Ask A Genius 874: Health and Farmwork, and a Big Lump of Poop Courtesy of Magnesium
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/01/31
[Recording Start]
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, I wanted to talk about health products. You take a lot of pills; you take fewer now after the cancer scare. That’s all covered. I, in my farmwork, need a higher protein load for my day to feel good and strong for the next day and throughout the day. So, I’ve tried so many products and a regular diet. I have that, but just a little bit extra, so, protein bars and so on. One that I found to be actually very good is these Quest protein chips, and Muscle Cheff. Those crisps are pea protein, and Quest protein chips are something like whey protein. They have more protein than the crisps, so if I want a higher protein day, I do Quest; if I want a lower protein day, I’ll do Muscle Cheff. I find, though, if I just have them kind of on hand at the ranch or whatever, that’s great, especially for stall cleaning, which is very physically intensive.
Rick Rosner: So, do you have any idea how many grams of protein you’re eating a day?
Jacobsen: I would say with this stuff, it’s maybe an extra 40 or 50.
Rosner: So, in total, what are you doing? Maybe 100 grams of protein?
Jacobsen: Something like that.
Rosner: Because there are a-holes on Twitter who say, to be maximally studly, you got to do 200 grams a day, and I’m like that is ridiculous and also like really hard on your kidneys, and then the guy’s right back, “Bro my kidneys are perfect.” It’s like 200 grams is four cans of tuna. I measure based on my younger years. I base protein on cans of tuna. A can of tuna is about 50 grams of protein, and I would eat two cans a day. I would also supplement with a disgusting product called predigested protein, where they take all the parts of the cow that you can’t otherwise sell, throw them in a vat, break them down into amino acids and sell them as a foul syrup. There was a liquid protein diet in the late ’70s or early ’80s that would kill people because people would just drink the liquid protein. They would get potassium depleted, and they would have a heart attack. Half a banana would have saved them.
So, I have a long experience of eating tons of protein and my kidneys. I don’t know what they would look like if I hadn’t done that, but they’re pretty Swiss cheesy at this point. They have a lot of benign cysts, which are just like little pockets of the kidney. I don’t know if I did that or if I was just destined to have that. My kidneys work pretty well except for that one cancerous tumour I got five years ago, but I caught it early. I still like to do some protein, but we’re talking about 60 to 80 grams of protein a day.
Jacobsen: At the same time, you weigh nothing.
Rosner: Yeah, I only weigh about 140 pounds, maybe.
Jacobsen: I weigh 160-165.
Rosner: I’m 5’10 and a half if I stand very tall.
Jacobsen: I’m 5’11.
Rosner: So, we’re basically the same height and 165 to 170 was a really good muscly weight for me. So, you probably have my body as a younger person which is just ripped to shreds via overwork.
Jacobsen: Yeah, I mean, the thing here is working so much; it’s something like that. At the same time, I don’t force myself so much. I just make sure I am consistent and don’t stress out because it’s seven days a week, and I don’t want to afford to take a day off. So, I think it’s been two years of slow buildup where I haven’t really noticed it, but I bet if I looked like what I was capable of when I first started compared to now, there is a massive difference; part of that’s diet. The point I wanted to make with this particular session was the fact of finding crisps and chips. I need bars.
Rosner: I just base my taste on what they give away for free at the gym and what I like; my favourite bar and basically protein bars, if they’re chocolatey, are basically candy bars with just a little bit of more protein thrown in, but you’re still eating them but the builder bars which comes in chocolate mint which is freaking delicious.
Jacobsen: I like the one bars in the Quest bars because there’s no sugar. And the thing is, like, you can get ones like that, and they’re delicious. It’s the same thing with those particular chips like the Quest chips. They taste like real chips.
Rosner: That’s good because I tried a high protein chocolate cereal. I think Carole may have eventually just thrown it out. The only way I could even stomach it was mixing it with like regular delicious cereal.
