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351: A Parent’s Guide to Precocious Puberty & How to Slow It Down With Dr. Anne Marie Fine

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351: A Parent’s Guide to Precocious Puberty & How to Slow It Down With Dr. Anne Marie Fine

Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.

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Katie: Hello and welcome to the “Wellness Mama” podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com and wellnesse.com, that’s wellnesse.com with an E on the end, which is my new line of completely natural and completely effective personal care products like hair care and toothpaste and now hand sanitizer. So make sure to check that out. This episode is a big one for any parents with preteens or kids that are getting close to that age because it’s all about precocious puberty and how we can help make sure our kids don’t go through puberty too early and what we can do to support them when they do.

Dr. Anne-Marie Fine is my guest today. She’s a doctor, award-winning researcher, and best-selling author, and the founder and CEO of IAMFINE, which is based on her personal and clinical experience with chronic disease called by environmental toxicity. And environmental toxicity is a big factor when it comes to precocious puberty. We’re gonna go deep on that today. But she also works with those with autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, brain fog, cancer, etc., and she’s done a lot of research on the rising environmental concentrations of 80,000 new chemicals in our environment and how this expresses in every phase of life, from preconception and pregnancy to precocious puberty, and even to health and hormone problems as adults.

So, a very information-packed episode that I know you will enjoy. And without further ado, let’s jump in. Dr. Fine, welcome. Thank you for being here.

Dr. Fine: Well, thanks for inviting me. I’m happy to be here.

Katie: I am really excited to chat with you about a topic that is coming up more and more with my readers and my listeners, which makes me think that it must be on the rise. And that topic is precocious puberty. And I think that there’s a lot of factors that go into this. And I think a lot of them have to do with an area of research and work that you do all the time. So, I guess, to start, for anyone who’s not familiar with that term, let’s define what the term precocious puberty is.

Dr. Fine: Precocious puberty is a label given to the fact that the boys and the girls are reaching certain signs of puberty, like pubic hair and changes in breast development, and breast budding, and genitalia. It’s really the age at which this is occurring in the boys and girls. And the problem is that the age at which this is happening has been declining pretty much globally. And so, people want to know why because there are implications for early puberty. And the other thing about precocious puberty is that the mainstream conventional medical doctors are just simply changing what’s normal to what they’re seeing in the practice. And so, now they’re saying that precocious puberty is the appearance of any sign of secondary sex characteristics in boys younger than age 9, and in girls younger than age 7.5 or 8. Whereas normal puberty in a girl is what they’re saying now is anywhere from 8 to 13 years of age, when really, 12 to 13 for a girl is, for about the last 50 to 75 years has been more of the norm, not 8 to 13 years of age.

Katie: Wow. And from what I’ve read, that change in age, and the percentage of people who are going through puberty earlier, that’s rising relatively drastically, like you said, compared to previous generations. What do you think are some of the factors in that pretty rapid change?

Dr. Fine: Well, the one that I’m not gonna talk about too much because I wanna really get into the chemical contributors like endocrine disruptors, but one of the other environmental factors involved in earlier puberty is the rise in obesity. And that has been fueling it as well. And our fat cells actually make estrogen. And so, that’s something that has been looked at as well. But there are many chemicals that I want to talk about, like pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, cleaning substances, cosmetic products, dyes, plastic solvents that are termed endocrine disruptors, meaning that they have the ability to change how our hormones work in extremely tiny doses. And this is the key, extremely tiny doses. And that’s how our own hormones work. Very tiny doses of hormones actually have large effects.

So when you have these teeny-tiny doses of chemicals in the environment, particularly at certain vulnerable ages of development, like in fetuses, for example, when certain…when your reproductive organs are actually becoming into being. They’re actually developing and the brain is developing. When you have exposure to these substances, you’re going to get something that may not manifest until puberty, or may not manifest. The breast cancer and prostate cancer increases risk. You may not see that until these people are adults. But some of the origins of these instigators are actually in fetuses. And that’s why it’s really important to do a preconception detox for women who are wanting to conceive because it starts there. We really have to look at where the baby starts.

Katie: Okay. So, let’s go, kind of, almost maybe on a timeline. Because obviously, parents who are dealing with, like, children now are worried about this phase being imminent. They don’t have the ability to go back and do preconception over. I know, I’ve read so much since I had my firstborn kids. I wish I could’ve changed things then. So I definitely want to make sure we see…you know, obviously, we’re not judging or trying…..anyone who’s not there. But let’s start there, like in a perfect world, what would we do before we even conceive to help give our kids the best hormonal start?

Dr. Fine: Before conception, the best thing to do is to see a doctor trained in Environmental Medicine who will take a very thorough history, including an environmental history to get likely exposures and where the person lives. There’s so much we can do with looking at, you know, with the internet, you can look up places by zip code and see what the main chemicals are in that environment. And then those people, and it really should be men and women, the sperm actually does carry environmental contaminant information into the new baby. Traditionally, we have focused on the mother though. And then those prospective parents need to be tested to see what contaminants, what kinds of chemicals is really high in them. And so, the program is going to be designed personally for those people.

So, it’s not… The same people don’t do the same thing. There is no reason to do, like, a heavy metal detox on somebody who doesn’t have a problem with heavy metals, right. So, you want to see what problems, what environmental exposures those people have so that you can really zero in on them and make sure that you’re doing a good detox. And then as far as some of us have already had kids, oh, wow, do I know that? Because I’m a mother too, and I’ve already had my kids. And I had them long ago before women were told anything about what to avoid, even when you’re expecting. And so, when I was pregnant, the only thing we were told was avoid alcohol and caffeine. That was it. And I have to tell you, I ate so much tuna when I was pregnant.

And, you know, that’s high in mercury. And I wound up with these kids who had ADHD, and I’m like, “I wonder what happened because, you know, I thought I was doing a good job.” But I did a course correction in childhood. I tested them for heavy metals and mercury. And when I saw it was high, I was able to go in and do some heavy metal chelation or detoxification. And I was really pleased to do that because when you’re a mother, one thing to remember, because you may have a lot of younger mothers listening right now, is when you have your children at home, that’s an ideal time to work with them. If you’ve missed something, like I most certainly did, to do the course correction and take care of it. Because once they’re 18 and leave the home, you know, your word is not the gospel anymore.

As a mother, it’s a lot harder to be able to go back and to do something. Unless of course, it’s their personal motivation, then, of course, that comes into play. So, I really feel that you made such a good point. A lot of us didn’t have that option. I certainly had never heard about it. And so, you just need to as you have children, and even in your own cells, as you grow, you always have the opportunity to make course corrections and to go back and to test and to really do a deep dive into what could be causing your particular health concerns. And then to be able to, you know, decrease your body burden of chemicals. So, it is not too late.

And also I want to say, I want to make this clear as well because this is what I see in my practice, sometimes, the mothers, they come in when they’re already pregnant. So, that’s not an ideal time, right? Or they’ve waited so long to get pregnant because of career concerns or financial concerns that now they’re concerned about, you know, getting to be too old and not being able to conceive. And they may not feel, you know, the need to take time out before they conceive to do preconception care. And so, those are some real…those are real-life issues that do crop up, but it is something that I do recommend. But, you know, it’s something that you have to, sort of, fix it in your head before the time arrives when you’re already pregnant, or you feel like, “I’m so old. I’ve just gotta get pregnant.” That’s really more important, right?

Katie: Yeah, exactly. And there’s a message of hope too, for anyone listening. I always try to remind everyone, you know, I didn’t figure out most of this stuff, sounds like you as well, until I was an adult and had autoimmune disease, and then had to undo all the damage and figure out what was wrong. And so, if we’re talking about this for our kids, even us starting when they’re children at all is an advantage over waiting until they’re adults. You know, so anytime, like the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is today. We always can start with what we know now.

And so, I would guess also, there’s kind of a spectrum. So, I think of it as like for autoimmune disease, for instance, I’ve kind of explained it that we all have a bucket and you can fill the bucket with any number of things. You could put marbles, or sand, or pine cones, or whatever it may be. But when you reach the top, it’s going to overflow. The idea being when you fill up that bucket and it gets overwhelmed, you’re gonna end up with some kind of problem and it’s gonna manifest differently for each of us. And I think of environmental toxins kind of in the same way.

The body is able to handle small amounts of these things and it’s pretty resilient. But when you reach a certain level of exposure, it’s going to bubble over. And so, you can tell me if that analogy maybe doesn’t work here, but that’s my thought with kids. And so, if we can mitigate their exposure and do things when they’re young to help them avoid filling up the bucket in the first place, that’s an advantage. Or if we can do things to help them take things back out of the bucket, that’s another advantage. And the earlier we can do that, the better. But anytime is a great time to start.

Dr. Fine: Absolutely, Katie. I so agree. We call that the rain barrel theory. And it’s true, it doesn’t matter what’s in there. Lots of things go in there, environmental toxins go in there, but also stress goes in there, and poor nutrition goes in there. And once it reaches the top, the next thing in, no matter what it is, if it overflows, that’s what’s going to trigger the disease. And so, the idea, it can be super specific if you are testing for it and looking carefully for it, but also, the pervading theory is that anything you can do to lower your bucket would be helpful, and to start at any time is helpful.

And by the way, even if you, you know, are super careful with your pregnancy and childhood, as we live and accumulate years, and our earth continues to be polluted, even when we’re careful, we are always accumulating body burden of chemicals. And so, it becomes necessary to make it a part of your daily life, but also, every now and then, to do a detox and lower that body burden before it overflows. Or a lot of people will wait until they have the actual, for example, autoimmune disease or something, and then they will go ahead and do it, or they get cancer or something like that. But it’s not a one and done. And so, it’s something that we really have to put in our toolbox and in the back of our head that this is an area that we need to pay attention to throughout life.

Katie: Absolutely. Okay. So, let’s go deeper on into chapters, especially for the subset of parents listening who are asking me these questions via email or direct message, who want to know, you know, if my kid…maybe they didn’t even expect this, my kid is at these younger ages and starting to show symptoms of potential precocious puberty. Like, what do they need to know about endocrine disrupters so explain what those are and where they are most often found when we’re talking about our kids?

Dr. Fine: Okay. So, let’s talk about specifics with the early puberty. Two of the biggest contributors to this precocious puberty are, I would say, BPA and phthalates which are plasticizers. So, the whole category of plastics is something that I’m gonna focus on here. And I’m gonna talk about them separately, but I’m gonna just tell you a few of the places where they are. Children’s toys contain phthalates, like that rubber ducky in the bath. Those rubber, soft rubber toys are phthalates. The shower curtain in your bathroom, if it’s vinyl, it’s got phthalates. And the problem with phthalates is that they’re not bonded to that underlying material. They are constantly falling off into the air. And so even your dust in your home has phthalates in it.

And so, believe it or not, Katie, this is so easy and free to do for everybody. But we need to dust more often and more carefully in our house, and that will keep environmental toxins down. You would not believe what’s in your dust, okay. And then in our cleaning products, we also have phthalates and our personal care products because phthalates are also used as incense, as scent fixatives. And so, the easy way to know that is to look at the ingredient list. And if you see the word fragrance or perfume on the ingredient list, that’s your cue that most likely those substances contain fragrances. You will never see phthalate on a label of anything. It’s just not required to be listed. Fragrances are a protected trade secret, and the word fragrance can hide up to 80 or 100 different chemicals and you don’t really know what they are, okay. So, let me just go through a few more of these and then we’ll back up a little. So, that covers the phthalates pretty well.

And then also, I wanna talk about plug-in air fresheners. Everyone listening should just after they hear this, they should just unplug them and throw them away because they contain phthalates. They contain formaldehyde, which is a carcinogen. They contain benzene, which is another carcinogen. And they are just emitting these into the air. And so you’re breathing them into your body. Phthalates can also be absorbed transdermally. So, if you have a scent emitter in your house, even those little sticks that you put in the jar of sense, if your skin is bare, and you’re…and it’s…I mean, you can’t even see it, but you are absorbing this stuff multiple different ways.

When you go to a department store and you’re walking in, and you’ve got the perfume sprayers, and I hate that. And so I always say, “No, thank you.” And I feel pretty virtuous about that. But then I discovered probably three or four years ago, that even if you yourself did not put any of it on your own skin, just walking through that cloud of perfume, every inch of your skin that was exposed you are absorbing that which means fragrance is like the new secondhand smoke. If you’re sitting in an office, for example, and you yourself don’t wear scents because you don’t want the endocrine-disrupting effects of phthalates, but let’s say you’re…the other people in the office are wearing scented…and it’s not just perfume, perfume is an obvious one, perfume and aftershave are obvious, but it’s underarm deodorant. It’s body lotion. It’s makeup. It’s hairspray. It’s many other things.

And so, if someone in your office is wearing it, you’re exposed even though you yourself did not consent. And you were educated enough to say “No,” and you’re using unscented products such as laundry detergent, dryer sheets, all of these things have phthalates. Our homes are just pumped through with endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are contributing to many things. Not just precocious puberty, they’re contributing to…they make you fat. They predispose you to diabetes and other health problems.

And also, I wanted to mention that the Endocrine Society, which is the world’s largest professional association of medical and research endocrinologists. So these are very conventional doctors, and even they have come on board and they consider reducing endocrine-disrupting chemical impacts to be one of their highest public health goals. So, when they came out with that a few years ago, you know, that was pretty profound that it’s being recognized everywhere.

So then, the other one that I want to talk about is the Bisphenols, Bisphenol A, BPA. And BPA is also part of plastic and predisposing to precocious puberty. And it’s found in the polycarbonate water containers. It’s found in thermal receipts. Thermal receipts is actually a really large source of this. And just like the phthalates, this chemical is not bound very tightly to the underlying material. And just touching it, this has been proven in studies, within seconds, if you take that person’s blood which they have, within seconds, not very many, you have BPA in the bloodstream. So, things are easily transferred, the BPA transfers from the thermal receipt onto your skin, into your body. And if you have used hand sanitizer prior to handling the receipt, you get about 10 times more BPA into your blood because the hand sanitizer contains things that are known penetration enhancers.

And that’s something to be thinking about these days because the use of hand sanitizer has increased. So, where do you find the thermal receipts? You’re going to find them in pretty much everywhere, the grocery store, the bank, the post office, if you get receipts at the gas station, you know, airline tickets. They’re pretty much everywhere, fast food places, other restaurants. But here’s the thing, we don’t have to accept them. So, just say no. Unless you are buying something that you might have to return, you know, you can just say, do you need the receipt for your restaurant meal? Take a picture of it on your phone or have it emailed to you. It’s no…it does you no good to take those things.

And then the other problem for ladies especially is when we stuff those receipts in our purses, that BPA is just coming off and touching everything in your purse. And when you stick your hand in your purse to find your cell phone, or your glasses, or your wallet, every time you put your hand in your purse, you’re just coating your hands with BPA. And so, I’ll just leave this tip here right now so I don’t forget it. But what I have my patients do is the ladies, I have them empty out their purse at home, get rid of all the receipts, take a cloth that’s wet with hot water, wipe out the inside of the purse, wipe everything off, every…the wallet, the phone, the makeup kit, everything. And then, get a Ziploc bag or something like that and put it in your purse. And if you must take a receipt, put it in your Ziploc bag segregate it from touching anything else in your purse.

Now, for the men, they’re discovering that, you know, same thing happens. The man puts it in their wallet. So, money is now contaminated with BPA and BPS. So, you know, it’s something that avoidance is really key here. You have to be really careful and aware of BPA. It’s insidious. The CDC has been tracking chemicals in our blood for decades. And at last count, it’s like BPA was in 95% of U.S. people, even though their half-life is pretty short. So, if it’s been found in 95% of Americans, that just means we’re exposed so ubiquitously that you could take our blood at any time and we would have it just because, you know, the stuff we were exposed to maybe two days ago, that’s gone. But now the stuff we were exposed to today, now that’s in there.

So, the BPA story I had…you know, I have a patient, we have to be really careful because sometimes I get patients who are looking at certain things in their environment, like the water supply and saying, “I can do better.” Yes, we can all do better, right. So, that’s good. And then they were ordering it from one of the water purification, I’m not gonna name them, who deliver it to your house on a regular schedule. And it’s purified, and then you can look up the water on their website and see what’s in it and what’s not in it. And it’s really interesting. I looked up this particular water, it actually was…it was pretty good water. But all of the containers were made of polycarbonate, BPA. And so, you don’t know how long that water, that good water, you know, about how long it’s been sitting in there touching the BPA which is coming off into it.

When they’re on these hot trucks being delivered, you don’t know how long they’re on there. You don’t know how long they sat on a shelf in the warehouse before it was even shipped to you. And what’s interesting is I called the company to talk about this, basically to ask them were they aware that this was not a good idea, and they basically said, “Yes, we’re aware that our containers contain BPA. However, we don’t feel that there is a health issue there. And so we are…you know, we’re still gonna use it.” And so, they haven’t really caught up to the science. And it’s really, unfortunately, mommas, it’s up to us to be our own FDA and to be able to be more discerning about what we allow into our homes. And so that…so, the idea of getting purified water is a good idea. There’s so much crap in the waters.

I’ve got a whole…I teach doctors environmental medicine. And one of my…one of the talks that I’ve gotten the most positive feedback on is the one that I did on, “What is in our water?” You would not believe it. But anyway, so with water, you do not want to drink bottled water of any kind, no matter how good you think the water is supposed to be on the inside. You want to have water that is in a glass bottle. And that’s really important. And that’s something that as families…and by the way, when I was a young mother, I did not know this. And so that was something that was overlooked. But thankfully, I eventually was able to get a reverse osmosis water system and not worry about that. And so, we have to just…like Katie said, you just have to start where you are. There’s no value in saying “Oh, woe is me….. I did it wrong.” No, you just start where you are. And you make the better decision and then you move forward.

Katie: Exactly. Well, and looks like I’ll just jump in on the water note because I think you’re right. And I have posts about this that I’ll link in the show notes as well at wellnessmama.fm. And I know you have resources as well. So, those will all be linked in the show notes. But when I started learning about this, getting rid of plastic can seem so overwhelming. And I’m a big fan of the 80-20 rule. So, for me personally, I figured out based on the current research, the biggest sources of exposure, like you mentioned, are inhalation via the air, and our water supply, and especially plastic water bottles, which are also horrible for the planet. So, we prioritized getting a water filter, actually a whole house filter we have at this point, and under the sink filter, and switching to using reusable metal water bottles, which is also much more eco-friendly as well. And that’s one change that makes a big, big, big difference.

And so if we can just move away from drinking out of disposable single used plastic in general, that’s a huge thing. We also put air filters in our house and don’t use air fresheners, of course, and switch to things like plastic-free in the kitchen. And I have resources to help walk people through all of that. But again, it’s like any incremental change you can make in this is a big deal, especially when we’re talking about kids. And that doesn’t mean you have to, you know, do it all overnight. This can definitely be a process, but it’s an important one to be aware of, certainly.

Dr. Fine: Yeah. And so, that’s what you wanna focus on when you have the kids at home, I think we wanna get back to how do you…what do you do with these kids who have precocious puberty? You have to look at, “Oh my gosh, I’ve gotta call out this one company.” Well, maybe not by name. But I think we have to take a really deeper look at what is in our homes because that’s where you as mothers, that’s where we make the most difference. The home is our domain. And we are the ones who are able to set it up in the way we want. And so, we really want to…like you said, Katie, we really want to root out all of the plastics, and all of the scented.

Honestly, I think the plastics and the scents in our home, those two…and to dust more, because I didn’t even talk about the flame retardants and all the other things that are in your house dust. But I believe, dusting twice a week, getting rid of plastic, getting rid of all of the scented products in your house, and eating organic, those things together are really going to be important for limiting things in your children that are endocrine disruptors. And we haven’t really talked about pesticides, but I want to add something here. The pesticides have been shown to lower children’s IQs. And in the animal kingdom, they are seeing hermaphrodite frogs, and coming about because of the feminizing effect.

We didn’t really talk about boys too much. But we have a twin problem with precocious puberty in the girls, and the feminization of boys via chemicals in the environment that act like estrogens. And so, pesticides are one of the vehicles that do this. But also, the phthalates are feminizing on the boys. And the studies are showing that the male infants are having changed male genitalia. And the way it’s changed is it’s showing a feminization of that male baby which, you know, in our audience of mothers who already have children, that may not be relevant right this minute, but I’ll tell you where it’s relevant.

Mothers, have you noticed that they are now marketing to our teenage boys? They’re marketing these products, these body scented products. And the marketing is very, very strongly suggesting, for example, that, you know, if the boys use these products, they can get not only one girl, but two girls. I mean, I have this in my slides for my doctors, it’s really wild. And these products, if you look at them carefully, they not only contain phthalates, they are so strongly scented, they have lots of phthalates in them. And phthalates are decreasing testosterone. So, you may not…that problem may not lead to a precocious puberty in a boy, but the lack of testosterone most certainly leads to abnormal male development.

And so, that’s something else that we want to consider in our homes. We want to think about the decrease in testosterone and sperm counts. And, I mean, the reproductive organs and systems in both boys and girls have been under attack for a while. And we are just now starting to see more of this. I wrote an article a couple of years ago for Thrive Global, in it where I basically…the title of it, if you want to look it up, is “The Handmaid’s Tale Becomes a Reality.” Because that is an Emmy Award-winning TV show that shows what happens when they polluted their environment with pesticides and chemicals. And they are now having trouble reproducing.

They have to get the handmaids in to be…someone who has been proven to have been able to carry a child. Basically they’re outsourcing the baby-making, right? And this show is incredibly popular. And it boggles the imagination because people act like it’s entertainment, but it’s really not because this is what we’re seeing in our patient population. We’re seeing a rise in infertility and a rise in assisted fertility techniques. And we’re seeing a rise in birth defects and a rise in, you know, developmental problems in our children. And so, all of this is stemming from these chemicals that have insidious negative implications at teeny-tiny doses, but that we’re getting those teeny-tiny doses all the time.

And that’s why, Katie, I wanna…you did say something that I do wanna kind of pounce on here. Air filters. Love air filters. 20 years ago when I started practicing medicine, I used to recommend them for my asthmatic patients. Not anymore. I think everybody should have them in their homes, in their bedrooms, in their children’s bedrooms. So, at least when you’re sleeping, you are able to filter out many of these things. We do not have good air. And the air in your home is between 5 and 10 times more toxic than your outdoor air, which is super toxic, and that’s because your home is off-gassing a lot of different things.

But that’s…we’re getting a little bit away from what we were talking about. But I wanted to bring that in too because you mentioned it. So, air filters, avoiding plastic, avoiding scented products, dusting really well, vacuuming with a really good vacuum cleaner. Most of them are just, I don’t know if you’re aware of that, they are just…you vacuum and then it’s like the dust just kind of goes out of the bag. You’re not…you’ve gotta have a good HEPA filter in there, so that when you are vacuuming you are truly getting rid and capturing the dust particles because the dust in your home is toxic. And then pesticide-free is something that you want to also focus on.

Katie: Totally agree. And I think, when it comes to endocrine disrupters and hormones in general, you know, getting rid of the bad stuff is a very important, big huge part of the equation. And then once you tackle that step, it’s then figuring out ways to support the body as well. Because I think it’s a balance when you’re talking about holistic health of removing the bad and then giving the body the good. And so, I think that’s another key area I would love to talk about and hear your thoughts. And a few of the things I’ve noticed and I do have kids in the almost puberty age, I haven’t had any, like, make that jump yet, we’re right on the cusp of it.

And so, thinking of things like supporting the body nutritionally with tons of micronutrients during that time, especially we know things like leafy greens bind to extra estrogen in the body. So, we wanna make sure our kids are getting a wide variety of different sources of micronutrients from ideally fresh local produce whenever possible. And just being cognizant of them getting enough nutrients because puberty, of course, is a time of increased demand on the body and very rapid growth. But I’m curious if you have any dietary or supplementation recommendations for both supporting kids from not going through puberty too early, which of course, you know, avoid processed foods and foods that contain plastic, like we talked about, but then also when it is the right time for them to go through puberty, how can we nutritionally support them best through that process?

Dr. Fine: I recommend, and this is kind of an area that I didn’t focus on too much before, but when I said no plastic, that includes processed foods that are packaged in plastic. Because in Puerto Rico years ago, they were finding premature puberty in female girls. They were finding little girls sprouting breasts, and getting their periods at 2, 3, and 4 years old. So, that is way worse than what we’re seeing here, right? And so, they tested these girls in Puerto Rico, what on earth is causing that? And they discovered it was phthalates, okay. And so, what they discovered, they had to kind of be detectives and say, “Well, where are the phthalates coming from?”

And one of the things they concluded was that Puerto Rico is an island, everything is shipped in, and everything is shipped in covered in plastic, plastic, plastic, plastic. So, your food being covered in plastic, your meats, your fat, fatty products like meats are being covered in plastic. You want to eat fresh. Well, okay, let’s just go back to the meat. If you’re buying meat, I recommend buying the grass-fed organic kinds of meats from the kind of place where it hasn’t been sitting there in a case wrapped in plastic styrofoam on the bottom and plastic on top. Go to the kind of store that is just sitting open in a case. And then you can wrap it, or the butcher will wrap it in a butcher paper. And then, you know, you take it home and you cook it. And then that way, it’s not just sitting in all of those wrappings of plastic for so long. So, I do recommend that.

Whole foods, fresh fruits, and vegetables for sure. I see that the children today are not really getting very many. And the problem is, as you alluded to, our detoxification systems in our bodies, they run on nutrients. The nutrients are the cofactors that…we have detoxification enzymes in our bodies, and if you are nutritionally deficient in some of them, they’re just not gonna run. And so, by saturating their diets with the micronutrients and the greens, in particular, I really like the dark leafy greens, but I really like broccoli, garlic is really good for supporting detox enzymes. I’m not a big fan of a lot of kale because kale is high in thallium, which is a heavy metal. And I’m seeing that the people who are eating a lot of green smoothies, because, of course, I test my patients, right? And so, a lot of the green smoothie eaters are coming up super high in thallium. And thallium is a very toxic heavy metal, and it’s in our organic and commercial kale now.

And why is it there? Because certain chemicals are polluting the agricultural water. And when you say a vegetable or fruit is being grown organically, those organic standards do not include the kind of water that’s being used. So, I’m having people be careful with kale right now. But I do love the isocyanides, I like the cruciferous vegetables. I like the cauliflower, the garlic, the berries are always really important, anthocyanidins and berries are really important for detox and good health. And so, your colored, I just said colored vegetables and I just realized cauliflower is white. The colored fruits and vegetables are what you really want to emphasize but cauliflower, it turns out, is a superfood, so don’t let the white color fool you. Just make sure you get plenty of other colored fruits and vegetables in there as well.

And then I have people stay away from sweetened drinks, even fruit drinks. I don’t like…I think having kids drink predominantly water is the way to go, purified water. And by the way, we need…your liver requires water to detoxify properly. And if you are dehydrated, you cannot detoxify properly. And I see a lot of people just not drinking enough water. I would have to say, most of the people I see are dehydrated. And so, let’s not forget that because that’s so simple, make your kids drink water.

