Redesigning Life with Sabrina Soto

Kim Shapira is Back: Addressing Your DMs About Seed Oils, Cleanses & More

• Sabrina Soto and Kim Shapira • Episode 118

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You spoke, and we listened. After our last episode with registered dietitian Kim Shapira, my DMs were filled with thoughtful questions, concerns, and requests for clarification. Some of you were curious, some were skeptical, and honestly? I love that. Because that's exactly why I asked Kim to come back.

In this follow-up conversation, Kim answers your most pressing questions with science-backed honesty. We're diving deep into the topics that sparked the most conversation: seed oils, parasite cleanses, food sensitivities versus allergies, and what to do when you're genuinely struggling with food addiction or binge eating.

What I appreciate most about Kim is that she doesn't tell you what to think but she explains the why behind it. She's a friend, but more importantly, she's someone who stands behind what she says with research, experience, and a genuine desire to help people heal their relationship with food and their bodies.


Connect with Kim Shapira:

Website: https://www.kimshapiramethod.com/

Book: This Is What You're Really Hungry For

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimshapiramethod/

Resources mentioned:

EverlyWell food sensitivity testing

Connect with Sabrina:

https://www.instagram.com/Sabrina_Soto/

www.SabrinaSoto.com

Speaker:

Welcome to Redesigning Life. I'm your host, Sabrina Soto, and this is the space where we have honest conversations about personal growth, mindset shifts, and creating a life that feels truly aligned. In each episode, I'll talk to experts in their field who share their insights to help you step into your higher self. Let's redesign your life from the inside out. Welcome back to the podcast, and I have to welcome back our guest, Kim, because Kim Shapira was on the podcast weeks ago. Kim happens to be a friend of mine, and I'll tell you what happened. So a lot of you guys DM'd me questions to follow up with Kim. And I, because Kim is a friend of mine, I asked her to come back to clarify and to answer questions because she stands behind what she says. But I do want everyone to feel heard. And I think this is a great conversation to just continue because why not? It's such a great conversation. So, Kim, thank you for your time and thanks for coming back on.

Speaker 1:

I mean, I'm so happy to be here and I can't really wait to get into it with you, but I do want to just tell you something. Very great.

Speaker:

Tell me.

Speaker 1:

Okay. So I just finished my first book club. I'm doing four this month for 50 pages at a time. And I just got a text from an educational psychologist saying that the book club that we just did was the greatest hour of her life, and it was better than any therapy she's ever had.

Speaker:

So I love that.

Speaker 1:

So now let's get into this. Okay. Oh yeah, I want to ride that wave with you.

Speaker:

Yeah, I'm in it. Okay, good. All right. So normally I wouldn't be looking down. So anybody who's watching this on YouTube or um on Spotify, I'm looking down because I'm actually reading questions that are coming from people. So I I also got a lot of great feedback too. So I think that these are just really thoughtful questions from listeners. So I just want to add a little bit of clarity. Okay. So one of the biggest listener questions was around, and I think I told you this parasite cleansing. Some people swear by them, um, and some people said that they've had major health transformations because of them. So can you share your professional perspective on why you recommend against them and what the evidence says? Yes.

Speaker 1:

Okay. First of all, I'm a registered dietitian. My degree is in human metabolism and clinical nutrition. And our body is it heals all by itself. If we break our leg, our body heals. And so that is the most important thing for us to remember. It doesn't mean that we don't sometimes need support or medication, but our digestive tract, our colon, our rectum, our kidneys, they are what is helping us detox and get rid of things that don't belong. So for the most part, we don't need to add outside sources or do things that starve certain parts of our body because this can be dangerous. And that danger creates stress. And that stress creates a whole slew of other health problems and it directly impacts your health span. Okay, wait.

Speaker:

But wait, so then, but what there are two things that I want to talk to you about as you're talking. There are people who need parasite cleanses because they have tapeworms or whatever the case may be.

Speaker 1:

100%. They need antibiotics or they need some sort of medication, 100% for types of parasites. There's no question. I mean, parasites are we, you know, fungus, bacteria, viruses. We need support for whatever is actually going on, but not everybody. Nothing. Not because you're bloated or you're having constipation. That is more likely you're not eating enough, your digestive lining isn't strong enough, and you need some support. That that's usually something else and not parasites.

