How to Reduce Inflammation and the Power of Nutrition with Genny Mack

Today, we dive into one of the biggest players in our health—nutrition, and the profound power it holds to fuel, heal, and save us.

This episode features the incredible story of Genny Mack, who in 2017 went from being a high-powered CPA on Wall Street to struggling with a Lupus diagnosis. After a doctor dismissed her concerns with a laugh and told her to "eat whatever you want" while on medication, Genny realized she had to take control of her own body.

Genny is now a passionate Nutritionist, Forager, and Movement Expert who has built a massive following by sharing her journey. She's not just managing her chronic illness—she's actively rebuilding her strength and training for her very first marathon.

In this conversation we discuss all things nutrition, what Genny eats to fuel for her first marathon, and tips for other women.

Follow Genny -->

Instagram | @gennymack__

Website | Nutrition, Autoimmune and Lifestyle Coach

Resources from this podcast can be found at:

https://www.fuelwitherin.com/podcast/v/episode-10-the-power-of-nutrition-with-genny-mack

LETS CONNECT:

Website | https://fuelwitherin.com

Instagram | @fuel.with.erin

Youtube | @FuelwithErin

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast and its show notes is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice or as a substitute for the advice of a physician or other healthcare professional. Using this information does not create a doctor-patient relationship.

Do not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problem or to prescribe any medication or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise routine, or medications, or before starting any herbal or nutritional supplements. Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk. This disclaimer also applies to any of the guests on the podcast.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

But the change shifted when I asked the doctor a very simple question. Okay, I take this medication. How about food? What do I eat? And the doctor's response was it was actually a laugh. And the doctor said, Look, eat whatever you want, take your medication. Yeah, I didn't know the right answer, but I knew that wasn't the answer.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

Hello and welcome to Find Your Fuel, the podcast where we bring you stories from women who have overcome different physical, mental, and emotional struggles and found the fuel to live their best lives. I'm your host, Erin Martin. And today we dive into one of the biggest players when it comes to your health nutrition and the power it has to fuel, heal, and save us, which was the case with today's guest, Jenny Mack. And Jenny's struggles began in 2017 when she was diagnosed with lupus. And she went from being a CPA on Wall Street to needing to take control of her health after a doctor laughed and told her, eat whatever you want while taking her meds. So she is a nutritionist, a forager, a movement expert who's built an amazing following. And today she's not just walking, but she's rebuilt her strength and training for her first marathon, all while managing her chronic illness. And so today we'll dive into all things nutrition, amazing foods that are available to us, and the importance of self-advocacy. If you're navigating a chronic illness or struggling to feel energized, or just need a reminder that you have the power to reclaim your health and your nutrition, then this conversation is your fuel for today.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Hi everyone, Jenny Mack here. I say I am a lupus warrior, but someone just sharing my personal story and journey, going from working in corporate America, hustling, to becoming diagnosed with a chronic illness and now transforming my life through holistic wellness. So I became a certified holistic nutritionist throughout the journey, which I'll rewind a little bit. I was first diagnosed with lupus at the tender age of 30. And that's typically when lupus strikes. Women in their childbearing years, cumulative stress load, chronic trauma, chronic external stressors, those are some of the triggers which we can go into more details in terms of becoming diagnosed with lupus. And for anyone that doesn't know what lupus is, lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and cells and organs, meaning it can be systemic, right? So it can affect one person by attacking their lungs and kidneys, which impacts me in that way, or it can affect someone with their skin. That's called discoid lupus, their heart, right? So I say all cells, organs, and tissues are up for grabs with lupus, and it primarily affects women. So they say anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of people diagnosed with lupus are women, and this is more largely speaking, also for the autoimmune community in general. Other autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's, where the thyroid is attacked, or type 1 diabetes, or multiple sclerosis, or arthritis. There's so many chronic inflammatory conditions out there, and I had to learn about it through well, first of all, I was fortunate to know what lupus was because my mom was diagnosed with lupus around the same years. So she had me around 30, and right after she had me, she was diagnosed with lupus. So I learned gently about lupus because she was very private with lupus. And I think it's just that generation that kind of just figures it out, right? And doesn't really complain about their symptoms, they just get on with it. But really sort of shocked me and my family was when my mother had a heart attack. And thank God she's still alive with us today. But that's just to show you the effects that lupus can have on the heart, for example. And that awakened me to see the severity of lupus. And then after working in corporate America for over a decade, I was a certified public accountant working on Wall Street and having a successful career. But the compromise of that was working very long hours.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Being the only woman in the room, being the only woman of color in the room 99% of the time in a high position. So just in retrospect, I think that was one of the contributing factors of me becoming diagnosed and just more sort of reflective speaking. In my younger years, you know, just going through a lot of trauma that way. You know, we didn't grow up with a lot in my household. There were five children. My mom raised us as a single mother, and we were evicted a lot of the times, and we weren't eating the healthiest foods. We weren't getting necessarily the best education at a school. So yeah, there are many layers to autoimmune illness. I could pause there, and obviously I can go on and on, but that was the first sort of sign of um knowing about lupus and then becoming diagnosed.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Yeah. And so what did those symptoms look like for you then? Were you started to notice this is something bigger than you know, just stress or anything else that's going on in my life right now?

