Latest / Wellness Wednesday Activation Podcast / Fuel Your Body for Fall

Transcript

Fuel Your Body for Fall · Wellness Wednesday Activation Podcast

0:01
Jami: Hello, everybody, and welcome to another edition of Wellness Wednesday.
0:05
Jami: I'm always so excited and honored to be able to lead these and bring in great information for everyone who chooses to join and be part of this.
0:12
Jami: We have really been had this wellness community for over three years and counting, which makes me excited because each week, every Wednesday, we've brought a new topic, a new expert, a new advocate to the table to really help us elevate our knowledge on wellness.
0:28
Jami: And that's what this is all about.
0:29
Jami: So my name is Jamie Williams.
0:31
Jami: I am a busy mom from Hastings, Nebraska, which is in the middle, south central of Nebraska.
0:37
Jami: Currently, we are in a flood warning.
0:39
Jami: So if any of you are going through some wacky weather out your way, prayers for safety and all of that for everyone.
0:47
Jami: But tonight's call is going to be a really relevant one because as we're stepping into the fall season, things are changing, right?
0:53
Jami: I'm sure many of you are in the busiest times.
0:56
Jami: For me, I'm a mom of four.
0:57
Jami: So I have a freshman, a sixth grader, and twin second grader.
1:01
Jami: So there's a lot of school activities across three different schools that we're going to.
1:05
Jami: But with that, in the time of year that we're in, schools back in session, we're around a lot of people, we're we're spreading the love or spreading the germs, whatever you want to call it.
1:14
Jami: There's busy active schedules.
1:16
Jami: If your kids are in sports or your coach or there's something going on all the time, tons of school activities.
1:21
Jami: It's just a busy time of year.
1:24
Jami: And what we what we know is coming is the notorious sick season, oftentimes referred to as sugar season, because we're coming into the fun, glorious holidays, but around that surrounds a lot of temptation with different foods.
1:38
Jami: And tonight the topic is really about how do we help people thrive through this next season, through the fall season, through the holiday season, because it is important.
1:47
Jami: We know that all too often, and me as a mom to little kids, I don't have time myself to be sick.
1:53
Jami: And I certainly don't like to see my kids be sick.
1:56
Jami: So we want to really help people find the resources and the tools that they need where they can elevate their health and feel confident moving through the season.
2:05
Jami: And tonight I have Heidi Ankin, one of my absolute dearest friends, very brilliant woman, but she comes to you as a nutritional therapy coach.
2:13
Jami: She has an endorsement in sports nutrition.
2:15
Jami: She is a college athlete herself.
2:17
Jami: She's a high school coach.
2:19
Jami: She has young adult children who are also college athletes.
2:22
Jami: So when we're talking about someone who knows what it takes to perform at a high level, this woman knows.
2:28
Jami: And I love being able to bring that expertise to the table for other people who are willing and wanting to learn, craving this information, just to really give you the practical strategies that you can take hold for yourself.
2:39
Jami: But Heidi, I know that when people get started in a field, there's something that pulled them in that direction.
2:45
Jami: So I would really love to just set the stage and you tell people how you even got into this role, what interested you when it came to nutritional therapy.
2:53
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, sure.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: Well, first of all, thank you for having me.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: It's always fun to do calls with Jamie, one of my best friends.
2:59
SPEAKER_00: So I'm super excited to be here and share with you guys.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: And I hope that there's even just a couple simple tips that you can take away.
3:06
SPEAKER_00: So what got me into this?
3:08
SPEAKER_00: It was my kids.
3:09
SPEAKER_00: And that I think that happens often for parents.
3:12
SPEAKER_00: We, through our children, find things that we love.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: And nutritional therapy was my first, my first avenue into this.
3:22
SPEAKER_00: Our oldest son is on the autism spectrum.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: And through my own research and learning and trying to figure out the best ways to help him, he's 25 now.
3:30
SPEAKER_00: So this was a long time ago before there was a lot of nutrition conversation around these kids.
3:35
SPEAKER_00: But I just kind of jumped into that world and found out that I loved it.
3:40
SPEAKER_00: And even if for no other reason I went back to school for nutritional therapy to help Samuel, that was enough for me.
3:47
SPEAKER_00: But it has given me so much more than that and so much knowledge to help other people, to help the rest of my family.
3:55
SPEAKER_00: And so that sort of snowballed into the sports nutrition thing because our two other boys have Samuel was also, but our other two other boys were very involved in sports.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: And my husband and I, like Jamie said, both college athletes.
4:09
SPEAKER_00: And so that was sort of our world.
4:11
SPEAKER_00: And I coached high school track.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: And hearing kids talk about what they eat, it would just, it would shock me because they just didn't know.
4:22
SPEAKER_00: And my two boys were kind of like my guinea pigs.
4:25
SPEAKER_00: Like I got to play with their diet because I was mom and I was cooking.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: And so I got to play with their diet.
4:31
SPEAKER_00: And we got to learn what was good for their body for fuel and what, you know, what wasn't.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: And they both really grew into that and took that through high school and then into college with them.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: And they knew so much better how to fuel their bodies through seasons than a lot of their teammates.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: And so, yeah, that's kind of how I got into the two, just through helping my kids.
4:55
Jami: I love this because I know that there's more to the story, and I'm absolutely going to make you share that later because that you guys, this is why we become passionate about what we have our hands on, because this kind of information can really impact the future of someone's life.
5:09
Jami: And that's more of Heidi's story that you're going to hear.
5:12
Jami: But when we talk about really laying the foundation as we get into the conversation of strengthening your immune system, having a strong gut so that you do function well and feel well, but really at the foundation of it is nutrition.
5:25
Jami: It's how we fuel our bodies.
5:27
Jami: And I think that this can be really confusing for people because there is a lot of noise out there.
5:32
Jami: And I feel like people don't know what to believe.
5:35
Jami: Where do I turn?
5:36
Jami: Where do I start?
5:36
Jami: I don't want to make it confusing.
5:38
Jami: I want to better understand nutrition.