So, did you have any other questions about the food? And then, of course…oh, one more thing, I do wanna say this, the food supply has gotten contaminated as well, not just with pesticides and herbicides. Do you know that the almonds are now being fumigated with propylene oxide? And I test for that. And so, I see that in my patients too. I just…it is just kind of criminal, people are eating almonds thinking they’re good, that there’s FDA requirement, that they’ve gotta be fumigated and that’s kind of a nightmare. So, you have to be…you have to really do your homework and find the clean foods.

And sometimes the animal foods are the most highly contaminated with something called POP, persistent organic pollutants like PCBs. And so, you want to make sure that even if you are a meat-eating family, you want to make sure that those meats, like if you’re gonna give salmon, it’s gotta be wild salmon because the farm salmon is the highest source of PCBs in the diet. And butter is the next one. Butter, the epidemiologists, when they go into a new area and they want to sort of get a quick and dirty idea of how much PCBs are contaminating that area, they will test the local butter. And that would be something that’s not dependent on whether or not that butter is organic. Because it’s not a pesticide, it’s something that is, even though PCBs have been banned since the ’70s, they’re in our earth’s soil and water, and the cows are eating grass off of the earth.

So, it’s not something that just getting organic butter is gonna make sure you don’t get any PCBs. So, animal products are the high…and they’ve shown this in all the…when they look at women who are vegan versus women who are not, one of the big differences they see is persistent organic pollutants. The vegans who aren’t eating animal products are really far cleaner from that one thing. So, you wanna make sure there’s plenty of plant foods in the diet. And if you’re going to eat the meat, you want to get as clean as you can with as few wrappings as you can.

Katie: Exactly. Yeah. I think those are all very, very important tips.

Before we move on, just to kind of piggyback on what you just said. I think a couple of other areas as parents that we can focus on that are really helpful are, one area right now of emerging research is, for instance, light exposure. And this is an area people tend to maybe discount because we can’t see the immediate effects or feel them as drastically as what we can feel what we eat, but there’s all kinds of research about exposure to artificial light at certain times of day impacting hormone levels. And also lack of exposure to natural light, and how that can affect proper hormone patterns. And this is true in adults and also in children.

And so, I always try to mention this to parents because if you were talking about young children, fixing light patterns can really help their sleep quality and how long they sleep. If you’re talking about teenagers, same thing, but it can also have an impact on those hormone shifts. And then for us as adults, we can see, and eye measuring can see differences in sleep quality. So, a tip there, I say is if possible, get outside and get your kids outside for at least half an hour as soon as possible after waking up because that natural light can signal important receptors in the back of the eye that are really important for not just circadian hormones like melatonin, but also for the proper hormone cycles, whether it be in children or adults.

And the same thing with avoiding artificial light at night. So this is another form of indoor pollution that often gets ignored, but when kids are getting exposure to blue light late into the evening, it confuses their body’s natural hormone responses. So, avoiding screens, using natural forms of light that don’t have blue light after dark, that’s been another key that was really helpful to us. I’m curious if you have any tips as well for exercise because we know the stats that kids today are not moving as much as kids in previous generations, but then there’s also evidence that, you know, too much exercise too young can be harmful. So, when we’re talking about balancing hormones and supporting kids in these different ages, any advice for what types of exercise to focus on with them?

Dr. Fine: Oh, the exercise thing kind of plays right into what I said at the beginning of our talk where rising levels of fat and obesity is also contributing to precocious puberty. And so, it’s very true once they took the physical ed out of the school, and the kids got really invested in their devices. Childhood Education has really dropped off a cliff and I don’t think that’s healthy. And by the way, you know, exercise is good for…it’s good for brain development, and it’s good for so many different things. I think, one of the things I’ve seen as a mother too is that the kids who…right now I’m talking girls, most girls and boys do some sort of sport when they’re young like soccer. And what I noticed in the girls who once they hit puberty, they stopped and didn’t pick up anything else, versus the ones who stuck with it or picked up a different sport, the girls who stopped are the ones who, honestly, by the end of high school they were already kind of plumping up, right?

And if you look back over, you know, my childhood, for example, there just wasn’t…kids just played from the time…they had recess at school and then they played from the time they got home till it got dark. There was so much exercise in a day. And I believe, as human beings, we evolved on a lot of exercise. Now, it wasn’t…as you alluded to, it wasn’t like training for marathons every day, that’s too much. But it was movement. And it was outside in the sunlight because I am seeing that research on natural sunlight on our skin. And it is very important not just for vitamin D, but those that full-spectrum lighting from the sun has health benefits that we’re just now beginning to understand.

So, I’m a big advocate of kids spending a lot of time outside playing. It might not even be a sport, but you can play outside when you’re little. It could be a sport. I don’t like sports with the head injuries, like the heading in soccer. I’m not a big fan of head injuries, like, from football or soccer or things like that. But having said that, I like soccer because, you know, there’s running and kicking, I think that’s a good sport. So, I think it should…if they’re not athletically inclined, I think riding a bicycle or playing outside is highly, highly recommended. And by the way, exercise is important for detox as well. It’s part of the things that you’re increasing circulation. Hopefully, there’s some sweating and that’s how you can dump some of your toxins out. But exercise and sunlight are very, very important.

The blue light thing is really key too because the kids are staying on their devices late into the night, and then that messes up their sleep. And you’ve got to have proper sleep. At any stage in your life, you’ve gotta have proper sleep or your body doesn’t work right. Guess what’s one of the things our bodies do in sleep? They detox. There’s no…they don’t have to metabolize or digest your food. They don’t have to, like, send energy to your limbs to move. Your body is working on detox while you sleep. Your skin, your brain is detoxing while you sleep. And so, we have to naturally maximize our body’s ability to detox on its own, as well as avoid the things that we know are gonna make us go in the wrong direction. And then thirdly, we need to buckle down and just, you know, get the proper guidance to do a really good detoxification several times, I would say, in your life.

Katie: Definitely. Yeah, I definitely agree with that. Are there any supplements offhand that come to mind that can help either with avoiding precocious puberty or that are helpful during puberty? And I know, I got one question from a reader. There’s an additive called inositol I think that’s used in certain teen multivitamins, and if that’s safe or recommended or not? I know my default with my kids right now is to focus on just gut health, so I give them high-quality probiotics and prebiotics. And then also, just supporting again from a nutrient perspective with as much whole foods as possible, and making sure they’re getting enough protein which supports proper hormones, but any other suggestions you would make?

Dr. Fine: You know, it’s really difficult to make a broad-spectrum recommendation for supplements. Because when I see children in my practice, it’s like they’re coming to me for a reason, and so everything I do is very specific to that one person. And so, to come up with something broad-spectrum and say everybody should take this. Really, I think, a probiotic is a good idea, Katie. I think gut health is super important. But beyond that, I’m a little bit…especially with the kids, I really like to push the good food, the nutritious food like you are. I really like to push that and not… I remember using, like, powdered greens, you know, with my kids and powdered fruit. I did use something like that. But without knowing what… I mean, the kids today are really having a lot of health challenges. And so, a lot of them could benefit from supplements. But to just say every kid, every preteen or teen needs a certain supplement, I don’t think I would be comfortable with that. Except for probiotics, I think that you could make a strong case for that. And, you know, as long as it was a really good one.

Katie: Absolutely. And I will also say one that I do with my kids, I order at-home tests for vitamin D. So, even if you’re not, can take the kids in for a full workup which I actually would recommend that as well, but I do test all of my kids for vitamin D and then make sure they’re either getting in the sun or getting vitamin D. Because we know vitamin D is actually a pre-hormone, not just a vitamin, and so that one seems extremely essential for proper hormone regulation. I’m guessing you probably see that in your patients as well, low vitamin D levels correlating with hormone issues.

Dr. Fine: Well, what I see, I’ve practiced in Arizona and Southern California for my whole 20-year practice. And I just was so shocked to see how low everybody’s vitamin D was. I just, I mean, we’re in sunny areas, I just can’t understand it, except that nobody’s outside. But, yes. Yes, I have seen that and there are other issues with low vitamin D having to do with immune status and immune health that are also very important. I’m curious with your…well, you probably don’t wanna say, but the vitamin D issue is such a conundrum because I will tell you this, in Arizona, I used to have my patients commit to 10 minutes of sun on as much skin as they could bear around noon, which is a certain time of the day when certain rays were at its highest.

And, you know, 10 minutes, that’s not a lot. And, much to my surprise, when I retested them, it didn’t really bring it up. And I just found that shocking, that the vitamin D level… So, I will say that I’ve had to supplement lots…probably most of my patients with vitamin D supplementation, even though I theoretically and philosophically would rather people get it from the sun. For some reason, I’m not seeing sunlight producing the levels of vitamin D that I would like to see in people. And I mean, I’ve seen levels as low as 17 in my cancer patients, right? You know, that’s pretty low.

Katie: Yeah, I think this is definitely something that’s epidemic. And I know it’s controversial, but I do spend time daily in the sun, not ever to burn, but just to get vitamin D. And I think healthy sun exposure is really important. And I do that with my kids as well. But I’m also, I will supplement with vitamin D, and also along with it, vitamin K at times just if their levels are low. Just because I know how important that one is for the immune system, for hormones, for so many aspects of that. And we’re getting really close to the end of our time. We might have to do a whole other episode just on precocious puberty at some point, but I know there’s a lot…the other aspect of this that’s not just specifically health and lab-related is, how can we support our kids in this age with body image and emerging from puberty with a healthy body image on the other side? And I’m curious how you navigated that with your own kids, especially since I’m still in this phase and haven’t really figured it out totally myself yet.

Dr. Fine: Oh, that’s such a good subject. Oh, that is so, so tricky, because we’re fighting media portrayals of unattainable…especially for the girls, unattainable body images. And the girls are starting to think they’re fat as young as age 8 or 9. So, I have a daughter and a son, so I got to do both. I really…how did I do it? I just never focused on…I tried to build body confidence by looking at and praising how well the body works, like “Look at you run. Look at you go. Oh, you wanna take karate?” Really praising how the body functions as opposed to how it looks. And so, there really wasn’t in my bringing up my kids, there really wasn’t…I didn’t really emphasize, “Oh, you look so beautiful today.” Right? I didn’t really talk about. I didn’t really say that. I focused on other attributes.

And I think I did it on purpose because I know that even when I was growing up, there was all kinds of body image, and anorexia, and bulimia, and all of this stuff, and it seems to start…well, years ago, it started in teenagerhood, but now it’s like preteens and young teens are starting, men and women are starting to have these unrealistic ideas of how their body should look. I think that the media today is more accepting of diverse body types than ever before. And I think that’s really a good thing. But I would just focus on body functionality, body health, you know, other things instead of, “Did you gain weight?” You know, “That dress is looking really tight on you.” I would never point that out to a girl.

Katie: For sure. I have taken the same approach with my daughters and my sons. I’m just focusing on the body being an amazing, incredible tool and like a machine that we can use to do incredible things versus how it looks. And it’s sad, but I had to realize this and learn this lesson as an adult over even the last few years, I would say is when I finally actually learned it and started to love my own body for what it can do and not just how it looks, or what I perceived as how it didn’t look, how it was supposed to. And that’s even after growing six babies from scratch in my body, and all of these other things it had done. It took me being that old and working through a bunch of trauma to get to that point where I could actually appreciate it. So, I think the mindset piece is key as well. And hopefully, giving our kids a foundation to respect their bodies and to treat them well out of respect and love, not to pry them out of lack, it’s a big key.

Dr. Fine: Yes, I agree. Good job.

Katie: Awesome. Well, our interview has flown by. I know that you have a gift that you wanna give to the subscribers which I will put in the show notes that I don’t say your email or anything out loud and that you also have a course all about detoxification for people who this is very top of mind for whether it be preconception or precocious puberty, whatever it may be. So, those links will be in the show notes at wellnessmama.fm. And I know you’re also available online and at drannemariefine.com is that right?

Dr. Fine: Yeah, drannemariefine.com, that’s my website. And, yeah, I’m offering a complimentary 15-minute call to see if this is a good fit for exploring how a personalized detox can work for you. I’m also, on my website, I just wanna point out that my…the book that I wrote and the products that I have are in the realm of clean beauty. So that’s another passion for me, and something I didn’t bring up so much with the boys and girls. But, wow, if they’re putting stuff on their face, the girls’ makeup, especially the teen makeup is very toxic. And you’ve gotta take a really strong look at that. And the boys’ products are, like I mentioned, varying into a very, very disturbing trend. And so, we have to be careful with that too.

Katie: I agree. Well, thank you so much. This has been such an information-packed episode. Hopefully, it helps a lot of parents and a lot of teenagers and preteens as well. And I’m really appreciative of your time today.

Dr. Fine: Well, thanks, Katie. Thanks for having me. It was fun.

Katie: And thanks to all of you as always for listening, for sharing your most valuable asset, your time with both of us today. We’re very grateful that you did. And I hope that you will join me again on the next episode of “The Wellness Mama Podcast.”

If you’re enjoying these interviews, would you please take two minutes to leave a rating or review on iTunes for me? Doing this helps more people to find the podcast, which means even more moms and families could benefit from the information. I really appreciate your time, and thanks as always for listening.

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/podcast/anne-marie-fine/

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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Cilantro Lime Tofu Bowls

New Post has been published on https://healingawerness.com/news/cilantro-lime-tofu-bowls/

Cilantro Lime Tofu Bowls

An easy and simple vegan recipe for tofu bowls with rice and a zesty cilantro lime sauce. These cilantro lime tofu bowls come together quickly for a full meal-in-one that everyone will enjoy!

I’m a big believer that all people are capable of change. How do I know this? Because I used to hate cilantro…and now I love it. I know, I know there’s probably a lot of other convincing facts that would lead one to believe that we can all change but this is the one I’m going with. Because despite the commonly held belief that not liking cilantro is a genetic thing, I am case in point that you can beat even your own genes.

I don’t really know when it happened either. I’m pretty sure somewhere in the deep archives of THM you’ll find a blog post where I vilify cilantro, but somewhere along the way I just got tired of hating it. I try not to be a fussy eater and hate having to waste something because I’m not into the taste. It seemed easier to learn to enjoy cilantro than worry about it being sneakily added. And now, I’m kind of obsessed. It has officially become my favorite herb and probably the one you’ll most frequently find in our house. Which is how these cilantro lime tofu bowls were born.

You all know I’m a big lover of the bowl and these tofu bowls are not exception. I’ve been making a variation of this recipe for years because of how easy and simple it is. You can, of course, replace the cilantro with another herb you prefer but I encourage you to give it a try because guess what?! People can change!

What You Need:

Extra Firm Tofu

Brown Rice

1 Head Broccolini

Fresh Cilantro

Olive oil

Lime (zest + juice)

Maple syrup

Spices: garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt

Pistachios (or other nuts + seeds)

How to Make These Cilantro Lime Tofu Bowls

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Make rice according to package instructions. Combine olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, maple syrup, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and salt together in a large bowl.

STEP 2: Press tofu to remove extra water and then chop into 1 inch cubes. Dip cubes into sauce to coat but allow any extra sauce to drip back off into the bowl. Place tofu on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet to bake for 20 minutes.

STEP 3: Remove tofu from oven and flip while also pushing all tofu to one side of the sheet (it will be crowded, this is fine!). Dip broccolini into sauce and let extra liquid drip back off into the bowl. Place broccolini on the other side of the baking sheet. Bake tofu + broccolini for 15 minutes or until edges of broccolini are crisp and tofu is golden brown.

STEP 4: Chop up cilantro and add half of it to your rice. For the remaining half chop up finely and add to the rest of your sauce liquid.

STEP 5: Divide rice between 4 bowls and top evenly with tofu and broccolini. Drizzle with remaining sauce and sprinkle with pistachios or other nuts and seeds for crunch.

Easy Substitutions + Storage

This recipe is super customizable. Here are a few substitutions you can easily make to make this recipe your own:

Not into broccolini? Feel free to replace with other veggies such as: broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, squash etc…

Replace brown rice with any other type of rice or grain. This recipe is particularly delicious with farro!

The olive oil has a stronger taste in this recipe so if you don’t like it use a more neutral oil like grapeseed oil.

Substitute maple syrup with honey if that’s all you have.

These cilantro lime tofu bowls make a great meal-prep meal. To store you can create 4 different glass Tupperware with rice and on the other side add the tofu and broccolini. Sprinkle with nuts or seeds. Keep the dressing in a glass jar in the fridge. Alternatively you can store the rice together and the veggies and tofu together.

Cilantro Lime Tofu Bowls

An easy and simple vegan recipe for tofu bowls with rice and a zesty cilantro lime sauce. These cilantro lime tofu bowls come together quickly for a full meal-in-one that everyone will enjoy!

Author: Davida Lederle

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4 servings 1x

Category: Dinner

Method: Bake

Diet: Vegan

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

14 oz package extra firm tofu

2 cups uncooked brown rice

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1 head broccolini (ends removed)

1/3 cup olive oil (or a more neutral oil like grapeseed oil)

zest of 1 lime

juice, 2 limes

1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt, to taste

1/3 cup of pistachios (or other nuts + seeds)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Make rice according to package instructions.

Combine olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, maple syrup, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and salt together in a large bowl.

Press tofu to remove extra water and then chop into 1 inch cubes.

Dip cubes into sauce to coat but allow any extra sauce to drip back off into the bowl.

Place tofu on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet to bake for 20 minutes.

Remove tofu from oven and flip while also pushing all tofu to one side of the sheet (it will be crowded, this is fine!).

Dip broccolini into sauce and let extra liquid drip back off into the bowl. Place broccolini on the other side of the baking sheet.

Bake tofu + broccolini for 15 minutes or until edges of broccolini are crisp and tofu is golden brown.

Chop up cilantro and add half of it to your rice.

For the remaining half chop up finely and add to the rest of your sauce liquid.

Divide rice between 4 bowls and top evenly with tofu and broccolini. Drizzle with remaining sauce and sprinkle with pistachios or other nuts and seeds for crunch.

Like this post? Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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Full-Face Makeup Using Black-Owned Clean Beauty Brands

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/uncategorized/full-face-makeup-using-black-owned-clean-beauty-brands/

Full-Face Makeup Using Black-Owned Clean Beauty Brands

Not a long post today as I’m directing you to a new video I just shared! I know, it’s been wayyyy too long since I shared a video and honestly I don’t miss it all that much (sorry!) but for the contents of this post it definitely made more sense to share it as a video. Today I’m talking about black-owned clean makeup brands and sharing a full-face of makeup with entirely Black-owned companies. After I shared this post on Black-owned Clean Beauty Brands, I put in a big order of products, including different makeup brands. So I wanted to share the actual products I used and let you see for yourself what they look like when applied.

Below you’ll find a video I shared to IGTV as well as a list of all the products I used. I highly encourage you to check out these brands and products. It’s pretty obvious from the video which ones I loved and will definitely be reordering. Very excited to discover more!

FULL FACE MAKEUP OF BLACK-OWNED CLEAN BEAUTY BRANDS

Foundation: Range Beauty (mixed coconut milk + villa)

Bronzer: Luv + Co Loose Mineral Pigment (in Trust)

Highlighter: Luv + Co Cream Highligher

Brows: Mented High Brown Pencil (in Medium Brown)

Eyeshadow: Lovinah Eye Magic Palette

Eyeliner: Lovinah Liquid Eyeliner

Mascara: Luv + Co Natural Mascara

Lips: Mented Matte Duos (in Nude Lala)

You Might Also Like…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHealthyMaven/~3/e-QPMvfjqDQ/

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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Why to Plant a Butterfly Garden (& How)

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/why-to-plant-a-butterfly-garden-how/

Why to Plant a Butterfly Garden (& How)

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]

Much like a pollinator garden, a butterfly garden is a great way to attract and provide for these beautiful insects. There’s a little more to it than planting a few colorful flowers though. Here’s how we can help save the butterflies and have a better yard while we’re at it.

Why Do We Need Butterflies?

Many know how important pollinators are for our food supply and ecosystem. Yet butterflies don’t always get the attention they deserve. Butterfly expert Mike Malloy lays out why butterflies are so important.

Butterflies are at the bottom of the food chain for many birds and some small animals, like mice. When the butterfly population dips, everything else takes a hit too. Almost 66% of invertebrate species can be traced back to the butterfly on the food chain.

This insect is more than just bird food though. Entomologists at the University of Kentucky also point out butterflies play a critical role in natural pest control. Butterflies eat plant-damaging aphids.

Stronger, Better Plants

Like bees, butterflies are an important pollinator, but in a different way. While bees spread the love locally, butterflies carry pollen over a much farther distance. Butterflies can evenly cover large areas of plants in a single go.

They’re also an important part of helping plants be genetically diverse. This delicate insect shares pollen across different groups of plants over a wide area – sometimes miles apart. Plants then become more resistant to disease and stronger. Companion planting is another way to give plants a helping hand.

The Butterfly Effect

There’s a reason why butterflies are one of the most monitored animals in the world. Ever heard the phrase “canary in the coal mine”? Butterflies are the canary to our ecosystem. When an area lacks butterflies, scientists know there’s something wrong.

Birds even plan their breeding season around when caterpillars will be available for food. Not enough caterpillars, not enough bird food. It has a ripple effect on our entire ecosystem and food chain.

A Dangerous Trend

According to the Smithsonian Institute, there are about 17,500 different species of butterflies. The United States houses around 750 of these species. While that may sound like a lot, more of our butterfly friends are dying every year.

Various butterfly species declined from 35-67% over a nine-year period in the UK. On the upside, some butterfly species started to make a comeback in 2019, according to The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

Monarch butterflies overwinter in Mexico and California. Scientists estimate there were at least 4.5 million monarch butterflies in California alone in the 1980s. At last count, the population has declined to less than 29,000. That’s .5% of what they used to be.

The Center for Biological Diversity reports on the butterfly decline in Mexico. From 2019 to 2020 Mexico lost 53% of its remaining monarch butterfly population. The Xerces Society for conservation highlights the loss in the US. California lost 86% of its monarch butterfly population from 2017 to 2018 alone.

At this rate, scientists say the species will be extinct within 20 years.

What’s Killing the Butterflies?

There are several reasons why our important pollinators are dying out. According to EPA pesticide usage reports:

Pesky Pesticides

More than half of insecticides in the US are sprayed in yards and gardens.

The US accounts for 23% of the world’s total pesticide use.

83 million US households use insecticides. This doesn’t include other pesticides used.

All of these pesticides spell major trouble for the butterfly population.

Neonicotinoid pesticides may be especially harmful. Researchers found that as neonicotinoid use rose, so did butterfly deaths. The Guardian reports:

“If we’re going to get smart about using chemicals in the countryside we need to test them better before they get out there. It’s crazy that we’re using a potentially dangerous-to-wildlife chemical and nobody has done those studies.”

A Boring Landscape

Along with pesticide use comes a decrease in plant diversity. When people spray unwanted “weeds,” like beneficial dandelions, it has a domino effect. Milkweed is the monarch butterflies main food source, but thanks to pesticides the number of plants has plummeted.

Green lawns empty of nutritious and diverse plant life. Roadsides and fields that are sprayed and mowed. Fields full of bare ground and pesticide-resistant corn or soybeans. All of these scenarios rob our important pollinators of the food they need and ultimately damages the ecosystem we depend on.

5G and EMF Effects on Butterflies?

5G has gotten a lot of buzz lately, and not all for positive reasons. A 2010 study in the journal Nature explores its possible effects on insects and animals. How? Butterflies have photoreceptor proteins called cryptochromes. These allow butterflies to see UV light rays invisible to humans. The proteins also help the butterflies (and other animals) sense the earth’s geomagnetic field. There’s growing evidence that EMF waves may throw off the sense of direction for birds and insects.

Changing the Food Supply

Not only are EMF waves confusing butterflies’ sense of direction, but they could be damaging their food source. Newsweek reports scientists have also found nearly 90% of plant life tested was sensitive to cell phone frequencies. EMF waves have a negative impact on how plants develop, function, and metabolize.

How to Create a Butterfly Garden

Instead of feeling overwhelmed and depressed by this information, we can take action! A butterfly garden is a perfect way to create a haven for our pollinator friends. Unlike bees, butterflies are a little pickier about what they like.

#1 Be a Groupie

Butterflies prefer large blocks of colorful flowers of the same variety. Instead of planting ten different flowers in the same small area, opt for a larger patch of one kind. This doesn’t mean your butterfly garden can only have one or two varieties, but instead group like flowers together.

#2 Plant a Rainbow

Like bees, butterflies like a variety of colors. Red, orange, yellow, pink, and purple blooms are their favorite. Butterflies also tend to prefer flowers with short flower tubes and wide landing surfaces, like daisies and black-eyed susan. Blooms with large clusters, like phlox, are also a favorite.

#3 Take It to Greater Heights

Butterflies want a variety of heights to choose from. Taller flowers and shrubs help provide protective shade for them. Trees and shrubs are important for butterflies to perch and feed on. These plants provide for them from caterpillar through adulthood.

#4 Spread the Love

Like us, butterflies need to eat throughout the seasons, not just summer. By planting a variety of flowers with different bloom times we can help them eat all season long. Some butterflies hibernate in the winter, while others migrate to a warmer climate and feed there.

#5 Put Off Raking the Leaves

While many want a leafless lawn in the fall, leaves provide shelter through the winter for insects and birds. According to Purdue University’s Forest and Natural Resources, annual and perennial plants can contain butterfly pupa and larva. In many areas, butterflies overwinter in fallen leaves and vegetation.

According to scientists at the University of Michigan, fallen leaves have other benefits. Mulched leaves fertilize and add nutrition to the soil. Grass is noticeably thicker, greener, and healthier in the spring. By raking leaves and pulling up plants in the fall we’re disturbing a vital part of the ecosystem.

Late spring is a much safer time to clean up the yard and garden.

#6 Don’t Forget About the Babies!

Butterflies lay eggs that become caterpillars, and later on more butterflies. A good butterfly garden will also have food and shelter for the reproductive cycle. You can do both you and the caterpillars a favor by creating their own space for them away from your vegetables.

What to Plant in a Butterfly Garden

Ready to get started? Here’s a master list of butterfly-friendly varieties to look for:

Best Veggies for Butterflies

Cabbage

Dill

Fennel

Parsley

Garlic chives

Best Trees for a Butterfly Garden

Gumbo-Limbo tree

Pawpaw tree (and the fruits are edible and delicious!)

Tulip poplar tree

Wild black cherry tree

Chokecherry tree

Northern prickly ash

Butterfly-Friendly Shrubs and Vines

Butterfly bush (Buddleia spp.)

Buddleia davidii ‘Miss Molly’

Firebush

Saltbush

Mexican flame vine (the only vine that attracts monarchs)

Buttonbush

Best Plants and Flowers for Butterflies

Mint – spearmint, peppermint, etc.

Bluemist spirea

Milkweed (vital for monarch caterpillars)

Joe-Pye-weed

Thistles

Plantain

Clover

Dandelions

Alyssum

Asclepius

Cornflower

Cosmos

Purple coneflower (echinacea)

Globe amaranth

Heliotrope

Larkspur

Milkweed

Nicotiana

Pentas

Salvia

Sunflowers

Mexican sunflower

Zinnia

Lantana

Black-eyed susan

Bottlebrush

Coral bean

Coral honeysuckle

Cosmos

Firecracker plant

Firespike

Jatropha

Lion’s Ear

Passion Flower

Blue porterweed

Azaleas

Bee balm (also known as wild bergamot)

Blue mistflower

Duranta erecta (sapphire showers or golden dewdrops)

Echium fastuosum (pride of Madeira)

Blazingstar varieties (a favorite of monarchs) – rough, button, meadow, and northern are some of the varieties.

