Jack Kruse, M.D. Workout and Diet
Neurosurgeon
New York native Jack Kruse is a neurosurgeon and CEO of the Kruse Longevity Center in Destin, Florida. He also maintains a private practice. In 2007, Kruse weighed 350+ lbs. Ashamed he’d let his health spin out of control, he began to read everything he could find on obesity and disease. He determined that obesity is not caused by eating too much or not exercising enough. He believes it is caused by the altered spectrum of light due to living under manmade lights and blue light emitted from devices. Following his light diet, Kruse lost over 130 lbs. in one year. His mission is to promote optimal human health, and to reduce the burden on the healthcare system due to chronic illness. Kruse has tens of thousands of followers on social media. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 210 lbs.
Known For:
Jack Kruse’s Diet
Summary
Kruse’s diet for optimal health is known at the Leptin Prescription (Leptin Rx). Kruse considers leptin to be the master hormone of the brain and that it controls energy metabolism throughout the body. When leptin isn’t working, the rest of your body will be out of whack. He says you can be both too fat and too thin when leptin resistant. To cure leptin resistance, he recommends eating 50-75g of protein upon waking, virtually no carbs early in the day, and to limit carbs to 100g or less if you are fit and fewer than 25g if you are not. There is no need to count calories with this diet. Kruse recommends eating 3 meals a day max, and working your way down to 2. He also says snacking is terrible and messes with your circadian clock.
Estimated Macros
- Low Carbs 15%
- Mid-High Protein 30%
- High Fat 55%
Diet Details
Rise & Shine
The saying takes on new meaning when Kruse uses it. Morning sunlight is critical, as is eating within 30 minutes of waking. Breakfast should be primarily protein and fat, and contain little to no carbs.
Drink Up
Kruse recommends drinking 2 gallons of cold liquids every day.
On Leptin Resistance
Kruse says that if you are overweight, have a big appetite, and crave carbs especially at night, chances are you are leptin resistant. If you are a normal size but leptin resistant, you need to have your T3 (a hormone produced by the thyroid) measured.
Snack Ban
Kruse is opposed to the popular idea of eating small meals every couple of hours, and says eating like this virtually guarantees obesity.
Eat Your Fat
Kruse says another one of the lies people need to understand is that fat is not bad for you, and that it is necessary for optimal health. Kruse’s favorite is coconut oil for its gut-healing MCTs.
What to Eat
Eggs
Grass-fed Meat
Poultry
Fish
Butter
Heavy Cream
Coconut Oil
Palm Oil
Water
Protein Shakes (in a pinch)
What to Avoid
Carb-y Foods
Starches
Potatoes
Rice
Olive Oil
Industrial Seed Oils
Nut Oils (initial stages of diet)
Kruse on Breakfast
‘Try to eat breakfast as early as possible from rising.’
Kruse on Snacks
‘Never snack at all…Snacking completely stresses the liver’s metabolism.’
Kruse on Dinner
‘Try to allow 4-5 hours between dinner and sleep time.’
Jack Kruse’s Workout Routine
Weekly Routine
Timing Counts
Kruse recommends not working out early in the day. Instead, exercise should be performed after 5pm.
Exercise to Sleep
Kruse says that if you’re having trouble falling asleep at night to try a few minutes of bodyweight exercises such as pushups or air squats. Keep it under 5 minutes.
Watch the Cortisol
Kruse says if you have high cortisol in the evening, exercise should be avoided. Try meditation instead.
HIIT It
Kruse says once you have recovered leptin sensitivity, then you can hit the exercise hard. He is a big fan of high intensity exercise with heavy weights.
Mindfulness Matters
Kruse recommends meditation at bedtime. He himself practices Transcendental meditation techniques which he says helps settle his thoughts. It’s also perfect for those who suffer from high evening cortisol.
Exercise Style
A Jack Kruse Routine
High intensity exercise with heavy weights, only once you have achieved leptin sensitivity.
Get outside in the sunshine for its vitamin D benefits.
Kruse on Leptin Sensitivity & Exercise
‘When all signs [of leptin sensitivity] are present, I recommend HIIT exercise with heavy weights.’
Kruse on Early Morning Exercise
‘Do not work out before or after breakfast.’
Kruse on Exercise & Sleep
‘If you have trouble falling asleep, I suggest 3-5 minutes of bodyweight exercises right before bed…but avoid this if your evening cortisol is high.’