Speaker:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

People got, yeah.

Speaker:

Yeah. Because I think when people listen to these podcasts, when they listen to anything, even what people are saying on Instagram, TikTok, whatever, it's not a definitive all or nothing. Like there are certain situations. I want to clarify. Okay. So yes, it's okay, not for everyone. Um, because I also have a friend of mine, Alina. She goes by soup, Alina. She does, she's really into soup cleanse cleansing because she got cancer and she healed herself with food and she really believes in claris uh parasite clean cleansing. So again, it's not a one-size-fits-all.

Speaker 1:

It's not one-size-fits-all. And I do want to say, like, I there's a big a lot of people say food is medicine. A lot of people say it. But actually, I think food prevents medicine. But food is also medicine. Why do we why do you think it prevents medicine? Yeah, because when we eat like well-rounded and balanced food, it prevents our body from needing extra support. And so, like, even if you look at cancer before it hits stage one cancer. So when the cells start changing, we can actually reverse all of that. Yes. With food. With food. But it doesn't mean that food is medicine. It means it's just preventing medicine, right? Does that make sense? Yes.

Speaker:

We're clarifying somebody's gonna be like, somebody's not gonna like that.

Speaker 1:

I'll get the DMs, not you. Yeah, yeah. But they can DM me too. I don't mind. I mean Yes.

Speaker:

Please DM Kim too. DM us both. We love it. I'll answer another listener mentioned that she has the MTHFR gene mutation. Yes. And struggles with detoxing certain toxins or observing absorbing B vitamins. How much should gene mutations like this influence how somebody eats or the supplements that they're taking?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think that's a very good question. What it means is that you can't methylate, you can't break down certain things. The lining of your gut again needs support. And so we can basically turn that off by making sure that our body is in its healthiest state. And again, you can do that through food, lifestyle, and sleep and water and all those things. But yeah, if it is something that is temporarily affecting you, and then that is calling causing you to have like absorption issues and other issues. And then that is what is making you feel sick is you're not getting all the quality nutrients from your food, but we can turn it off as well. How?

Speaker:

Give me a like if for this person, how?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, there are some supplements that you would take, and it would be probably a three to six months, you would work with somebody to take three to six months of different supplementations to really clear out your cells, right? Like you are detoxing or like it's like a whole process. So you'd also have to check to see like, do you have cavities? Do you have silver in your teeth? You know, what is your mercury levels? And all these things need to be looked at to help your cells breathe and function properly. So in that case, then supplementation is supplementation is amazing. I think supplementation is vital for every single one of us at this point. Yeah. Depending, but not one size fits all. No, I mean, I think a lot of people need vitamin D, but not everybody needs vitamin D. And sometimes they need it right now, but they don't need it in a month. Right. Okay.

Speaker:

Um, so do uh this my next question, somebody was like, Do you think genetic testing should play a bigger role in personalized nutrition? I mean, I listen, I'm not a dietitian. I can't answer that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. Well, what would your answer be? Yes. Yeah. I mean, I think everything should play a role. And it sounds like your listeners are like very motivated to take care of themselves. But there comes a fine line where it's like, it's all I can think about, or I don't allow myself permission not to, you know, live within these boundaries. And that is where we want to be careful because we want to be able to be open-minded to a lot of things and not restricted in our mindset, I think. But I think you can't unlearn what you know. And so if you're doing genetic tests, then you're clearly able to see, like, oh wow, look, I am very sensitive to these things. And now I can make some adjustments. Why wouldn't you want that information? 100%.

Speaker:

Um, okay, this one was a big one. This one I got a lot of DMs about. So I'm just gonna throw it out there. We're gonna, we're gonna clear this up for my listeners. Okay. Lots of DMs about seed oils. Yes. Oh my goodness. So some listeners feel like they're a major source of inflammation, while others say that it was harmless in moderation. Can you please break because one, I mean, one or two people were going on and on that that it is seeds oil and have completely changed, like eliminating them has changed their lives. Um, and I think because seed oils are talked about so much right now, yeah, it's like, oh, people are so scared. So can you please break down the current science and the actuality of what seed oils, if it's a problem or not?

