Darin Olien (born November 4, 1970) is an American author, TV and

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

host known for his advocacy of

alternative medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

and whole food plant-based nutrition. He co-starred and produced the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

docuseries ''

Down to Earth with Zac Efron ''Down to Earth with Zac Efron'' is an American documentary television series that premiered on Netflix on July 10, 2020. It stars Zac Efron and Darin Olien, who also act as executive producers of the series. The documentary revolves around Efro ...

'' in 2020. Olien describes himself as a "

superfood Superfood is a marketing term for food claimed to confer health benefits resulting from an exceptional nutrient density. The term is not commonly used by experts, dietitians and nutrition scientists, most of whom dispute that particular foods ...

hunter".

Biography

Olien obtained a B.A. in exercise physiology from University of St. Thomas and an M.A. in psychology from University of Santa Monica in 2002. The University of Santa Monica is a private unaccredited graduate school. In 2017, he authored ''SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit and Eternally Awesome''. His 2023 book, ''Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You Sick—and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health'' offers advice on how to limit exposure to carcinogens, PFAS, and endocrine disruptors in everyday products. Olien has created many botanical supplements one of which was Shakeology for company BODi (formerly Beachbody) which is a nutrient dense shake sourced from botanicals all over the world. He also founded Barukas featuring a wild nut called Baru sourced from the Brazilian

Cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

. He advertises it as a "super nut". In December 2014, actress

Eliza Coupe Eliza Coupe () is an American actress, comedian and model, known for playing Jane Kerkovich-Williams in the ABC comedy series '' Happy Endings'', Denise "Jo" Mahoney in the final two seasons of the medical comedy-drama '' Scrubs'', her starring ...

and Olien were married in New Zealand. The couple divorced in 2018. He claims to have become interested in

after a football injury in college. Olien is an advocate of whole food plant-based nutrition. He is the formulator of the plant-based, “Ultimate Reset” 21-day

detoxification Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period o ...

program. He is the host of the podcast, The Darin Olien Show.

''Down to Earth with Zac Efron''

Olien starred in ''

'' a documentary television series that premiered on Netflix on July 10, 2020. The series has been criticized for promoting dubious health advice and pseudoscientific claims. Olien promotes the discredited

alkaline diet Alkaline diet (also known as the alkaline ash diet, alkaline acid diet, acid ash diet, and acid alkaline diet) describes a group of loosely related diets based on the misconception that different types of food can affect the pH balance of the bo ...

of Robert O. Young.

Selected publications

*''SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome'' (2017) *''Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You Sick—and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health'' (2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olien, Darin 1970 births 21st-century American non-fiction writers American health and wellness writers Alkaline diet advocates Alternative detoxification promoters Living people Plant-based diet advocates Pseudoscientific diet advocates University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Writers from Minnesota