Real Talk, Whole Life

(0:41) Hellos & Happenings Hello, listeners from sunny Arizona! Stacy is loving everything about the southwest, except the internet connection Matt and Stacy were in Sedona when this episode was recorded This stop along their trip has been a great rest and restore spot This week will just be a check-in show since Stacy is having some trouble with the internet reliability There is a topic on the docket for episode 363 that both Stacy and Sarah are super passionate about and incredibly excited to discuss and share with listeners They don't want to record this epic discussion with the chance of the internet going out mid recording Sarah is about to head to the mountains for a family camping trip Sarah's mom is in town and will be joining them for a trip to the mountains They will be escaping the heat, internet connection, and cell service Sarah and Stacy chatted about screen time limits Sarah's husband suggested that she give the time limit features a try but Sarah passed Stacy tried them for a little while when she was still working She set the bedtime feature which was helpful Sarah does use the 'do not disturb' feature on her phone to set boundaries on her time Stacy reminded listeners that if you have been busy working all summer, that simply turning your phone off is a great way to create time to recharge You can even set up your 'do not disturb' feature so that certain people (spouse, kids, etc.) can still reach you via phone call Stacy thinks that having those occasional breaks from your internet is really special Let it be known, Stacy does not like sand. Matt, Stacy and the kids rode ATVs in the desert and had a blast disconnecting and being in the moment Disconnecting is such a great and truly easy way to reconnect with those you love and to fully live in the moment Ask yourself what you need and what really matters and make more time for these things and people Sarah gives talks at business conferences and shares on work-life balance Sarah shares the research on how much you can get done when you take breaks for movement, manage stress, and get enough sleep The very information she shares is a great reminder to Sarah on how and why to take digital media detoxes The mountains are very restorative to Sarah for many reasons, but especially because of the digital downtime the getaway provides Matt and Stacy's boy's first interaction with a cactus Sarah is going to be an American citizen in a week!! She passed her test Sarah worked so hard to pass this test and ultimately over-prepared for it On July 29 she will take her oath By the end of that ceremony, she will have her documentation showing she is an American citizen Sarah's husband will have his ceremony on his birthday Sarah shared on why this is such a meaningful moment in her life America's naturalization process is really unique and special Stacy doesn't think there is much more she can add to Sarah's amazing cherry on top of this check-in show Have a wonderful week! Next week Stacy and Sarah will be back with an amazing episode! Thank you, listeners and huge congratulations to Sarah again! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Welcome back to The Paleo View everyone! Stacy is still on the road, and as mentioned last week, is going to talk about how life on the road is going Please welcome this week's special guest, Matt, the other half of Real Everything Matt and Stacy are on day 31 of a 68-day cross-country road trip Recording this week's episode from their Las Vegas hotel This week Matt and Stacy plan to share travel tips from their experience How to eat real food How to plan accordingly What to research during the planning process The lessons Matt and Stacy have learned (3:24) Where to Begin First and foremost, decide on an overall plan Part of Matt and Stacy's plan included how they were going to get to where they wanted to go They initially planned to do an RV trip, but traveling via RV wasn't a fit for them for many reasons Specifically, it is really hard to explore cities with an RV Traveling via minivan has really worked out well Matt and Stacy also looked at all the locations they wanted to visit and exploring their lodging options along their route Stops with friends they could stay with Airbnb Hotels Sarah asked how Matt and Stacy plotted their route (how many miles they would cover each day, how they tracked the details, etc.) Stacy created a Google Doc that started as a list and then turned that information into a table in Google Docs This is an app that they can track on their phone, and even Cole has been able to follow along with their travels plan Matt and Stacy's parents also have access to the document so they can track along with their travels They have also used Google Maps to plot their plans Matt mentioned that they did try using road trip travel apps, but they didn't add any features that were actually helpful Stacy recommends using a tool, whatever you feel comfortable with, to plan this out At first, the planning was happening in Matt and Stacy's heads Then Stacy was capturing details in her Notes app on her phone And eventually, the notes made their way into a Google Doc From there a formal final table was created They started their planning by asking each family member, what two places in the country do you want to visit? This began the plotting process Stacy also had some business to tend to along their travels, which gave them additional points to plot All of these map points and the dates relevant to those various points provided the structure that the trip needs There has been a bit of zigging and zagging in Matt and Stacy's travels, but it has worked out really well for them Another thing to consider is how long your family can be in the car They try to keep it to four hours or less, but they can do 8 to 10 hour days when needed They tried really hard to map out this trip so that they have 4 to 5 hour days on average, with less than a dozen long days on their travel plans Also, look at where you are going and what you are going to want to do once you are there How much time will you need or want at these spots? Keep in mind that you will not be able to see everything For Matt and Stacy's kids, this trip has been great to provide a glimpse into various locations that they want to revisit and explore further The other thing to consider is how to break your days up For example, if you are bringing a pet you will need to stop more often Matt and Stacy are kind of hardcore and avoid breaks They will tell the kids they are not stopping until they need gas again Factor in all breaks into your travel time One of the best things that Stacy did was find a cooler that plugs into the car chargeroutlet in their minivan It is literally a minifridge that also has an electric plug and wheels so that it rolls like a cooler They plug it into the car and then when they reach their destination for that day, they unplug it and bring it into their stop Matt and Stacy also brought along an electric hot water kettleto make their own coffee, Wild Zorapacks and Pique Tea (18:46) Eating on the Go For the most part, Matt, Stacy and the boys have eaten wraps while in the car They have kept romaine lettuce, lunch meat, high-quality cheese, squeeze bottle mayo, and mustard They have also kept trail mixes in stock in the car, but they lean towards the wraps and baby carrots so that people can get in healthy food while on the road Matt and Stacy set up the minivan with the middle seat missing and this is where the cooler and the snack bin lives The snack bin lid serves as the tabletop so that Cole can make people wraps Know your limitations While you are reducing stress in your life without the typical daily stressors (work, house chores, etc.) you are increasing your stress factors in other ways Less than ideal sleep Sitting down for extended periods of time Tracking the mileage logistics So don't add the stress of eating foods that you know are going to cause irritation Stacy has been very careful to not do the things that she know will irritate her She has avoided nightshades, corn, and low-quality dairy This has made a huge difference and has allowed Stacy to feel great (23:21) The Other Things Everyone is starting to feel a bit homesick, but still appreciating the journey as they reach the halfway mark Santa Monica will be a great break for everyone Stacy is separating from the group for a work event Matt and the boys are going to use this bit of time to relax The other piece Stacy wants to mention about planning and being organized - clear bins For short trips, Matt and Stacy typically use storage items they have around the house like paper bags or grocery tote bags However, for this particular trip, they invested in clear stacking bins that allows them to see what is in which bin They simply open the trunk and can see where everything is at Before they left they measured out the space to see how the bins could fit and how many they could fit Matt and Stacy also purchased a Turtle Topperwhich has been a great investment that has helped with their travels The Turtle Toppercame with matching duffel bags that fit perfectly inside the storage container It is also very compact and hasn't impacted their ability to fit in garages When it came to packing, this trip really forced the family to practice a minimalism mentality Even when out exploring, when the boys want to buy something, Stacy challenges them to think about where the item would fit They packed for all weather types Each family also packed two pairs of walking shoes and one pair of sandals Since you can't get mail, you really need to plan ahead for what all you will need You could potentially use an Amazon locker if you were to time your travels exactly right Other clothing items: Raincoats Hoodies Hats Sunglasses A first aid kitwas also an incredibly important addition to their packing list The snafu that happened with Finn that made Stacy feel like a supermom for packing the ultimate first aid kit Being able to think on your toes, research and adapt are all important pieces that you will need while on the road Matt and Stacy also packed some key supplements (anti-gluten pill, activated charcoal, and probiotics) Stacy asked Sarah to share more on the gluten enzymes she recommends and why There are a few different varieties out there The one Sarah keeps in her purse is Glutenza made my Numedica It's not designed so that someone with celiac disease can eat a baguette, but it's designed to protect you against cross-contamination It is also really good at breaking apart similar proteins in other high allergen foods It is a sophisticated supplement and Sarah keeps a bottle of this in her purse at all times It has been a lifesaver for her Matt and Stacy have been happy to have this supplement on hand while traveling as well Whenever they are in a home with a kitchen, the first thing Matt, Stacy and the boys do is meal plan for the exact amount of time they will be with a kitchen and stock up on food supplies They may pick one special place to eat out at but are otherwise trying to avoid eating out Be sure to do your gluten-free research Read reviews Stacy looks for details that show that they understand what it means to prepare gluten-free recipes (50:28) Closing Thoughts Matt and Stacy need to pack up and get ready to leave Las Vegas They are heading to Joshua Tree National Park next One of the things that Sarah wanted to mention is that many of the products that Matt and Stacy mentioned are actually sponsors of the show and offer exclusive deals to Paleo View listeners Chomps Chomps.com/ThePaleoView Coupon code: THEPALEOVIEW for 20% off and free shipping Wild Zora wildzora.com/thepaleoview Free Shipping and up to 30% off Vital Proteins https://www.vitalproteins.com/thepaleoview Exclusive bundles of Stacy's and Sarah's favorites are available through the link above Pique Tea piquetea.life/thepaleoview 28% off and free shipping Thrive Probiotic https://thriveprobiotic.com/thepaleoview 15% off with code PALEOVIEW15 Stacy and Sarah reach out to sponsors with products that they already use and genuinely love These codes stay open - you can use them all the time Be sure to take advantage of these great deals! Stacy thanked Sarah for sharing details on Glutenza right off the top of her head It was great to catch up again! Sarah and Stacy will be back again next week Special thanks to Matt for joining Stacy and Sarah for this week's show! And thank you to listeners for tuning in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Welcome back to the Paleo View! On this week's episode, we will be discussing chlorine and the science behind what the exposure to chlorine does and how to detox Sarah noted that this is a complex topic that doesn't have straightforward answers Before we dive in, a big thank you to Joovvfor sponsoring this week's show While Stacy and Sarah will be sharing more information on Joovv as the show goes on, check them out here: https://joovv.com/paleoview (3:25) The Downsides & Upsides It is important to start the discussion of the downsides of chlorination with a discussion of the upsides Chlorination is used across the globe as the number one way to disinfect pools It is an amazing killer of microbes Before chlorination of pools was a normal procedure, really harmful illnesses were transmitted through pools Recreational Water Illnesses include a wide variety of infections, such as gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, andwoundinfections. The most commonly reported RWI isdiarrhea. Diarrheal illnesses are caused by germs such as Crypto Chlorination is an amazing tool for making sure that swimming pools are safe from a micro perspective It does come at a bit of a trade-off though Because chlorine interacts with organic molecules, there is a variety of by-products that are chlorine based molecules that are formed and are potentially problematic monochloramines dichloramines i Trichloramines trihalogenometans (THM) haloacetic acid (HAA) There are other halogens that have been used to disinfect pools, but they all also cause similar by-products There is an obvious solution There is a move to create new filtration systems though One of the things that happen