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Yeah. Yeah, that's a good question. So the onset of symptoms for me was chronic fatigue. I was just actually having a conversation with my partner recently about how I remember my relationships used to change with my friends because I was the party girl, right? I was the one going out clubbing, drinking, staying up all night, and just sort of Energizer Bunny. Energizer Bunny. I mean, I still am, but in a different extent. And I remember that my the dynamic of my friendships used to change. My friend, you know, one friend in particular at that point told me, you know, I don't know if we can be friends anymore because you're not reliable. You know, you're canceling plans, you know, you're not reliable. And that was a rude awakening. But I also in ref reflection, that was one of the biggest symptoms for me was just not having energy, you know, just being tired all the time. No matter how much I slept, I was still tired. So chronic fatigue was a big symptom. Chest pain was another one. Um, like I said, lupus can affect many organs, but specifically, my lungs were inflamed, and there's a condition called pleurisy, which is inflammation of the lining of the lungs. So I would constantly get chest pain, and that was alarming for me. Um, especially having chest pain as a woman, right? Any chest pain, uh, it can be alarming. So that was another symptom. Um, hair loss, uh, joint swelling. So my knees uh and my hands and my joints would swell, and they would just be in constant pain. I would just excuse me, be in constant pain. So, I mean, those were some of the general symptoms, but it also depends on the severity of the flare. Um, when I'm in the hospital, that's completely different, right? Where lupus really sort of attacks the immune system. And in those moments, I suffered drastic weight loss. Um, so I it attacks my GI system. At points I've lost like one-third my body weight, which has been sort of frustrating in a short period of time. So yeah, lupus, lupus can be very debilitating.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

And did you know out of the gate with all those symptoms then that that could be potentially it and then go to the doctor? Or were you just, I have no clue what this is, but it's wildly impacting my life, and I need to figure it out.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Yeah, I didn't know what it could be. I did have hints, you know, my mom was diagnosed with lupus. I did see a practitioner in my early 20s who ran a comprehensive panel during my annual exam, and she saw this marker. It's called anti- um ANA, right? Anti-antibody markers, which can be an initial sort of alarm for potential diagnosis of autoimmune condition. So I had a positive antibody marker, and I wasn't showing any symptoms in my early 20s. So there was a possibility that I could have an autoimmune disease. And then when I started getting these symptoms, I guess I was just so caught up with work, right? I was just worried about well, how am I gonna get back to working on this very demanding project? I was also traveling so much. I spent like 80% of my life in a suitcase in a hotel room. So I was really just mostly worried about work. And I didn't actually put everything together. And that was also something that I noticed that I wasn't really in tune with, you know, my body, what my body was trying to communicate to me, which was essentially, you are overworking. You need to slow down, girl.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Yeah. And especially when there's things like fatigue or entering midlife with hair loss. Sometimes you just think, my hormones are changing, or you just brush off all these things where your body is whispering and kind of crescendoing to a scream where you need to listen to those whispers before they come become screams. Or the fatigue piece. I'm just, there's a lot going on. I'm working really hard. The kids, blah, blah, blah. You just, you know, kind of shake it off where it is hard to tell what that difference is because sometimes you are safe and you're healthy, healthy, and good, but sometimes it's not the case. You need to listen. And I also I give that doctor who did a panel on you in your 20s props because that's you don't I don't hear of that very often unless you got an amazing functional doctor. Otherwise, you just have the do you have a problem? Otherwise, like, why are you here?

SPEAKER_01 10:58

I agree. Yeah, yeah. Kudos to that doctor, and also, you know, that doctor found some other things, but essentially it was an annual physical examination of like every body part, which my job at that point included this very comprehensive assessment. So there's a whole different discussion on just the lack of comprehensive whole body care with our healthcare system, right? So there's been a lot of challenges that I have run into after being diagnosed with lupus, which essentially was, you know, just to get specific on that diagnosis. I remember my legs swelling up so big. It was hard for me to work. I was on this very busy project. I also remember some other potential triggers, right? Like getting my wisdom teeth pulled out, getting on a course of antibiotics, and just being incredibly stressed at work. So there was just layers and layers of stress, and my body was just like, I can't take it anymore. So the swelling started, the chronic fatigue started, I had to call out of work, and then I went to see a rheumatologist. And that rheumatologist said, You have systemic lupus. And I would say that diagnosis was probably 10 years in the making. On average, it takes about seven years to become diagnosed with lupus. Oh, wow. And like I said, this doctor said it in my early 20s. I went to see a rheumatologist back then. No physical symptoms, so I didn't have the diagnosis, but let's, you know, fast forward a decade later. And yes, you have lupus.

SPEAKER_00 12:39

Wow. And so yeah, you get diagnosed. What was your where was your head at? Where was your heart at? Where'd you go from there after the diagnosis?

