.jpg)
Heal Yourself Podcast
A podcast diving into all aspects of healing; from nurturing your relationship with yourself, to functional medicine insights, to transforming your money story, we're here to empower you with the knowledge and tools to create lasting change.
Heal Yourself Podcast
Episode 65, Throwback: If The Gut Isn’t The Root Cause, What Is?
Gut health doesn’t start and end with digestion, and chasing the latest probiotic won’t fix the whole picture. We unpack the real drivers behind symptoms like bloating, brain fog, eczema, anxiety, and poor sleep, and show how the gut is often a downstream reflection of stress, habits, and daily rhythms. From clinical insights to a grounded, human approach, we share a blueprint that trades overwhelm for simple routines you can stick with.
We walk through why eating hygiene matters more than most supplements: three deep breaths before meals, chewing to applesauce texture, and timing your water away from food to support stomach acid and enzymes. You’ll hear how to use fermented foods and prebiotic fibers to build microbial diversity, and why rotating strains beats staying on the same probiotic for months. We also break down the power of movement and morning light on motility and circadian health, plus easy vagus nerve stimulators—humming, gargling, singing—that flip you into rest-and-digest.
If you’re not going daily, your body is waving a red flag. We clarify healthy elimination targets and the basics to get there: hydration, fiber at your tolerance, caloric adequacy, variety, and nervous system support. We also tackle leaky gut and the surprising connection to leaky boundaries, reframing “root causes” so you can stop band-aiding symptoms and start removing obstacles. Expect practical steps, food-first guidance, and habits that create real momentum—without a shopping bag of pills.
We just reopened our retired programs, the ones that changed so many lives. If you’re ready for deeper healing work to pair with the podcast, this bundle is your next step.
These three programs were originally valued at $700, and now we’ve bundled them for just $97, over 85% off. It gives you real tools to support your body, calm your nervous system, and move forward on your healing path.
Click on this link to start today.
Follow us on Instagram, leave a review, and share your experiences – we'd love to hear what resonates with you!
Follow our Instagram page
Follow Kira on IG
Follow Denise on IG
Click here to download Kira's free self-love hypnosis audio or her free gut guide
Book a consult with Kira: https://www.anourishedlifenutrition.com/services
Welcome to the holiday season. We know December gets busy, so this month we're sharing throwback episodes.
SPEAKER_00:This is one of our most downloaded.
SPEAKER_02:Enjoy the episode. Welcome to the Heal Yourself podcast, where we dive deep into all things healing. I'm Denise, a speech language pathologist and a self-love coach for adults and teens.
SPEAKER_00:And I am Kira, a traditional naturopath and functional nutritionist, and we are here to guide you through the transformative process of healing your body, mind, and soul.
SPEAKER_02:From the latest in functional medicine to nurturing your relationship with yourself, healing trauma, and even transforming your money story. We're here to empower you with the knowledge and tools to create lasting change.
SPEAKER_00:So whether you're looking to heal physically, emotionally, or spiritually, join us as we explore the many paths to wholeness and wellness. Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode. And today we're going to talk about a hot topic in the health world, and that is gut health. And when I first brought this one up, this one was my idea, guys. Denise was like, Oh, that's going to be all you. But I want to clarify: yes, there's some clinical in here, but I there's enough out there on this, right? There's plenty of podcasts geared towards other practitioners, just the clinical side. I don't want this to be that. The goal of our podcast is to educate everyone on all aspects of healing. And in my opinion, you're going to hear this, especially as we chat today. Gut health is not the root of the problem. It's still a symptom. But because it's such a hot topic, we want to talk about it, but we're going to talk about it from a few different perspectives. So, first thing I want to say is gut health does not mean digestive health. And I think for so many of us, that's something that we get stuck in. Like Denise, when you first, you know, went through IIN and started studying functional medicine. What did you think gut health was? I'm calling you out on this.
SPEAKER_02:Oh my, that's not even I didn't even know you were gonna ask me this question. But that's how that's how we roll. Um IIN was a while back, but I wrote uh essay I thought it was um gut health was really, really important to talk about.