Purpletop vervain

Egyptian starcluster

Purple giant hyssop (not anise hyssop)

Goldenrod

Marigold

More Butterfly Garden Necessities

Still looking to add on? Try:

Fruit

Some butterfly species eat rotting fruit. Instead of tossing out overripe fruit leftovers, place fruit slices in a shallow dish for the butterflies. These should be set next to a flowering plant they like.

Bath Time

Butterflies also enjoy taking a dip. While they steer clear of deeper water, like birdbaths, a shallow dish of water is just their thing. You can fill a saucer with wet sand and water by their favorite flowers. If your area is prone to mosquitos be sure to dump and change the water regularly.

What About a Butterfly House?

A butterfly house may look like a friendly gesture, but they’re not necessary. These are more for decoration and butterflies don’t use them. It’s more likely to end up as a spider hotel. Try building a bee hotel instead.

Let’s Save the Butterflies

Even though the statistics are shockingly bad, we can all play a part in saving the butterflies. Planting a butterfly garden, skipping the pesticides, and encouraging diverse plant life can make an impact. The more of us who pitch in, the better!

Do you have a butterfly garden? What’s in it?

Sources:

Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources (2004, May). Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-248-W.pdf

The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). (2019). 2019 Summary of Changes table for the UK. https://www.ukbms.org/official_statistics

Cornell University Cooperative Extension Fulton and Montgomery Counties (2013, April 11). Consumer Horticulture: Plan a Butterfly Garden. https://ccefm.com/readarticle.asp?ID=1577&progID=8

Dovey, D (2018, May 19). Radiation for Cell Phones, Wi-Fi is hurting the birds and the bees; 5G may make it worse. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/migratory-birds-bee-navigation-5g-technology-electromagnetic-radiation-934830

US EPA (2017). Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage 2008 – 2012 Market Estimates. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/pesticides-industry-sales-usage-2016_0.pdf

Schultza, C., Brown, L., Pelton, E., & Crone, E. (2017). Citizen science monitoring demonstrates dramatic declines of monarch butterflies in western North America. Biological Conservation. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320717304809

Curry, T. (2020, March 20). Eastern monarch butterfly population plunges below extinction threshold. Center for Biological Diversity. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-eastern-monarch-butterfly-population-plunges.html

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. (2018, Nov 29). Early Thanksgiving Counts Show a Critically Low Monarch Population in California. https://xerces.org/blog/early-thanksgiving-counts-show-critically-low-monarch-population-in-california

UK College of Agriculture Food and Environment. Aphids. Entomology at the University of Kentucky. https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef103)

Hartley Botanic (2016, March 2). Why Butterflies are Important. https://hartley-botanic.co.uk/magazine/why-butterflies-are-important/

Gegear, Robert J. et al. (2010). Animal Cryptochromes Mediate Magnetoreception by an Unconventional Photochemical Mechanism. Nature, 463(7282), 804. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature08719

Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (2004). Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-248-W.pdf

Johnson, T. (n.d.). Out My Backdoor: Do Butterfly Boxes Work? Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division. https://georgiawildlife.com/out-my-backdoor-do-butterfly-boxes-work

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/427932/butterfly-garden/

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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Bacon Chicken Bites Recipe (Easy Lunch or Appetizer)

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Bacon Chicken Bites Recipe (Easy Lunch or Appetizer)

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I came up with the idea for these bacon chicken bites when I needed an idea for a potluck. I had chicken in the fridge that I was going to use for Parmesan chicken nuggets, so I made these up instead and had them done in less than an hour. The key is the honey, mustard, and garlic glaze.

Even though I originally created this recipe as an appetizer, we like them so much that I’ve made them for dinner many times. We like to have finger-food dinners occasionally, so it’s fun to pair them with raw veggie skewers.

So, so yummy.

Bacon Chicken Bites With Honey Mustard Glaze

These bacon chicken bites really are simple to make. First, I cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. (Ok, two or three bites.)

Then I wrapped each piece in a third of a piece of bacon. I found that as long as the ends of the bacon were on the bottom side of the chicken, I didn’t need to secure them with a toothpick. If you plan to transport or store these, use toothpicks to secure.

Last, I brushed the glaze over the bacon chicken pieces before cooking. The kids love helping with this part.

Note: If you like your bites a little crisper, I suggest pouring off the liquid in the bottom of the baking sheet a few minutes before they’re done cooking.

Other Grain-Free Appetizers

It can often be hard to find grain-free, dairy-free, healthy options when we get invited to a potluck. These bacon chicken bites are my solution. I make up a plateful to bring and that way we always have something we can eat.

They’re also sure to be a crowd pleaser. I haven’t found many people who don’t like these savory appetizers. So make sure you make enough, or you might not get any!

Here are some more grain-free appetizer ideas that I like to make:

In the meantime, give these protein-packed bacon chicken bites a try!

Bacon Chicken Bites Recipe

Bacon wrapped chicken bites seasoned with a mustard glaze. One pan and quick to make!

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 166kcal

Author Katie Wells

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Cut the bacon slices in to thirds.

Cut each chicken breast into about nine pieces.

Wrap each chicken piece with a piece of bacon and place on a baking sheet with the ends of the bacon on the bottom, or secure with a toothpick.

In a small bowl, mix together mustard, honey, and spices and pour/brush on top of each piece of bacon wrapped chicken.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is browned and chicken is completely cooked.

Cool slightly and serve.

Enjoy!

Notes

For extra flavor, garnish with a little goat cheese and some minced chives! If there is a lot of liquid in the bottom of the pan, pour it off in the last couple minutes of cooking so that the bottoms get a little crispier.

Nutrition

What’s your favorite potluck or picnic recipe? Want to try these for your next outing? Share below!

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/13290/bacon-chicken-bites/

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

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Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

Delicious and juicy homemade jalapeno turkey burgers made with lean ground turkey, spices and pepper jack cheddar cheese for a flavor-packed dinner or BBQ meal.

Some of you might find this interesting (or not!) but I didn’t eat red meat from the ages of 8 to 21. I downright refused and though I’m sure it perplexed my family, they were surprisingly accommodating. When burger night came around and everyone was chowing down on their beef hamburgers I was enjoying my equally as delicious turkey burger.

Though I started to eat red meat again at 21, I still to this today prefer a turkey burger over a hamburger. We also don’t cook red meat at home (for environmental reasons) so these jalapeno turkey burgers have become our jam! I’ve been tweaking this recipe for a while and I’m thrilled that I finally mastered it. Expect to see it on upcoming Sunday meal plans!

What You Need

Lean ground turkey: I prefer 93-94% lean ground turkey breast

1 large egg

Pepper jack cheddar cheese: Buy a block so you can shred for inside the burgers + slice for on top!

Breadcrumbs: Feel free to replace with gluten-free breadcrumbs or use ground oat flour.

Onion, Garlic + Jalapeno: finely chopped. Deseed the jalapeno for a less spicy burger or leave them for more spicy.

Worcestershire sauce: The key to any good burger is Worcestershire sauce!

Optional: Cilantro – my fave! Skip if you don’t like it.

How to Make Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

STEP 1: Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Stir until well-combined.

STEP 2: Using hands divide mixture into 5 balls. Roll and then lightly flatten jalapeno turkey burgers on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet in fridge to allow burgers to set for at least 30 minutes. You can also cover and leave in fridge overnight.

STEP 3: Heat up grill or grill-pan to medium high heat (at least 450 degrees F). Place turkey burgers directly onto grill and cook for 4-5 minutes per side.

STEP 4: In last minute of cooking top each patty with a slice of pepper jack cheese. Serve on a bun or lettuce bun with desired toppings.

Make Them On the Stove-Top

My preference for these Jalapeno Turkey Burgers is to cook them on the grill. Nothing like a delicious BBQ burger! However, if you don’t have a grill or would prefer to cook them inside, I’ve got a few options for you.

1. Use a grill pan! I’m a huge fan of this cast-iron grill pan and it honestly works as well as an outdoor BBQ.

2. Cook on a regular stove-top pan. You won’t get the grill marks + smokey flavor, but it still works.

Either way cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until golden on the outside and juices run clear.

The Best Burger Pairings

What are burgers without the perfect sides? Here are a few delicious options:

Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

Delicious and juicy homemade jalapeno turkey burgers made with lean ground turkey, spices and pepper jack cheddar cheese for a flavor-packed meal!

Author: Davida Lederle

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 5 burgers 1x

Category: Dinner

Method: Grill

Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

1 lb 94% lean ground turkey

1 large egg

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded + diced

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

5 slices pepper jack cheese

optional: handful chopped cilantro

5 Hamburger Buns for serving

Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Stir until well-combined.

Using hands divide mixture into 5 balls. Roll and then lightly flatten on a baking sheet.

Place baking sheet in fridge to allow burgers to set for at least 30 minutes. You can also cover and leave in fridge overnight.

Heat up grill or grill-pan to medium high heat (at least 450 degrees F).

Place turkey burgers directly onto grill and cook for 4-5 minutes per side.

In last minute of cooking top each patty with a slice of pepper jack cheese.

Serve on a bun or lettuce bun with desired toppings.

Like this burger recipe? Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

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350: The Three Pillars of Healing to Become Your Best Self With Danette May

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350: The Three Pillars of Healing to Become Your Best Self With Danette May

Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.

This podcast episode is brought to you by Beekeeper’s Naturals, a company dedicated to protecting the bees while creating sustainably sourced bee products for our whole families. Without bees, our global food supply would collapse, so protecting the bees protects all of us. As a certified B corp, Beekeeper’s Naturals cares deeply about the environment, about the bees, and about their employees, and their customers and consumers, which is us. If you’re new to using bee products, I personally, recommend starting with the propolis spray. This is a delicious way to support the immune system. And if you aren’t familiar with propolis, it’s really incredible. Propolis is the substance that bees use inside the hive to fight bacteria and any other pathogen or invaders that enter the hive. In fact, even if something as large as, like, a mouse should enter the hive, and the bees can’t get it out, they can encapsulate it in propolis to keep that from infecting the hive and creating all kinds of bacterial problems. Propolis is naturally antibacterial. It has a compound called pinocembrin that works as an antifungal, and it’s also an antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. I personally spray it in my throat at the first sign of a tickle in my throat, or the sniffles, and I spray it on wounds and burns for faster healing. You can save 15% on propolis and all Beekeeper’s Naturals products as a listener of this podcast. To get the deal, go to beekeepersnaturals.com/wellnessmama, and use the code “wellness mama” to save 15%.

This episode is brought to you by Wellnesse. That’s Wellnesse with an E on the end, which is my new personal care company that is dedicated to making safe and effective products from my family to your family. We started with toothpaste and hair care because these are the biggest offenders in most bathrooms, and we’re coming after the other personal care products as well. Did you know for instance that most shampoo contains harsh detergents that strip out the natural oils from the hair and leave it harder to manage over time and more dependent on extra products? We took a different approach, creating a nourishing hair food that gives your hair what it actually needs and doesn’t take away from its natural strength and beauty. In fact, it’s specifically designed to support your hair’s natural texture, natural color, and is safe for color-treated hair as well. Our shampoos contain herbs like nettle, which helps strengthen hair and reduce hair fall, leaving your hair and scalp healthier over time, and scented only with natural essential oils in a very delicate scent so that you don’t have to worry about the fragrance as well. Over time, your hair gets back to its stronger, healthier, shinier state without the need for parabens or silicone or SLS. You can check it out along with our whitening toothpaste and our full hair care bundles at wellnesse.com, that’s wellnesse.com. An insider tip, grab an essentials bundle or try auto-ship and you will lock in a discount.

Katie: Hello, and welcome to the Wellness Mama Podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com and wellnesse.com. That’s wellness with an E on the end which is my new line of personal care products, including hair care, toothpaste, and now hand sanitizer that are designed to work as well as any conventional alternative without the junk.

In this episode, I talk to Danette May who is one of America’s leading healthy lifestyle experts. But she has an incredible story of moving from a terrible loss of a child into helping people, and into a complete mindset and lifestyle shift. She’s the best selling author of a book called “The Rise” and of seven health and fitness books and programs, as well as co-founder of Mindful Health and dedicated founder of The Rise Movement.

In this episode, we go deep on mindset. And I share some of the vulnerable parts of my own mental shifts over the last couple of years, as well as her simple, and effective, and not complicated at all approach to fitness and to nutrition. She’s also the creator of something called Cacao Bliss which is linked in the show notes at wellnessmama.fm which is delicious and which I really enjoy as well. But I think you’ll really resonate with the mindset part of this specifically, and how she moved from really deep depression to creating the life she wanted and helping other people through her pain. So without further ado, let’s join Danette.

Danette, welcome to the podcast.

Danette: I’m excited to be here. Thank you.

Katie: I am so excited to chat with you today. I’ve been a big fan of your work for a long time and got to meet you, I believe it was last year, in person, and knew I wanted to get to share you with my podcast community. So to start, probably a lot of people are already familiar with you, but for anyone who’s not, can you just, kind of, give us a little bit of your story and how you got to be who you are today?

Danette: Wow. Okay, how far back do you want me to go? You know, for the past six, seven years, I’ve been in this wellness, fitness, nutrition industry, and, really, what I believe, living into my purpose, and into the truth of who I am, and what I’m meant to do. And so, definitely have online programs, and do high-level coaching, and created a superfood company, and really living into the truth, like I said, of who I am. But I have to say that a big part of me was a lot of my mess.

Previous to that time period, my mess became my message. You know, I was a trainer, so I’ve always been into the body, I’ve always been into nutrition, but I was not necessarily teaching the principles that I teach today. I had some ideas around nutrition and fitness that I don’t think were actually very sound. And it took the passing of my son, and me going through a really deep depression, and experiencing brain fog, and complete lack of motivation, and being in a dark place to really understand on a really cellular level, the power of movement and the power of foods to really wake us up, and to get us into that feeling-good feeling that we long for, and that clarity.

And that’s when, really, I believe, my spark came about, was seeing myself shift, and then, helping, like, clients that I had at that time shift, and then, I really had this burning desire to bring it to the world. And that’s where it truly was the catapult for me, was that I was like, “I can’t not have this information that I’ve gained so much from and not share it with the world.”

Katie: Got it. And, probably, there are people listening who can really resonate with parts of that story. And first also I’d like to say, I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine the loss of a child. I think that’s probably one of the most difficult things anyone can ever face, and I’m sure that was very much a journey to come through. I had trauma in my past and I’ve realized just more and more, how much it is a journey and it’s continual. I’m curious, when you were in that darkest part of the depression, walk us through some of those steps that you took. You said movement was a big part of that, but I feel like people who are in there, it can seem, sometimes, like, almost like you can never find a way out. So what were the ways that you started to come out of that?

Danette: Yeah. So I was new to depression so I was in unknown territory, and so, the feeling for me, and I imagine it shows up in a different way, but the feeling for me was I didn’t even want to go outside. I couldn’t even go buy a loaf of bread. I had a little girl at home, and so, I needed to show up for her, but I was literally laying in bed and she’d be like, “I’m hungry,” as all little kids do. And I’d be like, “Can you move the chair over to the…” I’d, like, navigate her on how to serve herself from my bed, and then, I would explain to her what the curb was to explain to her, if she went outside, not to go beyond the curb of the sidewalk. That’s how bad it was.

And, for me, being a trainer, I’d always heard about movement helps with depression, right? Like, that’s not a new concept. I knew, I was like, “I got to get out and just walk.” Because, of course, you know, my body was not in shape. I’d had a baby and so it was, you know, the signs of having a new baby. You’re just like, already super slow, you’re beat up. And so, I was like, “I got to walk. I just need to go walk.” And I couldn’t quite get even myself to go and put on my shoes to walk. And I remember, specifically, the day that I had laced up those shoes because it was the longest lacing of my life, and I got outside and I started to walk. Literally, my goal was to walk around the block.

And just so you guys know, I was a previous runner. I was, like, all into sports. So this was a really weird world I was in. And I just remember going on that walk and hearing birds. And then, honestly, I literally felt like my chest was ripping open. It was like each step was this moment of me reclaiming myself and actually feeling for the first time every breath in, every step. And I was like, “Wow, this is going to be the very thing that helps me,” because it was allowing me to feel. Of course, I was crying and I was feeling everything, but it was better than being numb. And so, that was a really profound day for me, and so, I made a commitment that I would start with around the block and then I would make it two… But I think it’s like, if you can’t find it for yourself, like, borrow mine or someone else’s faith to say, “If you move, you will feel again, and if you move, you will clear out the cobwebs of your soul. You will be able to heal parts of you that no one else can touch.”

So, you know, movement was a big thing, and then, obviously, you have brain fog. And so, after I started moving, you know, I’m starting to lift a little bit, and I was like, “I’ve got to show up for my daughter.” And so, I started playing around with superfoods, and there’s a power in superfoods to really help with depression. And that’s when I fell deeply in love with studying superfoods around the world and how they could really affect your mood, your immunity, and, like, just be like a power punch to your system. So that’s, really, like, my best advice. And then, from there, you know, you have to take little steps, but then from there, I started working on my mindset, and rewriting my story, and looking at my limiting beliefs, and looking at my guilt, and my shame, and rewriting the truth of what those stories were. And they were different, and I really did the deep, deep work around sitting down and writing, and crying it out, and processing it.

Katie: Yeah, I can resonate with so much of that as well. And I’ve heard it said that, you know, when it comes to trauma or like a really intense pain like that, often you need more than just talking it out. You have to connect with the central nervous system and with the body in a way to be able to process that. And I think that’s where movement, like you said, is so key. And I found this in my own journey over the last couple of years, and I’ve talked about this a little bit on the podcast before. But I had sexual trauma in high school and then largely shut down emotionally in a lot of ways, but thought that I had processed it, and I had figured out ways to feel safe in everyday life, and I was extremely high-functioning and could do all these things, but then there was this unresolved trauma. And it wasn’t until I had daughters who were about to be teenagers, and I realized I had so many unresolved body image issues. And I wasn’t comfortable in my own body, I wasn’t accepting of myself, and I didn’t want to pass that on to them. I didn’t want to give them that prison of the mind that I had been in for so long, basically, my entire adult life. And so, it wasn’t until then for me, and it sounds like for you, for the sake of your daughter as well, that I was willing to face that pain and willing to change, because it was such a traumatic thing to have to face and to go through.

Danette: Wow, that’s so powerful.

Katie: Well, and my story involves movement too. Actually, I read the book, “The Body Keeps the Score,” which, I think, has some really profound points. And it talks about how, like, trauma, in a sense, can store in the body, and that’s why movement can be so helpful, and different types of body work can be so helpful. And I did bodywork with, actually, my friend Aaron Alexander, and he, basically, did a mixture of Rolfing and acroyoga, and held me upside down. So that triggered all my control issues, of course and doing body work…

Danette: I love those.

Katie: And it was like reliving the trauma in, like, rewind and fast forward, and then, processing all the emotion of it. And, like, I felt like an animal after being attacked. Like, I shook from all the adrenaline coming out. And it was like that day was a starting point and a huge pivot point for working through my own trauma. And then, it really also, really, drove home that point that you made that you have to connect with the body and movement can, sometimes, be one of the most powerful tools when we’re mentally stuck. And we don’t always make that connection. Like, we think, like, “Oh, I need to talk through it. I need to journal through it. I need to work through it.” Or we get critical like, “Why can’t I work through this, and why am I stuck?” when, really, sometimes that movement breaks the pattern, it seems like.

Danette: Yeah. That’s so powerful, I love hearing about that, yeah. So when you said Rolfing, it’s kind of like deep, deep tissue massage? I love that.

Katie: Yes. That combined with the, I think, control aspect of being… Because, I was like, “Oh, yeah. No, no, I don’t go upside down. People don’t pick me up.” And he’s like, “Yeah, well, that’s because you have trust issues.” And I’m like, “What?” And I had to, kind of, face all of that at once, and I never would have expected that the bodywork, you know, of all things, would have released that much trauma that quickly. It seemed like, you know, when the student’s ready, the teacher will appear. And so, I think that’s why I love your idea of the pillars because I think you give people tangible ways to work in all of these modalities, and that, like, for each person, it may be different, which is the first thing that starts that snowball rolling, or that starts that affect. But you give people…or you encourage people to, kind of, approach them all. So talk about your pillars because I’ve read about this in your work and heard you before, but explain what your pillars are.

Danette: Yeah. We, kind of, hit on them, and I think that you, even, hit on them in your lifestyle and programs but it’s… I think of three pillars like a coffee table, and if you would just have two legs, it’ll tip over, so you’ve got to have three pillars to keep steady, right? And for me, I’m just not about having the perfect body or… I feel like we have these vessels, they’re vessels, to live out a really happy, abundant life. And so, for me, having these three pillars are key for this ultimate journey that I’m on, and I believe every human’s on. And so, the first one is obviously movement. And not movement because you’re like, “Oh, I want to fit into these jeans,” or “I want to look a certain way,” but moving because movement does clear out the cobwebs. Movement is your gateway to releasing trauma. It is this gateway to happiness, and endorphins, and feeling alive, and feeling really empowered.

And then, there’s food. And food is, you know, we’ve heard these things like, “Food is medicine,” and it’s true. There’s so much power in food and how it affects our moods, anxiety, depression, how it affects energy levels, joy in ourselves, obviously, immunity. So food is a big one. And not eating, once again, for the sole idea of either guilt, or… And, actually, there’s so much mind stuff around that which is so fascinating to me.

And then, the third pillar is mindset, because I believe that if you have your nutrition dialed in and your movement dialed in, but you’re living in a state of a mindset of, maybe it’s sadness, or maybe it’s anger, or maybe it’s repressed emotions, then you’re not truly living into your fullest happiness. And I do know this power of the mind, also, can shift your body even quicker than the foods you put in or the movement that you do. It can drive your success when it comes to living in a healthy body or vice versa, so the mindset piece. So those are the three pillars.

Katie: I love that. And I think, especially for women and moms, especially, maybe, like, that mindset piece can get difficult at times. And so, I’m curious, like, how you navigate that. Like, how do you navigate this as a mom, and that balance of time, and prioritizing self-care where… Like, this comes up a lot with my listeners. You know, how do you make time for self-care when you’re a mom? Because, obviously, your kids are a priority, and how do you balance that with family life? Because I know so much of a big part of your mission that I’ve heard you talk about is helping women rise up to become their best selves. And I’ve always said, I think moms are truly the most powerful force on the planet for good. And that if we could all even just unite on a few things rather than focusing on the things we don’t agree on, it would be absolutely astounding how much we could accomplish. Because, not only are we raising the next generation, we control so much of the purchasing power, but I think mom’s just having an incredible amount of influence as well. But moms are also, probably, the busiest, most overwhelmed, often stressed out, people on the planet because we do so much. So how do you handle that?

Danette: Oh my gosh. Okay. I love this quote. It says, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” And, you know, with that being said, though, I have to say, because now I’ve ran two successful businesses, I’ve gone through some crazy stuff in my life, and I have to tell you, I think being a mother is the most hardest job… Like, put me in a room running business numbers or creating a business, yeah, that’s difficult, but nothing compared to the emotion and this whole journey of motherhood, and I think every mother can understand that. So, one is just recognizing that and giving yourself grace to know that oh, you’re showing up and this is the toughest job. It just messes with your emotions, and you’re stressed, and it’s always like you’re as happy as your saddest child, and it just brings in a whole gamut of triggers because they’re the perfect little mirror to you, to all the different things that you need to heal within yourself. It’s beautiful. I’m being a little sarcastic.

But here’s what I do because I do know that children can bring in a lot of triggers, and also, you want, as a mother, for them to be super-happy, and doing well. And like I said, oftentimes, we’re as happy as our saddest child, so it’s like, how do we keep everybody moving and progressing as well as ourselves? And some work that I’ve studied, and if anyone wants to look into this is “The Conscious Parent.” It’s a book called “The Conscious Parent.” And I feel like that book really hit the nail on the head of the underbelly of what’s going on in parenting. And, really, it’s just us getting really awake to the truth of who we are, and when we do that, the children shift. Our external world with our children shift when we get really real with ourselves. So for me, the work that I do in my mental health and as well as just the physical relationship with my children is really around the work I do for myself, and how do I show up for myself, how do I love myself, because they’re just a reflection of that love that you have for yourself.

So for me, personally, you guys, I’m a big tauter of this, I just believe in it so much, and you could do it once they go to bed if you’re totally awake and in a good space. But for me, getting up before everybody else in the morning, it’s not like it’s a new method but it works. And for me, I get up before everyone else and I give that time for me. And this is a time for me to journal, gratitude. This is a time for me to actually enjoy lemon water, maybe it’s a tea, or maybe it’s like hot chocolate or like a really delicious coffee. Like, making sure I take that time for my pleasure, taking that time for gratitude. I journal, I write out the things that I see in myself, I get to know myself during that time.

Some people work out. Now, if I had little kids at home, my kids are getting a little bit older, they’re more in, like, preteen, teen. But if I had little kids, I know for me, if I move my body before I interact with them, I do better, I’m more calm, I’m more steady. And so, if that’s you, then just schedule that in, like, “I’m going to work out before they, like, all emerge.” And, for some of you moms, that’s, like, 4:30. I remember when my youngest was little and I was starting this business, and she was, like, one of those energy seekers. Like, if I woke up at 5:00, she could feel it, and she would come out and want to crawl in my arms. And you have to give grace to that, but can you, like, find some things where you’re like, “Hey,” you’d be surprised what three and four-year-olds can understand. Be like, “Mom’s having soul time.”

How amazing to teach your kids to prioritize soul time? And I would tell her that. And I’d be like, “And here is your space and you can color, or you could…” You know, some people might even say, “You know what, I’m not even going to deal with that. I’m going to let them watch something,” if that gives you your time for soul time if they decide to wake up at 5:00, 5:30 when you did. But, like, letting them know, “This is my time, and I love you, and I’m going to give you a quick hug, but I need you to work on either this coloring,” and have it set up for them. Be ready for it. And if they don’t wake up, great, but if they do, it’s like you have something set up so you’re not, like, all flustered and frustrated that they came into your space. So that, to me, was what I have done and I still continue to do because I know that I’m way less reactive, and I’m way more steady as a mother.

Katie: I agree, I think morning routine is key all of the time, but especially with kids, and also, a great gift to give them, like you said, that example of having a morning routine and having time for yourself. I know, when it comes to shifting mindset, I’ve also heard you talk about things like affirmations. So can you explain how you use those yourself and talk about them for others as well?

Danette: Yeah. So this has my lifeline. So during the time I lost my son, I also, as we all know, when the floor falls out from underneath us, more floors fall, I actually went through a really hard divorce. And I was left with two girls at the time, completely young as a single mom with no financial help and all the money got drained from the accounts and I just was wondering what my life was going to turn out to, and so I sold all the furniture, and we literally slept on the floor, had to, you know, tinfoil, like I said, on the antenna. And I was listening to a lot of speakers and like, people that I looked up to talk about the power of affirmation. And I was like, “You know what, I can barely feed my kids, what do you mean affirmations?” But I did the work. And what I did is I literally wrote out all the opposite of how I felt. For example, “I’m a terrible mother, I’m an amazing mother. I’m a financial ruin, I’m abundant.” And I wrote it out as I am, and then the word. And there’s been research on the power of the word “I am,” and then the words following it, to have a frequency and an energy drive inside your cells. And so, I wrote out a page of “I am” statements around all the things I thought were lies at the time. And I had a commitment that, whenever I got into a funk, we’ve all been there, like, or down on myself, or feeling unmotivated, or feeling unworthy, I would pull out that list and read it out loud, and, literally, there were days I’d pull it out every 15 minutes. And I read, and read, and read those, and I believe it was the lifeline to where I am today. I still do affirmations to this day. I believe in anointing ourselves and claiming the power that lives within us. And, you know, I can talk business, and funnels, and strategies all day long, but these are the under-fibers that I believe never change that can truly change your whole life.