SPEAKER_01 12:47

That's a deep question because my head was in, okay, I have this diagnosis, I have to get back to work. My heart was in denial. I also recognize, you know, just being an advocate in the autoimmune space. I recognize that there's a grieving process that many of us go through where we once had this life and we no longer have that sort of life, right? Once we get diagnosed, our bodies are going through this chronic inflammatory state. And that means that you're in constant pain, you're tired, you have moon swings because you have hormone imbalances, you're not sleeping well. So I went through a huge state of denial, and with that denial came lack of responsibility with, you know, taking medications, just thinking I could do things myself in isolation without really, really understanding the underlying root cause of chronic illness, which is a whole discussion in itself. And I was prescribed some medications and the classic immunosuppressive drugs, steroids, which are very sort of easy prescriptions to give someone, and steroids in itself. You know, it's unbelievable how that impacts the lupus and autoimmune community because it can actually be very invasive on the body. You know, if you take it too much, it could cause osteoarthritis or decay of the bones, right? So I was prescribed this medication and I was told, okay, you can go to work. And I was assigned to this project in India. And um, I remember the doctor again giving me the steroids and said, as long as you take your medication, you can go on this business trip. And I was supposed to be in India for long term, at least three or six months. And I get to India, right? And in reflection, I mean, even just getting on a plane for over 10 hours and being in a completely new environment, again, living out of a hotel and being on a very stressful project. I mean, you can only imagine what happened in terms of disease progression, right? The symptoms were like 10 times worse at this point. And this is when I started seeing the drastic weight loss, sensitivity to the sun. I mean, India is right next to the equator, and sun sensitivity is a big uh sort of impact to people with this, and that's because you're also taking immunosuppressive drugs, right? So my health was quickly deteriorating on this business trip, and I only lasted six weeks, and they've sent my family to India to fly me back home. And I get home, my mom sees me and she said, Nope, we're going to the emergency room. I get to the emergency room and the disease had progressed, you know, in a very traumatic way. And I was then diagnosed with another disease with lupus, it's called lupus nephritis, which is basically lupus of the kidney. And um that's where I had the wake-up call to say, yeah, this is pretty serious, you know. Okay, I have to listen to the doctor take the prescription medication. But the change shifted when I asked the doctor a very simple question. Okay, I take this medication. How about food? What do I eat? And the doctor's response was it was actually a laugh. And the doctor said, Look, eat whatever you want, take your medication. Yeah, I didn't know the right answer, but I knew that wasn't the answer. And that led me on my exploration of discovery of, yeah, what do people who have chronic inflammatory diseases, how do they live? How do they live a fulfilling life? So that led me to research, and I started finding information on PubMed and you know, the credible websites around science and research to show that changing the way you're eating, reducing stress, changing your lifestyle to be more fulfilling, to have more alignment of your mind, body, and your spirit can drastically improve the quality of your life. And that's where I discovered this concept of holistic nutrition, right? Really around eating whole foods, eating real foods, getting back to mother nature. So I just kept digging and digging and digging and finding about more information on science and nutrition, plant-based nutrition, specifically, the different vitamins, minerals, nutrients, phytonutrients, and chemicals from mother nature that help the body come back to sort of equilibrium, help the body regulate, repair damaged tissues and cells. And I just, as you could see, I was just geeking out so much so that I said, okay, I should become a certified nutritionist. And I studied for it, I became certified, and that really changed my life. That changed my entire life. So I went from, you know, really sick and in a debilitating state to experiencing two and a half years of remission with lupus. I was in the state of remission for a few years, which means that I didn't have sort of visible symptoms of lupus. I, you know, was able to regain my weight. I had energy. I actually left corporate America and I decided to become an entrepreneur. I started an online fitness company during COVID, and it was wonderful. It was beautiful. Uh COVID came, right? COVID came and changed the lives for many of us, including myself. And I caught COVID, and that's where my health just started declining from there. And I remember getting COVID in June of 2023, 2022, and by January of 2023, I was back in the hospital. So I was in and out of the hospital for almost four months, just again going through those similar symptoms that I went through seven years before. And uh it was very scary because lupus hit harder. You know, lupus hit harder, but I went into this journey of recovering in a very different way. I mean, I gained the knowledge from my studies, I had my experiences, but I was also aware that there's something else that's missing, right, in terms of my healing journey that I haven't sort of grasped conceptually or emotionally or physically. And this is when I had to do a bit deeper work to get me to the next level of healing, you know, emotional work, incorporating more stress management, breath work, meditation, relaxation practices, visualization practices. I mean, I remember every single day, again, just losing so much weight and being bedred and needing to get help and assistance. I had the hope that I was able to come out of this. And I remember every single day writing affirmations out to say you will get through this, you know, writing down three things I was grateful for for the day and something that I look forward to the next day. Whether it was being able to shower myself or being able to digest a meal or being able to sleep at least four or five hours throughout the night. Just having very small goals that were realistic and achievable and just really visualizing healing. And um, it's been an incredible journey since then.

SPEAKER_00 21:13

And I love your holistic approach because I know you also incorporate movement. I mean, really, mind, body, and soul all come into one. And I think that's so important for women, especially as they enter midlife, because we are living in our 20s, like we're an energizer bunny. We can eat horribly and get away with all of these things that are super unhealthy because we're just living life and have these bodies that will function so well, and then you kind of get a little bit older and all the pieces of either a chronic disease or just health in general and aging or hormone changes, like there's all this stuff that can impact us. That's not just one simple solution. You can't just take one medication and think that you're good. You need to really. Approach it in a holistic way. And I love that you mentioned breathing. That's one thing that I've started to try to incorporate more on a daily basis of just five minutes of deep breathing, which can completely reset your nervous system.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

So you're not just on edge every single day about to fly off the handle or sleep better and be calm, recover your HRV. I mean, so many good things can come from just breathing.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

Oh my gosh, you're getting into HRV. That's that's me nerding out currently while I'm training for a marathon. But yes, absolutely breath work. I think we take it for granted because it just happens sort of naturally. But it's so important to be in the present moment of our breath and use our breath to recalibrate our nervous system, like you said. I mean, HRV is a metric that I'm looking at for marathon training. And it's just so interesting to see how that number correlates to the stress in your life or if your body has recovered. So, yes, breath work is absolutely fundamental to healing.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

Yeah. And I know for me, I am more resilient to stress when my HRV, which stands for heart rate variability for those who don't know, I am more resilient when my HRV is higher. And so when it's super low, I'm at my bottom in the tank. I know that I just don't have the best stress resilience and I need to do more mentally and deep breath work and all these things that can help kind of calm my body so that I can give it some support during the lesser stress resilient times.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. And how do you track your HRV? I just use my Apple watch and the help.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

I have a Garmin watch. So I also just will look at that thing and see what happened overnight. And I very much also, I'm not sure about you, have a parallel between higher during my follicular phase and then the luteal phase. I'm like always in the garbage.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

