Real Talk, Whole Life

Ep. 236: Hemorrhoid Horror In this episode, Stacy and Sarah tackle hemorrhoids and what to do about them, much to Stacy's horror! Click the picture above to be taken to iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 236: Hemorrhoid Horror Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) This week is about poop and hemorrhoids! Stacy is THRILLED! Stacy just can't help but imagine people going through... situations when they ask these kind of questions. The signs of health in your digestion is very readily identifiable in your poop, but because people don't have anyone to talk to about it, they don't have much guidance on how to read these signs. Question from Cyndi (7:11): "Since you both took charge and spoke about POOP, I figured I would ask this FUN question! What do people who have AI do with PAINFUL internal hemorrhoids? I have had them now for 3 months (I ate some Tootsie Rolls at Thanksgiving) and have tried a variety of things to help them (AIP eating, epsom salt baths, FUN suppositories, ointments, creams, meditation, exercise, kombucha & finally started taking over the counter pain meds) but it's still hanging around. It's been like that family member who comes for the holidays and NEVER leaves! My sleep has been wonky during this time and I wake up around 4:30 am to have a BM with URGENCY & wicked pain! I saw a Gastro PA this week and they gave me Metamucil powder to use 2x a day and suppositories 2x a day (which I think makes it worse but why listen to me???). PA said "since they are internal, you may need to think about surgery." Sooooooo, what am I missing? Do I need to give myself more time to heal since I have always been super sensitive to anything related to my GUT and BUTT? I am seeing a Functional Med. Dr. Feb 2 and will bring this up with him as well, Thank you for your help and guidance!" Metamucil is Psyllium husk. It is a soluble fiber that is used to treat constipation. Some people are sensitive to it, see Sarah's post. When Stacy's kids get constipation, she increases fruits and vegetable and water in their diets. Fiber is key for regularity! She also says to eat predigested foods: cooked veggies, long braises, etc. When doctors recommend thing you don't usually eat, ask why they are recommending it. For example, she asks if apple juice and broth can be used in place of Pedialyte. What are hemmorhoids? An swollen or inflamed vein in the rectum or anus. Internal ones are much more of an issue because they are irritated more frequently and are harder to reach with pain relief creams and such. The cause is unknown, but is assumed to be a combination of constipation, poor vascular health, and inflammation. They are not life threatening and don't usually require surgery because they will go away after a few weeks. Usual recommendation is avoiding constipation with fiber, water, and stool softeners. Sarah loves Omega-3 fats, antioxidants, and Coenzyme Q10. Vegetables are the perfect food to fight this! Soluble fiber bulks stool and slows down digestion. Insoluble fiber speeds it up. So hemorroids probably need more insoluble fiber like leafy greens. But a balance of both is important. Also, a Squatty Potty or other stool stool would also help. Sitting at 90 degrees makes you "poop around a corner" while the squatting position unkinks the colon. See Sarah's review. For the pain and swelling, use witch hazel wipes. And if you have to have surgery, so be it. At least you solved your issue! Prunes and prune juices because of the polyols. They draw water into the colon, similar to magnesium supplements. Because people tend to be deficient in magnesium anyway, Sarah recommends magnesium supplements instead. Metamucil and psyllium husk may increase blockages, or exacerbate cancer. But, occasional use probably isn't an issue. Metamucil probably has a lot of extra junk in it as well. What about enemas? Sarah DOES NOT believe that there is anything but trouble in coffee enemas! See her post and just drink the coffee A regular Fleet enema is not an issue because it doesn't go too far up to affect gut bio diversity, but should be a regular thing you do. If you're using an enema once a week, seek further medical attention! Do not do an enema to "keep your belly flat". Come on! Glycerine suppositories are also ok once in a while. These are for people who want to avoid major constipation because constipation can be a SERIOUS issue! Pooping should be easy and enjoyable! If it's not, look for the culprit. Usually it's lack of fiber, nutrient deficiency, gut dysbiosis, lack of sleep, or hormone imbalance. You can work on all of these. If sleep is your issue, we recommend Go to Bed Stacy made it through a butt show! Wicked, you guys. Straight out of Mass! Be wicked smaht! Remember: we aren't doctors! If you have better advice, post it in the comments! Thank you for listening! Outro (36:52)     Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 235: Denise Minger and Extreme Diets In this episode, Stacy and Sarah invite Denise Minger, author of Death By Food Pyramid, on to talk about research she did on extremely high carb, extremely low fat diets and why they seem to help heal people with serious disease, contrary to conventional paleo wisdom. Click the picture above to be taken to iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 235: Denise Minger and Extreme Diets Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Our guest is Denise Minger of DeniseMinger.com! She's here to answer a specific question we received about a talk she did at AHS '14! He book Death By Food Pyramid is one of Sarah's favorites! See the podcast we did with her about it here. Question from Valerie: "first of all I'd like to thank you for what you're doing. Your