Jacobsen: Yeah, that’s the main point of doing this particular session. A lot of that stuff sucks, has sucked. You pointed this out like many sessions ago. I’m finding that I can find things that are actually delicious and that some regular foods are more delicious than them, and there are no real negative health consequences.
Rosner: I’ve drunk supplements since when I was a kid in the 70s. There was this stuff called Nutriment which was like a protein shake in a can with a lot of vitamins, and it was basically the same shit except for when it’s old people, they call it Boost.
Jacobsen: Oh, I like Glucerna; it’s also a wonderful product.
Rosner: Yeah, I use it as a coffee creamer.
Jacobsen: It’s amazing coffee creamer, and it’s amazingly delicious, and it’s not that expensive.
Rosner: I think Glucerna has a type of sweetening that doesn’t spike your blood sugar.
Jacobsen: Correct, that’s the reason for getting it. Again, all these are amazing products. I have no complaints about Glucerna, Quest protein chips, or these Muscle Cheff crisps.
Rosner: Protein powder is a problem because it makes a fucking mess out of… because when they make glue, they make it out of rendered horses; that glue is probably a lot of amino acids, because the protein powder just glues itself to whatever glass or spoon you’re using.
Jacobsen: Oh, you mean the isolates; those are terrible, but it’s a good way to get quick protein.
Rosner: Yeah, if you’re going to use, don’t get the powder, get it already mixed into a drink where you can throw away the container when you’re done because washing the cup/glass, spoon is a big pain. Also, it’s hard to get it to mix properly. A lot of it just falls down to the bottom of your drink.
Jacobsen: I will tell you I had to switch the automatic dishwasher here to heavy because it’s pretty bad on some of that stuff. I agree.
Rosner: Yeah, I mean, the protein is these long-chain molecules, and they’re very strong. I guess you use them to build muscle fibres out of, and that strength and the length just make it a very sticky thing. What I get in terms of protein is whatever’s on sale. It’s pretty much like there’s a corner of my grocery store where they have stuff about to expire, and there’s often a case of some nutritional supplement. I got a case of strawberry-flavored Boost-y stuff in my closet right now. Strawberry is a little bit disgusting, but it’s actually pretty good. I think it’s strawberry slim fast.
Jacobsen: I don’t like that product.
Rosner: Okay. Just a shot of it in coffee.
Jacobsen: Here are the products I would recommend: Glucerna chocolate, Quest protein nacho chips, Muscle Cheff’s salt and vinegar crisps, dark chocolate that’s Lindt frozen in your freezer; you take it out, you break it off, it’s nice and crumbly, and not like frozen single fruits, but the frozen fruit Medleys and then the frozen berries.
Rosner: Yeah, Carol makes smoothies out of those.
Jacobsen: Those are good, those are all great mixes, easy products. And then they have these kale salad mixes; they’re really easy and quick to make.
Rosner: I can’t deal with kale. When Carole buys salads in a bag, they’re very cabbage-heavy, and they disgust me.
Jacobsen: Well, I like them because you don’t have to use their dressing. You can make your own balsamic dressing; crush some garlic up, little extra olive oil, some red wine vinegar. Then, maybe some like Fiber One cereal, or something, you’re pretty much set.
Rosner: Yeah. So, alright, my preferred product. I already said Builder bars. Cliff Bars are pretty reliable, though, I don’t think they’re particularly high protein.
Jacobsen: They’re quite high sugar.
Rosner: Yeah, they’re basically candy bars that aren’t shaped like candy bars; they’re lumpier. Power Bars: I don’t think they even make Power Bars anymore.
Jacobsen: No, that sounds like a triple Gator power bar from that movie.
Rosner: Oh, the power bars were sponsored by a show I worked on for a while, so we had boxes of power bars around the office. I’d eat like three of them a day and get super constipated.
Jacobsen: That’s another thing.
Rosner: Magnesium; Carol got me on magnesium, which gives you a very gigantic and regular daily poop.
Jacobsen: I thought you were going to say something else, but you said the better thing. [Laughing]
Rosner: Okay.
[Recording End]
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