SPEAKER_00:But like when when you thought about what it even was, like before knowledge, when you heard gut health, did you think it was like, oh, digestive health? Like my my gut must be amazing because I poop every day and I don't bloat.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I was intimidated by that because I did it poop every day. So yeah, I did think that gut health was, you know, your digestion, like you know, how much you're going to the bathroom or you're not. And then of course later on I I learned what gut health really is. But yeah, I I wasn't okay today. So it was like, but then it was such an eye-opener. IIN was such an eye-opener for me to learn about all these things, and then yeah, but definitely I definitely thought it was digestive health, uh, the probiotics, the supplements that are gonna help you, or like you know, the probiotics are gonna balance. And I think when I started IIN, probiotics was really like trendy. It was you know how like a few years ago it was like, you know, everybody was taking probiotics and it was on the you know commercials and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_00:So yeah, yeah, yeah. I totally felt you out. But I think I think it's important that most of us felt that way at some point, and I think a lot of our listeners still feel that way. Like you hear gut health and you think, oh, okay, that just means digestive health. Because maybe I poop every day, or um, heck, even some people think that pooping every three days is okay, but we're gonna talk about that one. Um, but gut symptoms doesn't have to mean digestive symptoms. So that's like a big myth that needs to be cleared up because gut issues can present as hormone imbalance, as eczema, psoriasis, brain fog, anxiety, poor sleep, like so many different things stem from poor gut health. So it doesn't mean you have to have those classic digestive symptoms, and your gut's just great, right? Because if we think about what goes on in the gut, I mean, three-quarters of our immune system is housed there, right? Like over 70%. It's got our own nervous system or its own nervous system, the enteric nervous system. So 90% of serotonin is housed there, 50% of dopamine. So there is a lot that happens in the gut. And so I'm bringing that up again because gut health does not equal digestive health, it's totally different.
SPEAKER_02:So great point because I want to chime in about the eczema. Uh, remember, my daughter had eczema when she was little, and then how did we address that? By, you know, improving her gut health with like so many things that we were actually gonna talk about as well. But yeah, it was her her imbalance with her with her gut health was um her symptoms was showing up as eczema.
SPEAKER_00:Mm-hmm. Well, and then let's not forget moms primarily passed down the microbiome, right? So, like our kiddos are getting what we have. Not a lot of it comes from dad, and we know that you had gut issues, so it makes sense, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00:So then let's talk about misconceptions, let's talk about a probiotic because you're right, for a long time that was a hot topic, and it still is. I see it in Facebook groups all the time of like, what can I do for this? Take a probiotic. Well, what can I do for that? Take a probiotic. That's not an answer.
SPEAKER_02:It isn't, and some people are some people should not be taking probiotics. I remember when I was listening to the people take probiotics, and I did, and it was not working for me. It was getting me, I was bloated. Every time I would take a probiotic, I would be, you know. So I would, you know, I want you to address that as well.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, and that's the thing. Like, there are times a probiotic can be great, right? And when I was first learning, I remember working with a mentor who told me at the time, like, oh, if somebody bloats or they don't feel well, just tell them to, you know, take it every other day and they got to power through the symptoms. And that's what I was telling people. But now I realize, like, that's not always what's best because a lot of times people are just taking a random probiotic, which is primarily lactobacillus, bifidobacteria, right? Um, maybe various strains along with that, but you can continue to feed the same bacteria over and over and over. That's like just going and eating broccoli every day is the same vegetable. It's not bad for you, but you're now just getting the same nutrients. And it's the same thing with a probiotic. If we want to get into oh, who should take a probiotic? Well, you need the strain that's perhaps right for you. So you're not feeding the same things, you need to rotate strains. So it gets a little more complex than just, hey, fix your gut and go take a probiotic that you can find anywhere. That's not necessarily the answer. And I'm not in agreement anymore that people should just power through symptoms and it's gonna get better because sometimes that's a clue. Like for you, if you were taking it and it was making you feel worse, it's a classic sign that you didn't have the right amount of gut flora in there and it was, you know, maybe crowding out the bad, but who knows?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, because I remember, I mean, let's kind of like touch base a little bit on the bacteria, and I remember that from when we were taking the gut health. What is it 101 or something? I don't know. Anyway, it was about, you know, that we have more bacteria than we have cells, yeah, right? Is that correct? Yeah, and then you have the good guys and the bad guys, and then they're all playing on the playground fine until the bad guys are like, we're taking over. So usually, Kira, let me, you know, ask you a question right now. Like, you know, uh, what do you recommend? Like when someone comes in and tells you, well, what kind of probiotic do I want to take? Like, how do you address that? Because I'm sure you've gotten that question all the time.
