Superlife Summary and Review | Darin Olien
The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome
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We’re scratching the surface in this Superlife book summary. If you don’t already have Darin Olien’s bestselling health and fitness book, order it here or get the audiobook for free on Amazon to learn the juicy details.
Introduction
Do you feel your energy dwindling as the day passes? Or are you susceptible to catching a cold more often than others? Superlife is a guide to improving your general health and lifestyle through five core focus areas. Written by Darin Olien, a world-renowned expert on superfoods, the book explores these five areas in great detail. It also provides research-backed evidence of their effectiveness.
Superlife educates readers on good habits for nutrition, exercise, and disease prevention. By integrating these habits into their lives, readers can live healthy and disease-free lifestyles. A key principle that Olien emphasizes is that you need to take care of your body just like you would take care of a new Ferrari. Most people don’t appreciate good health and a well-functioning body when they have it. When they fall sick, they spend time and money trying to regain their health. However, this is avoidable. By incorporating Olien’s five forces into your lifestyle, you can provide your body with the fuel it needs to serve you effectively.
To help you integrate healthier habits into your life, we have synthesized some of the most important takeaways here. Tag us on social media and let us know which ones you agree or disagree with.
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About Darin Olien
Darin Olien is frequently described as the ‘Superfood Hunter’ or the Indiana Jones of Superfoods. Olien has worked with the fitness company Beachbody to formulate one of the most popular superfood shakes in America – Shakeology. He recently starred as a co-host on the Netflix documentary Down to Earth with Zac Efron. Earlier this year, he also developed a health app called 121 Tribe. This app helps people learn about whole food and plant-based eating.
Olien graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Physiology from the University of St. Thomas. He also completed an unaccredited Master of Arts in Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. He became interested in alternative medicine after suffering a football injury in college.
StoryShot #1: There are Five Life Forces Recommended for a ‘Superlife’
Olien introduces five life forces to help your body thrive. Understanding these forces helps you sustain change instead of following the latest media trends. You will have a long-term approach to life that stands the test of time. Instead of focusing on specialized treatments for each system, Olien believes in a holistic view of health. Health is promoted at a cellular level, and the life forces detailed in Superlife can optimize our cellular health and help us feel wonderful. On top of this, Olien focuses on the prominent causes of poor health rather than on smaller, more immaterial causes. If we focus on the prominent causes of disease, it is possible to prevent (rather than treat) illness.
StoryShot #2: The First Force is Quality Nutrition
Olien recommends a whole food plant-based diet. We should aim to eat foods that are fresh and whole. Fruits and vegetables lose essential enzymes required for good health right after picking. The fresher your food, the better.
Our diet should predominantly center on vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, sprouts, and healthy fats. You should also incorporate fermented food, Omega-3 fats, and unrefined salt.
Consume food in its raw state as much as possible. Eating food in its raw or most natural state is when its nutrients are most abundant. For example, raw broccoli contains many substances your body needs, including vitamins, enzymes, and fatty acids. However, the taste of raw broccoli can prevent many people from having it regularly. Instead, people try to compensate by crushing it into juice.
But whole means whole. Don’t drink juices, and don’t take supplements based on one compound. Instead, have supplements with vitamin D, B12, digestive enzymes, and probiotics. Your meat consumption should be near zero.
You want your food to be as local as possible. However, this may sometimes mean that frozen food is the better option. For your food to be clean, you will want it to be both organic and non-GMO.
Fad diets are not helpful. Those diets often focus on what you cannot eat instead of what you should eat. If you focus on almost all your food being fresh and whole, you won’t have room for bad foods. Processed foods are naturally devoid of any digestive enzymes. This means we only extract some of the nutrition from these foods that are already nutrient-weak. Foods that are not suitable for consumption in large quantities include meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and sugar.
Finally, we should eat a wide variety of fresh, whole foods. If you are not providing your body with variety, you give your body the same limited nutrients. Eat at least one raw salad with different colored vegetables in it daily. Don’t put processed salad dressing on it. Strive to eat something raw at every meal.
StoryShot #3: The Second Force is Hydration
The second force outlined in the book is hydration. Our bodies are incredibly efficient at adapting to their environment. If we only drink small amounts of water, our bodies will adapt and survive. Our bodies cannot operate at peak performance without sufficient water. Even slight dehydration causes our focus, physical performance, and mood to suffer.
