My Spoonie Sisters
Welcome to My Spoonie Sisters! If you're wondering what a "Spoonie" is, it’s a term lovingly embraced by those living with chronic illnesses, based on the Spoon Theory. It’s all about managing our limited energy (or “spoons”) while navigating life’s challenges.
Each week, join us to hear from your "Spoonie Sisters" host, co-hosts, and our inspiring special guests as we share real-life stories, tips, and encouragement. Whether you're here to learn, connect, or feel less alone, you’ll find a supportive space filled with understanding, laughter, and strength. Let’s journey through chronic illness together!
Tune in and join the sisterhood!
All guests featured or mentioned in this podcast will be listed for your convenience. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to My Spoonie Sisters and follow @MySpoonieSisters on Instagram for updates on new episodes and more. If you have a story to share or want to be featured on My Spoonie Sisters, please email MySpoonieSisters@gmail.com. We eagerly look forward to speaking and hearing from all our Spoonies!
Disclaimer: While we are not doctors or healthcare Practitioners, we want to assure you that this podcast is a credible source of information. It's based on our guests' personal experiences and the strategies we've found effective for ourselves. However, everyone's body is unique, and what works for one person may not work for another. If you have any health-related questions, it's always best to consult your Primary Doctor or Rheumatologist.
Remember, our goal at My Spoonie Sisters is to connect people and provide them with the support and tools they need to live better lives.
My Spoonie Sisters
The Lupus Dietitian: Transforming Autoimmune Health
What if you could transform your autoimmune health through nutrition and lifestyle changes? That's precisely what Tanya Freirich, The Lupus Dietitian, has done for herself and thousands of clients over her 15-year career.
This illuminating conversation takes you deep into the intersection of nutrition and autoimmune disease management with someone who uniquely understands both sides. Tanya brings not only her professional expertise as a registered dietitian with advanced credentials but also her lived experience of navigating multiple autoimmune conditions, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis, ITP, and lupus, for over 11 years.
We explore how inflammation manifests in the body—sometimes surprisingly through weight gain and fluid retention—and practical ways to address it through diet and lifestyle modifications. Tanya shares powerful insights about becoming the expert in your own body, tracking your responses to foods, and developing a personalized approach to wellness that honors your unique needs and circumstances.
Perhaps most valuably, Tanya offers hope through her guiding principle of "progress, not perfection," acknowledging that the journey with autoimmune disease is like "walking a mile with a weighted vest." Her compassionate, realistic approach makes healthy changes accessible to everyone, regardless of budget or cultural background. She breaks down common barriers to wellness with practical solutions for eating nutritiously on a budget, creating optimal sleep environments, and making sustainable lifestyle shifts.
Whether you're living with an autoimmune condition or supporting someone who is, this episode delivers practical wisdom, genuine encouragement, and a roadmap for transforming health challenges into opportunities for deeper healing and self-discovery. Ready to take the first step toward better health? This conversation is your starting point.
https://www.instagram.com/thelupusdietitian?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
Link to the September Group and use the discount code for My Spoonie Sisters: SPOONIESIS20% discount off the September Group:
https://tanyafreirichnutrition.practicebetter.io/#/6199071639803308381092e7/bookings?p=6791142254576f7a7e3c15cf
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Welcome back to another episode of my Spoonie Sisters, and I'm your host, grace Fleejen. Today. I am so thrilled about this one. I am here to welcome someone who brings expertise, empathy and lived experience to the world of autoimmune wellness. This is Tanya Freerich. She is an SRDN, cdces I don't know what all these mean, but you can tell me so. She's better known as the lupus dietitian. With more than 15 years experience in the nutrition field, tanya has guided thousands toward healing through nutrition. What makes her work truly inspiring is that she's not just a dietitian. She's also navigated lupus herself for over 11 years and transformed her own health by overhauling her diet and her lifestyle, eventually eliminating flares altogether, which isn't that the goal right? She brings a compassionate whole body and inclusive approach, blending diet, self-care, stress, sleep, movement, joy and honoring each person's unique background. I already know this episode is going to be full of hope, practical wisdom and encouragement for all of us on our Spoonie journeys. So hello, tanya.
Speaker 2:How are you today? I am so good. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to chat with you. Obviously, we chat otherwise, but it's so wonderful to be able to answer your questions and get the word out about how wellness, diet, lifestyle all can make a huge difference in how people feel.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and before we dive in. Okay, so I read out all your credentials and they're wasted on me because I have no idea what they mean. But can you tell the listening community what all of that means?