with these chlorine by-products is that they are evaporating off the surface of the water and they are all oxidants The mechanism behind a lot of the issues that they cause are all oxidative damage They are highest in the air just above the surface of the water There is a move to create air filtration systems in public pools, especially where elite athletes train A lot of the research stems from studies on elite swimmers They have typically double the asthma rates of the average population There is this really interesting give and take that has to do with the chloramine The amount of chloramine in the air is very different depending on the pool you are swimming in Most of the science has to do with asthma and other lung issues Elite athletes, in general, have higher rates of asthma and higher rates of lung infections We see this in swimmers, cyclists, triathletes, and long-distance runners Chlorine is not awesome because it is a toxic chemical These low levels of chlorine exposure that we are getting through chlorinated water, assuming the water is treated correctly, are associated with problems So is elite training though Take a moment to recognize that while swimmers have higher rates of asthma, so do a lot of elite athletes That is because this level of training actually suppresses aspects of the immune system and over activates other systems in the body Other athletes that don't step foot anywhere near a pool also have higher rates of asthma But chlorine does seem to be a contributor This is because of the disruption that is happening to the lung barrier Barrier tissues are made up of a type of cell called an epithelial cell These cells have a top and a bottom with different processes happening within both the top and bottom Our skin, lungs, gut barrier and sinuses are made up of epithelial cells All of these tissues have the job of protecting the inside of our body from things happenings outside of our body Lungs and gut are different in the sense that they have to be somewhat permeable So even low levels of toxin exposure in the air above the surface of the pool can potentially disrupt the lung barrier There are some interesting studies showing that it's not just that someone with a predisposition to asthma has asthma made worse by breathing in chloramine, but actually, chloramine is contributing to the development of asthma There are studies showing different sizes of effect The majority of studies are showing that chlorine compounds do contribute to asthma and allergies later in life However, this is not uniform data The magnitude of the effect is very different So there isn't enough data to hone in on a common understanding Where the research is with this is still even just clarifying that the effect exists and understanding the mechanisms The mechanism seems to be the fact that chloramine and these other chlorine by-products are oxidant molecules that cause oxidative damage They cause damage to the lung barrier (15:38) Digging Deeper into the Research What can we do to prevent the negative effects that come with chloramine exposure? There is no science to look at anything like this We can infer that nutrients that are important for lung-barrier function are going to be really important for protecting the lung-barrier against the assault that these chloramine compounds are causing Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Zinc, Vitamin C, Omega-3 fats, and the gut microbiome All of these nutrients are already baked into a Paleo and AIP diet template Sarah inclination out of this is to just be mindful of her barrier tissue nutrients Sarah would also add glycine to the nutrient list even though there is no specific information linking glycine and lungs However, we know that glycine is important for other barriers because it forms connective tissue and there is a lot of connective tissue in the lungs So Sarah would make sure she is adding liver into her mix of foods, checking her vitamin D levels and supplementing accordingly, eating a lot of seafood and vegetables, and making sure she is looking after her stress, sleep, etc. Stacy asked if there is information available on the rate of absorption Sarah didn't see anything with that particular data There were two styles of studies that Sarah found through her research One is done on elite athletes where they are spending hours in the pool every single day and have the highest risk The other studies that are being done on general or pediatric populations are showing a lot more mixed results A lot of this has to do with how much time these study participants are spending in the pool There are some interesting studies where they look at an hour of swimming and looking at mechanisms Chloramine can be absorbed into the skin (25:52) Skin Health Stacy asked if using the dry sauna after swimming is helpful Detoxification, in general, is really helpful Joovvis also really good to help with this We push a lot of toxins out through our skin through sweating The other major concern with chloramine exposure is called chlorine contact dermatitis, which is a form of eczema Chlorine disrupts skin barrier (leaky skin = eczema) When there is a defect in the skin barrier that allows things to cross in that simulates an inflammatory response you get these little patches of inflamed, red, scaly skin There have been some interesting studies that look at an hour in the pool and how that is changing the skin and how it is working as a barrier Sarah shared more on the findings from this study An hour in the pool basically increases the permeability of the skin In the context of other risk factors for eczemathank you are creating this situation where eczemacan form That is why you don't see this happen in everyone, as there are gene mutations linked with eczema Chlorine is basically the barrier disruption that can be that initial event that leads to eczema The study found that the skin returned to normal within 24-hours The chlorine by-products are disrupting the skin barrier in a way that is very recoverable This implies that if we are doing all the other really important skin health things, the impact should be minimal if any at all Give the skin the nutrients it needs to recover quickly There is no data specifically linking an increased risk of chlorine contact dermatitis with vitamin D deficiency  Sarah doesn't think it is a huge leap of logic to go from the nutrients that are important for skin barrier health are going to be important for skin barrier health when that barrier is assaulted by chloramine How to protect your skin against chlorine based eczema Once you have it, don't treat it with histamine creams Its an inflammatory reaction so antiinflammatory creams are going to be the best option If you have a case that needs immediate intervention, go to your doctor However, if it is a minor reaction, it will likely resolve on its own Avoid additional exposure and let it heal If you are someone who regularly gets this skin irritation, you can lube up with vaseline However, this isn't a route that neither Sarah nor Stacy feel comfortable with and shared more on the 'why' There are a ton of post-swimming creams that are marketed that have vitamin C in them Vitamin C is a really important skin nutrient It is a powerful antioxidant Using these products will not be harmful, assuming the other ingredients are also good However, there is zero science on whether or not vitamin C can detoxify chloramine in the skin or reduce chlorine contact dermatitis The ingredients in beauty products are not regulated so it's challenging for the consumer to know what is good and what is not good There is no incentive for companies to collaborate with a researcher to test something Sarah is going to go back that there need to be more regulations on ingredients in personal care products The science is very compelling behind red and infrared wavelengths and the benefits to human physiology in a variety of situations, including skin health benefits There are some really good studies showing that red light therapy in the wavelengths that Joovvprovides in the type of dose-response that Joovvprovides can be beneficial for a variety of skin conditions While we don't have the science to show that Joovvcan help us recover from chlorine specifically we know that it is really good for the skin It can help reduce inflammation For Stacy, the health benefits of regular exercise outweigh what it is that might be happening short-term with the chlorine absorption The benefit of physical exercise is so significant that the minor risk associated with chlorine absorption is outweighed Sarah began the episode with a clear reminder for this very reason Lets remember why we put chlorine in pools before we get freaked out over what chlorine may do to a percentage of us Don't listen to this show and think that you should never swim again because you are worried about the chlorine Use the knowledge of nutrition and how to arm your skin with the nutrients it needs to recover and stay strong Enjoy the benefits of activity Steps to take to mitigate the potential problems associated with chlorine: The nutritional aspects Showering right after you swim Take a look at Joovv To get a hook up with Joovv, you can check it out here: https://joovv.com/paleoview Check out this podcast episodeas well for additional information and the science Stacy shared information on salt-water hot tubs versus chlorine hot tubs (53:05) Closing Thoughts Stacy is off to jet set to who knows where next Don't forget to meet up with Stacy at one of her events, which you can find the details here There will eventually be a podcast where Stacy will share the details on how they pulled the trip together This trip was on Matt and Stacy's bucket list and they are so overwhelmed with gratitude that they get to experience a trip like this with their kids So a huge thank you listeners for your support over the years and for helping to make this happen Thanks again to Joovvfor sponsoring this podcast Don't forget to check out Joovv here: https://joovv.com/paleoview Thank you again for listening! We will be back next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Welcome back to The Paleo View! Stacy has no idea what day it is The Toth/McCarry crew is currently in Salt Lake City and will soon be heading on to Denver They have a whole lot of country left to explore, and lots of events on the calendar Stacy shared details on their zigzag travel plans Sarah sent out a warm Happy Canada Day to all the Candian listeners! And a Happy Independence Day to the American listeners! Special thank you to this week's sponsor, Wild Zora They are not just sponsoring this show but are also fueling Stacy's family as they are traveling across the country To check them out visit: wildzora.com/thepaleoview Using that link you can get free shipping and 30% off your order Wild Zora is jerky that has vegetables incorporated Stacy said they are delicious and the texture is perfect (7:15) Macronutrients & Micronutrients On this week's episode, Stacy and Sarah are going to talk about macronutrients While this is a little bit of a tangential discussion from the typical micronutrient nerdiness that this show covers, Stacy wanted to dig into this topic Macronutrients were something that Stacy did use to track when she was on a lifting schedule because she found that it did help with her performance Stacy has noticed that it is common to see foods marketed today towards the keto community These foods tend to be macronutrient heavy in one way or another Recently on Instagram Stacy saw someone sharing a  product with crazy macronutrient ratios It was a fat bomb that just didn't make sense on a macronutrient level What concerns Stacy about people going so focused on macros is when all acknowledgment towards balance is ignored Sarah has seen in gyms how they promote macro tracking At her gym, in particular, they have an 'Eat Your Macros' program In these instances, you see some people who aren't nutrient literate hitting their numbers with unhealthy foods/drinks Being overly focused on macronutrients runs into problems when it is not connected to a food quality conversation and a micronutrient conversation There is also this other part of this conversation that is happening right now where we are seeing these macronutrient extreme diets Examples include: Low/zero carb Keto Low fat Carnivore Sarah wants to take this episode to unpack macronutrients a little bit What is the difference between macros and micros? Macros really just translate to energy Macro means big It is nutrients that we need from food in big quantities Carbohydrates, fat, protein and fiber Micro means small It is nutrients that we need from food in small quantities Vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, essential amino acids, and essential fatty acids The stuff that we need in big quantities translates into energy There is also some raw material stuff in macronutrients Protein is used to make proteins in our body It's not just making muscle, it is making components of every single cell Fat makes up cell membranes Our brain is about 60% fat Hormones are fat based molecules We use some of these things as building materials and the rest we use as energy to drive chemical reactions Fiber is really about feeding our gut microbiome Even though we need micronutrients in small quantities, it is quite a challenge to get micronutrient sufficiency This is the nutrient density piece that is always be covered on the show As soon as you try to get all the micronutrients that your body needs in adequate quantities from whole foods, you are forced into a Paleo or AIP style diet This means eating seafood, organ meat, a ton of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, fresh herbs This is how you get micronutrient sufficiency (14:27) Our Needs Through the Scientific Lens Sarah is going to come at macronutrient guidelines by looking at basic ideas about human anatomy and physiology One of the ways to do this is by looking at hunter-gather intakes What is the macronutrient range that we see among hunter-gather populations, given that human evolution was often driven by the energy density of our food Sarah dug into these studies that have