The Wellness Mama Podcast

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13: Vitality & Healthy Children Jul 11, 2014

Show notes

In this episode of the Wellness Mama Podcast, I talk to my friend Dr. Pedram Shojai (founder of Well.org) about ways to improve the future for our children and how to create vitality in our lives.

In This Episode We Discuss

1:30- The problems that future generations will face
2:04- Pedram’s new goals for future generations
3:30- The problem with conventional medicine
4:20- Why he felt trapped
4:30- The “sick care” problem
5:15- One of the flaws of the existing health care model
6:05- What inspired him to create “Vitality”
6:40- The wheel of vitality
7:00- Sleep, mindset, diet and exercise
7:50- Why kids have so much energy
10:28- Changes to make to improve health
10:45- The first stop
10:50- Breakfast: say no to cereal
11:00- Why cereal is a big deal
11:30- Why our kids are disconnected from food
12:01- How to make positive changes for your family
12:47- The flaw with our method of teaching children
13:40- The epidemic of kids not moving
14:01- The mindset for kids- how to fix it
14:25- What we have to teach our kids
14:50- Your child’s future job hasn’t even been invented yet
15:40- Victory gardens revisited
16:30- How Big Ag messed everything up
18:00- Pedram’s adventures and why his wife lost sleep
19:12- Is organic food too expensive?
19:30- Why we aren’t prioritizing health
22:28- How you are wasting energy
23:10- Subtle changes to start making
24:06- Hope for adults
25:16- Vitality screening
26:15- Hang out with me and Pedram
28:00- Advice he wishes he’d gotten earlier in life
29:01- Let your kids blossom

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

More about Vitality

I recently got a chance to watch Vitality. Dr. Pedram talks about many of the things I’ve been talking about around health and lifestyle, succinctly said in a punchy, fun, informative, and short feature film.

What is Vitality about?

To start off, that the “sick care” model in the West is designed to make money off of illness and that’s why people are getting worse every year. Why drugs can’t actually “fix” anything…

The solution?

Pedram teaches us how to increase the vital energy in our lives so we can thrive instead of merely survive and stumble along. It breaks lifestyle down into the “wheel” of Vitality and gives a great structure for us to understand health in a simple yet powerful way. It is a sane look at an insane problem…very refreshing.

Who is this movie for?

EVERYONE. Whether you’re a physician who knows most of this already or someone who’s ailing and needs all the help they can get, Vitality’s message will move you. The country of Namibia is sharing this movie with school-aged children in order to help them thrive. There are governors of a couple US states in discussion to have this movie shown to families in need and foster children. It is endorsed by the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and the American Academy for the Advancement of Medicine (ACAM).

Long story short- doctors love it. Teachers use it. People are raving about it…and I recommend it

12: Coconut Oil Secret & Natural Remedies Jul 10, 2014

Show notes

My post about 101 uses for coconut oil is one of the most popular posts on WellnessMama.com. I’m a huge fan of coconut oil and my family uses it for everything!

Jake Carney of TheAlternativeDaily.com joins me on this informative podcast to talk about the coconut oil secret, natural remedies and healthy fats.

Jake has an extremely popular book, The Coconut Oil Secret and you can get it at a discount by visiting this link.

In this episode, Jake and I talk about

2:03- How Jake became interested in alternative health
2:34- His big struggle that started at age 6
5:05- A tragedy in his personal life that was a catalyst for his own struggles
5:05- How his wife didn’t understand his struggle
5:15- What his doctor suggested and why he left his doctor’s office
7:35- What does everybody think?
7:54- How a surfing website helped him find answers
11:23- How TheAlternativeDaily.com got started
12:07- The free gift that had a huge impact on Jake
12:24- The site he will eventually start
13:30- When Jake started learning about natural living
15:05- How he first learned about coconut oil
16:56- What happened when he first started using coconut oil and why it made him sick
17:45- Why people looked at him strange
19:05- The drink you should never drink after noon!
21:20- An unusual use for coconut oil that I may or may not have tried
22:05- One thing you should NOT do with coconut oil
25:04- Is saturated fat bad for you?
25:50- The bad research against saturated fat
24:19- Is Saturated Fat causing heart disease?
25:36- Why coconut oil is not stored as fat and how you burn fat faster with coconut oil
28:21- Are trans fats really bad?
30:15- Why Jake doesn’t like Whole Foods
30:24- The problem with cottonseed oil and the nasty step in its manufacturing
32:10- His favorite natural remedies.
35:00- The 80/20 principle of green smoothies
36:01- The controversial part of health
40:26- Personalization

Resources We Mention

Thanks as always for listening. Just a reminder, you can get a discounted copy of The Coconut Oil Secret at this link.