Speaker 2:Yes for sure. So a lot of people get very confused between the term nutritionist and registered dietitian and not many people know the difference unless you are a registered dietitian. So a nutritionist unfortunately doesn't really have a lot of rules of who can say that they're a nutritionist, so there are a lot of people that perhaps actually don't have much behind that name. Now a registered dietitian is very regulated. So my behind my name, the MS means I have a master's in science.
Speaker 2:So I went after my undergraduate to do more schooling in nutrition and so I got a master's degree. Then my RDN means that I had to take a test. I had to do a year long dietetic internship kind of like medical school, but for a dietitian and then I have to submit for licensure. Continuing education prove that I'm still not only doing a good job but also staying up to date. And then during my career as a dietitian I also really enjoyed helping people with diabetes and went for additional credentialing. It's certified diabetes care and education specialist. So I really focus on people with autoimmune disease. But diabetes is so prevalent I got so many questions about it over the years that I really wanted to be able to provide that information as well.
Speaker 1:Wow, okay. So with all of this education background, who not better to talk to than you?
Speaker 2:Seriously, I love learning, I love staying up to date, seeing all the new research, because if it's going to be helpful, hey, why not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we got to meet in person a few months ago when we went to an event with the Rheumatology Research Foundation. And I'll tell you, it was like instantly when all of us got together and sat down, it was like we had all known each other forever. We had so much fun with all our shenanigans and it was such a blast and getting to know you and and hearing about your background in your life it was wonderful, thank you.
Speaker 2:it is amazing how much just having a shared experience of an autoimmune disease just fast forwards a friendship we had so much in common and there were so many moments that felt so validating. When you hear it from someone else, oh yeah, I've had that same experience.
Speaker 1:So, before we get diving into the questions, there's actually a couple of questions I want to ask you before I forget. So what's next for you the rest of 2025 and for 2026? Are you planning to be at ACR? Do you have any big things coming up?
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely. So there's an autoimmunity summit that I am doing in Dobbs Ferry, new York, in September, so that's September 12th. I am also going to ACR in November and the week of September 15th I have my three-month group program called the Lupus Breakthrough that I will be running. So this program is a fantastic way for me to be able to help people with lupus change their diet. It's a very structured program. Just as I said that I love education, I also really love being able to educate as many people as possible on the benefits of the diet and lifestyle changes for their lupus symptoms, and so I've created kind of like a class, a curriculum, where people every week get a module, but we have our group calls. I add the one-on-one and a lot of accountability and support to make sure that people have it personalized to their life but that we're all getting the best information so we can advocate for ourselves, so that we can feel knowledgeable in our own diagnosis so we can advocate for ourselves, so that we can feel knowledgeable in our own diagnosis.
Speaker 1:Wow, exciting, okay. Well, we need to make sure people know all about this, and so I'll try to include as much as I can in the show notes. But let's get started. All about you. Sure, can you share a little bit of your personal journey? What led you to your lupus diagnosis and how did that moment change your relationship with food and self-care, or did that kind of take time?
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely. So I'll start with my story. So my story with autoimmune disease started a very long time ago. In my early teens I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, so basically my immune system was attacking my thyroid. Also in my teens I got another autoimmune diagnosis ITP, so idiopathic thrombocytopenia. That means that my platelets were really low. Yes, I've also had my immune system attack my liver. I have also had a lot of other autoimmune kind of flare-ups and a new diagnosis throughout my teens and 20s.
Speaker 2:Now lupus was my last diagnosis. It was in my late 20s and at that point I had already been working as a dietician. So I felt as though, ok, all of these autoimmune things, I've got to do something about it. But at the point that I was diagnosed with lupus I was having a lot of joint pain, a lot of flares, losing hair. My labs were really kind of a disaster and I had been working out five days a week, socializing with my friends, working as a dietician in a hospital with very long hours and really been busy and not felt impeded by my autoimmune diagnoses. I felt, okay, they're controlled, no big deal, I can live my life and I was feeling great. But then the lupus diagnosis and those flares that led. They were kind of all a cluster that really changed from a very active life to kind of like a screeching halt.
Speaker 1:Well, and as you're talking about all this, I'm going OK once again. Autoimmune diseases like friends, you can't have just one.