show always puts a smile on my face and I am afraid of the day I will have caught up with all past episodes and will actually have to wait a week for the next one to come out. So I was ordering my InstantPot the other day when Amazon recommend I shall buy the book "The Starch Solution" by John McDougall. I got curious about it and did some research and it seems the diet is a paleo person's worst nightmare: Based solely on starches, whole grains, legumes, no fats allowed whatsoever, zero animal products. It promises weight loss (not hard to imagine, being on a totally bland diet), but also permanent reversal (as in healing) of diabetes and all sorts of health benefits. I also found a talk by Denise Minger ('lessons from the vegans', I think you might actually have mentioned it sometime) who confirms these findings. What's puzzling me is all the reports of people doing that diet talking about improved digestion, no blood sugar spikes (!) and I also found quite a few reports from Crohn's patients apparently being cured by it, although this is totally counter intuitive for anyone that has ever been on SCD or paleo. Can you think of any explanation for these miraculous cures?" Denise posted a post about this topic here. A study by Walter Kempner found that a super high sugar, super low fat diet had benefits for people with diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and other conditions. He was trying to help people with kidney failure. 96% carbohydrate and mostly white sugar, about 2000 calories. What came out of this came to be known as the Rice Diet Look at the end of these notes for OFFICIAL Denise Minger meme images. These benefit lasted even after they returned to a normal diet. Roy Swank found that people in mountains of Norway were eating a lot of land animal fats and had a relatively high incidence of multiple sclerosis while people eating mostly fish on the coast had a low incidence of MS. He put people with MS on a very low saturated fat diet for decades and found a lot of success with the people who stuck the closest to his diet. This doesn't seem to jibe with what we know of MS, particularly compared with people like Terry Wahls who eat much more fat. Nathan Pritikin worked on a plant-based, super low fat diet to reverse heart disease. With all this very thorough research that seems contradictory to the paleo model, it seemed to Denise like she needed to revise what she believed was true. Denise initially thought it was the low processed foods component with mainly whole foods focus that was the cause. But obviously the Kempner mostly refined sugar diet that doesn't apply. But it seems like these extreme diets have evidence that they can help you repair when you're sick, but not necessarily to prevent the disease in the first place! Denise found that most low fat diets call for 30% of calories from fat, while these extreme diets are under 10%. The really problematic diets are the refined grain diets with that 30% or more calories from fat that have the most disease promoting properties. Denise believes that this is because of the gut and how chylomicrons and endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides) work on these diets. Endotoxins are linked to a lot of modern diseases and are present the most in high saturated fat diets. Chylomicrons are lipoproteins in the gut that transport fat out to the rest of the body, but they will also bring endotoxins along with them. To reduce endotoxins in the blood, you can either eat this super low fat diet, or you can promote a healthy gut that doesn't produce a lot of endotoxins to begin with. For diabetes, saturated fat increases the secretion of insulin. This is why a sugar diet could improve diabetes. There could be a fat/carbohydrate interaction in some people that may make them more susceptible to blood sugar issues. It seems that these plant based diets are so adamant about super low fat: if you even eat a moderate amount of fat, the therapeutic effect goes away! Denise concludes that healthy people without these conditions shouldn't be worried about her research because these diets are for therapeutic effect and don't have evidence that they benefit people trying to prevent disease. Endotoxin is created by the cell walls of gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria are sensitive to the fiber intake of the diet. Jeff Leach of the Human Food Project studies the human gut microbiome. Read his post Going Feral: My One-Year Journey to Acquire the Healthiest Gut Microbiome in the World (You Heard Me!) to get the story of him testing his own gut microbiome and figuring out what variables helped improve it. Endotoxin is highly inflammatory. It's how we get lab rats to develop disease and it is the cause of sepsis. Thanks to Denise for coming on the show on short notice! Go to DeniseMinger.com for everything about her! And read her book Death by Food Pyramid! Outro (43:18)   Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 234: Will I Have to Supplement Forever? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah talk about supplements and nutrient sufficiency. Will you have to take supplement pills forever or will you get to a point where you no longer have to? Click the picture above to be taken to iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 234: Will I Have to Supplement Forever? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Sarah launched her own supplement with Vital Proteins! Introducing Dr. Sarah Ballantyne's Collagen Veggie Blend! Each serving has 3 servings of veggies, 1 serving of fruit, 6g of fiber and 20g of collagen protein! No emulsifiers or sweeteners and it's stirrable into hot and cold liquids! And it's currently discounted right now plus 10% off with free shipping everywhere on Vital Proteins with our code VPA-0626-97BR1-LYIQ! Go NOW! Infrared dried fruits and veggies preserve the nutrients, and make for a fine powder! This is the only way we can get this dissolving powder out of veggies! Act now and preorder because we WILL run out! Question from Lisa (13:10): "Hi Sarah and Stacy,I love your podcast! I am learning so much and always in a timely manner. Thank you for explaining things in a way that satisfies a curious mind! I came across the paleo lifestyle while doing some research after my dr recommended I go grain free when my HA1C reached 6.1 and in just a short time I am seeing positive results.My question is about supplements. I have been chronically low in ferritin and recently found that I am deficient in vitamin d as well. I have been paying more attention to my vitamin and mineral levels since following the AIP. I wonder, once I reach an optimal level of a vitamin/mineral do I need to stay at the amount of supplementation indefinitely? Also should I consistently retest the serum levels of vitamins/minerals I have been deficient in? I appreciate your time and look forward to your response. I am just going to begin reading The Paleo Approach so please forgive me if the answer is in there!" You will recheck your levels as you go through your journey and adjust accordingly. You may have to take it for a long time or you may not. Depends on many factors! For example, we supplement with Vitamin D more during the winter. Stacy had to take a lot of digestive supplements for a long time, but no longer depends on them, so you may be able to stop using eventually! Number one cause of nutrient deficiency is, obviously, a nutrient insufficient diet (imagine that!). 90% of Americans are deficient in some essential nutrient, including 75% deficient in Vitamin D and 73% deficient in zinc. Nutrient focused diets high in vegetables and seafood and organ meats will get you to nutrient sufficiency. Essential nutrients are ones will make you die if you don't have it, but there are also 1000s of non-essential nutrients that you still need for optimal function. There are other causes that might contribute to nutrient insufficiency, like poor gut bacteria that don't help you liberate all the nutrients you need, heathy gut lining, liver, and pancreas and enough stomach acid to break it down. Inflammatory Bowel disease, Celiac disease and other conditions will also affect your ability to obtain nutrients. If you have a condition that prevents you from absorbing nutrients, then "Molly, you in danger, girl." You can see signs of poor digestion in your stool. If there are particles of undigested food in there, then you probably have poor digestion and therefore poor nutrient absorption. Food allergies and intolerances can also be indication of a leaky gut and poor digestion Some nutrient deficiencies are hard to identify, so Sarah recommends getting your nutrients checked. Sarah had Spectracell Micronutrient Analysis done. She likes the way they test! Once you have the data, targeted (not multivitamin or guessing supplementation) is recommended with a doctor's supervision. Single supplements are better because they tend to be much more absorbable. Remember: deficiency is a problem, but so is overdosing. Copper and zinc toxicity, for example, are often caused by over supplementation. Adjust your dosage as you retest and adjust your diet to help yourself heal. If you get your diet in line, you may be able to stop supplementing, but you may still have to take them for a long time. Sarah and her whole family all supplement with Vitamin D. That's not a failure, that's not a problem. It just is the way it is for her. Supplements are a help, but they are not to be used in place of a good diet. Stacy and Sarah both recommend the Vital Proteins Liver Pills! Stacy has a MTHFR mutation, meaning she has an issue absorbing B complex vitamins. Stacy is on board with monthly Facebook live video podcasts! Get hyped! The Paleo View endorses looking in the toilet after you go. That's official. Outro (39:53)     Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 233: Birth Control, Autoimmune, and "Business Meetings" In this episode, Stacy and Sarah weigh the pros and cons of birth control and sex, particularly as they relate to autoimmune disease. Click the picture above to be taken to iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 233: Birth Control, Autoimmune, and "Business Meetings" Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Now it's Sarah's turn to be whiny sick! Oh well! We soldier on. This is a podcast about birth control and sex. As they say on This American Life, this episode acknowledges the existence of sex. We're asked this quite frequently and it's important for women to discuss these topics and get as much information as possible. Stacy had a tubal ligation after a difficult birth experience with Wesley, so this will be a refresher for her after 7 years of not worrying about it! We do recommend The Mick, starring Kaitlin Olson from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but only for mature audiences. The show was in fact a debate in comedy form about the pros and cons of birth control and sex. Pretty fascinating! The debate has evolved and now we talk more about the drawbacks of hormonal birth control, and we have many more options. Question from Kayla (8:55): "Hi Ladies! First off, let me tell you that you both are amazing. I am not exaggerating when I say The Paleo View saved my life by introducing me to AIP. Thank you thank you thank you for all of the incredibly important work you do. With that said, I'd like to warn Stacy: This question acknowledges the existence of the - uhh - "horizontal hula". I am wondering if you can