SPEAKER_00:Um, I tell people, like, hey, look, if we're not running a stool test and we don't know what you need, that's fine. I still don't necessarily jump to a probiotic. A lot of times I'll suggest fermented foods, but let's say someone is like, no, no, no, no, I definitely want a probiotic. I'm gonna say start with one that's on the market, right? But then rotate your strains. So don't continue to take the same exact probiotic for the next six months to a year, because then again, it's like eating broccoli this, you know, every day. I'm just using that as my analogy. So rotate your strains, go find a different brand, go find one from the same brand, but it's got different strains. So you're balancing out some of that gut flora.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, that's interesting. And then, you know, there is the the the soil-based ones and the ones that have to be in the fridge. So, like, I'm sure some people are like, what is that? And there's one for women over 50 or women over 40. And it's like, is this just a marketing thing? Or do you recommend actually that, you know, like I don't know, like I feel that sometimes it's better to work with the practitioner to hone down on which are good for you versus like just randomly picking. I don't know, what do you think? Like, and what are what's the difference between soil-based?
SPEAKER_00:I so again, if someone is adamant about taking a probiotic, then rotate. Get a soil-based one, see how you do. Some do amazing, some do terrible. Then try a regular one. But some of the terms on there, you know, like over 50 vaginal health, some of them are set like certain strains are good for vaginal health, but like over 40, over 50, some of it is marketing, you know, they're just putting in one tiny little strain in there that they think is gonna help with hormones or something else entirely. Um, I always recommend working with someone when we're getting into gut health just because it can be complex. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So and and I want to say, like, always pick the right practitioner because I remember when I, even though I was studying all that, I was I also worked with a practitioner and she gave me so many supplements. And that did not because it was like, you know, it was like I I was feeling better because I was taking all these supplements, and then when you stop, it's like, what? So she wasn't teaching me how to make things better. She was just like, here, here, just like the medication. So always choose the the the the kind of like when you're choosing a doctor, choose a practitioner that's going to actually really not just give you supplements in order to feel better, to actually help you feel better and figure out the root cause.
SPEAKER_00:So that's my I feel another podcast episode coming. Oh, I do too, huh? Because I could talk all day about supplements and stuff. But so then that you know what that ties into something else because then when we hear gut health and we're talking probiotics, people are like, yeah, I just okay, so what are the supplements I need to take for my gut? Sometimes that's not even what's needed. And I think this is another, you know, crucial thing to tell you gut flora imbalances are not the root of the problem. People think they are, right? Hey, I'm coming to you because my IBS is caused by my SIBO. Coming to you because I have IDD. I'm coming to you because I have this, that, whatever. Those are still symptoms, right? When I'm looking at somebody's stool test or talking to them about their gut health, you still have to ask why? If your gut flora is a total train wreck, right? And the, like you mentioned, the bullies, the bullies on the playground have taken over. That's not the root of the problem. Why are the bullies there in the first place? What allowed them to take over? Was it antibiotics? Was it mom's microbiome passed down? Was it stress? Was it crap food? Like, what was it that led to that? And throwing supplements at it and saying, take this probiotic, take this binder, take this thing to kill, kill, kill. That's not addressing the root of the problem. You're just slapping something on it.
SPEAKER_02:Right. So what you're saying is that the placebo, the IBS, and all that stuff is kind of like a little bit of a tip of the iceberg, and then there's something else underneath, right? So, like, for example, like you said, you uh you mentioned stress. So let's say somebody, their root cause for IBS is stress, and then but they keep throwing supplements, but they are not addressing the stress. Well, it's not gonna do I mean it's gonna make you maybe temporarily feel better, kind of like with with Ozempic. I mean, I don't want to talk about that, but you know what I mean. You know, like with like a band-aid, right? But versus when you're addressing the stress, you are truly addressing that root cause, yeah, which you may not need a supplement for, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And for years, I, you know, you would hear like IBS, because that was my story, right? IBS. And then it was, oh my gosh, all these years, my IBS was caused by SIBO. And I ran around saying that for years, thinking, if I had just found that SIBO before, I would have been better. And now I realize, well, where the heck did the SIBO come from? Like, you know what I mean? What caused that dynamic? And it's it's the same thing. Like, a messed up gut is not a root cause, it's a byproduct. And to the stress piece, right? Like, this is such a big one that people don't get. Like they think, oh, if I'm not working 50 hours a week or running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I'm not stressed. We all have stress. It's how are you processing that stress? And anytime the brain thinks you're running from a lion, whether it's a toddler throwing food at you, uh crazy day at work, whatever, and that's happening over and over, right? That's gonna impair digestion and then it's gonna ripple into other things, hormones, whatever. So yeah, stress is a huge one, and obviously there's there's others, and it's usually multiple things, right?