Speaker 2:No, no, yes, they often beget more and more. Unfortunately, when your immune system is so activated, I feel like it's kind of like a lava field, where the lava just like spurts out over here and then spurts out over here. It's like the inflammation just can't be kept down, so it's just coming out in different ways.
Speaker 1:It's like, once it's triggered, it's like a water bottle that gets punctured a million times. It's going to find its way to get out somehow. Yeah, definitely, yeah, okay. So getting started with diagnoses at such a young age, how did that affect friendships and activities and all that kind of thing?
Speaker 2:Sure, that's a great question.
Speaker 2:So I will say it was probably the reason why I decided to be a registered dietitian, because I learned very young when I eat a little bit healthier I feel better, because certainly for my thyroid, that affected my energy.
Speaker 2:I had been in and out of the hospital quite a lot throughout my teens and twenties, sometimes in the hospital for a month at a time while they were trying to figure out what was wrong with me. So I integrally knew okay, I have to take care of myself, otherwise things go very badly very quickly. And I also had noticed diet makes a difference in how I feel. So it definitely was something that turned me down the path of wellness because I could see how quickly that can kind of fall apart. Now, in terms of my friendships day to day, honestly I did not want to make that the integral part of my identity, of conversations with people, so I would mention it as a as needed basis. Obviously I had to tell my high school why I disappeared for a month, but beyond that I really to tell my high school why I disappeared for a month, but beyond that I really did not want to talk.
Speaker 1:I don't blame you because, especially at that age, you have to worry what your friends are thinking. Are they thinking you're an attention seeker, that you're making things up? Because that's what teenagers sometimes do, that's what kids do. They accuse, they make assumptions because they don't get it Right Exactly.
Speaker 2:So I did not look for understanding with other teenagers, I just focused on well, I've got to keep my grades up. I played tennis at that point in high school and middle school, so I just wanted to live my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's let's get through this. Let's live my life the best I can. Let's survive it.
Speaker 2:Definitely because I realized so early wow, food can be something that is a tool that can be helpful. I am 100% a foodie. I love trying new things, trying new restaurants, trying new cuisines, so I also very much enjoy food. With my clients and with myself, I always say there is no such thing as being perfect. Please don't cut out like extreme food groups or make yourself into like a bit too controlling with your food, like over restriction, usually causes kind of a pendulum swing to forget it. This is too hard, I don't want to do it anymore. So my goal for myself and every client I work with is let's make manageable changes that you can maintain long term, because food can be a tool for you to help you help yourself feel better. But we don't want it to be kind of tiptoe over to I have to control every single bite that I take, because that's not great for our mental health either.
Speaker 1:I agree. From my personal experience that is hard to have the correct mindset when saying I need to lose some weight or I just need to be eating better. In general, I pick the same foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner and that's all I'm going to eat. I get overwhelmed and I think, oh well, I shouldn't eat this and I shouldn't eat this, and then I feel like I'm stopping with eating altogether, and that is even worse. And so what kind of advice would you give to a client that's like I'm afraid to eat?
Speaker 2:Yes, and I find that a lot of clients that's when they find me when they are so frustrated, so overwhelmed because there's so pardon, there's so much information out there. If you look on the internet, literally you will find a million things that say, oh, this is good for lupus, this is good for lupus or whatever the autoimmune disease is. Some of it's good information, some of it is very not helpful information and not accurate. So people get so frustrated trying to follow a million different diets that they say forget it. I just what you said, forget it, I'm just not going to eat. And that obviously is not the answer. We need food and fuel to be well, nourished and to feel well and reduce our inflammation. So that's where my guidance comes in of OK, here is all the research. This is backing what I recommend and then giving all this information about you personally.
Speaker 1:Here's the way that you can implement it in your to see the best result Absolutely, and I'm sure that genetics have a lot to play with all that too, because, you know, some people are just naturally send people it doesn't matter what they eat. And then there's some people where they might have to be more cautious, because they even look at something and they put on some weight.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, a lot of people keep on extra weight because of the inflammation. Just like you get a bug bite, you notice how it gets swollen and inflamed. That's kind of like your whole body. When you're very inflamed and so often that leads to weight gain, even if you're not changing anything about what you're eating. And when we reduce the inflammation, people notice sometimes that they're eating more and extra weight that they had been carrying that wasn't normal for them comes down.