5:40
Jami: So I formerly worked in cardiac rehab, and I will tell you, nutrition was not something that was discussed oftentimes in doctors' offices 10, 15 years ago.
5:51
Jami: That's changing.
5:52
Jami: And I'm so thankful for that.
5:54
Jami: There's a much higher awareness of the role that nutrition has, the food sources that we have, and the way that our body performs.
6:01
Jami: So, Heidi, I want to just dive right into that.
6:03
Jami: I want to talk about when it comes to laying that solid foundation and it comes to nutrition, how important is food when it comes to our overall health?
6:14
SPEAKER_00: It's super important to put it simply.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: What we eat fuels our body.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: Whether you're an athlete or not, like everything that I know can translate to anyone in the world.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: It is not just sports nutrition.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: It is not just kids on the autism spectrum.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: Nutrition gives your body the foundation, the building blocks for what it needs to function properly and for your cells to be healthy, for your immune system to work properly, for your brain to be clear and sharp, for your skin to be healthy.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: Like everything in your body is depending on nutrition as part of its processes and part of its functioning.
6:57
SPEAKER_00: So it's it's key.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: It's super, super foundational.
7:00
Jami: I would love for you to elaborate on this because I think this is a conversation I had a lot, even working in cardiac rehab.
7:06
Jami: When it comes to knowing what to look for, where would you guide people when it comes to even understanding a nutrition label?
7:13
Jami: What things should people really be looking for?
7:15
Jami: And maybe what are some of the key factors that are that we need in our diet that they should be looking for on those nutrition labels, like protein and fiber?
7:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
7:25
SPEAKER_00: So I'm I may not answer the question you think or the way you think that I'm going to, but protein and fiber are so important.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: I just I don't want people to, when they're reading labels, obsess over that.
7:40
SPEAKER_00: That can happen super easily.
7:42
SPEAKER_00: If you're reading a label and there's so many ingredients in there, and half of them that you can't pronounce, and so you don't know if it's good for you or if it's bad for you, uh, that overwhelms people.
7:56
SPEAKER_00: And even just reading the nutritional label, you absolutely, I want you to make sure that there's protein in what you're eating.
8:02
SPEAKER_00: I want you to make sure that you there is fiber in what you're eating.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: And I know I think we'll probably talk about those two things a little bit more later, but I think what makes it simpler for people that I like to always tell people is keep your food and your ingredients as close to the farm and the earth or as close to the animal and the earth as you can.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: Single ingredients are best.
8:25
SPEAKER_00: So chicken.
8:26
SPEAKER_00: It's one ingredient.
8:27
SPEAKER_00: Chicken is the food, it is the ingredient, right?
8:30
SPEAKER_00: It sounds silly, but if you can do chicken and broccoli and you know, brown rice or wild rice, something like that, that's gonna be a full, complete meal, and you have three ingredients.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: And so I really like to encourage people rather than focusing so much on labels, because labels are gonna be packaged processed foods most of the time.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: Focus on single ingredient things or very minimal ingredients, at least, and things that you know how to pronounce.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: And then, yeah, take a look at the nutritional information on there.
9:04
SPEAKER_00: Does it have some protein?
9:06
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
9:06
SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be fantastic.
9:08
SPEAKER_00: You don't want something that's just straight carbs on your protein or on your labels.
9:13
Jami: I will tell you one of the tips that I learned many years ago, and I think it's been super relevant was shop the perimeter.
9:19
Jami: Has anybody ever heard that?
9:21
Jami: Shop the perimeter because that's where your produce is at.
9:23
Jami: That's where your proteins, your meats, your dairies, all of those things are around the perimeter.
9:29
Jami: And those are probably your best options.
9:32
Jami: So I love that you say it simply like as close to the ground, as close to the animal, it means it's gone through less processing and there's more nutritional content in there.
9:40
Jami: I will just ask you, because it doesn't matter if people are athletes or not, where do you feel with the people that you've helped, where are the biggest nutritional gaps?
9:49
Jami: Like what are people missing the most of when it comes to their diet?
9:54
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, we're gonna fall right into what we were just talking about and pro protein and fiber.
9:59
SPEAKER_00: Protein has gotten a lot of spotlight on it lately.
10:04
SPEAKER_00: Like it's become pretty popular, and a lot of people online, a lot of doctors starting to realize that people aren't getting enough protein.
10:12
SPEAKER_00: And so I think that you guys have probably, most of you have probably heard that.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: You've learned that like we're chasing this protein number that we want to get throughout the day, especially women.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: I think I I see eating what may look like a healthy breakfast, but it's ends up really being like basically carbohydrates, like toast, some fruit, and coffee.
10:33
SPEAKER_00: And then you're hungry again a couple hours later.
10:35
SPEAKER_00: Protein is super important, not only for maintaining muscle and it helps you repair tissues, especially while you're sleeping or after you exercise, it helps your body make hormones, but it also helps you feel satisfied after you eat.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: And so starting your day off with protein is going to be super key for setting you up for the day to make better choices and to eat better.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: And I think a lot of people do not start their day that way.
10:59
SPEAKER_00: So protein is probably one of the biggest missing pieces in people's diets.
11:04
SPEAKER_00: And then fiber, and I'm not talking about drinking metamucle, like that.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: That's not, I know I won't even go there.
11:11
SPEAKER_00: But most people just aren't getting enough fiber.
11:13
SPEAKER_00: Fiber is not just about keeping you regular, and that's what a lot of people think of, especially when I mention metamusle, because that's what has always been prescribed by doctors if you're having issues.
11:23
SPEAKER_00: But protein also is super important because it feeds the microbes in our gut.
11:29
SPEAKER_00: It helps your body control its blood sugar regulation.
11:32
SPEAKER_00: And it also, like protein, it contributes to the feeling of fullness, that satiety that you get from your food.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: And so it's going to stick with you longer, last you longer.
11:41
SPEAKER_00: But then there's a micronutrient piece too.
11:43
SPEAKER_00: I think that like sometimes people are eating enough calories, but they're not necessarily getting enough nutrition out of their calories.