shed some light on IUDs for those of us with autoimmune disease. Here's the backstory: I went on the pill for purely birth-control reasons when I was 18 (my skin has always been great and I am the only woman in my family not to have endometriosis - woo woo!). Nothing but my bra size was impacted by the pill, but I went off of it after my duel Celiac/Hashimoto's diagnosis as part of my huge diet and lifestyle overhaul. While condoms were fine during the awful years surrounding my diagnoses (nothing like bone-on-bone hip pain, fatigue, and a giant bloated stomach to get you in the mood, right??), we were still stressed about an unplanned pregnancy every month because my period took about 9 months to come back after the pill (thanks for the ironic timing, lady-parts). Flash forward to now: My current AIP diet, paired with stress management, sleep, thyroid supplementation, and surgery/physical therapy for my gnarly hip arthritis, and let's just say my - errrrr - "sense of well-being" came roaring back to the appropriate 25-years-old-and-madly-in-love-with-my-handsome-boyfriend-of-8-years level. My G-rated question is this - do the benefits of having lots of awesome "business meetings" with multiple "satisfactions" and tons of snuggling (okay that one's not a euphemism) outweigh the negative effects of some localized inflammation and synthetic hormones?" We believe in self-experimentation here and that includes your IUD. Check to see how it works for you and make and educated decision. Remember that we are not doctors and going on and going off of medications should be done under the supervision of a doctor. Hormonal birth control uses hormones to trick your body into thinking it is pregnant and this will affect your autoimmune condition similarly. See Episode 232. Pregnancy doesn't surpress the immune system. It shifts from more antibody production and less inflammation. Th1 is surpressed and Th2 is driven. This is why some people see their autoimmune flare or go into remission during pregnancy or going on birth control. Th1 and Th2 balancing diets are pretty well debunked and will not help you. There have been studies on birth control and some autoimmune disease. You may be 1.5 to 2 times more likely to develop an autoimmune disease if you use birth control (including IUDs) and have genetic risk factors. If you have an autoimmune disease, you do have to do a cost/benefit analysis against how awesome good sex is. Sex releases Oxytocin which regulates the immune system and Prolactin, but not necessarily the release of endorphins. Prolactin stimulates inflammation in low doses, and suppresses in high doses. Orgasms releases high doses. Be vigilant of any changes and don't fool yourself if something isn't working for you. There are non hormonal birth control options. Like the copper IUD, though that increases the risk of tubal pregnancies. There are, of course, condoms, diaphragms, foams, and the sponge What do you use couples who use the rhythm method? Parents. And of course part of the decision has to be how disruptive would a pregnancy be at this time and what is your life situation? Let us know if you want us to do live videos on Facebook! We want to hear from you! Outro (41:09)     Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 232: When Do I Start When Life Won't Stop?! In this episode, Stacy and Sarah talk about how to handle starting a new way of eating when all you see are reasons it will be hard for you. Click the picture above to be taken to iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 232: When Do I Start When Life Won't Stop?! Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Stacy is back from her California vacation! Thank you to everyone for their suggestions! If you want to follow our trips and events, Instagram is still the best place! We especially recommend: Alcatraz (especially the night tour!) The Exploratorium (a cool interactive science museum!) Warner Brothers Studio Tour for Batman and Potter fans Monterey Bay Aquarium Mission Heirloom Our children did not believe that Southern California has droughts because it POURED while we were there. Now, we're totally exhausted, but recovering! Sarah recommends just jumping into the routine for jet lag We've been doing vitamin C, broth, and Vital Proteins Liver Pills And of course, the first time we check a bag, they lost it. But don't worry, we got it now. And Sarah is finishing off her book. Still! Soon Paleo Principles will be done! Sarah is very excited about her CrossFit Grace time recently. She's just been not pushing herself because of the other stresses in her life. When do most people start their diets? Tomorrow. People get overwhelmed by the task of change and don't jump in. But if they realized that there's just a learning curve, they'd be more willing. It takes time to readapt your strategies for situations like quick dinners, ready snacks, breakfasts, etc. Once you get over the hurdle and start to see results, it will begin to feel easier! Question from Suzie: "I am wanting to begin the AIP diet and do the 90 day elimination and take the diet seriously. The dilemma is that we are going to FIJI in March and also have a wedding celebration to attend in April. To add to this, we are thinking of trying to conceive again in June, July so that there will be around a 2.5 year gap between our children (also, we know that it can take a while to conceive/ carry the baby to full term). I am wanting your advice on when I should start the 90 day elimination with all of this in mind? Should I just do the more mellow diet approach that my naturopath has suggested if I am finding the other diet she suggested too hard until after the wedding in April? Will this give me enough time to do the AIP properly before