Go UnPro: A Doctor’s 52 Week Journey to an Unprocessed Life

Overview   Dr. Brent W. Laartz uses week 25 as a brief check-in across his five pillars — diet, movement, sleep, connection, and plastics — and names bedsheets as this week's new target: the eight-to-ten hours of skin contact he had overlooked while policing utensils, bottles, and clothes.   Next milestone**Week 26 — halfway recap**   Live events**Aspen · 12–18 (2026)**   PILLAR 01   Evolving; "ev...

Go Un Pro Podcast · Week 24 of 52   Game Day, Rewired   Dr. Brent W. Laartz frames Week 24 around a familiar American ritual — football season — and asks whether it has to arrive with beer, chips, gambling and the couch. His answer is to add the healthy things (local produce, a catch in the yard, an N/A beer, seven hours of sleep) until they crowd out what he wants to subtract, while keeping his f...

Week 23 · Overview     Grit Meets Situation   Lartz says he first read Grit twenty years ago while raising his kids. Grit remains what gets you across a hard threshold — but on its own it leaves you fighting your surroundings.   Duckworth's newer book,  Situations, gives him permission "to not feel guilty about making an easy path" — by choosing the people, environments, and objects around him.  ...

Health & wellness podcast   Go Unpro · Week 22 of 52 Dr. Brent W. Laartz · A 52-Week Journey to an Unprocessed Life   The 7-Day Raw Food Road, and Why It Is Less Traveled   Framed by Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," this week trades ultra-processed convenience for a mostly raw, plant-based, whole-food challenge — layered with 5K training, a painting challenge, better sleep, and the next fa...

Health & Medical Podcast Sunday Science · Dr. Brent W. Laartz   Can Diet Actually Reverse Heart Disease?   Three trials, one uncomfortable answer: the "standard American" advice given to most cardiac patients is not enough. Only intensive plant-based lifestyle change has been shown to shrink existing coronary plaque.   Ornish · Intensive   Vegetarian + Lifestyle   10% fat · exercise · stress m...

GO UNPRO · WEEK 21 / 52 Health & Wellness Podcast   Five Pillars, Twenty-Five Practices   Dr. Brent W. Laartz delineates every one of his five longevity pillars — diet, movement, sleep, connection, plastic-free living — now branches into five practices of its own. Week 21's focus lands squarely on a probiotic push paired with fermented meal prep, two-a-day workouts, and a wardrobe swap toward...

Health & Longevity Podcast   Week 20: The economic case for living healthier, longer   Dr. Brent Laartz reframes lifestyle change as capital: an extra decade of healthspan is money, freedom, and national savings. This week is not new rules — it's a root-cause analysis of where the plan slips, and doubling down on what already works.   National scale   $38T economic benefit if every American li...

Sunday Science · Dr. Brent W. Laartz   Marijuana, Longevity & Cancer Medical Science Podcast Review   Fourteen studies, one honest verdict: on average, evidence points to accelerated biological aging and elevated hormone-sensitive cancer risk with chronic recreational cannabis — while therapeutic use in cancer care retains meaningful benefits. Read the balance, not the slogan.   Who is actuall...

Health & Longevity Podcast Go Unpro Podcast · Dr. Brent W. Laartz   Week 19: Consolidating five pillars on the road to an unprocessed life   A travel week that doubles down on fasting, adds a 50-vegetable challenge, protects sleep against social jet lag, and pushes the wardrobe from ~20% toward 80% natural fibers — one pillar at a time, not all at once.   19 of 52 weeks   Nearly halfway — reca...

Health science podcast   Sunday Science · Sleep, Six Studies   Why the host is committing to 7–8 hours of sleep — the evidence behind the resolution   A physician-host who runs 12–14 hour hospital shifts admits he sleeps deeply but only5.5–6 hoursa night. He walks through six studies to explain why that gap costs him aging, appetite, body composition, cancer risk and immunity — and sets one measur...

Week 18 of 52  Health podcast Dr. Brent W. Laartz · Go Unpro   Running your health like a quality - controlled process   Past the one-third mark of a 52-week journey, the host borrows Six Sigma (DMAIC) and ISO 9001 from his manufacturing life and fuses them with manifestation — turning vague goals like "eat better" into a defined, measured, and controlled loop across five pillars of health.   Hero...

Sunday Science: Longevity and Physical Activity Analysis   Summary Of Speaker Contributions   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Led the session by reviewing multiple scientific studies regarding physical activity and longevity. He introduced the "five pillars" of movement—strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, mobility, balance, and muscular endurance—and synthesized data from cohort studies and meta-...

