glimpse of plant-based diets and health in these age groups. Hence, follow-ups of our study sample are desirable to examine the long-term health impacts of vegetarian and vegan diets in children and adolescents, in particular with respect to bone health. Furthermore, other potential critical nutrients should be examined, e.g., intake and status of indispensable amino acids, long-chain n3-fatty acids, iodine and selenium. The results are not readily transferable to other, especially younger, age groups. Particularly for infants, special recommendations apply [72].

What stretch of reasoning led you to extrapolate this conclusion from what I said? Perhaps I didn't explain it well enough, I apologize. Let me reiterate my point more clearly. All nutrients (including protein) originate from plants. Carnivores require a higher ratio of certain nutrients which are found in herbivorous animals, as well as some nutrients synthesized in the body of animals (like carnitine). This led them to develop highly specialized digestive systems that are adapted to eat those. You, me, and every human and primate on this planet are not carnivores. We definitely can eat meat and plants. But we are much less adapted to eat meat and way more adapted to eat plants. An egg? More complex than plants? The unmapped chemical complexity of our diet Read this. Plants are way more complex than a fucking egg lol. Plants are literally chemical factories, they contain more compounds and even nutrients (especially when combined) than eggs. Most people who don't do well on a vegan diet have pre-existing gut conditions, or they don't eat sea vegetables that contain iodine. Without Iodine, you are fucked. Even if you are vegan.

@mivafofa Yes, of course. I agree. That is why there are 20,000 species of edible plants and 400 species of edible mushrooms—all of them possessing unique qualities. Even the fiber is different from one plant to the next. Yet you only have like 4 farm animals to choose from... Plants are more diverse than all the other organisms on earth.

@kieranperez I mean this with no disrespect, man. But you're mistaken and have no idea what you're talking about. Cooking food is what researchers think is the cause of the increased brain size, and plant foods are more altered by cooking than meat. Yes, of course, humans hunted meat. As I said, we are opportunistic eaters. We ate plants not for hundreds of thousands, but for fucking millions of years. Like I said, we are descended from apes, and they did not hunt. Familiarize yourself with the current research and revise your opinion. You can go straight into the evidence(found in the description) use SciHub to open it, if you think they are biased or whatever.

No. All cows are artificially inseminated to ramp up dairy production. This is standard practice. Plus, animals and dairy especially, have natural hormones present in them. & Rest assured, it isn't testosterone.

What? Whatever you may think is bad in fruits veg. Meat is 1000 worse. First of all, animals are fed the lowest quality plant food. Animal products are the highest sources of POS (persistent organic pollutants) 95 Percent of all POS is found in meat. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6888492/ "Humans are exposed to dioxins/furans mainly through high-fat food such as fish, meat and dairy products Throw on that hormones, natural and synthetic, antibiotics, pathegoenic bacteria, saturated fat, inflammatory proteins, and the list goes on.

We are primates, it is clear that we were meant to eat plants. Everything in our physiology points toward this being the case. Now in actuality, were are opportunistic eaters, we eat whatever we can to survive. What about thriving? Our gut microbiota thrives on fiber because we co-evolved with them in a symbiotic relationship for millions of years, and primates always ate fiber. That's why when people cut off plants the gut bacteria that ferment fiber and produce butyrate die. And when there is no butyrate, your immune system starts to become dysfunctional and leads to autoimmune diseases. Low butyrate levels are taken as a sign of you starving by your gut bacteria, then they turn on you. Because no one purposefully avoided plants. That how much this built in our physiology, not to mention all the other things like teeth, digestive track etc. Or how about that we don't have enzymes to transport Sialic Acid (found in animal products) which is linked to inflammation and disease. It is clear we are meant to eat predominantly plants. You can still eat a little meat if you want, but a vegan/mostly vegan diet is our species diet. We are one species. Sure, you might be allergic to peanuts, and I'm not. We are different, but not that different. That's why there are thousands of edible plants to choose from. You are an anomaly because you have SIBO. Other people have such bad gut health they literally can't digest a bean burrito because of how shitty they have been eating all their life. That doesn't vegan diet doesn't work for you. It means your gut isn't working for you.

Too simplistic. Ken Wilber has called this "Waking up" and "Growing up". Someone can be a super woke monk and a warrior who kills and pillages. And someone can have no idea what awakening is and be a pacifist (Like bertrand russel). Waking up doesn't necessarily correlate with Growing Up, although of course there is some correlation.