been completed across the world How foods are used to correct macronutrient imbalances We look at these societies that mimic the diet that we would have had for at least the last few hundred, thousand years of evolution These diets don't have any of the chronic health problems that are associated with industrial, western countries We observe the trends and form a hypothesis regarding the macronutrient levels that are likely ideal AMDR The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has set Accepted Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) for protein, fat, and carbohydrates based on evidence from interventional trials with support of epidemiological evidence that suggests a role in the prevention or increased risk of chronic diseases and based on ensuring sufficient intake of essential nutrients Levels of too much or too little are associated with some kind of health problem This is completely based on contemporary studies AMDR for fat estimated to be 20 to 35% of total energy for adults AMDR for protein estimated to be 10 to 35% of total energy for adults AMDR for carbohydrates as an estimated 45 to 65 percent of total energy (and below 25 percent from sugars) doesn’t quite align with hunter-gatherer intakes We can take this information and through the lens of our philosophies on understanding science, we can add some interesting additional things on to that We know that higher protein intake is really really important for weight management We know that there are some genes where lower fat is really important 25% of people have one or more copies of the gene where a diet lower in fat is ideal for their bodies We know that with the modern food supply sugars are actually more important to limit than total carbohydrates When we start to add in this extra insight by taking in an even bigger picture view of the scientific evidence, we can come up with a macronutrient intake range that sort of fits modern science and hunter-gather intakes This will give us a pretty good target with a lot of wiggle room for self-experimentation When Sarah looks at all of this data together, here is what she ends up with: 20-35% of our total calories coming from fat 20-35% of our total calories coming from protein 30-60% of our total calories coming from whole food sources of carbohydrates This is what Sarah refers to as balanced macronutrients This doesn't mean that every meal needs to be super regimented The body seems to respond really well to fluctuations in macronutrients Ex: seasonal variability, macro timing throughout the day These macronutrient ranges don't look like any of the diet extremes To learn more about the challenges that arise from extreme diets, check out episodes 140and 305 Fad diets, where the primary goal is weight loss, are not designed to be healthy When we look at macronutrients and we look at them in this way, we are really looking at: What is the range where we are going to be able to maintain health? And these are the ranges that we end up in 30-60% calories from carbohydrates give us a lot of playing room (25:03) The Balancing Act What's curious to Stacy is the idea of this balance of macronutrients If you talk to three different people they would tell you three different things about what the ideal is Stacy does think it is true that it is an individual thing Sarah thinks that what we are learning is that too much or too little of any macronutrient is associated with health problems With micronutrients, we know that there is a range that is considered sufficient for most people Then there are these extra situations where you might need extra of certain micronutrients We also see that kind of variation in macros For example, if you are someone who is very active, that increases your protein requirements Every diet works to help you lose weight, but most of these diets promote both lean muscle mass loss and fat loss Depending on the diet, it can be up to a pound for pound (fat to muscle) loss When you lose muscle, you lower your basal metabolic rate Preserving lean muscle is really important for preserving metabolism If your metabolism tanks than you need lower amounts of calories to keep losing weight If you lose weight too quickly, you increase your hunger hormones, which drives appetite You have this perfect storm of being hungrier than you would normally be Making it harder to maintain your diet One of the ways to get around this is to up your protein intake and to incorporate some weight bearing exercise Aim for a moderate caloric intake so that you are not losing weight too quickly Yes you lose weight more slowly, but it is easier to keep the weight lost off Sarah provided more examples of where people will fall within the ranges based on certain attributes and medical conditions We have within these ranges people who will do better at the low end or at the high end, and there are so many different situations that will determine where you fall We probably are supposed to have seasonal variability as well Sarah recommends playing within these ranges If we are going to take a micronutrient approach and aim to get enough fiber (which is really critical) and enough protein and balance the plant versus animal food so that we achieve micronutrient sufficiency, it almost forces you into those ideal ranges It is incredibly challenging to get enough fiber and not end up with about 40% of your calories from carbohydrates Our dense fiber foods, like 3.5 cups sweet potatoes, has 25 grams of fiber Which would be the USDA fiber allowance for a woman Sarah noted that this probably half of what we actually need This is not a ridiculous amount of sweet potato to eat throughout the whole day, which will give you 150 grams of carbohydrates You can get the same amount of fiber from 24 cups of spinach Which would give you 50 grams of carbohydrates Dense sources of fiber are going to work best for most of us In order to get enough fiber, it is really tough to do without your total carbohydrates ending in the 200 to 300-gram range From a fiber intake perspective, getting enough vegetable matter to get our fiber intake up to where it is supposed to be, that automatically puts us in the higher carbohydrate range If you think about your plate being 3/4 vegetables and using some fat to make things tasty, adding some nuts and seeds, and having quality meats; it is almost impossible to not end up in those balanced macronutrient ranges when you start thinking about micronutrients This is why you need balanced macros You cannot get the micronutrients you need once you start skewing your macronutrients into these extremes You are going to miss out on something There are micronutrients packaged up with our macronutrients that are really important Part of aiming for balanced macronutrients and having a food quality criteria for choosing foods is achieving micronutrient sufficiency Stacy is shocked that it came back around to micronutrients It makes sense that athletes, for example, are turning to products that are targeted to increasing whatever macro they are focused on and not necessarily the micros associated with it Stacy loves the way Sarah framed her explanation That if you think for a minute of just the basic necessity of fiber and the micronutrients you need, and then from there consider the macro piece, you will be in the right headspace It is a struggle overall to achieve balance because there are so many factors that go into it However, when we consider the goal and where we are coming from, we are able to make decisions based on long-term health goals One of the things that Sarah wants to emphasize is that this is a learning curve Sarah will do a 3-day food diary once a quarter She uses the Cronometer app With this data, she is checking in on her fiber, protein, and her micronutrients She lets fat and carbs land where they may because they are going to land in healthy zones if she is getting enough fiber and enough protein Sarah thinks that for most people fiber is where people are most challenged when getting their macronutrients in balance Protein is typically second It takes a few days, maybe a week, of measuring foods and looking at databases for nutrition information to get a sense for where you are at and where you can fine-tune to hit your numbers Find the foods that fill in the gaps for you Figure out what your place looks like Then you can wean off the measuring and logging, and simply execute what you found out about your ideal plate makeup And from there you can check in every once in a while to make sure you are on track Food journaling is a phenomenal tool for weight loss Awareness around what you are eating is really important for the behavioral modification of weight loss However, Stacy noted that for those with a history of disordered eating it can be problematic Be mindful of this when identifying how best to check your macro and micro levels Stacy shared her experience with being respectful of the emotional pieces associated with tracking It doesn't need to be an overwhelming experience if we come from the perspective of what is my intent, what am I trying to achieve, is this food choice the best for me in this moment With that, Stacy suggests eating Wild Zora bars to increase your vegetable intake Sarah loves Wild Zora and it has been a staple in her house for years Zora has a very food quality focus in all of her products She is very micronutrient focused It is both packed with vegetables and high-quality protein The diversity of products that they offer is amazing, especially as a convenience food Wild Zora is a woman-owned, family-run company from Northern Colorado that manufactures meat and veggie bars, dehydrated backpacking meals, soups, and instant teas They have many AIP options available The products are great for packing and leaving in the car Remember, you can go to this site to get free shipping and up to 30% off their products (54:47) Closing Thoughts Thank you to Wild Zora for sponsoring this show! As Sarah noted, health is really about macronutrients and micronutrients Thank you, listeners, for tuning in - Stacy and Sarah will be back next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Hello Paleo View listeners! Stacy is coming to you from Central Oregon Sarah's mom has been following along with Stacy's travels via social media and loves the amazing family bonding they are having Stacy shared on their latest adventures and the incredible experiences she is sharing with Matt and the boys One of the things that Stacy did before leaving for her trip was to listen to a podcast on intuitive eating This is something she thought she understood in concept, but she wasn't aware that there are specific rules around the practice She wanted to share this information with Sarah so that they could discuss her concerns It is important for Stacy and Sarah to address what the concepts are that are helpful and good when listening to your body when trying to embrace a non-diet culture I.e. looking at living a sustainable life longterm, not in an on-again, off-again, diet rollercoaster Stacy and Sarah eat the way that they eat for longterm health; they focus on nourishing their body so they can be healthy However, they also understand that socially and emotionally food can drive humans There is nothing wrong with this, as long as we are aware of our longterm goals towards health We can apply this still to intuitive eating without going over the edge Sarah also didn't realize that intuitive eating was actually an anti-diet framework For Sarah, she had equated the phrases 'intuitive eating', 'mindful eating' and 'listening to your body' as all essentially the same thing She had used these phrases interchangeably to talk about a concept that is ultimately body awareness Sarah has a high degree of body awareness that was hard earned It is a practice of mental health piece that has gone along with Sarah's Paleo/AIP journey This has gotten her to a place where she really understands her body's signals Now that Sarah understands that intuitive eating is its own thing there are some things that need to be cleared up There are some very important factual details that Sarah needs to share With this particular anti-diet framework there are some things that are not right Sarah does agree with some of the points, but there are some really important scientific backed details that Sarah's needs to address But first, before we get to the discussion on intuitive eating, a word from our sponsor This week's episode is sponsored by EverlyWell EverlyWellis an at-home lab testing company that offers a variety of tests, ranging from Food Sensitivity to Metabolism, to a Thyroid Test and Vitamin D The tests are private, simple and all processed through certified labs All you have to do is head to EverlyWell.com, choose your tests, and they’ll be shipped directly to your doorstep Then, once you complete your sample collection and send it back into EverlyWell’scertified labs, they will process your sample and send you your results via EverlyWell’ssecure online platform within just 5 days EverlyWelltakes all of the guesswork out of lab testing and puts the power into your hands to complete a range of important health tests all from home To check out EverlyWell visit: https://everlywell.com/thepaleoview Use code 'ThePaleoView' for 15% off For more on Sarah's and Stacy's thoughts on EverlyWell, check out this podcast episode (13:40) Where Intuitive Eating has it Wrong Before Sarah goes on her soapbox on where intuitive eating has it extremely wrong, she wants to cover the official trademark details on what this practice actually is From their site: “Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach to health and wellness that helps you tune into your body signals, break the cycle of chronic dieting and heal your relationship with food.  