My bobby needs all the help. That's where I'm at right now. And I mean, it's dipping down, the mood swings are happening, you know. But it's good to know that. It's good to track that, like understand the different cycles and know that it's okay to feel the way you do. But also asking yourself, what support do you need? What support do I need during the different phases and cycles of you know, my cycle, but also just the seasons in general, which is why I love the concept of seasonality and really just focusing on the different seasons and being in the present of those moments. So I know I'm speaking like very conceptually, but for example, we're in the fall season, you know, now, and or whenever this episode airs, right? There's different seasons. The fall seasons, a winter, spring, summer. But think about what's happening in the environment. Right. During the fall season, the leaves are starting to come down and the colors are starting to change, the weather is getting cooler and colder, right? That's a really good time for us to sort of shed our layers and focus on warming ourselves, right, during this cold season, eating warming foods, nourishing ourselves in a way that's very fulfilling, but also getting into this practice of hibernation, right? The winter is coming, the sun is setting a little bit later during the year. And I find that when I am in flow of the seasons, that's where my body is like in flow, literally.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

I love that. And I also love the concept of seasons and just to have different seasons for yourself personally. I've started to also name some of the seasons. So I we had chatted earlier on about I had also gone through kind of a chronic fatigue bout, which nutrition helps solve for me, but I'm still trying to heal through that process. And it's helped me to know that this is one healing season, and it's not going to be the rest of my life. I will have other seasons that are focused on other things. But right now, that is a big focus to continue to heal that and almost give it a name that's like a powerful, fun, you know, Aaron, Aaron healing season is 2025 and into 2026, it's gonna be, you know, the Phoenix rising from ashes type thing. I think it's fun to be able to ebb and flow and have different just evolutions of yourself.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

I love that. Absolutely. I'm gonna I'm gonna think that through. Like, what is my season called right now?

SPEAKER_00 27:03

Yes, I needed a positive spin on healing. I think I really related to what you said about grieving when you get diagnosed with lupus of the body that you used to have versus what you have to proactively manage and manage now in life. Because as I enter midlife, I'm getting a little bit of that feeling in that there's other things that I need to adjust, I need to tweak, I need to be on top of to be able to have the energy and live my best life, which is not what I could do in my 30s. I thought in my 30s, I was like, oh, this is it. Like I couldn't, I can't do anything that I used to do in my 20s, but now I've got it figured out. And now in my 40s, I'm like, turns out I did not, and I need to reset it and of kind of grieving that person and trying to give it a positive spin into what's coming next.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

Absolutely. Yeah, and that also requires us to be more in the present moment.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

Yes. And I'm curious for you then, what did the nutritional knowledge and changes come about after your big revolution and your journey there?

SPEAKER_01 28:14

Yeah. So nutrition is the foundational pillar of my healing, you know. Like you said, it's more than nutrition, but nutrition plays such a big role. I mean, it's not just about the food, right? It's about the intentionality. So being mindful of where you source your food. And I'm all about getting food from the source. I visit the farmer's market every single week and I'm having conversations with the farmers to understand their growing practices. I mean, you could take it one step ahead of that and start to grow your own food, right? Within reason. I mean, I live in the New York City, a one-bedroom apartment, right? So I only have access to grow microgreens on my kitchen windowsill now, but I have aspirations to grow my own food one day. So nutrition is the cornerstone of my healing. And like I said, nutrition is very important because our body needs sustenance, right? We need nutrients and vitamins and minerals for our body to sustain itself, but also to repair chronic inflammation. So I really like to advocate for an anti-inflammatory way of eating. However, I also want to figure out how I can articulate to people that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, right? There really isn't a such thing as an anti-inflammatory diet, to be honest with you. But I use that terminology because people understand what it means, right? For search engine optimization, but there is no anti-inflammatory diet, right? Because what may work for one person may not work for another person. And I say that because even some of the healthiest foods can actually be inflammatory for some people. So, for example, if someone has GI issues, which most people do with chronic um inflammatory diseases, because 70 to 80 percent of our immune system lives in our gut, right? And we have dysregulated immune systems, so we have gut issues. And because the gut is so foundational to our healing, it's important to understand, you know, what foods are going to nourish us. So broccoli is a healthy food, right? Quote unquote. But if someone has irrible, irritable bowel syndrome or leaky gut is is the general term or the fancy term people call it, then it might be hard for them to digest broccoli because there's some added starches there, right? And the body actually doesn't have the digestive enzymes to break down those fibers and those starches. So that becomes an inflammatory response, right, in the body. And I think that's why it's so important for people to understand what's happening in their body. I mean, literally understanding the kinesiology of the body, how is the digestive system working, what is the digestive system, what's the concept of gut health? And we know our microbiome is important, but what does that constitute? It really takes a level of deeper understanding of the mechanics physically and also emotionally. I mean, we wear our emotions on our sleeve, they say, but uh we also feel our emotions in our gut too, right? Literally and figuratively. So there's some emotional healing that needs to take place. I mean, we can have the cleanest diet, right? But if we're stressed, then we're going to feel digestive system or issues, right? Or our body is gonna be in this constant state of fight or fight. So yeah, there's um a lot of layers of nutrition, but it's easy to understand once we start to understand how our body works and what our body needs. Now, I always tell people the very first thing we should understand is if we have any food allergies or food intolerances, mostly food allergies, that's a good place to start to say, okay, this food doesn't work for me. But everything else, that is a sort of a trial and error process to incorporate. And then I always say, okay, let's get rid of the inflammatory foods. There is a category of those: the ultra-processed foods, the fatty foods, the fried foods, the sugary foods, the foods that have chemicals. Those are inflammatory foods, right? No, let's let's get those out of our way of eating. But let's incorporate whole foods, right? Foods, single ingredient foods, your grains, your nuts, your legumes, your beans, your vegetables, your fruits. And you might not be able to incorporate a whole lot when you start on your healing journey, right? But you can start out with sort of five fruits and vegetables that you can incorporate and see how those foods make you feel. Journal that process along the way to say I ate a piece of salmon, some rice, and some broccoli. And I ate that for three or four days in a row for lunch, and I felt fine. You know, my digestive system felt good. I was able to eliminate, you know, I was able to have less swelling. Right. So that's why it's so important for us to bring the intentionality behind our food from the start of sourcing it, what's in it, how we prepare it, and how it's going to nourish us.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Yeah, I love that. And I know there's always a push and pull between I'm a big fan of food journaling, tracking some macros, the knowledge is power without getting too much into rigid rules. So I think there is a balance, but there is just in general, knowing what type of macros you're taking in for the day. Are you wildly off? And just a few changes could get you wildly back to a place where you would feel better. I mean, there's just so much low-hanging fruit.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