Katie: I love that. And I think you’re right. I think when it comes to mindset, often, we have to say the things, and out loud is a great example, before we believe them. Because, for me, like with weight loss, so I’ve lost, actually, now close to 100 pounds over the last year now.

Danette: Whoa.

Katie: Yeah, so it’s been a dramatic shift. And the funny part was I had this script before that, pretty much my whole adult life, that, “If only I was X, Y, Z, if only I was this size, if only I looked like this, then I would be happy, and then I would accept myself,” in the last year. And when it became more important for me to figure that out for the sake of my daughters, I realized I can choose and need to choose happiness, and self-acceptance, and love right now, and let my body be a way that that manifests, versus expecting my body to be the thing that’s going to make me happy, or forcing my body through deprivation and through punishment to look a certain way and then thinking that’s going to make me happy. And one of the things I used in that journey was tapping. And the person I worked with would have me say things out loud like, “Even though,” whatever the thing was I was struggling with that day, “I love and accept myself.” And, “I love and accept myself when I now choose,” and then, whatever the new thing was. And the first few times that I had to say that, like, I literally almost could not make myself say the words, “I love and accept myself,” you know? And it was, like, dramatic to realize, like, like you, I can talk business, I can achieve in all of these areas, but I have trouble literally saying the words out loud that I love and accept myself. And I realized that like, I’ve got to face this and I have got to be able to be an example of vulnerability, and at working through things with my kids, because where else do they see that if not through us? But I think the speaking out loud is really dramatic, and, often, maybe gets discounted because it doesn’t seem like, oh, just saying that is going to make a big difference. But, I mean, for me, at least, it was dramatic, and it sounds like for you too.

Danette: Yeah. I think a lot of times we’re wired in our minds that we need to pay for something for it to work, or it has to be really complicated or hard for it to actually work. And so, if someone tells us, “Yeah, you basically look yourself in the eye or say it out loud, “I am,” whatever, like, “I am loving and I accept myself,” or “I am enough,” or whatever those words are out loud,” people are like, “It can’t be that simple,” but it is. Like, I love how you said that, Katie, when you barely could mutter the words because most people will feel that. They’ll feel like they’re saying a lie and they’re like, “Why is it so hard for me to say these out loud?” And it’s because, like, the body goes where the mind tells it, so it’s, like, doesn’t even know how to say it because the body isn’t lined up. So the more you say it to your mind, it actually affects the nervous system, and your body and your whole direction in life goes where you’re constantly speaking. So anoint yourself. Speak the truth of who you are.

Katie: I love that. How do you do that? Do you have examples of how you do that with your kids? You said you have preteens plus teenage. How do you help them have the tools to do that from a young age?

Danette: Yeah. I wish I would’ve started… Obviously, my oldest, when I was going through all my hard stuff and I learned about this, she was about eight or nine, and then my youngest was, you know, really young, so I started with them at that time. And I’ve found that the younger one is more willing to do it, like, so I taught them. I was, like, every night, because you can when they’re little. You can be, like, “Okay, say three affirmations.” So I would make him say it at night. And instead of me saying it, I would tell them what I saw in them. And that as a mom, I have to tell you, has been one of the biggest things that I could have offered my kids at night especially if they had a bad day. It was really effective. I would be like, “Can I tell you what I see in you?” And they would be like, “Sure.”

You know, at first, they were like, “What?” and then I would tell them all the things that I saw in them that were beautiful, and powerful, and loving, and they ended up getting to a point where they were like, “Tell me more.” But then, I taught them, I said, “I’m going to tell you what I see in you but I need you to tell me through I ams, and tell yourself what you see in yourself.” And that’s been the most powerful thing for them. And so, they learned it quite young. And so, I tell them, “Do your affirmations.” You know, how we go, “Do your prayers.” Like, we do family prayer, but then, when they go off to bed, I’m like, “Don’t forget your affirmations.” And I hope and pray that they do them on their own now that they’re older maybe because I can’t force that, but that’s where I started when they were young.

Katie: I love that, and we do that with gratitude as well. We’ll ask our kids, either at dinnertime or bedtime, “What are you grateful for today?” And encourage them to be specific because it’s easy to just be like, “Oh, I’m grateful that I have my siblings, or that, you know, we have family time,” whatever. But to have them, actually, be very specific about it just with the idea of training them to look for the good. Because when you know it’s something that’s going to be asked at the end of the day, you look for those good things throughout the day, and same with affirmations. When you are you able to say those things about yourself, you’ll also look for the good in yourself. And I think that’s, like, kind of, the idea of establishing our filters. Like, if we look for the bad and the pain, we’ll find it always, but if we focus on the good, and I’ve heard you say that, “We experience life from a perspective of pain,” I think is the quote. Am I remembering that right?

Danette: Yeah, maybe.

Katie: But, I think, also, it is a follow-up to that. I think it’s a great call as well. You’re such a big voice for women rising into their power and supporting each other in that, which I think is beautiful, and, maybe, that’s another way we can do that as women, is to be that voice of, “This is the good I see in you,” and calling that out, versus, you know, the mom wars that ensue on social media. Maybe that could become the movement.

Danette: I love that.

Katie: And I wanted to start with mindset because I really do think it’s the most important piece. And certainly, for me, the last two years have really driven that home more and more, that I did everything else “right” for so long. I ate a clean diet. I exercised all the time. And it wasn’t until I dealt with mindset and emotions that any of it shifted, so I wanted to start there. But you, also, are very much an expert in the physical side, and the fitness, and the food, and so, I want to make sure we cover this a little bit more in detail as well. And I love that you have, probably, like a very… Not controversial, but you have your own unique approach to this and you’re not preaching the whole, “We need to just work out more and harder, and we need to eat less.” Like, you take such a cool approach to this. So can you go a little deeper on the physical side, the food, and the movement side?

Danette: Yeah. And let me ask, like, what do you think people want to hear when it comes to the food and the movement? I have really simple guidelines because there’s so much out there, right, no wonder people are confused. I’m in the space and I’m like, “Well, the nutrition industry is shifting all the time.” What was once healthy that we learned is healthy, that we finally discover is not like a year or two later, it’s constantly shifting. And what’s projected on media is, most of the time, most of the time, completely false of what is actually true when it comes to nutrition. And so, it is a big mission of mine because I’m like, “I see it.” I see how there are so many different, you know, “Do I need to be paleo? Do I need to be vegan? Do I need to be raw vegan? Do I need to be…? You know, what do I need to be to be healthy?” And there’s so much discussion around it.

So let me share something that I learned from another researcher just recently. So there’s a woman, I’m a Hay House author, and she was writing specifically around cancer. And she had made it her mission, and like over years, to research cancer patients on what they did to survive. Like, she was researching people that had the type of cancer that most people died from, and she was really diving into this concept with them. And I asked her something. I said, “Because everyone thinks they know what’s the perfect nutrition for everyone,” and I said, “Was there a common denominator when it came to food, that these people took on that healed?” And she was like, “You know what’s interesting,” she’s like, “That was the one area where there was not.”

She was like, “Some people juiced. Some people became vegan. Some people ate meat.” She’s like, “The thing was, it’s whatever they believed is what came out.” So if they believed that eating meat was going to help them, it did. They believed they needed to be vegan and they had to juice, then it did. And my point with this is, there are some basic guidelines, and she said that. She was like, “They all followed the basic guidelines.” Like, they didn’t have toxic oils, or they didn’t eat white or wheat, like, flours, and like white sugars. But outside of that, it didn’t really matter when it came to someone who was dealing with health with their life.” And that’s what I want to share with you all is that it doesn’t need to be super complicated, that there are some parameters to follow. Sometimes I’m vegan. Sometimes I’m vegetarian. Sometimes I eat more paleo, like, but I don’t put myself in a label or a box that I’m one or the other. And the reason is because I don’t actually believe one is right for everyone all the time.

The parameters that I would just make it really, really simple is really be looking for…if you want to go as far as I go, look for superfoods. And those superfoods in my mind are really good, coconut oil, avocados, actually, I think are an amazing superfood and not a lot of people are talking about that. Cacao, raw cacao. So raw cacao is different than cocoa powder so make sure you’re consuming raw cacao. Turmeric, ginger, so trying to get ginger in. I think garlic and onions are a great one when you’re adding to your savory dishes as a superfood kick for all of your different immunities. And then, obviously, dark type of greens, so really looking for that leafy…think of it like being like a sponge. If you were going to clean something, you need a little bit of bristle to get it clean. It’s like that inside your system. So when I speak on those, I would try to get those in my diet once a day, sometimes some of them more than once, you know, in there together, but I’m always trying to find one of them a day, always, if not more than one a day.

The things that I avoid are really simple, and they’re meant to be simple because for me, life’s about living. I’m not going to eat a certain amount and I’m not… You know, I’m just going to, like, enjoy my life. I love food and I think that food made with love and the way I think about that food is going to process in my body in a certain way. And we know this scientifically. The way you think about the food in your body is going to affect how it’s digested in your body and how it’s going to show up, and I’ll get to that in a minute. But the food that I would avoid and that I do avoid, if I ever have them, it’s maybe once or twice a year because I’m in another country and I just want to try X, Y, Z or whatever is their famous thing of that place, but it’s white sugar. I absolutely do not have white sugar in my home. I don’t miss it at all. We use coconut sugar. We use 100% maple syrup. You can use raw honey. I have a lot of sweets in my life but I stay away from white sugar.

Vegetable canola oils, super toxic for your system, so I do not have that in my home nor will I buy products with it, I don’t even buy chips that contain that. We have chips on the regular because our whole family loves nacho night. We just buy the kind that are made with other oils. And you can find those. It’s not hard. And then, white and wheat flour, we do not have in our home either. So we just use almond flour or these different types of combinations that make up a gluten-free flour, because it’s super toxic in systems, and, actually, it can… I’m not a celiac or anything and neither are my children, but there has been correlation with anxiety and white and wheat four. So try taking those things away. And that’s, literally, how we are. And so, obviously, we don’t have soda pop in our home because soda pop contains white sugar. So there’s a lot of foods that have those ingredients that we remove and we don’t consume, but we’ve tried to find alternatives, and there are so many when you look for it, you can find them. So, yeah, that’s my basics.

Katie: I love that. I love the simplicity of your approach. And like I found in my own journey, like, the lack of restrictions and dogma, I agree. I think health is so personalized but there are these general rules that are almost universally applicable. And, like, even like superfoods, for instance, unless you have an allergy to them, they’re almost universally applicable, or avoiding the bad things, like you said. I’m 100% right there with you. We have no biological need for white sugar. There are alternatives that work just as well in anything so it’s an easy swap to make. Same with, rather than vegetable oils which are horrible for you, you can actually get nutrients from olive oil, or avocado, or so many other options. And so I love the simplicity of that. I think in a world of overwhelm, it brings such clarity. And you do this with movement as well. Like, I’m a big fan of when you post on Instagram, the simplicity of your workouts. And so, can you, kind of, give us the overarching approach that you take to that as well?

Danette: Yeah. So my overall approach is, “Do what you like.” So once again, there’s no right or wrong way to move your body. There’s Zumba, there’s HIIT, there’s CrossFit, there’s yoga, there’s Pilates, I mean, there’s all sorts of, kind of, movement. And I always say do what floats your boat and do what really lights you up, because that’s what you’re going to end up doing. If you’re moving and you hate it, once again, your mindset truly affects how food is digested as well as how the movement is actually affecting your body. So if you’re moving your body and you hate it, it most likely is translating that way. And I’m going to speak on running, for example.

I know so many people that call themselves runners but they say they hate running, but they run to be lean, that are not lean. And let me just say, have we ever seen a distance runner that we’ve seen on TV that likes it ever not feeling…? No. And I just want to bring to the point that the mind is so powerful. If you’re running and you hate it, like, you’re like, “I hate this,” I guarantee that it’s going to have, like, a backlash. Either you’re going to get injured, or, two, you, actually, aren’t going to see the results that you were going for.

So find the thing that you love because when you are in pleasure is when the body responds. Now, let me say that again because so many women are so afraid of their pleasure. We’re so good at turning off our pleasure, and I’m talking about all forms of pleasure because movement is actually a form of pleasure. Everyone who gets done, usually with a workout, feels a sense of pleasure. It is a rush of endorphins. There’s this euphoria that comes over your system. It’s not fun before, but after, we get that rush, and so, that pleasure center is huge, so find the thing that you really love.

And for me, I like simple, I like quick, I love running, though, too, so I don’t make that quick. For me, running is like moving therapy. So I go out and run, but I can also hike and get the same benefit, or go for a bike ride and get the same benefit. So I need some long steady cardio. For me, I don’t do long steady cardio for fat loss or to fit in my jeans. It’s, actually, kind of, counterintuitive. I do long steady cardio for my mental capacity. I feel that it is a moving meditation. I feel like it’s therapy that’s absolutely free. I work through so much stuff and that steady-state movement is conducive to, really, healing your system when it comes in your mind. And then, I also just like, really, like, harder, I like some intensity for me, but I also need yoga and Pilates. Even though it’s not my favorite form of moving, I always know it’s very needed at times because I’m pretty fiery. So, you know, just change it up, do what lights you up, try lots of different things, and keep it simple.

Katie: I agree. I think I got stuck in that mindset early on too, of, like, trying to find… Like, everybody had their approach and their exact method you were supposed to follow and it wasn’t… Like, with movement, it wasn’t until I actually started doing it just for fun that I ever wanted to stick with it. And so, now, like my movement is I’ll lift weights because I love it and I feel great after, but not for extended amounts of time. I love sprinting so I’ll race my kids and do a bunch of sprints, and that’s fun, or climb a tree, or hang upside down, like, all these things that I feel like I forgot for so long and that my kids have been great teachers in reminding me.

But I think you’re so right. It has to come back to fun. And same with healthy food, like, the mindset shift, the reason I think that has to come first is you have to want to do these things out of love and nourishment for your body. You have to want to move because it’s fun and because you feel great when you do it. You can’t ever punish yourself into that. And it makes me sad to see so much of the diet and fitness industries that focus more on that, like, extreme, punish, deprivation angle. And why I like your message so much is because you keep it in the positive and you focus on the good. And I think that, especially for women, but for everyone is just so important.

Danette: Thank you.

Katie: So as we get toward the end, a couple of other questions I love to ask, the first being if there’s a book or any number of books that have had a really dramatic impact on your life, and if so, what they are and why?

Danette: The one that came to mind first when you just asked that was “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks. Have you read that, Katie?

Katie: I haven’t.

Danette: Oh, it’s so good. And the reason it’s so good is because it lays out why we upper-limit or why we self-sabotage, and how you navigate that. And it really boils down to, like, really fundamental things like, one, the spotlight. You’re afraid of the spotlight. There’s also ones of, like, failure. Like, and it lays it out, and you can totally learn through the examples he lays out. “Oh, my gosh. That’s me and I didn’t even know that.” And that book really helped me to ensure I didn’t self-sabotage in our business when we first started off. It’s helped me not self-sabotage in my relationship because I got into a new relationship and I had all this old story around trust and things from my previous. It has been game-changing for me, so I’d highly recommend that book.

I’m trying to think. That one is the biggest ones that came up. I’m a ferocious reader so I can tell you so many books. I’m going to speak on an author that I really love. There’s two of them. Napoleon Hill, I think most of us know, “Think and Grow Rich.” But try some of his other books out there. He has so many books that are so really built around the mindset, whether it comes to success in your life or finances that crossover into every area of your life, so Napoleon Hill. And then, I love Paulo Coelho. He wrote “The Alchemist,” which he’s best known for but he has so many other books.

Katie: I love that. And your book “The Rise” is also wonderful. I’ll make sure that’s linked in the show notes as well at wellnessmama.fm if you guys are listening. Also, I think we’d be remiss too in the podcast without talking about your products because you mentioned superfoods, and you have, at least one that I’ve tried, Cacao Bliss, that is amazing. So talk about your products too.

Danette: Oh, thanks. I’m so passionate about it. Obviously, superfoods have been this big power of healing for me. And, you know, what was interesting when I was going through, like, my transition of coming out of depression and really claiming who Danette was is, there was this desire within me to travel to indigenous places. And I don’t know if everyone has that desire but for whatever reason, I would dream about being invited where no blonde hair, blue-eyed girl would be invited. And, literally, because of that intention and holding that vision, I started getting invited.

And I found myself in a particular circle with these indigenous tribe, and most of them were men but there was a few, what they would call the grandmas. And we were sitting in a circle, and in the jungle, and they passed out these little, like, cups with dark liquid in them. And at the time, I didn’t know what it was. And they were like, “We’re doing a ceremony and it’s a cacao ceremony. We do this every full moon. We do it on new moons. But it’s a time for us to set intention, and time for us to connect back to our hearts.” And it was this really profound moment for me when I drank the raw cacao, which they infused with some raw honey from their bees, locally. They actually had sprinkled some turmeric in there, and a little bit of cayenne pepper. I thought it was super delicious but after I drank it, I was, like, feeling this almost euphoria high. I was like, “Whoa, what was in that?” Like, I was happy. And then, honestly, that intention that I set manifested, and they’d said it would. And I was like, “Whoa, what was that?”

And so, I started to talk to the tribe leaders and then I also did research on my own, and what they were serving was raw cacao, and, obviously, it was infused with one superfood which was turmeric. But I started learning about the other superfoods that they, sometimes, add to it. So they were adding, in different tribes, like, mesquite and lucuma, which are, like, different types of superfoods growing in the Southern regions. And they would help build up immunity, would help build up stamina for… If they weren’t able to eat, they could drink cacao. And I also found that cacao was built in for the ages. It was so highly revered in the Mayan culture that they literally buried it, and they revered it more than currency. It was so potent for people’s healing and for cognition, like, people would drink it, and it literally contains theobromine to like…

I get so excited, Katie, by this because they’ve been studies on curing all Alzheimer’s. If you want to, like, open your mind and have blood flow in your mind, and have better brain cognition, and remember things, and get into flow state, drink cacao. And there were so many stories of some of the greats of the greats doing this, and so, I was, like, committed to bringing raw cacao, the way it was cultivated, to our modern world. And so, I looked into trying to find a farmer that actually did it the indigenous way, which called ceremonial grade, where they lay it out in the sun and literally let the sun kiss it, and then, they grind it into a powder. And we infused it with lucuma, mesquite, turmeric, MCT oil, which none of them were doing, but they did, sometimes, add a different kind of fat depending on the region. But I just knew that that was going to be, like, a massive carrier of all the superfoods through the cells.

And I was doing that for like two years on my own, making this, and knowing that I was supposed to bring it to the mainstream, but not knowing how I was going to do it. We’d never sold product before. But I was drinking it and I was telling my whole community about it, and I told them how to mix it, like what was the exact percentages of each ingredient. And people were writing into me going, “I’m not depressed. What’s in this? And I feel good.” Because, we also know that raw cacao contains anandamide, which is only two foods in the world do, which literally acts as like a heart opener. So when you’re feeling love or you’re just done making love, that anandamide is released in your body. And raw cacao, not cocoa but raw cacao contains anandamide.

And so, we created Cacao Bliss because, one, I wanted everyone to, one, feel themselves more, like, tap into their heart, but also have every superfood that they could get to really increase their immunity. That, instead of taking greens, if you didn’t want to do greens, you could do Cacao Bliss and have a lot of the potent superfoods right in your fingertips, but then, you also have pleasure because it’s super delicious. So that’s one of our products.

Katie: Yeah, that’s the one I’ve tried. I’ll make sure there’s a link in the show notes at wellnessmama.fm, and I’ll also post it on social the day this airs. It’s delicious. I love it. It’s like an afternoon pick-me-up for me most days, and it’s incredibly just… It’s delicious. So I love that you have created that. Where can people follow you online to learn more and stay in touch?

Danette: Yeah. The easiest way is just my website at danettemay.com. On social, it’s just TheDanetteMay.com, so whether it’s IG or Facebook. But, yeah, we’re constantly putting out content, like, I think it’s three times a week that’s free content, recipes, mindset tools, workouts on the blog as well as on social.

Katie: I love it. And you guys, those links will be in the show notes at wellnessmama.fm. So if you are driving or exercising, you can find all of them there. But, Danette, I’m so glad we finally got to connect and do this, and I just really love you and love your work.

Danette: No, thank you, it’s was so great to connect.

Katie: And thanks, as always, to all of you for listening and for sharing your time with us. We’re both so grateful that you did. And I hope that you will join me again on the next episode of “The Wellness Mama Podcast.”

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/podcast/danette-may/

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10 Self-Care DIYs for When You’re Bored At Home

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10 Self-Care DIYs for When You’re Bored At Home

Are you bored in the house? I got you. Some of you may remember years ago when Lee and I ran a lifestyle and DIY site called SHEuncovered (#RIP). While those days may be gone (along with the URL!) I’m still a a DIY lover and especially love DIYs that help encourage self-care! Honestly, if I could trademark “productive relaxation” I would. Maybe it’s the Virgo in me but I feel most relaxed when I’m creating something and especially if that something helps me take care of myself.

So if you’re jumping on the whole “productive relaxation” train (if not, that’s cool too!), I decided to round-up my favorite self-care DIYs because you get two benefits in one project: a satisfying task that doesn’t involve polishing off a Netflix series and basically an at-home spa experience. BOOM. Let’s do it…

10 Self-Care DIY Projects

1. Homemade Bar Soap

Making homemade bar soap easier than you think! In this step-by-step guide I’ll show you how to make homemade bar soap using simple melt and pour soap and ingredients that benefit all skin types but especially sensitive skin!

2. Homemade Bath Salts

This homemade bath salts recipe will help soothe sore muscles, moisturize skin and relax you into your next bath – with 4 different combinations to help you customize your bath salts blend to meet your needs.

3. Hydrating Avocado Face Mask

Get glowing skin with this hydrating face mask. Made with just two (or three!) simple ingredients, this face mask can be made entirely from kitchen ingredients you likely already have on hand.

4. Gingerbread Body Scrub

Make this luxurious scrub with just 6 ingredients and one bowl. You can throw together this sugar scrub in minutes and have a spa day in no time at all.

5. Aromatherapy Candles

Who doesn’t love candles? If you’ve never made your own, you need to start now. You just need wax, wicks and essential oils.

6. Yogurt Face Mask

Did you know that yogurt can be good for your skin? Make this simple, nourishing face mask with a few key ingredients.

7. Homemade Salt Scrub

This basic recipe will help you customize it to your liking so you can maximize the detox benefits of this therapeutic scrub.

8. DIY Stress Relief Tea

One of my favorite rituals for stress reduction is sipping on herbal tea. This DIY tea is a blend of herbs that specifically target our nervous system to help decrease and balance our stress levels. Each herb has an individual effect helping to support the body, holistically.

9. Homemade Rosewater

Balance out your skin by making your own rosewater! It helps balance the pH balance, soothes irritation and reduces redness. Plus it smells amazing and is so simple to make!

10. DIY Natural Deodorant

A simple homemade deodorant recipe that smells amazing and actually works! Made with clean, all-natural ingredients and ready in under 10 minutes, this natural deodorant recipe will quickly become a staple in your body routine.

So get that crafturday going and whip up some of these DIYs while giving yourself and extra dose of self-care. Enjoy!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHealthyMaven/~3/BFSemAc3M5o/

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Simple Seasonal Eating Guide for Families

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Simple Seasonal Eating Guide for Families

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]

I’m always looking for easy ways to improve my family’s health and seasonal eating is one of the best. We don’t drive ourselves crazy over it but try to enjoy dreaming up recipes based on what’s at the farmer’s market or in the garden. And it’s not as hard as it seems! Seasonal eating comes naturally when you simply change your mindset and get in touch with where your food comes from.

Why Eat Seasonally?

Eating seasonally has many benefits:

Taste – In-season produce is often much tastier than out of season produce because it doesn’t have to be shipped as far (or at all) and can ripen for longer on the plant.

Health – For the same reason that in-season produce tastes better, it’s also generally higher in nutrients.

Support Local Economy – Eating in-season means you can support the local economy and your local food growers by buying from local farmers instead of the grocery store.

Cost – Eating seasonally also means you’re buying food when it’s least expensive, saving on your grocery bill.

Because I keep a garden, seasonal eating is a necessity. But it’s also a lot of fun to find what’s coming into season in the grocery store or farmer’s market and figure out how to use those items.

How to Eat Seasonally (& Have Fun Doing It)

Moms are often already stretched thin, so adding one more thing to the to-do list can be very overwhelming. Luckily seasonal eating doesn’t have to be another to-do list item. It can be a fun addition to a healthy lifestyle.

Here’s how:

Have a Plan

Having a plan for using seasonal produce is important. If you don’t normally meal plan, now might be a good time to start. I use Real Plans to plan out my family’s weekly meals. It’s much simpler than doing it myself and Real Plans automatically serves up seasonal recipes!

Think Differently

To start eating seasonally you’ll have to change your mindset a bit. Instead of eating blueberries every other week throughout the year you’ll have to find interesting ways to use them in the summer when they’re in season (or frozen ones at other times).

Don’t Overcomplicate

When it comes to finding seasonal recipes for the produce you’re growing or buying locally, keep it simple. Don’t try to cook complicated dishes before you’re comfortable with using certain ingredients together. Stick with simple recipes and build your skills and knowledge base slowly.

What to Do With Seasonal Produce

Once you start to buy produce seasonally, you’ll realize that you end up with a lot of one thing at a time.

Here are some ideas for dealing with large amounts of seasonal produce:

Learn to preserve – If you can buy or grow lots of tomatoes in the summer, learn to can or freeze them for the winter. Do the same for other produce you find in-season. If canning isn’t your jam (pun intended), try pickling, freezing, drying, or fermenting to extend the life of in-season foods.

Adjust to eating more when it’s fresh – We tend to eat the foods we like at regular intervals all year. But seasonal eating asks us to eat a lot of one item when it’s fresh (and little or none at other times of the year). That means we might eat lots of berries in the summer, but stick with citrus fruits in the winter.

Bake with the extra – Another option is to make sweet breads, muffins, casseroles, and quiches with whatever you have a lot of and freeze those for later.

When I get a large harvest from my garden or the farmer’s market I do all three of these things! It gives the kids something to look forward to (all the strawberries you can eat in June!) and adds routine to the year.

What’s in Season Now?

What produce is in season depends on where you live in the world. The easiest way to know what’s in season is to go to your local farm or farmer’s market and see what they are producing. You can also check a state-by-state seasonal food guide.

But local foods are not the only in-season foods. Foods that travel from other climates also have a season.