Poor hydration and water deficits are also potential causes of many diseases. These include chronic pain, digestive stress, migraines, and depression. Cellular hydration is fundamental to human health. Water alone can help treat many illnesses:
- Allergies: Dehydration over long periods prompts the body to produce histamines to hold on to the water available. Higher histamine levels cause more significant allergic reactions. Antihistamines are effective against allergies.
- Headaches: The most common cause of headaches is dehydration. Drinking plenty of water will minimize your risk of getting headaches.
- Arthritis: Arthritis is often associated with existing injuries. However, it can also signify that your body is attempting to hold on to the sparing amounts of water left. Therefore, your body is restricting processes that contribute to water loss. One of these is joint movement.
Aim to drink between three and four liters of water daily. Start by drinking a big glass of water as soon as you wake up. However, there are many pollutants in tap water. Drinking distilled water with half a teaspoon of unprocessed crystal salt per gallon can purify this water.
Avoid sodas or coffee as much as possible when tired or moody. A tall glass of water is the better remedy when you feel lethargic. You should also aim to eat as much raw food as possible. Raw food has significantly more water than cooked food and offers better hydration.
Finally, you must consider what type of water you are drinking. Your water may contain chemicals, organic materials, fluoride, chloride, and heavy metals. It is important to consider what is in our water because it is not static. Water constantly travels in and out of our cells, carrying nutrients and messages to the rest of our body. However, water molecules are suspended in electrolytes and must be small enough to fit through our cell membranes. Excess particles and other substances in the water we drink is detrimental to cell functioning.
StoryShot #4: The Third Force is Detoxification
Food gets broken down into useful parts and waste. Useful parts get extracted to help our cells thrive. Waste left behind subsequently gets filtered and excreted. On top of this, your body continually produces cells. Old cells die and are also excreted. Your lymphatic system transports white blood cells across the body to fight pathogens and toxins. Your liver and kidneys filter your bloodstream and flush out toxins.
These organs are vital for your body to function optimally. However, they come under excess pressure when we consume large amounts of alcohol, processed food, or drugs. Packaged foods have thousands of different chemicals and additives that increase the strain on your organs. Consuming less of these foods and limiting your alcohol intake ease this strain.
Water is also a fantastic detox agent. Keeping yourself hydrated is a great way to flush your system of waste. Water is safer and more effective than long periods of fasting recommended by some diets.
Antioxidants fight oxygenation caused by free radicals. For example, they can prevent the mutation of the gene P53, which suppresses tumors when non-mutated. Antioxidants also protect our DNA, which in turn protects us from cancer. Cancer cells seek a hospitable environment inside our bodies.
Fiber is critical for the detoxification process. Both soluble and insoluble fiber are crucial. The insoluble type of fiber only passes through our body, but it cleans a path of toxins along the way. This is another reason you should eat plenty of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
StoryShot #5: The Fourth Force is Oxygenation
According to Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, “All chronic pain, suffering, and diseases are caused from a lack of oxygen at the cell level.”
Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize in 1931 for finding a link between oxygen deprivation and cancer. He found that cancer cells do not rely on oxygen for energy. Instead, they rely on glucose. We should avoid foods high in sugar. We can provide our bodies with more oxygen by eating well.
We can also help increase the amount of oxygen at the cellular level by eating fresh vegetables, fruits, and fatty acids. Drinking water facilitates oxygen exchange. We should focus on breathing consciously. Inhale deeply through your nose, fill your lungs, and then empty your lungs. Fill your chest and let your chest move. Finally, we should exercise every day to encourage deep breathing. Outdoor exercise is preferable.
To reap the benefits of these practices, we need to limit the stress in our lives. Stress reduces the amount of oxygen muscles can absorb and limits oxygen availability in our bodies.
Last, our cells will be naturally oxygen rich if our body is in a slightly alkaline state. This is what the next life force is all about.