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi, I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. And this is episode 12 of the Wellness Mama Podcast where I provide simple answers for healthier families. Did

It is our responsibility to fight for the dreams of our children — **11: How to Foster Success in Your Children** Jul 08, 2014
Show notes

In this episode I talk to former professional football player and world renowned speaker, Bo Eason, on a very important topic.
This episode deviates from my usual themes of nutrition and health but addresses another important aspect of life. When I first heard that Bo would be speaking at an event I was attending, I wrote him off, figuring I would not learn much from an ex-football player.
I could not have been more wrong! He told a story that struck me to the core, and I realized that he and I had similar goals for our families.
He said that after he retired from playing football, he took his children to a birthday party in their city in California. He talked about how these lavish parties for five year olds always seemed to try and one-up each other and how uncomfortable he felt at them.
His son Axel, found a football in the bushes and Bo and Axel started tossing the ball back and forth. Bo noticed a group of the other dads watching him and whispering as they played.
At one point, Bo’s son dropped the ball, and he told him “Don’t let the ball touch the ground. Don’t drop the ball.”
He noticed more whispering from the other dads and eventually one of them walked over to him and said “Why did you say that to that boy?”
Bo responded, “Well, that boy is my son, and in our house, it is a rule that we don’t let the ball touch the ground.”
The conversation continued and the other dad asked Bo, “Why is this a rule in your house?”
Bo told the other dad that growing up, he and his brother got a football for Christmas one year and would toss it to each other 1,000 times per day. They realized that it was a long time until next Christmas and that they had to make the football last, so they didn’t want it to touch the ground very often so it wouldn’t wear out too quickly, so that was their rule.
The other dad asked him “Well, how did that work out for you?”
Bo responded “Pretty well I guess since my brother and I both played in the NFL.” The other dad “humpfted” and walked away.
That moment was a pivotal one for Bo, and he decided that he would not put up with mediocrity or those types of influences for his children.
Bo’s message is about story telling and fostering success in his children (and in his own life). He set his goal to play in the NFL when he was 7 years old and he accomplished it. He is now a renowned speaker and teaches storytelling to others worldwide.
In this episode, Bo mentions these books
The Little Red Book of Talent

10: Don’t Count Calories & Why Diets Don’t Work Jul 02, 2014

Show notes

In this episode, Jonathan Bailor, author of The Calorie Myth breaks down the problems with the calorie theory of weight loss. Jonathan covers topics like why eating less or exercising more won’t ever truly solve a weight problem, how stress affects weight and clears up confusion with the often-misquoted Law of Thermodynamics.

Jonathan and I Discuss

1:45- The disconnect between technology and science
3:00- Why Calories don’t count the way we think they do
3:30- Weight isn’t a moral issue. People who weigh more aren’t lazy
4:29- The idea of “just eat fewer calories” is akin to telling those with depression to just frown less and smile more
6:45- How calories can count, we just don’t need to count them
7:15- The “Calorie Myth”
7:29- Calories in/calories out and why it doesn’t work
7:44- The role of the hypothalamus
10:55- The four laws of thermodynamics and why it isn’t as simple as eating less and burning more
11:31- Why most interpretations of the laws of thermodynamics are completely wrong
12:31- the problems with eating less
13:46- Why you’ll lose muscle and fat if you just eat less
14:16- How calories are different
15:00- The four factors of quality food: satiety, Agression, Nutrition, Efficiency
15:48- Foods that the more you eat, the healthier you get
16:05- Foods to avoid
16:38- How foods manipulate hormones
17:13- How to get your brain to tell your body to do something
19:44- How hormones signal the body to build muscle or gain fat
18:55- Why exercise alone won’t help you lose weight
19:45- Where “exercise” comes from
21:15- One step to be healthier

Resources Mentioned

Thanks as always for listening to the Wellness Mama Podcast. If you are enjoying the show, please leave a rating and review on iTunes or Stitcher. It helps my podcast to show up for those searching for health and wellness podcasts.