SPEAKER_02:And that's where the working with the practitioner comes in in order to you know find that. Yeah, another thing people talk about, ma'am, and I know that we like to talk about that too, is leaky gut. So what about leaky gut? Because you know, also it's another trend too. I have a leaky gut, I have a leaky gut, right? Like it was all over the internet.
SPEAKER_00:It was, it's funny, it's gotten less, but I still hear it. I'll still have people come to me. I think the root of my problem is a leaky gut. I'm like, okay, but what led to the leaky gut, right?
unknown:Right, right, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I don't want to ignore it, like, and I'm not gonna get too clinical here, but like a leaky gut or gut permeability leads to endotoxicity, and then we start getting joint pain, food reactions, anxiety, brain fog, and all these things that again, people think are the root of the problem, right? I have leaky gut, and oh my gosh, it's food sensitivities that are behind it. It's not, it's still a symptom, but let's talk about what leads to a leaky gut. So, can it be stress and food choices that aren't great? Yeah, but also leaky boundaries.
SPEAKER_02:Ooh, leaky boundaries. I mean, that makes a lot of sense. That makes a lot of sense, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And I know we're gonna do an episode on boundaries anyhow because I think it's so important. But uh, Denise and I like to look at things from clinical and a spiritual. I'll call it a spiritual lens, emotional, whatever you want to call it.
SPEAKER_02:I love the spiritual lens. Yeah, literally a lot of it comes down to the spiritual lens and emotions.
SPEAKER_00:It does, and that's the thing. It's like we tend to just look at things from a clinical standpoint of again, I got a leaky gut. Okay, but what's the driving factor behind that? And sure, stress is it too, but like what's causing the stress? What's going on in your mind? What are the emotions? Where's the self-love? Like all these things, but the boundary piece is huge. And I'm gonna throw this out there. It's gonna be an unpopular one, but sometimes the same with parasites because right now, parasites are all the rage, parasites lead to everything, parasites live in the brain, they do this, but they do that. I can't tell you how many people have like messaged me and said, I think my problem is parasites, I need to do a cleanse. Yeah, we can we, I mean, hello, we all have parasites. Let's just be real. Every single one of us right now, listening to this, we have parasites. How are they living in us? Are they taking over? Is it because you were rolling around in the dirt or you liked your dog? Like something random. Like, yes, we can have parasites that take over and wreak havoc, but also leaky boundaries, you know? So we're letting stuff in that we shouldn't be letting in. That's all I'm gonna say on that.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, that makes a lot of sense. We're you're letting things in that you shouldn't be letting in.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Um I love that. I love that. And I love how we're talking about because we also you and I talked about it. Like the idea of the topic of this podcast is you know, conversation, uh and also, you know, simplicity. And back to the basics, because yes, you can throw so much because you are so Kira is an amazingly knowledgeable person. She is you know, you'll know all the those, you know, clinical stuff and things and research or whatever. However, those help, yes, but the simplicity and the basics help, I think, way more.
SPEAKER_00:And I think we've gotten removed from that, right? Like, even I went down the rabbit hole of I don't know enough, I have to know more. And then it was functional medicine, and then it was continuing to study, study, study, study, study. And I'm not saying that that's been a bad thing, it's been wonderful, but I would get overwhelmed and I can only imagine how clients feel and everyone else feels, you know? And it doesn't have to be complex. Yes, what goes on in our body is complex, but for the most part, it runs itself, right? Like digestion isn't something that you're sitting there thinking through after you eat, of like, okay, all right, body, go ahead and push my food down and yep, yep, break that up, start churning some time, and it happens automatically, just like healing happens automatically. So when we can simplify it and give you tips, I think that's gonna be more powerful than hey, here's 25 things that have gone wrong in your gut.
SPEAKER_02:I love that. Oh my gosh, you just made an amazing point. Your body just knows what to do with the digestion, and it knows exactly what to do with the healing. You just gotta give it the tools.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, and that's the thing.
SPEAKER_02:I I'm always telling people or maybe not stand in its way. It has the tools, yeah. Not stand in its way with the fake tools or like the with the crap, with the you know what I mean? Like it knows what to do, it has everything, it's just like the shit that we add to it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and that's what I tell people remove the obstacles in the way, and your body knows what to do. So, like if we go back to the stress piece, right? The body is very intelligent. I don't think we give it enough credit. Again, digestion happens on its own, breathing happens on its own, but that whole digestion and even absorption of nutrients is the parasympathetic event. So if we're in fight or flight, if our body thinks we're running from a lion, which most of us are in that state a lot, calling all of us out on that, it's not gonna happen naturally. So if you can remove that obstacle, digestion, absorption, gut health, all of it starts to improve.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So it's not the supplement you're throwing at it.