11:51
SPEAKER_00: I really dislike the comment, and I hear this a lot in the nutritional world, that a calorie is a calorie, and it doesn't matter where you get.
11:59
SPEAKER_00: I'm not a huge calorie counter person because people will look at it that way.
12:05
SPEAKER_00: A calorie is a calorie, and they're not thinking about nutrient density.
12:10
SPEAKER_00: They're just focused on the energy in the food.
12:13
SPEAKER_00: So you could eat a muffin and coffee and get essentially no nutritional value, or you can eat eggs and fruit, maybe some oats, and get like the same calorie amount, but a whole heck of a lot more nutrition for your day.
12:27
SPEAKER_00: So I think those are, yeah, protein, fiber, and then that micronutrient piece, I think, is a big thing.
12:34
Jami: Absolutely.
12:34
Jami: Eat the colorful rainbow, right?
12:36
Jami: We want to make sure that we're getting all those nutrients in our body.
12:39
Jami: Um talking about the protein craze, it's a huge marketing ploy, too.
12:44
SPEAKER_00: Oh, totally.
12:44
Jami: So be be careful of what you're falling for when it comes to marketing, because now we even have protein Doritos.
12:52
Jami: So I will tell you.
12:53
Jami: I haven't even seen those.
12:54
Jami: Are you kidding?
12:55
Jami: It's not even a healthy treat, but because it's marketed as protein, people think they're getting more value out of it.
13:02
Jami: So trying to make some things better.
13:04
Jami: But give us some examples like what are good sources if people wanted to increase their fiber.
13:08
Jami: They don't even know what foods contain fiber.
13:10
Jami: What are good resources or sources of food to get that in their their daily routine?
13:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think your best bet for increasing your fiber is going to be vegetables, vegetables and fruits, and then whole grain.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: I I and I know when I say whole grains, some people are like, oh my gosh, carbs.
13:28
SPEAKER_00: Carbs are not the enemy when they're done right.
13:32
SPEAKER_00: And so thinking of whole grains like different kinds of rice, not just white rice.
13:36
SPEAKER_00: There's brown rice and black rice and wild rice, oats.
13:40
SPEAKER_00: If you can do that, there's a lot of different ways that you can get carbs that are gonna be good, healthy carbs that are gonna help your body stay satiated.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: So, but really looking adding more vegetable and fruit, but really I think people like fruit's good for people, they don't usually have a problem with that.
13:59
SPEAKER_00: It's usually more the vegetable piece.
14:00
SPEAKER_00: And so, really adding in those vegetables is gonna make a big difference.
14:05
SPEAKER_00: One thing that I try and do all the time, because like you do, like you said, Jamie, the variety, eat the rainbow.
14:10
SPEAKER_00: We've heard that before.
14:12
SPEAKER_00: But we're so I we just it's so easy to get into a rut and always buy the green beans and the you know, cabbage and the whatever it may be, the bagged salads.
14:23
SPEAKER_00: And so, one thing that I think I could encourage you to do, maybe to start increasing some of that variety is every week when you go grocery shopping, well, I go grocery shopping once a week, pick one new vegetable that you have not ever tried or that you haven't had for a long time.
14:39
SPEAKER_00: Just start incorporating one new thing a week and see how you like it, see how your kids like it.
14:45
SPEAKER_00: But every meal, trying to get some form of fiber, vegetables, whole grains, it's gonna make a big difference.
14:52
Jami: I love this.
14:53
Jami: So if you guys have some great tips or you like certain dishes, vegetable dishes, how you're taking in your fiber or your protein, share that in the comments.
15:00
Jami: There's probably some really great ideas for people that are here right now.
15:04
Jami: So tell me this.
15:05
Jami: I'm a busy person.
15:06
Jami: I'm sure there's a lot of busy people on this call right now.
15:09
Jami: If I am trying to have a practical strategy, getting out of the house in the morning, what does a balanced meal look like that could be a grab and go?
15:17
Jami: What are some super healthy options that would fuel my body for breakfast or lunch?
15:23
Jami: What are some great choices?
15:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I would think like lunch or breakfast, sorry, super easy eggs, berries, and a slice of whole grain toast.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: Super easy.
15:34
SPEAKER_00: And it's gonna take you minutes to throw that together.
15:37
SPEAKER_00: Um, if you don't even have time to cook some eggs, if I I'm not I'm notoriously bad at meal prep.
15:44
SPEAKER_00: I don't like it.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: I hardly do it at all, but I will always keep a dozen hard-boiled eggs in my refrigerator.
15:51
SPEAKER_00: And it's a super easy something that I can grab that's gonna give me some protein, it's gonna give me a lot of nutrients, it's gonna give me some healthy fats.
15:59
SPEAKER_00: So you could do that.
16:00
SPEAKER_00: You could do a boiled egg and some fruit and pizza toast.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: You could do, if you are a prep person, you know, you could do like some overnight oats and have those ready.
16:11
SPEAKER_00: Then you can just grab that and take it with you.
16:14
SPEAKER_00: Greek yogurt with some berries, put a little sprinkle some chia seeds and some nuts on there.
16:20
SPEAKER_00: Even smoothies are a great option for an on the go, something that you can make real quick and take with you, but just be cautious with that because that kind of comes back to how much, you know, the nutrient density people think that a smoothie is healthy for you.
16:34
SPEAKER_00: But it really depends on what's in it.
16:36
SPEAKER_00: It can be just straight carbs and sugar, depending on what you're putting in there.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: And so if you're gonna make a smoothie, I would say make sure it has a really good quality protein powder in it, some berries, throw in some spinach.
16:48
SPEAKER_00: You can't even taste it, but it gives you some really good micronutrients, a little bit of nut butter, maybe some oats or some chia seeds, and that's really gonna boost it and give you some nutritional content.
16:58
SPEAKER_00: So that would be kind of breakfast.
17:00
SPEAKER_00: I can you want me to throw some lunch ideas at you?