I think a lot of people miss through just understanding and tracking for a week to see how you feel, like you said, and where you're landing. And then, you know, you could throw it away and do a little bit better, but at least you have that knowledge to move forward.

SPEAKER_01 34:51

Definitely, yes. And just again, keeping it simple when you're getting started on your journey. I mean, we all know that we need protein, complex carbohydrates, including fiber, and a source of healthy fats, right? That distribution of need will change depending on you and your goals, right? Women tend to need a little bit more protein than we talk enough about, you know, then that complex carbohydrate category. I mean, you could go on sort of the low starchy side. So we all have our goals, but it's important for us to know what our body needs at that time. I mean, even just for me, training for a marathon, I've had to change up that allocation of macros, right? Especially with carbohydrates. I'm like, is it okay to eat this much carbs? And absolutely, right? My body is burning, tons of calor uh calories and uh glycogen stores are being lost, right? So I have to replenish them with carbohydrate foods. And I like to incorporate complex carbohydrate foods because those are going to be slow burning and digesting, right? Different types of grains, sweet potatoes, for example. Protein, like I said, is very important. Do we need a lot of protein, like everyone talks about? Probably not. But we need good sources of protein and digestible proteins. And then healthy fats. I mean, fat has such a shame tone to it, right? Fat is shamed. So are carbs. I will be fat. Right. But do we know that it's not the truth, right? Do we know that our brain is at least 60% fat, right? Our brain is made up of 60% fat. And that tells you alone how important it is to have healthy sources of fats, right? Omega-3 fatty acids are so important. There's different types of fatty foods that are actually restorative for the body, for mental health, for hormone health, digestive health, right? Just think of fat as like moisturizing and lubricating the insides of your body.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

I like fat.

SPEAKER_01 37:04

You know, our body needs fat. And again, it's been demonized. That was the word that I was looking for, but it's so important.

SPEAKER_00 37:12

Yeah. I think carbs have been demonized a little bit as well in kind of the diet culture of low carb diets. And also, I this is what happened with me. I was trying to eat so clean that I wouldn't eat a ton of processed foods, which was great. You don't want to eat, you know, foods that will give you inflammation and all of that. But I wouldn't replace it with the healthy carbs that were needed to fuel my body, especially as an athlete. So now I'm best friends with sweet potatoes, fallen in love with pharaoh. Someone asked me the other day, they're like, I had to Google what pharaoh was. And I was like, oh man, it's the best. Like, there's so many whole grains and other sources of great carbs with fruits and vegetables that we don't necessarily think about either that I've been filling my plate more with, which has helped a ton because I was the one who got on the protein bandwagon and my body did not need the amount of protein I was putting in. Exactly. Overindexed on that. Again, simple food rules can completely derail your best intentions. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 38:19

Yeah, exactly. And that just again comes back to understanding okay, what is my goal right now? Am I training for something? Or am I just trying to regain weight from having a severe flare? You know, whatever your goals are, your body will need different things at different points. But at least starting out with eating whole foods is important.

SPEAKER_00 38:43

Yes. And I've been trying to do a variety of new foods as well, especially in the fruit and vegetable realm. There is a wild amount of foods out there where I don't even know what to do with them, but I've been trying to buy them to force myself to come up with a fun recipe, introduce it to my kids. I brought a bunch of kiwis and mangoes home the other day. And my daughter looks at me, she's like, I don't think I've actually eaten a kiwi before. And I was like, Oh my goodness, I need to like get you all the things to try out. And they're so good.

SPEAKER_01 39:18

So good. Yeah, I had kiwis this morning. They help with uh digestion, even with constipation. Um, I just cut up a pomegranate, and there are over, they say 20,000 plant species, but even individual plants have so many other species, right? So we're just talking about thousands and thousands of plants. Most of us are just eating the same five, right? And people that are really into optimizing their health, right? Having an excellent quality of health, living a long life, they're eating 30 to 50 different plants in just a given week. And that's what I try to incorporate too. You know, when I go to the farmer's market, I'm getting at least 20 different items. Excuse me. And then I'm incorporating different spices like anti-inflammatory spices, turmeric, cinnamon. I like paprika, garlic, onion, and just different levels of spices to really amplify the flavors of the food. But I'm also focused on diversity of the food. So I want my plants or my plates to look colorful and appetizing, right? Knowing that different fruit colors will provide different phytonutrients. I mean, your purple fruit fruits, you have or vegetables, they have anthocyanins that are excellent antioxidants that are going to repair those damaged tissues and cells. And then you have your red fruits that sometimes have lycopene in them that help with your cardiovascular health. So this is why it's so important to understand, again, how food is medicine, right? Food can provide those nutrients that your body needs, and understanding what your body needs. And even just on that same layer, understanding if your body has any deficiencies. Many clients that I work with, the first question that I'm asking them is when's the last time you got your blood work done? You know, to really understand any nutrient deficiencies. I mean, even just getting your comprehensive metabolic panel can say a lot. Your CBC, many of us are vitamin D deficient, and that can have a lasting effect on weight loss and hormonal imbalances and chronic inflammation in general. So again, it could be overwhelming, and many people are confused about where to start, but it really is just about, like you said, data is power, understanding the numbers, working with the professional, right? So working with the nutritionist or dietitian to understand what is the next course of action, but being very clear on your why, on your goals.