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So the actual science of seed oils or seeds is that we want to add them to our diet. Now, we talked about this briefly. Some of us are in different stages of inflammation and cannot tolerate certain seeds or nuts or certain foods. But for the most part, if you are somebody who can tolerate seeds, then seed oils are also something that you can tolerate. And yes, they have omega-6s. And of course, we want to have higher levels of omega-3, which are really great for our brain, our gut, and our like our colon, our digestive tract, all that. But the omega-6, we do need a balance, we we need a ratio of them. And so we do get some acid, some really healthy nutrients from these seeds. And so every single thing we eat is processed in one way or another. I mean, even my strawberries are in a plastic basket or a basket that has a lining of some sort.

Speaker:

Well, not if you get it from the farmer's market.

Speaker 1:

Depends. I mean, the farmer's market, there, you know, the eggs are still in the carton. Well, like they're still, what are they lined with? You know, what are these like forever chemicals or these noxious chemicals? And how is our body interpreting them? But if we're talking about seed oils, there is vitamin E and linoleic acid and omega-6s in these oils that our body really, really needs. And there is such a small amount in the foods that we're eating, and they help keep them stable on a shelf. When somebody removes the food and like doesn't feel inflammation anymore, it could be that they were very sensitive to sunflower oil. It could be that they were very sensitive to oat or any of the food that is actually partnered with this oil. But there is 100% no research behind these seed oils causing inflammation. What that is is like somebody on TikTok went with it and ran with it. And it's just such a um, it's almost a bigger problem. Like, why would we want to remove, like, we wouldn't remove the seeds from our diet.

Speaker:

But but but if people are just adding using these seed oils as oil in the things they're baking or the salad dressings, it can't, I mean, an olive oil is going to be a lot better for you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. Okay. So let's talk about inflammation. Okay.

Speaker:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

Inflammation is if you look at your digestive tract, from your mouth to your anus, it's the width of a tennis court. Food troubles down at about one millimeter an hour, hopefully giving you a 24-hour transit time. Okay. So now we're talking about the inside of your body or your digestive tract, which if I compare it to a cardboard box, I mean sorry, a cardboard paper towel ring. So we're talking about the inside of this cardboard paper towel ring. Technically, what's inside that narrow opening has not entered your bloodstream yet. So if we're having inflammation, and inflammation is headache, teary no uh teary eyes, runny nose, clearing your throat, heartburn, burping, bloating, smelly gas, stomach noises, constipation, diarrhea, joint pain, itchy skin, vaginitis, like so many things are inflammation. It's usually because the lining this of your cardboard, the inside of your digestive tract, it's that's the mucosal layer and it's been dinged. And you know, when we have mucus, like if we have a sore throat or runny nose, it hurts. And so what happens is we start getting an inflammatory response. That's our body's natural way of saying, I don't recognize what you're breaking, what is in my body now, right? It's it's created this inflammatory response that is a defense. And when we keep eating things or adding things to our body that our body can't break down, sometimes the immune response gets stuck on, and that's an autoimmune disease, right? But for most people, when you start seeing a breakdown in this mucosal layer, it means that things are inside that digestive tract, that cardboard ring, are now entering the paper towels. They're now inside your bloodstream, right? We want to prevent that. And so if you're saying I had seed oils and I was having inflammation and then I took the seed oils out and I don't have any inflammation, you also have to think where where were the seed oils with? Like, was it garlic? Was it pepper? Was it lemon? Was there a certain grain? There's so many possibilities.

Speaker:

What if it's the it's let's say it's the salad dressing. Yeah. Instead of using seed oils, now I'm using an a different oil, an olive oil, and now I don't have the it's the same ingredients. And it's only switched the oil.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. Okay, so let me put it this way. I have a client who has like unfortunately so many foods that he's sensitive to. And one of them is sunflower, and one of them is safflower. Do you know how many foods have those oils? They're hurting him every single time he eats them. I don't personally have sunflower, safflower, but I do have chia on my sensitivity list. So that food would hurt me. So what I'm hearing you say is that the person who now switched to olive oil, they removed a food that they were inflamed from. So it could be that the person who DM'd you and reported, I took them out and I felt better, actually was really sensitive to one or the other.