17:02
Jami: Yeah, throw us some lunch because people need some really good on the go that they know is gonna be packed full of nutrients that that's gonna be helpful.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
17:11
SPEAKER_00: And I think here too, like if you're a meal prep kind of person, this is it's super easy just to spend an hour on Sunday or whenever just throwing some stuff together, and you can have multiple lunches in there that you can literally just take it out of the fridge and go.
17:24
SPEAKER_00: But one thing that I really like to do is I mean, we love leftovers in my family, and so I will always make extra of a big pot of soup or casserole or whatever.
17:35
SPEAKER_00: And as I'm cleaning up the kitchen that night, then I will just portion it into lunch-size containers.
17:40
SPEAKER_00: And so when my husband's getting ready for work, I can just throw one of those in his bag and he's out the door with a good, healthy lunch.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: Something else that you can do is, you know, if you're say cooking chicken for dinner one night, cook an extra chicken breast or two and just have them in the refrigerator so they're already cooked, they're already ready to go.
17:58
SPEAKER_00: And you can just pull it out, throw it together in maybe a bowl.
18:02
SPEAKER_00: You know, you can have chicken or turkey or tuna, something like that, but add a whole bunch of vegetables, whatever you like, in there.
18:09
SPEAKER_00: You can throw some rice or quinoa or beans in there for some healthy carbs, and then just dribble drizzle it with some olive oil or some avocado.
18:19
SPEAKER_00: That's going to be a super balanced meal, but it's just gonna take you a couple of minutes if you have that protein already cooked and ready to go in the fridge.
18:27
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think those are probably my two biggest things that we do.
18:30
Jami: Those are making me hungry.
18:32
Jami: Those are great, great suggestions.
18:34
Jami: I love smoothies for our family because I use a ton of our fresh fruit that we have.
18:39
Jami: I love to use a Greek yogurt base, so there's a little bit more protein in there.
18:42
Jami: And my kids will actually drink it, and it's packed full of all kinds of fruits in there.
18:47
Jami: And it is a great thing.
18:51
Jami: Hide some fruits in there, and just fuel their body, which is fantastic.
18:54
Jami: So those are super helpful hips.
18:56
Jami: Here's something that I want to talk about.
18:58
Jami: And I know this is probably a little off script, Heidi, but it's something that I think really helps people create more awareness in how food impacts them.
19:06
Jami: Think about how you feel after you eat certain foods.
19:10
Jami: Do you feel energized?
19:11
Jami: Do you feel lethargic?
19:13
Jami: Do you feel like the brain fog setting in?
19:15
Jami: People respond differently to different foods.
19:17
Jami: And I will tell you, it's something that working in cardiac rehab that I've I became way more aware of.
19:22
Jami: Like if you're you're taking in a big heavy meal, carb-loaded meal, a Thanksgiving dinner, you know that you start to feel sluggish, you start to feel tired.
19:31
Jami: So what how do you how do you help people through that when it comes to that?
19:35
Jami: Like what do they pay attention to and how their body responds to certain foods?
19:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
19:41
SPEAKER_00: I think you mentioned a couple of key ones, kind of the brain fog, the sluggishness, and like seriously, the turkey hangover that people get after Thanksgiving is so real.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: You have to go take a nap before you can have pie.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: But a few others, like maybe you get bloated half an hour after dinner or an hour after dinner.
19:59
SPEAKER_00: Pay attention to how you feel within the first couple of hours, like yeah, half an hour to hour and a half after.
20:07
SPEAKER_00: One thing that people are notorious, and it's not our fault, but we're notorious for not being able to listen to our bodies very well.
20:15
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's just happened over so many years of environmental impacts, of not treating our body the best, not we just have not been raised to listen to our bodies very well.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: And so teaching yourself to recognize the things that food is doing to you is gonna be so, so important.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: And if that feels kind of overwhelming, you're like, well, I'm not even gonna remember tomorrow morning how I felt after I ate dinner, get a notebook.
20:46
SPEAKER_00: It's so simple to just jot down, keep a food diary.
20:49
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to, it doesn't have to be elaborate, you don't have to have measurements and calories and all that kind of stuff.
20:53
SPEAKER_00: Just write down this is what I ate for dinner, and then come back to it, leave it out on the counter.
20:59
SPEAKER_00: So when you're cleaning up the kitchen an hour later and you come back to it and you can be like, oh my gosh, I'm so bloated.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna write that down.
21:05
SPEAKER_00: And you keep a track of that.
21:07
SPEAKER_00: And over the next couple weeks or so, you can look back and start to see patterns.
21:12
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I was always bloated when I had yogurt or whatever, dairy, something, cheese.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna start helping you see patterns that then you're gonna be able to start listening to your body and hearing it when it's speaking to you and telling you this thing probably isn't the best for me right now.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: So I think that's probably like my biggest tip is learning how to listen to your body again, but keep track of it.
21:34
Jami: Absolutely.
21:35
Jami: You want to listen to your body before the sirens are sounding, before something really is going wrong and you're like, oh, I did, I felt this way for quite some time and now it's turned into a problem.
21:44
Jami: I will tell you, even having teenage kids, I can see the difference in their skin and their mood hugely dependent on how they sleep, how they sleep, what they eat.
21:56
Jami: It makes a big, big difference.
21:57
Jami: So even when you start to think about acne and Inflammation in the face and things that show up on the body that can absolutely be triggered by the foods we're putting in.
22:06
Jami: Oftentimes when I think about nutrition, you know, we compare it to the conversation of fuel in the car.
22:12
Jami: You can't go out and you know drive a long distance if you have no fuel in your car.
22:16
Jami: Your body can't perform if it doesn't have the fuel, good fuel, to help it provide that function.
22:23
Jami: And you wouldn't put diesel gas in a gas burner, right?
22:27
Jami: You wouldn't put diesel fuel in a gas burning car.
22:30
Jami: It would it would really cause problems inside that engine.
22:33
Jami: Think of food the same way.
22:35
Jami: When we fuel our body with poor choices, what do you think the performance over time will be?
22:41
Jami: Probably less than your best.
22:43
Jami: And that's that's a huge connection.
22:45
Jami: So you treat your car well, you charge your phone every day.
22:49
Jami: What about your body, right?
22:51
Jami: We got to start investing in our body, and a lot of that is just laying that foundation in food.
22:56
Jami: Heidi, I think you gave some absolutely fantastic practical tips for people because I hope that you're understanding the value of food and your overall performance.
23:03
Jami: But I want to switch gears because we have a couple different areas to talk about.
23:07
Jami: Again, use the chat.
23:08
Jami: If you have things that are working for you, really great recipes you've come across, really great protein sources, or just different tips and tricks when it comes to food, share that.
23:17
Jami: There's people that are hungry to learn.
23:19
Jami: But now let's switch gears.
23:21
Jami: Like, really, let's talk about your immune health.
23:24
Jami: What role does nutrition play when it comes to your immunity?
23:28
SPEAKER_00: It's quite it's pretty impactful, actually.
23:30
SPEAKER_00: It plays a pretty big role.
23:32
SPEAKER_00: Of course, food isn't like a magic shield that keeps you from getting sick.
23:37
SPEAKER_00: But our our immune system is really complex and it needs a lot of different nutrients to function properly.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: Like vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A, C, you guys all know about those, or like zinc, selenium, iron, those are all minerals.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: They all have roles in our immune function.
23:56
SPEAKER_00: But when somebody's in deficient in certain nutrients, the immune function can be impaired.
24:01
SPEAKER_00: Like it's not going to work as optimally.
24:03
SPEAKER_00: So if you're not getting a variety of foods supplying you with those vitamins and minerals, it's going to slow your immune system down because it doesn't have the building blocks.
24:13
SPEAKER_00: Nutrition is giving your immune system the tools it needs to do its job because it's so intertwined and connected with our gut, our immune system is.
24:21
SPEAKER_00: And I think we might get to that.
24:23
SPEAKER_00: I can talk about it some more.
24:24
SPEAKER_00: But that kind of starts the overall pattern.
24:27
SPEAKER_00: You know, what we're eating is going to support or not hinder our immune system.
24:35
SPEAKER_00: And there's not one superfood that provides everything.
24:37
SPEAKER_00: That's why we have to have a variety of foods.
24:40
Jami: Speaking of superfood, that's a great term that you just threw out there.
24:43
Jami: What like my superfoods that I love are I love blackberries, blueberries, avocados.
24:49
Jami: Do you have things to add to that list when you start thinking of things that really pack a punch of health, high antioxidants, healthy omega fats?
24:56
Jami: What are some of your superfood go-tos?
24:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I would say any berries.
25:00
SPEAKER_00: Berries are loaded, loaded with nutrients for you.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: Avocado oil, I prefer actually olive oil over avocado oil, but avocado oil is a great option too.
25:11
SPEAKER_00: That's really going to give you a boost there.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: Other superfoods, I know a lot of people are really on like the asay bowls and stuff.
25:18
SPEAKER_00: Asay is very nutrient dense.
25:21
SPEAKER_00: Just be careful if you're doing it in the bowls because that, like we talked about with smoothies, can just be loaded with carbs and sugar.
25:28
SPEAKER_00: Avocados, yeah, are a fantastic one.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: Lots of greens.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: Dark leafy greens are going to be super food.
25:35
SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't have to be kale.
25:36
SPEAKER_00: I know there was a huge kale phase.
25:38
SPEAKER_00: Not a lot of people like kale.
25:40
SPEAKER_00: I I do, but my family won't eat it, so it's hardly ever here.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: But dark leafy greens, whatever you can get in, mix a little bit in with your salad, throw them in your smoothies, those are going to be really, really super food beneficial.
25:52
Jami: Awesome.
25:52
Jami: It takes a lot of seasoning to make kale good, in my opinion.
25:55
Jami: I know it's super good for you.
25:57
Jami: But I love that you're bringing this up.
25:59
Jami: So when we start talking about like this is all interconnected, our systems are so interconnected, how food plays a role in all of this.
26:05
Jami: But when we start talking about our immune health, what role does the gut play when we start talking about gut health?
26:10
Jami: Because people start to think that the gut is just digestion, right?
26:14
Jami: If we talk about bloating, we talk about regularity.
26:17
Jami: But more people are becoming aware the gut is like the brain of the body.
26:21
Jami: What role does your gut play when it comes to your immune health?
26:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
26:27
SPEAKER_00: So you just said it, it's like the second brain.
26:29
SPEAKER_00: That's a name that people are giving our gut now because it is like a major interface between your body and the outside world.
26:36
SPEAKER_00: And it controls so much and it communicates so much.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: It's not just digesting your food and eliminating waste.
26:43
SPEAKER_00: There's so much more that happens, and it's really complex.
26:46
SPEAKER_00: But we have this whole community of microorganisms in our gut called our gut microbiome.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: Most of you probably have heard of it.
26:56
SPEAKER_00: But those microbes interact with the food that we eat and they help us process certain components of our diet, like a lot of fibers that we can't digest on our own, but they're necessary for our health.
27:08
SPEAKER_00: Those gut bacteria actually break those fibers down and do what they need to do with it.
27:14
SPEAKER_00: And that all interacts with our immune system too.
27:16
SPEAKER_00: Something that's really cool, I think, is I can't, I can't remember the number.
27:23
SPEAKER_00: It's like 80%, something like that.
27:25
SPEAKER_00: It changes all the time and it depends on who you ask.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: But roughly, we'll just say the majority of your immune activity is associated with your gut.
27:34
SPEAKER_00: That bulk of your immune system comes from your gut health, from your gut interacting with the food and supporting your immune system.
27:45
SPEAKER_00: So when we're talking about gut health, it's not just talking about whether you have a bowel movement every day.
27:49
SPEAKER_00: While that's very important, there's a whole ecosystem that interacts with our nutrition and our immune system that plays an even bigger role in our in our health.
28:01
Jami: I have learned so much about gut health over the last couple of years.
28:04
Jami: And I I after dialing that in and learning a whole lot more, you can start to see the patterns.