For example, most Americans can’t buy local citrus fruits, but the winter is the best time to get them at their freshest and lowest price. Here’s what to look for at the grocery store or farmer’s market for the freshest produce year-round:

January

For most people, January is a time of rest and reflection. The garden has long been put to bed and the season calls for warm soups and stews as well as lots of starchy vegetables. Here’s what’s in season in January:

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Grapefruit

Kale

Leeks

Lemons

Oranges

Parsnips

Pomegranates

Potatoes

Rutabagas

Tangelos

Tangerines

Turnips

Winter Squash

January Seasonal Recipes:

February

For many climates, February is cold and dark, so warm and bright foods are welcome! Root veggies, cruciferous veggies, and citrus fruit are abundant:

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Grapefruit

Kale

Leeks

Lemons

Oranges

Parsnip

Radishes

Rutabagas

Spinach

Sweet Potatoes

Tangelos

Turnips

February Seasonal Recipes:

March

March is the official start of spring. Spring brings back the more fragile vegetables like greens and reminds us that more fresh produce is coming!

Artichokes

Arugula

Asparagus

Avocado

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cauliflower

Celery

Collard greens

Kale

Leeks

Lemons

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Oranges

Parsnip

Pineapples

Radishes

Rutabagas

Spring peas

Swiss chard

Turnips

March Seasonal Recipes:

April

As April enters we start to see more spring vegetables and some fruits start popping into the stores.

Artichokes

Arugula

Asparagus

Avocados

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Celery

Collard greens

Leeks

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Pineapples

Radishes

Rhubarb

Spring peas

Strawberries

Sweet onions

April Seasonal Recipes:

May

May ushers in the end of school for some and the beginning of the unofficial summer (Memorial Day). Berries start showing their faces as well as other fruits.

Apricots

Artichokes

Asparagus

Avocados

Blackberries

Blueberries

Carrots

Celery

Cantaloupe

Cherries

Collard greens

Cucumber

Grapes

Lettuce

Mangoes

Okra (a favorite of mine)

Pineapples

Radishes (my kids will eat them in this dip recipe)

Rhubarb

Spinach

Spring peas

Strawberries

Sweet onions

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

Zucchini

May Seasonal Recipes:

June

The official start of summer begins at the end of June and the wealth of fresh fruits and veggies is growing every day.

Apricots

Avocados

Blueberries

Cantaloupe

Cherries

Corn

Garlic

Kiwi

Lettuce

Mangoes

Peaches

Pineapple

Raspberries

Strawberries

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Zucchini

June Seasonal Recipes:

July

Summer is in full swing and BBQs and backyard grilling are favorite ways to prepare meals. Here’s what to look out for this month:

Apricots

Avocados

Blackberries

Blueberries

Cantaloupe

Corn

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Garlic

Green beans

Kiwi

Kohlrabi

Lettuce

Mangoes

Okra

Peaches

Peppers

Pineapple

Plums

Raspberries

Strawberries

Summer squash

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Zucchini

July Seasonal Recipes:

August

For many places August is the hottest month of the year which means lots of picnics at the beach! Luckily there are lots of easy to pack fruits and veggies available this month:

Apples

Apricots

Blueberries

Cantaloupe

Corn

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Figs

Green beans

Kiwi

Kohlrabi

Lettuce

Mangoes

Okra

Peaches

Peppers

Plums

Raspberries

Strawberries

Summer squash

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Zucchini

August Seasonal Recipes:

September

As school resumes and summer vacation ends families are looking for packable lunch items and simple recipes. But September is still technically summer for a few more weeks so there are lots to choose from:

Apples

Beets

Cantaloupe

Cauliflower

Eggplant

Figs

Grapes

Green beans

Lettuce

Mangoes

Mushrooms

Okra

Peppers

Persimmons

Pomegranates

Pumpkins

Spinach

Sweet potatoes

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

September Seasonal Recipes:

October

Many areas are cooling down and crisp or brisk weather is a welcome change for the hot days of summer. October is when heartier veggies begin to come into season. Many of these veggies store well long term:

Apples

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Cranberries

Grapes

Leeks

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Parsnips

Persimmons

Pomegranates

Pumpkins

Rutabagas

Spinach

Sweet potatoes

Swiss chard

Turnips

Winter squash

October Seasonal Recipes:

November

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so flavors reminiscent of this American tradition are on many people’s minds. Find root vegetables and cruciferous veggies in abundance this month as well as a few choice fruits:

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Cranberries

Leeks

Mushrooms

Oranges

Parsnips

Pears

Persimmons

Pomegranates

Pumpkins

Rutabagas

Spinach

Sweet potatoes

Tangerines

Turnips

Winter squash

November Seasonal Recipes:

December

The holiday season is in full swing and Christmas is just a few weeks away. December brings more of those hearty vegetables that are great with roasts or in soups.

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Grapefruit

Kale

Leeks

Mushrooms

Oranges

Papayas

Parsnips

Pears

Pomegranates

Rutabagas

Sweet potatoes

Tangelos

Turnips

Winter Squash

December Seasonal Recipes:

Seasonal Eating Made Easy

It might be overwhelming to start eating more seasonally but it’s not as difficult as it seems. You don’t need to go all-in and only eat local or in-season produce. Simply add more seasonal produce to your meal plan as you can. This is a great way to get you thinking seasonally. Soon you’ll be eating and serving as much seasonal produce as you want!

How do you eat seasonally? What are your tips?

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/428020/seasonal-eating/

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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The Best Natural Tinted Moisturizers

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The Best Natural Tinted Moisturizers

I feel like “tinted moisturizers” are having a moment. Especially now that we’re all home and not wanting a full coverage face of makeup. They add a nice even layer to the skin without feeling like you have something super heavy on it. In general, they’re lighter coverage than foundation and tend to have additional skin benefits (other than just coverage). So to help you guys out in your clean tinted moisturizer journey, I thought I’d round up my favorite natural tinted moisturizers and what you should be looking for in products.

Types of Tinted Moisturizers

“Tinted moisturizer” is pretty much a broad term for a light layer coverage skincare product. They often go by a couple of different names and occasionally also have SPF (woot!). You’ll notice a lot of crossover with my natural facial sunscreen post because many tinted moisturizers include SPF and many facial sunscreens have a layer of coverage. Twice the bang for your buck! Let’s look at a couple different names for natural tinted moisturizers.

Tinted moisturizer – This is exactly as it sounds: face moisturizer with a tint. It’s typically pretty sheer coverage and depending on the product, may or may not include SPF.

Skin tints – Basically another name for tinted moisturizer that has gained popularity in the last few years.

BB Cream – Remember around five years ago when BB creams were all the rage?! BB creams provide a little coverage while also benefitting the skin with added antioxidants and SPF.

CC Cream – The “cc” in CC cream stands for color correcting! CC creams usually provide benefits to your skin as well as color correcting properties. If you have redness or any discoloration of the skin, this will balance out your skin tone!

The Best Natural Tinted Moisturizers

Clean beauty has come out with a bunch of really awesome tinted moisturizers, bb creams, cc creams and the like in the last few years. I wanted to round up some of my favorites that I think are worth investing in.

ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint

This has become my go-to product of the summer! ILIA released this earlier this year and I absolutely love the light-weight formula, skin benefits and SPF 40! It is very sheer and dewy so don’t expect full coverage but it definitely helps to even out any redness. If you tend to have oily skin you will likely want a setting powder for this product but my dry skin loves it.

Benefits: Super moisturizing, great ingredients for your skin, dewy finish. My shade: ST5

Suntegrity Impeccable Skin

If you’re looking for something with slightly more coverage than the ILIA skin tint, you will love the Suntegrity Impeccable Skin. It’s not quite a foundation but does definitely even things out. It’s also oil-free if that’s your thing is dries down a lot more than the ILIA skin tint so best for people who tend to have more oily-combination skin.

Benefits: Evens out skin tone, oil and fragrance-free and matte finish. My Shade: Buff

Juice Beauty CC Cream

I mentioned this in my facial sunscreen but but this is actually my beach day sunscreen but also a great CC cream for everyday use. It does contain coconut oil which is comedogenic for certain skin types BUT I personally haven’t found it correlates with any of my breakouts. That being said, it is reef-safe and has anti-aging benefits that none of the other facial sunscreens on this list have so it’s kind of a double-whammy. I will reapply it throughout the day but I trust that I won’t burn or overexpose my skin when wearing this.

Benefits: long-lasting, anti-aging benefits, light coverage. My shade: Desert Glow

Kosas Tinted Face Oil

For anyone who loves a good oil moisturizer but wants a little bit of coverage you will love this product. It’s definitely a wet consistency but it does dry down a lot throughout the day. Perfect for anyone who wants that “no makeup makeup” look. They also have the most extensive shade range. Though I haven’t tried it, the Vapour Velvet Glow Foundation looks to be a very similar product even though it’s advertised as a foundation.

Benefits: Super moisturizing and oil-based My Shade: 04

Tinted Moisturizers I Don’t Love:

W3ll People Bio Tint Multi-Action Moisturizer

My biggest issue with this tinted moisturizer is the lack of options for shades. It’s pretty limited and not inclusive so while I actually do like the coverage of this product, I won’t be recommending it until they expand their product line.

Beautycounter Tint Skin

I actually don’t mind this tinted moisturizer as much as I don’t like it as a foundation so perhaps this isn’t all bad. Obviously I have a lot of strong feelings about Beautycounter but my main issue is that this product is advertised as a their foundation that is buildable, but frankly it is not. As a tinted moisturizer, it’s fine. If you think you’re getting more than a light layer of coverage, think again.

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349: How to Be Your Best in High Stress Situations With Former Army Ranger and CIA Agent Jeff Banman

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349: How to Be Your Best in High Stress Situations With Former Army Ranger and CIA Agent Jeff Banman

Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.

This episode is sponsored by Joovv Red Light Therapy, a natural red light therapy in your very own home. We may not think of light when we think of essential nutrients that our body needs, but light is absolutely necessary for the body. This is the reason I go outside as soon as possible after waking up in the morning, and the reason I spend time in front of my Joovv. Light is energy and our bodies need light in certain forms in order to sustain healthy cellular function. Red light in particular, especially in certain wavelengths, has very specific benefits for hair, skin, and cellular energy. I like Joovv because they are third-party tested for safety and performance and use a Patented modular design which allows you easily treat your whole body in under 20 minute and lets you use anything from a small system to a larger system that you would find in a Chiropractors office. Joovv uses clinically proven wavelengths of light that provide energy to the body. They have Bundle pricing discounts which allow you to save more money when purchasing larger setups. Get free shipping at joovv.com/wellnessmama and use code WELLNESSMAMA for a free gift!

This podcast is brought to you by Wellnesse, a new company I co-founded to bring the best personal care products from my family to yours. Our whitening toothpaste is based on my DIY formula that I have been making and perfecting for over a decade. Now, after almost 100 rounds of tweaking the formula and thousands of positive reviews, I could not be more proud to share this with your family. Have you ever read a tube of normal toothpaste? I did when my older kids were little, and I found a warning that said, “Warning, keep away from children. Do not swallow. If ingested contact Poison Control or seek medical attention immediately.” That seemed a little extreme for something that I was putting in my mouth and my children’s mouth multiple times a day. And I didn’t want my kids using something that often that I would need to call a poison control center if they accidentally swallowed. I set out to create a truly safe and effective alternative. And the Wellnesse Whitening toothpaste is just that. It’s designed to support the oral microbiome and the natural process of saliva and teeth so that teeth can stay white and strong. This dentist approved formula is safe for the whole family and will leave your teeth shiny and your breath fresh. You can check out our toothpaste and our completely natural hair food hair care products at wellnesse.com. An insider tip, if you grab an essentials bundle or try autoship, you will lock in a discount so that you can try everything at a great price.

Katie: Hello and welcome to the Wellness Mama Podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com and wellnesse.com, my new line of completely natural and safe personal care products that work, as well as conventional alternatives. And in this episode, we’re going to talk all about how to be your best in high-stress situations, which probably a lot of us are experiencing now and over the past few months. I am here with Jeff Banman, who is a former firefighter, US Army Ranger, and CIA Counter-terrorism Operator. And he has dedicated his life to discovering what separates people who are successful from those who aren’t. He’s conducted operations and missions all over the world, including in combat zones and high threat environments. And before you sit and think, “Well, what does that have to do with me?” I have always maintained that parents have a lot in common with special forces and we’re gonna go into that today. In fact, I would put moms up against special forces, at least mentally, quite often, but we’re gonna talk about that and how you can use lessons learned from people who operate in these really high-stress, extreme situations to be better in your own day-to-day life. And Jeff is a parent as well, so we also talk about how to foster this mindset of resilience and strength in your kids from an early age, focusing on what he calls the three Cs of this: comfort, confidence, and creativity. Super fascinating episode and I know that you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording. Jeff, welcome. Thanks for being here.

Jeff: Hey, thanks for having me, Katie. I really appreciate it.

Katie: I am so excited to chat with you because I have listened to a couple of podcast interviews that you’ve done with other podcasts and gained some really useful tips on things we can learn to be our best in high-stress situations. And I feel like modern life certainly has no shortage of high-stress situations these days, especially right now. And so I think this is gonna be a very practical and helpful interview. And for anybody who just heard your bio and is thinking like, “Okay, this guy is amazing. He was a ranger and in the CIA, but what does that have to do with me?” I just wanna preface to all of my parents listening by saying that I actually think I would put moms up against Special Forces in a lot of scenarios. And I’ve joked about this for a long time, but I think there actually are some similarities, not just the joking ones about sleep deprivation which, to my understanding, they actually stopped using as a form of torture but moms still endure.

But just the leadership role of running a family, managing a team, all of the daily challenges that we face and the inability to step back from that as a mom or as someone in combat. You don’t get the option to just walk away and take a vacation. And so I think that there’s a lot of similarities there. And I think that the parents listening can learn a lot from your research and your mindset because of that.

Jeff: Yeah, I appreciate it. I mean, it is. There is a stream that runs through all of us. And for me, I’ve always kind of come to this place where it’s like, it doesn’t really matter what the situation is or whether you’re overseas and doing crazy stuff or running into a burning building or trying to, you know, manage three screaming kids. It’s a matter of fact. I’ve, you know, I will tell on myself. It’s like easier to be in the world than it is to be home some times. So I’m in complete agreement with you that you could take a lot of parents and you could definitely take a lot of moms and you can put them up against some of the ”best of the best” out there and they’d probably come out better on the other end because of the complexities they deal with on a regular basis.

Katie: And I think there was something interesting I learned from you and I’d love to kind of delve into is the idea that hopefully many people listening have never been shot at or been in a really like combat type situation. But from what I’ve heard from you and read from you, the brain doesn’t necessarily know the difference between that type of stress and other types of stress that we encounter daily. Is that right?

Jeff: Yeah. I mean, I think, what we’ve learned over time is the perception of stress is so individualized that you can’t come with, “Oh, they have it harder than I do,” right? You can’t come with this mentality that somehow, you know, but I’m just gonna use the example. Somehow life as a mom trying to run a household and manage kids and do everything they need to do and sometimes probably trying to keep their husband in line or vice versa, or whatever it may be, whoever really kind of runs a household. You know, that that is somehow less stressful or less important or less, whatever than, running into a burning building or chasing bad guys down or operating around the world. It’s not a point of comparison in my book, right? How you perceive and how you process is always so, so individualized.

And so we’ve gotta approach it that way. We’ve gotta give ourselves a little bit of grace to that, you know, and stay away from this, “Well, you know, I only do this.” No, that’s a huge lift every day. That’s a huge accomplishment, a huge task. There’s a lot to that. And, you know, I think sometimes as humans we don’t give ourselves enough credit for what we do and how we do it and the things we have to deal with along the way.

Katie: Yeah, I agree. And there’s a lot of memes and jokes going around in the mom community about like, you know, I kept the tiny humans alive all day. But that speaks to the fact that we have these people who are completely responsible for us, that we do have to keep alive just like in a combat situation and the team is responsible for keeping each other alive and safe. And so our brain, especially as moms, those are very much high stakes, very real world stakes. And so of course, there can be stress that goes with that. I’m curious what you found in your research of what separates those who tend to do well with stress from those who struggle more in such stressful situations.

Jeff: Yeah, it kind of goes into this what I call the operational mindset because of what I do in the community I now serve and what I get to…how I get to contribute now. You know, and I had the opportunity to really dive in and do some deep dive research, look at human behavior in high-stress environments. I tend to say I was doing biofeedback and mindset stuff before they were cool. So you were talking quite some time ago. And, you know, as I began to look at kind of the traits and postures of people, there were three things that I kind of came to and it was very interesting and it came from data and interviews and looking at kind of who, you know, the top 1% of performers in my world.

And you heard it in their language, in their stories and really it came down to three kind of key points. The ability to be highly comfortable in extremely uncomfortable situations, right? And that’s not a model of complacency. That’s like a place of, okay, I’m good and yes, this isn’t maybe a great situation or this is uncomfortable for me, or this is a new experience, or this is just stretching me, but it’s kind of a reminder that me, I’m okay. I’m good here. I can manage this. Which bleeds to the second point around competence, right? So comfort and incompetence. And that’s not arrogance. That’s not like I got this, I can handle that. It’s stepping back to what I call…refer to as like your own power, right? Settling in. Okay. Again, that’s a reminder, I’m good. I can deal with this. I don’t necessarily like it. I don’t necessarily wanna be dealing with this right now, but I’m okay and I have the self-confidence. I’m gonna rely on my own skillset and my own emotional control and my own points of stability to create the competence I need to kind of work through or manage through whatever it may be this kind of high-stress moment in time.

And then the last one is creativity, right? And this is like, I don’t know, but I surely will figure it out. You know, and mothers, I feel like mothers do this far greater than fathers. I’ve watched this, I watched this in myself. They have an instinctive ability to redirect or move or be creative in a moment or find a creative solution. And, you know, that’s one of the key things that I’ve spent years training operators to understand how to bring a unique level of creativity to the environment because nothing is ever gonna go the way we planned it. Nothing is ever gonna happen the way we want it to happen. And if we’re not stepping up our game in that level of flexibility and being adaptive in those situations, you know, then it starts to avalanche, right? It starts the downward slide of I don’t know what to do. No, I don’t know what to do. And then I start beating myself up and then I’m frustrated or I’m anxious for whatever else and I’m not gonna get anywhere at that point in time. So really, the three kind of mastery traits I’ve seen are that comfort, confidence and creativity. That’s what we try to achieve in a lot of ways.

Katie: I love that. That’s so easy to remember and to focus on. Do you have any practical tips for both learning that as adults and then also for fostering that in our kids as a mindset? Because I homeschool my six kids and I’ve basically written my own curriculum because I realized that the school system, I didn’t feel like it was preparing them for whatever the future of technology makes their adult life look like, which would be highly adaptive. And so we focus on core values of creativity and critical thinking and connecting the dots and thinking outside the box so they get rewarded for those things. And so I’ve kind of learned how to do that in a school environment. But I love what you’re saying and I’m curious, how can we as parents learn to do that in the moment when things get stressful and also help impart that to our kids?

Jeff: Yeah, I think, you know, this is Katie, this is always the fun stuff. It feels like there’s a lot of complexity behind some very simple things, right? And so at the end of the day, you know, whether…it doesn’t matter when I’m working with my kids or my, you know, I’ve got a two, I’ve got the gamut of 16, 14 and two and a half. So I went back and did it again, which has been spectacular. We operate very much kind of in the conscious parenting zone in raising the children, pay attention to a lot of things. But at the end of the day, here’s what I feel like we don’t give ourselves or give our kids or give our families a lot of time. And that’s just space.

And so how do we create space, right? The freedom to learn, the space to actually like be present and digest what’s happening. And that to me, the best tool for that is breathing, right? And there’s a million and a half, you know, options for breath work and all kinds of things and different times to use for different things. I always teach people, it’s like, find what works for you. You know, maybe it’s just that four in, four out rhythmic breathing process and maybe it’s 30 seconds, maybe it’s a minute, maybe it’s five minutes, right? But it’s just the breath actually does a couple things for us. It gives us the opportunity to ground ourselves, to anchor in the present moment. You know, you’ll see me, I’ll stick into a breathing cycle and I’ll look around and hear a bird chirp or what’s actually happening now, right? And get hyper present to what’s actually taking place. I’m able to connect with my kids that way, what’s going on for them.

Because when I do that, it settles me, settles them. And then there’s actually this calm space in the environment. My go-to word, and, you know, I say it on my podcast all the time, but I feel like my world, our job and parents’ job is, it’s our commitment to bring calm to chaos. And if we’re not the calm, we’re the chaos. And so that’s like the…that’s the metal check I do, right? And am I creating the chaos or am I the guy bringing the calm to the chaos right now? And so when I use that mental check, I can step back. I can just kind of trigger into an easy float breath cycle and then my energy settles and when my energy settles, everyone else’s energy settles. And then we like, “Okay, what do we need to do now? What’s the next step?” And that has been true, you know, in a burning building, that has been true in combat. That has been true running operations around the world and looking for bad people and all kinds of things. So I feel like that’s like the universal anchor that we can apply.

Katie: Yeah, I love that. That’s such a simple but really, really practical thing we can try. And I feel like another thing that I’ve read or listened to from you is kind of the idea, and you touched on it a little bit, but that people are typically better at handling like direct stressors or things that we identify as stressful or like a lot of people say like, I’m great in crisis mode. And my husband and I even said that like, we’re great in crisis mode, but what’s tough is those little like kind of paper cut annoyances that build up. And I know for moms that’s usually at the end of the day like that 4:00 to 5:00 p.m that’s when the stress hits and you have that just kind of like overwhelming kind of sense of stress and overwhelm. And it’s because of all those little miniature things that have built up all day. So any tips for dealing with that when it’s just kind of nothing huge, nothing massive, nothing cataclysmic, but that like buildup of small annoyances?

Jeff: 100%. So this was probably one of the catalyst points when we were doing research. So we were able to really look at minute shifts in heart rate variability, which is the measurement tool for stress on the system, on the body, right, internally. And we found a very interesting phenomenon. So what we did was we divided up stress into three key categories. So direct stressors, those are things that come at us that we��re kind of prepared for, we train for or we expect to maybe happen throughout the day or throughout the environment. Then we have indirect stressors. Those are things that could happen, but tend to blind side us, right? I often compare it to like you’re driving down the road, you know. Yes, there’s always a possibility being an accident, but you just, somebody just ran a red light while you were in the middle of the intersection totally sideswiped you. You didn’t see it coming. And that’s a level.

And then there’s this third category, which I call indirect or I call satellite or peripheral stresses. These are like annoyance things in the environment. These are I can’t find my keys. These are, you know, the kid stuff the cell phone under the cushion and you can’t find it, right? And what I have found through a variety of things were we watch performance drop minimally a direct and indirect stone, but we watched performance drops significantly when we really ramped up the satellite or peripheral stressors in the environment. And this was very curious to me because we started to see where the inability to recover from small moments in time created what we call the stacking effect.

So literally, it was a nuanced stress, didn’t recover kind of annoyance factor, continued to operate or continue to work. Another one raised the bar, another one raised the bar, another one raised the bar and there was a failure to recover along the way. Or like I talk about being recoverable, like it just exists in you 24/7 where you can actually feel anxiety creep in. You can feel frustration creep in. You can feel the sensation in the body start to build, which is the trigger point to go,”Okay, I need a point of recovery.” And that may be a half a second, you know, behind a piece of cover while you’re getting shot at. And that may be setting the kids in front of the TV for a second and going in the other room and do it, you know, a quick just sit on the bed and okay I’m breathing now and settle down. It could be any number of things, right?

So you have to create what works for you. But really the essence is how well can you recover from the small things and not to let those things compound because it will then result in something significant. You find you almost create the direct stressors yourself down the road if you allow that to just build over time. Does that make sense to you?

Katie: Yeah, that does. That makes total sense. And I can see that in my own life. Just the difference between days when you’d like, you just feel that point and then everything seems just inconquerable at that point. Like you have to cook dinner and it’s the end of the world. And also, it’s a good reminder too, because I think our kids feel that as well. You know, when you have a young child who hits that just complete meltdown point, that’s probably exactly where they are as well. And so remembering, you know, they’re not being a problem, they’re having a problem. And how can we help them go through the same thing and reset, like that’s a great reminder.

Jeff: Yeah. And that’s it, and that triggers back to if you…it can be very easily, like you end up in the chaos without even realizing it sometimes. And that’s the checkpoint. It’s like, wait a minute, I’m actually, I’m being the chaos right now. Maybe and as a parent I’m bringing it cause it is my response. I just read a great book where he talked about energetic consent and so how to be responsible for our own energy in the space and the impact that can have on everyone around us. You know, and I know from my world that was huge. You know, if I’m walking into a high-risk meeting or I’m coming into a space in time, or we’re running a fire or things aren’t going well, how I respond, not just in words but in energy, makes a significant difference in the people around me and it does with my kids, right? How my energy bleeds into the environment is significant.

And so I have to really, you know, I can, you know, lock into command and control Jeff, right? Because that’s just how I’ve lived my life for 35 years. But I have to be really responsible for that and understand and match my energy to the needs of the situation, you know, as it is unfolding rather than fall into the trap of frustration or anxiousness or, you know, whatever it is. And so that’s a… and that’s a daily practice. I mean, I fail at it at least once or twice a day, if not five times. Some days I’m great, some days I’m awful. You know, this is nothing that you’re going to like zen out and be the master of. This is a daily practice of life really.

Katie: Absolutely. And it goes back to something that has been a lifelong journey for me and that I always remind my kids of as well is that we always have the ability to choose our own reaction and our own response. And at least in my own life, I’ve noticed I am infinitely happier to the degree to which I focus on the things that I have the power to change, which is almost often always just my own emotions, my own response, how I’m reacting to any stimulus versus trying to focus on all of the things out of my control that there’s literally no way to impact like current world stuff that’s going on. Or you know, even the behavior of my children. I think a lot of parents, it’s easy to get in that stressful loop of like, why can’t I make them do this? Why won’t they do this? And truly any parent knows.

Jeff: I never do that, Katie. Never do that.

Katie: But you have no control over it, do you? Any parent who thinks they have no control. Try to go to control two-year-old, you know. But going back to that idea that, and I tell my kids all the time, like as a parent that I need to be an example of that, but that also we are all happier to the degree that we focus on that which is in our control. And from a parent as a leader versus kind of like a dictator perspective to touch on conscious parenting, I tell my kids you’ve heard the phrase,”With great power comes great responsibility,” but in our house it’s reversed. It’s “With great responsibility comes great power”. When you take ownership for yourself or the things in your control, that’s when you earn freedom, you earn power because you’re showing that you’re responsible and capable of that.

And I think it’s a lesson for parents as well. And it’s a hard one that certainly it’s not easy to just every day wake up and go, okay, I’m only gonna focus on the things that I can control and I’m gonna stay calm today, obviously. But that’s one tip. It definitely really helps me when I’m able to keep that focus.

Jeff: Well, you know, and the other thing that we find is we are rarely ever present to the conditions, right? We’re rarely here now with what is happening. And, you know, it’s so interesting being able to go back and do this again and watch little man grow up, right, and have this little amazing rad human being running around. You know, he’s not forecasting things. He’s not thinking about, “Oh, am I gonna have playtime this afternoon or what’s the lunch gonna be?” Or, you know what I mean? He has no forward look. It’s all right now. And as parents or as leaders, you know, we get locked into future casting. We just get stuck there and it’s always trying to get somewhere or always trying to go to the next thing. Or, you know, what do I need to prepare for? I need to make sure lunch is set up. I need…it’s always coordination and preparation for something to happen. And rarely do we give ourselves the opportunity to enjoy the moment or be present with what’s going on or be connected to what’s actually happening. And, you know, we get stuck way out.