Speaker:

Right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but let me be really, really clear. A sensitivity is not an allergy. It's not an allergy.

Speaker:

Okay, but you, Kim, if you had a choice to put something in your salad dressing, what oil is it?

Speaker 1:

Olive oil or avocado, but that is not because they cause inflammation. They are because one is a monounsaturated fat and others are a polyunsaturated. And so when you look at heart disease and you look at like longevity, all of the studies we know for like the last 40 years, olive oil and avocado have been like the winners as far as like improving and maintaining your health. It's not because they're causing inflammation and lowering your health, it's because they have no effect on your heart. They have no effect on longevity. Okay. They're totally different, but they do not cause inflammation. Sensitive to it. And if you are sensitive to it, remember, it's not a, it's not an allergy. And so you can't, it's not permanent. And that means that your body needs some support and you need to add a variety of things that have omega-3s, probiotic, fermented foods, and fruits and vegetables and whole grains and fiber to repair that mucosal layer of your digestive tract. And then you won't have sensitivity anymore.

Speaker:

Right. So certain people can tolerate plants differently again. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Speaker 1:

Blueberries give me diarrhea. I mean, that's unfortunate. I'm sensitive. Yeah, you're welcome. I'm sensitive to something that people would call a superfood. Okay. It's not a superfood for me. Okay. It is not.

Speaker:

Um, it is for your toilet though. Um what's right for their body without falling into the extremes?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, don't fall into the extreme. Well, I know that, Kim, but I'm asking. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, first of all, if you're listening or watching something that is upsetting to you, then kind of question like what is going on there. Like, I think it's okay to sometimes be triggered, but if it's something you can't escape from, the trigger you can't escape from, I feel like you need some support there. Okay. Um, I don't know if I said that as nicely as I meant to, but I really do mean that like in a loving way. Um, because the most important thing is a person needs to trust themselves. They need to know what's going on with their body and how their body feels when they eat or drink something at all times. And again, if they're having an inflammatory inflammatory response to something, they temporarily either can remove it, but they don't need to remove it, but they do need to add all those things I just listed to help heal their gut. There, we talked about genetic testing, but there's a lot of tests that you can do for food sensitivities. I love Everly Well so much. What is it? It's Everly Well.

Speaker:

So basically Everly Well.

Speaker 1:

Everly Well. I can send you a link. Yeah.

Speaker:

And so basically, everybody.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So basically you order this test and you you do it like a pinprick of blood and you send the test back. And five days later, you get a list of foods that you are either mild, moderately, or highly sensitive to. And then you have a choice. Do I want to not eat these foods for a week or two and see how I feel? Or I can keep these foods in, maybe minimize them and increase all the things I need to help heal my gut.

Speaker:

I I was I got this done and it said that I'm like sensitive to tomatoes. It was if nobody even told me that. I'd haven't changed a bit. I still probably even more tomatoes. Yeah, and that's okay.

Speaker 1:

And sometimes that heals your gut.

Speaker:

Like it's no, actually it does. Seriously, my eyes are still constantly watering. So I'd be curious.

Speaker 1:

Wait, hold on. Very lastly, like if you remove something, you'll know within three days how you feel. So if you eat, let's say you took tomatoes out today, I would keep them out for three days. That's all you need to do is take them out for three days and then add them in one time. And you'll know within two hours how your body responds to tomatoes.

Speaker:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

And then you can have a choice to see like, do I want to, you know, fix my gut or keep eating tomatoes and still feel this way. But I would say if you keep eating tomatoes and you keep having inflammatory issues, you need more omega-3s and, you know, fiber and things like that.

Speaker:

All right. Here's an here's another big hot topic or trigger point. Somebody was saying that you like they suffer with food addiction addictions. So if someone truly struggles with food addictions or binge eating, where's the line between just eat what you want and listen to your body and needing more of a structured therapeutic approach?