28:10
Jami: You can start to see when people have a healthier functioning gut, their overall vitality is different.
28:15
Jami: Their mood is different, their energy level is different, the way that they they glow and they show up, they look different.
28:21
Jami: Like your gut plays such a major role in your overall health.
28:25
Jami: And I know that there's a lot of people that struggle in that arena.
28:30
Jami: So if we can help people have practical tips, like start looking at your diet, doing a food diary, that's super helpful.
28:38
Jami: We are creatures of habit, right?
28:39
Jami: We're creatures of habit.
28:40
Jami: And over time we can start to see I'm having the same reaction and I'm eating these foods.
28:46
Jami: What if I could eliminate and substitute something that's a lot healthier?
28:50
Jami: What would that do?
28:51
Jami: That would be super beneficial, right?
28:53
Jami: So I don't want this to be like doom and gloom.
28:56
SPEAKER_00: I don't want people to feel frustrated when can I add something to that, Jamie?
29:00
SPEAKER_00: Just about what you said when you know, maybe I need to eliminate this and what can I substitute?
29:04
SPEAKER_00: I I think it's really important to have the right mindset around that rather than I can't eat this.
29:12
SPEAKER_00: What can you eat?
29:14
SPEAKER_00: What foods make you feel good that you love?
29:16
SPEAKER_00: And focus on that.
29:17
SPEAKER_00: What foods can you add that you love that you know make you feel good versus, oh my gosh, dairy makes me feel bad.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: I can't eat cheese.
29:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm so bummed.
29:26
SPEAKER_00: I can't go to have pizza with my friends.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: Focus on the positive of it, and it's that whole mindset shift that happens where you really become grateful for all of the things that you can eat that make you feel so vibrant and healthy and alive versus the cheese that makes you feel bloated.
29:44
Jami: I would say on that same topic, maybe you guys are the same way in this concept.
29:48
Jami: I love to enjoy my food.
29:50
Jami: My husband loves to cook.
29:51
Jami: I I love to have people over for meals.
29:55
Jami: Like food is a celebration for many people, right?
29:58
Jami: So as we're starting to talk about moving into this fall season, we're coming into the holidays.
30:03
Jami: This is where I'm like, I don't want people to have the doom and gloom mindset.
30:07
Jami: The the oh my gosh, I can't have that.
30:08
Jami: I really love this.
30:09
Jami: My grandma always makes this, but I can't have it.
30:12
Jami: You just kind of talked about that that mindset shift.
30:16
Jami: How do we move through the holidays without really completely derailing our health goals?
30:22
Jami: What are some of the strategies you you help people with to navigate these these sugary seasons?
30:28
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
30:29
SPEAKER_00: I think uh it is a whole mindset and and not beating yourself up.
30:34
SPEAKER_00: That's a big piece of it, is people think that, oh my gosh, I ate two pieces of pie at Thanksgiving and I just completely ruined everything that I did this week.
30:42
SPEAKER_00: That's not true, first of all.
30:45
SPEAKER_00: One night of indulgence is not going to ruin all the work that you've done if you get back up tomorrow and you go back to your healthy habits.
30:52
SPEAKER_00: But I also totally agree with you that food is a celebration.
30:56
SPEAKER_00: And I don't ever want anyone to feel like they're the Debbie Downer at the party, you know, they're missing out that FOMO that people talk about all the time because they can't have the treats.
31:07
SPEAKER_00: There is absolutely nothing wrong, in my opinion, with eating the pie, eating the cookies.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: If you're consistent leading up to that point, if your lifestyle is for the most part very consistent with eating these healthy foods, getting enough protein, getting enough carbs, healthy carbs, getting a lot of vegetables on your plate, then enjoying and celebrating with your family and your friends is not something that you should be afraid of.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: I don't think that people need to be afraid of sugar.
31:40
SPEAKER_00: I don't think that that's an anything that you have to worry about unless it becomes your everyday.
31:47
SPEAKER_00: And that's when it becomes an issue.
31:49
SPEAKER_00: When it's a celebration with your family, it's it's just a small piece of what's going on.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: And if you're treating your body well, then I don't think that that one you know piece of pie that grandma makes is gonna make a difference.
32:03
Jami: You got Heidi's permission to go enjoy the pie.
32:05
Jami: Go eat the pie.
32:06
Jami: Go eat the pie, enjoy it because that really life is about enjoyment, right?
32:11
Jami: And food is part of that story, so it's about moderation and having control over it.
32:16
Jami: And if people struggle with it, there's real resources for for people to lean on um when it comes to if they have a unhealthy relationship when it comes to food, because there are some real realities with that.
32:27
Jami: But I would love for us to kind of talk about added support.
32:31
Jami: This is kind of where your story continues to move to get better as you open this up talking about your your kids.
32:38
Jami: We can do a lot of right things.
32:40
Jami: We we can exercise, we can manage our stress, we can sleep, we can get the right foods the best that we can, but there are still so many environmental factors that can stack up against us.
32:51
Jami: So I always want to say like, how can we help support our bodies the best that we can to really empower it to work better?
32:57
Jami: And I know we have some fantastic tools that you and I both have been using for years and years.
33:02
Jami: So I would love for you to just throw out some suggestions when it comes to the added support of vitality, gut health, and immune health.
33:09
Jami: What do you recommend?
33:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
33:11
SPEAKER_00: So, first of all, the first few that I think I'll say are things that you all have right now and you can utilize right now and take advantage of.
33:18
SPEAKER_00: And one is control your sleep, making sure that you are getting good quality sleep.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: What's your sleep environment like?
33:26
SPEAKER_00: Because if you're going to bed and there's lights shining in the windows and there's a clock blaring right next to you, and your phone is right next to your head, your body is not going to get the deep restoring sleep that it needs.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: And that impacts your immune system, it impacts your mood, it impacts your cravings, and that can just cause a downfall the next day.
33:43
SPEAKER_00: So make sure that you have a really good sleep environment.
33:45
SPEAKER_00: It's dark, it's cool, it's quiet, and your phone is away from you.