trying to conceive. Can you do the elimination and reintroduction components of AIP while pregnant? I love listening to your podcast all the way from Australia! I would love to get an answer. Thank you!!!" (28:20) We do have a question on AIP when pregnant for episode 31 Have you gone Paleo yet? It's much more daunting to go from McD's to AIP than McD's to paleo! Just jump into the diet your health professional recommends. Work on setting it up from now until April so you can deal with the situations that arrive. It's better to not have that stress over your head. #SelfRespectisthenewSelfLove Work on all the techniques that will set you up for success. Only you can do it. Work hard for yourself! Pregnancy often causes autoimmune to either flare or go dormant because of immune system changes when a fetus is present. After pregnancy, the opposite usually happens. If you flare during pregnancy, use the AIP to stay healthy, but if you go into remission, take advantage of it! We absolutely love that you want to go strict for 90 days! But don't worry about your upcoming events. They will help you learn! Delaying is all in your head. There's no hard and fast rule of 90 days for AIP. We recommend waiting until you see improvements in your health before reintroductions so you will know what causes issues for you! Use the wedding as a challenge for yourself. There are many ways to take it. It could be a holiday from AIP, or an attempt to reintroduce, or as a way to learn to meet a challenge. This is similar to "I can't give up X so I won't go paleo". If that's the hang up, then don't give up that thing. And if you want to start but can't because of X, then don't do it for X! This is why Mark Sisson, who drinks mochas, has the 80/20 rule. Find the positive, find the hope. You'll be amazing on the other side! And don't beat yourself up if you make a choice you're not happy with or a mistake. It will not benefit you to get too upset. Just move forward and try again! Food doesn't judge you, so don't feel guilty! Thanks for listening! Outro (53:27)     Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 231: Are Those Potatoes?! In this episode, Sarah and Stacy discuss the pros and cons of eating the dreaded potato! Click the picture above to be taken to iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 231: Are Those Potatoes?! Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Stacy caught her first Ditto! So exciting Sarah has so many Dittos, though. Stacy is in California this week on vacation. We're recording ahead of time. Sarah is that person you know who's almost completed a Pokemon Go Pokedex. This week's episode is all about potatoes! Those most reviled of starchy carbs! Potatoes! (6:58) Potatoes are a very contentious topic in paleo! Chris Kresser approved of potatoes back in late 2010 thanks to research by Stephan Guyenet The Whole30 approved of potatoes in July of 2014 People who come from a low carb perspective, particularly those who come from Loren Cordain, tend to be angry about the inclusion of potatoes in paleo. In Paleo Principles, Sarah is breaking down foods into "Paleo Yes", "Paleo No" and "Paleo Maybe" Potatoes have been demonized as being "pure sugar" or the same as white bread Sarah says to find what you absolutely need to do the rest of the diet. If it's whipped cream, do it. Stacy loves her iSi Easy Whip Potatoes aren't empty. They have nutrition similar to other root vegetables. Potatoes have potassium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Manganese, Magnesium, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B9, Phosphorous, Iron, and Copper plus a bunch of other trace minerals. Yes they have a high glycemic index, but you can lower it with other foods, such as with fat (butter on your potato perhaps)? Also, cooking and cooling will also break down the starches and lower glycemic response. You can lower it by about half with these tricks. Potatoes are nightshades and contain glycoalkaloids (these are the poisons which make nightshades a problem), which is why they aren't in the Autoimmune Protocol. But some varieties are higher in them than others Potatoes and other "potatoes" come from completely different groups. They're both tubers and look similar, but they're not nearly as related as, say, broccoli and Brussels sprouts Potatoes are much more closely related to tomatoes, peppers, and tobacco than either sweet potatoes or yams Glycoalkaloids are a saponin, which is a chemical that helps mix oil and water. They are toxic, and super high amounts (3-6 mg per kg of body weight) could kill you. Half of that is a toxic dose. Don't eat green potatoes, those have higher amounts of glycoalkaloids. But a super super large amount of ripe potatoes could be toxic too. Eat a variety of root veggies! Not only potatoes are tasty! Some scientists believe that all these potatoes in the diet are a cause of all the chronic illnesses lately. It's probably more complicated, but an interesting thought. Glycoalkoloids damage the gut, enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation. Potatoes are tested for safety. The limit is 20 mg glycoalkaloids per 100 g of potato (one small potato). You'd have to eat about 50 pounds of Russets to get a fatal dose Lenape potatoes are very high in toxic chemicals, and have been known to make people sick easily. Other foreign cultivars have thousands of times more toxic chemicals than American grocery store varieties. Most of the glycoalkaloids are in the peel and just below the peel, so peeling will safeguard you from it. Microwaving actually works better at getting rid of the toxicity than other cooking methods. (Microwaves are cool. See this podcast and this post.) There are reasons to eat them, and reasons not to. But