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So everything that I talk about is based on science. And so I have six rules that I coach my clients with. And that's the what you're talking about is rule number one, you eat when you're hungry. So hunger is a hor is based on the hormone ghrelin, and it tells your brain it's time to start looking for food. We're going to start needing some fuel. And then we get a second hormone, leptin, that tells us we're satisfied and we no longer need to eat. So my rule is to you, when you're hungry, take your normal portion, cut it in half, and wait 15 minutes to see if you need more food. This is actually how we put our natural GLP1 in harmony. We eat when we're hungry. And if you have a food addiction, that means that you either have binged or you've restricted. And so we really need to understand that in this moment, you're trying to be curious about doing something new. I'm not trying to restrict you and I'm not trying to cause a binge. So if you can just accept I'm eating when I'm hungry, and I'm going to cut my food in half and wait 15 minutes to see if I need more, physically or emotionally, what ends up happening is you develop trust. And waiting 15 minutes gives you a fail-safe that you're not going to overeat. We ideally need to be eating three to five times a day, every three hours, for our body to feel safe. I have many people who say to me, I eat twice a day and I can't lose weight. And that's because their body is unsafe. Their blood sugars are not regulated, and they their body thinks that they're storing for the winter when they do eat, and then there's a famine when they're not eating. And we need to be eating every three to four hours for our body to feel safe. If you have a history of binging and restricting, you're, you know, this idea sounds terrifying. And I can totally appreciate that, but it's one meal at a time. We do not need to worry about what's going to happen later today or tomorrow. We need to focus right now, and we just need to practice that rule.

Speaker:

Got it.

Speaker 1:

And then wait, I just want to finish. Rule number two says, eat what you love. And that is where people think I'm giving them permission to eat endlessly.

Speaker:

I got a lot of DMs about that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I am not. I said, eat what you love, make sure the food loves you back. So we are fixing all of the gut issues by paying attention to what doesn't love us back. And we are eating what we love when we are hungry and we're starting with half. There's a built-in fail-safe that you will not be eating, but you do have permission to eat it again in three hours. Okay. If somebody is physically hungry, they don't want cake and donuts. If I gave them the option of a turkey burger or a donut and they said they were hungry, uh, 10 times out of 10, they're picking the turkey burger. They're eating the donut when they're not hungry. But because they restricted themselves and they haven't allowed themselves to eat donuts, that's what they think they love.

Speaker:

I have a friend of mine that e wakes up in the middle of the night hungry and eats in the middle of the night like a binge eating. What do you think that's about?

Speaker 1:

A couple things. I would want to know if they're taking melatonin because melatonin really tricks our brain into stop making it. So we don't have restful sleep. Number two, they could not be eating enough throughout the day. Number three, they could be taking an antidepressant that is causing them to need like serotonin. Got it. So I would make sure they're eating enough throughout the day.

Speaker:

Um, what okay, so all right. First of all, Kim, you're such a freaking badass because the fact that you even you uh just for everyone listening, I asked Kim if she wanted me to send her questions beforehand, and she was like, no. Which most people would want to because they'd want to understand, you know, what are you about to ask me? But I love that you stand behind what you say so much so that you didn't need me to send you the questions. So that is like just my gratitude for that alone and you coming back because I thought this was gonna be maybe five minutes, and we've already talked for over 20 minutes. So I appreciate that. Um so just the last one. What's one simple science-backed habit that you wish everyone could focus on regardless of their diet philosophy? Oh my gosh, that's so tricky.

Speaker 1:

Um science backed? Yeah, that you you believe in science. No, all of them are based on science, but I'm like, what would I say to that? That's so tricky. Okay, maybe I should have asked you for the questions before.

Speaker:

Um I'm gonna have to myself how awesome that you did it.

Speaker 1:

I'm gonna go with sleep. Okay. I love that. Okay, yeah, because the average American gets six and a half hours. We need between seven and nine, and we need to be consistent. Our body thrives in consistency. And so when we change the time we go to sleep, it's almost like we're jet lagged, but we're not really paying attention to that. And so we really want to be as consistent as possible and going to sleep at the same time and waking at the same time and not hitting the snooze button. And when we do that, we wake up less inflamed and more motivated to do all the things we need to do to take care of ourselves.

Speaker:

I love a snooze button. Oh, I love it. Oh, I love I I would sleep 10 hours if you let me.