Max Lugavere

Last updated
Max Lugavere
Max Lugavere on Mind Pump Show.jpg
Lugavere in 2022
Born (1982-05-28) 28 May 1982 (age 43)
New York City
OccupationsHealth and wellness writer
Known forFringe dietary claims, opposition to seed oils and veganism. [1] [2]

Max Lugavere (born May 28, 1982) is an American author who has written about diet and brain health. [3] He promotes diets that contain high amounts of animal source foods and has claimed that veganism increases risk of dementia. [4] [5] He has been described as an "anti-vegan activist" and is an opponent of seed oils. [2] Lugavere's views about supplements to "supercharge" the brain are not supported by scientific evidence. [1]

Contents

Career

From 2005 to 2011, Lugavere was a presenter on Current TV, an independent cable network. He co-hosted the show Max and Jason: Still Up with Jason Silva, [6] where they featured a wide range of current events and stories ranging from illegal immigration to counterfeit IDs.

In 2013, Lugavere created Tribeca Enterprises' first-ever original series, Acting Disruptive, debuting on AOL. [7]

Genius Foods

Lugavere promotes a low-carbohydrate diet of grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and pasture-raised or omega-3 enriched eggs with low-carbohydrate fibrous vegetables, extra virgin olive oil and salt. [3] [8] In May 2018, Lugavere and Paul Grewal co-authored the book Genius Foods which discusses the link between diet and brain health. [9]

In 2018, Jonathan Jarry of McGill University's Office for Science and Society analysed Lugavere's health-related claims in his book, Genius Foods, and podcast, and concluded that Lugavere lacked the credentials to accurately interpret the scientific literature used to substantiate his health claims, and acknowledged Lugavere's business ambitions. [1] Jarry noted that "Lugavere appears like a proponent of common-sense solutions to ill health—better nutrition, exercise and sleep—but it’s only when you start to trust him that he reveals himself to be a naive believer in anything that has a study behind it. His book has received endorsements from people like Dr. Oz and functional medicine proponent Mark Hyman, and this company is telling." [1]

Little Empty Boxes

Lugavere is the co-director of Little Empty Boxes, a documentary released in April 2024 which chronicles his mother’s struggle with dementia and also explores fringe ideas about nutrition. [5] The documentary features Mark Hyman, Nina Teicholz and Steven Gundry all of whom have been described as promoting "fad diets with dubious scientific backing" and the latter "unfounded theories against mRNA vaccines". [5] The documentary argues that breakfast cereal, refined flour and sugar are mind killers and that plant-based diets deny necessary fats that the brain needs. [10] It was negatively reviewed by critics. [5] [10] Alex Rudolph of Movie Jawn commented that the documentary lacked empathy for Lugavere's mother and concluded "I felt like I had watched somebody use their loved one's death to sell supplements". [10]

Make America Healthy Again

Lugavere is supportive of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again, a movement that promotes anti-vaccine misinformation and pseudoscientific ideas about nutrition. [11] Kennedy has experimented with a carnivore diet. [12] Lugavere has suggested that Kennedy might be the most qualified candidate as the new head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. [13] In 2024, Lugavere was a speaker on a chosen panel with Jordan Peterson, Vani Hari and others led by Ron Johnson for a roundtable discussion titled, American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion. [11] [14] The chosen speakers criticized the food pyramid, pharmaceutical industry and seed oils. [15] Lugavere is an opponent of seed oils and ultra-processed foods. [2] [13] [16]

Lugavere has collaborated with Paul Saladino, an influencer who supports MAGA and an animal-based diet. In 2025, Saladino was featured in a video with Lugavere whilst consuming raw milk and honey shots, during which Lugavere commented, "We’re about to trigger so many food scientists". [17]

Opposition to veganism

Lugavere has been described as an "anti-vegan activist". [2] He promotes a high-fat, meat-heavy diet and has been described as spending his time on social media complaining about "vegan propaganda". [5] Lugavere has blamed plant-based and vegan diets for increasing risk of dementia and mental health problems. [4] He has argued that eggs have been "unfairly demonised" by governments, despite containing choline which he says has been linked to lower dementia risk. Lugavere also recommends regular consumption of red meat for mental health. [4]

Selected publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jarry, Jonathan. "Brain Health: Max Lugavere and the Bait-and-Switch Maneuver". Office for Science and Society. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Schwarcz, Joe (2025). "The Unscientific Crusade Against Seed Oils". McGill University. Archived from the original on May 21, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Vora, Shivani (2019). "How the Author of 'Genius Foods' Spends His Sundays". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Knapton, Sarah (2019). "Vegans could be increasing risk of dementia by avoiding fats which protect the brain, nutritionist warns". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, Louis (2024). "Little Empty Boxes Review: Dubious Dementia Doc". Loud and Clear Reviews. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024.
  6. ↑ Burstein, David D. (2011-02-03). "Change Generation: Max Lugavere and Jason Silva, Filmmakers, Current TV's "Max and Jason: Still Up"". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  7. ↑ Snider, Mike (April 30, 2013). "Adrian Grenier among celebrities acting disruptive on AOL". USA Today . Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "This Is What Science Journalist Max Lugavere Wants You to Know About the Ketogenic Diet". livestrong.com. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  9. ↑ Lugavere, Max (2018-03-20). Genius Foods by Max Lugavere and Paul Grewal, MD Read by Max Lugavere. ISBN   978-0-06-285356-1.
  10. 1 2 3 Rudolph, Alex (2024). "LITTLE EMPTY BOXES is a stealth "health food" documentary with little empathy". Movie Jawn. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Jarry, Jonathan (2024). "Kennedy's Coalition of Quacks Wants to Feed America a Diet of Lies". McGill University. Archived from the original on January 15, 2026.
  12. ↑ Bardolf, Deirdre (2026-01-24). "RFK Jr. claims he lost 20 pounds in 20 days, gained mental clarity on extreme diet". Fox News. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  13. 1 2 "Max Lugavere: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Might Be The Most Qualified Candidate That We've Had Thus Far To Head Up HHS". Fox News Radio. 2024. Archived from the original on March 28, 2025.
  14. ↑ "VIDEO RELEASE: Sen. Johnson's Full Roundtable Discussion, American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion". Ron Johnson. 2024. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025.
  15. ↑ Godfrey, Elaine (2024). "Woo-Woo Meets MAGA". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2025.
  16. ↑ Todd, Sarah (2025). "What MAHA's crusade against seed oils reveals about flaws in America's food system". STAT. Archived from the original on January 13, 2026.
  17. ↑ Madarang, Charisma (2025). "Why Are Health Influencers Drinking Raw Milk and Honey Shots at the White House?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 14, 2026.
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