SPEAKER_02:It's and then just so just to uh, you know, as a reminder, I'm not sure uh, you know, how much listeners know, but our brain, I mean, I know we have technology. And we can do a lot of shit right now with AI and robots and things, but our brain is still primal. So it doesn't really like when it when you're in stress mode, it's thinking that you're running from a bear or a lion. It's not thinking that you can't find a parking spot or that you're late five minutes to a meeting, and which is like way less danger than running from a lion that's gonna about to like devour you, right? So that's where you know, you know, stress management. Oh my goodness, like we're gonna talk about it, I know, but yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, wait, wait.
SPEAKER_02:I remember we studied that. Is it like in Japan or something? And some some Asian country where they have um uh like a specific medical term for dying from stress, like it has a medical term, but I totally forgot about it. I don't know if you remember, yeah. I I don't know if it was I-N or S-A-F-M, but it was either Japan or somewhere that they actually have a term when you die from stress, like has a term, you know, like a medical. And I could be wrong. I don't know if I remembered that incorrectly. If if if anybody rem knows that, comment please. I'm gonna be Googling after. Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_00:So, what are what are we gonna talk about next? Well, okay, because I don't want it to get too clinical, right? I don't want it to turn into that. I want to just give people tips because we know that the gut does so much, right? If you're dealing with health issues of any sort, I can almost guarantee that the gut is a factor in that. Again, if you took anything away from this, it doesn't mean to just take a probiotic and hope and pray that everything's good. I want other tips that are gonna be helpful. So let's you know this one. I know you wanted me to lead this one, but eating hygiene. Do you want to tell people what the heck that is? Because I know you know it is.
SPEAKER_02:I'll do it, I'll do it because you're gonna talk about the other one.
unknown:I'll do it.
SPEAKER_02:Alrighty, so mindful eating. Eating hygiene, mindful eating. And yeah, um what does that mean? Just kind of like your, you know, you have your hygiene, you shower, you uh keep yourself clean, you brush your teeth. Same thing with eating, right? So taking a deep breath before you eat, before you start eating, because remember, we all breathe shallow, just take in that. So actually, actually also center yourself. Uh don't eat at your desk or in the car because that's or running to a meeting, so either eat before the meeting or after the meeting, but just or like you know how some people eat in the car or like they're eating while they're on the phone, or so try as much as you can. I understand that people are busy, their lives are busy, whatever. It's just as much as you can try to eat when you are not. Oh, and the other day I I actually um listened to something about that. If you're eating while you're working, you're transferring that work energy to your food and you're ingesting. That's a good one. Yes. So we're gonna protect our energy, so mindful eating, taking deep breaths uh before you eat, so you can actually center yourself and put yourself in uh to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is called the rest and digest, yes. And what else was that sit down comfortably, find a place that is more peaceful, not like you know, crazy. Um and chew your food.
SPEAKER_00:That's the biggest one. Like I'm totally interjecting here, but chew your food until applesauce texture. And we're not just telling you this stuff of like take a deep breath because it's fun, but Denise said it, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system. So again, if you're not in rest and digest, then you're in fight or flight or freeze. None none of where, none of which those digestive secretions come out to play. And we need those things, we need strong stomach acid and enzymes and things to break down our nutrients so we're actually getting those in our body. And so that is why you need to chew until applesauce texture. That's why you need to try. I say try because I'm sure we're gonna have some mom listeners, right? Like I get that there are times that are gonna be chaos at your best, especially when you have little ones.