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi, I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. Welcome to episode 10 of the “Wellness Mama Podcast,” where I provide simple answers for healthier families. An interesting fact for your day, a 2010 study published in the “International Journal of Food Microbiology” found that 48% of fountain soda drinks contained fecal bacteria and 11% contained E. coli, just another on a long list of reasons to avoid drinking soda. On the o

9: Leaky Gut, Heartburn, & Digestion Jun 23, 2014

Show notes

In this episode, I welcome special guest Steve Wright from SCDLifestyle.com to talk about all things digestion.

Steve is the co-creator of SCD Lifestyle and the Solving Leaky Gut System. He is a featured contributor for Wellness Media, and has worked with hundreds of people to help them improve digestive health. SCDLifestyle.com helps readers find answers to problems like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Indigestion, Heartburn, Ulcerative Colitis, and other digestive problems.

How Leaky Gut Effects Digestion

In this episode we talk about finding real solutions for digestive problems and how to know what your body needs to improve digestion. Steve shares why conventional treatments often don’t work and how sometimes the “cure” can be like throwing fuel on the fire.

He shares the two supplements that often make a night and day difference for digestive health and tells his own story of recovery.

Steve talks about three things you must do everyday for optimal health and gives practical tips that you can do to give your family better health everyday.

Notes From This Episode

2:02- Steve’s own health problems
2:52- Why his family called him “the gas man”
4:07- Why Steve got in trouble with his boxx
4:37- The pivotal moment for him
5:37- How he got in to health education
6:35- The Leaky Gut- Is Poop Leaking in to the body
6:52- The small intestine is only one cell thick
7:55- How food and toxins can escape into the body
8:52- What causes heartburn and indigestion
11:22- Why antacids and PPIs are dangerous
12:37- The underlying causes of stomach problems and how to find your cause
13:22- Two Supplements to help increase stomach acid
14:31- The supplement turned his life around.
15:33- Other symptoms that can be caused by digestive problems (skin problems, fatigue, etc)
16:00- How every disease can be traced back to the gut
16:16- How intestinal permeability (leaky gut) leads to disease
18:22- How gut problems manifest differently in different people
19:22- What causes diarrhea
20:00- The fastest way to stop diarrhea
20:42- Why you might not be absorbing your food
21:10- What causes constipation
21:20- How gut infections lead to constipation and diarrhea
22:02- How to poop more easily
22:32- The hormonal component of digestion
23:22- Three things you MUST do everyday
24:03- The major factors that harm gut health
24:32- Why stress is so important
24:30- The triggers of leaky gut
25:02- Head injuries and gut health
25:32- SIBO
25:52- Two things to improve gut health fast
26:52- Things to do to help your gut- paleo autoimmune diet
27:22- One reason to binge on gluten
29:22- Another reason to eat healthy fats
30:07- Tips to help kids with digestive issues
30:52- Interesting study about feeding kids candy
32:37- The advice he wishes he’d gotten
33:22- One action step to take now
24:55- Resources he likes

Resources We Mentioned

Book: Why Stomach Acid is Good for You by Jonathan Wright
Supplement:

8: Real Food & Killing Ants Naturally Jun 20, 2014

Show notes

I had so much fun on this interview with Katie Kimball of KitchenStewardship.com. She is a fantastic writer and researcher, pregnant with her fourth child, and manages a household and her popular blog (and makes it all look easy). We recorded at 9 PM after our collective 8.5 children were sleeping and she provided a lot of great tips for cooking real food for a family. My apologies in advance for the little bit of audio feedback in this episode. The problem has been fixed for the future episodes.

Katie shared some of her best tips for getting rid of pests like ants and wasps naturally without chemicals that can harm your children.

Resources Mentioned

7: Reducing Stress, Chronic Pain, & Talking to Doctors Jun 14, 2014

Show notes

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Kevin Cuccaro of StraightShotHealth.com. I met him a few months ago at a conference and was impressed with his research on stress and dealing with chronic pain.

Many people struggle with chronic pain and Kevin has some valuable strategies for helping recover from it. Kevin is a doctor who left his private practice to pursue patient education and to help address some of the (major) problems in the health care system.

As a doctor, he also provides some valuable insight in how to understand and talk to your doctor so that you can get real answers.

In This Episode, We Discus

3:20 – Why as a doctor, he doesn’t want to see his patients all the time
4:30 – The frustration that doctors face
5:20 – Why stress can be good and why we need it
5:45 – The physiological effects of too much stress
6:30 – How stress impacts fertility and memory
6:55 – The continued effects of stress on the body
7:50 – How to become more resilient to stress and how stress is like a light switch
8:28 – How to turn stress on and off
9:02 – Tips to Practically reduce stress (Book: The Relaxation Revolution)
9:45 – What is the relaxation response
10:20 – How to activate your relaxation response to deal with stress
12:45 – What happens when your body doesn’t recognize stress
16:15 – What causes chronic pain
17:10 – Pain is all in the brain
17:45 – The biology of pain vs. the mental side of pain
20:00 – The core four for reducing stress and pain: Movement, Eating Right, Mindset, Avoiding Problems
24:00 – Understanding the mindset of doctors
28:00 – The frustration of the current medical system
32:00 – The shocking statistic on how a small percentage of the population is using 95% of healthcare resources
35:00 – The seven questions you should know the answers to before you see your doctor
38:00 – Health advice Kevin wishes he had gotten earlier in life
41:15 – Kevin’s recommended books and resources (and see below)

Resources We Mention

6: Tongue Ties, Eating Dirt, & Natural Beauty Jun 12, 2014

Show notes

This week, I am so excited to welcome Heather Dessinger from Mommypotamus.com. She is a featured contributor to Wellness Media, author of several e-books and mom to three little ones. She and her husband Daniel recently moved to a farm and are working toward raising their own food.

I was excited to talk to Heather because we both read each others blogs and I feel like we have a lot in common and I think she is an incredible resource for health and natural living.

In This Episode, We Discuss

1:50 – Why the name Mommypotamus?
2:20 – Heather’s own health struggles
3:20 – Her life-changing moment at her wedding
3:55 – How her honeymoon was a catalyst for realizing the connection of food and health
4:45 – Heather’s turning point
6:28 – And YES to the hippopotamus!
7:00 – How and why she started Mommypotamus.com
7:20 – What are lip and tongue ties?
7:50 – Why we are seeing more tongue and lip ties
9:00 – Different symptoms related to tongue/lip ties and how they present
9:45 – Heather’s own struggle with her son’s lip and tongue ties
11:15 – How tongue ties are typically treated
11:27 – When fixing a tongue ties can cause more problems
12:03 – The solution that finally worked for them
12:20 – How to tell if your child has a tongue or lip tie
14:17 – Symptoms mom may see while nursing a tongue tied baby
14:55 – Symptoms baby can have with tongue and lip ties
16:03 – Long term problems associated with uncorrected tongue and lip ties
17:10 – How lip ties can affect oral health
18:00 – Why we should eat dirt
18:30 – The fascinating research between bacteria and belly buttons
19:30 – The “Chuck Norris” of beneficial bacteria and how to get them
21:12 – What they take to keep their gut bacteria healthy
22:15 – Heather’s favorite natural beauty care recipes
22:35 – Why natural personal care products are so important
23:41 – Heather’s simple homemade makeup that doubles as dry shampoo
24:11 – Heather’s own beauty routine
24:20 – The unusual ingredient she uses every day
25:50 – Heather’s typical day on the farm
29:25 – The most crunchy thing Heather has ever done and the weird things that have gone mainstream
31:45 – The advice she wishes someone had told her
33:06 – One step to start doing right away
34:15 – Heather’s top health resources

Resources We Mentioned

5: Quitting Sugar, Natural Parenting, & Pregnancy Tips Jun 10, 2014

Show notes

I’m so happy to introduce Genevieve from MamaNatural.com. Genevieve is mom to two children and she and her husband Mike work together to run the Mama Natural blog and their wildly popular YouTube channel. She’s a also a Wellness Media featured contribute.

Mama Natural on Quitting Sugar

As her name suggests, Mama Natural is an expert at all things natural parenting, natural pregnancy and breastfeeding. She is also the mind behind the hilarious video Sh*t Crunchy Mamas Say:

In this episode, Genevieve and I discus:

1:28 Her health struggle and how she came to real food
2:25 Her lightening bolt moment and how she made lasting changes
3:15 Her “last supper”
5:23 The factors that helped her with quitting sugar, lose 60lbs, and keep it off for over 15 years
6:16 How accountability helped her
7:23 How long it takes to detox from sugar and how to do it
8:20 Why she has hope for the health of future generations
10:45 Natural pregnancy, parenting, and birthing tips
16:00 The crunchy thing she can’t do and the crunchiest thing she’s ever done
16:45 The thing she recommends to help have a natural birth – Hint: it starts in the 2nd trimester
17:46 Why Fermented Cod Liver Oil & exercise can improve birth
18:00 Tips to help baby’s position before birth
19:00 Crunchyest thing she’s ever tried, and what weird foods she ate after she gave birth
21:28 Her best advice for listening to your body
23:00 Number one health step to take now
24:07 The book she recommends everyone should read

Posts we Reference

Learn more about Genevieve and MamaNatural here
Genevieve’s special page for Wellness Mama Readers with resources for healthy pregnancy and birth
How to stay in touch with Genevieve
My (super long) birth saga
Top ten books for pregnancy (Wellness Mama)
Pregnancy and prenatal care options (Wellness Mama)

Please join us for a listen and to learn all things natural and organic when it comes to quitting sugar, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi. This is Katie from wellnessmama.com. Welcome to episode 5 of the “Wellness Mama” podcast where I provide simple answers for healthier families.

This episode’s interesting fact is that people who laugh a lot are much healthier than those who don’t. Dr. Lee Berk at the Lorna School of Public Health in California found that laughing lowers the levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. In fact, six-year-olds have it best. They laugh, on average, 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

But today’s guest has improved my health by making me laugh many times with her funny yet always informative videos at mam

4: Canola Oil, Gelatin, & Balancing Hormones Jun 05, 2014

Show notes

It was wonderful to interview Lauren of EmpoweredSustenance.com who is a rising star in the blogging world and an incredibly smart researcher.

Lauren and I talk about several topics that we are both passionate about, including the problems with canola oil, the benefits of gelatin and the importance of balancing hormones.

In This Episode, We Cover

Why canola oil is so dangerous and how we are both working to spread the word. (Read my full explanation here and check out Lauren’s campaign to get Whole Foods to remove it from pre-made foods)
What foods are a “freak of nature” in both good and bad ways
Why gelatin is an amazing superfood and how to consume enough
Lauren’s own journey with debilitating autoimmune disease and how she overcame it
Natural beauty care options and why it is important to avoid many conventional beauty products
The unexpected factors that contribute to hormone balance
How you can “Quit PMS“
Lauren’s simple step for better health
The advice she wishes she had gotten about health
Her favorite health resources

Posts we Mention

Why to avoid vegetable oil and margarine (Wellness Mama)
The health benefits of near infrared saunas (Lauren)
Natural hair care ideas (Lauren)
Balance hormones with gelatin (Lauren)
12 uses for Gelatin (Wellness Mama)

Read Transcript

Katie: Hi, this is Katie from wellnessmama.com. Welcome to Episode 4 of the “Wellness Mama” podcast, where I provide simple answers for healthier families. Today’s interesting fact is that, while blondes may or may not have more fun, they definitely have more hair. Hair color helps determine how dense the hair on your head is, and natural blondes top the list. There are about 100,000 hair follicles on the average head, and each follicle produces about 20 individual hairs during the person’s lifetime. Blondes average 146,000 follicles, where people with black hair tend to have about 110,000. Brown hair are right on target with about 100,000 follicles, and redheads have the least dense hair, averaging about 86,000 follicles.

Today’s guest has actually written quite a bit about natural hair care and has become the expert in natural and holistic hair and body care as part of her journey towards recovery. Lauren writes at empoweredsustenance.com. She’s a quickly rising voice in the blogging community as she writes about her recovery from ulcerative colitis, her own healing regimen, and all of the great natural tips and lessons she’s learned along the way. Welcome, Lauren. Thank you so much for taking your time to b

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In This Episode We Discuss

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

More about Vitality

In this episode, Jake and I talk about

Resources We Mention

In this episode, Bo mentions these books

Jonathan and I Discuss

Resources Mentioned

How Leaky Gut Effects Digestion

Notes From This Episode

Resources We Mentioned

Other Fun Topics We Talked About

Resources Mentioned

In This Episode, We Discus

Resources We Mention

In This Episode, We Discuss

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Mama Natural on Quitting Sugar

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In This Episode, We Cover

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