SPEAKER_00 42:07

Yeah, I love that. And I just got my a big functional panel done through function health, which was awesome because it was just a validation that I am healthy, everything's going well. There's a few things that I needed support on, like omega-3s. So I've got my wild Alaskan salmon fish box delivered to me here in Colorado, where you know, fresh seafood isn't necessarily readily available. So get some good fish into the mix and try to incorporate that at least once a week for the whole plane.

SPEAKER_01 42:42

Absolutely. Omega-3 fatty acids. I mean, if we could just put that on our diet plan or our nutrition plan, it can help with many things. Like you said, omega-3 fatty acids are very important just to help with chronic inflammation, but also brain health, hormonal health, reproductive health. And yes, you could find it in wild-caught salmon, for example. But even something more accessible like sardines and mackerel, those are packed with omega-3. I mean, many of us are taking the omega-3 supplement, and sometimes it's um, you know, it's gone off because it's in this sort of tablet form. It's been sitting on the shelves for months when you could just sort of open up a can of mackerel, and that will give you probably more of your recommended dose for the day and your protein and other minerals.

SPEAKER_00 43:38

So we recently got on the sardine train. They're actually pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 43:42

Yes, they are sardines and mackerel too. I I gotta try that one. Yeah, many people find that sardines can be a little bit fishy, you know. And that's when I say, Okay, try mackerel because it's a it's more neutral in terms of flavor. Um, I absolutely love mackerel. Yeah, that's an option for omega-3. And I believe that they have higher amounts of omega-3 than sardines.

SPEAKER_00 44:07

Hmm, nice. And what other meals or plates are you putting together for yourself right now? I follow you on Instagram and I see all the beautiful colors that you're talking about. So I'm curious if you can share with the audience some other just go-to meals, breakfast, meat, or dinner that are your go-tos.

SPEAKER_01 44:23

Yeah, and my top sort of like go-to foods are, you know, if I'm thinking about the balance plate, I always think about okay, what protein am I going to have for the week? I always prioritize the omega-3 fatty acid fish. Um there's different options that you get, like we said, salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and herring. Those are high in omega-3s. Um, and then animal-based protein. I'm looking at something that's not sort of readily available because of the animal and agricultural practices are horrible in America. So I'm going for sort of bison. That's sort of my go-to for plant um animal-based protein. I like a good egg, you know, organic pasture-raised egg with the orange yolks. Just, you know, that's my preference. So I just go for the different sources of protein. And then I think about the carbohydrates. Okay, what's gonna fuel me? What's gonna give me energy? What's gonna restore my glycogen? And um, that would be your starchy vegetables, like you said, sweet potato. I like to incorporate gluten-free greens, so buckwheat, millet, brown rice, wild rice, and yeah, sweet potatoes, starchy vegetables. I like plantains as well. And then I go for the other sources of carbohydrates, which would be your vegetables, right? That's where you're gonna put the colors in, maybe one or two of those. I'm really into roasted beets right now, or a butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, the cruciferous vegetables, which is excellent for the liver and to help the system detoxify naturally. And then I go for healthy sources of fat, right? Again, if I'm not eating the fish, then I'm looking at your nuts and your seeds. I like to cycle them throughout my cycle. You know, that's a whole different conversation. But walnuts, those are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

SPEAKER_00 46:28

Yeah, I do have to ask about that because I haven't heard of that. So when do you cycle it on versus off?

SPEAKER_01 46:34

Yeah, so it depends on the different stages. Like you said, follicle and luteol stage. There are some nuts and seeds, and I'm happy to like provide that list otherwise that have more omega-3 fatty acids versus like omega-6 and omega-9. So your body just needs a little bit more like mucilage support, if that lubrication support. So you'll eat sort of more of those fatty nuts in the sort of beginning of your cycle. And then once you reach, you know, a different phase of your cycle, then you can rotate some in and out. Like pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds. Yeah, there's just so many different nuts and seeds. Brazil nuts, pecans. And that's really where tracking your cycle is important, and also understanding your phytoestrogen levels and your progesterone levels to understand the balances throughout the month, right? So if you're sort of low on estrogen, then you want nuts and seed or seeds, for example, like flax seeds are phytoestrogen. So those are high in estrogen, those are gonna sort of give you a boost.

SPEAKER_00 47:49

Right. Yes, so good. And even you mentioned Brazil nuts. Brazil nuts was one thing that was recommended to me to also help with thyroid optimization.

SPEAKER_01 48:00

Yes, because of selenium. That's right. Yes. Yeah, yeah. So just thinking about again the different macros, right? The protein, complex carbohydrates, the healthy fats, avocados in there too, and then diversifying that, rotating that. I'd like to say eat the same thing for three or four days if you can, right? Just to sort of get the body familiar with that food, and then you rotate three or four days, right? So you're having sort of two different buckets of meals, and making sure that you're diversifying that with different plants. Get five plants, fruits, or vegetables that you can ro rotate throughout the week, different colors, orange for your beta-carotin, vitamin A, right? Which is uh beta-carotin's a precursor for your eye health, your immune system health. Like we already talked about the red vegetables, also high in omega, sorry, vitamin C, which is important for the immune system and for collagen production. So important for us, especially women's health. Yeah, I can go on and on with food, but I've got to be. Oh, I love it.