don't lump them in with white sugar or anything because they are different! See Sarah's post on potatoes, including a chart of potato cultivars and their toxicity! People doing introductions from Autoimmune often find that potatoes are okay since peeling gets rid of most of the toxicity A lot of different things go into whether a particular food is right for you or not. And some "paleo foods" might not work for you. Don't get caught up in the lists and the rules and figure out what actually helps you to be healthy and what doesn't. It's a good idea to peel potatoes, but if you're not getting ill from them, definitely eat them for their nutritional content! Replacement starches: green plantain, white or purple sweet potatoes, parsnips, boniata root (Thanks Russ!), squash, cassava, taro root, lotus, turnips, rutabaga Mix up your root veggies! If you eat seasonally, you'll always be rotating what you eat! Outro (50:49)     Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 230: Hopeless With Hashimoto's In this episode, Stacy and Sarah discuss a question by someone who feels like they've exhausted all their resources. Click the picture above to be taken to iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 230: Hopeless With Hashimoto's Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) We're recording ahead of time because Stacy and family are going on vacation to California! Finn is so excited, but we're tempering his expectations of air travel fun. Sarah's been traveling with her kids for years and they're still excited. Pokemon Go is apparently the real prize in California, because "they have the best pokemon!" This is a sad show, but we encourage you to accept and embrace your feelings because they are all ok Having an outlet, like our blogs, is a great way to heal. We hope that this show is an outlet for our question writer. So much of paleo is astounding success stories, but that is not going to be the case for everyone. If you aren't seeing success, it can be demoralizing to see these miracle recoveries. Not everyone will see overnight success, and not everyone has a simple case for recovery. They road is often hard. We remember the people who had great weight loss success, and how it made us feel worse about ourselves. We want to encourage you to not ever give up! Hope is still possible. We hope for you! Larissa asks (10:09): "This email is a shot in the dark, but I figured I have nothing to lose. I have hashimoto's and have never had classic hypothyroid symptoms, however my labs indicate subclinical hypothyroidism. Every time I try to take thyroid hormone replacement I get extremely sick with what seem like possibly an autoimmune response: flu like symptoms including chills, feeling feverish (no fever), extreme fatigue, general malaise, nausea, mood/mental changes, inflammation, heart palpitations, swollen thyroid. When I stay on the medication long enough I eventually get hyperthyroid symptoms as well, although my labs always show subclinical hypothyroidism even on medication. Usually when I come off of medication I eventually feel better again, however this last time I have not gotten better and in fact gotten worse with all over body aches, digestive problems, thyroid enlargement like I've never experienced before, panic attacks, respiratory problems. It's been almost 4 months. I've tried almost every type of thyroid medication. I've seen GPs, naturopaths, integrative doctors, ob-gyns, endocrinologists, reproductive endocrinologists, and internists. I've done countless research, AIP diet, and supplements. It's been years.The reason I am pursuing this so aggressively is A) that I have very little quality of life, I can barely do anything and B) I would like to get pregnant in the near future, which may require me to be on thyroid medication. It's come to the point where it seems I've come to the end of the knowledge of all of the doctors I've seen. Because of your background in medical research, I was wondering: is it possible to hire someone in medical research (I would guess in immunology) to look into an individual case? I live in Canada (Toronto). It's the only thing I think of at this point, but I realize it may be totally ridiculous. I'd be very curious to know your thoughts on this." Larissa is doing everything she can think of and everything we would normally recommend. This health condition, of course, causes her a lot of stress, which often exacerbates health issues, particularly autoimmune issues. Suggestions for destressing include sensory deprivation, yoga, walking, etc. Also make sure you're adding in the nutrient dense foods like liver, etc. Sometimes your genetic disposition or experience causes these things and it takes a long time to work out. Sarah found in researching The Paleo Approach that more than 50% of people diagnosed with life threatening autoimmune diseases were first labeled as hypochondriacs. A medical researcher cannot legally look at your chart and attempt to diagnose you or give medical advice. Sometimes a doctor will consult with someone who will research. Sarah says to find a functional medicine specialist A good practitioner looks at both numbers and symptoms. Sarah has a friend who gets hyperthyroid symptoms when her numbers are in the low end of "normal" Maybe Larissa just does better with lower thyroid numbers Sarah suggests checking iodine levels. And iodine supplements might be a problem Maybe try a compounding pharmacist to get a different kind of medication. Look into pituitary gland function. See if you might have Grave's Disease instead because it is typified by thyroid function going up and down. And of course, stress, sleep, nutrient sufficiency, adrenal gland function and sex hormones all lead into thyroid function. Wait