Challenging yourself can activate stress response pathways in a beneficial way and have a profound antioxidant, anti-inflammatory response. There is a small kit of neurochemicals in the nervous system that are generic pathways to different behaviors.
The body's response to cold exposure includes increased metabolism and activation of brown fat, while heat exposure increases blood flow and releases heat shock proteins. It is possible that both cold and heat stressors trigger the same pathway in the body.
Stress response pathways can have a profound positive impact on our health, activating antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses, as well as processes like autophagy that clear away harmful waste in our cells.
This episode discusses the role of neurochemicals like dopamine in motivation, craving, and pursuit, and the job of the biological systems to take in diverse inputs. It also talks about the extreme views of pure carnivore diet types and plant-based diet folks.
While it's difficult to make sulforaphane-rich vegetables toxic due to their bioavailability and attachment to a food matrix, in some cases, eating a large amount of the same plant daily could lead to toxicity, such as with goitrogen-containing cabbage.