SPEAKER_02:I I I completely get it, but you're making a great point, because when I mean it takes a few minutes to kind of center yourself and put yourself in a calm state in the parasympathetic, because what's happening is when you're not, is you're not helping your body digest the food, hence it's creating the problems. So take that five minutes to you know, to to breathe, to rest, do whatever it is. You don't have to meditate or do hypnosis. We're just saying, like, you know, taking a few deep breaths, you know, centering yourself, not going, I need to eat, right? Sitting down comfortably eating, chewing your food until uh applesauce consistency, and just taking your time eating. Don't just, you know, eat like in two minutes.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it takes 20 minutes for your brain to recognize that you've eaten, and your body is it's not gonna happen in just a matter of 60 seconds for all those digestive secretions to come out. If you want to know the one thing, this is a root behind a lot of gut issues, is poor stomach acid, which a lot of times comes down to poor eating hygiene, truly. Yes. So we've simplified one for you.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. I mean, if you're just gonna work on this one, and I definitely recommend any of the tips that we are recommending, especially if it's something that what am I gonna breathe before I eat? Like, oh I'm not gonna eat while I'm while at my desk. That's okay. I get it. It might be it might sound too much for you because you're maybe you're very busy. However, just take it and roll with it for a month. Yeah, try it every day, and that's okay. Like, it's fine. Like, take small action steps, small action steps are going to lead to the difference versus like, oh, I need to do, don't get overwhelmed by the tips we're giving you. Yeah, break them down. It's okay. Just let you like you said, if you have gut issues right now, you know what? Just practice mindful eating, yeah, just practice eating hygiene for the next 30 days.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, right? Yeah, 100%. Like one thing, pick one thing and work on it. You know, we're gonna give you multiple tips today, but that doesn't mean you need to do all these things at once, and some of them you're probably already doing. So yeah. So then, next tip I'm a huge fan of food because I don't think that nature makes mistakes and that we need to always supplement. Don't get me wrong, I take supplements, but when it comes to gut health, people love to throw in pre- and probiotics. Sometimes they are needed. If you're a client, you're listening and you're like, what the heck? You put me on one, sometimes. But if we can start with food first, I think that's huge. So eating more probiotic rich foods, so anything fermented, right? Sauerkraut, kimchi, beet, um, kibos, kefir, whatever, like anything fermented is gonna be helpful. And it doesn't mean that you need to have like a whole bottle of kombucha every day. In fact, sometimes that's too high in sugar, sometimes it's too much bacteria, but I'm talking like a fork full of something fermented every day can be huge. And then prebiotic foods. So those are the fibers that feed the good bacteria. Those probiotics need prebiotics, and I would much rather someone eat them. So things like greenish bananas. I'm not talking about like you can't peel it, it's so green, but like greenish versus turning brown, asparagus, artichoke, hickama, garlic and onions, those are great. Like again, Denise said it, simplify it. If you cook dinner every night, then start throwing garlic and onions in everything, or eat your bananas more greenish, or okay, I haven't had asparagus in the last six months. I'll start throwing it in my diet, you know, things like that. I use a lot of garlic in cooking. I know you're better than I am.
SPEAKER_02:A lot. Like yesterday I made chicken and potatoes. Like I had like over probably 12 uh what do you call them? Little things. Cloves. Oh my gosh. Oh yeah. Good for garlic. Oh, yeah. We have we love, especially with chicken. I mean, when I don't I don't know how much of eating Lebanese food or uh Middle Eastern food, but with chicken, we always serve something called garlic paste, and we just dip the gar the dip the chicken in the garlic and eat it like amazing. Okay, good. I love garlic. I love the garlic.
SPEAKER_00:I'm a slacker, so here I'm gonna call myself out. I cook, I cook all of our meals, but sometimes I take the easy way, and I hate cutting out garlic. I'm like, you gotta mash it, then you gotta dice it. Like, let me buy the peel.
SPEAKER_02:Oh no, I buy them already peeled. Okay, girl, I don't do that no more. Okay, okay, good. I buy them peeled because yes, I know I don't like to peel them. And then again, it makes you know cooking easier. Yeah, and they're I mean, they're still fresh.
SPEAKER_00:It's not like you know, yeah, okay, okay, so next pre-in probiotics, eat those next. You gotta move, guys. Yes, move. I mean, that looks pretty straightforward, right? Like, just move for at least 20 minutes every day. And I don't care what you do for movement, like seriously, do whatever lights you up, dance around with some music on, go for a bike ride, go for a walk, go to the gym. I don't care. But too many people are sitting, and I can be guilty of that because I'm behind the computer a lot of the time. Thing get up and move.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. And then if you do work from home, this is what I I've done when I was doing speech therapy online working from home a lot. So after like I would let's say I had my morning sessions, you know, back to back, I would just after that would get up and take a walk. You know, I would go around the block a few times, and so that was like my walking, stretching break as well. So if you do work from home, I get that you're busy, you have a lot of stuff to do. But just getting up and I do prefer going outside to walking, but some people can they want to walk at home or whatever, I get it, or go up and down the stairs, but just going outside and just you know, exposing yourself to fresh air and to seeing the trees and nature, it's kind of like you know, relaxing.
SPEAKER_00:So uh I'm gonna chime in on that too. One of the things I encourage my clients to do is get outside every day. And I mean, I'm not just talking step outside, like I would love everyone to be outside for hours every day if possible, but that sunlight is huge. We've got research on it now that that can help with the microbiome. So I'm telling my clients, go download the circadian app. I think it's called Circadian Life or Circadian app. Um, it just says circadian on my phone, but you'll put in your zip code and it'll tell you when sunrise is. So try to get outside at sunrise for like two, three minutes. So for me, I wake up in the morning, I come downstairs, I get some water, and I drink my water outside, like two minutes just at sunrise. And then I try to get back outside at UVA rise, which is usually the first three hours after sunrise. That's huge. It sounds so cheesy, but that simple act is gonna help. That sunlight, the different UVA light is gonna help with the microbiome. So get your movement outside if you can, then you're getting the sunlight too. So that's a big one. That is, and a simple one again, right? Like this isn't it's not rocket science and it's not hard. Like I drink my water in the morning. Can I step outside when I drink it instead of standing inside? Yep, sure can.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, oh yes. No, I love that. And that's the thing, too. It's like, don't make things complicated, just simplicity, simplicity. Do what works for you, absolutely, but also too, it's like you didn't get your health issues, didn't get to where they got just by chance, right? So it, you know, it took years, months, whatever. So now it's okay to take small action steps little by little so we can, you know, get you back to feeling great. Yeah, so sometimes it's okay to put in that effort. You know what I mean? Like put in the effort, your life depends on it. Um, next thing, another tip is stress management. I mean, we did talk about the fight or flight, and when you are stressed out, when you are hurry, when you have anxiety and stuff like that, you are not digesting your food, period. Now, I mean, not you know, like you said, the stomach acid, the everything that is needed, it just ain't happening. So that's why it's really, really important to uh focus on stress management. Again, you can listen to our previous episodes and the future episodes that we're gonna be, you know, talking about that. But stress management can be as simple as, like you said, going outside, stress management, right? You know, taking a walk, uh, taking a few deep breaths, mindful eating. There's so much, and we can talk a lot about that, but just do what works for you: journaling, praying, um, dancing, just anything that makes you happy and that makes you feel good about yourself.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Anything that calms the body and the mind is what I'm telling people for stress management. And these cannot be tools that you just bring in when you feel extra stressed, right? These need to be things that you're doing on a daily basis, regardless.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, they need to be habitual, they need to be habits.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Okay, that's a big one. But it also ties in with the vagus nerve. We've got to stimulate the vagus nerve. And I'm not gonna get into all that. You guys can Google it. It goes back to the enteric nervous system, but that vagus nerve can become faulty. And things that we can do to stimulate it, which are gonna help with gut health in general, gargling, humming, singing, those are my three favorites. So I'm the crazy person that takes a walk every day outside and I hum, right? Like I'm granted, I'm not doing it when I pass by people because they'd be like, What is wrong with this woman? But I hum while I walk. Sometimes I hum while I drive. It's such a simple thing to stimulate that vagus nerve to get things firing correctly. And even with little kids, like sometimes parents ask me, Well, they're not, you know, your kids will probably hum or they'll even gargle um or get them to sing. There's other things, deep breathing, meditation, but those are my three favorites.
SPEAKER_02:So again, how does humming look like when you're taking it?
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh, you're not gonna make it.
SPEAKER_02:I am that at the beginning, revenge.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, guys, this is not complicated. My hum is gonna sound like everyone's like I love that.
SPEAKER_02:You know what? I do something like that called mindful breathing, but with my kiddos who are on the spectrum, we do something called uh uh animal breathing. So one of them is bee breathing. So you go like this, you take a deep breath and you hum it all up.
SPEAKER_00:It does sound like a bee. But that's you know what, and kids on the spectrum, having one myself, like that nervous system needs support, especially the vagus nerve. We know that it's faulty a lot. So hum, do do your b breath. Um, and then I mean food choices, guys. Obviously, I don't even think we're gonna do a podcast episode on this, but like just prioritize real foods, whole foods, get a variety in. The microbiome loves diversity. So I'll use my broccoli analogy from earlier in the episode. Don't just eat broccoli every day. Like, try to eat the rainbow, get in fiber at your tolerance, just simplify it again. Just opt for foods that come straight from nature and minimize the ones that are made in a factory. It's pretty straightforward.
SPEAKER_02:And she's not talking about the Skittles rainbow. Don't eat the rainbow there. No, don't she you're talking about all the vegetables and the fruits that are colorful and different meats, different fishes.