Speaker 1:I'm glad you brought that up, because that's actually something that I've been personally struggling with this entire summer, and we had my son's wedding last week, thank you. And one of the things my mom did when she first saw me was she started feeling my arms and my hands and then she was like looking at my feet, because my feet have all summer long feet and ankles just keep swelling up. I'm having edema issues and inflammation is skyrocketed right now, and they're trying to get everything under control. Yeah, great, but I don't think we talk enough about how your scale is going to start going up, and I'm just looking at myself and I feel like I can see fluid everywhere in my body. I just I feel like I've, and their concern is, of course, preventing organ damage, keeping us alive as well.
Speaker 2:And sometimes they take in the information, but aren't so informative, of oh yeah, this can be an indicator of your inflammation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what I did find out from my rheumatologist is the anti-inflammatory prescription that they had me on is known to cause edema, and she told me, whenever you're flaring, I want you to take it, because I didn't want to take it every day. I'm not that kind of person who wants to live that way. We have to take enough pills, right, and so I would just take it as needed. We were about to go to Hawaii. I was starting to flare, I was taking it twice a day and, boom, it was like I suddenly had, on top of all the inflammation, all this edema now, and so then, when I saw her, she said, okay, this one's known for that, let's take you off of it. We're going to try you on another one, okay, and I'm seeing some of it come down, but it's still there and it's just frustrating. But we need to talk about it more. These are things that happen. Is there, food-wise, anything that you would recommend to somebody going through that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely. I mean edema in particular. So the things that we can avoid that will help it not become worse. Definitely be careful with your salt intake, yeah, so for everyone out there, salt sodium can be very high in certain, let's say, sauces, processed foods like TV dinners, sauces being something like hot sauces, soy sauce those can be very, very high sodium, Unfortunately, like convenience foods. So anything that's very unprocessed usually doesn't have very much sodium at all. But when you get into boxed foods, canned foods, frozen foods unless it's just like something as simple as oh, it's a bag of frozen broccoli and they haven't added any sauces then the sodium kind of adds up pretty quickly. So being careful with sodium is a really great idea because that makes us retain more water, Hydrating yourself.
Speaker 2:I know that feels like, but I'm already carrying all this water. Why would I drink more? But it does help Well. Extra water, yes, so it feels strange perhaps for somebody, but I promise staying extra hydrated can help your body reduce some of that edema. If you can move gently, so when you are doing things that are physical activity, good movement that's not hurting your joints, that helps not only your circulation but also your lymphatic fluids. Just move around in your body, which can also help with edema. Some people benefit just comfort-wise, from using things like compression socks so that they don't feel as though it's actually causing pain, and lifting your legs up can help some of that fluid come back down. So there's a lot of things to do. In terms of food, Going to the unprocessed things is the best, because then you're also getting those other electrolytes that help keep our water balance in the right place, like potassium and magnesium.
Speaker 1:Oh, such good points. Such good points. And to listeners don't get disheartened, because even if you're doing all the right things, sometimes it's still happening, and I'm proof of that. And so keep trying, don't give up. Hopefully it's going to get back under control eventually.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and please bring it up to your doctor too, just as you did of like hey, I'm trying this medication, but these side effects are not working for me and there may be another approach.
Speaker 1:And keep in mind. You know, during the warmer months sometimes we swell more, sometimes there's more fluid. It's just part of it. You know we're more active and maybe we're doing activities we're not used to doing and so bodies might get angry and that's just. It's not okay. I was about to say it's okay. It's not okay, but it is something we just have to manage the best that we can.
Speaker 2:And I think that's where people get really frustrated, because we want our bodies to be really predictable, and that's certainly how I try to help my clients of hey, if you do X, y and Z that we talked about, that we already know helps you, then you do get a little bit more of that predictability. But at the end of the day, we are not robots. We have hormones, seasons change. We have hormones, seasons change, schedules change, your food changes. There's so many different factors, unfortunately, that while it may seem frustrating, that's unpredictable. If you are monitoring and paying attention, you each change as a learning opportunity of oh, that's how my body reacts to this and eventually you do get to the place where you can learn enough about how your body functions that you can kind of get the hang of it Absolutely Now.
Speaker 1:As a dietician living with lupus, what especially do you find surprising or even challenging about applying what you already know with your own body.
