The Wellness Mama Podcast

Latest Episodes:

33: How to Create a Natural Home May 15, 2015

Show notes

Elite athlete and author of Beyond Training, Ben Greenfield, joins me in this podcast to talk about fitness for women, creating a truly natural home from the ground up and providing tips for raising active children.

Ben blogs at BenGreenfieldFitness.com about health, fitness and lifestyle. He lives with his wife and twin boys in Washington state where they sustainably homestead.

Ben’s approach to fitness and lifestyle is unique because he focuses both on elite performance and longevity and core health principles.

In this Episode, we Talk About

Ben’s journey and his history as an elite performance athlete
The mistakes that women make when working out
Why women and men should work out differently
A simple formula that women can use to figure out what type of exercise they should do
How the timing of food and carbohydrates can make a big difference for fitness and sleep
Ben’s natural home
Why Ben doesn’t have Wifi in his house and why he has kill switches on the power in each room
Ben’s functional and movement-oriented office
How to create an inexpensive (or free) gym in your backyard
The best natural air and water filters Ben found
The way Ben uses natural light patterns to help his children sleep better and improve their circadian rhythms
How hot and cold water therapy are beneficial
How to workout with your children (and get a better workout!)
Simple steps you can take to improve your health

Resources We Mention

Book: Beyond Training
Blog: BenGreenfieldFitness.com
Podcast: Ben’s Podcast
Article: How to Improve Sleep Naturally
Article: Four Natural Sleep Remedies
Article: How a light switch can help you lose weight
Article: Why eating less doesn’t lead to fat loss
175: When Natural Doesn’t Mean Safe & Creating Non-Toxic Homes With Green Design Center

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi and welcome to the “Wellness Mama” podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. Did you know that exercise was found as effective as some medications in fighting insomnia? Researchers found that staying active and exercising on a regular basis was shown to improve sleep quality and reduce sleep problems. It also obviously is linked to better health in many areas, and even to weight loss and better mental clarity. And today’s guest and I are talking about sleep and exercise.

Today I have Ben Greenfield on the podcast. He’s the author of The New York Times bestseller, “Beyond training.” He and his wife, Jessa, live in Washingto

32: Healthy Summer Tips May 08, 2015

Show notes

I am beyond glad that summer is almost here… so glad, in fact, that I talk to myself about it in this short podcast episode. Listen as I answer questions and share by best tips for preparing for a healthy (and stress-free ) summer.

Did you Know?

The term “dog days of summer” refers to the time between July 3 and August 11 and refers to the star Sirius in the constellation Canis Major. Also, according to folklore, if you want to know (roughly) the temperature, listen to the number of cricket chirps in a 15-second period and add 37 to get the approximate temperature in Fahrenheit.

7 Tips for Healthy Summer

1. Eat Your Sunscreen (+ Astaxanthin Benefits)

What goes into your body is at least as important as what goes ON it for sun protection. An anti-inflammatory diet low in processed foods and high in vegetables, Omega-3s and healthy fats can help prevent sun damage and increase your body’s ability to get benefits from the sun.

Resources Mentioned:

Article: Eat Your Sunscreen– diet and supplements for healthy summer skin
Article: Astaxanthin Benefits
Article: Avoid Sunburn and Tan Better with Real Food
Supplement: Astaxanthin

2. Get Dirty!

There is a lot of evidence that our overly sterile, sanitized and dirt free lifestyle is hurting our children’s immune systems and microbiomes. Microbes in the soil help a child’s immune system develop and also provide beneficial soil based organisms, which are potent probiotics.

This summer, let the kids play outside, make mud-pies, start a garden, get dirty… and join them!

Article: Why Kids (and Adults) Need Dirt

3. Make Your Own Bug Spray

Most commercial bug sprays contain DEET, which can be harmful to humans and especially to aquatic life and birds. Avoid the potential problems with DEET by making your own bug spray with one of these two simple recipes. You can also make bug-repellent lotion bars and an age-old concoction called “The Vinegar of the Four Thieves” that smells terrible but keeps all the bugs away!

4. And Sunscreen

Sunscreen is another commercial product that is often packed with harmful (and unnecessary) chemicals. Make your own with simple ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, zinc oxide and raspberry oil and get the same effect without the downsides.