Krus on Meditation
I use Transcendental Meditation techniques to help me clear my mind and concentrate on improving my thinking. This is awesome is your evening cortisol is high.’
Jack Kruse’s Supplements
Fish Oil
While Kruse likes his patients to eat seafood whole, he also recommends fish oil for many of his patients, and sometimes even writes a prescription for it. He recommends everyone get an Omega6/3 assay test so they can know their levels before beginning a protocol to fix it.
Vitamin D
Kruse prefers getting vitamin D via the old-fashioned route (aka sunshine) but he says it makes sense for a lot of people to supplement orally. Vitamin D is important for strong bones and also immune function.
PQQ
Kruse says pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is probably one of the most important B vitamins when switching over from burning sugar to burning fat. PQQ stimulates energy production on a cellular level, and may improve longevity.
CoQ10
Kruse also recommends coenzyme Q10 because of its antioxidant properties. He prefers the ubiquinol form because it is more readily absorbed.
Multivitamin
Kruse believes the vast majority of Americans are deficient in basic nutrients, and recommends a multivitamin to cover the essentials.
Iodine
Kruse says iodine is absolutely essential for health and that deficiencies result in thyroid dysfunction. He believes the deficiency is due to fluoridation in water which replaces iodine in humans.
Selenium
Kruse says selenium is also important for proper thyroid function, and that most of us don’t get enough. He wants people to eat a single Brazil nut, or 200 mcgs every day.
Vitamin K2
Kruse says he sees a lot of osteoporosis in his practice, and it is often related to a vitamin K2 deficiency. He says pasteurizing dairy eliminates K2, and commercially-grown leafy greens are also very low in this essential vitamin (but organic does have some).
Magnesium
Kruse believes our modern lifestyle dehydrates us, which depletes our supply of magnesium. Magnesium is an extremely important nutrient and is used by 300+ enzymes.
Jack Kruse, M.D.’s Lifestyle
Magnets for Better Sleep
Kruse considers sleep to be extremely important to health. He recommends sleeping on magnetic pads to help with all sorts of complaints, from growing pains in children to speeding healing.
Road to Recovery
Kruse says one of the ways you can tell if your leptin sensitivity (and thus your health) is improving is that your energy level will rise, you will recovery easier from exercise, and sleep will feel refreshing.
Nix the Visceral Fat
Kruse says the abdomen (beneath the ‘6-pack’ muscles) is one of the worst places to carry fat because it is very inflammatory, and often leads to serious conditions including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease.
Becoming Leptin Sensitive
Kruse says there are several ways in which you can tell if you have restored leptin sensitivity. Men will have quick weight loss while women feel calmer and enjoy improved sleep.
Chill Out
Kruse is a proponent of cold showers, ice baths, drinking cold water and just generally experiencing cold.
Don Your Rose-Colored Glasses
To counteract the negative effects of blue light, Kruse wants people to literally wear red glasses for a minimum of 4 hours a day, preferably in the evening.
Kruse on Diabetes
‘It is now clear that obesity is a disease of inflammation.’
Kruse on Leptin Resistance
‘Leptin resistance always precedes the development of insulin resistance.
Kruse on Cortisol
‘When insulin and cortisol are raised simultaneously and chronically, this is how cancer and chronic diseases in humans occur…They all start with leptin problems, not insulin issues.’
Kruse on Sunshine
‘It is beyond me why the sun is so vilified. We could not have evolved past single-cell organisms without it.’
Recommended Products
Epi-Paleo Rx
Mastering Leptin: The Leptin Diet
Nutiva organic extra virgin coconut oil
Magnetico sleep pads
US Wellness meats
Now Foods stevia
Sunfood Super Foods Brazil nuts
References
https://jackkruse.com/about-dr-jack-kruse/
https://jackkruse.com/my-leptin-prescription/
https://jackkruse.com/central-leptin-dominance-for-health-part-1/
https://jackkruse.com/chapter-one-on-leptin/
https://jackkruse.com/the-sunshine-of-your-life/
https://jackkruse.com/top-ten-paleo-supplements/
https://jackkruse.com/magnetico/
https://selfhack.com/blog/interview-with-dr-jack-kruse-emfs-biohacking-water-dha-and-blue-light/