Speaker 2:I guess surprising was when I was first diagnosed. I was already a registered dietitian and I thought I'm eating pretty healthy but clearly it's not working because I'm having all these flares and I just got diagnosed with something new. So then I realized, okay, well, clearly generally healthy is just not cutting it for me. So I'm going to put all my focus on what is specifically healthy for lupus, what research exists that's specific to this autoimmune corner of the nutrition world. And so that was a little surprising at the beginning, but I feel like happy that I know my body really well. I have figured out those changes that really make a big difference.
Speaker 2:I think sometimes people feel really at war with their body because of the unpredictability, Like I did all the right things, why am I flaring? And so that's another place I really help my clients of like, okay, let's figure out truly the right things for you so that you can be aligned with your body, that you're supporting the reduction of the inflammation and really kind of working together, because you only have one. We don't get to get another body, Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So your method is deeply holistic. So you weave together diet, sleep, stress, movement all the really important things, along with joy and your self-relationship. Can you walk us through how you support someone in addressing all of these layers?
Speaker 2:Yes, totally Well, it's bit by bit, so we can't address everything all at once Exactly. Usually with everyone that I work with and it depends on the person too. So I will say the vast majority of the people we do diet first, because so many people notice such an uptick in their energy and a reduction in joint pain, other symptoms, when we change the diet. So that's the first thing that we address because it buys us more spoons, more energy, more motivation, more capability, less brain fog to implement the other things. But I will say, for some people, less brain fog to implement the other things. But I will say, for some people, maybe one of those the other components of like a holistic body change is so out of whack that we have to address that first. But usually it's diet. And then we add in something like gentle movement, walking, that exercise component, because it also improves the quality of our sleep so much, but very gently and very piecemeal. With the increasing exercise I'm sure that you felt this way and heard it from so many other people Sometimes people get really gung-ho.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I feel so much better. I'm going to go on a 10-mile hike. I'm going to go back to that class that, like CrossFit class that I haven't been, yes, and so we taper it up, not just all in. Then, of course, it depends again on the person. Everyone's different, and so I personalize the approach, because some people really need to think about their environment first. Some people really need to work on boundaries, and that can be at the beginning too, of hey, we have to say no to some of these demands so that you have the time for yourself. So it's a lot of things. I try as best as I can to meet people where they are, because the more personalized it is to their journey, the better success they're going to have. So there's not a formula that works for everyone and that's okay.
Speaker 1:How do you approach healthy sleep?
Speaker 2:hygiene. There's a lot of suggestions that I have. I'm happy to go into at least the first couple. So one your room, well, your habits before bed.
Speaker 2:So we should not be scrolling on social media. It is especially something like TikTok can go from a happy, funny video to something really really heavy, dark, a piece of news that you just weren't prepared for. So it is too much of an emotional roller coaster. Also, the blue light from our phones tell our body hey, wake up, stay awake, it's the middle of the day, you need to be alert, and all of that is adding to kind of a fight or flight response that we don't need before bed. So definitely social media, tv, any sort of electronics. We want to turn off a good amount of time before bedtime. If people aren't into reading a book, maybe just do something quiet like take a shower, listen to some nice music journal. I mean, we can go as far into meditation and deep breathing as people want to, but it definitely needs to be activities that help things go down in terms of like okay, I can relax, my nervous system can take a break, I'm not on high alert.
Speaker 2:The other things are setting up your sleep environment. So we want it to be dark and to be cool. Of course we want it to be comfortable. So we want it to be dark and to be cool. Of course we want it to be comfortable. This one's really hard for people, but sometimes we got to get the pets out of the bedroom. They can be really disturbing and a lot of people are like no, don't make me lock out my kitty or my doggy. But then they're also waking up at two in the morning, three in the morning, four in the morning with the dog on their face or the cat going like this at their feet, and so you're missing out on really deep, quality sleep and your pet will still love you so very much. They might just need to sleep somewhere else in the house.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and sometimes they don't actually want to sleep with you anyway. I have two cats and sometimes they insist on being with us, but they, you know, they're older. And so one likes to lay on a pillow behind my head so that she can drape her paws on my shoulder. Doesn't bother me, doesn't wake me up, it's very odd. And then the other cat sleeps with pillows around her. She's like in this circle in between my husband and I, by the pillows, and she just sleeps there. The only disturbing thing is if they get up to use the cat, which you know animals do. But I think you know, if you have an elderly cat, that's just going to sleep, that's one thing. But if you have a dog, that needs to get up and go out, if you have a cat, that a kitten, that's hyper.
Speaker 2:Yeah. They're going to be playing with all the things in your room, come on and it's totally fine, seriously, if the pet isn't disturbing you. But if you are waking frequently, that's when it's not helpful.
