Darin Olien: A Superfood Hunter On Peak Nutrition & Next Level Hydration

“I just want people to be consuming nutrient dense plants so they don’t have to drag around this chemistry set of a body & suffer.”
Darin Olien

What’s it like to traipse the far outreaches of the globe in search of the the world’s greatest edible food sources for optimal health?
Meet the Indiana Jones of Superfoods.
One of the most popular guests of 2015, this week my friend Darin Olien (@superlifeliving) returns to the podcast to delve deep on the next level nutrition insights he’s gleaned from his extraordinary adventure-based experiences as a widely recognized exotic superfoods hunter, wellness advocate, supplement formulator & environmental activist.
Over the last twenty plus years, Darin has explored every imaginable port of call across the developing world questing for better, more natural pathways to ultimate wellness. Communing with thousands of rural farmers, growers and manufacturers in remote communities across Peru, Bhutan, the Amazon, the Himalayas, the South Pacific, Latin America and Asia, Darin now shepherds exotic, high-quality, fair-trade superfoods and indigenous herbal commodities to market.
Perhaps best known for his work with fitness company Beachbody, Darin was instrumental in the development and ongoing formulation of the wildly successful whole-food supplement, Shakeology. He chronicles his experience and expertise in Superlife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit & Eternally Awesome* (just released in paperback), as well as on his website Superlife.com, where he demystifies health, fitness, nutrition, and longevity into simple daily actions designed to promote life-long wellness.

Plant-based, ripped, and bearing more than a passing resemblance to his workout buddy Laird Hamilton, what is most intriguing to me about Darin isn’t just that he is a respected authority on the healing potential of food. And it isn’t just that he has been instrumental in introducing these so called superfoods to western consumers. What is most interesting is his commitment to do it right. A deep rooted responsibility to fairly, sustainably and transparently support the long-term interests of indigenous grower communities against the industrialized threat posed by the well-funded, politically powerful agricultural interests responsible for decimating the planet’s precious rainforests at an unfathomable rate.
An inspiration to me personally, this is a guy who walks his talk. From the foods he consumes to the lifestyle habits he practices, Darin is the thriving embodiment of what it means to truly own and take responsibility for your health, your life and the planet we collectively enjoy.
But what exactly is a superfood? Are these foods truly “super” or is it all just exaggerated marketing hype?
Our first conversation tracked Darin’s life story. Packed with takeaways, today’s exchange deep dives into the efficacy of exotic fruits, herbs, adaptogens and mushrooms. Parsing fact from hyperbole, it’s a conversation about the most important superfoods you should be incorporating into your daily routine and why. It’s a mind-blowing discourse on the importance of water quality and next-level hydration. It’s an exploration of Darin’s pre-workout routine and nutrition essentials. And it’s about our collective responsibility to support ecological r...