From a nutrition professional perspective, intuitive eating is a framework that helps us keep nutrition interventions behavior-focused instead of restrictive or rule-focused.” “Intuitive eaters give themselves unconditional permission to eat whatever they want without feeling guilty. They rely on their internal hunger and satiety signals and trust their body to tell them when what and how much to eat. They know when they want to eat veggies and also when they feel like having dessert (and don’t feel guilty or have any regrets with either choice).” Conceptually Stacy loves the idea of intuitive eating, but the problem is that in practice this can go terribly wrong when someone is not in tune with their body On the podcast that Stacy listened, the podcast host informed a listener that lethargic and bloated aren't words that foods can make you feel These are sneaky diet culture words Foods are simply energy in, energy out They can't contribute to you feeling bloated This is where Stacy had her 'whoa whoa whoa' moment She is in full support of the belief that we need to listen to our bodies and not be on a diet rollercoaster However, foods can contribute to how your body feels Part of intuitive for Stacy is learning these things, but that is not the definition of this formal movement and program There are concepts from this that Sarah wholeheartedly believes in Behavioral modification is actually a really important aspect of successful weight loss maintenance You can't just throw someone on a diet and exercise program without addressing emotional health and behaviors associated with food and lifestyle This is absolutely part of the healing process Where Sarah completely disagrees with this practice is with this idea that food cannot have a physical consequence for people There is a ridiculously huge body of literature that proves otherwise These studies prove that food can have negative consequences on the body beyond allergies This includes things like feeding the wrong strains of bacteria in the gut and altering hormone systems One of the implications of this is that people are giving themselves permission, unconditionally, to eat whatever they want without feeling guilty This includes this group of manufactured modern "foods" that are so tasty that they trigger eating for pleasure This is a very well studied field of science Hyper-palatable foods override satiety signals and alter dopamine response to food (leading to opportunistic overeating) These are typically foods that contain carbohydrates, fat and some kind of flavor enhancer such as fat These foods are engineered to be so rewarding on a dopamine level We are unable to tell if we are full/satisfied when consuming these foods because they are designed to be hyper-palatable They make it impossible for our neurotransmitters to do their job because they override our ability to tell if we are hungry or not This is well documented in humans and in animal studies These foods drive the overeating behaviors that are unhealthy How can you behavior modify if you are continuing to give yourself unconditional permission to eat these foods that make it impossible to listen to your body and modify behavior An example of this is your dessert stomach on Thanksgiving As a consumer, if you were to say that you will intuitively eat the amount of this thing that is appropriate for you if you let go of diet culture and allow yourself to live in this moment and enjoy this food, that it would be physically impossible This food has been modified to enhance your appreciation of it so that you eat more and more and more Your body is not able to intuitively tell you that you are done For most people that comes with salty snack and desserts Hyper-palatable foods are defined as: High energy density Combination of carbohydrates and fat Flavor enhancers (salt, MSG, additives, artificial flavorings) The table that Sarah referenced:  The studyon how these addictive foods work in our body There is no amount of hyper-palatable food that is safe or won't have this effect The more of it you consume, the more you will enter into this vicious cycle of overeating behaviors, which is a precursor to obesity and binge eating disorder One of the classic properties of hyper-palatable food is a really extensive ingredient list The danger of triggering this dopamine reward center with hyper-palatable foods is that eventually the reward system becomes blunted So you need more and more of the food to get the reward Studies are showing the same changes in dopamine response in people with obesity and binge eating disorder as you see in drug addiction and alcoholism This is because of the continuous consumption of this and how this impacts your dopamine signals over time To the point where we are not listening to our bodies and we have created an addiction to these hyper-palatable foods Sarah completely agrees with the idea of addressing mental health issues and associations with food A lot of Sarah's personal journey has been about healing from a history of binge eating disorder and her very unhealthy relationship with food So much of her journey has been addressing her emotional responses with food and her behaviors around food Sarah doesn't believe that you can achieve healing while saying that you can eat anything Stacy and Sarah 100% agree that diet culture is very detrimental However, what Stacy and Sarah want people to think about longterm is where are you trying to get to with your health This is where they want to focus their choices every day  How you make a choice today should leade to the vision that you have for the future The more whole food, real food choices that you make, the more you will be able to listen to your body and respond appropriately to those signals Am I hungry right now? Or does this taste good? It is so important to understand the gray area There are so many black and white rules out there and programs that people want you to follow You think the rules are easier when you 100% know what you are allowed to do But this is not reality, it is not a longterm sustainable way to live We have got to come to terms with the idea that we are in charge of the things that make us feel our best It is not about assigning an emotional definition to a certain food What is good for you, may not be good for me It takes so much time, and this is still a journey that Stacy and her family are on as they navigate what foods work best for them (33:44) Break the Rules Mindset It is so important to not think of the way we eat as a set of rules If you define a diet based on the foods you do not eat that doesn't make the diet healthy or not What makes a diet healthy is what you put in your mouth, not what you avoid putting in your mouth This is one of the reasons why Sarah has worked so hard to create very thorough educational resources Sarah feels that in public health we are missing these kinds of resources that teach what is in foods that the body needs and what is in foods that can undermine our health It is important to get away from rules and get more into a solid foundation of health and diet education There are still universal truths Nutrient sufficiency is an important aspect for every individual Paleo and AIP are not the only frameworks to hit these nutrient goals There are multiple ways to structure a framework to work for people This is where we hit gray This requires that you understand what works for your own body by experimenting while keeping the principle of nutrient sufficiency in mind All human beings need adequate sleep on a consistent basis Humans do not thrive in a chronic stress environment We have to avoid prolonged periods of being sedentary There are a lot of different ways that we can be active It is simply about moving your body throughout the body Again, this is the gray - recognizing that there are these universal truths and that you have this amazing opportunity to really understand your body Detox your body from the things that prevent you from listening to your body Sarah's biggest criticism of intuitive eating as an anti-diet is that it makes space for these things we call food that completely undermind the principles in which they are based (39:45) When You Are Struggling to Get Results, How to Troubleshoot The first recommendation is to take a solid look at what you are eating Is there something that you are eating that might not be working for you Is there something you are not eating that your body really needs? Are you eating some nutrient dense foods? Or might you be missing a really important nutrient? You can do a three-day food journal Sarah recommends using an app like Cronometer or MyFitnessPal to take a look at the micronutrient details Also, take a look at lifestyle Are you getting enough sleep? Are you proactive in terms of stress management? Are you including activity every single day, but avoiding overtraining? Are you working on human connection? Are you getting outside into nature? There are certain underlying factors that are common that cannot be addressed with diet and lifestyle alone In these scenarios you can: Work with a functional medicine provider Doing testing with EverlyWellto really understand when, where and how a medication, supplementation, short-term intervention, or a change in diet and lifestyle would help you achieve the results you are after, where professional guidance is needed Stacy notes that this is where you have to understand that there comes a point when food may not be the reason why one struggles with weight When you feel like you are doing everything right, there are things that are happening on a deeper level that prevent you from achieving the results you are working towards The recommendations that Sarah is about to share is the opposite of where intuitive eating is going Intuitive eating is saying, look your diet isn't working for you so go ahead and eat whatever as long as you are "listening" to your body We see in alternative health communities in general where we keep eliminating more and more foods when we don't get the results we are working towards This is why there are fad diets right now that are very popular right now that have a very limited collection of foods that are going to dietary extremes These are not healthy practices and they are not scientifically valid When you take a look at the common barriers that are straightforward to test forward, and when you work with an integrative or functional medicine practitioner to help manage these things it can be relatively straightforward And looking at these pieces can make all the pieces of the puzzle fit together To determine where to start, take a look at your symptoms Do food journaling to capture these details Here are the most common barriers: Food Allergies and Intolerance IgE, IgG Possible Food Sensitivities FODMAP Sensitivity Histamine Sensitivity Sulfite Sensitivity Salicylate Sensitivity Oxalate Sensitivity Hormone Imbalances Adrenal fatigue Hypothyroidism Sex hormone imbalance Persistent Infections Parasites H. Pylori Epstein-Barr Lyme Gut Health Problems Poor digestion SIBO Severe Nutrient Deficiencies Vitamin D Any essential vitamin or mineral When one is showing signs of resistance to weight loss, people tend to then adopt a more extreme diet strategy Sarah would call the intuitive eating, antidiet still an extreme diet strategy It is like the extreme opposite of the rules-based one, but it is still getting off course in terms of how food impacts health because it is not just energy in and energy out It is human nature to be attracted to these more extreme approaches If nutrient deficiencies are the thing holding you back from health, cutting out more foods or embracing junk food and not feeling guilty about it, are not going to approach that will correct a nutrient deficiency If anything these approaches will magnify that deficiency Changing our food is not always going to be the solution This is why Sarah thinks increasing our education around health topics so that more people really understand the universal truths about diet and lifestyle, where all the gray areas are, where you have flexibility vs. the need for self-experimentation, and where to troubleshoot in a smart way Whether you embrace dietary rules or are anti-rules, neither of these paths are the solution The solution is a more thorough education for everyone (1:00:23) Closing Thoughts Working towards ideal health is an ongoing journey, that changes based on the various seasons of life Nothing is static You can be doing everything right one day and wake up the next not feeling your best That is not a personal attack on you, it is not because you did something wrong that you need to feel guilty about It's a sign and a symptom for you to say, ok let me listen, let me test, let me do these things to work towards feeling my best If you want rules, ask yourself is this going to help me feel my best For Stacy it is difficult because it is part of a community that she understands and genuinely gets it - diet culture is awful However, she is not on board with the idea of walking away entirely from the idea of health and working to personally define what that means to you Sarah reiterated that it is so important to remember that the goal isn't to get to thin, the goal is to get to healthy There was so much about intuitive eating that Sarah was hugely on board with when she was first reading up on it However, her enthusiasm hit a wall when food quality was completely disregarded Food quality DOES matter We have to nourish our bodies It is not an everything in moderation - this is not what our bodies need We can implement our dietary choices to make room for treats We don't need to feel guilty about making choices that are suboptimal  Yes, let's ditch the diet culture mentality, but it DOES matter what we put into our body Food absolutely can make us feel bloated and lethargic We are programmed to celebrate with food, to socialize with food, and bond over food To say that any emotional response that you have to food means that you have a mental health issue that needs to be addressed is wrong However, Sarah does agree with the fact that addressing our unhealthy attachments to food and our mental health issues around food is an important part of our health journey  Stacy thinks that intuitive eating is appealing to those who are desperately searing for something to feel better; who are struggling emotionally and physically  This program puts them on an unintentional roller coaster that is just as bad for them as what they were doing before You have to know your body and to find the foods that nourish your body To