Speaker 1:It's time to go. Yeah, they need their own space, maybe their own room. So you are also. You emphasize that you are the expert in your body. So how do you help clients learn to listen, to trust their own lived experience, especially when it may go against popular advice?
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is so important. So how I help my clients is one. We have food and mood and symptom journals. I don't insist that everyone fill it out every bite of their day or every moment of their day, but those check-ins and some people love it and some people use it kind of okay, I'm going to do three days at a time and just really focus in on my body. But those are a great opportunity to check in how do I feel after this meal, what's my energy been looking like? What's my joint pain been looking like? And again, some people do it for every day and they feel like it's such a great practice to be in tune with their body.
Speaker 2:And some people want to do okay, let's say, the first month, I'm going to do it. Three days A month from now, I'm going to do it three days A month from now. Again, I'll do it another three days. But it's amazing to see the data points of yeah, I was a nine out of 10 in my joint pain and now I'm at a five out of 10. And now I'm at a one out of 10. And having that data point, it's really hard to remember these things like well, my joint pain is a lot better, but to note when it happened and in response to what changes really helps you connect with your body and honestly let's be, let's all kind of reflect on a journey with autoimmune, sometimes just to get through the day because of joint pain or fatigue, we kind of distance ourselves and just say I can't deal with the joint pain right now.
Speaker 2:I have to go to work, I have to pick up my kids, whatever it may be. So sometimes, as a protective habit, we've set aside checking in our body. So I do want people to reconnect, to trust in their expertise because I can't feel what's going on in their body. So I do want people to reconnect, to trust in their expertise because I can't feel what's going on in their body. And if you hate the time to settle in, you can become the expert. Everyone is the expert. It's just how much they've been tuning in or not.
Speaker 1:Yes, All right Now we're going to shift a little bit. Okay, eliminating your own flares is such a triumph. What were the first practical shifts that you made in your diet or lifestyle that really made you feel like you?
Speaker 2:were seeing relief. Yeah, definitely. So diet was one big thing. I tried a lot of things. Another thing that was really big for me was understanding okay, rest has to take a priority. I need to go to bed earlier, I need to make sure that I'm getting in good quality sleep and to be more gentle with my exercise especially. I had just never had lupus flares before. I'd had flares of other autoimmune diseases, and that was a different approach. I had to take in more rest, more relaxation and then more autoimmune anti-inflammatory foods for that autoimmune flare. So it was different, despite living with other autoimmune diseases for years and years before that?
Speaker 1:Did you start to notice what triggers your?
Speaker 2:inflammation? Yeah, definitely, which was again kind of building that toolkit of okay, this is how my fantastic, amazing, sometimes confusing body works. And now, because I've helped so many other people, I can kind of have a collection of well you present with these sorts of symptoms. This is what your labs look like. This is the pathway that's probably going to help you the most, which is really cool. What are your personal biggest triggers? I mean, this one actually applies to a lot of people. If I get sick like an infection or my body's already fighting something else, that's when I know, okay, it's time to go into like R&R mode of. I need to prioritize rest, I need to prioritize anti-inflammatory foods. We're going to take a break on exercise. My goals for those other parts of my life, like maybe strength training or getting in more cardio, they just have to be on pause and that's okay, like I am still doing a fantastic job of being healthy by kind of turning down the volume knob on all of those activities.
Speaker 1:And it doesn't mean you're not going to go back to doing them again Of course not.
Speaker 2:Never stop as a pause. Yes, yes, and I'm going to feel so much better, so much faster if I just stop. Stop, let your body recover and then I can get back to the other things. I think that's a really tough thing for so many people. Is the acceptance unfortunate? Acceptance that, with any sort of chronic disease, means that we again are not robots. We cannot just push through, push through, push through, push through it. Just it doesn't work. Our bodies aren't like that.
Speaker 1:We have a limit and I think we talked about this a few months ago when we were in person. But I used to be an Apple watch wearer forever and all of a sudden, one day my husband, before Christmas, was like you know, I've been reading up on these aura rings and they're supposed to be more accurate. I think I talked with you about it, right? I think we were passing our rings around because a few of us had them. And one thing that I love about it and I tell people this all the time, no-transcript, but I love it, and here's why the biggest reason I recommend it to people is in the app. It takes and correlates all of my stuff together and it's tracking your activity, your sleep, all of it.
