Influential Resource #2
The Balanced Bites Podcast with Diane Sanfillipo and Liz Wolfe
Photo by Sonny Ravesteijn on Unsplash
The 400 episode podcast Balanced Bites presented me with new viewpoints and information on wellness and healing.
How did I find this podcast?
I was an early adopter of podcasts and this showed up as a suggestion in my feed. I listened to it 2017-2019.
Background:
The hosts primarily discuss the Paleo diet, but they offer problem solving solutions on skincare, gut health and overall wellness. Although I was not, and am not a Paleo eat (although I lean a bit in that direction), much of what that lifestyle and diet promotes resonated with and helped me. They definitely have a viewpoint, which I appreciate.
Their goal is optimal health and wellness for themselves and others, and they have figured out what works best for them - a vital piece of the value of the podcast. Both women have advanced nutrition certifications from organizations that have a more functional medicine approach (meaning that the whole body is treated as a system as opposed to solving one symptom), and are successful published authors.
The podcast covers everything you can imagine about body and lifestyle - adrenal fatigue, use of supplements, acne solutions, food production, inflammation, gut health, why they are not vegetarians, what they eat day in and day out, kitchen hacks, and more.
These women are friends who do a fair amount of chatting on the podcast, but once they get into listener questions or on to the topic for the episode, they are all business. I loved the wide range of information they provide, their clear delivery, and their thoughtful and informed answers to questions. I especially loved that much of their information was new to me and gave me plenty of new ideas to work with for myself.
Although they are no longer broadcasting, the archive has 400 episodes. Find the podcast through your podcasting app, and download all or some based on your interests and then listen at your leisure!
Impactful Information:
Grass fed beef is more nutritious, leaner, and better for the cow and the planet. I started eating grass fed beef (read more here) and utilized a meat subscription service (this is the one I use) because it can be hard to source regularly at our grocery stores, and the labeling on packages at the store can be very misleading.
Eat and emphasize whole foods. If you do nothing else, work to avoid anything that comes in a package or a box.
Avoid vegetable and canola oil (learn more here). They are made in factories - see #2.
If you do not manage your chronic stress your attempts at changing your diet or exercise to feel better will not work because the underlying problem is not being addressed.
Take charge of your health and educate yourself - there is a lot of conflicting information floating around, and the newest and biggest health stories are very often not based on good science.
What I learned about myself:
Regardless of the program someone is following, or what they believe about how to eat, there is always something new to learn that will help me in some way.
I have an endless curiosity and capacity for new information about how an individual can impact their physical and mental well being.
Why you may find this helpful:
Practical but unconventional solutions to common skin or stomach problems.
The hosts have a number of guests and conversations that will link you through to additional resources.
I loved learning that:
Exercise is a stressor. It is a good stressor, but if your body is fatigued from managing stress, avoid strenuous workouts. Instead, take a walk or do some gentle yoga, activities that promote healing.
Autoimmune disease is a major problem for many and if you are struggling with one of these (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, Hashimoto’s disease, etc.) there are a variety of dietary protocols that can help lessen the severity of symptoms. But, if you only pursue conventional medicine solutions this will frequently not even be offered as a possible solution. See number 5…