And so I feel like, you know, and that’s true. Listen, I would have not been successful. There’s times I probably wouldn’t be alive if I had not had the or something or someone bringing me back to what is actually happening right now. And for my world, there is so much freedom in that space when you can actually just calm down and be like where you are with who you are in that moment. There’s like, “Oh, wow.” And just all kinds of new stuff arises. That’s where you get to be comfortable. That’s where you get to be confident. That’s where you get to be creative because you’re actually in it with the people around you and especially your kids.

And I do think that’s a disservice that we create in our children is this future stuff. If we’re always jamming forward, if we’re always like planning and prepping and gotta be this and gotta be that, that’s what they know. That’s what they grow up with. And then so they grow up worrying about like what’s next or later this afternoon or scheduling or this or that. I’m not saying, you know, don’t be coordinated. You can’t, you know, you can’t not be coordinated. You can’t not plan. But being responsible for our own connection to the present moment I think is a game changer for a lot of us.

Katie: I absolutely agree and it surprises me sometimes and fingers pointing at myself as well, but as adult even how hard it is for a lot of people just to be too comfortable, to be quiet. And, you know, there’s all these great books and quotes from all of these philosophers and Stoics about how that’s one of our great works of life is to learn to be just still and how there’s a great book called, ”Stillness is the Key.” And just, I feel like that’s a lost skill in today’s world because there’s constant stimulation. There’s always the next thing going on. And perhaps recent events have actually been a great teacher of this is when all of that’s taken away, we have to just focus on what is and just learn to be and to be present and how hard that’s been for some of us, me included.

Jeff: Yeah. We don’t like to be with ourselves. We don’t like to be quiet. Because then it starts this uncomfortable feeling of, Oh, you know, I should be doing something or, you know, what do I need to be doing right now? Or, you know, we’re just, we were working up society and a culture and a life now that has become about what we’re doing next, not what we’re doing now. Listen, I have the opportunity to train some amazing people and develop some amazing people who are doing things well. You can even pay me, you know, a billion dollars to go do a year. Like no, thank you. And the only way they’re ever successful is when they understand how to be there in that moment.

You know, if you’re thinking about, you know, how am I gonna work this guy? What intelligence am I going to get from him? How’s this going? You know, there’s a time and a place to do all that. But then when you step into the world, when you release into the day, you know, when you start getting breakfast together for the kids and the day has started, that’s your time to be hyper present. You know, we used to have a running joke in the military, which was, you know, the plan never survives first contact with the enemy. You know, you can get up in the morning, here’s the day, this is what we’re gonna do. And then I wake the kids up and plans plain shot, right? But you have some framework top right under, you gotta be flexible with it. And it’s, you know, it’s just all, this is why I love it, right?

This is why I love kind of normalizing this idea of life in the extremes and normal life, right? Because there’s so many similar patterns to it. There’s not, like I kind of said at the beginning, there’s not a judgment back and forth. It’s not like, “Oh, well I have it easier than they do” or “I’m just, you know, a stay-at-home mom.” Nope, sorry, take that out of your language completely, you know. All of those things come into play because, and life can be stressful in any context, in any moment, in any situation. And, you know, the tools and the techniques and the way we look at it, it’s all the same at the end of the day. It’s all the same.

Katie: I agree. And I think to another parenting point that probably has a strong tie in here. So I love that creativity is one of those core things. And as a parent that’s always been a top of mind thing for me is how can I foster that in my kids? Because what I realized both from my own life and now working with all of my kids is you can’t really train creativity nor can you structure creativity obviously. And if anything, boredom seems to be the best teacher of creativity. But so many kids today don’t get the opportunity to be bored. They don’t get the downtime because there is that constant stimulation and the constant desire to learn more and be better in extracurriculars and so much is on their plate so young. So I’m curious both what you’ve seen and if there’s any research on this and then how you navigate it as a parent of helping to foster creativity with kids if you let them be bored on purpose or how that works.

Jeff: Yeah. I think, you know, it goes to the, it’s all going to draw some similarities here, right? So if I have a leader in my environment that’s always telling us what to do, how to do it, how to get things done, you know, I go back to my days in the fire service, I would tell people, listen, you know, if you’re driving the truck for instance, you have a pretty critical role and one of those roles just to get a ladder to the second floor. Because if I’m taking the crew inside, I need to be able to exit the building, right? If it’s on fire, we have a problem. I gotta get out.

And, you know, in the driver outside being alone, kind of out in the outside space there are controlling the exterior environment. And, you know, ladders are not light and they’re not easy to manage. They can be cumbersome and then given the situation and the slope and everything else, and I would just tell my guys, say, “Listen,” tell my people, “it doesn’t matter what it looks like, I just need it done.” You know. Yes, there’s technique and yes, there’s proper way to do that and there’s the correct way to do things. But if I don’t give the freedom and flexibility to my people to operate, right, the ability for them to see what’s going on, make their own choices, navigate their own roads, knowing the result we need to produce, then I’m really failing them as a leader.

And the same thing goes to my kids. If I’m telling them when I need them to do it, how they need to do it. It’s like the girls, you know, the girls were there back to online school. Things are kicking back up this week. There’s a little bit more requirements now in place, even though they’re not physically in school. And we talked about it, how do I support you? What does that look like? And they both said to me, “I don’t need to be micromanaged. I don’t need you to tell me when, you know, what to do. But I do need support in like you being the dad saying, ‘Okay, we’re all gonna, it’s work time now. You guys go work on school and I’m gonna go work, you know, on the business.’” “Okay, cool.”

So creating the parameters and kind of the left and right limits to accomplishing something rather than structuring out what they need to do. And then, you know, did you do this and did you do that? You know, one of the things that we do with little man is we really try to just, again, create space. It’s like, “Do you wanna go play in your room?” “Yeah.” “Okay, cool.” And that’s it, right? I don’t need to go any further. Do you wanna play with this toy or this toy? No, I think we tend to over options are kids, right? What was the book ”Apathy of Options?” Have you ever read that? Katie: I haven’t.

Jeff: Yeah. We tend to over options our kids and then they don’t know what to do and then they don’t have…they don’t know how to make their own choice. They’re making a choice based on what we’re providing them. And it’s the same in adults. It’s the same in this place. It’s like how do I foster creativity? I give the space for creativity to unfold and that is individualized, that’s not directed, that’s not staged. And I actually take options away from them rather than put more options in front of them. And it’s feels kind of counterintuitive. But when you do that, they really start to like, okay, wait a minute. You know, okay, I need to figure something out here. And they begin to satisfy themselves, not satisfy me as the parent or me as the leader. And that’s a unique space that I’ve seen unfold pretty well, if that translates or make sense to you.

Katie: Yeah, no, that’s…I love that answer. And another like parenting note that I have a feeling has a pretty good tie in here is I’m so curious your approach in what you’ve seen in research on letting kids take risks. Because this is another thing that I think has changed really drastically even since I was a kid and certainly since my parents were kids, is kids being able to do activities that are considered risky or play unsupervised or ride their bikes more than, you know, without the seeing distance of their house. And I’ve written about this a little bit.

Like, my opinion is that it can be a disservice to our kids if we overprotect them and they don’t get those opportunities for learning to work through things on their own for minor injuries, for taking risks and failing because a lot of kids get to adulthood, haven’t had to face actual failure or any really severe natural consequences of natural failure. So I’m probably on the one extreme was the mom who’s sending my kids out to climb trees and encouraging them to climb things and jump off things and whatever. But I’m curious, A, what the research says, and B, how you navigate that?

Jeff: Yeah, so I think the one of the research papers I read, I don’t know, maybe a couple of years ago, came out where they did a whole study on like rough housing and the development of emotional intelligence in children, right? And so, which was, and it didn’t, you know, sex wasn’t, not, doesn’t matter, boys or girls. But really more, you know, timely and proper kind of rough housing play with children actually begins to build their resiliency process, begins to build their decision making skills. They actually begin to establish the boundaries of what’s okay and not okay for them. You know what I mean? And so there’s this listening dynamic and I see this, you know, this is part of like growing up over 12 years, right, between my last one and then, little man, you know. I can see what the girls where I was definitely over protective.

I was always, you know, trying to catch them. If they fell I’m like rushing over, are you okay? Are you okay? You know, and all these things and then it creates this timidness in them, you know. I see where they’re a little bit more anxious and I’ve gotta be responsible for that if I’ve created anxiety in them by me overreacting to them or not giving them the space to kind of sort it out. Whereas today, I only come to the, you know, “come to the rescue” when Decklan’s hurt, you know what I mean? Or the possibility of that. And even then giving him a little bit of space to sort himself out. If he like, I don’t know, falls or something, it’s kinda like I instinctually, I don’t fight my instinct and kind of pause back and wait to see, let him process through what just happened. Do the self-assessment, am I hurt, am I bleeding? You know, there are any leaks going on right now about what’s going on for me right now. And then what do I feel about this?

One of the major things we’ve committed to with him is we never tell them it’s okay. Like we’ve extracted, we just completely removed that from our vocabulary because we don’t know. Well, maybe he’s not okay. I don’t know. He can’t articulate that yet. And I think as parents we often…we wanna come to the rescue, we wanna protect our kids, we wanna create safety for them, but we’re actually not, we’re creating spaces of questionable, I don’t know, am I okay? Is it okay to not to be okay right now? All these fundamental things that go into, you know, what I believe creates confidence in a human being, which is the ability to self-regulate, self-manage, self-assess, and then speak, you know, in some ways speak our truth, if you will. And that may be crying or maybe upset or, and that may just be like, Oh.

I mean, I’m amazed at this kid given the space from a fall that I would be like, Oh, this is gonna be a major one. He gets up, brushes it off, like, you know, trucks onto something else. But I gave him the space to sort it out and the freedom to experience whatever he was experiencing there. And if he’s upset or hurt, then I come over. I give him a hug. I’m like, “I got you bud. You know you’re safe. I got you.” I don’t ever say you’re okay because he’s not. And then if he’s done something and he’s upset at something that I don’t…that doesn’t really have a framework for it or like an anchor point for me, it’s like, okay. And it causes me to now be curious about his experience or what’s going on for him. And that’s an opportunity as a parent to help him maybe begin to navigate things for himself, not through my view or my lens, if that…yes, if that answers your question.

Katie: That absolutely does. Yeah. I think that’s a helpful strategy to have on hand and a good reframing of not trying to tell them that it’s okay or to frame the experience for them, but to help them learn the tools to work through it themselves. I think that’s a really, really important point.

I’ve also heard you mentioned in past podcast a couple of things I’d love for you to define and walk us through those being the 10-foot rule and the 30-degree rule.

Jeff: Okay. Okay. Yeah. So this goes back to presence, right? This kind of all goes back to absolutely being present, not getting too far out in front of each other. So, you know, I talk about like the 10-foot rule, which is, that’s kinda my span of control. If I get past 10-feet in any environment, you know, I have no control over that. And, you know, if I’m going into a burning building or I’m dealing with a crisis or I’m dealing with things as they are, that’s about the span I’ve got around me to really kind of deal with what I need to deal with. When I creep past that, now I’m in…I can, but I need to be aware that I’m creeping past it. I need to be aware that I’m really now getting into a more predictive state, right? I’m future casting. I’m dealing with things that have not happened or may not happen yet.

And so if I do that too much, if I live outside of 10-feet, then I’m never really present to what’s actually happening and I’m not dealing with the conditions as they exist. I’m dealing with them in some idea of how I want them to be or how I think they should be or how they might happen or how it might unfold. So I’m really dealing with false data at that point in time. When I can stay within kind of my 10-foot rule, then I’m actually present to what’s actually taking place. And then this goes to kind of the 10-degree or 30-degree rule, which I say, you know, you move into the environment and I’m adjusting 10 degrees left or right based on the conditions as they exist.

So for instance, I use this example in my teaching because it was relevant. If I go to a house fire, I show up, I’ve got a two-story single family home, heavy fire from the second floor. I kind of do my walk around. I look outside, I see what’s going on. I collect as much information as I can, but I know the minute I stepped through the front door, the conditions have changed. And now new information coming at me. I now know how hot it is or you know where the fire may be located or how far it may be progressing. I began to really get in touch with what’s going on in the sensations of the environment, what the environment is telling me.

And you know, maybe my job is to locate with seal fire or do a search for victims that that doesn’t change. My mission doesn’t change, but how I go about accomplishing that task will depend upon the conditions and the allowance that I have in the conditions of the environment. Does that, you know, so I’m able to kind of more flow through what’s taking place rather than like, Nope, I gotta do this and I’m gonna push through and I’m gonna drive through and I’m going to own this thing. It’s, if I’m not present, then I can get myself in trouble significantly. In my world, you know, trouble means serious injury, possible death, you know, and then I’m not… and effectiveness is dropping significantly. So if I get outside kind of the 10-foot span around me or the three-foot span around me, depending upon what’s going on or I’m not present and I’m not kind of like, okay, I can go left, I can go right. Minor adjustments. I’m not coming off my mission, I’m not coming off my cast or my purpose or my intention, but I am available to what’s taking place and now I’m working with the environment rather than forcing an outcome.

That’s, I mean I had, so that’s a daily practice with the kids, right? I mean, working with them and not trying to force an outcome. That’s like the…that’s the translation for me. And that’s the, again, kind of the checks. And you can see the reaction of them. I think you see this in your own kids, right? When you step into that place, the more rigid you become, the more resistance you have back at you. At least that’s what I tend to experience and I’m sure, with six, you do as well.

Katie: Absolutely. Yeah. Another thing I think you’ve touched on, but I’ve got on my list to ask you about is the top five fractures in performance that are relevant across the board. So walk us through that.

Jeff: All right. So first one is always and definitely has been a perception of my own abilities and this is a huge breakdown point. This is a place where we often drop the ball almost right off the bat. You know, and if you look from like my world, if you have an operator, you have somebody going out operating in the mission and they’re questioning themselves, right? They’re unsure of themselves, then that’s going to begin to break down their ability to perform, their ability to see things, read the conditions, be open to what’s taking place along the way. And really then, you know, we start to see kind of this fracture and performance.

I mean, I think we all…I’ve never met a person, I don’t care out of what community they’ve come from, whether they’re, you know, a dev group, guys, seal team, six guy, Delta operator or, you know, the best of the best out there. There will always come a point in time where they question their own ability, right? They have a lingering voice in the back of their head. They’re just not 100% sure of themselves in that moment. And that is huge. Just a huge breakdown, right?

Number two, we see fall into complacency or what I kind of call the common state. This is where we take our foot off the gas. We really stopped paying attention to things. We start making a lot of assumptions about the situation or the environment or the people around us. We really kind of just, well, we basically check out of what’s going on.

The third one is always interesting because the third one deals with fear. And so I classify fear that fear can’t exist in the present moment. Fear doesn’t exist. You know, in a firefight, fear doesn’t exist. In a working fire, fear doesn’t exist. I may have excitement, I may have a state of arousal, but it is not fear. Fear only shows up as a future point in time of something that may happen or may not happen.

And then when I allow that fear to collide in the present, I can end up in a point of panic. You know, I don’t make solid decisions. You know, I often related to this and this is I think relevant to all of us. You know, and you too, it’s like, have you ever been woken up in the middle of the night by kind of the noise, right? You wake up, something, somebody banged on the front door just…or it’s a bad dream. You don’t really know what got you up, but you are more alert, more aware, like more ready, you know what I mean. If you’re a mom, you’re like, you know, mama bears coming out of your dad or you’re like me. Like you’re grabbing a gun and clearing the house, right? You’re in it. And there’s something that drew you into that moment that is a, what they would classify as emotional, you know, fear-based response, which I hate this word, but that is a high state of arousal. Your body’s moving into action, giving you what you need in that moment in time.

Now here comes the question. After you validated that there wasn’t anything, everybody’s safe. Everybody’s good. You go crawl back in bed. How quickly can you go back to sleep? And most times we’re kind of stuck. Now, we hear every little creak and crack and noise and we’re hypersensitive the environment. And what we’re doing in that state is we’re generating this kind of fear response. We’re generating this physical response of preparedness in ourselves. And if something then were to happen and this is, you know, relevant to my world, but then if something were to happen, I’ve kind of already put myself in a weird condition and I’m inhibiting my body from doing what it needs to do and then panic collides and then I’m incapable. I can’t function in that space. And so I’m not working with my body.

Number four is not being open to the idea, right? This is a lack of openness. Openness is a huge component of really carrying a powerful mindset or whatever you wanna call it. Open to the idea that things could happen. You know, I say if you’re, if you get in the car and drive down the road and you have no expectation and no idea that you could ever get in a car accident, that’s just like not in your frame of reference. And that’ll never happen. And I’m not worried about it. You know, and then if it does happen, what then physiologically causes, you know, it is a new event. It is an unfamiliar event, and you were unprepared for it. And so you’re caughtoff guard or your reaction time slows or your decision making slows or your perception of that slows. So just simply, you know, the lack of openness in this space and open to the idea that things could happen or might happen without generating fear is really the fourth one.

And then the fifth one is, and this is true across the board, it is how I allow the influencers or stressors of my day to impact me. And it goes back to what we talked about earlier, the lack of being recoverable, the lack of, you know, literally being disciplined enough that when I can’t find my car keys and I find them, I actually allow myself to settle for a minute and be like, okay, I got my car keys and then transition to the next moment. Not, I can’t find my car keys. Where is my car keys? Okay, I got them now let’s keep going, right? It’s that control mechanism. And when I give up that control mechanism of how things were impacting me, I fall into the stacking effect. And then, you know, things compound and I find myself kind of in a crap show at some point in time. I find myself in the chaos rather than, you know, being calm in the chaos.

So those are the five, those are the five that consistently without fail. If I look at a failure performance or a fracture in performance or things not going the way we want them to go almost every time, one of those five or multiple of those five are clearly defined and existing in this space.

Katie: Yeah. That’s so helpful. Yes. To just have a framework to be able to work through like that. And I can’t believe our time has already flown by so quickly. This has been such a fun interview. A couple questions I love to ask at the end, the first being if there’s a book or a number of books that have had a dramatic impact on your life and if so, what are they and why?

Jeff: Yeah, so, you know, you had sent that to me so I had to go back and look because books for me are like timely really, right? They tend to show up when you need them. But I would say probably some of the more recent ones that I think have really helped me make transition between my old life and the life I now live. One was ”Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” by Joe Dispenza. I really appreciated the way he approached looking at ourselves, this idea of calmness, this idea of physiological response because he took both a very scientific and, you know, almost esoterical approach to how we deal with ourselves. And a lot of evidence-based research in there. I guess his first book about the brain was ”Super Brainiac”. I’ve not read that yet. I would probably enjoy it. But you know, from the way he lays it out, most people were kind of like, “Okay, Joe, too much information.” But that was a pretty significant, pretty significant book for me in a lot of ways.

And then early on, early on in my career, I had the opportunity you know, big failure leadership I talked about on my podcast and I use it in all my teaching tools. But I read Daniel Goldman’s ”Primal Leadership” where he breaks down six distinct styles from affiliate of all the way down to the other end of the spectrum of like pace setting and commanding. And at that time I could see where I lived in this pace setting, commanding style of leadership, which we can get into very easily as parents. You know, kind of like, “Hey, we gotta go, here’s the deal. This is what we gotta do.” And I’m setting the pace and I’m commanding environment.

And, you know, it was funny because I had, I mean I virtually had like a mutiny on the crew. They basically came down to Jeff’s a jerk, him or me, we’re out. We’re not gonna deal with this anymore. And the way he articulated when he laid it down in the book, he talked about the great benefits of the commanding style leadership and the pace setting style leadership and driving to the car like, “I’m gonna turn around, I’m gonna sit everybody down, they’re gonna listen to this because I’m right.” And then he talks about all the negativity of it and how it should be used in a very finite point in time and how it should be limited. And I just started to almost tear up at like, “Crap, he’s right, I’m not going back,” you know. And it was a good call out book for me and what I needed to be responsible for and how I needed to kind of shift my architecture.

So those are good. And then like you said, you know, Ryan Holiday stuff, ”Ego is the Enemy.” And even Mark Manson stuff is really great. So I’m avid reader. I love to read people’s research and then I actually look at the research that they found that, you know, built a book around as well. I’m a little bit of a geek that way. But I would say, you know, those are pretty applicable across the board and know those are pretty significant for how we operate in our normal lives as well.

Katie: I love those. I’ll make sure those are in the show notes at wellnessmama.fm for any of you guys listening who went to find those. And for people who want to keep learning more or who are curious about your work, where can they find you online?

Jeff: Yeah, so the podcast is ”Mindset Radio.” It’s mindsetradio.com, and that’s actually provided by, through the Operational Mindset Foundation. So that’s my life now. I really committed to creating a pathway to mentally, physically and emotionally prepare the men and women who choose to place themselves in harm’s way every day. I think we’ve…having come from that community. The conversations you have on your podcast are new to this community, right? I mean they’re still stuck in the old school stuff. And my purpose was really bring a new conversation to the table to talk about consciousness, to talk about the struggles that we have. The things we’re exposed to, how to deal with that, how to really have a full life both on and off the job. And so now the foundation, is it mindset.org and the podcast is a mindsetradio.com are available on all the platforms.

Katie: Perfect. I love that. And lastly, any parting advice you wanna leave with the listeners today based on anything we’ve said or any other advice that you’d wanna give?

Jeff: Yeah, I mean I think the way I treat, you know, I run my show very much like you do Katie, you know, very conversational and I have a belief that people that listen to a podcast, need to have something they can do like the minute it’s over. And so I try to leave my listeners with like the challenge out of that piece. And I would say, you know, today, presence, right? And really work the breath today. Like be hyper present to your breath and what’s going on right now. Be curious, be curious about yourself, curious about your kids, curious about the situation and stay there like just hover there. Just you know, and if you feel yourself getting too far forward, too far to dinner, too far to the next day, too far to the next week, be curious as to why that is, why you need to feel that way, what that provides for you and just no judgment, right? No right or wrong. You’re not doing anything wrong, you’re not bad, none of that. Just curious. Just be curious, be present and see what shows up. That would be what I would say.

Katie: I love it. I think that’s a perfect place to wrap up and I’m really grateful for your time. This has been such a fun conversation and hopefully helpful to everyone listening. Thanks for being here.

Jeff: Thanks Katie.

Katie: And thanks as always to all of you for sharing your most valuable asset, your time with both of us today. We’re so grateful that you did, and I hope that you will join me again on the next episode of the ”Wellness Mama” podcast.

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/podcast/jeff-banman/

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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How to Pickle Cucumbers (Quick + Traditional Methods)

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/how-to-pickle-cucumbers-quick-traditional-methods/

How to Pickle Cucumbers (Quick + Traditional Methods)

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Pickles are one of the items that I always have in my naturally stocked fridge. I learned how to pickle cucumbers because I wanted to avoid the less than ideal ingredients found in most store-bought pickles. Not only are homemade pickles healthier, but they taste great!

Why Pickle Cucumbers?

Aside from the fact they’re a delicious way to preserve fresh cucumbers, the short answer is so they contain just crunchy cucumber goodness… and nothing else!

Store-bought pickles often contain yellow food dyes that have been linked with certain cancers and behavioral problems. Definitely not something I’m looking for in a pickle! There are several different ways to pickle cucumbers, and it depends on what I’m in the mood for (and have time for).

Also, if you make pickles with the traditional fermenting method, you will add healthy probiotics to your diet!

Two Cucumber Pickling Methods

When you’re ready to make homemade pickles, you can take one of two approaches:

Quick Refrigerator Pickles (With Vinegar)

Vinegar is the most popular and common way to pickle cucumbers. Regular white vinegar is an economical option that allows other herbs and flavors in the pickled cucumbers to shine through. Red wine vinegar and even apple cider vinegar can also be used if desired. The leftover vinegar brine from a previous batch of pickles is another, even more frugal option.

Traditional Fermented Pickles (No Vinegar)

Naturally fermented pickles are the traditional way to pickle cucumbers. This simple method uses salt, water, and natural bacteria from the air to get a tangy, fermented pickle. Fermented pickles also have some added health benefits since the method “unlocks” the nutrition in the cucumbers and adds healthy probiotics to your diet. Learn all about how to start fermenting here.

What You Need to Make Homemade Pickles

A quick batch of refrigerator pickles is an easy option on a busy day. You will need:

cucumbers

dill

garlic

onion

vinegar (if not fermenting)

sugar (or sweetener of some kind)

water

salt

It really depends on the recipe and which flavor I’m going for, but quick pickles are forgiving when it comes to exact ratios (unless canning is involved). Usually recipes for how to pickle cucumbers call for pickling or canning salt, not iodized or table salt. However, sea salt will also work and is a healthier option.

For fermented pickles you just need salt, water, and cucumbers! Of a little garlic and dill never hurt either 🙂

1) Select the Right Cucumbers

Certain varieties hold up better in the pickling brine. Kirby cucumbers are a popular choice. Long, thin-skinned cucumbers, like English cucumbers, don’t work well. Store-bought cucumbers are usually coated in wax, so buying locally or homegrown is the best option.

Overripe or wimpy cucumbers make for mushy pickles, even if they’re just barely past their prime. According to Bon Appetit, the best cucumbers are:

4-5 inches in length

Firm

Fresh (not overripe or underripe)

Have a thick skin (which makes for a crunchier pickle)

2) Gather Spices

Garlic, dried or fresh dill, whole mustard seeds, peppercorns, onions, or even red pepper flakes are optional add-ins that make your pickles more zesty or sweet, as desired.

When in doubt, choose fresh ingredients for more flavor, although dried will also work.

For sweet pickles, I use honey instead of processed sugar. This does add a stronger flavor to the pickles, but I think it’s equally delicious (and much healthier). For those who do want a more typically flavored sweet pickle, organic cane sugar is still a step better (though not ideal) than the heavily refined sugar found in store-bought pickles.

3) Prep for Crisp Pickles

Cut the top off (where the stem attached to the cucumber). The blossom end contains enzymes that make for soggy pickles.

Add a few grape or oak leaves. The tannins from the leaf are an astringent that helps pickles stay firmer.

Choose cucumbers that aren’t too old and are very firm.

Soak cucumbers for 30 minutes in an ice bath and drain before using for pickles.

How to Pickle Cucumbers (Quick Method)

Make your own pickles, no canning involved! Their mildly sweet flavor complements the savory dill and garlic. If you prefer a more classic dill pickle taste, then the honey can be left out.

Author Katie Wells

Ingredients

2 heads of fresh dill OR 3 TBSP fresh leaves OR 2 TBSP dried

3 cloves of fresh garlic smashed

3/4 cup white vinegar

¾ cup filtered water

1 TBSP sea salt or Himalayan salt

3-5 fresh small cucumbers, sliced

1 quart size glass jar

1/2 onion thinly sliced (optional)

½ cup honey optional

Instructions

In a small saucepan add the vinegar, garlic, water, salt, and honey if using. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.