Recipe: Homemade sunscreen or sunscreen bars

5. Beach Waves Spray for Easy Summer Hair

Since unfortunately I can’t be at the beach every day during the summer, I can at least trick my hair into thinking I am. My homemade Beach Waves Texturizing Spray uses the same minerals, salts and magnesium found in ocean water that give hair such wonderful volume and waves so that you can achieve the look at home everyday. Just spritz onto damp hair, scrunch

31: How to Know if You Have Gluten Sensitivity Apr 30, 2015

Show notes

Gluten is a hot topic in the health world. There are those who staunchly believe that only those with celiac disease should avoid it, while others claim that even a small amount can be harmful.

In this episode, Dr. Tom O’Bryan sheds some light on this topic. Dr. O’Bryan is one of the leading experts on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity as well as a functional medicine practitioner specializing in chronic illness. I’m on the road this week, so this interview is conducted by Olivia from Wellness-Media.com and is a playback (with permissions) of this interview from last year’s Wellness Family Summit.

We Talk About:

Is gluten really that bad or can people who don’t have celiac disease safely eat it?
Long term effects of gluten consumption
What intestinal permeability is and how it relates to gluten sensitivity
How gluten (and other foods) can enter the bloodstream and cause autoimmune problems
How celiac disease (an autoimmune disease) relates to autoimmune problems
How your intestines are like a carpet
Why gluten sensitivity can lead to osteoporosis
The difference between gluten sensitivity and celiac disease
How non-celiac gluten sensitivity can affect your children
What are FODMAPs and how to know if you have trouble with them
The biggest flaw in most studies

Related Resources:

Article: Gluten is Not a Food Group
Article: How Grains are Killing You Slowly
Dr. Tom’s website: TheDr.com

Read Transcript

Oliva: So, Dr. Tom, thanks so much for taking the time to be here with us today. We’re so happy to have you.

Dr. Tom: Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to be with you. Thank you.

Olivia: Good. You are just so knowledgeable about gluten sensitivity, which is a topic that I know many of our viewers are highly interested in. So let’s jump right in. Gluten sensitivity has definitely gotten more mainstream attention lately, but there is still a lot of skepticism and many articles talking about why it can be problematic to avoid gluten and why gluten isn’t that bad. So would you mind talking about your research in this area? Is gluten something that we do need to worry about, or is it okay for most people who don’t have celiac disease?

Dr. Tom: Okay, that’s a good way to get right into it. One of the interviewees on The Gluten Summit was Dr. Alessio Fasano, the Chair of Pediatric Gastroenterology at Mass General, Harvard. Dr. Fasano is the world’s leader in looking at gluten and its effect on the gut and the development of something called pathogenic intestinal permeability; leaky gut is the slang term for it. What Dr. Fasano tells us is that no human can digest gluten. No human.

I have to back up. Gluten is not bad for you; bad gluten is bad for you. There’s gluten in rice and there’s gluten in corn, there’s gluten in quinoa; gluten is an umbrella term for families of proteins, and it’s the toxic family of proteins in wheat, rye and barley, those glutens are not good for us as humans. The other glutens are fine. So it’s the wrong word to use really in gluten sensitivity. It’s kind of like someone handing you a piece of paper and sa

30: Micronutrients & Healthy Fats Apr 25, 2015

Show notes

In this episode, I talk to micronutrient experts Jayson and Mira Calton of Calton Nutrition about all things micronutrients, healthy fats and healing from osteoporosis.

After receiving a diagnosis of severe osteoporosis before age 30, Mira set out to find health answers. Her journey lead her to Dr. Jayson and to a complete recovery from her disease with a micronutrient nutrition and lifestyle program.

Their honeymoon involved a 6-year 100+ country journey they call the Calton Project. During this time, they researched and traveled to cultures around the world to see and experience their traditional lifestyles and diets. Jayson and Mira have been to countries that many of us have never even heard of and know the real story about these cultures that we often talk about in health discussions.

Now, Jayson and Mira run Calton Nutrition to help others find their own health answers. They specialize in Micronutrients and have created a specific multivitamin called Nutreince to help boost micronutrient levels with their special non-compete technology.

Get a free micronutrient analysis and other gifts from Calton Nutrition by clicking here.