SPEAKER_00 49:10

And especially that variety. We get stuck in our day-to-day of just this what I do every day and don't branch out. And one thing that's worked for me, which has been a little odd, but I've also loved it, is when I'm building my plate and thinking about the macros and how you're gonna build it, I end up just throwing it all into a bowl. So I'm like, what do I think might go well together or taste good? And so I've done cottage cheese, faro, and kiwis, or just grabbed like one of each, put them all together and tested it out. And usually it tastes amazing. And so I think so often when we Google or try to look up some of these, you know, healthy snacks and meals and go-to's, they're pretty simple. It's like have a hard-boiled egg, have avocado on toast. It doesn't get as creative, and nor do you want to, I mean, some people love getting into cooking and crazy, crazy recipes, but a lot of us are super busy and don't want to spend an hour or two hours on a meal. So you can get creative by just throwing a plate together, throwing bowls together, and just trying different things. And it doesn't have to be just your standard, you know, lean meat, all that jazz.

SPEAKER_01 50:23

Meat and potato, right, right. Yeah, like even for snack before this meeting, I had uh coconut yogurt with pomegranates, almonds, dark chocolate, banana, and a little bit of honey. That sounds so good.

SPEAKER_00 50:39

And that hit the spot, you know? Yeah. Or smoothie bowls, too. Throw a bunch of stuff in a blender, top it with nuts and drizzle it with almond butter or peanut butter or whatever, and coconut flakes, you know, like make it a thing.

SPEAKER_01 50:55

Yeah, make it a thing. And I always say that it's so important for us to balance our blood sugar that's gonna help with our hormone regulation, right? So even just like eating consistently is very important for the body. I mean, I know there's this whole concept of fasting, right? But that doesn't necessarily work for many people, especially when you're trying to balance your hormones. So just sort of listening to your body cues. But if you can, I always recommend to my community try to have all the macros in a meal and a snack, right? Even just that yogurt I described to you. There's a protein in there, there's a fat, there's a carb in there, all in one sort of snack. And that's gonna help balance your blood sugar.

SPEAKER_00 51:44

Yeah. So do you have a take on whether you're into intermittent fasting or not? Do you ever recommend that? Or if you don't tried it yourself? I have tried it myself.

SPEAKER_01 51:53

Yeah. So I was huge into intermittent fasting for years. I mean, I wouldn't eat my first meal until I don't know, 11 a.m. or noon. And my last meal was at 6, 7 p.m. So I was at like a 14 to 18 hour window sometimes. Um, I would say, you know, it can be helpful, especially if you're just trying to sort of reset the body, detoxify the body, just sort of allow sort of that mitochondria to be produced and again repairing the cells. However, since I've been more active, you know, in my athletic stage, I mean, I there's no way that I can practice.

SPEAKER_00 52:35

No way to jam the nutrients you need into a small window.

SPEAKER_01 52:39

Exactly that too. But now I wake up hungry. Like I'm waking up at 6, 7 a.m. and I'm like, god damn, I'm hungry. You know, and the body is really just desiring to be nourished and fed. So again, like this is where it's important to have an individualized approach because intermittent fasting can work for somebody. I mean, I've done longer periods of fasting, three, four days of just water fasting, you know? But now in my life, because I'm incredibly active, I need food. And I need a lot of food.

SPEAKER_00 53:12

Yes. Which I do want to ask about how marathon training is going. So you're training for a marathon right now. I am.

SPEAKER_01 53:19

I'm training for my first marathon. Please, please pray for me. It's been quite a journey. I've been well, I will be training six months, you know, by the time that I run this marathon for this marathon. And that's typically not the window to train for a marathon, but it's my first marathon. I definitely was under condition, if that's a freeze, right? My body, even if you look at some stats or some metrics, you know, VO2 max is how much oxygen your body can use efficiently to work with your muscles, your lungs, your heart, to improve your cardiorespiratory endurance. My VO2 max was below average. And I was in the gym. I I was an active person. I went to the gym four or five days a week. But running is a completely different sport. Like you really need that cardio endurance. So, since training, I've been tracking my heart rate variability, my VO2 max. But these are just metrics to check in with my body to see how well I'm managing stress, how well I'm recovering. There is a concept of adaptation, right? When I do these long runs, it's hard. It's, you know, my body is sore, but one or two days after I can run a little bit faster. So it's really exciting to see how powerful the body is. And I'm also learning with marathon training that 20% of it is running, I will say. The other 80% is mental.

SPEAKER_00 54:58

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:58

It's really a mental gain. Like you have to tell yourself every day that you can do it, that you're strong, that you can push through. When times get tough, when your body feels like, you know, I don't know if I could do this. Can you really? You know, let's let's let's really check in with the body. Or is it that mindset, that limiting belief mindset that's sort of creeping in? So I've learned a lot of lessons about myself during this marathon training, but it's it's been very exciting.

SPEAKER_00 55:33

Do you go for gels then during your runs? Do you try to stick to real food? Like what's I know that just I've run a ton in my life, and so I've tried all the different gels that are out there, the sports drinks to you know give a little bit of a car boost in your bottle, all the things. Yes. And I just don't naturally love the gels, but they're so easy and handy to have when you're on a big run or out on the trail. So I'm curious what your go-tos are.

SPEAKER_01 55:59

Yeah, so that's a very good question. I'm still trying to figure that out. I think the most important part of training in general is to be nourished, right? To making sure that you are carb loading, quote unquote, right? You're having enough food, glycogen stores we talked about to sustain you throughout that run, that long run. So just making sure that I'm eating calories. I don't necessarily count my calories, but I know if I'm running, you know, 12, 13, 14 miles, I might burn up to 2,000 calories. So I'm gonna need to eat double the amount that I typically do in a day. So nutrition is paramount to managing the energy. Hydration is incredibly important. So I like to, again, eat as many real foods as I can, hydrate as naturally as I can. Watermelon juice has been really good during the summer. Um, herbal tea infusions I've been drinking during this seasonal change, which includes hydration like coconut water, hibiscus. I'm just looking at my drink now. Um straw. Just there's a lot of different sort of trace minerals in herbal tea formulas that I've been putting together for hydration. And then in terms of gels, I just make sure that I'm eating before the run, which is very important. But in the summertime, I would say I make my own fruit-based gels, which have been good. Rich in carbohydrates? Yeah, parade fruit basically. So, like blueberries, strawberries, carbohydrate-rich natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey, coconut water for potassium, some Celtic sea salt, for example, for sodium. So, really just thinking about the lost nutrients that I need to replenish and sort of blending that all together in a puree. That's my gel for the summertime. But for now, I have switched it up a bit. I've been trying the different ingredients that I've seen in different gel formulas. Most recently, I have been put with cluster dextrin. Have you heard of that?

SPEAKER_00 58:17

No, but I'm gonna look them up now.

SPEAKER_01 58:19

Yeah, so okay, so maltodextrin is typically the carbohydrate that's put in a lot of gels. And maltodextrin has a very high glycemic index. I mean, higher than table sugar, right? And we kind of need that high glycemic index because the body needs that energy to be converted quickly. Now, the problem with modextrin found in a lot of gels is that it can also cause GI upset. So that's why a lot of people complain about their stomach hurting, you know, when they take the gels. However, this cluster dextrin, which I've discovered, is sort of like interestingly enough, it's a processing of the midedextrin, but basically what it does is help the body digest the carbohydrate quicker and it passes through the colon, right? It passes through the colon much quicker. So you know the gel, I think um, there's a few sports gels out there that are like extremely popular.

SPEAKER_00 59:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:25

They, you know, check next time to see whether there's maltextrin, there's also brown rice syrup or solids, that's another carbohydrate base. But I find that clusterdextrin has been the most effective to give me the energy and not disrupt the GI.

SPEAKER_00 59:44

Oh, I love that. And yeah, I mean, if I could tell the stories of how many people have struggled halfway through an ultra because of gels and their gut turning and then not being able to have food because their gut turns because of the gels. I mean, it's so common. So figuring out the nutrition that works.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:02

Yeah, so again, the nutrition is important because that's your storage, right? So if if if we're eating garbage in, it's garbage out, period. Right? Even during the runs, our body is not sort of fueling us appropriately. So the baseline nutrition, I feel like a lot of us miss. That's really important, right? And then, yes, during your one, you want to make sure you're getting, they say anywhere from like 16 to 90 carbohydrates per hour, right? So you just want to make sure that that's whatever that source of carbohydrates is for you, is going to digest well for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:38

Yeah. And I found for myself as well. Sometimes I'll get behind on what I should be intaking during the run, but I still feel fine. And I need to remember afterwards to get back in a deficit. You need to not only have a full awesome meal, but make sure to top off a little bit of the carbs as well because I was in such a deficit.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:00

Yes, exactly. So, yeah, just thinking about what that caloric need is in your body, and then also understanding how many calories you burn, add that up together. And that's what your body needs to replenish. The other thing I'll say about the gels is they're also not only hurts your stomach when you're dealing with carbohydrate ingredients like multixtrin, for example. That's notorious for GI disruption. But the other problem is that because it's spiking your blood sugar, that's going to interrupt your hunger cues. So, as you mentioned, a lot of people are not only getting stomach aches, digestive issues, accidents from taking these gels, they're not hungry after the run. Right. So then they're not nourishing their they're not nourishing their body for hours and hours to replenish. So again, nutrition is a foundation. Load your body before, making sure that what you're consuming from a carb perspective is going to be easy on your body and replenishing your body after the run and hydrating.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:11

Which there's so many parallels to just life from those lessons, even if you were not a runner. That mind shift of what do you need to fuel for your life to be successful? That you need to think about it. Like we are running basically marathons during the day as working moms, as all the things that we do in life, we are so busy. And we need to think about nutrition as something and food as something that we need for fuel, not just to take away and try to eat as little of as possible. That mind shift needs to go away. Needs to go away immediately.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:51

You know, it's interesting also that many of my clients that's have challenges with their weight, I should say, right? They want to lose weight, they haven't been able to lose weight for years, but they're eating little meals, right? They're focused on portion control. And I'm asking the questions like, did you ever think about your body not getting enough nutrients, right? Even though you are holding on more weight, you're actually in a nutritional deficit. You're malnourished. So your body actually eats. So when we actually start to incorporate more foods, more whole natural foods and vitamin supplementation like vitamin D, that's always a big sort of gap in terms of being able to lose that that stubborn weight. The weight just starts to come off, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:41

Same with building muscle. If you can't build muscle, you have to look at your diet and nutrition and see are you fueling for muscle growth? You will not be building muscle if there's nothing to fuel from. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:54

Exactly. And that's where protein comes in, right? But different understanding of the different forms of protein as well. Very important.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:03

Oh, well, Jenny, I have loved this conversation. I could probably pick your brain forever on all the things. We didn't even dive into your life as a forager and that guide. So maybe we'll need to have you on later on down the line for a second episode. But where can people find you?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:20

Yes, you could find me across all social media platforms. You'll see videos on nutrition, meal prep, marathon training, foraging, which is the act of finding wild inedible medicinal plants and mushrooms, which I've gotten into my journey, right? Really getting in touch with seasonality and mother nature. But yeah, you could find me, Jenny Mac, and I hope to hear from you.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:47

I love it. Thanks again. Thank you. This was great. Thanks for listening to another episode of Find Your Fuel. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how this story resonated with you and anything else you'd like to hear more of in the future. And if you want to support us, please write a review. It's super helpful in getting new people to discover the show and help other women find the fuel to live their best lives.