Welcome to Episode 426 of The Intermittent Fasting Podcast, hosted by Melanie Avalon, biohacker, founder of AvalonX, and author of What When Wine Diet: Lose Weight And Feel Great With Paleo-Style Meals, Intermittent Fasting, And Wine, and Barry Conrad, actor, singer-songwriter, and creator and host of Banter with BC.
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LINKS
Featured Restaurant: Botín
STUDIES:
Tattoos as a risk factor for malignant lymphoma: a population-based case-control study
Daily energy expenditure through the human life course
Characterisation of tattoo inks used in Australia
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Original theme composed by Leland Cox, and recomposed by Steve Saunders.
Our content does not constitute an attempt to practice medicine and does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.
TRANSCRIPT
(Note: This is generated by AI with 98% accuracy. However, any errors may cause unintended changes in meaning.)
Melanie Avalon
Welcome to Episode 426 of the Intermittent Fasting Podcast. If you want to burn fat, gain energy, and enhance your health by changing when you eat, not what you eat, with no calorie counting, then this show is for you.
I'm Melanie Avalon, biohacker, founder of AvalonX, and author of What, When, Wine. Lose weight and feel great with paleo-style meals, intermittent fasting, and wine. And I'm joined by my co-hosts, Barry Conrad, actor, singer-songwriter, and creator and host of Banter with BC. For more on us, check out MelanieAvalon.com and BarryConradOfficial.com. You can submit questions for the show by emailing questions at iapodcast.com or by going to iapodcast.com. We would love to hear from you. Please remember, the thoughts and opinions on this show do not constitute medical advice or treatment. So pour yourself a mug of black coffee, a cup of tea, or even a glass of wine if it's that time, and get ready for the Intermittent Fasting Podcast. Hi, everybody, and welcome. This is Episode number 426 of the Intermittent Fasting Podcast. I'm Melanie Avalon. I'm here with Barry Conrad. Barry, how are you today?
Barry Conrad
Hey, Melanie. Hey, everyone tuning in. Thanks for being here. I am doing awesome. I'm having a great day.
I'm kind of back in, have my actors hat back on. So I'm getting ready to go back to Melbourne to dive into all things Destiny, which is the play I'm doing soon. So kind of in that zone right now and it's feeling really good. I'm so excited.
Melanie Avalon
That is so exciting. When do you leave? And how long will you be there?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, so I'm going to be there for a day next week, and then a few days in early May, and then we have proper rehearsals in July. So it's Melbourne Theatre Company, everyone. They're so prestigious, they put a lot of time and care into getting the work right, and so that we can service the work the best we can, and they take care of us. So it just feels, we feel really lucky and privileged, so I'm so excited to spend so much time with this character and the story and with the other actors.
I'm just in my happy place, you know, it's just, I'm so grateful and so happy.
Melanie Avalon
I am so happy for you, I am so proud of you. Have you seen the theater, the venue that it's at?
Barry Conrad
I have seen it. I haven't seen the set yet or anything because it's not up yet. But it's going to be great. Melanie, you got to come. You got to jump on that plane.
Melanie Avalon
I know, I know, I wanna come so bad.
Barry Conrad
you have to see me on Broadway when that happens. So that's happening.
Melanie Avalon
I know. Yes, yes. And listeners, so if any listeners in the summer, our summer, are in Australia, do you have the exact dates of the of the show?
Barry Conrad
So July we start rehearsal so in August the first show to start so get there. So that will be Fall for you guys. I want to say
Melanie Avalon
It's like the end of summer, I think, as the official, I think it starts in September.
Barry Conrad
It's going to be pretty cool.
Melanie Avalon
September 22nd is when our fall starts.
Barry Conrad
It's going to be really, it's going to be not too cold, but it's going to be on the cooler side when you come to, when you come to Melbourne or if you live in Melbourne. Let's come check it out.
Melanie Avalon
It'll be your spring, right? Kind of getting towards spring, yeah.
Barry and I struggle with figuring out this whole season thing. Actually, it doesn't mean... But I don't understand... Okay. I feel like I know my seasons pretty well, but I feel like... Do you know your seasons?
Barry Conrad
Melanie, yeah.
Melanie Avalon
Thanks for watching!
Barry Conrad
I just think of that Carole King song, Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, all you've got to do is call. So it's like Winter, Spring, Summer.
Melanie Avalon
Oh, my goodness. I will listen to that when I go to Carol King. Beautiful, the Carol King musical. When are you going to that? And I'm I think in a month or so.
Barry Conrad
You're actually going to love it, Mel. I actually did it here in Australia. It's such a special show.
Melanie Avalon
Oh, yeah, you were in it, right?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, you're gonna love it
Melanie Avalon
Oh my God, I have no idea. I don't even know. I don't think I really know her songs. I mean, I'm sure I do want to hear them because she wrote a lot of songs, right?
Barry Conrad
She wrote a lot of songs i feel like you're gonna be there and you like i don't know anything in the soon as you hear it is like i know this one and this one and it's like a jukebox you love it.
Melanie Avalon
That's what I, yeah. I love, and I've got, yeah, I love those. I just recently saw the Neil Diamond musical.
Barry Conrad
That was... How was that?
Melanie Avalon
It was amazing. It was so great. It's hard to get happier than being with a group of people singing Sweet Caroline.
Barry Conrad
Yeah, exactly.
Melanie Avalon
Such a vibe, you know, such a happy vibe. Congratulations, like this is so exciting. I will be there in spirit. Maybe I'll surprise you, maybe, you know.
Barry Conrad
You never know. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Mel really appreciate the support and encouragement always that you show. Thank you.
Melanie Avalon
Well, it's really exciting too because it's a straight play, like it's no singing, it's like only acting.
Not that that's... What am I saying here? You know, it's like all acting chops that got you the role.
Barry Conrad
Yeah, I feel especially proud of this one and also because it's obviously based in South Africa, so very close to home, the content.
Melanie Avalon
Will there be like a trailer online or something? Like, will there be something I can watch?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, they'll just, Melbourne Theatre Company, they capture a lot of content, so they'll definitely be something that you can watch at some point. Can I just watch the...
Melanie Avalon
thing?
Barry Conrad
I don't think, I think there's probably going to be like what, I don't know, do you call it an archival in America when you record shows, theater shows, or you don't?
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, I guess so. I know what you're talking about.
Barry Conrad
Yeah, but I don't know if that's gonna be a public thing either way enough about me back to you now. How are you? What's happening with you? How are you doing?
Melanie Avalon
I am good. A fun highlight from today was I received about 17-ish different coffee bags to try to find a coffee bag for my Glow Coffee. It was so many coffee bags. I didn't know they were going to send that many.
So I was like, huh, you know, which one feels the best? What design? There's a lot that goes into product development. It was fun, though. There's one that I do like from the 17 of them. So we shall see.
Barry Conrad
That's super exciting though it did hey Christian so did you know before you mentioned something about having a bit about you in the bag like what did you end up going with okay or can you not say.
Melanie Avalon
we kind of went on a journey with that. I think we're back to including, like we were on the fence about whether or not I should be in any of the branding and content and everything, like should it be completely separate?
But I think we're gonna really focus on launching to my audience and making that a part of it. And then if we need to expand in the future and kind of take some of that out, we can do that. But I think we are gonna have it at launch. I do wanna put on the coffee bag, like my facial splash that you can do with coffee and stuff like that. I think we might put it like on the side to make it a little hidden treasure.
Barry Conrad
On the side, whenever you say on the side melon, it makes me think of when you order. You know, we would do a proverbial break-in. And I'll have that on the side, please. Everything on the side.
Melanie Avalon
It was funny, it's funny how we both thought of something. I thought of having people on the side.
Barry Conrad
That you went straight there? Okay.
Melanie Avalon
There's some like line from some musical or movie that's in my head. I don't know what it, what it is, but it's about that. So that's what popped up.
Barry Conrad
That's so funny.
Melanie Avalon
No, on the side of the bag.
Barry Conrad
Okay, are you sure about that?
Melanie Avalon
Yes, going to be hidden. Man, on the side can mean so many different things.
Barry Conrad
It actually can on the side. I'll get my food on the side. I've got like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday on the side, AKA people. I've got a...
Melanie Avalon
and stuff on the side.
Barry Conrad
Yeah, side hustle, you know. I got my trinkets and stuff on the side of my bed. I've got, you know, my umbrella next to my seat on the side in this amphitheatre in the heat. Right, Melanie?
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, no. Wait, this is making me think of one thing to talk about, and then we can jump into actual fasting related things.
Are you familiar with the longest sentence that is only one word? It's the same word over and over and over, but it's actually a sentence. Tell me what it is. It starts with buffalo. Have you heard this? No. Okay, so it's ready. It's buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo. Huh? And I put the pauses in the right place. Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo. What's happening in that sentence? Stuff is happening in that sentence.
Barry Conrad
Okay, how did you get that from on the side? How did you job the...
Melanie Avalon
I was thinking about language and how interesting it is and how things can have different meanings. So like this sentence with the word buffalo means something. It's actually a sentence.
Barry Conrad
For what does it mean?
Melanie Avalon
I'll try to say it one more time, but I don't think it's going to... Okay, so buffalo buffalo, I'm going to add in some words to help you. Some words that don't have to be in there, but they're understood.
Buffalo buffalo, comma, vet, buffalo buffalo buffalo, comma, buffalo, buffalo buffalo.
Barry Conrad
No, I don't know. I have no idea. And I feel like this is obviously a test. Now I feel like.
Melanie Avalon
It's not a test. It took me it took me forever to grasp it.
Okay, so it's Buffalo, Buffalo. It's like Buffalo from Buffalo, New York. Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo. So Buffalo from New York, that Buffalo from New York bully, sorry, Buffalo means bully. Buffalo, they bully Buffalo, Buffalo. So they bully other buffaloes from Buffalo.
Barry Conrad
How am I supposed to get that? How is anyone supposed to guess that? That's so hard.
Melanie Avalon
I think, depending on if you're like an oral or are you an audio learner or a visual? Both. Like for me, so I'd have to like see it written down and I'd have to stare at it for a long time and you would see it with capitalization. So that would help because only Buffalo, New York would be capitalized. And I would have to like really look at it and be like, hmm, what's being said here?
The story of it is that Buffalo from Buffalo, New York, that Buffalo from New York bully, they bully the Buffalo from New York. It's okay. I'm done. That's my that's my that's my sentence today.
Barry Conrad
That is so not what I was. Wasn't a mob bingo guy for today's show, Melanie, that you got to say? Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo.
Melanie Avalon
Well, now you can you can pull it out of your card and impress people like all the time, you know at a cocktail party.
Barry Conrad
And also, yeah, so summer, autumn, winter, spring, that's our Australian seasons. I had to just put that out there so people don't think I'm stupid because Melanie was like, I feel like I know my seasons pretty well, but do you?
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, summer, fall, winter, spring. We had a conversation once where you like were confused about the seasons.
Barry Conrad
You blowing up my spot again, I just tried to...
Melanie Avalon
Oh, wait, I supposed to my bad. Oh, you're right. No, no. You're he completely knows the seasons. Ignore me. That's just that's just
Barry Conrad
just because of the...anyway, let's just talk about the buffalo, blah blah blah.
Melanie Avalon
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-
Barry Conrad
It's just the tone that you had. You're like, I feel like I know my seasons, but do you know?
Melanie Avalon
She's like, I don't, it's just a question. Oh man, I don't know a lot of things. You know the seasons though. We've established that. We've established that.
Barry Conrad
Which is which is who you think so, right? I'm glad.
Melanie Avalon
So we jump into some fasting stuff
Barry Conrad
Sounds good. Buffalo, buffalo.
Melanie Avalon
buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo okay okay it's gonna haunt you though you're gonna be like laying in bed tonight and you're just gonna be thinking about buffalo buffalo buffalo
Barry Conrad
I think I actually might.
Melanie Avalon
I think you will be. I'm calling it now.
I'm calling it now. Okay. I'm so excited about this study. Yeah. What do you have for us? It is called daily energy expenditure through the human life course. You know, there's this whole idea that our metabolism slows down when we age. Yeah. This study looked at 6,421 subjects. 64% of them were female from 29 countries, aged eight through 95 to see how do people's metabolisms actually change with age.
Barry Conrad
That's so many subjects as well that i can't wait to hear about it.
Melanie Avalon
It was broken down, they found four phases where people's metabolism changes. So the first phase, and maybe you can guess, I'll tell you the age that it is. So the first phase of metabolism for humans is up until you're one years old. What do you think happens to our metabolism during that time? And this is not information that you should know. So if you don't get it right, that's fine.
Barry Conrad
I think after the seasonal talk in the buffalo, I'm like, oh my god.
Melanie Avalon
This is not common knowledge.
Barry Conrad
I think our metabolism is still, I guess, just, you know, being established. Like, you know, what's happening is so early on.
Melanie Avalon
Yes. So think about how much a child grows from when they come out of the womb until they're one. They grow a lot. It's a rapid time of growth.
So their metabolism actually rapidly grows for the first year. And then the second phase is from age one to 20. There's a similar rate of growth during that time. So what I meant is your metabolism keeps increasing from age one to 20. So from zero to one, it's like, bam, like super fast metabolism increase. Then from one to 20, it continues to increase. And then the third phase is from 20 to 60. And this is where a lot of people think, you know, that our metabolism declines. What do you think happens to our metabolism from age 20 to age 60?
Barry Conrad
I think it stabilizes.
Melanie Avalon
look at you, you got it right. Yes, yes. So it's pretty stable.
People's metabolism does not really go down naturally because of age, up until age 60. Even during pregnancy, there's not much of a change. And sex has no effect either. So for men and women, it's pretty similar. And then the fourth phase is people who are over 60. What do you think happens to their metabolism then?
Barry Conrad
I think maybe it slows down.
Melanie Avalon
So it does, but what's really fascinating is only by 0.7, around 0.7, give or minus 0.1%. So between 0.6 to 0.7%, it goes down every year.
Barry Conrad
Which is not much.
Melanie Avalon
Not much yeah so this whole this whole idea that you get old in your metabolism plummets. Nope it goes up until twenty it's pretty stable from twenty to sixty and then it only goes down about point.
Less than one percent per year.
Barry Conrad
Wow. It just debunks everything that we're, again, fed by the masses. Metabolism slows down as soon as you're even an adult, like you're over 25 and you should be worried. It's just crazy.
Melanie Avalon
Exactly. And what's really interesting about it is because I think people do experience weight gain oftentimes when they, you know, like they'll be in their 40s or 50s and they'll say, Oh, it's just my metabolism slowing.
But really, if you're gaining weight, it's probably not your metabolism slowing. It's probably all the other lifestyle factors affecting your weight. So maybe you're eating more, exercising less, have less muscle mass, but you're, you're like inherent metabolic rate is probably not changing.
Barry Conrad
This is so good, Melanie, to study and just I want everyone to know this because it's just at least gives people a reason not to accept defeat or feel like, you know, their lives are over just because they're adults, you know, you know, should give you peace of mind as well, I reckon.
Melanie Avalon
I think so. I really, I really like it.
And then I also really like that it's only around less than 1% decrease after 60. So I feel like that you can easily combat with, I mean, I don't want to say easily, but losing 1% of your metabolism, less than 1% of your metabolism, like you can really work against that by supporting muscle mass, exercise, you know, fasting, the food choices that you make. So there's a lot of agency here for people, for sure.
Barry Conrad
I agree.
I think exactly what you said, Melanie, about it's not your metabolism or your age necessarily, it's what you're doing, what you're choosing to do with your life, your lifestyle choices. Maybe you're in a sedentary job, maybe you're eating more, maybe you're in a relationship, and how some people are like, we just like to eat together, or I don't have to impress anyone anymore, so you actually stop doing the things you used to do to take care of yourself. It's all these different factors that we actually choose, you know, to do.
Melanie Avalon
Exactly. And I think, I think especially when you're getting older that preserving muscle mass is so, so important. I think being conscious of that throughout your life is really important to have those muscle stores so that if muscle does start declining with age, you've built up this muscle and then really working to maintain that with resistant exercise, you know, moderate to high protein diet. Very important.
So yes, metabolism myths.
Barry Conrad
I'm actually my mind's blowing pun intended like I'm really impressed with the study and like, for example, what you're talking about with metabolism. I thought about my mom who is I want to say 67 and she's like, oh, you know, I'm gaining weight because of my age and whatnot. But now she's actually right into walking Melanie. She's discovered walking and and she's up to a protein because of after my, you know, incessant recommendation and she feels amazing.
She's lost weight. And she does intermittent fasting. So it's not the age. So yeah, there you go. You're exactly right.
Melanie Avalon
And so like in that example, so you said she's 67, right? If we did the average, which is 0.7, so if it went down by 0.7 for seven years, that means her metabolism, because of her age, probably declined 4.9%, so less than 5%.
But there probably is a decline, but it's so important to do things like your, that you've guided her to with the walking and the protein and all the things. Yay for her.
Barry Conrad
So amazing, yeah. What a great find, Melanie.
Melanie Avalon
Shout out to Barry's mom.
Barry Conrad
To Debbie, say shout out to Debbie.
Melanie Avalon
Debbie, shout out to Debbie. Does she listen to your shows ever?
Barry Conrad
She actually does and so she's going to love this. She does? Yeah.
Melanie Avalon
Aww. Hi Debbie. I don't think my family listens. Really? No. Then again, I've been doing this for like seven years, but I don't... Yeah. Oh no, they should listen. I wouldn't listen if I was them.
Barry Conrad
It's like, we're good, we know that you do it, we don't need to listen to it. Yeah. Amazing study.
Melanie Avalon
You know, it's interesting. I actually read it in two different books that I was reading around the same time. It was in, I think it was in Stephen Gundry's new book, I think. I might be misquoting.
But then I'm reading right now, and this will have happened by the time this airs, but I'm interviewing Ben Azati for his new book. It was in there. So shout out to him. He's amazing. Okay, shall we jump into some questions?
Barry Conrad
Let's do it. Let's jump on in.
Melanie Avalon
First question comes from Susan. How often do you do longer fasts over 24 hours? Question mark.
Barry Conrad
Hmm.
Hey Susan, how's it going?
Hope you're having a good day.
Great question.
And actually this is a question that I do get asked by people because I generally do 20 hours a day and they're asked if I do longer.
So fasting more than 24 hours.
I mean, it's one of those things that does sound a bit intense at first, but once you're practicing IF for a while, it does start to feel like it's more within reach or a natural progression.
That said, I reckon how often you do them, or even if you do them at all, it depends on you.
You don't have to.
For me personally, the max I've ever done is like 36 hours, but only just to experience it just to see what it felt like.
So I'm not someone who does extended fast regularly cause I like to eat every day.
I like my daily eating window.
I love my food, but what did that 36 hour fast do?
I did feel a bit of a reset, not just physically, but mentally.
I felt clear and lighter and more present.
That said, I also kind of prepared for a new, what was coming up.
So I hydrated myself.
I kept that day pretty relaxed.
I didn't do too much.
I definitely didn't go to the gym that day.
I just wanted to experiment on that fast.
I think it's key to be intentional about it.
If you want to do that, we do know that doing longer fast comes with serious benefits for sure.
Stimulating autophagy, improving insulin sensitivity, that mental clarity, that reducing inflammation, but it's not, Susan, that's not something that you have to do to see results with fasting.
So if your current fasting routine is working and if you're sleeping well, you're training well, you're feeling good, then you don't really need to, but if you're curious about it and your body's in a good place, then experimenting slowly.
I reckon could be worth trying.
I just don't think force it because you don't want to approach a fast with a punishment mindset or something like that, or like, I've eaten so much today, so let me not eat for two days or something like that.
You know?
So I think it's more about tuning into your body, giving your body a break.
And honestly, Susan, the way you break a fast is just as important as the actual fast as well.
So if you do do the fasting longer, make sure that you are aware of what works for your digestion well and like your gut.
So for me, for example, I'll have, what did I have?
Like a couple soft boiled eggs with some maybe lean protein, like chickens, some spinach, some mushrooms.
I'm not going to smash a whole bunch of food just to ease back in.
But yeah, it was a powerful experience, but it comes down to why you're doing it and if it works for your body.
Melanie, what about you?
Have you done a longer fast or you just like to have your daily eating window?
What do you think?
Melanie Avalon
I'm so similar to you in that I I just really like eating every day and I I really look forward to my meal every night and I really struggle to sleep on an empty stomach. I just it's Yeah, some people I know sleep so well on empty stomachs. I don't.
So the hardest thing for me, I think I actually if the days were longer, I've thought this so many times. So if I could just have a 36 hour day, I think I could you honestly, I think most days I could easily do that. Like I don't think it would be hard. At all, like, no, it definitely wouldn't know. The problem is sleeping on empty stomach. So because the days aren't 36 hours, it means that in order to do a 36 hour fast, I have to sleep through the night on an empty stomach and then wake up the next day and then I don't want to eat during the day. So it kind of mandates that it's at least like a 48 hour fast almost. But the hardest part of that would be the sleeping part.
So if the days were longer, I would do longer ones more often. Because they're not I don't really it happened. Okay, sometimes the way it could happen accidentally would be if I ate at a, you know, eight by one meal a day, and then the next night if I went out to some event and got, you know, stayed out much later than normal, then that might push back everything. So the only way I really I accidentally will do some sometimes fast that are over 24 hours. But it's because I just got back super, super late from something.
Barry Conrad
I've done like, like you said, like accidentally, like if maybe it's like a long shoot or I'm traveling or something, but it's definitely not something that I try to do. I mean, I just wanted to try that 36 hour just to kind of just to see what it felt like.
But I love my food too much. Just do eating every day.
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, two thoughts there. So traveling, like that's, that's a time that I did, like when I went to London, I did a really long fast because I just didn't eat before traveling and then didn't eat on the plane, didn't eat that day, didn't eat until that evening. I definitely had a conscious because I went through a period of time where I was like, I really want to do like a 48 hour fast or a three day fast, like I really want to do this. And I still think I do think I would like to at some point, I'd have a moment of acknowledging and not having guilt around.
I like eating every day and like it's working for me, doing my daily intermittent fasting. So I don't want to feel self pressured that I have to do a longer fast or feel guilty for not doing a longer fast. But I do think longer fast can be great for people. But like you said, and I'm glad you said all this, like you want to be really conscious with it. You want to make sure you're not doing it out of, out of guilt or out of, you know, trying to make up for something or because you feel like you have to. If you do a longer fast, I want people to do it. I mean, I think it doesn't really matter what I want, but I think it's helpful for people if they are doing it because they're excited about doing it. And it's like, you know, it's something they're excited about to help their body rather than fear or guilt or anything like that.
It's awesome. So great question, Susan. Shall we go to Adri?
Barry Conrad
Let's do it.
Melanie Avalon
All right. Actually, would you like to read this one?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, sure. So Adrian asks, have you ever researched the effects of tattoos on health or wellness? And if so, I'd love to hear what you found. Melanie, what do you reckon?
Melanie Avalon
Okay, Barry, have we talked about tattoos? You and I?
Barry Conrad
I don't actually, I actually don't think we have, no, I don't think we have, for real. Do you have tattoos? Take a guess.
Melanie Avalon
I actually, I actually don't know, yes?
Barry Conrad
No.
Melanie Avalon
No?
Barry Conrad
And I've said this forever, I know what I would get if I got a tattoo, but I just keep saying that every year and it doesn't happen. So I don't know if I will. Do you have any tat?
Melanie Avalon
Take a guess. Yes. I do.
Barry Conrad
I knew it. Yes. I knew it. I knew that you did. I just had a feeling. Where is it? What is it?
Melanie Avalon
Actually, a Bible verse reference.
Barry Conrad
What is it? Which one?
Melanie Avalon
Matthew 28 20 I got it when I was 17. I think that's when you can get a tattoo and it was really Kind of spontaneous like my friend got one and she was like you should get I don't know It was my friend who I never thought would get a tattoo got one Shout out.
Well, I don't know if I should nobody will know shout out to Emily and then I was like I'm gonna do it too. So then I went got one and I don't my my parents didn't didn't know until I mean Relatively recently, I think
Barry Conrad
Did you what were you scared of telling them would they be mad do you think?
Melanie Avalon
mad, but I think they... No, they wouldn't have been mad, but I think, I don't know. I don't know.
Barry Conrad
What does the verse say? What is it?
Melanie Avalon
It says, and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. I always thought it was really poetic.
Barry Conrad
It sounds pretty poetic, but it does.
Melanie Avalon
And then I remember thinking, well, because it was about, you know, my religion. So I was thinking, I was thinking like, you know, if I'm getting a tattoo, I might as well get something about my religion because then what can my parents say?
Barry Conrad
That's a good point.
Melanie Avalon
So, yeah, and what's interesting and why I really like this question from Adri is, I would like to get more tattoos. I'm actually just super concerned about their effects on health and wellness, which is why I haven't don't have more.
Barry Conrad
That makes sense to me, knowing you.
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, so that was not on my radar back then. I did do some research. There's actually it's really hard to find like solid research on this. I'll tell you what I found.
Okay, so the potential concerns with tattoos tend to be so heavy metal exposure. So many tattoo inks have heavy metals in them like lead, cadmium, chromium, and nickel lymphatic system absorption. So this has definitely been shown in studies. So studies have found the ink particles end up in the lymph nodes. And they can actually stay there indefinitely, which is interesting. The immune system response. So the body does see ink as a foreign substance. So it could trigger for people a low level immune response. Endocrine disruption. So some inks, kind of like the heavy metals, some can have other endocrine disrupting ingredients in them that could be problematic. Let's see. And then okay, skin microbiome disruption. So you're altering the skin barrier and that the microbiome when you're getting a tattoo. So there was a study that came out. Let me see when it came out. So this is this is May 2024. And the title is tattoos as a risk factor for malignant lymphoma, a population based case control study. And they found they concluded that our findings suggest that tattoo exposure was associated with an increased risk of malignant lymphoma. More epidemiological research is urgently needed to establish causality. So they did see a connection between cancer and tattoo ink.
Let's see if there's one more thing here. So a 2016 report from the Australian government's department of health. Hey, hey, they have a have you heard of this organization in Australia, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme. And I see and I guess
Barry Conrad
I have not, but now I do.
Melanie Avalon
Now you do. So they looked at the composition of 49 tattoo inks. They found a mismatch between content and labeling, as well as concerns about some components.
A chemical, a carcinogen called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found in a fifth of the samples tested and 83% of the black inks tested. They also found barium, copper, mercury, amines, and various colorants. So I have a lot of thoughts about it, which is, so yes, I think it could definitely be a problem. It could be injecting your body with toxic ingredients and because of how it's in the dermis of the skin and how it relates to the lymph nodes, it's not like you put the toxin, like it's not like you ate the toxin and then excreted it or ate the toxin and your body could deal with it through your gut, which is where the majority of your immune system is. Our body wasn't designed to deal with toxins injected into the skin because that wasn't a possibility. In the evolutionary world, we weren't injecting ink into our skin. So it's a completely different, I think that's what makes it more problematic than even eating these compounds, for example.
That said, I think tattoos can be an incredible way for people to express their identity or put something really meaningful on their body or even just live life with vitality and do things you want to do and die without regrets. Oh, fun fact, because I'm about to interview this incredible woman named Jodi Wellman. She wrote a book called, well, she has like a TED Talk and a whole community around this, but her book is called You Only Die Once. And it's all about living life to the fullest and having meaning and vitality in your life and the concept of a momentum more, remembering death as a way to provide agency to live your life to the fullest now.
In any case, she said, I didn't know this, that out of all the negative emotions, so anger or sadness or guilt, jealousy, regret, do you want to guess which emotion we value the most that's negative and which emotion we dislike the most out of negative ones?
Barry Conrad
I think regret is something that we just like the most. I mean, that you, you don't, no one wants to die with regret, right?
Melanie Avalon
So I guess it's not about liking, I probably said that wrong, it's about which one do we value the most and value the least. So the one that we see that has purpose, I guess, and would have it more compared to the one that we just don't want and we don't see any purpose or we don't... Yeah. Yeah, you told me. People tend to value regret the most because it illuminates things in your life that you value least or dislike the least jealousy, which I completely understand because like what good comes from being jealous, you know?
So all of that to say, back to tattoos, I think they can have a really incredible place in people's lives. So I think you just weigh the cost benefit. Honestly, not that it's probably fine, but if I had to, I think there are worse things you could do. I think the agency that you can take though is try to find or do find, I was actually thinking of getting another tattoo and so I went through this whole process. There are some inks that really brand themselves around being non-toxic and organic and it's hard to know again, especially hearing this study from that Australia company where stuff didn't actually match what was in it, so that's concerning. But definitely, if you are getting one, try to find a tattoo ink brand that is gonna be free of heavy metals or says that they are and work with that. And I was speaking with a tattoo artist and she was able to order whatever ink I wanted.
Barry Conrad
Are you gonna do it, do you think? Do you reckon you'll go through with it? What's your thoughts?
Melanie Avalon
not right now. I was kind of feeling it for a while, but I do think I'm going to get another one at some point.
I'm just not sure when I actually think, and this actually might be better because it sounds like the really pigmented ones seem to have more of the problems I would like to get. Have you seen people who have white tattoos?
Barry Conrad
Not in real life, but I've seen it online.
Melanie Avalon
kind of looks like a scar. My friend growing up had one on her wrist and it was white. So maybe I'll get like a white tattoo. That might be cool. Because then you kind of have to know that it's there to see it. I don't know. I'll have to think about it.
How about you? So that was a lot of my tattoo thoughts. What are your tattoo thoughts?
Barry Conrad
No, the study that you brought up, it's pretty scary that if something doesn't match up to what's actually in what's being injected into your skin, that's scary and terrifying. And I do think like what you said, it's so true because it is going to that second layer of skin. It's kind of like pretty much there. That's it, you know, and the high levels of toxicity is not great.
I think at the end of the day, I'm with you, the latter part of it, which is its personal choice. You know, for a lot of people, it can give them meaning, you know, and that significance can maybe outweigh the potential risks. You know, I think it's really important to still do due diligence and research, you know, like, who's the tattoo artist, where they get in the ink from, if you're going to get one. But I do think, you know, if you really want one, I'm not going to prescribe what to do, but I do think life is short and you have to do what brings you life meaning. Just be really careful and mindful and do your research. Yeah, I mean, you said everything about the science and the studies behind it. You've got to watch out because you don't want to be injecting yourself with something that could really harm you in the long run. And this actually made me think about Maori culture in New Zealand because
Melanie Avalon
What culture? What is it?
Barry Conrad
It's M-A-O-R-I and it's pronounced Māori, so they're like the first settlers in New Zealand sort of thing, you know, so the indigenous people in New Zealand and they had tattoos like called mokos and things like that where they would actually carve these tattoos by hand into their faces, into their bodies, and I wonder how they, like, yeah, like didn't have a machine that actually carved like using knives and using tools. So if you Google like Māori, M-A-O-R-I, back in the day and you'll see they have these facial tattoos, tattoos in their body and it was, it's done by hand and in some cultures I believe it still happens that way because it's traditional and I wonder, for example, back in the day what they were using for ink because they, you know, it was way, way back in the day where they didn't have access to what we have now, so I wonder if that is as toxic, was as toxic for their bodies and if that has had an evolutionary effect genetically because a lot of Māori population end up having cancers, which is actually quite an interesting connection.
Yeah, I wonder if that has a connection at all, I wonder.
Melanie Avalon
That's really interesting. Yeah, I think like you re-highlighted again and including with those populations, it's like we just don't, especially reading that study about things mismatching, it's just hard to know what's in that area.
Barry Conrad
ink. The inks that were used by Māori were made of all natural products, burnt wood was used to create black pigments, while the lighter pigments were derived from caterpillars infected with certain types of fungus.
Wowzers.
Melanie Avalon
So that's interesting because to like burnt wood, you know, those burnt compounds are toxic, you know, but it's like, how do they relate to heavy metals or these other ingredients found in inks today? And, you know, it would be hard to know if those had heavy metals or not.
Barry Conrad
It says charcoal, which is burnt wood mixed with oil or liquid from plants. I can imagine that sounds like a concoction of unknown effects back in the day, right?
Melanie Avalon
Yeah. And it's so interesting, like I was saying, how the ink, it stays in your skin and, you know, indefinitely, and then it's still those, those ink particles are in the lymph nodes throughout your life.
Too late now with my tattoo, but...
Barry Conrad
Question, would you ever or have you ever or do you think you do ever need to remove it?
Melanie Avalon
for removing it do they just color it over it like how do they do that no i wouldn't
Barry Conrad
laser right this laser tattoo tattoo removal like they're laser it off i mean you can you can cover up with another tattoo but some people just like to get it like removed
Melanie Avalon
Let's see, targets that ink particles breaks them down so your body can gradually eliminate them. Oh, okay. And then, so they're cleared away by your immune system over time.
It's a, I wonder, I wonder like the toxicity of breaking it down and actually dealing with all of it compared to that really, really slow drip of just having it there all the time. It's kind of like when people have heavy, like mercury fillings. And, you know, you want to get them out because you're getting slow, low dose exposure to mercury on a very small level throughout your life. When you take them out though, you want to be really careful that you have a dentist who knows how to do it because otherwise you're going to just expose yourself to a massive mercury shock. So I wonder how, you know, I wonder with like ink removal, like what the toxic effect is from that.
Barry Conrad
Yeah, because is his name Pete Wentz? Is that his name? The Ariana Grande is, uh, what's his name? Pete Wentz.
Melanie Avalon
I'm so bad with celebrity names.
Barry Conrad
Pete Davidson sorry he has like a whole lot of tattoos and he got them a whole bunch of them removed i wonder how long that took to do he was a cover covered in them.
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, for mine, um, I'm just gonna leave it. It's kind of big too. I mean, it's not big, but it could be smaller is the point. If I get another one, it would be small.
Barry Conrad
Where is it? Can I ask?
Melanie Avalon
You can't see it when I have clothes on.
Barry Conrad
Oh wow, that's pretty spicy. Is it like what your lower back or like your, where is it?
Melanie Avalon
I have no comment. Oh, wow. Well, I don't want everybody to know where my dad is. I'll tell you where it is after.
Barry Conrad
I like how quick you were with that. I have no comment.
Melanie Avalon
No comment. Does it even exist? I don't know.
I actually forget that I have it. Like I literally, I don't think I even see it anymore. Does that make sense? Like I don't see it. You know how like the things you're exposed to daily, that's, this is why they say, you know, if you put like a reminder, maybe we've talked about this before, but if you put some like motivational sticky note on your wall or like a motivational poster, if it's in your environment in the same place every day, you stop seeing it because your body, you don't, your body doesn't register it as new information and it just kind of like files it away.
Barry Conrad
That makes sense. But when you when you were saying that and maybe like I don't see it now it even makes me think even more. Where is this tattoo?
Melanie Avalon
I mean, I do. Yeah, I have no comment. I don't see it. My point is if I were to see it on my body, I don't notice it. Maybe that's a better way of.
Barry Conrad
Okay, interesting.
Melanie Avalon
Okay. Well, that was fun.
Barry Conrad
deep dive into tattoos and Melanie's hidden special mysterious tattoo that she has no comment on.
Melanie Avalon
that may or may not exist. I don't know.
Yeah, this is interesting. I wouldn't expect this though. This says that removing that black ink is the easiest to remove. I would not expect that. Colors like green, blue, and yellow are more stubborn.
Barry Conrad
That is interesting. You'd think that black is the hardest, like kind of like how in suit, you know, is left for too long before it's cleaned.
In a way, it's like it's just way harder to get off. I would have thought black ink for sure.
Melanie Avalon
I'm just looking at mine right now. I don't think I've actually looked at it in a long time. I think it looks more blue now.
Barry Conrad
Maybe you should put up a poll for your followers and say, where do you think my tattoo is?
Melanie Avalon
That's our story.
Barry Conrad
Is that good content? I don't know.
Melanie Avalon
Uh, yeah, I'd be curious what people think. So, okay, well, shall we move back sort of to fasting related things? One last comment.
One of the great things about fasting is it really does help with mitigating toxic exposure. It provides the body time for energy to go not towards digestion, which is so consuming of energy and instead go towards these cellular cleanup processes and detoxification. And yes, so if you are getting a tattoo, make sure you're fasting, not like while you're actually getting a tattoo just in general, it might help. I do know it was way more painful than I thought it would be.
Barry Conrad
Depending where it is right like if it's on that sensitive like bone or like some skins really sensitive to write.
Melanie Avalon
Yeah. And well, yeah, the location matters. But I just remember thinking I remember thinking people get these all the time. It can't be that painful.
And like you see people with so many tattoos. And I remember she started doing it. And I was like, Oh, this is not fun. This is not
Barry Conrad
But when I talk to me to have like a lot of tattoos and like bro how why do you keep getting more if you keep saying how painful they are and like it's kind of addictive just the feeling it's like pain pleasure thing.
Melanie Avalon
You definitely get an endorphin high from that for sure because it's like being stung by a bee just like constantly.
Barry Conrad
Yeah, that sounds awesome. It sounds like a day well spent to me.
Melanie Avalon
But you know what, it might not be that bad now. I feel like I've done a lot more painful things now, like laser hair removal, that's painful. I feel like the more you do, it's, yeah.
Barry Conrad
You do laser, you do that?
Melanie Avalon
Mm-hmm. It's like the best thing ever.
Barry Conrad
Okay i'm not gonna ask where but why what made you want to do that rather than cuz you're not not a hairy from what i can see very.
Melanie Avalon
put yourself into the mind of a female. You men, you don't have to shave your legs like every day in the shower. Do you know how much time that takes?
And then the idea of never having to shave your legs again. And then men, do men shave their armpits? I don't, do you?
Barry Conrad
some bodybuilder guys that I know they do for like comps and stuff, but it's not something that I know some guys do, but I don't think it's like as common for sure. I don't. Do you shave your
Melanie Avalon
upper lip.
Barry Conrad
Will I shave my face?
Melanie Avalon
Oh, wait, men do shave their face. Okay, wow. That was a blonde moment.
So it's a very, it's a very time consuming process to shave your legs and armpits all the time. And then when you don't have to do that anymore, it's mind blowing. It's amazing.
Barry Conrad
So does it come back, like what's the rate of the return?
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, well, that's the thing. And that's why I'm saying like, I feel like I could tolerate a tattoo better now because you have to go like 16 sessions, or over like 16 months, you go like every six weeks for about 16 months.
And then, and then you do touch ups, like, you do less and less touch ups as time goes on.
Barry Conrad
That sounds like a lot, but also I can see how we cut out a lot of time doing it every day, like shaving.
Melanie Avalon
It's so great. You never have to have the moment of, oh, I forgot to shave my legs. So does it hurt? Does it hurt? Yes. It does. Yes. It's not that bad now that I've done it so much for so long.
Barry Conrad
I'm picturing like zap, zap, zap, like a little gun, like a, is it like that?
Melanie Avalon
It's kind of like the tattoo, it's like getting stung constantly.
Barry Conrad
How long is the session, like how long does it take to do one session?
Melanie Avalon
depends how much you're doing. So probably, I mean, you're probably, I mean, it really depends how much how long you're you're doing. But like doing your legs might take maybe if you're if it's like the first time and you haven't done it before ever. So there's more it might take like 15 minutes.
Maybe your underarms would take like two minutes. Like not long upper lip takes less than a minute.
Barry Conrad
I reckon I'd get ticklish if I did cut underarm laser.
Melanie Avalon
That's interesting because I am ticklish, but it's just like zapping you. So there's more pain than more pain than tickle and it smells like.
Barry Conrad
popcorn. Is it a sense to it once the hair is fried?
Melanie Avalon
This is the hair burning. Yeah, burning. Yeah.
Barry Conrad
there you go yep so that's more painful than tattoos so tattoo should be a breeze the next one
Melanie Avalon
I don't I don't know because I haven't I haven't done tattoos since I was 17. So but if I don't, so it's hard to remember.
But I can kind of remember I think it's probably equal to some of the more painful areas of laser hair removal.
Barry Conrad
There we go. Well, I heard females have a higher threshold, pain threshold too. So is it?
Melanie Avalon
Oh, for sure.
Barry Conrad
She didn't even let me finish that one. She's like, yeah, for sure.
Melanie Avalon
No, that's like scientifically studied. We do. We have to bear children. There you go.
Barry Conrad
Just that one tiny detail. You know we have to be a children.
Melanie Avalon
Just that one little detail, yep. So, okay, now shall we have our proverbial fast-breaking moment?
Barry Conrad
I think we should definitely have that proverbial fast-breaking moment. Let's do it.
Melanie Avalon
So for listeners, the purpose of this portion of the show is because it's not just about the fasting, it's also about the eating window. And that is the time when you are providing the nutrients to your body, the food that helps grow your muscles, your bones, all the things.
I guess people know our daily fasting window. I was going to say that we could say, you know, what we actually fast daily. But yes, I think they're pretty familiar. I do the one meal a day with the dinner.
Barry Conrad
the dinner and I pretty much do the same. I'd say 20, I'd do 24, but it's one meal a day. I don't eat beyond that. So same.
Melanie Avalon
So what restaurant did you pick today?
Barry Conrad
So this week's restaurant, Melanie, we're breaking a fast proverbially with a place that's in the Guinness Book of Records. It's called Sabrina de Boten, and it's the world's oldest restaurant, still running strong in Madrid since- Wait, really? Yes, since 1725. According to the Guinness Book, since 1725, Hemingway used to feast here. The suck- the roast suckling pig is legendary. It's cooked in a wood-fired oven that hasn't gone cold in almost 300 years. That's kind of the energy we're showing up to you with this restaurant, Melanie. So it's pretty incredible.
It was founded by French Chef Boten and his wife. It's got like a narrow cobbled street, you know? So picture that in your head. You can sit at Hemingway's favorite corner table. Some famous guests were Graham Green, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Emer Royalty. The meats are marinated with garlic and olive oil, so there's this delicious smell going through and obviously the oven there hasn't been turned off. So think of all the flavors. Think of all the infusion of flavors.
Melanie Avalon
Think about how many meals have been had here. 300, that's... I wonder how many meals have been had here where they were breaking their fast, like their long fast.
Barry Conrad
I'm sure many because I don't know what for sure some people wouldn't be able to eat all day and they just had their dinner or their lunch or whatever, you know.
Melanie Avalon
And in the past, it was way more common to not be eating 24 seven.
Barry Conrad
Exactly. So they were onto it, you know, they knew what was up.
So this family run, they're still family run after 300 years. They've been running it since the Gonzales family's been running this since 1930s, so they keep things really classic, unpretentious and like not changed too much, which kind of, I can imagine like walking in there would be like going into a time, I'm guessing like a time warp kind of thing.
Melanie Avalon
I wonder if it's haunted.
Barry Conrad
It could be, let's pull up the menu, let's see what we got.
Melanie Avalon
I had to, I switched the language to, they chose to have the UK flag instead of the US flag for English. Oh, really? This is such a great find. You gotta go there sometime.
Barry Conrad
Yeah, so this menu is kind of interesting. It doesn't like say lunch dinner. It's just like the menu. So we'll pretend we're all not pretend we're doing dinner. And I guess let's go to each section. Starters. Yeah, starters. Yeah.
So Melanie is a booty salad. Have a look at the starters. And what is catching your eye for your starters?
Melanie Avalon
Is booty salad like pirate booty? Yeah, maybe actually. I'm guessing so.
Oh, they have acorn-fed Iberian ham. Yes. Yeah. I'm excited. Okay. I want, oh, and they have smoked salmon. Yes. Okay. We're at a good place here. So I'm going to get the acorn-fed Iberian ham and smoked salmon, please.
Barry Conrad
Yum. I'm going to try that. I'm going to copy you and go for that smoked salmon because I love it. I love it.
And then I'm going to I'm going to ask you if I can taste the acorn fed over in Ham and I'll get something else. How about? Of course you can. Can I? Yeah. I'll have the chicken and ham croquettos.
Melanie Avalon
Hmm. Oh, do you like anchovies? They have anchovies with peppers. I'm curious. Do you like anchovies?
Barry Conrad
Melanie, I actually love anchovies. Do you like having them?
I like having them on toasted sourdough bread with a spread of cream cheese, fresh anchovies with a bit of pepper and salt. Chef's kiss. It's such a good fast breaker for me sometimes with a Riesling. It's so good.
Melanie Avalon
Yum. So I have a confession. Cool. I don't think I've ever had anchovies.
Barry Conrad
What do you mean you haven't had them?
Melanie Avalon
I don't think I've had them. I don't know when I... I don't think I've had them. We gotta get the anchovies with peppers.
Barry Conrad
Let's do that. And I also highly recommend, I'm guessing Whole Foods definitely has anchovies, so you got to get some.
Melanie Avalon
Try it and I know they're so nutrient dense and they're very low mercury. They're like super low mercury.
Barry Conrad
So the question then is why?
Melanie Avalon
So is it like the entire fish and you eat the entire fish?
Barry Conrad
No, like the intro is like it sort of comes in a glass bottle or like sometimes a can or like a dish and it's just like
Melanie Avalon
But isn't it the entire fish?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, sorry, yes, you have the little mini-fishes, yeah, you have the whole thing.
Melanie Avalon
like you eat the whole thing right like the whole fish but they're little yeah yeah no no you don't you don't have to convince me twice i love whole fish i i love to go to whole foods and like buy a fish and then i go
Barry Conrad
But why haven't you tried it, like what's putting you off?
Melanie Avalon
I think it kind of just fell through the cracks, growing up, it's like, ew, anchovies. I wouldn't have had them. And then I became a carnivorous-loving human being, prancing around the world. And I just never, oh, I wasn't really eating salads then. So I wasn't, I feel like that's how people get exposed to them a lot, is through salads. And then I never, it's never something I thought to go just buy. And then it's not, this is why. It's not usually on a menu by itself. So like I said, it's normally on salads and I'm not ordering salads. That's my explanation.
That makes sense to me. Like, I think this is the first time that I've seen anchovies as its own thing to order.
Barry Conrad
Do you know what I was, can you look up anchovies on sourdough bread for me, please? This is what I know you don't love or eat, really eat bread, but it's honestly so good.
It's so good. It's really good. It's really tasty.
Melanie Avalon
I wonder how it's prepared the anchovies with peppers. What peppers? Like what type of peppers?
Barry Conrad
Do you know what I actually thought the reason was that you haven't had them? It's because a while ago you're like, I don't, I don't like things.
If it smells too fishy, like it over, or if it tastes the whole thing.
Melanie Avalon
What's interesting is I do anticipate that it might have, like, does it taste really fishy?
Barry Conrad
I don't know how to answer that question because it's...
Melanie Avalon
Does it taste like oysters? Does it taste like the ocean? Does it taste like everything wrong with the ocean?
Barry Conrad
It doesn't, okay, oysters is very right about the ocean and also- Incarnate. It doesn't taste too fishy to me anyway. Anyways, we definitely need to get this.
Melanie Avalon
Mm-hmm, you know what we need to be doing we need to be making we need to be making like a document Okay, I'm gonna make a document in my Evernote where every time we have we find something at some restaurant somewhere where it's like Oh, we have to have this specific thing. We'll have a list so I'm gonna add anchovies with peppers at Botan Madrid to the list because we're not gonna remember everything
Barry Conrad
No, it's definitely not.
Melanie Avalon
What is Burgos Black Pudding? Is that blood pudding?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, it reminds your blood pudding. I feel like it might be that.
Yeah, it's a sausage made mostly with pork blood, okay, which includes rice as one of its basic ingredients. I don't think you're gonna like that one, Mel. Yeah.
Melanie Avalon
Yeah. Well, I think we're good.
I think, I think we're, I feel good about, about this. And I'm going to have for dessert. I'm going to save some, I'm probably going to have ham for dessert, by the way, because I feel like I'm really going to like that ham.
Barry Conrad
Well you might have you might love the anchovies and peppers I know I know I might for your meat or whatever you're like whatever what would you like for your.
Melanie Avalon
savory dessert.
Barry Conrad
What would you like to get for your... How do you say it? The main event. Okay, we'll go with that one.
Melanie Avalon
Okay, well, do you want a soup? Okay, so this menu is organized really interestingly. It's kind of confusing. Do you want a soup at all? I don't.
Barry Conrad
I don't love gazpacho. I have had some good gazpacho, but
Melanie Avalon
Whoa, wait, but they have poultry broth. That's cool. Oh my, I might get that. Oh my goodness, like a soup I can actually have? That's cool.
Barry Conrad
cool. So I'm guessing, so would that be like almost like a bone broth type vibe? It's just like chicken stock kind of thing? Is that the vibe?
Melanie Avalon
Maybe, I think so, I like that. I'm gonna get that.
Barry Conrad
You know what, I'll do the garlic soup with egg and ham. That sounds pretty good to me.
Melanie Avalon
That sounds good. I do love garlic. Do you like garlic?
Barry Conrad
I do, and I know that you love to have it, especially when you have to talk to people afterwards, right? That's your favorite thing.
Melanie Avalon
love it. My favorite thing.
It's so sad because out of all the foods, it's probably the food that I most love so much that has a visceral, actual negative effect on me the next day because of garlic breath. I love garlic. If you do not get garlic breath, I would drench the entirety of everything I eat in garlic. Every vampire would be on their knees because I would be all the garlic.
Barry Conrad
But there's got to be a solution. I mean, like, come on, someone has to have made like a little gimmick or something to quick, this gets rid of your garlic breath.
Melanie Avalon
There's like chlorophyll, parsley. I think the solution is to not drench things in garlic and just have a little bit, which is sad, but oh well.
Barry Conrad
Unless you're eating at home, right? And you're not going to see someone in like 40 hours.
Melanie Avalon
Okay, this is the thing, so this is the problem. It's not like the issue is when you're actually having it because then you could time control and like, okay, so I'm at home having garlic. It's that it's the next day that it shows up. So you have to like plan for that.
Barry Conrad
Are you sure?
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, I mean, that's-
Barry Conrad
That's my experience.
Melanie Avalon
No, no, no, no, no, no, I am certain I'm certain because I have this one spice blend at home that I really like and has garlic in it and if I go a little bit too hard, like too much with it, the next day there is and I'm not anticipating there to be garlic breath the next day, it's like the next day I'm like, Oh, man, like I noticed the garlic breath and then I'm like, Oh, you had too much last night. So it's not like I'm waiting for it to happen.
Barry Conrad
Okay, here's the deal when I when we finally do me and stuff one of the days you can have garlic and then I'll test it the next day like oh, Melanie, what the next day it's like you are.
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, that's not going to happen. Nope. Yeah.
Barry Conrad
Okay, what would you like to have for your entree or entrees?
Melanie Avalon
So the way it's organized, we have meat and roasts, we have vegetables, we have eggs, and we have fish. So I guess we can, what are the eggs?
Okay, so eggs are like scrambled eggs as like a thing. Do you think it's any time of the day, scrambled eggs, either of the house or with asparagus or with smoked salmon?
Barry Conrad
Yes, I do think that.
Melanie Avalon
Asparagus is asparagus is another one that has a an effect that happens later. Oh god, like there's some foods and it's like I Find that so interesting
Barry Conrad
So you can basically just take your pick and just mix and match, really. This is fish.
Melanie Avalon
Oh my goodness, this restaurant is amazing. I'm thinking in how there's so many just like meats and fishes like by themselves.
Barry Conrad
Look at the fish section. I think you'll be happy. What are Elver's?
Melanie Avalon
Do you see the price?
Barry Conrad
Yeah.
Melanie Avalon
Oh wait, 180, 180 euros?
Barry Conrad
They're shipped to live to Asia where they're grown to maturity and eaten.
Melanie Avalon
They're eels. They're glass eels.
Barry Conrad
They're extremely valuable with nearly five thousand dollars a kilo last year compared to lobster which is worth fifteen dollars that's crazy that's a lot of money.
Melanie Avalon
it's interesting because everything else is in the twenties everything else is in the twenties except for the grilled shrimp in the thirties and then there's a hundred and eighty
Barry Conrad
Okay, Melanie, let's assume that this restaurant graciously wanted us to be there and they said you could have whatever you want, so we don't have to pay for it.
Melanie Avalon
So have you had eel before?
Barry Conrad
I don't think so, nah.
Melanie Avalon
I don't think so either. You know what I think eel is gonna be? I feel like it might be an oyster situation. I don't know.
Barry Conrad
I don't think no cuz an eel is like it seems like it'll be meaty like it's a like you know a thing It's not like a little jello It's like a snake type Thing right an eel. I don't think it's gonna be also also Melanie it's not good.
It's definitely not gonna be like oysters. I don't think
Melanie Avalon
Eel has a unique, slightly sweet, savory flavor. Okay, if you've ever had eel sushi, that's a good example.
Okay, so I think to answer your question, I'm really excited actually by the meats and roasts. There's so many options.
Okay, stewed partridge. I've never had partridge, but I don't want it stewed.
Barry Conrad
Melanie, I feel like this is the type of restaurant, so if they said, we'll love to have you, we'd have to get like one of those four person tables so we can have, I feel like we're going to order up, yeah, and so we can just taste things because there's too much to.
Melanie Avalon
I'll just have everything on the menu. Like all the meats. This is really hard. Grilled enchocote, do you know what that is? I don't, what is it? It's a French term for ribeye.
Barry Conrad
Whoa, okay.
Melanie Avalon
Learn something new every day.
Barry Conrad
at a Spanish restaurant at a Spanish restaurant.
Melanie Avalon
I know, and they have a roast suckling pig. What I'm confused about is, because I always thought a roast suckling pig, I thought it was like the entire pig type situation, but it's a similar price to everything else.
So is it like an entree version of a roast suckling pig? I'm confused.
Barry Conrad
I think it would probably be just a smaller portion, I guess, not the whole pig kind of thing on the plate. There you go.
Melanie Avalon
Okay, it's not like the... Yeah, because I'm picturing that image of the... Yep, yeah. I think I know what I want.
I want so many things. I think the veal fillet, rare, and... Oh, we're going to try the elvers because we want to try eel. And I kind of want the suckling peg. Yeah. Okay. And then I'm going to... For dessert, I'm going to grab something from this list. How about you?
Barry Conrad
So, I'm going to get the mushroom, sirloin, steak with mushrooms, sirloin, steak with mushrooms. It kind of sounds confusing.
So, I'll have that because I love mushrooms and steak, so I'll do that and then I'll also do the roast lamb and I'll also do clam's botan because clams are going to love that.
Melanie Avalon
I don't think I've ever had clams. Really? I don't think so.
And what's crazy is we would always go to Florida growing up and clams are on every single menu everywhere. I don't think I've had them. Are they like scallops? I don't know why I think they're like scallops.
Barry Conrad
They're very, very similar.
Melanie Avalon
Do they taste similar to scallops?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, yeah, I feel like that's why I thought I was I'm confused that you didn't I'm surprised you didn't choose clams I'll get some clams and then some grilled shrimp As well. Can I try the clams?
Of course And then also with that because there's vegetables and the shrimp
Melanie Avalon
Yeah. I was going to get the shrimp for dessert, but yeah.
Barry Conrad
I'm gonna do some sauteed artichokes with a beer and ham as a side with those main things because you got the pig right so we can share that we can have some of the pig together no eggs.
Melanie Avalon
Oh, and I want the pig also rare. Are you okay with that? Or does pig have to be medium? Are you scared of trichinosis? What are tricha? What is it? Tricha?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, that because I don't know because isn't isn't pork meant to be pretty well, like I've never heard of pork being like had rare.
Melanie Avalon
I actually was researching this recently and there was a whole thing where you had to cook pork all the way through, but they actually changed the recommendations and you are allowed to have it less cooked now.
Barry Conrad
Oh man, I don't know. Oh yeah. Okay. I'll give it a go. I'm pretty.
Melanie Avalon
We can get it medium.
Barry Conrad
Rare on that. I made a mine my videographer for banter with BC. He actually went to a restaurant and they had chicken sashimi. I'm like, I'm not brave enough to try that.
I'm not brave enough to try that. But it's a thing.
Melanie Avalon
Do they do anything to it to ensure that it's safe?
Barry Conrad
It's really really fresh obviously and they're they're basing in something I can't remember what he said but I'm like he showed me a photo it just looks like you look really rare just chicken breasts like cut really finely so like wow that's that's brave wow.
Melanie Avalon
That's interesting.
Barry Conrad
Yeah, it is interesting, but apparently it's really good.
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, I would do that. Wow. Okay. And then for our dessert, I was saving the shrimp for dessert.
So I will have pre-ordered, oh, they have garlic shrimp. Probably the grilled shrimp for dessert. And then a repeat of, from the starters, if I like the anchovies or the smoked salmon or the acorn-fed Iberian ham, whatever I really liked the most for dessert. My savory dessert. How about you?
Barry Conrad
I've got three desserts that I'm going to get, and can you take a guess? I reckon you should be able to guess these. I reckon.
Melanie Avalon
Chocolate cake. What is botan cake?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, exactly, a ting.
Melanie Avalon
We don't know what it is, but it's like their thing. Yeah, okay. Oh wait. I'm two for okay Okay, um and then Okay, I feel like I feel like you either liked this or were you a tiramisu fan
Barry Conrad
Yes, you got three for three.
Melanie Avalon
Oh my goodness, I'm bowing.
Barry Conrad
You could literally, you could order for me. It's like, yeah, Barry will have this.
Melanie Avalon
Wait, and we have to tell listeners how many options there are. There's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, There are 12 options and I picked. Oh my god, I am so proud of myself.
Barry Conrad
You should be proud of yourself. So listen, at this point, we, we're getting to know each other's food preferences pretty well at this point, which is really good.
Melanie Avalon
This will be the craziest first time going to a restaurant with somebody that you've never gone to a restaurant before, experience ever, because like the amount of knowledge we will have.
Barry Conrad
And then also if you order something that's out of like off character, like that's not in character. What are you ordering that for?
Melanie Avalon
Yeah, what are you doing?
Barry Conrad
Yeah, what are you doing? That's not you. Why are you ordering everything with the sources not on the side, Mel? What are you doing?
Melanie Avalon
Man, amazing. I actually, I would, I'm really intrigued by the scrambled eggs. I might get that for dessert.
I think I might get scrambled eggs with smoked salmon for dessert. That sounds really cool.
Barry Conrad
That sounds good, but I don't see a beverage selection anywhere. Do you see any?
Melanie Avalon
Is this a dry restaurant for 300 years?
Barry Conrad
to be something to drink. Maybe desserts. I don't see it. Well, that's odd.
That's okay. No, this is actually really surprising because it's a Spanish restaurant, but let's pretend that we get to BYO, so we'll bring a couple bottles one each of something that we like.
Melanie Avalon
Perfect, I will bring some dry farm wines.
Barry Conrad
I'm going to bring some Pinagugio, or actually, no, because we had a Spanish version. I'm going to bring some Tempranillo. Let's do that.
Melanie Avalon
Perfect. Okay. Well, great find!
Barry Conrad
Thanks.
Melanie Avalon
And they're open Mondays to Sundays. I can't speak non- I can't speak this language. Okay, Mondays to Sundays from one o'clock to eleven thirty. That's pretty good.
In Australia, do you use that sort of time? How do you do time there?
Barry Conrad
Actually, one of the things I dislike probably about Australia is that the opening hours of restaurants are not, it's not that much. It's like dinner's like from maybe five or six to ten. It's not long, you know, whereas in America there's a lot of like late or all night places.
Melanie Avalon
Do you do one through 12 and then again, or do you do 24 hours?
Barry Conrad
Not 20, definitely not 24 hours. Yeah, no way. Maybe.
Melanie Avalon
So you don't call it 23 o'clock. Sorry, I was... We're having two different conversations right now. Do you do 23 o'clock or do you do 11 o'clock?
Barry Conrad
We do 11 o'clock.
Melanie Avalon
Okay, okay. You? Yeah, we do 11 o'clock. This menu though is in, it's in like 23 o'clock. Is so in Spain, do they do it that way, I guess?
Barry Conrad
We're assuming that it does. Let's just go with that.
Melanie Avalon
Who knows? Okay, well, that was an amazing find. Thank you so much, I really wanna go here.
Barry Conrad
Same. And we need that document. We definitely need to put together the things that we want to try, like anchovies and peppers.
Melanie Avalon
Yes. Yes. And eels.
Barry Conrad
Elvers, whatever, Elvers.
Melanie Avalon
elvers, but more so than anchovies. Okay, well friends, listeners, I hope you enjoyed today's show.
If you would like to submit your own questions for the show, you can directly email questions at ifebodcast.com or you can go to ifebodcast.com. You can submit questions there. These show notes for today's episode will be at ifebodcast.com slash episode 426. Those show notes will have a full transcript as well as links to everything that we talked about, so definitely check that out. And you can follow us on Instagram. I am Melanie Avalon. Barry is Barry underscore Conrad, and we are IF Podcast. And I think that's all the things. Anything from you, Barry, before we go?
Barry Conrad
Thank you so much for joining us again this week everyone have an amazing day and we'll catch you next time.
Melanie Avalon
Likewise, I will talk to you next week. Okay, bye. Bye.
Thank you so much for listening to the Intramism Fasting Podcast. Please remember, everything we discussed on this show does not constitute medical advice, and no patient-doctor relationship is formed.
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