times are hard in Canada, as you have to get a primary care doctor to refer you to a specialist like an HMO in America. Larissa is being her own advocate and isn't giving up. That's the most important thing and makes her a hero! Even though it's frustrating and discouraging, fight on for yourself! Stacy remembers when Sarah sat her down to talk about how much stress was hurting her. Everyone needs to find the light and find the positivity and ridding yourself of stress. It will benefit everyone! Depression and stress are a problem! See Stacy's show about her depression for more. Research stress relieving activities. They really help! Inefficient digestion can cause you not to be able to get the nutrients you need. See a doctor about whether you need digestive support. Sleep quality is usually an issue for people with autoimmune conditions, rather than quantity. And Sarah does have a consulting company with health professionals that can look into your case. Our hearts go out to you, Larissa! Good luck! Outro (32:39)     Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 229: Fermentation Questions In this episode, Stacy and Sarah tackle questions about fermentation. They discuss both how to ferment foods, and why you ought to be eating them. Click the picture above to be taken to iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 229: Fermentation Questions Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Happy New Year! Sarah is working on finishing Paleo Principles. Almost done! Stacy is coming back from her bereavement leave and answering her mail. Thanks for all the California suggestions! We're going on the Warner Brothers Studio tour to see the Batmobiles and Sorting Hat! And we're going to Pismo Beach for ATVs and whale watching! It's pretty cool how you all know so much about us and can help us find the cool stuff! Sandra Lee asks (9:23): "Sarah and Stacy, I love the podcast, and appreciate how down to earth and real you are about life, family, sleep, food, all of it. I never miss an episode. I frequently recommend you, the podcast, and your books to friends and family. I've been making fermented vegetables for years and have always had questions. Now I'm asking them. It's Fall and harvest time. There are tons of cabbages, carrots, and other fermentable veggies at the farmer's market. I imagine the way people started fermenting was in their attempts to preserve the bounty for consumption long after anything fresh would have spoiled. I took a picture of the jars sitting on my kitchen floor, but realized that you don't have a way for including attachments. How long do fermented vegetables last? I keep them in the refrigerator, putting a huge premium on cold space. I expect them to be good until harvest time the next fall. So I am now consuming what remains from last year's sauerkraut. Will last year's ferments still provide viable probiotic bacteria? I have chosen to stop taking capsulated probiotics, relying on food variety and fermented vegetables to sustain my internal microbial health. Is this wise? I include a variety of vegetables in the sauerkraut. Cabbage, carrots, garlic and dill. This year I couldn't find celeriac, so added rutabaga, kohlrabi, and onions. Does putting vegetable variety into the ferment increase the variety of probiotic species? What do I do about the occasional fuzzy white bit that grows atop the liquid in the fermenting jars? Even with a cabbage leaf holding the solids down, it's impossible to completely eliminate solid floating vegetable pieces. I've heard that it's safe to remove them and consume the rest of the ferment as usual. Is it? What happens if there is more or less than the ideal amount of salt (celtic)? I'm assuming that if there's not enough salt, non-beneficials may proliferate. What happens if there is more salt than needed? Could it keep the beneficials from growing? Could it cause harm in some other way? I look forward to hearing about the science of fermented vegetables! Thanks again. You're awesome!" Nope, no attachments because no poop photos or trolls! Different strains of bacteria come from different types of fermentation. Starters have only a few strains while wild ferments can have hundreds. But every ferment is beneficial! Fermenting starts the digestion process just like cooking, so fermenting changes the nutrient make up. But definitely mix up what vegetables you're fermenting and eating for different nutrients. Ferments can essentially last years in the fridge if made and stored correctly. Stop your ferments by refrigerating, though, so you don't continue into slop instead of pickles! Fermentation involves temperature resistant bacteria, so they will be very hardy and difficult to do wrong. Cooler temperatures might make your ferments take longer. Winter ferments don't get as sour as quickly because the aceitobacters like warmer temperatures better. Sarah uses 1 Tablespoon of noniodized salt to 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of shredded vegetables. Too little salt will make the pathogenic bacteria grow, but too much won't be a ferment, it will be a brine because no bacteria will grow. You can take mold off the top and eating the rest. Don't eat black or pink molds, mold that has grown through out, rotten smells (smelling like pickles, cabbage, or wine is fine), slimy ferments, or alcoholic. Check your brine level every day to make sure it's not evaporating. Everything must be covered in liquid. Cloudy brine, white skim on top, cabbage meets yeast smell, foamy or bubbly or overflowing brine, or an additional SCOBY are all totally fine! You can eat a SCOBY! It's nutritious, though not tasty. Apparently, you can use a SCOBY for would healing as well. (But ask your doctor). Stacy's OB/GYN