Go UnPro: Week 17 Progress and The Comfort Crisis   Summary Of Each Speaker   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Provided a progress update on his 52-week journey toward an unprocessed life. He focused on the psychological and physical benefits of embracing discomfort, the importance of tracking goals, and the ongoing effort to eliminate plastics and processed habits from his daily routine.   Key Points And De...

Insights on Protein Restriction and Longevity   Summary Of Speaker Contributions   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Served as the primary presenter, synthesizing findings from over 300 scientific articles regarding protein restriction and its impact on aging. He highlighted the role of nutrient-sensing pathways, such as mTOR and GCN2, and argued that while high protein intake is often marketed for muscle gro...

Sunday Science: Impact of Microplastics and Forever Chemicals on Human Health   Speaker Contributions   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Acted as the primary subject matter expert, synthesizing three recent scientific studies regarding the health impacts of microplastics and perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS). He provided detailed analysis on how these contaminants contribute to inflammation, cellular senescenc...

Navigating the Comfort Crisis: A Journey to an Unprocessed Life   Speaker Contributions **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Served as the primary speaker, detailing his personal journey through "Week 16" of an unprocessed life. He contributed insights on the psychological and physical impacts of modern comfort, the importance of intentional living, and the rejection of instant gratification in favor of long-ter...

The 52-Week Journey to an Unprocessed Life: Week 15 Progress Report   Speaker Contributions   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Acted as the primary contributor, detailing his "dollar cost averaging" philosophy for health. He shared his personal progress on his 52-week journey, emphasizing the importance of consistent daily investments in diet, exercise, sleep, motivation, and connection to secure long-term h...

Sunday Science: Biological Aging and Dietary Patterns   Speaker Contributions   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Presented a detailed analysis of a UK Biobank study involving 400,000 participants. He evaluated the correlation between dietary patterns—specifically regular meat-eating, low-meat, pescatarian, and vegetarian diets—and biological aging using KDM-BA and PhenoAge metrics.   Key Points and Decisions...

Go UnPro Podcast: Week 14 Summary   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Provided a comprehensive update on his 52-week journey to an unprocessed life. He detailed his strategies for post-holiday recovery, home-based resistance training, dietary habits, and the reduction of environmental toxins in his new home.   Key Points And Decisions   **Post-Holiday Detox**: Dr. Laartz emphasized returning to a routine of f...

Go Unpro Podcast: Week 13 Progress Report   Speaker Contributions   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Provided a comprehensive update on his 52-week "unprocessed life" journey, detailing his transition to a new home, dietary modifications, and lifestyle habits centered on longevity.   Key Points and Decisions   **Dietary Shifts**: Dr. Laartz decided to completely eliminate beef and pork from his diet, focusin...

Week 12: A Doctor’s 52 Week Journey to an Unprocessed Life   Spectacular Speaker-Focused Summary: Go Unpro Podcast Week 12 – Proof of Life, Microbiome Mastery & Unprocessed Progress   **Dr. Brent Laartz**  A candid weekly update on personal setbacks (illness, house move) while celebrating small victories. He reinforced the centrality of microbiome health, outlined specific Week 12 targets acro...

Spectacular Speaker-Centric Summary: Unlocking Microbiome Power for Endurance and Strength in Sunday Science   Summary of Each Speaker   **Dr. Brent Laartz**: Hosted the discussion on the bidirectional microbiome-exercise relationship, covering mechanisms like lactate clearance and short-chain fatty acid production, citing studies on Veillonella, Lactobacillus salivarius, and Lactobacillus plantar...

**Key Points and Decisions**    May successes included daily greens/berries, strong time-restricted feeding, good ethanol control, and realignment after setbacks; vegan days averaged 2–3 per week with some packaged-food lapses during on-call weeks.    Biological age tested 14 years younger and cardiovascular age 5 years younger despite minor blood-work artifacts from fasting and allergies.    Core...

Week 10 Summary: Microbiome Mastery in a Doctor's 52-Week Unprocessed Life Journey   Dr. Brent W. Laartz   Reflects on Paris trip (high steps, fiber via fruits/salads, minimal supplements).   Focuses on **microbiome week**: Gut bacteria's role in health/longevity; impacts from ultra-processed foods, red meat (e.g., colibactin-producing E. coli linked to colon cancer 10-20 years pre-diagnosis); pro...

Week 9: A Doctor’s 52 Week Journey to an Unprocessed Life – Paris Travel Edition   Dr. Brent Laartz   **Travel Edition (Paris/France)**: Week 9 update; praises French culture, food (organic markets, berries, strawberries, chocolate), architecture; notes smoking culture among youth.   **5 Pillars Challenges/Adaptations**: - **Diet**: Mostly vegan (3-5 days/week), antioxidants (berries, dark chocola...