learn more and fine-tune your approach to healthy living, be sure to check out EverlyWell  Ultimately Stacy and Sarah want to educate you and provide you with tools that will help you live your best life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Welcome back! Stacy and Sarah are now recording the show bi-coastal Stacy is in Seattle and well caffeinated for this week's recording Matt and Stacy are on day 6 of their summer travel adventure Matt left Virginia and drove across the country to meet Stacy in Seattle, visiting a number of National Monuments with Cole along the way Finn and Stacy went to New York, and Wesley was with Stacy's mom It was nice to all meetup and come together on the West coast Sarah hopes the rest of the trip is smooth sailing and filled with memorable adventures Sarah is still trying to settle into summer with her family It was off to a hectic start, and the kids are starting to settle into free time They are planning to have a low key summer this year The family is working on the next level of their citizenship, so that will be taking up a bit of time Sarah wanted to take this podcast to discuss the recent updates she made to the Autoimmune Protocol She wants to use every channel she has to communicate this latest science In the grand scheme of things, these are relatively small changes, but they are important tweaks The Paleo Approach was published in January 2014, so in those 5 1/2 years there has been a lot of science published that is very relevant to understanding how diet and lifestyle impact immune function Sarah has been procrastinating finishing The Gut Microbiome book She is in this last hard grind of that project and is happy to get distracted by any other project right now The research form the last three to five years has been where Sarah has spent most of her time, which will also feed into the Gut Microbiome book as well Since last fall Sarah has been spending time doing a really thorough review of this literature Looking for new studies that she may have missed Doing targeted searches for specific topics Working to understand what is preliminary research These new revisions to the autoimmune protocol reflect the new science that adds to our understanding of these gray area foods and ultimately shifts that category a little bit (11:15) The Latest Findings There are now two clinical trials published using the AIP where the participants are given The Paleo Approach and The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook They are taken through Angie's SAD to AIP in 6 transition program and then they maintain AIP strictly for another 4 to 5 weeks depending on the study We are measuring improvements The first study was published in fall 2017 It was done on patients with active inflammatory bowel disease They transitioned to the autoimmune protocol and over those 6 weeks with what was called a 5-week maintenance phase 73% of the patients were in full clinical remission by 6 weeks So by the time they finished transitioning to the AIP they were in full clinical remission 100% of participants saw improvements in those markers of disease activity and they still all saw continuous improvements in those markers throughout the five-week maintenance phase So a really compelling study right out of the gate Just published last month in 2019 there was a very similarly designed study on women with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis They did the same gradual transition over 6-weeks, followed by a 4-week maintenance phase This study was looking at a condition that is not as straightforward to measure how active the immune attack is They were able to measure a very substantial decrease in the clinical symptom burden The average at the beginning of the study was 92 points, and after four weeks on the full AIP was down to 29 Which is basically going from this is impacting my everyday life to this is a minor nuisance This study again produced very compelling data There is a study getting off the ground right now on the impact that AIP plays on Psoriasis and Eczema, and if you are interested and able to support this kind of research, please visit: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/medical-study-on-eczema-psoriasis-and-aip#/ The more medical studies that we have that come out of PubMed and clinical trials that show improvements in health as a result of Paleo/AIP diet and lifestyle changes, the more doctors will be willing to try it with their patients or advise them on these options on how to approach their conditions This will only help others in all corners of the world gain access to the latest information on how to improve their quality of life and overall health and wellbeing The more science and research there is on these topics, the more compelling it becomes for medical professionals A study that shows 73% of participants in full clinical remission is astounding Such powerful data is coming out of these studies as we are able to now start answering the common question - "how long" (23:04) Updates to AIP As a result of these new studies, Sarah has added a gut health superfoods focus This is through all of this new research on the gut microbiome Just in the last few years, we have learned that our gut bacteria control the structure of the tight junctions between our gut cells For a long time now there have been studies showing that gut dysbiosis is potentially a precondition for every autoimmune disease Adding in this extra piece of, "yo, you can't heal your gut barrier if you don't heal your gut microbiome" They have to go hand in hand because your gut bacteria is controlling your gut barrier It makes sense to really nurture our gut microbiome through AIP AIP (the Autoimmune Protocol) is a nutrient-dense anti-inflammatory diet that eliminates all foods that are potential drivers of immune activity in autoimmune disease while focusing on flooding the body with nutrients and providing both the resources and opportunities for the body to heal itself It's basically a more specific version of Paleo, it's a little bit stricter and a little bit more systematic It involves more eliminations, but also more of a what to eat focus There is a reintroduction protocol where you test your individual tolerance to the foods that are eliminated that have a gray area status You find your individual maintenance version of AIP, while also dialing in lifestyle factors that are important inputs to how the immune system is functioning Adding this focus on gut health superfoods really recognizes the importance of restoring the gut microbiome in healing Most of the foods that are gut microbiome superfoods are also nutrient-dense foods A wide variety of vegetables and some fruit Seafood Organ meat Different families of fruits and vegetables feed different species of bacteria and they are independently beneficial It is really about trying to hit as many of those different groups of vegetables every single day That is a different way of thinking about the high vegetable consumption on AIP Some other foods that are also really important on the gut microbiome: Green and black tea Fish and shellfish Extra virgin olive oil Honey and bee products Bone Broth Fermented foods Edible insects Sarah shared feedback on how to slowly build up gut bacteria and how to slowly build up your fiber intake With gut dysbiosis, a large shift in diet can trigger symptoms The way we can get around that is by slowing down that part of the shift (38:34) The Other Changes The other changes to the Autoimmune Protocol are all in the orders of reintroduction Coffee: Regular coffee consumption has been moved from Stage 3 to Stage 1 (occasional basis) and Stage 2 (daily basis) Cocoa: Cocoa and dark chocolate (dairy-free, soy-free) has been moved from Stage 2 to Stage 1 Potatoes: These nightshade-family vegetables have been moved from Stage 4 to Stage 3 in peeled form, but remain in Stage 4 unpeeled Cashews and Pistachios: These nuts used to be in Stage 3, separated from other tree nuts and but have now moved to Stage 2 and included with other nuts and seeds Dairy: The highest-protein dairy products (like cheese, cottage cheese, milk, and isolates) have been moved from Stage 4 to Stage 3, with a clarification that these products be from grass-fed animals Legume Sprouts: Legume sprouts were not previously addressed in the reintroduction stages. They are now included in Stage 1 Chia Seeds: Chia seeds from the other pseudo grains (which remain in Stage 4) and moved them to Stage 2 with tree nuts and seeds Split Peas, Lentils, and Garbanzo Beans: These have been separated from other dried-bean legumes (which remain in Stage 4) and moved them to Stage 3 You can find all of these changes on Sarah's website here: https://www.thepaleomom.com/updates-to-the-autoimmune-protocol/ https://www.thepaleomom.com/start-here/the-autoimmune-protocol/ Sarah is working to make this information as widely available as possible, so she has created an eBookthat is the most up to date version of the Autoimmune Protocol It has all of this information in it, but it is also a very comprehensive book It is over 300 pages and it is very practical focused  The eBook also includes 4 weeks of meal plans and shopping lists, and all of the recipes that go with them This gives Sarah a way to directly communicate with the AIP community because she can upload an update to that eBook and those who own the eBook will have instant access to that update (44:29) Closing Thoughts Stacy loves that there is now science to show what AIP does to overall health It takes time for these results to come through, but we are seeing them now and are excited to share these details with listeners Even if you are an old veteran at this, maybe it will give you a reason to reach out to that person that could feel better with their own life and health if they were to make those changes too Thank you, listeners, for tuning in! Stacy and Sarah will be back again next week! Stacy has events planned in a number of locations along their journey Come meet Stacy and bring your cookbooks to get signed To get the information and RSVP, check Stacy's highlight bubble on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Welcome back to The Paleo View listeners! This week Stacy and Sarah are excited to welcome their guest, and good friend, and chef extraordinaire, most interesting man in Paleo, and that's not to mention all the work titles he has - Russ from The Domestic Manis here with us today Sarah noted that she is way overdue for a visit with Russ and his family Stacy is looking forward to seeing both Russ and his wife while Stacy and the family is on the road for their summer travels The experience of preparing for a cross-country road trip has been quite interesting Matt and Stacy will be starting a family podcast about it so they can travel vlog and capture the memories This week Stacy and Sarah asked Russ to join the show to share on his latest project He has been working for about four years on his self-published, latest book, The Heritage Cookbook You can get an e-copy now, or you can preorder a hard copy and automatically receive the e-copy Stacy has seen the eBook and has tested recipes from it She finds this book to be really interesting because it is not just a cookbook, it's an exploration of DNA and ancestry and how our heritage influences our culture, our health, and our food Stacy thought it would be interesting this week to explore Stacy and Russ's experiences with DNA testing and to learn a bit on what they can glean from these tests Sarah geeks out over blood tests and is chomping at the bits to cover this topic (5:56) More on Russ Russ is in the military and has been for almost twenty years now Five years into his service he had a stroke, which came out of nowhere He was hospitalized for awhile He was only 24 at the time While he recovered really quickly, he lost all the function on the left side of his body and had to re-learn how to write and walk A year after his stroke things got way worse and he ended up going back to the hospital and telling them that something was off and not feeling right From that point, he lived in a military hospital for a really long time They ended up diagnosing him with an autoimmune disease, where he has inflammation in his arteries He was put on a ton of medication to try to balance everything within his body The medication was causing all sorts of issues so Russ ended up having open heart surgery It was a really drastic surgery, but he made it out of that ok After a 6 month recovery, it all got worse again because he hadn't fixed any of the issues within his body He went right back on all of the same medications A few years after all of this, Russ found a random blog article covering Robb Wolf's book The Paleo Solution, when it has first come out This book inspired him to change his diet Sure enough, a lot of his issues began to disappear after a month Russ went back to the doctor to have his bloodwork checked, and the data showed improvements in his health Russ began blogging about his experience to hold himself accountable and to share his experience It blossomed into a bigger following than he ever expected since it was just a hobby at the time He ended up getting a book deal working with Stacy and published The Ancestral Table and then Paleo Takeout Russ had planned on publishing more books in the future and he had all these big ideas, but something happened in him where it became really important to learn more about his own family Russ's birth father was in the navy, and he met Russ's mother in San Diego when his father was stationed there They got married and had two children Russ's father was out of the picture when he was three and he was raised by his stepfather There was a level of curiosity that Russ had to explore his ancestry Especially once Russ had kids he wanted to learn more about his DNA and ultimately the traits he passed on to his kids He did DNA research to understand what the science says about his genes And then he worked to learn more about his Dad and where his genes are from Through Russ's ancestry research he learned a lot about his father and family He was able to find extended family members on Facebook and connect with them Once he had a few names he was able to do the research and find his entire paternal ancestry This inspired him to start thinking about the types of food he craves and how genes impact cravings Digging into his heritage and what likely shaped his palate from a genetics standpoint, led him to ask the question - how does this work for others This inspired his latest book, which obviously took a lot of research since it was four years in the making He is very happy with what came out of it and is proud of the final product (10:02) Q & A Stacy asked Russ what his biggest takeaway was from the research he conducted He thought there was going to be these secret foods that were fine-tuned to his genetic traits However, science is nowhere near there There are a few things available in research that shows how our ancestry impacts our digestive abilities Russ realized that the best way to find out how people thrive is to look at historical eating patterns over history So when Russ wrote The Heritage Cookbookit ended up being a food history book He looked up each of the major food groups and looked at what the origin of the food is and this is how he developed and assembled the cookbook You end up with a cookbook where you can look up your heritage and learn about the eating patterns relevant to your background and then you can go to the recipes relevant to those regions The book is nearly 800 pages long and has 300 recipes in it Sarah asked about the research process for being able to teach himself how to cook with these different methodologies Russ first figured out what our actual ancestor breakout is in the United States He then divided up the number of recipes he was going to dedicate to a specific region based on how many people are from that region He looked through history books and looked at the staple dishes for the various regions, and then had to figure out how to make these staple recipes work in a modern kitchen Russ wanted to connect people with their ancestors via these recipes, but to also keep them approachable so that people actually want to make the recipes in the book When creating this book, Russ had his wife in mind She is not an expert chef, but she is great at following a recipe He wanted to keep the recipes approachable at her level She is very particular with the way that she approaches a recipe, and Russ wrote the book with this skill level in mind If you loved Russ's first two books you are going to love how Russ has expanded culturally the same concept, especially from The Ancestral Table Stacy noted how special it is to connect with a culture, even if it is not a part of your ancestry, by reading about that culture's history in this book and then cooking those cuisines Russ shared more about his research process and the way he had to almost play detective with pieces of information that are available, and the way he had to go about testing recipes, piecing the details together It was very important to Russ to bring recipes back to life that may have been fading from use, both within a specific culture and to others who wouldn't have had a chance to try them otherwise (36:07) Experiences with Blood Testing Sarah's personal approach has almost been the flip side of the coin She has used her DNA to really understand her diet The approach that Sarah has taken has been at a micro level, and she loves the way Russ has taken a more macro approach to look at heritage data when deciding how best to eat for our health Sarah also noted how special it is to see the way this book brings back a level on interpersonal touchpoints within the family that have started to fade in the age of connectivity (i.e. learning how to prep a recipe from Grandma) Russ shared on his personal journey finding his ancestral history and visiting the places where his family was from From his research and explorations, Russ found that his DNA test and his ancestary.com results don't define who he is today Russ dedicated this book to his parents and his children Stacy's mother was adopted and up until two years ago she didn't know anything about her birth family When you are adopted you have no idea about your health history Stacy's mom used ancestary.com and 23andme She found a lot of information about her family and was able to meet many family members who were living within a close distance These interactions also allowed Stacy and her mom to understand a lot more about their health history and the kinds of cancer that are prominent within their family Russ shared more about what it meant to find out about his family's history and learning about their lives, where they died, where they are buried Connecting with family members as an adult, when you didn't know they existed your entire life is a bizarre experience to navigate Stacy touched on why some people don't want to utilize DNA and genetic testing when they would rather not know certain details surrounding their family and extended family members Sarah noted that there are ways to utilize genetic testing without opting-in to learn about genetic relatives and to not have your information listed within the database so that others can contact you It is possible to get the scientific, medically relevant details without learning about the family dynamic pieces (1:03:02) Closing Thoughts Stacy thanked Russ for joining Stacy and Sarah on this week's Paleo View episode and for sharing his story A huge thank you for also putting together this amazing body of literature To find out more on Russ, visit here: https://thedomesticman.com To learn more about his new book and to grab a copy, visit here: https://theheritagecookbook.com/ Thank you, listeners, for being here! If you have your own story about taking any of these ancestry tests, we would love to hear about them in the comments section on these blog posts or on social media Thank you, everyone, for tuning in! Stacy and Sarah will be back next week, and Stacy will be on the road! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Welcome back listeners to The Paleo View to episode 355! We are glad you are here! This week's topic is one that Stacy asked Sarah about long ago, and it has taken her that long to do the research There are a lot of myths around this topic, so this show is more of a myth-busting discussion Be warned listeners, Stacy and Sarah may agree to disagree on various points within this discussion This show is sponsored by Butcher Box, one of The Paleo View' longtime partners on the podcast Stacy and Sarah are so glad to have them back and look forward to telling listeners more about their products You can get $15 off your first order plus free bacon by visiting https://www.butcherbox.com/thepaleoview/ The topic this week is wired bras, shapewear, and compression stockings This has been a blog post topic bubbling in Stacy's head for two years However, when Stacy started staying home and left her corporate job, she started wearing wired bras less often and made a statement regarding how she had lowered her risk of breast cancer - which wasn't a true statement, as addressed by her followers Stacy thought it was a scientific fact because it is mentioned so often that wired bras increase your risk of breast cancer Where Stacy thinks that Sarah and her will have some nuances on their discussion is on Shapewear because Stacy has personally worn body shapewear on almost a daily basis, which she found did have positive impacts Sarah found that this was a challenging topic to research To ease the research process, Sarah divided the topic of compression garments into three main areas Shapewear Bras Compression stockings From here Sarah tried to look into what research has been done on each one of these individually Tangent - corset wear and corset training can cause a lot of health issues, which has been known for a long time now This is a different thing because it is no longer a normal fashion anymore Shapewear today doesn't compare even close to the same level of compression that corsets did/do So for today's discussion, corsets are not a part of the discussion Stacy just wants to take a moment to honor Sarah's soapbox about women's appearances Stacy is living for that and is here for it There is societal normalcy that you may want to participate in when it comes to wired bras and shapewear Stacy lost a lot of weight and had a lot of sagging skin; her shapewear gave her comfort during a certain time in her journey (14:05) Research on Compression Garments There is a difference between low-pressure compression garments vs. medium compression garments High pressure would be corset training There is some science that separates out low pressure vs. medium pressure garments There are some documented effects of shapewear, specifically with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease There have been studies comparing individuals wearing compression garments on the abdomen and those who experience rapid weight gain, as the symptoms are very similar What has come out of this research is a substantial increase in acid reflux, to the point where one paper showed a higher risk of hernias in the top of the stomach So with abdominal compression, there is a doubling of  the amount of reflux and a slowing down of reflux clearing after meals This particular study looked at people who already had GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)  They were then studying the occurrence of reflux after a meal and showing that when these individuals had abdominal compression garments on they had twice the amount of reflux events, compared to not wearing anything There have been no studies looking at healthy people without a GERD diagnosis, looking to see if they wear a compression garment if they will develop acid reflux as well It is important to say that the science does not support the statement that wearing abdominal compression garments causes reflux   If you do all of these diet and lifestyle things correct, it should mean that you don't have acid reflux Would compression wear cause acid reflux? There is no way to answer that question at this point Stacy notes that while the science might not be there (yet) that if one is wearing compression wear and is experiencing digestive issues, there may be symptoms to take personal note of Sarah noted that there are plenty of doctors who have been interviewed who have noted that they have seen increased IBS symptoms and urinary incontinence when patients wear compression garments So while the science is not there, Sarah would definitely suggest experimenting with this if you wear tight compression garments and you experience these symptoms - try a week without them, and see what happens There is another study that looked at the higher end of medium compression garments worn to control swelling and scar formation after having a tummy tuck They weren't looking at women who have had an abdominoplasty, they were looking at this type of compression garment because of one of the risks associated with this surgery - deep vein thrombosis (DVT) They were looking to see if the DVT was related not to the surgery itself but to the compression garment worn after surgery They did see a more sluggish blood flow in the femoral vein when women were wearing that compression garment It was made worse by certain body positions that slowed down blood flow There are other benefits and studies showing that if you discontinue wearing the compression garment before the scar is completely matured, that the scar can get much worse So there are other reasons for this compression garment Sarah thought this was an interesting additional thing to look at This is a much higher form of compression than what is normal for shapewear, but it does imply that there is an additional thing to think about for people with blood clotting disorders There was another study that Sarah looked at that researched similar garments being worn for postpartum hemorrhage treatment This measured blood flow in the legs and showed no change, but they were focused on arteries and not veins There are 600 studies looking at different types of compression wear on exercise performance and muscle recovery It is worth noting that there are other therapeutic uses of compression garments After plastic surgery Varicose vein management Wound healing Lymphodema Scar management None of what Stacy and Sarah are discussing today is centered on these well established medical procedures that use compression garments These are different situations There are trends and styles that mimic compression garments and let's be honest, they aren't fun (32:20) Bras and Cancer Both Stacy and Sarah have heard claims, but never dove into the research to see if this statement was supported, that bra wearing (especially wired bras) was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer It turns out that this urban legend originated from a paper from 1991 that was a fairly small study There was a nonstatistically significant trend towards increased breast cancer incidents with wired bra wearing This is where understanding what statistical significance means is really helpful There was high variability in this study, so it is really hard to make average statements because your data is all over the place This 1991 paper, with low-quality data, became an urban legend that caused people to throw out their bras based on this fear factor There was a really well-done study out of the Seattle area that looked at women with cancer and match controls It was a prospective study They looked at bra wearing habits and separated out all the different aspects of bra wearing to determine if there was any link between these aspects and breast cancer incidents They found absolutely zero links This was a 2016 study that conclusively showed that bra wearing does not increase cancer risk Sarah did find a case study of a woman who developed Mondor's disease from wearing too tight of a bra This is something that was seen with a very high level of compression There are no concerns in regards to breast health when women are wearing normal well-feeling bras We as consumers have to learn to look a little deeper (41:28) The Conclusive Science Shapewear has this whole body image part of the conversation Why are we feeling pressure to wear this stuff in the first place? But as Sarah was getting into the research on compression garments, what stood out and is very well studied is the benefits of compression stalkings in particular on athletic performance There has been a lot of studies showing a significant, although modest effect, in strength training athletes wearing compression stockings during and after working out can decrease delayed muscle soreness and improve muscle recovery Any small impact that you can have on improving muscle recovery in strength training equals bigger gains, which is something strength training athletes are all about There is also an effect on endurance athletes A lot of studies have shown that endurance athletes will also have better muscle recovery after training There is also a small improvement in performance in endurance athletes Most of that research has been done on lower body compression There is a couple of studies who have started to look at upper body compression and the results are mixed at this point, there isn't enough data These studies essentially say that by applying some compression to the muscles you are allowing for things like lactic acid build up in the muscles to flush more efficiently and you are allowing the actual repair of muscle fibers to occur more efficiently There have been a few studies that have branched out into those who are not athletes One that stood out to Sarah was looking at patients who had at least two cardiovascular disease risk factors When they were wearing compression garments they fatigued more quickly This shows that studies done on athletes aren't always applicable to us "normal people" If you are an active person with a sport, playing with compression wear is interesting However, if you don't experience these results, it shouldn't come as a surprise as these studies show results in elite athletes (47:48) Closing Thoughts Stacy thanked Sarah for always digging into the science and for being our honest voice and for holding us all accountable to the scientific truth Sarah has the rule for herself that she won't write about or recommend or create resources around something just because it worked for her Evidence led has become her guiding point when creating resources She really tries to understand the full body of scientific literature Sarah is much more interested in understanding the why's behind contradictory information and trying to form a detailed picture Instead of trying to simplify everything as right or wrong Thank you, listeners, for being here and for hanging tough! Sarah thinks Butcher Boxis the right stuff Step by step Butcher Boxlooks after your health from the farm to your plate by sending you a curated collection of high-quality meat to your door on a subscription basis Thank you Butcher Boxfor sponsoring this show! If you want to get $15 off and free bacon you can go to https://www.butcherbox.com/thepaleoview/ No coupon code required Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Welcome back, listeners! Stacy had an emergency room visit over the weekend The doctor said it was all good news because they couldn't find anything wrong with Stacy Shortly after Stacy then came down with a stomach bug She is feeling a bit better now Stacy is excited to discuss vitamin D on this week's episode because it ties in very well with the start of summer and some of the health issues she has been dealing with as of late This is the first episode sponsored by EverlyWelland Stacy wants to take a moment to welcome and thank them for their support Stacy and Sarah will be sharing more about EverlyWellwithin this episode, but to check them out and receive 15% off your order, visit this linkand enter 'ThePaleoView' at checkout Sarah loves EverlyWellbecause they search for the labs that have the best quality of each kind of test and then they facilitate the tests through the best labs and then get the results to you very quickly They offer blood spot, salvia, and urine tests They take data very seriously and keep everything confidential Everything is processed through certified labs It is cheaper for Sarah to go through EverlyWellfor her vitamin D test than it is to go through her medical provider because of the copay fee associated with her primary doctor A lot of these tests are often not available through conventional doctors Sarah wants to note to be careful to not self diagnose based on the lab results; to instead take the results to a doctor so they can provide an official medical opinion Be sure to refer to this podcast episodefor more information on how to select a doctor when determining who best to work with when reviewing your lab results (7:31) Why is Vitamin D so important? It is estimated that as much as 75% of people living in Western countries are deficient in vitamin D This is because we grow our food indoors, our diet is deficient in vitamin D, and we spend less time outside It is incredibly challenging to get vitamin D from our diet We are not spending enough time outside to make our own vitamin D There are also a lot of things that can interfere with vitamin D synthesis (ex: if you are inflamed, if you are overweight, fructose consumption) Vitamin D deficiency is rampant, and not just in those who consume a SAD, but also in the Paleo community Once you are deficient in vitamin D there is no amount of sunbathing or fresh seafood eating that will help you restore those levels You will have to supplement once deficient Sarah doesn't typically support supplementation unless for targeted reasons after testing and under the supervision of a healthcare provider She far prefers that we get all of the nutrients that our body needs from food Vitamin D is really different from other nutrients though Stacy and Sarah discussed how very important it is to not let this topic overwhelm you but to take note that this is an important area to address in your overall health and well-being work Vitamin D is not just a vitamin, it is a hormone This is a steroid hormone like cortisol, testosterone, estrogen It has a cholesterol backbone We get a little bit from our diet, but most of it is synthesized by our skin cells from cholesterol using UVB energy from the sun to drive that formation We need UV radiation from the sun for this particular vitamin synthesis A lot of other vitamins are often used as cofactors, they are used to help facilitate some type of chemical reaction But vitamin D actually causes communication between different systems in the body It can turn on or off more than 200 different genes Diverse functions: mineral metabolism bone mineralization and growth biosynthesis of neurotrophic factors hormone regulation cell survival and division circadian rhythms immune system regulates the formation of antioxidants modulates the activity of macrophages and dendritic cells controls subpopulations of T cells (decreases Th1 cells) modulates the activity of T cells and B cells regulatory T cell function is dependent on vitamin D gut health protects mucosal barrier homeostasis deficiency exaggerates intestinal permeability caused by infection deficiency leads to shifting toward pathogenic bacteria (Helicobacter, Veillonella, and Erysipelotrichaceae) supplementation restores levels of probiotic bacteria (Lactococcus, Akkermansia) supplementation increases microbial diversity Pretty much every important function of the immune system is regulated by vitamin D Vitamin D deficiency essentially causes increased susceptibility to infection, that's why it is linked with cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disease, kidney diseases, osteoporosis, and all other chronic illnesses Sarah has been digging into the research on vitamin D and gut health It has been known for a very long time that vitamin D is responsible for regulating the integrity of barrier tissues within the body Vitamin D deficiency causes increased intestinal permeability, which causes leaky gut and exaggerates how leaky our gut gets in response to an infection What is really interesting to Sarah is that fairly new research is showing that the composition of our gut microbiome is sensitive to our vitamin D status So it is a new idea that our gut microbiome is shaped by our hormones Vitamin D deficiency by itself causes gut dysbiosis and there are a number of studies that show that vitamin D supplementation can restore levels of probiotic bacteria There is also evidence that supplementing can dramatically increase microbial diversity Vitamin D is basically a linchpin - if we get this one thing dialed in, we can essentially get all these other things to fall into place This is a super hormone, where vitamin D's roles are so diverse that if you can get vitamin D dialed in, it will make all the other pieces fall into place Getting enough vitamin D naturally is a huge challenge for most of us Vitamin D impacts other linchpins This is why Sarah feels that testing vitamin D levels is something that we should all do (27:08) Where do we get vitamin D from? How much vitamin D we produce in response to sun exposure depends on a lot of factors Latitude of your location Time of year Cloud coverage Time of day outside How much of your skin is exposed In ideal conditions, and with your internal health at optimal levels, you will synthesize adequate levels of vitamin D in seven minutes of sunbathing If you live farther north, it would take somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour and a half of sun exposure every single day, in the middle of the day, in the summer on a sunny day, to get enough vitamin D The time extends based on how much you are covered up The older you are, the less efficient your vitamin D synthesis is The more tan you are or the more naturally dark skin you are the less efficient you are at making vitamin D - so you need to spend even more time outside to make the same amount of vitamin D Even indoors there aren't UV wavelengths that we are getting exposed to even if we are sitting near a window or sitting in our car Given that we are spending more time indoors than ever before in human history and that there aren't even small amounts of UV radiation getting indoors that would have years ago, this is the biggest reason why we are so vitamin D deficient as a society Vitamin D is measured in IU (international units) and about 40 IUs is equivalent to one microgram Wild fish is the highest vitamin D food and pasture raised meat is second A serving size would have between 600 and 1,000 IUs of vitamin D A therapeutic dose of vitamin D from a supplement typically has between 5,000 and 50,000 IUs of vitamin D While vitamin D deficiency is rampant, it is not just a question of supplementing blindly because you don't want to overshoot the mark The functional medicine defined optimal range of vitamin D is between 50 and 70 nanograms per milliliter Sarah tries to keep her levels in that middle range, around 60 There is some research showing that between 70 and 100 nanograms per milliliter may have some therapeutic benefit in cancer and heart disease If you wanted to shoot for these kinds of levels, it would be situation dependent and only ever under medical supervision There is nothing in the human body where more is better Too much vitamin D is associated with brittle bones, too high of calcium levels, and a variety of GI issues (like nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea) Elevated calcium levels can be a strain on the heart and the kidneys This is why retesting is so important Sarah recommends testing every three months to see how the changes you are making are impacting your numbers and to see what is placing you in the Goldilocks range Vitamin D is a slow mover - the vitamin D cycle in our body is about 2 months, so it takes a while to alter these levels within our body Continue to keep an eye on vitamin D levels and continue to adjust vitamin D supplementation as you are working on the lifestyle things to try to find that happy medium where you have a lifestyle that is sustainable and you are keeping your vitamin D levels in range (47:50) Closing Thoughts Stacy now understands why Sarah is encouraging Stacy to use EverlyWellto test her vitamin D levels Stacy ordered the vitamin D and inflammation test However, there is just a vitamin D test available on their siteas well Sarah is very impressed with what EverlyWellis doing and even had the chance to talk with their Medical Director about what they are doing for quality control and their model They are really about empowering the population to make testing accessible and affordable EverlyWelloffers such a huge variety of tests to help you dig deeper to troubleshoot and find the underlying factors that are holding our body back from responding to all of our good healthy choices Their mission and where this company's heart is at is so amazing So, if you are wanting to test your Vitamin D levels, be sure to visit: https://everlywell.com/thepaleoview Enter the code 'ThePaleoView' at checkout to receive 15% off your order A huge thank you to EverlyWell for sponsoring this show and for all the great work you are doing Thank you, listeners, for tuning in - we will be back again next week! Stacy's family is preparing to leave for their cross country road trip, so Sarah and Stacy will be a doing a little time warp in the next couple of weeks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(0:41) Welcome Hello listeners! Welcome to Memorial Day weekend! We have the bathing suit show for you this week! Stacy and Sarah are both seeing a ton of ads popping up, pushing summer six-pack shame Stacy is seeing a lot of people speak up about pushing back against this pressure This is a guaranteed soap box show with lots of tangents, but trust that there will be tons of science as well Stacy has witnessed the clap-back against certain influencers within Instagram Celebrities calling out other celebrities for endorsing products that are actually destructive towards your health This week Stacy and Sarah will be talking about feelings, bodies, health, all the things that summer gives us the feels for But first, a big thank you and shout out to this week's episode sponsor, Joov You know Stacy and Sarah both personally use and love their products If you are interested in learning more about their products and how Stacy and Sarah use their Joov, be sure to visit https://joovv.com/paleoview Sarah sees the beach body marketing as nothing more than predatory marketing It gets people on the yo-yo When we buy into this marketing, we end up in a cycle of poor self-worth We then put ourselves on a restrictive diet and we lose the weight we think we are supposed to lose for summer so that we can fit what society tells us we are supposed to look like And then we maintain that for a couple of months, but when fall comes we fall into a weight gain period through the holidays There are so many people this is true for We end up having this cyclical weight loss and weight gain This yo-yo dieting is actually more harmful to our health than just staying overweight Going back and forth and cycling is way more harmful than loving our bodies, focusing on health, nutrients, activity, sleep, and managing stress Wherever you are feeling uncomfortable (as it pertains to your summer experiences), Stacy and Sarah hope to help you find ways to recalibrate your thinking Ultimately the yo-yo mindest isn't just unhealthy physically, but it is also very unhealthy mentally and it puts us in a cycle of shame and negativity Years ago Stacy wrote a post about disordered eatingand when/why/how to take a look at your eating choices to avoid disordered eating behaviors People need to be careful about even yo-yoing within the Paleo template with challenges It is so hard on your body and is so hard on your emotions This will really take a toll on how you are able to enjoy your summer Stacy shared how her body shame from when she was young impacted her summers, and how her mindset shifted when she had kids She realized that she didn't want that shame mindset to impact her children and her experiences with them When you let go of these "ideals" the healthier you are mentally and the healthier you are physically because you aren't hiding during the summer - you are getting out there, living and being active It is so important to push outside of our comfort zone, know that it is going to be uncomfortable at first, but it will be so worth it (11:01) The Physical Impact of Yo-Yo Dieting Sarah wants to get into the physical side of this Why to let go of the mentality of having to look a certain way in order to have fun in the summer so that you can get away from yo-yo dieting When we are losing weight, we lose both body fat and lean muscle mass It is very challenging to design a plan to preserve muscle mass through fat loss It is not impossible, but most of the go-to ways for weight loss lead to muscle loss With most strategies, you are going to lose about a pound of muscle per pound of fat lost This is a typical body composition change while you are losing weight, especially through rapid weight loss strategies Ex: keto, low carb, severe calorie restriction, carb cycling The only way to avoid this is to eat a lot of protein and to carefully factor in the lifestyle pieces (like weight training, lots of sleep, and stress management) How much muscle you have on your body, versus how much fat you have on your body, is a better predictor of health If you have a lot of fat on your body, but you have a lot of muscle on your body as well, you don't have an increased risk of chronic health problems compared to someone who is "skinny fat" When we lose weight, especially rapidly, we are losing that important muscle mass And then when we fall off the wagon and gain that weight back it is easier to put fat back on rather than muscle There is a lot of science looking at people who have gone through multiple weight loss cycles (aka the yo-yo) and these studies show that these people over time keep increasing their body fat percentages This causes a greater increase in risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease It would have been healthier to just stay at the starting (higher) weight than to yo-yo It is really important to emphasize that there are ways to lose weight in healthy ways However, the equation boils down to focusing on the health part versus the weight part Avoid the mentality of having to look a certain way so that we sacrifice health in order to be a certain weight This is exactly what yo-yo dieting is Even at the 10/15 pound cycle level, it is gradually shifting body composition over the cycles towards one that increases the risk of chronic disease It is sacrificing health for weight Stacy is so in love with everything that Sarah said wants her to physically drop the mic The news article Stacy and Sarah discuss The graphs Stacy mentioned: Stacy shared her experience with losing a massive amount of weight multiple times and what happened when she went back to her "normal life" and how this impacted her over time More info on the study that produced the graph: 13 of the 14 Biggest Loser contestants regained the weight they lost 4 of them are heavier now than they were before the competition And nearly all of the contestants have slower metabolisms than before the competition and burn fewer calories than expected It makes it so much harder to not gain weight when your metabolism and hormones are all out of whack from having this huge loss and then regain The other thing to consider with weight loss is that you are releasing hormones that are stored in your body fat every time you lose weight Some of these can be negative as well So every time you lose weight you are putting yourself in a detox cycle with every yo-yo Let's say together as a community of friends that it is silly to subscribe to the idea that you have to look a certain way to enjoy your summer Sarah notes that the reason she included this graph in this week's show notes is because we have learned a lot from the Bigger Loser contestants in terms of why weight loss maintenance is so hard The science shows that pretty much every diet can help you lose weight It isn't actually hard to lose weight - it is hard to keep it off Statistics for years have shown that approximately 80% of people will gain the weight back over a five year period after a substantial weight loss The Biggest Loser contestants showed that this is because losing the weight so quickly tanked their metabolism Their metabolism never recovered This is likely because of the loss of lean body mass Our muscles burn a lot more calories than other parts of our body Our brains burn about 25% of our calories and our muscles burn most of the rest If we are losing muscle mass that directly impacts our basal metabolic rate The other impact here is on thyroid function Our thyroid hormones are directly controlling our metabolism There are now a variety of studies showing that rapid weight loss can reduce thyroid function There was a study published in 2017 showing that very low carb and ketogenic diets can actually cause hyperthyroidism This then requires thyroid hormone replacement Rapid weight loss has a pretty big effect on metabolism If your metabolism takes a small dip every single time you are losing weight because of the impact of thyroid function and loss of lean mass and it doesn't fully recover as you gain weight, your metabolism is slowly going down This means that you need fewer calories to lose your weight You end up chasing your deficits because you need a bigger and bigger caloric deficit in order to successfully lose weight every cycle To compound this, there is this additional effect on ghrelin Ghrelin is our hormone hunger that is the highest right before we eat It is the hormone that is responsible for us feeling hungry It is a really important hormone that feeds into a number of systems within our body There are studies that show that people who lose weight double their baseline ghrelin So when you lose weight quickly you reduce your basal metabolic rate and you increase your ghrelin so that you are hungrier You are basically creating a situation where you are setting yourself up to fail If the only focus is that you must be ripped/thin, and the focus is not on health, these are the consequences (26:33) Thinness vs. Health Sarah feels that there are a lot of myths around weight loss The focus is still on "how to trick your body" and "how to become a fat burning machine" These taglines are the wrong focus Most of us are probably healthier heavier than we think we need/want to be because having a little bit of extra stored energy is important for hormone regulation There are so many ways of measuring health that have nothing to do with the number on the scale or what size clothes we wear, and these measures are far more important Looking at hormones, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, body composition - these are all better predictors of chronic disease predictors and overall health We get in this cycle where we evaluate health based on a comparison between us and the cover of Sports Illustrated, which is not a picture of health Now we are sacrificing our health to try to achieve this misguided ideal It's far more important to focus on getting healthy to get thin instead of focusing on getting thin to get healthy The hardest thing that Sarah has had to learn in her own health journey is the words thin and healthy don't actually have the same definition Stacy brought up a great example of how this situation can go the other way when someone is sick and losing weight when they don't want to And this again does not mean that your body is not worthy of enjoying your summer experiences Stacy also noted that this year's Sports Illustrated bathing suit issue actually includes bodies of all sizes and is a huge stride in the right direction Over the last 50 to 60 years we have seen dietary guidelines focus on achieving low cardiovascular diseases factors and thinness, different than healthiness After these poor dietary guidelines have failed to achieve these goals, the conversation has gone so much more extreme, which is why these fad diets have had so much room to grow This is also why there is so much shame associated with struggling to maintain a lower body weight Step one of correcting this path that we are on as a society is redefining the conversation and the goals Defining health in terms of how we feel, our energy levels, the easy markers in our blood to measure, mood and how we handle stress, we would go a long ways towards fixing a lot of the bad information out there in terms of what the best diet practices are There are a lot of people who are not well and who wish they could put on lean muscle mass and focus on health If more of us could put ourselves in their shoes, and challenge our negative thoughts about our own weight, it would challenge what has become normal around striving for thinness This will also allow us to learn to focus on our health What am I doing and what can I be doing to focus on my health We have to learn to let go of this mentality of thinness being the ideal because the ideal is health and that looks different for everything Stacy would love to challenge everyone to really change their negative thoughts To not just turn those off, but to learn to shift those thoughts What is something positive and encouraging you can think about yourself? This will change so much about how you choose to live your life A mindset of negativity will snowball into disordered eating for most people, which feeds right into the yo-yo cycle The other thing that Stacy wants to mention is this idea of 'all bodies are swimsuit/bikini bodies' can cause some confusion and be taken too far There are so many people who then feel pressured to wear a bikini Stacy wants to encourage people to ultimately do what they feel comfortable doing, and wear what you feel comfortable wearing There is a difference between getting outside your comfort zone and loving yourself, and pushing yourself to feel uncomfortable This won't help it feel any better The 'fake it until you make it' mentality doesn't work for Sarah when it comes to body image She feels much better wearing something more flattering and modest since that is something she personally gravitates towards These are the style of clothes that make her feel pretty Find the clothing choices that make you feel beautiful (41:04) Closing Thoughts Sarah notes that these are hard concepts to challenge Even when you feel like you are doing all of the healthy things right, it is really hard to see all the diet propaganda and not second guess yourself Find a way to shut those influences off and to create a new bubble for yourself Learn to focus on the most important thing, which is honoring yourself and respecting yourself enough to make the healthy choice, not the societal pressure choice Before this week's show is wrapped up, Stacy wants Sarah to share a bit on the new Joov Go(the good entry model), what are the best uses for this? Sarah thinks that this depends on what your goals are Most of the Joovmodels have two different wavelengths that are clinically proven to benefit different systems, but the wavelengths work independently of each other The JoovGo only has the red light This wavelength is responsible for the skin health benefits (wrinkle reduction, scar reduction, skin tightening, increase in collagen) Sarah brings her JoovGo when she travels and she notices that it has a calming effect on her and help with her sleep quality while on the road She will typically do two or three 10-minute sessions, moving it around If you are looking to reduce inflammation or to manage pain, Sarah would suggest investing in the JoovMini You can build off the JoovMini, but you can't build off the JoovGo The JoovMini allows you to experience the benefits of both wavelengths Stacy notes that Joov offers a 60-day trial and free-return policy So if you want to test the JoovGo and see how it works for you, you can give it a try Sarah has a blog post on the science of Joovthat you can check out here To check it out, visit https://joovv.com/paleoview Thank you so much for listening this week! We hope that this information inspires you to have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and let go of all the stuff and just enjoy spending time with family and friends! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices