Ep. 301: Sunscreen, Sun Exposure & Sunburns In this episode, Stacy and Sarah are talking all about the pros and cons of the very sun in the sky! Click here to listen in iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 301: Sunscreen, Sun Exposure & Sunburns Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) This week's podcast breaks the record for most research done on a topic for a podcast! We're hoping to give you well-rounded, consensus, and nuanced information. There is a lot of science on this information, and it doesn't always agree. Shoutout to our listeners for sending wonderful supportive feedback after we asked last week! Sun & Skin (12:25) The background: Stacy's family is very fair-skinned, and she is very aggressive with sunscreen use. She has looked into the safety of sunscreen- what kind of sun is good and not good, plus not adding harmful chemicals to our bodies. What are risk factors for skin cancer? This is the dominant motivator for wanting to protect our skin. Sun exposure is a risk for skin cancer, but is different for different forms of skin cancer. Melanoma: most dangerous, highest mortality rate. More related to sporadic intense exposure with burns. Interestingly, people tend to get this on parts of body not most-exposed to sun. This probably indicated that contributing factors are more complex. Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinoma are much milder and typically easier to treat. The highest risk is total UV exposure, cumulative to date. The more sun exposure, especially burning, the higher your chance. There are other risk factors for skin cancers (and other cancers) as well: Vitamin D deficiency. Exposure to chemicals. Having a weakened immune system. Smoking. Family history. Fair complexion or being a red-headed. Having moles increases risk of Melanoma. Men are at higher risk of skin cancer than women. Is it true that childhood sunburns increase your risk of skin cancer later on in life? One study showed that overall there was no increase risk for melanoma. There was a slight increased risk for melanoma in your 20s, but not overall in life. There is a group of studies showing that sun exposure is a risk factor for skin cancer. It is likely a collection of factors. For example, sun exposure in the context of not getting enough antioxidants in the diet. In the context of increased inflammation from chronic disease. In the context of vitamin D deficiency. In the context of more chemical exposure. Sun Tan vs. Sun Burn These are two different things, caused by two different mechanisms. A sun tan is caused from melanocytes in the skin producing melanin (a dark pigment). Having a lot of melanin in your skin protects from damage from the sun. This is why people with darker complexions have lower risk of skin cancer. Burning is really just cellular damage. When you have a lot of cells dying from sun exposure, it triggers an inflammation response- which is what causes the heat/inflammation and and makes the skin so red. How intense the sunlight is, and how long you were out in it versus how fair you are is the formula for a sunburn. Sunscreen use related to skin cancer risk. Prior to 1980 this was true, which is probably because there were a lot of chemicals used in sunscreen that have since been removed. These chemicals were inert by themselves, but when exposed to the sun turned carcinogenic. Currently no form of skin cancer is associated with sunscreen use. There is a collection of studies that looked at prevention of skin cancer with sunscreen use. These studies didn't show a strong effect. This may be because people are using sunscreens to stay out in the sun longer. It may have to do with the type of sunscreen they are using. Benefits of non-burning sun exposure. Could people be going so overboard with sunscreen use that they are missing out on some of the benefits of sun non-burning exposure? Vitamin D deficiency: 75% of Westerners are vitamin D deficient. Stress relieving and circadian rhythm benefit to being out in the sun. A recent article compared life expectancy of people with different sun exposure times. High sun people did have an increase risk of skin cancer but lower risk of other health problems. There may be benefits of sun exposure that we don't completely understand. Overview of sun exposure. It is important to not get sunburned, as this increases risk of skin cancer. It is better to use a sunscreen and still get sun exposure if you would otherwise burn. Moderating sun exposure is important- some sun exposure is beneficial. Is an anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense diet related to reduced sunburn? Our skin has natural antioxidants and protective mechanisms. It is chronically being assaulted by everything in the environment. It is constantly regenerating to maintain a barrier between the inside and outside of our bodies. A higher plant phytochemical diet can reduce the chance of getting sun burned. Astaxanthin is one of the stronger antioxidants that helps with this. This is in red and purple type vegetables. It is also found in seafood. There are photolyase enzymes in our skin that exist to repair DNA damage. These are activated by visible light, and different ones are activated by different wavelengths. Our bodies are amazing and they do have ways of repairing and protecting ourselves against sun damage. Sunscreen and what to look for. We will get into this in greater detail next week, though we don't want to leave you hanging right now! There are two different types: chemical and physical. Physical sunscreens are mineral based and reflect UV radiation. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing radiation and dissipating it as heat. These are a class of chemicals that have high skin irritant and allergic reaction rates. Many of these chemicals have been identified as endocrine disruptors. Many of these chemicals have been associated with damaging the coral reef. Hawaii recently banned chemical sunscreens for this reason. We look forward to continuing this conversation next week, as well as the science of the different types of sunscreens! Stacy personally looks for mineral sunscreen that is non-nano and non-aerosol. Stacy uses Beautycounter, but there are a lot of great safer options available now. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Do You Handle Sugar and Salt Cravings? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah tackle cravings and how to fight back against them! Click here to listen in iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 300: How Do You Handle Sugar and Salt Cravings? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) It's our 300th episode!! It's Stacy's 8 year Paleo-versary this week! And also her youngest, Wesley's 8th birthday. Stacy went Paleo two days after he was born to eliminate dairy and try to help his colic. Sarah's first couple months on Paleo were strict and she didn't find "treats" until months after she started. Stacy remembers first going Paleo and thinking she didn't have a problem with gluten- ha! Stacy didn't do a lot of "treats" at first either, but found a dairy-free ice cream recipe a couple months in. Elana's Pantry and The Spunky Coconut were the first two grain-free blogs that they found. Sarah remembers an almond coconut bar with chocolate as the first Paleo treat she made. It completely changed her world and helped make Paleo sustainable. Stacy tries to ask herself, "is this nutrient-densee and is it reducing or not contributing to inflammation." When they have treats, they try to be very mindful of them. Using dates as sweetener if they bake. Buying just a couple cupcakes as a treat and not a whole cake that sits in the house for days. Listener Email, from Tom (whom Sarah met in person at Paleof(x) a couple weeks ago): Tom write, "Sarah, I just wanted to tell you how great it was meeting you in person and chatting after hours and hours of 1 way listening via the podcast. (Congrats on the 5 million downloads by the way, the other 5 listeners must have been super busy on itunes!) You are as amazing and awesome in real life as you seem to be online. A thought for the podcast that I didn't get a chance to say when we were talking. I would love to hear you guys read some more fan mail / reviews on the show (you can include this one!). It's a great way for us listeners to kind of connect with others who love you two so much." Great idea Tom, thank!! Stacy and Sarah would love to hear more from all of YOU! We love getting questions and comments, especially if something we've talked about has helped you in your life. There are lots of ways to connect with us- commenting our blog posts, or on social media when we share podcasts posts, or even emailing us! Listener Question from Amanda (21:40): Amanda asks, "I'm already trying to figure out a plan for family visits. My husband's family comes in to town and stays at the oldest brothers house on the other side of the neighborhood for 2-3 days which means the leftovers and treats stay until they're gone. I can't just not go over there to visit while they're here, but I can't handle that kind of temptation either. Last year we gave in and I'm still caving to sugar and salt cravings. Any advice is truly appreciated! One thing that makes it easier for Stacy is that she can not have gluten, so many treats are not even an option. Stacy always makes a conscious choice to eat or not to eat the treat. Think about how you're going to talk to yourself so that there isn't a negative voice. Be practical and plan ahead. If you know there's going to be cookies there, bring your own and have those instead. There are certain nutrients that we know can drive cravings when we're not getting enough of them: Calcium, chromium, vitamin C, and magnesium. These are all nutrients required for processing things like refined sugars. We end up in a vicious cycle: sugar depletes Magnesium, Magnesium plays a role in stabilizing blood sugar, and when Magnesium levels are too low we don't regulate our blood sugar level very well, and then we go on this high and low with drives sugar cravings. When we're stressed we tend to crave energy-dense foods. Eating energy-dense foods when under stress is shown to be neuro-protective in mice. Focusing on chronic-stress reducing activities can be helpful. Not getting enough sleep can cause cravings for energy-dense foods. It increases hunger and messes with our hunger hormones. It interferes with dopamine response, reducing the reward from eating, which makes us want to eat more. If you can dial in the lifestyle factors that can influence cravings, your ability to choose not to do something is higher. Stacy has found that eating an orange helps her with certain cravings. Stacy had to have a real conversation with her family in the beginning when they would pressure her at get-togethers, reminding them that they wanted her to be health and happy, and that her not eating the treat didn't mean that they couldn't. It felt difficult at the time, but made a huge impact. If you choose to indulge, you need to accept it and move on. It's fine, Paleo is about making better choices more often. It's also about sustainability. Don't let a treat drive you into a guilt cycle. These types of event can be an opportunity to show people that what you're doing isn't weird. Paleo does include an occasional treat! Sarah will bring a treat or baked good to share- which shows people how good Paleo food is. The discovery that Paleo foods are delicious can be what helps someone make a decision to try it. Thanks for helping make this our 300th episode! If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 299: Does the Moon Affect Stacy's Mood? In this episode, Stacy is convinced that her body and hormones are affected by the moon. What will Sarah say? Click here to listen in iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 299: Does the Moon Affect Stacy's Mood? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Stacy was at a Beautycounter conference this past weekend. While the conference itself was great, the part that was amazing was meeting some incredible women in person that she's been working with for over a year. Stacy minored in women's studies, so helping a team of women to succeed an achieve their goals has been a long-time dream come true for her. While she is successful at her day job and enjoys it, it never directly empowered women for a greater cause, which is what her work with Beautycounter has helped her to do. Stacy was bawling all weekend, realizing she was part of something bigger, and had helped other women find their power and their voice, and was part of a mission that matters. Stacy's Burning Question for Sarah (8:01) Stacy has been feeling very connected and effected by lunar cycles, which is a weird thing for her to say out loud. After some research, she found information supporting a link to mood and hormones. Lunar cycles are known to affect bodies of water (ie: the tides) and humans are made up of mostly water- so Stacy wants to know, what does the science say related to how the moon affects humans? There has been a lot of interest in the circalunar cycle, especially in the last 5-10 years. We have a circadian rhythm, which keeps track of our 24 hours in the day. It syncs our brain with the "clock" that is in every one of our cells. There is seasonal variation as well- changes in physiology based on the season. We don't really fully understand circalunar rhythms. These cycles are much stronger in marine animals. There are observations based on rhythm on a 29.5 day cycle. Spawning, gonad growth, reproductive cycles, etc. Research is starting to identify some genetic components to these circalunar cycles. It is analogous to our circadian rhythms- outside stimulus that influences internal factors. There is a good scientific foundation of mechanism and molecular mechanics of the circalunar rhythms. There are behaviors and physiology changes in humans that have been linked to the moon. The old saying, "must be a full moon." There have been some rigorous studies looking at things like birth rate and fertility and phases of the moon. These two things have not been found to be correlated in the science. There are studies in schizophrenia showing a small increase of violence or aggressive episodes during a full moon. There is also a possible correlation between seizures when thy sky is brighter, not necessarily when the moon is full though. A study done in 2013 looked at lunar cycle and sleep quality. It showed more deep sleep during the full moon. A study that tried to replicate the data didn't get the same results. It is not tidal effects on humans, as we are an incredibly small amount of water. Tides in the ocean, versus tides in some of the largest lakes in the world. Lake Superior's tide change due to the moon is about 3cm. Humans are a ridiculously small amount of water compared to this. It could have to do with the amount of light at night being greater during a full moon. We tend not to evolve useless things. Our photoreceptors could be good multi-taskers as well. We have completely messed up how our body detects moon light, and messed up our circadian rhythms by having lights on at night, spending too much time inside, screen time, etc. Indoor lights is a large disruptor of sleep. The bright sun is between 400-130,000 lux. The full moon is 0.25 lux, and half moon is 0.025 lux, starlight is 0.0001 lux. We're supposed to have a very dim light signal in the evenings. Indoor lighting is between 200-300 lux. Street lights or heavy traffic is about 75 lux. Smartphone and tablet screens are 30-50 lux. There are so many sources of light that we are never in a nighttime environment. We don't have the ability to sync with the moon anymore. We've probably destroyed our ability to study circalunar rhythms in humans. When we do learn more about circalunar cycles, it is unclear how that would inform what we can do in our modern lives to make up for it. Right now we can eat a nutrient-focuses diet, have a rigid bedtime, spend time outside, take activity breaks during the day, use a treadmill desk, nurture in-person relationships, etc. It is challenging to get rid of nighttime light, and is unclear what impact it would have on our health. Ultimately, Sarah is saying that there is evidence that circalunar cycles are a real thing, but they are driven by nighttime light, not tidal forces. Stacy still believes that the moon makes her super emotional! We as a population have a strong cultural bond to the full moon, which can be a driving force. The moon is actually getting farther away from us- the light at night and tidal forces used to be stronger. It could have had a bigger impact back in this time. The most hope for understanding a link between human physiology and human behavior and the lunar cycle is not in big population studies, but in a basic understanding the mechanism of circalunar cycles in sea urchins and corals, and then trying to identifying if those pathways were preserved in mammals. Stacy is not putting this to rest yet- she's going to be on lunar-watch! Listeners, Stacy needs your emotional support! Please comment and share your particular superstitions with us! We love when you leave us comments, or reviews if you'd enjoyed the show. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 298: Paleo f(x) Recap!In this episode, Sarah talks about her trip to Austin for PaleoFX!Click here to listen in iTunesor download and listen by clicking the PodBean Player belowIf you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 298: Paleo f(x) Recap! Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Welcome back to The Paleo View! Sarah's croaky voice proves she had a great time at Paleo f(x) this weekend! She talked and talked for 4 days straight! On stage and to everyone in person! Sarah met so many listeners- thanks so much for visiting with her! Our podcast listeners are the best fans to meet. Thanks for sharing your stories, and how much our podcast has helped you. Sarah got to do some mentoring through the Health Entrepreneurs satellite event. Her talk was called "The Myth of Work Life Balance." She talked about the trend of people working the same amount, but trying to find "balance" by adding in more hobbies and time spent with family, which ends up spreading them too thin. The focus should shift from "work life balance" to "self-care." There is some interesting science on cognitive and physical decline when you don't get enough sleep. Even a 30 minute sleep deficit can impact your cognition and productivity. Regular exercise improves cognition and is worthwhile to make time for. Acute stress can actually clarifies the brain, but chronic stress dulls decision making, inhibits memory, and makes you a bad multi-tasker. The message was to practice self-care with your lifestyle. There can be some lag time between when you change lifestyle factors to when you see improvement. Unfortunately her talks at Paleo f(x) were not filmed. Sarah's talks went wonderfully and she got great feedback! She loved every minute of Paleo f(x) and got to meet so many new people and vendors! Sarah is exhausted because she did not practice good self-care while she was there. Not enough sleep, long periods without eating, not resting, and consuming alcohol. Stacy has learned her body doesn't do well with flying and consuming alcohol. She likes to bring organ meats when flying, usually in the form of Epic Liver Bites. Dry Farm Wines catered the events, which was awesome! They curate wines are lower carb, lower sulfate, lower alcohol and won't leave you feeling yucky afterwards. Stress: there are different forms of stressors: Psychological: traffic, deadlines, snotty teenagers. Chemical: tobacco, alcohol, environmental. Physical: sitting all day, exercise, non-ergonomic things, bright lights. Stress is additive and all of these things are compounded. Traveling can raise your stress response. This is why it is common to get sick after a day of traveling. Sarah has to pull back on exercise when she is under deadlines. Stacy intuitively learned to not drink alcohol while traveling. Sarah will be taking it easy this week and focusing on self-care. If you've been thinking about attending Paleo f(x), it's a wonderful event! Sarah always gets so much out of it- there is a wealth of health information there! Stacy loved going to the vendor floor- so many awesome new products! Sarah says this was the year of the bio-hack, with lots of new health products introduced. Probiotic foods also had a strong presence this year. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 297: Is There a Connection Between Allergies & Baby Wipes? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah have read an article that baby wipes are not safe! Oh no! Click here to listen in iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 297: Is There a Connection Between Allergies & Baby Wipes? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Sarah is excited about Paleo f(x) and got her presentation done early (unlike last year!). She has been digging into a lot of new information and material. Her presentation will be live streamed for FREE Sunday afternoon! Speaking of interesting science articles... Stacy tipped Sarah off to a new journal article, which is the basis of today's show! Science with Sarah (6:57) An exciting study was published a couple weeks ago in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. In this study they developed a new animal model of childhood allergy development. A child's immune system is quite different than an older person's. Children have more allergies than adults, and can also grow out of them. Children have immune tolerance- where the immune system has learned something is bad, but has decided not to react to it. This study will help researchers to look at what is going on at a molecular level. It may help to know which foods to introduce at which age. An aside: this study was an animal study performed on mice. Sarah was a researcher who used to perform studies on animals. She wants to assure you that the utmost care is taken of these animals in regard to their welfare. In the US and Canada and in higher education settings the standards are very high. Animal welfare is very important to Stacy. It is worthwhile when talking about science and the benefit of human health. There has been a giant increase in childhood allergies in the last 20-25 years. Many chronic disease rates have gone up. Our lifestyles have completely changed over time, and even since just the 1950s. We're eating lower quality food, more sedentary, getting less sleep, working more, etc. Incidence of childhood allergies really spiked in the 1990s. Other chronic disease has been a slow rise, where allergies was a sharper increase. Could it be... baby wipes?! The health of her children is one of the things that brought Stacy to Paleo. She was the ultimate crunchy mom! Cloth diapers and everything! It's crazy to think of all the major food and lifestyle changes they made over the 8+ years of being Paleo, and that something like baby wipes was correlated to such major health issues. The study used mice with the same genetic mutations that predisposes humans to eczema. Many people have these genetic variants, they are quite common. Mice were exposed to an allergen on the skin, and then their skin was wiped with some of the same chemicals that are often found in baby wipes, like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. These chemicals make the skin more leaky. What is different with baby wipes vs. using soap is the rinsing factor. Bacteria and viruses get washed away with the water. The baby wipe is relying on the chemicals for the antimicrobial action. And those chemicals are sitting on the skin where they can erode the integrity of the skin barrier. In the study, mice developed eczema and also anaphylaxis to the allergen they were also exposed to. In the last 20-25 years disposable wipes have become the standard, even among people who use cloth diapers. All the peanut allergy studies and recommendations on when to introduce them have been done without the context of this other environmental factor that is influencing the immune system. Recommendations that came out of this paper were things like: If you're going to use baby wipes, rinse the skin afterwards. Think about allergens on your own skin as you are handling your baby. For example, if you make a peanut butter sandwich for your older child, make sure you wash your hands, and the older child washes their face and hands before handling the baby. Rinsing is key: think of it as you are putting soap on the skin with a cloth. You wouldn't put a pump of hand soap on your skin and just leave it there. Check the ingredients in your baby wipes and soap on the EWG website. Sensitive skin wipes tend to have less chemicals in them. More "natural" brands also tend to have less chemicals, but always check the label. If allergies, eczema, or autoimmune disease is in your family, it is worthwhile to go the extra step and seek out wipes and products without those ingredients in them. Also consider the earth and seek out something compostable or more earth-friendly. If you're using baby wipes to take your makeup off, you might want to find an alternative. Stacy uses the makeup remover wipes from Beautycounter. Stacy and the boys all have very sensitive skin. Consider keeping a spray bottle and cloths at the diaper changing station, and once the bum is clean, rinse and wipe with cloth- you don't have to take the baby to the bath every time. Take a deep breath and let go of your mommy guilt. Nobody knew, and having guilt doesn't produce different results. Work on a change going forward and share the information. Sarah hopes to see you all at Paleo F(x)! If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 296: Should I Be Concerned About EMFs?In this episode, Stacy and Sarah are talking Electromagnetic Frequencies and whether they're actually harmful for people!Click here to listen in iTunesIf you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 296: Should I Be Concerned About EMFs? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) We're back! No break for you! Unfortunately, RealEverything was hacked with a redirect malware! But it's fixed now, so we're good! And Stacy has found workarounds for her Facebook and Instagram bans, so she's back in business! Stacy gave a presentation on making a career on the internet at Cole's middle school. Eighth graders are scary. We've had 5 million downloads! OMG! Thank you for your support! And thank you for supporting our friendship! Sarah is going to PaleoFX! Are you going too? Sarah will be speaking. She's also going to Health Entrepreneurs FX as well Sarah will be at Booth 17 with Strength in Food. Come find her! Our topic this week in on electromagnetic fields! Sarah wrote a lengthy blog post about this topic recently. Many people are concerned about EMFs causing health problems. Any movement of a charged particle causes an EMF. They are characterized by frequency. Low frequency is things like microwaves and cell signals. High frequencies are things like x-rays, gamma rays and UV. High frequencies have enough energy to ionize atoms. That's the biggest concern for damage! Low frequencies don't do this. The buzzword has the grain of truth that high frequencies can be damaging. But the low frequencies that people tend to be concerned about are not high enough energy to damage our DNA! In animal studies, rats needed 25000 times the exposure that humans typically get. In human studies, most show little or no cancer affect from high exposure. In typical exposure, there is no increased risk. Only in occupations like power workers is there an increased risk. And actually, there seems to be a protective effect from moderate exposure. Cellphone studies show no increased brain tumor incidence, even in high use groups. And some protective effect in moderate to high use. EMF exposure seems to initiate a "clean up" of cells in the body. And even these studies represent an old way of using cellphones before a lot of hand-free devices. Radiation falls off precipitously the farther away the device is. Plus modern cellphones use an even lower frequency. Research into EMF hypersensitivity has not been about to reproduce symptoms, so it is possible that the EMF isn't the cause of these symptoms. Stacy has seem the EMF plant growth science fair experiment. This isn't real evidence! Check out Snopes. Question every alarming claim! Look into the source and what their agenda might be. Cell phone addiction is real, though, and has a lot of negative events and causes stress. Maybe that is what's causing your health effects? Technology is awesome, but it's not 100% awesome, says Sarah. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 295: Can Food Intolerances Be Fixed? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah discuss if this food intolerance is gonna be forever. Click here to listen in iTunes or download and listen by clicking the PodBean Player below If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 295: Can Food Intolerances Be Fixed? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Welcome back listeners, Sarah and Stacy are no longer sitting awkwardly close to each other! Sarah and Stacy reminisce about their visit together, eating good food and playing lots of games. Stacy and Sarah's kids got along really well and had a great time playing together in shared nerdiness. Sarah's family's spring break plans got cut short due to one of the girls getting a cold. After Stacy's family left Sarah's house, they drove 10 hours home. They slept one night at home and then Matt and Stacy took a quick trip to New York. They saw Cursed Child (Harry Potter for those of you who don't know). They were supposed to go see it in London, but they had to cancel when Matt's brother passed. Stacy had given up on the idea of going to see the play, but got lucky and score pre-show tickets in NY. Friedman's is Stacy's new favorite gluten-free restaurant in New York- it's very allergen friendly! Listener Question (14:19) Merit asks, "Thanks for putting out such a great, informative and fun podcast. I'm really enjoying it. My question is about food sensitivities and how to get rid of them. I am an RD and I have wondered about this for a long time. I'm familiar with the leaky gut principle and how that leads to food allergies or sensitivities, but in many cases like my own, I have a pretty clean diet and have worked on digestive health for a long time. What I'm getting at is, if we are healthy people, shouldn't we be able to tolerate a wide variety of foods? Is there a missing piece I'm not getting? If it's possible to broaden the diet (with nutrient dense foods) because that would be so wonderful! I read a book recently and talked to the author, who said many of the food intolerance can be "fixed" by changing the gut microbiota. Seems logical but also not entirely obvious if people (like myself) feel great and experience good digestive function IF we don't eat the foods we are sensitive to. In my case, it's eggs. Boy would I love a way to tolerate them again! Thanks so much for your time gals." When they started their Paleo journey, Stacy was hopeful that her boys would be able to tolerate some foods in the future, like high quality dairy and eggs. Sarah and Stacy have both re-introduced different foods they were previously intolerant to. This is a very individualized concept because everyone is so different. This makes it challenging to predict if a food can be successfully reintroduced or not. There are several different types of reactions that people can have to foods. An exaggerated gluten-induced reaction to Zonulin, which we talked about in this episode, is a reaction that will not go away with diet and lifestyle changes. The release of Zonulin happens in everyone, Celiacs and people with the Celiac gene have an exaggerated release of it. It unravels the proteins in the tight junctions of the gut epithelial cells. This means you have leaky gut caused by gluten consumption. This is genetic and is not going to go away, no matter how much you "heal" your gut. You may be able to recover faster if everything else is dialed-in. Many food intolerances are antibody-driven. This mechanism can diminish over time with focusing on gut and immune health. If you remove a food from your diet, the stimulus to making antibodies against it goes away. Your body makes Memory B cells, which remember the things it has fought before. This allows your body to fight off things faster the second time you are exposed. These cells have a finite life span. If you eat a food before these cells have all died off, you can have an exaggerated response. If you wait until the cells making antibodies are gone and you only have Memory B cells left, this is where you can get away with occasional consumption. Weekly and up to monthly is a common amount of time to between consumptions. If you wait until after Memory B cells have died, and you've improved your immune system and healed your gut, your immune system might not remember it ever had a problem with a particular food. The lifespan of Memory B cells is longer when they remember IgE reactions (allergies) than IgG reactions (most types of food intolerances). Improving gut barrier health means less of the food antigens will get to the immune system. Improving immune health helps the immune system to know when its responding appropriately. Some food intolerances are gut-microbiota driven. Things like FODMAPS, histamine-intolerance, salicylate-sensitivity, and oxalate-sensitivity. There is a strong link between these things and gut microbiome. Either a lack of certain probiotic strains, or an overgrowth of problematic strains. Correcting gut bacteria imbalances can reverse those types of food sensitivities. Some ways to improve gut health are: Be active, but do not over train. Get enough sleep and manage stress. Eat a ton of vegetables, 8+ servings, 25-30+ grams of fiber. Consume a lot of omega-3 fats, but keep total fat intake moderate. Consume natural probiotics, like wild-fermented things. It is really hard to know the mechanism behind your food intolerance sometimes. We don't know if we are going to get over a food intolerance without periodically challenging it. This can be very frustrating. These mechanisms can still be present even in very healthy individuals. If can feel overwhelming to hear the long list of things you need to do to improve. This is a journey and each day you can make a better choice than you might have made before, which gets you closer to the ideal. Relax, sleep, and manage your stress... it can make a huge difference. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 294: Live Show: Ask Us Anything! In this episode, Stacy and Sarah were hanging out together and decided to answer your questions on this show! Click here to listen in iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 294: Live Show: Ask Us Anything! Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Welcome- Sarah and Stacy recorded this podcast live, and together at Sarah's house! Stacy and Sarah will be answering questions from Sarah's Facebook and Stacy's Instagram. Stacy just returned from a cruise. She plans to do a blog post about eating gluten-free on a cruise. On an excursion in Jamaica she re-injured her back. She's still functioning, thanks for those of you who have asked. Question: Can you really wash vitamin D off after being in the sun. Vitamin D is made in your skin from cholesterol, triggered by UVB radiation from the sun. There's a myth that if you shower right after, you can wash it off. Sarah doesn't actually know the answer to this one. Question: How wold you handle your professor promoting weight watchers and low fat diet in a nutritional program? Sarah recommends biting your tongue, it's not a battle worth fighting. She has heard this from friends who have gone though RD and other similar programs. You need to pass the tests, and being argumentative isn't helpful. You can learn the more up to date information and be able to help people after you pass. Question: Easy lunches to pack for school? Sarah's kids like the same thing every day. Organic grass-fed hotdogs, that both girls eat cold. Carrots, celery, cucumber, and fruit- usually grapes or apples. Her youngest loves canned fish, but started getting teased for it being so smelly. Stacy's boys love taking leftovers for lunches. They always make huge batches of meat for dinner so they have leftovers for lunches. They like individual packs of olives and baby carrots, fruit, plantain chips, sweet potato chips. Stacy's boys all are responsible for packing their own lunches. They also take a "snack," usually Chomps or Roam Sticks. Sarah's girls also love the Epic Snack Strips and the new Epic Baked Pork Rinds. Stacy and the boys all love the Epic Maple Bacon Cracklings. Questions: How to Navigate Foods on a Cruise? Stacy will make a more in-depth dedicated post and resource for this on the blog soon. When you sign up you have the option to tell them if you have a food intolerance. She established the whole family as gluten-sensitive. She added a note about nightshades and corn for herself. Cruise dining has 3 main options: 1. Buffet: don't go here- you will have a very hard time finding anyone who can tell you what is in the food, and it isn't worth it. 2. Sit Down Dining: "Free Dining:" you sit down and give them your room number, which brings up your special dietary instructions. This was great, the food was good quality, and they took very good care of special dietary needs. 3. Sit Down Dining: "Upgraded:" not worth it in Stacy's opinion, as the "free dining" food was very good and there was no need to pay for upgraded food here. Stacy is of the opinion that doing AIP on a cruise would be do-able. Question: Top 2 things you've each implemented in dealing with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis? Gluten-free diet goes without saying, and isn't included in the two things here. Managing stress has been huge for Stacy, which has taken her a long time to figure out and implement. For Stacy, what she has put in her diet is just as important as what she has taken out. Nutrient-dense foods like collagen, broth, seafood, organ meats, and lots of veggies. She takes liver pills every day because she doesn't always eat organ meats. Besides the AIP protocol and all the things that encompasses, taking thyroid replacement hormone (prescription) has been really great for Sarah. It isn't a failure, and it isn't a substitute for AIP. Working with a functional medicine practitioner and managing stress has also been helpful for Sarah. Question: What are your tips for someone starting diet and lifestyle changes? Stacy recommends their book, Real Life Paleo, which teaches baby steps and prioritizing. This is often more sustainable than jumping in with both feet all at once. Stacy says to approach it in a positive light, as a thing you are doing to help become better, not something negative that you have to do- mindset can make all the difference. Sarah recommends transitioning in whatever way you've been successful in making changes in the past. Educate yourself on the why behind you are doing something, so you have a better understanding. Focus on what you do get to eat, rather than what you miss. Focus on sleep- which helps regulate hunger, cravings, and stress, which makes it easier. Prepare the house- don't have things around that will temp you. Question: Would taking thyroid replacement at night to mimic the circadian rhythm be helpful? It better mimics circadian rhythm to take thyroid medication in the morning This is usually what is recommended. It is usually recommended to take thyroid replacement meds with some water, but not too much, and to wait an hour after before having anything, even black coffee, which can affect absorption. Most people don't have an empty enough stomach at night to be able to absorb thyroid hormone. Question: Your view on zero carb, meat only diets? You need vegetables. We have a whole podcast on why vegetables are important, especially if you eat a lot of meat. They are critical for health- they contain vital nutrients, phytochemicals, and fiber. Question: Thoughts on fasting? Stacy did intermittent fasting for a while. She learned that without a gallbladder it had detrimental affects on her health. The rationale is that is stimulates a clean-up in your cells, called autophagy. There are other things that stimulate this too, like sleep and exercise. If your stress axis isn't working correctly, intermittent fasting can backfire on you. Males respond better to fasting than females. Not eating 4-5 hours before bed and getting enough sleep gives you a large window in which you've already fasted and have some autophagy activity. This is a gentle way to do fast that won't stimulate a stress response. Question: Please explain the benefits of finding out if you have MTHFR if you have Grave's Disease. It is beneficial to find out if you have MTHFR if you have any autoimmune disease. It impacts a lot of different systems in your body. There are supplements you can take to help support these systems if you have this mutation. If you aren't methylating properly it impacts how you respond to diet and lifestyle changes. Question: What do you think about a ketogenic diet? It is hard to do if you do very high fat diet if you do not have a gallbladder. Sarah thinks it is an inherently nutritionally deficient approach and the science does not support its efficacy or its safety. She only advocates it for people with neurodegenerative disease who have tried other things first. Question: How to have a healthy pregnancy when you have Hashimoto's? Make sure your thyroid hormone is dialed in and closely monitored. Work with an OBGYM who is willing to do a lot of testing. Rest, relax, focus on nutrient-density. Consider the recommended supplements and what you are getting in your diet. Paleo Principles has a whole chapter on pregnancy and lactation. Question: How do you absorb fats after getting your gallbladder out? Taking bile salts and other supportive supplements can help. Learning how and when to eat was more helpful for Stacy. Question: What do you think of extremely high doses of probiotics for people with intestinal disorders? A normal, healthy gut has a lot of different species of microorganisms in it. When you take a probiotic supplement it usually has 8-9 species. When you have something that wipes out your good bacteria, high dose probiotics can be helpful. You still need to eat fermented foods and lots of vegetables to have a healthy gut. Question: After reintroducing I've become severely allergic to oranges, any idea why this would show up? Elimination and challenge diets are so effective because they exaggerate reactions. This is partly what makes them so helpful. The body has protective mechanisms that go away when you've eliminated a food. It didn't make the allergy, but unmasked a reaction that was there the whole time. Question: Do all women have rising TSH levels with pregnancy or just those with hypothyroidism? All women do, its just that in a normal system there is feedback that controls it. In autoimmune thyroid conditions, this cycle and feedback is often broken. Selenium, zinc, iron, and iodine are all very important for this to function. Questions: I've been AIP for 10 months and lost weight initially but am not anymore. I am about 20 pounds overweight, and do not eat a lot of AIP treats. Sarah asks, "are you sure?" Sarah has a post about healthy weight loss and body composition on her blog with more info. Looking at body composition rather than absolute weight or BMI is more informative. The literature supports that having a little extra stored body fat is protective. Sleep, stress, hypothyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, over-eating, sex hormone imbalances can all impede weight loss. AIP is not a weight-loss diet, it is an anti-inflammatory approach to healing. Question: Disadvantages of cheating when eating Paleo or AIP? Stacy doesn't like the word cheating, you are making a choice