StoryShot #6: The Fifth Force is Alkalization
Our bodies need a slightly alkaline environment to maintain cell health. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14. 7 represents an equally acidic and alkaline state, 0 is completely acidic, and 14 is completely alkaline. However, this scale is not linear. Instead, each marker on the scale is ten times that of the number next to it. For example, something with a pH of 8 is ten times more alkaline than a pH of 7. Similarly, a pH of 9 is 100 times more alkaline than a pH of 7. Superlife emphasizes this point to showcase how acidic some drinks can be. Water has a pH of 7, while Coca-Cola has a pH of 2.5. Therefore, Coca-Cola is 50,000 times more acidified than distilled water.
Acidity inflames the body. Specifically, heightened acid levels impact the efficiency of digestive enzymes within the body. Eating mainly acidic foods (cooked and processed) will lead to poor digestion. Alkalization ensures we have all the required minerals in our diet. If we can maintain a slightly alkaline internal state, our cells will effectively support our immune system.
One of the best ways to improve the alkalization of your body is to eat raw foods. Raw foods are naturally more alkaline. However, cooking these foods makes them progressively more acidic, which is bad for our health. Eat raw foods at least once daily.
As with oxygenation, stress will limit the benefits of following these practices. Stress acidifies your body. Similarly, not getting enough sleep has an acidifying effect on the body. Cancerous cells thrive in acidic environments. A list of acidifying foods you should avoid is below:
- Aspartame
- Green Bananas
- Barley
- Bran
- Carbonated Beverages
- Cheese
- Chicken
- Cows’ Milk
- Cranberries
- Decaf Coffee
- Duck
- Eggs
- Ketchup
- Lard
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Oat Bran
- Olives
- Palm Kernel Oil
- Peanut Butter
- Pistachios
- Pomegranates
- Rye
- Scallops
- Sugar
- Tapioca
- Turkey
Avoid nicotine, caffeine, preservatives, additives, industrial chemicals, and alcohol. Each of these is also acidifying.
StoryShot #7: Exercise is Another Secret Force
The final secret force associated with the other five forces is exercise.
Aim to have an exercise regimen that is high-intensity and over short periods. Always try to incorporate weights into your exercises. Add movement into your day, whether that is just going for a walk somewhere rather than driving. Exercise does not have to be at a gym. Outdoor exercise is better as it elevates your body’s oxygenation.
“A study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center tested mice’s rate of autophagy—a process that recycles cellular debris by burning it for energy—based on whether or not the mice exercised. The rate increased in the creatures who were forced to work out. This is especially important because autophagy is partly responsible for how well or badly we age. The implication is clear: physical activity keeps us young.”
– Darin Olien
Finally, the most critical tip is to make exercise fun. Pretend that the exercise is a game. Doing this will make you more likely to engage in exercise.
Final Summary and Review of Superlife
Superlife is a health and lifestyle guide based on Darin Olien’s experience as a ‘superfood hunter’. The book introduces five life forces that determine whether you will be healthy, fit, and free of illness. Guiding your diet with these life forces will allow your body to do the rest. Olien rejects fad diets and instead introduces a balanced diet plan. Through this balanced diet plan, we can maintain a stable weight, bolster our immune system, and feel more energized.
Olien writes in a captivating style that feels conversational yet educative. He brings forth his experiences and simplifies his insights in an easily understandable way. He also ensures that his solutions and recommendations are evidence-backed. This provides the reader with simple solutions for stronger health and well-being.
Ultimately, a key idea of Superlife is to implement proactive change. When we are reactive, we often act too late and have already suffered a sickness or other ailment by then. By taking small daily steps, we can transform our lives.
Let’s recap the five life forces below. Tag us on social media and tell us which ones have worked for you.
- Nutrition
- Hydration
- Detoxification
- Oxygenation
- Alkalization
There is also another ‘secret’ force: exercise. People should aim to exercise at least a few times a week and incorporate both strength and cardio training.
Rating
We rate this book 4.5/5.
Disclaimer: This is unofficial summary and analysis.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published in April 2021. It was updated and revised in Nov 2022.
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My mom past at 62 years old. My maternal grandmother past away when she was 64 years old. My father past away when he was 67 years old. I am very fearful. I am 50 years old and don’t want to pass away so young as my family. I am reading, learning how to detox my body. I want to learn, I found interesting answers that I never thought. I have no family left. I feel lost.
Stay strong, Kellyann! The future is bright.
Two typos using no instead of not.
Thanks a lot again! We just fixed them.