SPEAKER_00:Like, don't get stuck in a rud. Don't eat the same five foods over and over and over, like varieties and rotate them and rotate them.
SPEAKER_02:Like, remember we used to tell our clients, or like when we when we did the group coaching together, it's kind of like pick one vegetable a month, one new vegetable a month or something, and then just learn about it and click on one a week. Shoot. Oh, I mean, one a week, okay. But we're trying to be simple, girl.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, okay, yeah. Well, and then yeah, I mean, just anything variety within food. There was something else I was gonna say there, and now it completely left my brain. So that's where we're at today. Um, and then the last thing, I know you want to talk about this one, girl.
unknown:Poop.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yes. So we talked about if you're gonna forget everything, remember mindful eating. Another one, if you're gonna forget everything, remember that if you are not pooping every day, you need to definitely address that first. So, and I definitely used to be that person who would poop like once every three, four days, sometimes once a week. And now I thought that was normal. Like, oh yeah, once a week.
SPEAKER_00:I still have clients that come to me and think that's normal.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and it's not normal. You gotta be eliminating because that's like okay, it's not just shit in you, it's just like it's cause, it's going, if it stays in you, it does not get released, it's gonna cause inflammation, it's gonna cause all the crap and all the the health problems as well. So you gotta be eliminating. So definitely, definitely, if you do not poop every day, start with those tips in order to work on that. And definitely food, hydration, everything else that we talked about, I would say, is there anything else you want to add regarding helping with the pooping daily if someone is truly constipated?
SPEAKER_00:I mean, that's an episode of its own. Not that I necessarily want one on constipation, but I tell people start with the basics, right? Stomach acid, so eating hygiene, hydration, like you said, variety in food, playing around with fiber. Sometimes people need more, sometimes they need less, getting more diversity, make sure you're eating enough calories. But there can be so many other things like microbiome being impacted, right? Like you inherited your mom's gut and you have no mensal bacteria, or you had a ton of antibiotics growing up, you know, that could be behind it. So there could be more digging, you know, magnesium deficiency or insufficiency. There's a lot, and I don't want to overwhelm people, but start with the simple things and even just recognizing if you were not aware that one to three bowel movements every single day is what's ideal because it's toxins, right? If we look at what poop is, you're excreting toxins, and if not, they're just recirculating in the system, and you're gonna feel, for lack of a better word, like crap. You're gonna feel like what's not coming out of you.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. And I know sometimes you say I feel like crap or I feel like shit, but that sometimes is a literal term because you are full of it. You were full of it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so full of shit, you gotta take it out. It's true, it's true. And so there's, I mean, guys, this could have easily I could talk about gut health for hours, but I I really needed to try to simplify it and make it so that you know the normal everyday person that's hearing about gut health didn't feel like, okay, I gotta do these 25,000 things. Like, obviously, there's other factors that go into gut health. This is a very simplified version. But truly doing these things, like Denise said, you know, one at a time and looking at what you're not doing, stomach acid, eating hygiene, you know, hydration, those things go a very long way. And you'd be surprised at the amount of very savvy clients that I have that come to me that are eating a super healthy diet, living a very low tox lifestyle, um, taking great supplements, but no one has ever talked to them about eating hygiene and they're, you know, chugging 20 ounces of water with their meals and inhaling, and no one has ever talked about what to do for stress. So it goes a long way. Yeah. Yeah.
unknown:Woo.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. So yes, you mentioned something that I forgot to mention that eating hygiene is do not drink water or soda or juice or anything while you're eating. And is that that's diluting your stomach acid, right? I remember that. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I usually tell people a few sips is not gonna kill you, but like it shouldn't feel like you need to flush it down. Like if you're chewing, well, there's nothing to flush it.
SPEAKER_02:Like, yeah, if you're drinking, if you're drinking a lot of soda or a lot of water during yeah, few sips, yes. Um, so just make sure that you drink the water either before or after. Wait at how many uh minutes? 30 minutes.
SPEAKER_00:30 minutes is my rule of thumb. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, okay, got it. All right. I think we gave a lot of tips.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:That um again, just like we said, always don't get overwhelmed with the tips because we do believe tools and strategies are important to have. Just make take one and make it a habit. Before you go, we just reopened our retired programs, the ones that changed so many lives. If you're ready for deeper healing work to pair with the podcast, this bundle is your next step.
SPEAKER_00:These three programs were originally valued at$700, and now we've bundled them for just$97, over 85% off. It gives you real tools to support your body, calm your nervous system, and move forward on your healing path. The link is in the show notes.