In this Episode, We Discus

What a micronutrient is and why most multivitamins don’t work
Mira’s journey to health
The surprising things they found deep in the Amazon (hint)
Commonalities and differences in healthy cultures around the world
The most important health advice they’ve ever gotten

Resources We Mention:

Book: Micronutrient Miracle Pre-Order Discount
Book: Naked Calories
Book: Rich Food, Poor Food
Gift: Calton Nutrition gifts for you
Quiz: Are you Micronutrient Deficient?
Supplement: Nutrience Micronutrients

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi, I’m Katie from Wellnessmama.com, and I am so excited today to be here with Jayson and Mira Calton of Calton Nutrition to talk about micronutrients and also some off topic subjects like the many places they’ve traveled in the world because you often hear about these traditional cultures all over the world and how they live and what they eat but you guys have actually seen it. And I’m so

29: Methylation Problems & Gene Mutations Apr 17, 2015

Show notes

Dr. Ben Lynch is a naturopathic doctor and world expert on MTHFR genes and methylation problems. In this episode, we talk about the many ways that methylation problems can affect health, especially for women.

What is MTHFR?

The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene produces the MTHFR enzyme, which is responsible for breaking down (methylating) folate in the body.

Up to 50% of Americans have an MTHFR gene defect of some type that impairs their ability to mthylate properly. These defects can cause problems with everything from nutrient absorption to gene expression.

The methylation of folate is also important for healthy homocysteine levels and hormone levels because one of the byproducts of methylation us used to break the amino acid homocysteine down to another essential amino acid, methionine. The body uses methionine to make proteins, utilize antioxidants, and to assist your liver in processing fats.

Methionine into SAM-e (s-adenosylmethionine) in the liver. SAM-e is important for reducing inflammation, neurotransmitter production, and cell repair.

In short, a methylation problem can lead to a build up of heavy metals and synthetic vitamins in the body. It can also prevent proper neurotransmitter production and lead to problems with mental health, cellular health, autoimmune disease, infertility, miscarriages and even cancer.

Resources Mentioned

Dr. Ben Lynch’s website
MTHFR.net
SeekingHealth.com (my source for many supplements)
Article: MTHFRs and Toxicity
Article: Benefits of Sauna and how to sauna safely with MTHFR
Article: Optimizing Your Future Child-Prenatal Supplements
Article: Nitrous Oxide and MTHFR
Book: Drug Muggers by Suzy Cohen
Educational Course: Kids Course

Supplements Dr. Ben Suggests:

Optimal Prenatal Protein Powder
Active B12 with L-5-MTHF Lozenge
Histamine Block – for food derived histamine issues
Optimal Liposomal Vitamin C

28: Can Cavities Remineralize? Apr 08, 2015

Show notes

Years ago, I wrote about how I remineralized a small cavity in one of my teeth and I never expected the response it would get.

Now, there are dozens of comments from readers who have remineralized their own teeth, and dozens more from readers and dental professionals who claim this isn’t possible. I wanted to get to the bottom of this. I knew what worked for me, but wanted a dentist to really delve in and explain if remineralization is actually possible, and if so, how it works and the science behind it.

A Dentist’s Perspective on Remineralization

I was elated to meet Dr. Judene Benoit who uses a specialized approach to dentistry that combines the research and knowledge she learned in dental school with a holistic research-based approach to oral health. She has helped many people remineralize teeth and is the author of the book How to Stop Cavities: A Natural Approach to Prevention and Remineralization.

In this podcast, she and I delve into the difference between healing and remineralization and when each one happens as well as:

Can cavities remineralize?
How the body remineralizes
How large cavities can’t actually “heal” to completely regrow their normal shape, but they can stop decay, remineralize and actually become stronger (without the need for a filling)
Ways we can prevent tooth decay
What cavities cannot be reversed
The connection between oral health and overall health
What diet and lifestyle factors to optimize for better oral health
What Matrix Metalloproteinases are and why you need them (in moderation)
How bacterial balance in the mouth impacts oral health and how to create good bacteria in the mouth
The ways that hormones impact risk of tooth decay
Is Oil Pulling safe?

Resources we Mention

Book: How to Stop Cavities (or on Amazon)
Dr. Judene’s website: JudeneDDS.com
Article: How to Remineralize Teeth Naturally
Recipe: Homemade Remineralizing Toothpaste
Tutorial: What is Oil Pulling and Coconut Oil Pulling
Tutorial: Coconut Oil Pulling Chews
Dr. Judene on Facebook
Wellnesse Remineralizing Toothpaste
Wellnesse Peppermint Silk Floss

Read Transcript

27: Nano Nutrients, Phytoplankton & Healing Oils Mar 13, 2015

Show notes

Ian Clark, founder of Activation Products, was diagnosed with a series of life threatening health issues in 2004 and was not expected to live more than a few months. Realizing that conventional measures of treating his illnesses had not worked for his family members in the past, he forged his own path to better health through food and specialized nutrients and supplements.

After five years of healing and improving his own health, and 90 pounds lighter, Ian set out to help others achieve the same results that he had. He focused on finding the highest level scientific discoveries in the world and making them available to others.

In my personal conversations with Ian, he has told me about several unusual supplements, remedies and practices that have made a noticeable difference in my life and that I had not heard anyone else talk about before. I asked him to be on the podcast to share these with you.

In this episode, we cover:

The scientifically backed reason you should put your feet up at night (and it isn’t what you think!)
A simple change you can do when you first wake up that has a big impact on your health
Why Ian was grateful for his life threatening health struggles
How he lost 90 pounds
The problems with almost all nut and seed oils, even the organic ones!
How stress is the biggest danger in the modern lifestyle and how it comes in many forms
Deceptive marketing that many oil manufacturers use (and it is legal)
Phytoplankton- A substance originally found in the sea that is highly efficient at transporting nano nutrients into cells and why this is important

Resources we mention:

Activation Products (Ian’s Company)
PanaSeeda Five Oil Blend
Coriander Seed Oil
Black Cumin Seed Oil
Amaranth Oil
Magnesium Infusion (rapid delivery transdermal magnesium)
Oceans Alive Phytoplankton with Nano Nutrients
Article: The problems with industrial seed oils

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi, I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. Welcome to the Wellness Mama podcast where I provide simple answers for healthier families.

Did you know that the human body has 60,000 miles of blood vessels, 32 million bacteria per inch of skin, and 300 billion new cells created per day? In fact, today’s guest is an expert on cellular health and several other areas.

Ian Clark is the founder of Activation Products and Oceans Alive. He had a series of life threatening health issues that hit him all at once in 200

26: Fasting for Women & Music Therapy Mar 06, 2015

Show notes

Abel James, creator of the popular blog FatBurningMan, joins me in this episode to talk about female specific fasting for weight loss and mental performance, how to lose weight while eating chocolate, and using music for therapy.

Abel is a modern day Renaissance man and bestselling author, award winning podcaster, world traveler and husband to Alyson. He has advised fortune 500 companies and is an acclaimed speaker. Abel graduated as a Senior Fellow with Honors at Dartmouth College with a concentration in Psychological and Brain Sciences and has traveled the world as a musician. His book The Wild Diet and his new musical album both release this spring.

In this episode, we talk about:

Abel’s own journey to health that involved following his doctors advice and gaining 30 pounds in the process before finding his own answers and losing 20 pounds effortlessly in 40 days (while still eating chocolate)
What the “Wild Diet” is and how it is different from other diets
Abel’s take on fasting and the special rules that apply to women
Emotional attachments to food and how our modern mindset about food often sets us up for failure
How stress impacts living and the lessons Abel learned from going off grid and turning off technology
The role of music in health and therapy and how to foster love of music in your children
What moms can learn from bodybuilders about health
Things that are hiding in health foods

Abel also shares his three tips for getting a jumpstart on creating healthier habits, his favorite online resource and the advice he wishes he’d gotten earlier in life.

Resources Mentioned:

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi, and welcome to the Wellness Mama podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. A random fact: did you know that fasting is an age old remedy that has been around since even before biblical times. In fact, Plato was famous for saying I fast for greater physical and mental efficiency. Today’s guest knows quite a bit about that and pretty much everything else. Abel James is a bestselling author, musician, speaker, and entrepreneur. He’s a modern day Renaissance man. He’s had one of the number one rated health podcasts in more than eight countries. He’s a best-selling author. He has an award winning web series, The Fat Burning Man, and he’s helped millions of people reclaim their health. He’s here to talk to us today specifically about his new book, &ls

25: Autoimmunity, GMOs & Food as Medicine Feb 12, 2015

Show notes

This episode is with one of my favorite people and researchers… Dr. Terry Wahls of The Wahls Protocol is not only a brilliant doctor and researcher, but she reversed her progressive MS through food and lifestyle changes and went from using a tilt recline wheelchair to walking, biking and running.

To say she is an inspiration is an understatement and her work is equally inspiring as she works to bring knowledge of the role of diet in cellular health to mainstream medicine. She has a clinic where she helps patients with a variety of conditions to find their own health answers.

In this podcast episode, we cover:

How Dr. Terry reversed her MS
Her protocol for reversing chronic disease, autoimmune disease and more
The real problem with GMOs (it isn’t what you think)
How cholesterol works and why low cholesterol could actually increase your risk of death and disease
The role of the microbiome for health
The best ways to support our children for lifelong health
So much more

Resources mentioned:

Dr. Terry is a wealth of information. I hope you enjoy this episode of the Wellness Mama podcast and will tell your friends and family members about it as well.

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi, and welcome to the Wellness Mama podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com, and I’m so excited about my guest today.

But first, did you know that information can travel through your brain at over 260 miles per hour? And that your brain is the fattest organ in your body, with about 60% fat? Today’s guest is a specialist and knows quite a bit about the brain and the body. Doctor Terry Wahls is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa and a staff physician at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Hospital, where she teaches medical students and resident physicians, sees patients with traumatic brain injury and therapeutic lifestyle clinics with complex, chronic health problems that often include multiple autoimmune disorders, and conducts clinical trials.
Doctor Terry, welcome. Thank you so much for joining us.

Dr. Terry: Oh, thank you. I’m always glad to chat with you, Katie.

Katie: Awesome. I did not include your story in the bio, because I want you to tell it yourself to our listeners, but it’s so incredible. I’ve talked with you in person and was just absolutely blown away, not only by how vibrant and healthy you are right now, but of hearing your story and how you got here. So can you walk us through your journey?

Dr. Terry: Oh, absolutely. I’m actually profoundly grateful that things turned out this way, because I ended up learning so much along the way. In 2000, I was diagnosed with multiple sclero

24: A Real Food Resource Jan 02, 2015

Show notes

The objection I hear most often to a real-food organic diet is that it is cost prohibitive. This is definitely the case at first glance sometimes, since cheaper processed foods are often subsidized and cheaper than organic foods and produce, but on today’s episode, I’m excited to introduce a new real food resource that is helping bridge the gap.

What is Thrive Market?

It is called Thrive Market and it is an online membership site that delivers Whole Foods products at Costco prices with the convenience of Amazon Prime. I talk with Thrive Market’s CEO and co-founder, Gunnar Lovelace, about how this new resource works and how it will benefit you.

Thrive Market is able to offer many natural and real food products at 30-50% off retail due to their membership model. They have a membership fee like Costco (less that $5 a month) and this allows them to offer products at wholesale prices. All orders over $49 qualify for free shipping.

With a Conscience…

One of my favorite things about Thrive is their social mission. For every person who purchases a membership, they give away a free membership to a low income family. They also use recycled and recyclable materials in all of their shipping and take measures (like carbon offsets) to be completely environmentally friendly.

It was so important to me to have a resource available like this for my own family and to share with you, that I actually invested in the company and serve as an advisor to help them choose products that moms and families need and use.

I’ve ordered from Thrive multiple times, especially for things I can’t easily get locally like Coconut Aminos, Mary’s gone crackers, Wild Planet tuna, Real Salt and more. The prices were definitely cheaper than I was able to find on Amazon or locally (if available).

Wholesome Food – Wholesale Prices

What makes Thrive Market unique is the membership model that allows them to keep a wide variety (over 2,500) different real-food products at wholesale prices (25-50% below retail). They stock non-perishable foods, and I’ve turned to them for many of our staple non-perishables while we continue to buy perishable foods like meats and vegetables at our local farmers markets.

The membership pays for itself in just a couple of orders and you get automatic free shipping on all orders over $49!

The team at Thrive is constantly working to expand the number of products they are offering and keep existing products in stock. If a product you want is out of stock, check back in a few days- they are working quickly to re-stock.

Discount for You

I’m not a fan of signing up for a membership for something without getting a chance to try it, so Thrive is offering a free one-month membership (for a limited time!), plus an additional discount of 20% on your first order.

Visit this page to learn more about Thrive and to qualify for the discount

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi, and welcome to the “Wellness Mama” podcast. I’m Katie. And I’m really excited about today’s guest. It’s a specia