While waiting for the brine to cook, pack a quart size glass jar with the rest of the ingredients. Place the dill in the bottom of the jar, then add the cucumber slices. The cucumbers can be sliced as thick or as thin as desired, but the thinner they are the faster they’ll pickle. How many cucumbers needed will depend on the size of their size.

Add a layer of onions (if using), then more cucumber slices. Repeat until the onion is all used and the jar is full. Leave about ½ inch of headspace at the top of the jar.

Pour the brine over the pickles, put the lid on, and place it in the fridge. If you don’t have enough liquid to cover the pickles, then add some more vinegar and water in equal amounts until you do.

Wait at least 12 hours before eating the pickles (the longer you wait the more flavorful!).

Tip: Since these are going to be kept in the fridge, a canning jar isn’t necessary. Whatever heat safe lidded glass jar you have on hand that’s big enough will work.

Notes

Make sure the cucumber slices are as uniform as possible. A mandolin slicer is nice for this.

How to Pickle Cucumbers Without Vinegar

Naturally fermented pickles are the traditional way to pickle cucumbers. This simple method uses salt, water, and natural bacteria from the air to get a tangy, fermented pickle. While brine and cucumbers by themselves make for a tasty pickle, you can add different flavors like dill, garlic or peppercorns. Feel free to play around with the add-ins!

Naturally Fermented Pickles Recipe

This no-vinegar method means you’ll have to wait for natural fermentation to do its work, but the result is crunchy, healthy probiotic pickles!

Ingredients

1 TBSP sea salt or Himalayan salt

2 cups non-chlorinated, filtered water

4-5 small or medium pickling cucumbers

2-3 heads of dill or 2-3 TBSP fresh dill leaves (optional)

3 garlic cloves, smashed (optional)

1 TBSP whole mustard seeds and/or peppercorns (optional)

½ onion sliced (optional)

Instructions

In a pot over medium high heat dissolve the salt in 1 cup of the water.

Turn off the heat and add the other cup of room temperature water.

Add the pickle ingredients to a glass pint jar. To the bottom of the jar add the smashed garlic cloves, dill, sliced onion, peppercorns, mustard seeds, or whatever you like to add more flavor.

Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and make sure that the tops are 1 inch below the top of the jar.

Pack the cucumbers in the jar (small whole ones or quartered are easiest). These should be packed tight enough that nothing floats to the top.

Pour the brine over the cucumbers.

Screw the lid onto the jar. One of these jar weights can also be used to keep the cucumbers below the brine (to avoid mold growth).

Let the jar sit out at room temperature for 2-3 days, until pickles are the desired flavor. Be sure to release the air from the jar occasionally or built up pressure can cause the jar to explode! You can also buy special fermenting lids that don’t need “burping.”

When pickles are as sour as desired, store in the fridge for several months. The cold temperature halts the fermentation process.

How to Reuse Pickle Brine

This method is even faster and easier than the other recipes! The brine from a previous batch of pickles can be poured over fresh cucumbers in a clean glass jar. Brine from homemade pickles, or naturally fermented store-bought pickles (like Bubbies brand), can be used.

Pack clean cucumber slices or spears into a glass jar.

Pour room temperature brine over cucumbers until they’re completely covered.

Store the jar in the fridge and enjoy after 1 week.

Ready to make some pickles? Which recipe do you think you’ll try first? Share below!

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/427918/refrigerator-pickles/

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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Firecracker Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/firecracker-shrimp-tacos-with-pineapple-salsa/

Firecracker Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

All you need is 20 minutes to whip up these firecracker shrimp tacos with a delicious pineapple salsa. A simple, filling and flavorful dinner the whole family will enjoy combining the tastes of East and West.

What is Firecracker Shrimp?

I’m not gonna lie, this recipe is based off one made by Panda Express….I know, I know. But here’s a confession: I ate A LOT of Panda Express in college. I lived right near a Panda Express and Pita Pit so those were my go-to takeout spots. Not exactly authentic but definitely budget friendly. And honestly, I lived for the Firecracker Shrimp. I typically ordered it with rice (clearly they don’t have tacos!) but either way tastes delicious.

It’s “traditionally” (hard to say traditional when it’s Panda Express!) made with a sweet chili sauce and black bean sauce. It’s sweet and tangy and to their credit they do pack it with veggies. This is my take on firecracker shrimp but with a little Mexican-fusion in a corn taco shell.

How to Make Firecracker Shrimp Tacos

STEP 1: Marinate your shrimp in olive oil sweet chili sauce, honey, lime juice, hot sauce and salt and pepper. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes (or longer) in fridge.

STEP 2: Make Easy Pineapple Salsa – see instructions here.

STEP 3: To a pan add olive oil and heat over medium. Add garlic and ginger and cook for one minute. Add shrimp and all of sauce to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until shrimp is cooked all the way through. Top with chili flakes (if using) and green onions.

STEP 4: Warm corn tortillas slightly in the microwave (about 10 seconds) or over stovetop to slightly char. Top with pineapple salsa, firecracker shrimp and cubed avocado and optional toppings. Serve immediately.

Easy Swaps You Can Make

Not a fan of pineapple or don’t have time to make pineapple salsa? Just replace with whatever salsa you prefer, including store-bought

Add a bit more hot sauce for an even spicier taco

Top with my authentic guacamole – trust me it’s delicious!

Vegan? Replace the shrimp with tofu.

Not into tacos? This firecracker shrimp tastes delicious on its own or served with rice!

Firecracker Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

All you need is 20 minutes to whip up these firecracker shrimp tacos with a delicious pineapple salsa. A simple, filling and flavorful dinner the whole family will enjoy.

Author: Davida Lederle

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings 1x

Category: Dinner

Method: Cook

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the shrimp:

1 lb shrimp

2 tbsp olive oil (divided)

3 tbsp sweet chili sauce

1 tbsp honey

juice, 1 lime

1 tsp hot sauce

salt and pepper, to taste

1 garlic clove

1 inch knob fresh ginger, grated

2 green onions, chopped

optional: 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

For the tacos:

1 cup of pineapple salsa

1 large avocado, cubed

8 corn tortillas

optional: handful of chopped cilantro, radishes, cheese etc..

In a large bowl combine 1 tbsp olive oil, sweet chili sauce, honey, lime juice, hot sauce and salt and pepper.

Add shrimp to sauce and coat well. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes in fridge (longer is even better).

Make Pineapple Salsa according to instructions HERE.

To a pan add olive oil and heat over medium. Add garlic and ginger and cook for one minute.

Add shrimp and all of sauce to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until shrimp is cooked all the way through.

Top with green onions and chili flakes (if using).

Warm corn tortillas slightly in the microwave (about 10 seconds) or over stovetop to slightly char.

Top with pineapple salsa, firecracker shrimp and cubed avocado and optional toppings.

Serve immediately.

Like these firecracker shrimp tacos? Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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Real Food Pineapple Whip Recipe (Like Dole Whip)

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Real Food Pineapple Whip Recipe (Like Dole Whip)

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]

The first time I made this pineapple whip, I had no idea how much it resembled a certain famous dessert. I was just trying to make pineapple sorbet! I’m not sure how I got lucky the first time I tried making it, but I do know:

I love pineapple

My kids love pineapple

I was trying to make frozen pineapple taste as delicious as fresh pineapple and this recipe was born!

Now the recipe lives on as one of our favorite real food summer desserts.

What Is Pineapple Whip?

One day I made this pineapple whip after a friend and I took our kids to the pool. She declared that it tastes very similar to the pineapple magic served at theme parks. At the time I’d never been, so this prompted a search of what on earth Dole Whip was and a realization that I had accidentally made this treat with real food and allergy-safe ingredients.

So now, this pineapple whip (or pineapple clouds as my three-year-old calls it), is a favorite summer treat at our house! It’s a cool and refreshing treat perfect after a hot summer day at the beach or playing in the backyard.

The best part:

No baking, no ovens, and no junky ingredients. In fact, it is one of my easiest recipes of all time. It’s creamy thanks to healthy and nourishing fats from coconut milk, and sweet from the golden goodness of fresh pineapple.

Is It Like Dole Whip?

If you’ve tried the real thing, I’d love to hear your opinion on this! If you haven’t — just enjoy this in all its amazing pineapple-ness without need for petty comparisons!

No pineapple on hand and need some more healthy dessert inspiration? Find all my favorite summer desserts here. My next summer dessert experiment will be this frozen yogurt bark. I haven’t tried it, but it checks all my boxes for a simple, healthy treat.

How to Make Pineapple Whip

All you need is a high-speed blender (one of my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment), some frozen pineapple, and coconut milk. It’s even better with a squeeze for fresh lime to balance the tart and sweet flavors.

Real Food Pineapple Whip Recipe (Like Dole Whip)

Delicious homemade pineapple whip with just three simple ingredients. A fresh and light summer treat!

Course Dessert

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 109kcal

Author Katie Wells

Ingredients

2 cups frozen pineapple

½ cup coconut milk (or other milk)

1 tsp lime juice (optional)

Instructions

Add all ingredients to high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. It is very important that the pineapple is frozen or this will not work.

As soon as it is smooth, remove and scoop into individual serving cups.

Serve and eat immediately.

Enjoy!

Notes

This is not a recipe to make ahead of time and it should be served immediately to get the soft-serve ice cream texture. The pineapple naturally makes a creamy texture and is amazing as long as it is served right away. It can be stored in the freezer for a few minutes but will freeze solid if left too long.

Nutrition

What do you like to make for quick desserts? Will you try this?

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/124273/pineapple-whip-recipe/

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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Anti-Racism Books We’ve Actually Read

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Anti-Racism Books We’ve Actually Read

As promised, we will not be done discussing racism and police brutality in this country (and globally!) until we see a more just system built. The sad reality is that this will be a long process, which probably won’t see a conclusion in my generation. Deconstructing 400 years of racism in this country takes time, so making antiracism education and learning a part of my daily practice is how I am choosing to be an ally with the Black community. There are so many platforms and ways in which to educate yourself but as a voracious reader my choice has always been books. It’s no secret that I love to read so I thought I would share the anti-racism books I have actually read.

ALSO – there’s an incredible movement running until June 20th to encourage people to buy TWO books by Black authors to show their publishing clout and talent and takeover all the bestsellers lists! So buy at least two of these (minus White Fragility which was written by a White woman) by this Saturday. That is all!

We’ve seen so many lists of book suggestions, but they’re often long and it’s hard to figure out where to start. My hope is by offering some of the titles I have actually read that you can feel empowered to do the same. I’m also sharing both non-fiction and fiction titles. I find I can learn a lot from fiction books even if they’re not packed with facts. They humanize the experience and help to integrate the facts you’re learning from the non-fiction books.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but offers a personal look at the antiracism books I have actually read and what my takeaways were.

Anti-Racism Books I’ve Actually Read

NON-FICTION

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo – This should be a starting book for any White person who plans to be an ally to the Black community. Written by a White woman for White folx, White Fragility looks at why it is so hard for White people to discuss race and how we’ve become blind to most aspects of our privilege.

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo – Another great starting point for White people wanting to start digging into and having discussions about race. Ijeoma gives practical examples to not only have conversations in your own circles but also at a larger, systemic level.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates – Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer questions of what it means to be Black in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences. It’s emotional and educational all at the same time.

Becoming by Michelle Obama – Though Michelle Obama’s autobiography doesn’t directly look at race relations in America, her story simply cannot be told without looking at them. From her upbringing on the south side of Chicago to the implications of being America’s first Black First Lady, Michelle Obama’s autobiography takes a candid look at the obstacles she faced as well as the hurdles she overcame.

FICTION

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill – I read this book when it was released in 2007 and as a Canadian (and 17 year old) it was my first true look at the implications of slavery in America. It tells the story of Aminata Diallo, the daughter of a jeweller and a midwife, that is kidnapped at the age of 11 from her village Bayo, Niger in West Africa and forced into a slave ship to South Carolina. The story is historical fiction but includes non-fiction events like the creation of The Book of Negroes.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Truly one of the best books I have ever read and I’ve non-stop recommended this to people since I read it in 2018. It tells the story of Ifemelu and Obinze, two Nigerians who fall in love in Lagos, Nigeria as young adults. Their stories diverge as Ifemelu moves to America and explores what it means to have grown up in Africa and how it differs from the experience of African Americans. It’s a love story, cultural exploration and takes a deep look at race relations in America and Africa.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi – In full transparency, it took me a while to get into this book but I realized it was because I skipped over the family tree on my kindle which made me a little lost. BUT once I figured it out, this book absolutely blew me away. It traces the descendants of two sisters across three hundred years in Ghana and America, including how one lineage’s story completely changed with the result of African enslavement to America.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas- I read this book before the movie came out and I’m glad I did. While I’d also recommend watching the movie the book goes into more detail and gives you a perspective of what police brutality looks and feels like for Black families. Of course, I cannot claim to even begin to understand but Starr’s story and the death of her best friend at the hands of the police will change you once you’ve heard it.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid – I read this book just a few months ago but it’s a particularly poignant story as it looks at issues of race and white privilege and the implications of it on Black people in America. On a very superficial level, I related to one of the protagonists (she’s a blogger/Instagram influencer) but the story examines her relationship with her babysitter (Emira) and how their race and privilege have impacted their life trajectories.

On My List: Red at the Bone, Stamped from the Beginning, Me and White Supremacy, The New Jim Crow, On Beauty (and basically every other Zadie Smith book!) and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

*Please note: I’ve included affiliate links for all of these books. Any books purchased through these links will have the funds donated to Equal Justice Initiative. Alternatively you can purchase books through any of these Black-owned bookstores in your state.

SOME OTHER READS:

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gethealthy18-blog · 4 years

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348: How to Minimize Your Exposure to Toxins & Effective Detox Protocols With Dr. Sandison From Neurohacker

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348: How to Minimize Your Exposure to Toxins & Effective Detox Protocols With Dr. Sandison From Neurohacker

Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.

This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic… a company I’ve loved for years for their superfood mushroom based products. They use mushrooms like lions mane, chaga, cordyceps and reishi in delicious all kinds of delicious ways. Did you know that mushrooms are more genetically similar to humans than plants are? And that they breathe oxygen and exhale CO2 just like we do but mushrooms spores can survive the vacuum and radiation of space. These amazing fungi are always a part of my daily routine in some way, usually with Lion’s Mane Coffee or Matcha Green Tea in the morning, Plant protein and mushroom elixirs like chaga and cordyceps during the day and reishi at night to wind down. As a listener of this podcast, you can save on all Four Sigmatic products. Go to foursigmatic.com/wellnessmama and the code wellnessmama gives 15% off

This episode is sponsored by Everlywell, at-home lab tests that you can get without a doctor’s order! I’ve used many of their tests and can recommend a couple that have been especially helpful. They have an at-home allergy test for 40 of the most common allergens using the same CLIA-certified labs used by Allergists/Doctors. The labs are reviewed by an independent physician and measure IgE levels of common allergens including pet dander, mold, trees, grasses, and more. I also really like their food sensitivity tests that test for IgG reactions. This was a big key for me in my health recovery, as there were foods that didn’t show up as an allergy that were causing inflammation for me. I used an elimination diet as well, but this food sensitivity test also filled in the missing piece of the puzzle for me. Through healing my gut, I’ve been able to remove all sensitivities except for eggs. Finding out I was highly sensitive to eggs made a huge difference as I ate them often as an inexpensive protein source. I feel so much better now that I avoid eggs and I would never have known that without this test! I also use their at-home Vitamin D test to keep an eye on those levels and know if I need to supplement. Check out all of their tests at wellnessmama.com/go/everlywell. Use code MAMA10 for 10% off orders.

Katie: Hello and welcome to “The Wellness Mama Podcast.” I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com and wellnesse.com. That’s Wellnesse with an “E” on the end. It’s my new line of personal care products like hair care and toothpaste.

This episode is all about toxins and detox. I’m here with Dr. Heather Sandison, who’s the founder and the medical director of the North County Natural Medicine and the founder of Marama, which is a residential care facility for the elderly. The reason I wanted to have her on, she specializes in neurocognitive medicine and neurohacking. And she’s been trained to specifically address things that affect the brain like autism, ADD, depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, and she has a really unique system for doing that and her elderly care facility is doing this with patients and seeing incredible results. So, in this episode, we talk about how you can minimize your exposure and how to effectively detox from the three big toxins as well as how to support your natural detox systems in the body. It’s a really fascinating and far-ranging episode. Without further ado, let’s jump right in. Dr. Heather, welcome. Thank you for being here.

Dr. Heather: Thanks for having me.

Katie: I am so excited to jump in with you and talk about different types of toxins and how to effectively detox. But I also always love hearing the background, especially someone I’ve just met and can’t wait to talk to. So, to start off, can you explain a little bit about your background and how you became a naturopathic doctor that specializes in this?

Dr. Heather: Yes. So I had my own personal health issues. When I was an undergrad, I was doing pre-med and then came up against an autoimmune disease as well as TMJ. I couldn’t open my mouth even enough to brush my teeth. And so I went to the medical doctor and had a horrible experience. And then I went to anyone who would listen. I went to the dentist, multiple dentists, I went to acupuncture. I went to the psychiatrist, you know, the psychologist. I went to pretty much anyone who someone said might be able to help. And finally, I ended up seeing a DO, she was actually a doctor of osteopathic medicine. And she and I chatted, she did craniosacral work and then said, “Hey, have you ever heard of naturopathic medicine? If I could do it all over again, that’s what I would do.”

And so she turned me on to naturopathic medicine. And when I heard just the perspective of naturopathic doctors and the approach that they took to medicine, really looking at the cause of disease versus putting a band aid on it in the form of surgery or medication that had side effects, I was like, ah, this is what I’ve been imagining for so long, I didn’t realize that it already existed. I didn’t have to create it, somebody else had already created this system of medicine. And so then at that point, it just became a matter of when I would go to naturopathic school not if.

Katie: Nice. Yeah, and I think there’s…I would guess most listeners pretty well understand what a naturopathic doctor does and how that differs from other types of medicine. But can you just kind of give a little bit of an overview there as well?

Dr. Heather: Absolutely. So we do the same four years of medical school and we have step one boards after two years. Those first two years are deep dives into the biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, we have a gross lab where we have to dissect a human body. You know, a lot of it is the same. And then we take this big exam that lasts for an entire day at the end of two years. And then at the end of four years, we have, you know, multi-day exams to become licensed.

And the second set of two years and the four-year medical program for us is different from conventional medicine. And then instead of doing rotations, we are in a teaching clinic and we’re learning about modalities, things like hydrotherapy, and herbal medicine, lots of nutrition, lots of the foundations of health.

And so instead of learning about surgery and delivering babies, we are in a clinic where we’re talking to people about their diet and nutrition and lifestyle. And then we can also provide, you know, referrals to surgery. We can also write prescriptions. So we’re trained and licensed as primary care providers but our specialty is more in the lifestyle things that can help prevent people from getting on medications or potentially even help them get off.

Katie: I think that’s awesome. And that was a big part of my own puzzle piece, early on after I started having kids I had what I would eventually find out was Hashimoto’s. But it took years and I had been to many, many doctors who tested…I would guess what the standard of care tests were mainly just T3, I don’t remember what else they tested, but they wouldn’t test antibodies or TSH. And it wasn’t until I found a naturopathic doctor that I was able to actually start figuring out what was wrong and working to correct it.

And it blew me away to realize, after being in the conventional medical model for so long, and it being more just lab tests and prescriptive and even being told by doctors, you know, “Your diet doesn’t really have any impact on your health other than weight.” To work with a naturopathic doctor and be asked about lifestyle, and stress, and food, and sleep, and so many other factors. And that was when I was researching as well and learning just how intricately involved all those things are.

So I think for a lot of people, especially someone with a complex health issue, finding a practitioner who’s willing to look at all of those pieces is super important. And I know, from researching for this interview, that you have done a lot of research specifically in the area of toxins and detox and how to mitigate things like that. So let’s start broad and can you kind of explain…I feel like that word encompasses a lot of things. But explain the nature of kind of what toxins are and what’s happening when they interact with our bodies?

Dr. Heather: So for a minute, I just want to take even one more step back. So I talked about being really inspired to go into naturopathic medicine because naturopaths really value treating the cause of disease. So complex chronic disease like Hashimoto’s, or a lot of what I treat, which is like, autism, brain-related things, autism, Alzheimer’s, even depression, anxiety, these things all have…there’s a cause. If we look at the human body, it’s a complex system and these chronic complex disease states come from an imbalance…and really any complex system, right, if it’s the financial system, or if it’s agricultural systems, whatever complex system we’re talking about, if there’s a glitch in the system, it’s usually because of an imbalance.

I would even go so far as to say it’s always because of an imbalance, too much, too little, in the wrong place, or at the wrong time. And if we can help to correct that imbalance, then we can create more harmony in the system, so that it behaves better, right, you get more optimal function from it. And so the five things that I believe cause complex chronic disease, it really can be distilled down to imbalance in these five areas., toxins, structure, stress, nutrients, and then infections.

And I’ve chosen to really dive deep into the toxins. And that’s because, from the conventional perspective, like you discovered with your Hashimoto’s journey, the conventional medicine, they completely ignore this unless it’s extreme toxicity, right. Unless somebody’s like swallowed a can of paint, right, then they don’t really want to hear about any of these long-term insidious kind of low-level toxins that may be disturbing certainly endocrine function.

So I really feel like it’s almost like my responsibility to go deep into these toxins because so many of my patients have been told that conventional medicine has nothing for them. They don’t know why there’s nothing that they can do, but they have all of this fatigue or headaches or insomnia, autoimmune diseases coming up. And so what can we do about that? Well, from my perspective, there are essentially…I call them flavors like ice cream. There’s three flavors of toxins. And I look at them in these categories because it’s what’s easiest to test.

So the first flavor is heavy metals. And I tend to do that using provocation. So I do wanna get some sort of provocation agents so that we know what’s in the system over time because some of these get stored. They’re not alive so they’re not procreating, so you don’t get more and more and more in your system unless you’re consuming, excuse me. So if you’re ingesting heavy metal either through eating copious amounts of like fish, especially the predatory fish, so things like shark or tuna, swordfish, those have high levels of heavy metals in them.

And then the other way that people are exposed to metals is through their dental amalgams, and often getting them out is one of the highest sources of exposure. And so doing that with a dentist who really understands how to mitigate your risk is important. So heavy metals and then mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are like heavy metals in that they’re not alive. So myco is yeast or mold, and it’s the toxins that yeast or molds produce. So again, with that, I tend to provoke…and I’m mentioning this provocation part because there is disagreement in the field. So if you talk to different experts, some will wanna provoke and others will not. But you know, my pattern is to do it, it’s how I was trained, and it’s the way I’ve done it for so long. But when I look at a lab, I know what it means when I’ve done it my way.

So with mycotoxins, we tend to provoke with some glutathione and with some sweating, and you can do that from home. And then you collect urine and we can see how many mycotoxins are in your system or get a sense of how many mycotoxins are in your system. And potentially even which type of mold created that mycotoxin.

So, Stachybotrys, or you may have heard of this as black mold, that can produce certain types of mycotoxin. And then Chaetomium a different type of mold and that produces different types of mycotoxins, as does Aspergillus or Penicilliums. So if that has been growing in a, you know, office building or in your bedroom or bathroom, a building or a room you spend a considerable amount of time in then those mycotoxins can certainly accumulate in your system.

And then the third flavor of toxin that we look for is the chemical toxins. So I look for about 20 of these in a lab test I run and again, we use a little bit of provocation, through glutathione or sweat. And these ones… I’m sure you’ve heard there’s like 80 something thousand chemicals on the planet, at this point. We don’t test for all 80,000 but we get a sense of okay, what are the petrochemicals, or the ones that are associated with gasoline and you know, are burning fossil fuels. So what are the petrochemicals? What are the parabens or PCBs? Some of the things you might see showing up in personal care products, do you have a few?

So we measure a few of the petrochemicals, a few of the parabens, PCBs. We measure glyphosate, which is what we think of as the active ingredient in Roundup. So pesticides and herbicides, we measure a handful of those but certainly glyphosate. And then we can also look at things like styrene that comes from styrofoam and chemicals that might be associated with getting your nails done a lot.

So we look at a handful of these, about 20 of them, but from different categories. And for me, this is often very eye-opening. I have a patient who… She’s just absolutely amazing, very committed to an organic, non-toxic lifestyle in her home. And we ran this test because I couldn’t figure out why she was so fatigued. And sure enough, after doing some digging, after doing this test, I was like, “Why are your pesticides and herbicides off the charts, higher than any ones I had ever seen and you’re eating an organic diet?” And she was like, “Oh, I do Ikebana” which is Japanese flower arranging.

So this amazing woman, she like…for low-income families, she creates these beautiful flower arrangements to send to the hospital for these people who have been hospitalized but couldn’t afford to get like a beautiful flower arrangement, right. So she does that two days a week, she volunteers, and she’s up to her elbows in the pesticides and herbicides that we won’t even spray on food. So we had no idea that this was gonna pop up. I had no idea to like ask her the question, right, do you do flower arranging? But when we ran the test, it popped up. It surprised us both. But she was then able to wear gloves, you know, a very simple intervention that totally reduced her exposure and then changed her symptoms.

Katie: That’s amazing. Yeah, I think it’s important…that’s why testing is so great to realize…like, who would have thought to even test for that, you know? Like, finding those things that can make such a big difference. So understanding toxins, I think, like all of these inputs that can come in, I’ve always thought of the analogy a little bit like a bucket. Like, we all have a point at which things will overflow, and you can kind of put a lot of stuff in, and whatever you put in eventually when you reach the top, it’s gonna overflow and something’s gonna happen. And that’s kind of how I’ve always thought of sort of toxins, and for my case, autoimmune disease that probably a lot of factors went into that for me like stress and exposure to certain environmental toxins and lack of sleep, and poor diet, and a lot of things.

And then for me, it manifested in Hashimoto’s, but I think that part of the equation seems different for everybody potentially. So what are some ways that you see, clinically, this overflow of toxins manifesting in people?

Dr. Heather: You’re absolutely right, and you bring up such a great point, right. It’s not only what’s going out, but it’s what’s coming in. And I would even start with 75% of environmental illness, 75% of my job is identifying what’s coming in and turning it off. So turning…I think of it, like turning off the faucet that’s filling that bucket. It’s such a great analogy. So how I see this manifesting, you know, my… This is my bias, of course, because this is what I do. But I really think that everyone should be sort of evaluating what degree of toxins they’re exposed to.

So looking at, what is all this stuff I put on my skin, you know, what am I choosing to consume in terms of my diet? My mom came… I had a baby about 18 months ago. My mom showed up at my house for six weeks to help me. And she had been complaining about her memory loss, so she was forgetting names that she would have never forgotten before. She was having to write down grocery store lists, when usually she’s so good at that, missing appointments, little things. At this point, she was just joking about it but she was scared, I could tell she was afraid that she was losing her mind.

So she showed up at my house and I, of course, was adamant there was not one thing that wasn’t organic coming into my house. So every single thing in the house was organic. And she was not committed to that beforehand. So she showed up, we ate only really, really good food because, of course, I had a newborn, and my mom stopped complaining about her memory loss by the time she left just six weeks later. So things like anxiety, depression, of course, autoimmune disease, it’s very hard to link them directly to toxic exposure, because it manifests in so many different ways. Toxins, they’re ubiquitous in our environment, right, you cannot avoid all of them.