Speaker 1:It pops up and tells me when I'm getting run down and that I need to slow down. It'll even say you might not want to work out today Some things. How does it phrase it? It says something is affecting my body at that moment and making me weaker. It's better phrasing than what I'm saying, but that's basically what it's saying to me, and I'll tell you. What I've noticed is, every time this pops up on my app, I'm about to get sick with some kind of infection or I'm about to flare, or both. I kid you, not every time it pops up. I've gotten tonsillitis or a sinus infection or something like that, every single time, and so I love that thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, that's great. And now perhaps also it's giving you the awareness of oh yeah. I have a little strange, or I have been feeling a little run down. Whatever it may be, you can also predict with your body.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's really just a helpful tool, and I know there's more things out there that help with that than aura. I just love how it pops up and says thumbs off, slow down, and so I think that's a healthy reminder, and if there's something out there that works for people, utilize it, because there are things that are warning signs and, you know, pay attention to your body, because your body's trying to give you warning signs too. We just live in a society where we feel like we have to push and, push and push and do all the things and then sleep for four hours and get up and do it again, and that's not healthy.
Speaker 1:No not at all.
Speaker 2:And, unfortunately, what I've had to tell people even that are clients of the healthiest person in the world. People that are extreme athletes also can push themselves too hard. So listen to your body. You are the expert in your body. You just have to listen. Absolutely, I wish.
Speaker 1:Andy were here. I don't think you've met one of my co-hosts before, but she's written a book called Redefining Fine and one thing she talks about all the time is how she walked around telling everyone she was fine and she was working hard and doing all the things. And she had a job that was super secretive for various reasons. She wasn't allowed to talk about it. And she went to work one day and she died for 38 minutes. She had a heart attack, wow. And that morning she told her family she was fine when she'd been crying in her closet. Yeah, that's not, and that's not the reminder we need. We need to get there before that reminder, and that's what her whole thing is about is telling people redefine your fine. Slow the heck down, listen to your body. I wish you were here to to talk to you and listen to you, but she's you know doing the things, so it's just us today.
Speaker 1:But my next thing is we're shifting again. What advice would you give to someone who feels limited by finances, like food access or cultural norms, yet wants to prioritize their health amidst those challenges, because it can be tough Eating healthy?
Speaker 2:is not cheap, it's not. I always tell people it's not if you are looking for prepared foods. So it's the equation. So you either have to give time, so you can use very, very cheap ingredients and make delicious foods that are super healthy, or money no, but you can do it on a budget for sure. So, for example, something like dried beans are so healthy for us and dirt cheap, but it requires time. So you need to soak the beans the night before, but then you can put them in something like a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, so it doesn't require your energy necessarily, but time require your energy necessarily, but time, and so a lot of people may not be super comfortable in the kitchen or just haven't grown up with doing these sorts of things, but I do promise there is a budget-friendly way to eat healthy. It just does require a little bit more know-how.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, like you said, beans is a really good example, and if you have a space to grow your own vegetables, that helps too.
Speaker 2:I mean or eating seasonally, like things in season are always going to be locally in season to where you live, way cheaper at the grocery store, Taking advantage of the sales on things and then freezing it. So there's a lot of different things that I tell people, and one of the modules in my program is healthy eating on a budget, because who wants to spend more money than you need to on groceries when you can eat healthy very affordably?
Speaker 1:Nobody who wants to go to the grocery store, and I think we're all guilty of this. You feel like you have a very small cart or basket full of things and you get up there and you check out and it's like $70. Yes, and you're looking at.
Speaker 2:Someone just told me that earlier this week and literally used the exact same amount dollar amount. They said $70. True.
Speaker 1:It is true. You know, my husband and I look at each other and we're like we didn't buy laundry detergent, we didn't buy toilet paper, we didn't buy a ton of meat Like what in the world did? We just do? It was a bunch of you know miscellaneous, like av and onions and potatoes, you know all the things. But it adds up and then you start adding in eggs which eggs have been astronomical lately to people. You added milk and before you know it, 70 bucks?
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely, and so that's where we can take advantage of, let's say, local farmers markets during the seasons sales, for sure. Also, international grocery stores sometimes have fantastic deals on things. So, but all of this requires figuring it out and having these tips and tricks. So I am not saying anyone out there that's struggling with their grocery bill, oh well, you're just not doing it right. It's hard to do it right, but it is feasible, it is 100%.
