The Simplest Diet in Existence is Also the Healthiest (drops bodyfat and builds muscle)

Overview: “Steak & Potatoes” as a simple wellness strategy (with personalization)

Dr. Chris Masterjohn argues that red meat + potatoes can be an unusually effective, super-budget, minimal-effort core diet strategy for improving body composition. He emphasizes that this approach can provide several hard-to-get micronutrients and performance-related compounds, while also stressing testing and personalization—especially around carb + fat tolerance, sleep, and glucose response.

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Key wellness / nutrition strategies mentioned

Build a simple “meat + potatoes” foundation

Red meat (e.g., steak, ground beef)

Red meat is presented as a strong source of:

• Bioavailable iron (described as one of the best sources)
• Zinc (called out as a top zinc food category alongside oysters and cheese)
• High-quality protein
• Mitochondrial / performance-relevant compounds, including:
  • Carnitine
  • Creatine
  • Carnosine

Potatoes

Potatoes are highlighted for:

• Potassium (noted as difficult to reach without “bulk” foods)
• Broad micronutrient coverage, described as having “very few” vitamins/minerals missing

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Use ground beef as a practical alternative

He suggests choosing ground beef mixed with organ meats (e.g., liver, heart, kidney) when possible.

• Rationale: you can get organ nutrition without needing to tolerate liver “as-is.”
• Claim: the micronutrient gap vs. steak is not large for supporting hard-to-get nutrients—especially iron and zinc.

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If you don’t eat organ meats, consider shellfish (lightly cooked)

For a more complete micronutrient profile, he mentions:

• Liver + kidney (especially if doing a carnivore-style adequacy approach)
• Shellfish as another major contributor

He also notes:

• “One meal of steak alone” may leave gaps that organ meats and shellfish cover better
• Vitamin C may come from lightly cooked shellfish and lightly cooked liver

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Carb + fat tolerance: personalize via self-testing (Randle cycle)

Rather than assuming “potatoes are bad,” he frames carb concerns as individual physiology:

• Some people are sensitive to the carb–fat combination (potentially “Randle cycle vulnerable”)
• Others do fine with higher fat + moderate carbs

Practical guidance: test what happens when combining fat (ribeye/ground beef) with about 50–60 g carbs from baked potatoes (or similar). Track outcomes such as:

• Glucose response
• Energy/arousal
• Sleep quality
• Body fat changes

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Sleep, timing, and energy signaling: carbs as a “safety signal”

He discusses diurnal strategy without fully prescribing a single rule-set:

• Carb timing can affect wakefulness vs. sleepiness
  • More protein / less carbs → more wakefulness
  • More carbs → more sleepiness
• Carbs may support sleep onset
  • He mentions evidence that high-glycemic carbs at any time can improve sleep latency (how fast you fall asleep)

Goal-based biasing:

• If you struggle with daytime energy and/or falling asleep at night, bias carbs (potatoes) more toward the evening
• If you want better morning glucose, limit net carbs at your last meal (example given: about ~30 g net carbs)

General boundary: aim for not eating ~3 hours before bed, but prioritize sleep quality over strict timing.

He emphasizes experimentation to find a personal “sweet spot” using:

• Daytime energy
• Night sleep
• Morning glucose

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CoQ10: prioritize food first; supplement only after diet sufficiency

He’s bullish on CoQ10, but suggests a hierarchy:

1. Strengthen your food intake first

2. Check for nutrient sufficiency Many nutrients are needed for CoQ10 synthesis; if cofactors are missing, extra CoQ10 may not help much.

3. Then consider adding CoQ10 if you still may benefit

Dose response varies, with trials suggesting an average “sweet spot” around 100–200 mg, but with wide individual variability.

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Adding honey to steak & potatoes (carb quality discussion)

He suggests honey can be more than “just sugar,” with caveats:

• Honey is high in fructose, and some people don’t tolerate fructose well
• He notes natural sugars (like honey) are “complex” compared with refined sugars
• Some animal evidence suggests honey-fed groups may fare better than refined sugar controls
• Honey is largely monosaccharides, so some people with certain digestive issues might tolerate it better than starches/disaccharides

He personally likes honey drizzled on potatoes.

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Productivity / behavior takeaway (health approach)

No formal productivity method was taught, but the recurring approach is essentially:

• Do fewer experiments, but do them well
• Track measurable outcomes (glucose, sleep, energy, body composition)
• Adjust based on your own response rather than internet rules

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Presenters / sources

• Dr. Chris Masterjohn (presenter/speaker)
• Thrive Market (sponsor/advertised retailer mentioned)
• Mentions of:
  • NHANES (as a dataset)
  • FGF21 (as a topic discussed)
• Mentions Mike Ormsbee (Florida State work referenced), indirectly as a prior discussion source