But there are some certain things that you can avoid, like certainly what you choose to consume in terms of food, what you choose to put on your skin, you can change that. You can educate yourself about that. So there are some things that we can change and others that we can’t. But taking control of the things that we can change is so important and can have a profoundly big impact on our disease states and our wellness state, how good we feel even.

Katie: Absolutely. Okay, so let’s go deeper on that. I’d love to kind of delve into each of the three different types a little bit more because I think they’re not super well understood yet, or at least there seems to be a lot of confusion on some of them and how we’re exposed, and then how to undo the damage if we’ve been exposed. So let’s start with heavy metals first, can you give us a little bit more detailed overview of what are considered heavy metals, and where are we most commonly interacting with these?

Dr. Heather: Yeah, absolutely. So the big ones that you wanna be kind of most afraid of are lead and mercury, and these tend to be very neurotoxic. So lead…like everyone’s heard of Flint, Michigan, and how there was lead in the water and that led to lower IQs in the children who were exposed. So this is really, really, really important that we’re not exposed to lead. Lead used to be in paint. And in the ’70s that was outlawed so that no longer happens. But if you live in an old house, it’s not that I think people are, you know, licking the walls of the house, but it’s every time you open or close a door, open or close a window, it’s the rub, that friction that’s created, that can release a little bit of paint particle into the air and then you can breathe it in.

So, lead also can come from…you know, if you’re someone who makes jewelry, or if you are somehow exposed through some industrial process, right. If you’re working on cars or welding, you know. So most people aren’t exposed at high levels unless it ends up in the water. At least not… Now, I will say that people who were raised overseas because lead came out of the fuel, out of the gasoline also in the ’70s. But it tended to stay around in Central America and India and more of the third world countries, it was in the fuel for longer. And so I have patients who are in their ’60s and ’70s and they have very high levels if they were, say, raised in another country. And some people also of that generation who were raised in the U.S.

And then Mercury, like I had mentioned before, usually fish and then also the metal amalgams in the mouth. And then, unfortunately, coal power plants they produce mercury as well, so it can be in the air. And that’s one of those things we just don’t have control over. Cadmium is another big one and that tends to come from cigarette smoking. And those are kind of the three big one’s. Aluminum, tin, those come up as well. Gadolinium is a heavy metal that’s found in….if you get a lot of MRIs it’s in the contrast dye. And so I’ll see people with really high levels of that if they’ve had a lot of orthopedic MRIs.

And then, getting rid of those…you know, really all of these in terms of getting rid of the heavy metals, what you wanna do is open up your emunctories. Emunctory is the fancy naturopathic word for organs of elimination. And there are five organs of elimination, your liver, bowels, kidneys, lungs, and then skin and lymph. And I would love to go into the details about how to support each of those.

Katie: Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s such an important part to understand is that the body has channels to detox this and how we can support that. And for people listening who are thinking like okay, I don’t think heavy metals are an issue for me, I like that you went into there are common sources of exposure. And I actually had an uncommon one that ended up being part of my puzzle piece, which was in high school, I worked in a stained glass shop. And I didn’t even think about the fact that the metal that we used between the pieces of stained glass, and then the stuff that we would melt to make those stick together had lead in it. So that was something I had to deal with, as part of my own health journey. But yeah, walk us through how we can support all the different organs in that detox system.

Dr. Heather: You make such a great point, I ask people about their hobbies not only because of my patient who was doing the flower arranging, but also ceramics, the glazes often had lead in them. So like stained glass, glass blowing, jewelry making, some of these really fun, creative, wonderful hobbies can lead to exposures if we’re not savvy about what’s in these things.

So the Emunctory, no matter what your flavor of toxin is, that you’ve potentially been exposed to…of course, we wanna identify it, we wanna be able to identify it and get specific about how we get it out. But opening these amantrees and supporting these organs of elimination really is something that anyone can do.

So the lungs, detox breath work, there are lots of, you know, yogic breathing, yoga breath practices, there is online support that will take you through different breathing practices that help you to detoxify, right. If a cop pulls somebody over for driving funny on a Friday night, they are going to do a breathalyzer because one of the ways that we get rid of the toxins that we produce through drinking alcohol is by breathing them out. So this is true for many toxins. And we sort of forget, I think, that we can get rid of so much through our lungs. And it is certainly a pathway to take advantage of.

Now the flip side of that is that we can certainly inhale a lot of toxins. So one of the cheapest interventions and the best interventions is open your doors and windows in your house for at least an hour a day. And if possible, open the window of your office. The indoor air quality, it’s kind of…I think of it like a pool versus the ocean, right. There’s so much more air outside that is diluted of all of these toxins. So if you can open the windows and let that fresh air come in and dilute the indoor air, you’re gonna increase the air quality.

Now, of course, if you live or work right on top of a freeway, then that’s not gonna work as well. But for most of us, if we open the doors and windows, we can really increase the indoor air quality. So what we’re breathing in, again, we can reduce the particulate count in that.

The other thing that you can do is…particularly if you’re concerned about indoor air quality is you can get an air filter. And so I’ve had lots of patients whose symptoms have improved just by adding an air filter. And they don’t pay me but my favorite one is the GC Multi by IQAir, I really think that’s a very high-end quality one. There’s a lot out there that are very expensive, and they don’t work very well. So when given the opportunity, I do like to turn people on to that one, because it works. So that’s the lungs. Some ways that we can really increase our ability to detox through the lungs is one take breaths in and then two detox breath work.

The kidneys certainly water, water, water, water, water, and minerals. So having enough electrolytes in your system. And I don’t recommend distilled water, that doesn’t have enough of those minerals in it, but good high-quality spring water. And even having your water tested. I live in San Diego and we’re at the end of the Colorado River. We don’t have fabulous water quality for what’s coming out of the tap but we do have access to great spring water. So I recommend that people drink good high-quality mineral water that is out of glass, ceramic or stainless, not out of plastic and particularly those soft plastic bottles that have been sitting in the sun. That is a recipe for ingesting a lot of plastic chemicals, so definitely avoid those.

Drinking plenty of water. And if you don’t love water, then adding a little bit of lemon or adding a bit of mint or cucumber is something that makes it more flavorful for you. And detox teas, of course, can be very, very helpful. Certainly dandelion and thistle are good for both the kidneys and livers. So adding that to your daily routine can be very, very helpful. So that’s lungs, kidneys. Liver, so great things for the liver are certainly dandelion, milk thistle, and then we need all of those good nutrients to help the liver to detoxify.

So the liver, in all of its wisdom, if we don’t have enough of the nutrients that are necessary for phase two detox, the liver will slow down phase one detox. And this is because… Alcohol, again, is a really good example. When we drink a glass of wine or something it goes to the liver and the liver converts it in phase one detox into acetyl aldehyde. That acetyl aldehyde is what makes us hang over, that’s actually more toxic than the wine that we first consumed. And so the liver just blows my mind, this divine design, it’s so incredible. The liver stops phase one detox if we don’t have all the nutrients that are necessary to get that acetyl aldehyde, that toxic intermediate, fully conjugated and eliminated from the body.

So having plenty of those nutrients, things like NAC, the B vitamins, minerals, glutathione, can be very, very helpful. All of those things help to make sure that there isn’t a glitch in the system there, that there’s nothing gumming it up. And then the liver… So getting plenty of that liver support is super helpful. And then the livers spits out a toxic sludge called bile. And that goes into the gallbladder, if you’ve got one, and then into the gut. So ways that we can help support the gut are primarily through fiber. Fiber is one of the best things that you can do, as long as you’re getting plenty of water and it doesn’t turn to concrete. Having a bowel movement every day, at least once a day… If you’re not, it’s constipation and needs to be addressed.

So that’s really where I start with most of my patients it’s, if they are not having a daily bowel movement, we do not wanna start mobilizing cellular toxins. So toxins kind of…I think of it like the snow-capped mountains is the cells and then when you have a bowel movement, that’s like releasing it into the ocean, that’s the end of the river. And so we don’t wanna create a flood in the middle. And so opening up the river mouth or having bowel movements, sweating, urinating, all of those things help us to get the toxins actually outside of you. So elimination is what’s so important.

So the bowel movement, if you can take that toxic sludge called bile and bind it with binders, things like chia, flax, psyllium, charcoal, clay, chlorella, there’s a prescription when it will use, sometimes for certain mycotoxins, called cholestyramine. All of these binders it’s…I think of it like they’re giving the toxic sludge a hug and they’re holding on to it so they can take it out of the body and you can fully eliminate it through a bowel movement.

If we don’t have enough of those binders, then a process called enterohepatic recirculation will happen. And that fancy medical term basically is just saying that your gut is meant to absorb things, your colon is meant to absorb things. So if the bile sits in there too long, then your…and it’s not bound, it’s not being hugged by one of those binders, then your body will just reabsorb it. And then guess what? It goes right back to the liver. So now your liver has to take out yesterday’s trash and today’s trash, so it’s doing all this extra work. If you can just have a bowel movement every day, then your liver has much less work to do.

So lungs, kidneys, liver, bowels, and then skin and lymph. These ones are fun because you get to get a massage, okay, for all our mamas out there, you deserve one. So skin and lymph, lots of ways that we can support this, dry skin brushing even a rebounder. A mini trampoline helps to get your lymph going. Hot and cold showers, going back and forth between hot and cold, or if you have a plunge or something like that, absolutely, that’s fantastic. Lymphatic massage. A castor oil pack over the liver can also help with the liver and skin and lymph. There are so many fun things that we can do here. Saunas. Saunas are fantastic and I like…there’s some sauna blankets and there’s little saunas you can sit in that keep your head out. That tends to help people tolerate them a little bit more and they can stay in there longer.

You only need to sweat for about 10 minutes a couple of times a week and you’re getting a ton of toxins out. It is important to wipe those toxins off. So if you start sweating, you wanna either take a quick shower afterwards or use a washcloth or something, get the toxins off of you. Because when you’re hot like that, your pores are open, we’ve got toxins out, what we don’t wanna do is have you just reabsorb them. So really important with saunas to replace your electrolytes using water and then an electrolyte powder. Coconut water is a great one. And then make sure you rinse. And I typically say with cool water because that’ll get the toxins off and then it will close your pores back up.

Katie: Great advice. And a question I’ve seen come through a few times, I wonder if you might have an answer to, is some people seem to have, especially when they first start doing sauna or things that stimulate the lymph system or even from taking certain supplements that can be detoxifying, like magnesium, or greens, or algae, they’ll notice itching on their skin. Is that like a detox reaction or have you come across anyone having that clinically?

Dr. Heather: Yeah, lots. So absolutely, probably, a detox reaction. Although…you know, certainly itching we always wonder if there’s an allergy. And if you have a known allergy to something, then, of course, avoid it. But what I notice with… And I was sort of alluding to this with the analogy of the snow-capped mountains all the way down to the riverbed, out into the ocean. The analogy here is about mobilization at the cellular level, so that’s our snow-capped mountain. And then elimination at the level of the ocean or, you know, our bowel movements, urination, sweating, anything that eliminates it. So the ocean is outside of the body and our analogy of…our river is inside of the body.

So if we start to have too much snow melts, or we’re detoxing too much, at the cellular level, we’re not able to keep up, we’re not able to get enough elimination, not enough is leaving the body and so now we have more in the bloodstream. And what we see are things like rashes, we see headaches, we see fatigue, this is like the keto flu. A ketogenic diet is very detoxifying. And so sometimes people initially will have an increase in symptoms when they start on a detox diet or a detox plan.

My interpretation of that and my professional approach to that is, that is great information that tells us we’re probably on the right track, but what we need to do is slow down. Really, really important, this is not a no pain, no gain situation. This is an opportunity for us to communicate with our body about what it needs. And so if there is an increase in rashes or fatigue or headaches or anything like that, then we take that and we say, okay, let’s take less of the detox provocation agents or even less of the support and just slow things down a bit. Do the gentler approach, so spend less time in the sauna or, you know, focus on water, focus on the detox breath, focus on the things when you don’t have to add anything to the body but you’re really just focusing on elimination.

Katie: Yeah, that’s such a great point. Like I found for me…I think probably that balance is different for everyone. But when I was in the heat of the autoimmune disease, when it was at its worst, I had to be very careful with diet and eat very low inflammation. And then I had to…anything else beyond that, I had to do very slowly and make sure I was getting extra sleep. I didn’t do any really difficult workouts during that time, it was very much a period of rest and let my body rebuild slowly. And I think that’s such an important reminder is, especially when it comes to any of these things which can be very dangerous if you mobilize them too quickly. More is not always better and it’s not always just, you know, you should push through and do more to get through it quickly.

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Obviously, one of these toxins that you mentioned a little bit and I’d love to go deep on is mold, because this one has risen a little bit more to mainstream knowledge, I think, lately. People are starting to be aware that it can be a problem. But there’s still so much confusion about how to test for it, how to find out if it’s an issue, what to do about it if you do find mold, and if it really can actually have that dramatic of an impact on the body. So what are you finding when it comes to mold exposure?

Dr. Heather: Again, you know, the conventional community has really poo-pooed this idea for a long time. And I feel so grateful to people like Dave Asprey, Ritchie Shoemaker, and Neil Nathan, who have brought this to the forefront and really shown people that this can be a big part of what’s driving your symptom picture. And I have people who, you know, we address this, we figure it out, we address it and they go back to normal. And it’s so satisfying and I feel so lucky I get to do what I do when I get to see someone show up for their families again after treating this.

And I don’t wanna say that it’s an easy road by any stretch. Often when people come in and they test for mycotoxins and there’s a significant amount of that going on, I brace them, you know, this is a months to years long journey, not a days to weeks journey. So typically, we’re looking at about two years, maybe more depending on the amount of exposure and whether somebody is currently being exposed.

A lot of it is speculative in terms of why mycotoxins have become such a problem for people. And I don’t know, you know, if it’s a new thing, or if it was going on for a long time and we’re just kind of realizing it, the science is just catching up, or if it is really that we’re being exposed more. One of the theories is that the building materials, so things like drywall, have created more food for mycotoxins. Whereas, like old homes that were made of plaster, say, or brick, that wasn’t something that the molds like to eat as much, right, so you didn’t have as much risk.

And then the other thing that has changed is there’s a lot of fungicides in paint. And what we see is just like antibiotic resistance, you know, you add a bunch of antibiotics to the system and now the biota, the bacteria, it will change and be more resilient to that antibiotic. So with the fungus, what we think may be happening is that having so much fungicide in the paint is creating…molds are making more and more toxins. One of the things that we see is that like Candida, if you use an antifungal, if you swallow some nystatin say, then the Candida when it’s under threat will make a gliotoxin, so it’ll make a toxin. When you don’t have any nystatin in the system, and you can see this in a petri dish. When you don’t add an antifungal, the yeast, the Candida doesn’t make a toxin, right.

So depending on how threatened… From an evolutionary perspective, like if you put yourself in the role of yeast or a mold who’s on a piece wood competing with other microbes for food, then if you create toxins, then you’re gonna win for that food, you’re gonna get rid of these other, whoever you’re competing against. So you can see how adding more toxins or fungicides to the paint might increase the production of toxins for that mold. So this is all very speculative. I don’t wanna, you know, sound like we know for sure that this is going on, but it certainly can be one of those factors that’s influencing the increase in incidents of mold diseases, mycotoxin-related illness.

So for this, the way I test is I tend to use…like I mentioned, I do tend to provoke these and again, the consensus, there isn’t one. So different experts in this field have differing opinions, but it is the way I was trained and what I’m used to looking at, in terms of the results. So we’ll do a provocation using glutathione and sweating. And then people will collect their urine the next morning and send that off to the lab. There’s a couple of different labs that I use. And then, based on that, we create a plan that is very specific to the type of mycotoxin that shows up. So kind of like heavy metals, for mercury, we use certain chelating agents. For lead, we use different chelating agents.

For mycotoxins we have some degree…even though this is very new, we do have some degree of specificity that we can apply to how we treat the different mycotoxins. And so we create a plan together and then, like you said, we just go at the pace the body can tolerate because what we don’t wanna do is flood the system with toxins quicker than it can get rid of them.

Katie: Gotcha. Yeah, that makes sense. And so, for anyone listening just to make sure, because you’ve mentioned that term a couple of times about provoking. So basically, you can use different substances to provoke different things you’re trying to test for in the body. And then you can use, essentially, those same substances to help the body like continually release those things and eventually get rid of them, but you just want to be careful about the amount?

Dr. Heather: Yeah, thank you for clarifying. So, I started looking for mycotoxins years ago, maybe four or five years ago. And what I was finding is people who we knew had mold exposure, so they knew they were in a moldy house because somebody had done the environmental testing and they found the stachybotrys in the wall. They had awful symptoms that were clearly related to mold, and they might even have allergies to that mold. Well, we test their urine for mycotoxins and there would be nothing in the urine. And we were just pulling our hair out going, “Why is this? We know that they have lots of exposure, we can see that it’s in the environment, where did it go?” And what we found is that the sickest people, the reason they’re so sick is because they’re not eliminating, right, they’re holding on to these toxins.

And mycotoxins, they tend to be fat-soluble. So this is part of why they’re so dangerous for the endocrine system is because they can get glommed up in your pituitary or hypothalamus or up in your brain, in your lymph nodes, in your glands, like your thyroid, or your ovaries. So they can wreak havoc throughout the body because of their nature of being fat-soluble.

But what we found was, if we provoked them using something like glutathione, kind of…I think of it just like shaking it up, right. So you’re releasing some toxin from the cells, like the snow-capped mountains, right? And typically, not always, but a lot of times people feel a little worse after that, unfortunately. And if somebody starts to feel worse during the provocation process, we just stop it right then and go ahead and collect. Because what you’re getting is, again, back to that analogy of the snow-capped mountains, you’re releasing the snow, the toxin that’s in those cells, and now you’ve created flood.

Especially if you’re not having regular bowel movements, like you have a dam there, and now you have a flood and you can be causing a lot of destruction. So really important to have those emunctories open. But yes, that provocation process is also important because we wanna get an accurate result on the testing.

Katie: Gotcha. Okay, that makes sense. And I know that you mentioned you use a lot of this in helping people with brain-related potential issues like autism or ADHD, and that we even see links with depression and anxiety. And before we went live, you also mentioned that you do a lot of work with people with things like Alzheimer’s and dementia. So I’m curious, like, obviously, I can see the connections easily for anyone who is dealing with any of those types of issues or with autoimmune disease, but it seems like in health, anytime we find patterns that can help people heal who are in crisis, also there’s lessons we can learn to optimize, even for people who hopefully aren’t dealing with those same kind of problems. So, from your clinical work and your research, are there strategies that we can all use, even if we’re not in health crisis, to help protect and improve our brain and our body using these strategies?

Dr. Heather: Yeah, absolutely. So my work with the Neurohacker Collective we are really focused on optimizing, especially brain function, right. It’s great when we can all show up and be fully present and engaged in our work, we can be contributing. And there are a lot of people I talk to who don’t really have anything going on right now that has maybe inspired them to reach out to a doctor. Like they don’t feel like they have a pathology or nothing’s wrong on their labs, they really just wanna get the most out of their day, out of their relationships, out of their work.

And so there are things that I certainly recommend. And, like we discussed, you know, toxins are relatively ubiquitous so if we can prevent the accumulation of toxins in our body, then we can prevent disease long term. So, absolutely, you know, one of the simplest easiest things people can do, kind of like opening the doors and windows, just take your shoes off at the door. We track in so many toxins. And then if we’re wearing shoes, and then we’re barefoot later on, we can absorb those toxins through our feet. And then if you’re getting into bed, you know, it’s so gross when you start to think about it. But just taking your shoes off at the door, creating that habit, is one of the best ways to reduce the toxic burden in your home and then in your body.

But other ways to optimize, certainly brain function, is exercise, getting your circulation going. Again, it really goes back to those foundations, really good nutrients coming in, getting plenty of good circulation through exercise. Like you mentioned sleep, we do so much of our detoxifying at night when we’re sleeping, particularly in the brain. So getting really good sleep and prioritizing that, especially those hours before midnight. So if you can get to bed by 9:00 or 10:00, and get a few solid hours before midnight that’s when we get most of our deep sleep, and do a really good job detoxifying.

And then, of course, back to having regular bowel movements. You know, regardless of whether or not you’re struggling with toxic exposure, high toxic burden, having a good regular bowel movement. All of our cells eat and poop, right, so we have our basic metabolic toxicity that builds up every day. And if we’re not eliminating that, then we can get all kinds of accumulation of all the nasty stuff.

Katie: Got it. And I’d love for you to talk a little bit about the facility that you run and the results that you’re seeing there. Because that’s really astounding and incredible what you guys are doing.

Dr. Heather: Thank you. So I have had North County Natural Medicine for a handful of years now and I started seeing a lot more dementia patients. I was trained by Dr. Dale Bredesen, who wrote a book called “The End of Alzheimer’s.” And so we’re getting…really, it was surprising to me how good the results were. I had really bought it, hook line and sinker, right, this story that once you have Alzheimer’s there’s really nothing you can do, like good luck with that, right.

So I was trained by Dr. Bredesen after being very impressed by what he had to say, it was very much in alignment with the way I approach any sort of complex chronic disease. And so I brought it back into my clinic, and then sure enough, kind of created a reputation around that. And had people calling and saying, “Hey, my loved one has Alzheimer’s, and I just don’t have the capacity to take care of them any more, where can I send them? Is there a care facility where, you know, they’re incorporating this?” And what I found was that there wasn’t.

So, of course, I was like, “Well, that can’t be too hard, why don’t we just create one?” And that was how Marama was born. And so Marama, I purchased at the end of December of 2019. And we took over…it was a hospice facility so we inherited five residents. And this also completely surprised me, two of the residents did pass pretty quickly after the transition, but three residents are still there. And one of them who was bed-bound is now walking. Another got kicked off of hospice and the other is about to get kicked off of hospice.

And so, what is this? April, so it’s been five, six months. And the only things we did for those residents…because we couldn’t change anything, you know, we can’t change their meds, they have their doctor’s orders. But what we did was we changed the diet, it’s 100% organic diet, and as much as possible, kind of this keto flex or Whole30 kind of paleo diet.

So we got rid of a lot…of course, all of the candies, the Skippy peanut butter is gone, the Wonder Bread is gone. Occasionally, I get complaints about too many seeds in the bread that they do get, but it’s worth it from what we can tell. We changed the food, add lots more veggies even if we have to hide them. And we switched all of the soaps, all of the personal care products, and all of the cleaning products as well. All of that got switched to non-toxic.

And what we’ve seen is amazing transformation in these people. And I’m not suggesting that at 88 or 94 they’re gonna go back to work or anything like that, but even their families have seen how much more alert they are, how much more engaged they are in conversation with them, how much happier they are, really, day to day. So it’s been really gratifying. And especially this guy that’s up and walking, it’s neat, it’s really fun to see.

Katie: I bet that’s incredible to watch. And it makes me think of, you know, this kind of conversation that’s come about the last few years about… You know, we’ve always had studies and related things to lifespan. And now we’re starting to see more of a focus on healthspan. And the idea of not just living a long time, but living well as long as possible, and living in a way that’s healthy and happy and has quality of life as well. And I think all this work that you’re doing is gonna be things that we start understanding all of the pieces that go into that and hopefully can avoid a lot of these problems.

And for those of us who are like navigating an autoimmune disease, there’s links there that are helpful. But also, just for those of us who want to optimize our lives in the best way possible, and create solid foundations for our kids, I think these are all really important keys to that. And with such a focus on neural health and brain health, I’m curious if you have any other tips for just kind of optimizing cognitive function for moms or for those of us working that can help us to be more efficient and effective and focused at work.

Dr. Heather: So meditation and exercise, essentially, moving meditation, I get it. I have an 18-month-old and two businesses, you know, like, there’s a lot going on. And there is, for all of us, and especially right now in this COVID crisis, you know, when our wearing multiple hats all over the place. And yet, it’s never been more important for me to get in a daily meditation and to get in some exercise. I cannot…it’s the best feeling medicine by far. Like, don’t worry about a test, don’t worry about anything else. If you can just do those things get in…and, of course, good food, you know.

There’s nothing more valuable than taking that time to reduce the stress or to really shift perspective, right. The stressors are not gonna go away but what we have control over…and this goes back to toxicity as well, right. Like, toxins are a lot about what we allow in. And we can think about this as food or as media or as, you know, the arts we allow in or the relationships. It’s what we choose to allow in is that first step of making sure we’re not overburdened with toxins. And then second, are we able to digest? Are we able to break it down into the components that make sense for us? Whether it’s a news story or it’s broccoli, right? Like, are we able to break it down? Do we have the capacity to digest it?

And then third, can we absorb the parts that serve us? So can we get the sulforaphanes out of the broccoli? And can we get the really important information from that news article? And can we get the love from our mother in law? Fourth, can we eliminate the parts that don’t serve us, right? So can we let go of whatever nastiness someone said, and take the good of the critical feedback they gave us? Can we get rid of the fiber? Can we have that bowel movement, right? Can we let go of the information that makes us more anxious and crazed?

So allowing that process to take place and giving ourselves the time, so that we have the capacity to fully process is, I think, paramount to being fully optimized whether it’s in our relationships with our in-laws, or our children, or our boss, or our colleagues, or our clients. Taking that time for ourselves away from all of the needs, and all of the hats and roles that we play, is essential. I cannot understate that or overstate that, excuse me.

Katie: I love it. And you mentioned a lot of resources in this episode, I’ll make sure I link to all of them in the show notes at wellnessmama.fm. But specifically, you also have a podcast as well, right?

Dr. Heather: Yes. So I host “Collective Insights,” which is it through Neurohacker Collective, and it’s so fun. I’m sure you have the same experience. I absolutely love…it’s one of my favorite parts of my job just to pick the brains of experts in different fields whether it’s exercise, or diet, or longevity. There was a guy I got to pick his brain about orgasms. It’s just so fun, the people that I have the privilege to talk to and, you know, getting to be on the show with you today. So that’s been awesome. Thank you for having me.

Katie: Oh, it’s been a pleasure. We’ve covered so much. I think, hopefully, helped a lot of people. Another question I love to ask, as we wrap up, is if there’s a book or a number of books that have really dramatically impacted your life, and if so what they are and why?

Dr. Heather: So, right now professionally, I mentioned “The End of Alzheimer’s” by Dale Bredesen and then “Toxic” a book by Dr. Neil Nathan is the other one. So my practice is almost entirely built around putting those things into practice for people. So my clinical practice really relies heavily on the insights that those guys have gleaned and the data collection and research that they’ve done. And those books, they’re designed not just for doctors, but for people who are struggling with toxins or with Alzheimer’s. And there’s some overlap as well of course, because Alzheimer’s one of the things we wanna check for is the toxic burdens. So those books, if anyone is struggling with mycotoxin and illness or with Alzheimer’s, those are great places to start, where you can really get a lot of quality information.

Katie: I love it. I’ll make sure those are linked in the show notes, as well as have links for people to find you and keep learning if they’d like to or find out more about your clinic or your facility. But thank you so much, this has been such a fun interview, and I’m really appreciative of all the work you do.

Dr. Heather: Katie, thank you so much for making this awesome information available to people.

Katie: And thank you, as always, for listening and sharing your time with both of us today. We’re so grateful that you did. And I hope that you’ll join me again on the next episode of “The Wellness Mama” podcast.

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/podcast/neurohacker/

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