for a reason. It depends- on what food it is that is off-plan, how much, how often, your stress level, the overall nutrient-density of your diet, your health conditions, your genetics. It can range from something life threatening or that destroys the lining of your gut, to something that isn't a big deal, and everything in-between. Methodical food reintroduction is a great thing for someone with chronic health conditions. Ask yourself why you are eating that thing and what your goals are. Don't let making a sub-optimal choice turn into a snowball of all the bad choices. Question: Taking thyroid hormone once in the morning and once in the middle of the day? Some functional medicine practitioners recommend this. For some people who burn through it really fast, it can help even out energy levels. You will have to work with your doctor on this. Question: How do x-rays impact autoimmune disease? The thyroid and ovaries are particularly sensitive to x-rays. They cover them with a guard to protect them during the procedure. We only see this as a problem in people who have occupational exposure to x-rays. Airport security uses non-ionizing radiation, which isn't worrisome. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 293: Do I Have to Be Gluten-Free Forever? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah talk about if a little gluten now and then is so terrible for most people. Plus, they discuss genetic susceptibility to having issues with gluten. Click here to listen in iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 293: Do I Have to Be Gluten-Free Forever? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Get ready listeners, this episode is loaded with bloopers at the end! Stacy is traveling and Sarah has a speaking engagement so they recorded this podcast a week early. Stacy is amazed at how her and Sarah's friendship has lasted because Sarah is so positive and enthusiastic, and Stacy is sardonic and sarcastic! Stacy and family are headed off on a cruise, which was the boys' Christmas gift. They are all unplugging, not getting wifi on the ship. Stacy has been trying to prepare ahead for this! The boys chose Jamaican bobsledding as an excursion, which Stacy is crazy excited for! Sarah is looking forward to nerding-out on Jamaican bobsled history with them! The boys have never been out of the country before, they had to get passports. After the cruise they are going to visit the Kennedy Space Center and then head over to Sarah's house. Sarah is planning Kalua Pork and Stacy requested Ambrosia Salad. Sarah chaperoned a sleep-away field trip a couple weeks ago with her daughter's class. She had an amazing experience and it was great bonding time with her daughter. It was long, exhausting days but she loved the curriculum and everything they learned. She is still catching up on sleep. Listener Question (16:27) Gina asks, "Since late last year I have started listening to your podcast and I LOVE all the information you both share.. I have gone back and listened to so many old podcasts. My question for you is late last year I started seeing a registered dietitian to help lose weight (20 pounds overweight). I am active and eating for the most part a clean diet. I have not adapted a Paleo Diet as I eat very little meat protein. I am obsessed with eating healthy reading labels and trying to feed my family as healthful as possible.I had a Vibrant Wellness sensitivity test done I had 3 positive foods and 9 Moderate foods, Gluten Containing Grains and Gluten Free grains were among that list. With this information I had the gene test done for Celiac and I tested positive for the DQ8. And then also further had a wheat zoomer test done that, that came back showing some high risk for some of these panels. I was told I have leaky gut and to avoid gluten now for LIFE ahhhh.My husband and sister were also tested and both carrying a celiac gene. I just read your post on The Celiac Gene and am still confused. Do I need to avoid gluten forever, can I have some every once and awhile? I never noticed any symptoms that bothered me. When on vacation recently I did have pasta that wasn't GF. I didn't feel great after that but nothing that would stop me from eating again. I feel less bloated but not seeing weight loss. I don't do well with being told NOT to have something. Will I develop Celiac disease if I continue to eat it gluten? Are my kids at risk since my husband and I both carry this gene?I know you both talk about that you and your family are gluten free, I just don't know that I can do this 100% of the time. Is this really going to affect my body if we continue to allow some gluten in our diet? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!" Stacy says that if it were her and she found out she had a hereditary disposition to gluten, she wouldn't personally eat it. Stacy is also a control freak and doesn't like being told what to do. She tells herself that she is choosing not to eat gluten, not that she "can't." Sarah doesn't subscribe to the dogma of everyone must be 100% gluten free all the time. The idea that we haven't adapted to eating modern foods is oversimplified. She talks in depth in Paleo Principles about a study that compared genes over time, and they did find genetic adaptation in some areas. One example is that some people have adapted to producing lactase into adulthood, called lactase persistence, which depends largely on your heritage. The Celiac genes HLADQ2 and HLADQ8 are genetic adaptations related to the advent of agriculture. This probably indicates we have had some adaptations to modern agriculture. There is an incomplete understanding of how we've adapted to neolithic foods. This suggests that not everyone needs to be gluten free 100% of the time. Gluten-containing foods are not nutrient-dense foods. There is a definitive link now between gluten and weight-gain. There are other inflammatory compounds in gluten. Wheat germ agglutinin can carry across the gut barrier and is highly inflammatory. There isn't a case to be made that gluten is a health food. There is evidence that some people can tolerate gluten. Gluten is inflammatory in all of us. Even if you can tolerate gluten with no obvious affects, it is not a health-promoting food. Gluten can affect people in a multitude of ways, from acne, sinus congestion, headaches, joint pain... it isn't just bloating and gut symptoms. Many people use travel as an excuse to consume gluten, which seems the opposite of what you might want- to feel your best and have a great immune system when exposed to germs. Stacy likes to test the waters with her grey-area foods when she knows she can deal with the consequences like joint pain or skin breakouts. The difference in people who can tolerate gluten on occasion and people who can't touch it with a 10-foot pole is complex and has to do with magnitude of symptoms and recovery time. Implications of gluten consumption in non-Celiacs with Celiac risk genes is an important topic. 97% of Celiac disease sufferers have one or both gene variants. These genes relate to zonulin production. Zonulin is released by the gut cells when we eat gluten (in everyone.) It acts on the tight junctions between the cells of the intestines. This increases intestinal permeability, which allows things to get into the body which shouldn't be in the body. In Celiac disease this response is magnified, which allows all kinds of things into the body. This drives body-wide inflammation. Recent studies have show that those with the Celiac genes but not diagnosed with Celiac disease have the same magnified reaction to gluten with zonulin production. This may happen in everyone with one or both of genes. How prevalent is this? In North America 55% may have one of these genetic variations. These genes are also associated with other autoimmune diseases and health problems. There science is pretty conclusive that this 55% that have genetic susceptibility to Celiac disease are going to have health problems related to gluten consumption. How do you live your life and feed your family 100% gluten free. Reading labels is a great start! Learn to be assertive with eating out and talking to restaurant staff, asking them to double check. Being prepared is important- always pack protein and gluten-free snacks. Stacy's family loves: Rx Bars Beef jerky and meat sticks like Roam and Chommps Paleo Power Balls Epic Pork Rinds Research ahead of time where you are traveling to or will be eating at. Cooking at home and replacing grains with more vegetables, fats and proteins means you will win on the nutrient front. There are gluten-free replacements for just about anything- these make great transitions foods. Know your currency food, if you can just have that one thing, everything else will be easier. For Sarah this is chocolate and coffee. If your currency is a grilled cheese sandwich on gluten-free bread on Sunday afternoon and that's what it takes to keep you going the rest of the week, then that's okay. It does get better and easier the more you eat that way. There are so many tools available for going gluten-free now, that weren't there even 5 years ago. The more you focus on the good that is happening in your body, the purpose, and what you can have, the easier it becomes. We hope you all have a lovely spring break- whether you are traveling or having a staycation. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 292: Sophie Van Tiggelen In this episode, Stacy and Sarah interview Sophie Van Tiggelen about converting to AIP and how she deals with a family that isn't on AIP. Click here to listen in iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 292: Sophie Van Tiggelen Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Stacy is going to visit Sarah soon! Sarah is already planning food and her girls are talking about what games they are going to play together. Stacy's family is having Easter dinner at Sarah's house. Welcome our guest, Sophie Van Tiggelen from A Squirrel in the Kitchen (3:30) Stacy loves having someone on the podcast with an accent, because Sarah is losing hers. Sophie is originally from Belgium and moved to Colorado in 2000. In 2009 she got very sick and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Gluten-free diet didn't work for her. She found the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) in 2012, which was life-changing. She started blogging to share her recipes and results with the world. Her first book, Simple French Paleo came out two years ago. Her brand new book, The Autoimmune Protocol Made Simple Cookbook is available for pre-order. Sarah has had a sneak peak of the book and it is amazing! Sophie is a master as developing amazing flavor with simple ingredients and cooking techniques. Sarah highly recommends both of her books! Sophie wanted to show people that it is possible to eat a nutrient-dense diet with healthful foods in a simple way but that is also creative, accessible, and creative. Sophie's story is not uncommon- following a specific protocol in a family where not everyone is on board with it. The answer is not one-size fits all and depends on a lot of variables. When she started her journey her children were young and she could direct their food choices. She was in complete control of the kitchen and cooked all the meals. She cooked one core meal with some additions when necessary. Sometimes her husband would like rice or quinoa on the side, which was easy to do. They had the same common meal, which made things easier for her. They talked as a family and she explained the AIP protocol and why she needed to follow. They decided as a family that they would not allow gluten in the house. This was a red line that no one would cross. The family had their own snacks in the pantry that weren't necessarily AIP. They were all kept in one place and it was Sophie's responsibility to not get into them. It was easy at the beginning to avoid non-AIP foods because she was in pain and wanted to get better. It got harder as she felt better. As Sophie's children grew up, they didn't follow the same way of eating. They got jobs, and their own money, and started eating outside the home. Each of their three children went their own way regarding their food choices. Sophie had to choose her battles. Outside the home they could make their own choices. Inside the home there would be no gluten allowed. Stacy has had a similar experience with her oldest son. They encourage him to make the best choices he can, but it's ultimately his decision. He knows he doesn't feel well when he eats gluten, and usually choses not to outside the home. You can't force kids, but just educated and enable them to make the right decision. Sophie hopes that if her children ever need to reign-in their eating, they will know how to do that because they saw her doing it at one time. Sarah struggles with having foods around the house that she shouldn't eat. Sarah has a history of binge-eating. Sophie was motivated at the beginning and very strict, which gave her results very quickly. When she started to feel better, it got harder to be as strict. She has learned what she can and can't get away with. Sophie is an abstainer- it's all or nothing and she has a hard time "just having one." Stacy choses to use the words "she doesn't" eat something, not that she "can't." If something has gluten in it, she isn't even tempted by it. Everyone has their own limitations and should learn to listen to their bodies. Sarah agrees- the foods that make her violently ill are not tempting to her. It's the things that don't cause her a lot of distress that she tends to want to overeat. It is especially hard when her kids and family are eating these things. If and when you indulge, it is important that you don't beat yourself up. It isn't the end of the world. You may even have a little reaction. It doesn't mean that you failed, or that everything is lost. It is important to not let an indulgent become a snowball. Or for one bad choice to be permission to make a lot more bad choices. The best thing you can do to recover after an indulgence is to turn to nutrient-dense and healing foods. Sophie has had success with having prepared healthy snacks. When a craving hit she wasn't telling herself "no," but "yes, eat these healthy things." Sophie's new book, The Autoimmune Protocol Made Simple Cookbook is releasing in June. Stacy wants to know what recipe she struggled with the most. Sophie has had a hard time coming up with dressings and sauces because she doesn't often use them. Sophie loves how well-rounded and fresh the recipes in this book are! One of Sophie's favorite recipes are the Tummy-Soothing Popsicles! You can find Sophie at A Squirrel in the Kitchen. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices