Gut Health, Energy & Brain Fog: Dr. Amy Shah on Microbiome, Ultra-Processed Foods, and Circadian Fasting
The Ready State Podcast
Kelly Starrett & Juliet Starrett
4.9 • 623 Ratings
🗓️ 18 September 2025
⏱️ 71 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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Feeling tired after meals, battling brain fog, or wondering why your gut health feels off? Dr. Amy Shah — a double board-certified physician, nutrition expert, and bestselling author — reveals how your microbiome holds the key to energy, mood, and long-term wellness.
In this episode of The Ready State Podcast, she breaks down the hidden impact of ultra-processed foods, the surprising role of microbes and dirt in childhood, and why circadian rhythms matter as much as diet. From understanding the “energy trifecta” to mastering her 30/30/3 rule, Dr. Shah shares simple, science-backed steps that make gut health practical and powerful. Tune in for clear, actionable insights to help you eat smarter, sleep better, and feel truly energized every day.
What You'll Learn in This Episode- Why ultra-processed foods confuse your brain and immune system
- How dirt, animals, and early exposure shape a child’s microbiome
- The truth about fermented foods — and which ones actually work
- What Dr. Shah calls the “energy trifecta” for boosting mood and focus
- Why most Americans aren’t getting nearly enough fiber
- How circadian rhythms (and when you eat) impact gut health
- A simple 30/30/3 rule to reframe your daily nutrition
(00:00) - Preview
(01:06) - Intro
(02:00) - Dr. Amy Shah’s Journey
(08:58) - Ultra-Processed Foods
(11:48) - Gut and Immune System Connection
(18:15) - Benefits of Fermented Foods
(21:21) - Energy Trifecta Explained
(25:20) - Gut-Brain Connection Insights
(31:51) - Momentous: Importance of Vitamin D
(34:41) - LMNT: Benefits of Salty Morning
(38:45) - Importance of Fiber in Diet
(42:33) - Hunger, Appetite, and Cravings Explained
(46:53) - Role of Circadian Rhythms
(53:13) - Understanding Appetite
(56:24) - Skin Health and Nutrition
(1:00:50) - Food Allergies Overview
(1:06:08) - Current Trends: Megan's Insights
(1:08:23) - Benefits of Circadian Fasting
(1:09:44) - Where to Find Dr. Shah
(1:10:16) - Dr. Shah's Books
SponsorsThis episode of The Ready State Podcast is brought to you by Momentous, and LMNT.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | There was this driver who had this theory that if you drop food on the ground, you should pick it up and eat it. And we sort of both thought he was weird and thought he was on to something. You hit a Dorito and your gut bacteria is like, what the hell is this? Let me call in like immune cells to figure out what that is. So that's called inflammation because now your immune cells are like trying to figure out what this thing is. Send signals to your brain. |
| 0:21.0 | Like, hey, we have something here that we don't even recognize as food. That's why ultra-processed food, |
| 0:25.4 | if you eat a lot of them, your brain feels tired and sad. From Arizona, its internal medicine, |
| 0:31.7 | physician and nutritionist, Dr. Amy Shaw. Teach you all the tips and tricks about nutrition, |
| 0:37.4 | wellness, and medicine. |
| 0:38.3 | Hunger, your gut, your microbiome, how all of that stuff's connected. |
| 0:41.3 | So you can live better with more energy, with better sleep. |
| 0:45.3 | There's some really cool stuff we're going to cover today with Dr. Amy Shaw. |
| 0:49.3 | Dr. Amy Shaw. |
| 0:50.3 | Dr. Amy Shaw. |
| 0:51.3 | Dr. Amy Shaw, welcome to the show. People that live on farms have animals are dirtier, like have more exposure to dirt. |
| 1:02.0 | They have stronger immune systems than people who live in big cities. |
| 1:07.0 | That is what was so shocking to people. |
| 1:09.0 | It was like, wait, how does that even make sense? |
| 1:11.6 | You know, Kelly and I grew up in the 70s and 80s, and no one was allergic to anything, literally. Like, definitely, there was no kid that was allergic to a nut. Nobody was allergic to anything. Where we are with allergies, how does this connect to the gut and ultra-processed food and circadian rhythms and all the things we've been talking. |
| 1:32.6 | Dr. Amy Shaw, we are really excited to have you today on the Ready State podcast. |
| 1:35.6 | Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited. |
| 1:40.8 | We, just for full transparency, everyone, it's going to sound like we know Dr. Shaw a little bit because we were just on her podcast. And so we're going to get into it a little |
| 1:45.0 | bit more today. And I'm very excited. I want to start by saying, just setting the framework for our |
| 1:49.8 | listeners, I don't meet many double board certified physicians who happen to be experts in internal |
| 1:57.3 | medicine and immunology because that really- |
| 2:00.9 | Nutrition and allergy. |
... |
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