Speaker 1:And you can definitely walk them through all the tips, which is great. And, like you said, sometimes it takes searching the right grocery stores and sometimes we don't have those available. But just do what you can by the means.
Speaker 2:Yes, there's lots of tricks and tips that I share with my clients about how to make it work.
Speaker 1:Your outreach and your coaching. They've offered so much hope to people living with lupus and even other conditions. Is there a story or a moment that stands out where you felt you made a meaningful impact on someone's?
Speaker 2:life. Honestly, it happens all the time and it literally is fuel for my passion Every single time that I have someone even just comment on something that I posted like oh my gosh, this helped me so much, and that's like the smallest contribution versus my something that I posted like oh my gosh, this helped me so much, and that's like the smallest contribution versus my clients that I help over the course of months and they're able to have a pregnancy that they weren't sure that they were gonna be able to do safely, or they feel great and accept a promotion, or they notice, okay, I'm able to get back into the gym, like literally any type of success just makes me feel like absolutely every moment of hard work is absolutely worth it. I would trade nothing for the career that I'm in, for the passion that I bring to the autoimmune community, because I feel like I'm making such a meaningful difference and it's just worth every moment.
Speaker 1:Those are the careers that everyone deserves Definitely. We need those feel-good moments where your cup is filled, maybe even some tears, because it makes the difficult times in life feel so much better. Yes, there's no words to explain how good it feels when you get that message, and I don't know if you're like me, but I start tearing up, yeah.
Speaker 2:I do too. Anytime that I get good news from someone, I'm like oh, I'm so happy for you, yes, the tears.
Speaker 1:This is my whole year of what I do. What sustaining words of encouragement or even mindset shifts do you hold onto to help stay hopeful and empowered on the toughest of days?
Speaker 2:I tell this to everyone. I don't know where, who said it first or if it's just one of those things that existed. But progress, not perfection. Yes, because so many of us are either holding ourselves back from trying something new because I'm worried I won't be good at it, or feeling defeated if it doesn't come out perfectly. And it is such a fantastic reminder to everyone in the world. Literally no one is perfect. That is impossible. That never happens. The world is such a chaotic place.
Speaker 2:All we want to do is have progress. I want you to feel a bit better. I want you to be able to do more that you want to do, to feel healthier, to feel happier, like. We just want to do the progress, and I think so many people unfortunately maybe sabotage themselves or just feel defeated when it's not perfect and that is just let's throw it away, the whole concept of it, I think, for everyone out there. I want them to remember those sorts of big picture ideas.
Speaker 2:So one trust in your body, try to have a good relationship with it. Unfortunately, it is the only one that you're going to get and there is a lot of grief in being diagnosed with a chronic disease. So work through that. Hopefully you have support, but having that good relationship with your body, however, you can get there. It really helps. And then, yes, remember that progress not perfection. So take it day by day. Try not to beat yourself up too much because you're already like, let's say, if we were all just walking a mile.
Speaker 2:There's some people that have the like most advantages. Maybe they've been training their whole life, they have no health problems, they've got like the bouncy shoes. This is just an analogy for life and for us with autoimmune diseases, we've got kind of a weighted vest and maybe a back and a part-time job of going to doctor's appointments. So don't feel as though you have to walk this mile as fast as everybody else. You're walking the mile. That's the most important thing Like you are still doing the thing and give yourself grace, and to not feel like I have to compare myself to other people that don't have all of the challenges that we're living with. This was such a joy. Thank you, it was so nice to speak with you For all the listeners. Please, if you're interested in help reach out to me. Jen's going to put in my website and my Instagram I'm basically the lupus dietitian everywhere that you can find me and if you're thinking about changing your diet, changing your lifestyle, you want to improve how you feel. Please be in contact.
Speaker 1:Please do, because she's such a joy. You're going to feel so good talking to her and I promise you're going to have some fun too. I'm fun sometimes, you are. I think you're a blast. I hope and cannot wait to see you in person again, because I just love you to pieces and we had so much fun. Not only that, but I get to keep you because we have a book club now too. Definitely, tanya. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, your heart and hope with us today. Listeners, remember that small steps can spark big change and you deserve a life that feels nourishing in every single way. So be sure to reach out to Tanya, because she's going to change your life.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you so much, jen. It has been such a pleasure and I can't wait for the next time we can see each other in person. Listeners until next time.
Speaker 1:Don't forget your spoon.