recommended putting breast milk on wounds as well. And Sarah was given the option to put placenta on her third degree burn as well! Read about Sarah's burn here. Fermentation increases nutrients in your food. K2, for example, forms when K is fermented. The break down of cell walls makes some nutrients more available for the body. Probiotics only have a handful of strains, much fewer than ferments. Fermented foods are a better choice! Get soil bacteria, too, by not washing your veggies too thoroughly! See The Paleo Mom on the benefits of fermented foods here or dirt bacteria here. Stacy's Fermentation Party is here. We, of course, destroyed our ferments because we're bad at doing living things correctly. Our podcast on fermenting with Sarah Ramsden is Episode 154. Her program is called Fearless Fermentation You can also check out Wild Fermentation and Fermented Outro (44:20)     Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 228: New Year's Resolutions In this episode, Stacy and Sarah discuss successful methods for implementing New Year's Resolutions and making positive changes in your life!Click the picture above to be taken to iTunesIf you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 228: New Year's Resolutions Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) We are all ready for 2017 to happen! Bring us the New Year! Sarah is a planner. She's always making new goals and commitments. Sarah resolves to change things all the time, not just because it's January 1st. Making a process-oriented resolution or habit-oriented resolution is probably better for your success than goal-oriented resolutions. Like "I won't eat over x number of calories" instead of "I will lose 10 pounds." Challenges tend to have a time period associated with them instead of trying to form lifelong habits. Stacy and Matt are resolving to do more and spend less. Starting with a family trip to California. We're going to San Francisco and Los Angeles to visit attractions like Alcatraz and Warner Brothers studio tour. Cole and Matt are going to Wrestlemania, which was a dream of our brother, Andrew, who passed away this month. We're also doing Bruno Mars, Hamilton and Cursed Child as well! More memories over stuff! Sarah is going to be visiting local attractions in the new year. Sarah resolves to wear an apron while cooking so as to protect herself and her clothes and utilize all the aprons she already owns! Sarah is also going to roll out and stretch before bed every night. She will definitely feel better if she does so. Apparently our recommendations for the week are Westworld on HBO and Pitch on Fox. Stacy thinks about things in terms of where she wants to be long term instead of short term. Making small changes to affect where she will be in the future is much more helpful for her. If someone approaches you with their own new fad their on, respond with what you think is positive about what they're doing instead of what's poor. Don't be the judgey person who tells people what they're doing wrong. Separating goals from judgements is hard. Keep in mind how you are speaking and thinking about these goals. Do you want to do the Go To Bed Challenge with Sarah? It's FREE in January! Sign up here. Good sleep habits lead to great things in every other aspect of your life! Baby steps and small changes will help you break down your life resolutions to get you to your goals. See Real Life Paleo for our step by step approach Outro (36:13)   Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 227: Happy Holidays! In this episode, we're wishing you Happy Holidays, and discussing our family traditions, but also discussing the sad news that Stacy has been dealing with.Click the picture above to be taken to iTunesIf you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 227: Happy Holidays Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Happy Holidays! We do a tradition of opening up one book each day leading up to Christmas! Last night we read Archie: Sloth to the Rescue, a seemingly out of print book by this author. Sarah is finishing up Paleo Principles this holiday season, making those final edits! Sarah intends this book to be a definitive guide for sharing the science on paleo to convince those obstinate family members. Stacy and Matt unfortunately lost her uncle after a long illness, and Matt's brother Andrew over the past two weeks. Andrew lived with us for 14 out of the last 15 years as an uncle, a friend, an extra husband, and an extra son. We were very very close, both us and the boys, and he was only 32. He was a joy to everyone who knew him and the most full of life person we've ever known. We will miss him a ton. Please talk to your loved ones and let them know how much you love them. Andrew moved out to live with his girlfriend earlier this year, but we had just seen him on Wednesday and spent time with him just before he died and we'll cherish that time with him. Our holiday traditions! We made Monkey Bread! Unfortunately, Legit Bread mix probably won't work. Get yourself some Coconut Milk Powder to make anything you want creamy! We also love to go to the National Christmas Tree! Sarah tries to do one Atlanta touristy thing while family is in town this season. They might go hiking with their national park pass We encourage you to explore your own local cities, be a tourist, and don't have regrets about what you've missed if you move! Google your best light displays in your areas! Find the best restaurants in your area, of all price levels! There are hidden gems! We're traveling in 2017, starting with California! The boys Christmas gifts are these. We think our next show will be about New Years' Resolutions! Stay tuned! Outro (58:07)   Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices