Shawn Wells on the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast
Here Are the Top 5 Takeaways
There are certain people in every industry and endeavor who could be considered the premier expert in the field. When it comes to supplementation, Shawn Wells is one of those people. As a formulator and author, Wells is passionate and more than willing to share what he knows with anyone interested, which is why he was a guest on a recent episode of The Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast. Wells and Greenfield dropped several knowledge bombs for the listeners over the course of this show, including these five tips that can help you improve your health and performance.
Hyponatremia and How Electrolyte Formulas Help
“There’s a decline, pretty marked decline in performance, I think it’s around 15 percent, if you’re hyponatremic, and that’s not even like severe hyponatremic. They do go hand in hand with dehydration. When you sweat, a majority of that is salt. That’s why electrolyte formulas are cool. It’s great to get the chloride, the potassium, the calcium, the magnesium, but the majority of it is salt (sodium chloride), [which] is what you’re losing.”
Headaches and Hunger Could Be Signs of Needing Salt Instead of Sugar
“A lot of times when we’re hungry or feeling headaches, you know people say to drink water, and that is true. We tend to be dehydrated. I think 75 to 80 percent of the population is dehydrated. But a lot of times that is being hyponatremic as well. When we’re getting cravings, we think we’re wanting sugar, we think we want food, that’s because we’re not elevated enough in sodium.”
The Importance of Glutathione and How to Boost It
“Mitochondrial glutathione is really the main line of defense to protect the mitochondria so you don’t have dysfunction or cell death, and it also protects the electron transport chain. I think one of the best ways to boost glutathione is N-acetylcysteine. It’s much cheaper, it’s actually an acetyl group donor, it can help with acetylcholine, it helps with functions in the body, and it’s an antioxidant itself.”
Grains of Paradise
“That’s the real name, and it’s a type of pepper. The amazing thing is it literally enhances metabolism without a stimulant effect. Just 40 milligrams [of grains of paradise extract] can increase thermogenesis and caloric expenditure of around 100 calories a day.” The highest quality source commercially available is made by 
NNB Nutrition under the branded ingredient name CalorieBurn GP™.
The Best Way to Increase Ketones
“We see that caprylic acid (C8) is actually the best one at being the most ketogenic. C8 is the potent one; it’s the one that you want to get when it comes to increasing ketones. Mixing the two of those [ketones and C8] is ideal.” C8Vantage™ contains 95 percent C8 MCT oil, which is the most pure form of C8 commercially available.
Wells and Greenfield discuss several other hacks and ingredients in this episode. For more great tips and hacks from Shawn Wells, check out his new book, The Energy Formula: Six Life Changing Ingredients to Unleash Your Limitless Potential, which covers strategies for keto, paleo, CBD, nootropics, and much more. Wells’ book is available for preorder now and due to be released this spring.