33:50
SPEAKER_00: So that's something super simple that people can do that's going to impact all of that.
33:54
SPEAKER_00: I think the other one is make sure you're drinking water.
33:56
SPEAKER_00: So many people are like, I could have thrown that in with the what's missing in your diet, the fiber and the protein, but water, because people will drink anything but, and that's not what your body's craving for.
34:08
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes when you feel like you're hungry and snacky, it's actually you just need to drink some water.
34:13
SPEAKER_00: And so start with those two things.
34:15
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like a big, huge pusher of those things.
34:19
SPEAKER_00: My kids are amazing sleepers, they're young adults and they absolutely love going to bed at like 9:15 and they drink tons of water, like they just are so different than their friends.
34:28
SPEAKER_00: But that's how we have raised them.
34:30
SPEAKER_00: But in addition to that, then like Jamie and I are part of this company, Life Anage, and there are some incredible resources that we have tools to help support not only overall health and wellness, but gut health and immune health.
34:44
SPEAKER_00: And the first one, I and I have a couple of little bottles that I can show you.
34:48
SPEAKER_00: I didn't bring all of them, but the first one is this one, and it's called Protandum NRF2.
34:52
SPEAKER_00: And really, in a nutshell, what this does is it's going to reduce the oxidative stress in your cells.
34:58
SPEAKER_00: And it's proven to do that 40% in 30 days.
35:00
SPEAKER_00: And what oxidative stress is, is like it's just damage to our cells.
35:04
SPEAKER_00: It's like if you leave a bike out in the rain and it starts to rust, that's oxidative stress.
35:08
SPEAKER_00: It's oxidation, right?
35:09
SPEAKER_00: So this is happening in our cells because of our environment, because of our food choices, because of all the stresses in our life.
35:16
SPEAKER_00: And if we can reduce that, it's cleaning up, it allows your body, it activates your body to clean up the cells so that they can function properly.
35:25
SPEAKER_00: And when your cells are functioning properly, they're going to be able to take in the nutrients from all this good food we just talked about eating.
35:31
SPEAKER_00: And that's going to help you be healthier, help your cells function even better.
35:36
SPEAKER_00: So that would be my absolute baseline tool for anyone to use.
35:40
SPEAKER_00: And that is something that my kids all started on, my whole family started on right away, and won't go a day without.
35:47
SPEAKER_00: A couple of others that I don't have with me here, but we have a probiotic.
35:51
SPEAKER_00: And I know a lot of people know about probiotics.
35:54
SPEAKER_00: They can be good and they can be not so good.
35:56
SPEAKER_00: This one is formulated to slow release, actually, not until it gets mostly into your intestines.
36:04
SPEAKER_00: And that, especially deep into the large intestine, that's where you really want to build those colonies.
36:09
SPEAKER_00: A lot of times, probiotics are either already dead on the shelf.
36:13
SPEAKER_00: There's not really in there what you think you're buying, or they're destroyed by stomach acid.
36:18
SPEAKER_00: And so finding a really good quality probiotic like this one can have a huge benefit to somebody who's maybe dealing with a little bit of gut or gastrointestinal issues.
36:27
SPEAKER_00: And there's also a prebiotic drink.
36:29
SPEAKER_00: So prebiotics are, they go, they're like food.
36:32
SPEAKER_00: It's fiber for your gut microbiome to digest and to feed them so that they can proliferate and really be healthy and strong.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: And so it's a really yummy drink that you can just drink whenever during the day and feed those bacteria.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: It just adds a little more to the fiber that you're already eating in your diet.
36:51
SPEAKER_00: And then I think a really important one, I know this is the one that Jamie wants me to talk about and tell Sam's story a little bit, is this combination.
37:00
SPEAKER_00: It's called P84.
37:02
SPEAKER_00: It's two packets that you mix together in a bottle of water, or you can put it in a smoothie, you can put it in really whatever, just not hot.
37:11
SPEAKER_00: But what this one is, is it it's a drink that has 40 different fruits and vegetables in it.
37:17
SPEAKER_00: And I am not saying that this is a meal replacement.
37:20
SPEAKER_00: We everyone still needs to eat and drink or eat all of the fruits and vegetables that we can, like fill your plate with them.
37:28
SPEAKER_00: But this is still going to help fill in some of those gaps that we have in our diet.
37:33
SPEAKER_00: So 40 fruits and vegetables, it has probiotics, it has prebiotics, and it has postbiotics, which are also super important for your gut health.
37:42
SPEAKER_00: And it has digestive enzymes.
37:44
SPEAKER_00: So it's going to help your stomach break down more of what you're taking in so that you can get more of the nutrients out of it.
37:50
SPEAKER_00: So my story behind this one, and I'll keep it kind of brief because it can be long.
37:55
SPEAKER_00: But Samuel, our oldest, who is on the autism spectrum, he we have seen significant improvement with him.
38:02
SPEAKER_00: One from the diet that we transitioned him to.
38:06
SPEAKER_00: We didn't eat terribly before when he was younger, but we did make some adjustments.
38:10
SPEAKER_00: And then when we added in the NRF2, that first one that I showed you, and we added in a brain drink that he was drinking.
38:19
SPEAKER_00: We he was still in school at the time, he was a sophomore in high school, and we saw some good improvement in his handwriting, in his interaction in class, remembering things, communication, all of that kind of stuff.
38:30
SPEAKER_00: He's brilliant, he's very verbal, all of that, but just there was so much clarity in his brain.
38:36
SPEAKER_00: And so we were super excited about that.
38:38
SPEAKER_00: Well, fast forward, we've kind of layered some different activation products from this company as we've gone through the years.
38:45
SPEAKER_00: And about a year ago, was it a year ago, Jamie?
38:48
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was just a year.
38:50
SPEAKER_00: This product, we acquired this product from another company that we purchased.
38:55
SPEAKER_00: And we started Samuel on it because I know that I know that I know that 100% of kids on the autism spectrum have digestive issues.
39:04
SPEAKER_00: They have gut problems.
39:06
SPEAKER_00: It is without a doubt, whether it be they're constipated or they get bloated or they have a very narrow diet, they don't get a lot of nutrients, like there's a whole lot going on there.
39:17
SPEAKER_00: So we added this to Samuel's daily routine.
39:20
SPEAKER_00: And he is so faithful about getting up and fixing it every morning and drinking it.
39:24
SPEAKER_00: But I will tell you guys, within the first four days, my husband and I saw this spark in his eyes that we hadn't seen before, or not before, we hadn't seen it in a long, long time.
39:38
SPEAKER_00: And the only way I know how to explain it is it was kind of like this little mischievous sparkle behind his eyes, like he knew something that we didn't know.
39:46
SPEAKER_00: And it was just so it filled us with so much joy to see that light.
39:50
SPEAKER_00: You know, that's what it was like a light coming back into his eyes.
39:54
SPEAKER_00: And as we kept going, it was almost daily things were happening in Sam that we were like, what in the world?
40:03
SPEAKER_00: But it's because it's all connected to the gut.
40:06
SPEAKER_00: So he, like I said, he's very bright.
40:08
SPEAKER_00: He loves military history and he will talk your ear off about it.
40:12
SPEAKER_00: But sometimes his brain goes so much faster than his words can come out of his mouth, and he would stumble and he would have to back up.
40:19
SPEAKER_00: And we noticed that I don't, I don't remember.
40:22
SPEAKER_00: I don't have my list here.
40:23
SPEAKER_00: I literally had to keep a long list of what was happening in him, but he he kind of stopped stumbling over his words.
40:31
SPEAKER_00: He was able to communicate freely, smoothly.
40:34
SPEAKER_00: He started having very regular bowel movements, which has been an issue for him all of his life.
40:41
SPEAKER_00: He started doing math in his head, which is never, we've never seen that.
40:46
SPEAKER_00: And still to this day, it shocks me.
40:49
SPEAKER_00: We'll go to the library and he loves to read.
40:51
SPEAKER_00: So we go to the library, he gets 20 books every Friday, and he reads all of those books, but in a week, some of them multiple times.
40:58
SPEAKER_00: But he used to get his books in chunks.
41:01
SPEAKER_00: Like he would go and he'd get four books and he'd come back and say, he'd count them and say, This is four.
41:06
SPEAKER_00: How many more can I get?
41:08
SPEAKER_00: Like he wasn't doing that math and communicating that.
41:13
SPEAKER_00: And when he's after he's been on this for a little while, now he just will plunk down.
41:17
SPEAKER_00: Here's seven books.
41:19
SPEAKER_00: I have 14 more to get.
41:20
SPEAKER_00: Or oh, see, I didn't even do the math.
41:22
SPEAKER_00: I got 13 more to get.
41:24
SPEAKER_00: He just is popping the math off like that.
41:26
SPEAKER_00: And it's crazy to me.
41:28
SPEAKER_00: And really it's because, like we're talking about immune health, but there's such a huge connection between the gut and the brain, too.
41:35
SPEAKER_00: And that's what we've seen with Sam.
41:37
SPEAKER_00: And so just think about how robust his immune system is and how strong that is because he's getting all of the nutrients from this, but also from the way that we feed him.
41:47
SPEAKER_00: Just a couple examples, James, of what's changed in him.
41:52
Jami: I love it because she actually did an interview with Sam and let him verbalize his own story and how how he's really feeling and to hear it from his own words.
42:00
Jami: I was just like tears because I I know how much work you've put in for all of these years.
42:05
Jami: Trying because as a parent, you will do whatever you can.
42:09
Jami: Oh, that's gonna make me cry again.
42:10
Jami: You will do whatever you can to serve your children.
42:12
Jami: Yeah, and that's what led you down this path.
42:14
Jami: And now you found added support in these products, which has been an absolute game changer for him.
42:20
Jami: I have a type one diabetic son who's seven, and you guys, you you just learn how you can help them do better, set them on the right path so that they can have success.
42:30
Jami: And this doesn't have to be a hurdle.
42:32
Jami: And you've kind of just seen Sam unfold, like in a bloom in a beautiful way.
42:37
Jami: So, you guys, I I want to end on that story, and I was so thankful that Heidi hinted at that at the beginning, how she even navigated into nutritional therapy.
42:46
Jami: But you can see that story alone is powerful in the role that nutrition has in our performance and our vitality and our overall health and wellness.
42:57
Jami: So I hope that you have some simple practical tips walking out of here, looking around your pantry, looking around your fridge, thinking about daily habits, how can I help change something, improve something so I can improve my performance?
43:10
Jami: I hope that's what you walk away with tonight.
43:12
Jami: Get back with the person that invited you here to these Wellness Wednesdays if you have more questions about the products that Heidi was sharing.
43:19
Jami: But also, this is a community of people that want to see other people succeed in their health journey.
43:25
Jami: So if you ever have questions, reach out here because there are plenty of advocates that that can help point you in the right direction of helpful resources.
43:33
Jami: Thank you, Heidi, for being our guest tonight.
43:35
Jami: Thank you for bringing your wisdom and your expertise.
43:38
Jami: And thank you for that.
43:39
SPEAKER_00: Can I say one last thing?
43:40
SPEAKER_00: Yes, real quick.
43:41
SPEAKER_00: I am just like Jamie was talking about, this is a community that we love to help people.
43:45
SPEAKER_00: And so I am always open to conversations.
43:48
SPEAKER_00: If you have a question that you think maybe I could help you with, I am more than happy to do that.
43:53
SPEAKER_00: Please just find me on Facebook, shoot me a message, and if I can help, I will.
43:57
SPEAKER_00: I'm always open to that.
43:59
Jami: So that's super helpful.
44:01
Jami: She's a great resource, especially when it comes to the nutritional therapy world.
44:04
Jami: You guys have a great week.
44:05
Jami: We'll be back here next Wednesday for another topic.
44:08
Jami: Steven, thank you for keeping your attendance high here.
44:11
Jami: You guys have a wonderful week.
44:12
Jami: Thanks for joining us.
44:14
SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Jamie.