Melissa Schollaert is a holistic health coach with an amazing story about how real food and functional medicine transformed her health. Today, we are talking about eating for healthy hormones and preparing your body for pregnancy. In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• How eating healthy healed Melissa
• Discovering the foods that are right for you
• Preparing for pregnancy and getting your body ready

Some highlights of this episode on Eating for Healthy Hormones & Energy:

1. Melissa started eating whole foods and started the Real Nutritious Living Blog when she started having health issues. She worked with practitioners but also took her health into her own hands. She now feels good as a result of eating good clean food. [01:19]
2. Whole Foods workshops were one of the first positive influences when Melissa starting eating real food. Once she started eating right and detoxing, her system was able to pick up and her labs are great now. It took steps and increments, but everything eventually balanced itself out. [07:40]
3. How eating right and balancing your hormones makes you feel so much better. Melissa feels like she has the energy of a teenager now. Birth control and other drugs can mask the problems. Once you discover what's really going, on you can fix the problem. [14:00]
4. Being patient and loving with your body. Forgiving yourself for the past and moving on and loving your body. [17:12]
5. Melissa has worked with women who don't have the energy and mojo they wish they did. If you get yourself really healthy then it leads to a healthy pregnancy. Having balanced hormones is incredibly important. [20:14]
6. Over exercising isn't the right way to workout. Find a sweet spot where you feel great at the end of the day. Balancing nutrients is also important. Healthy carbohydrates and B vitamins are related to energy. Cut out foods that aren't agreeing with you. [23:25]
7. Watch out for things that can cause skin issues like dairy, eggs, and peanuts. Mucus forming foods can really slow you down. Things don't happen overnight, so wins are really important. [30:32]
8. To get your gut healthier find out what foods don't agree with you. You can use an elimination diet to find the offenders. Eat prebiotic foods and take probiotics. You also have to get rid of candida to get a healthy gut. Use fermented foods and try digestive enzymes. [33:44]
9. Digestive enzymes or little shots of apple cider vinegar. Try as much as possible to get back to real foods. You can honor your preferences and still eat real foods. Vegans can soak nuts for a hit of protein. Protein powder is so processed. [38:27]

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Real Nutritious Living
• Real Nutritious Living on Facebook
• Real Nutritious Living on Pinterest
• Real Nutritious Living on Instagram
• @realnutritious on Twitter

Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!

• Clean Eating Every Day by Carrie Forest
• Clean Eating for Women episode index
• Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

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Tina Chow the blogger behind Fit Chicks Cook is famous for healthy meal prepping. I am so excited to have her here today to talk about her new cookbook the Everything Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook. We're going to talk about her book and meal prepping and everything fun about staying healthy. In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• Tina’s health journey and how she got into real foods
• How eating better changed Tina’s life
• Tina’s meal prepping routine

Some highlights of this episode on how to make veggies taste delicious:

1. Tina Chow is famous for meal prepping. It's no surprise she got the cookbook deal. She is pushing 200,000 followers on Instagram. Her account exploded because she was featured on a lot of bigger account. She has a full-time job and the meal prepping is something she does on the side, but she is passionate about it. [01:55]
2. She got into meal prepping because she led a busy life and cooking from scratch was so time-consuming. She also wanted to be healthier. She joined a gym and decided to get into shape. How fitness is 80% diet and 20% exercise. [03:16]
3. Tina began researching and came across some meal prepping pioneers on Instagram. She used Instagram to keep her accountable, but things exploded practically overnight. Eating better and meal prepping made her feel so much better. [05:36]
4. Meal prepping is now a normal thing that she does on every Sunday. She gets her groceries on a Saturday or Sunday morning and then spends a few hours on Sunday batch cooking everything for the week. [07:05]
5. Her first meal was a stir fry with sweet potatoes, asparagus, and chicken. She just started with her lunch for the week. She started small and then added more meals from there. She now preps for every meal.  [08:40]
6. Her mason jar salads get a lot of attention. If she is known for anything it would probably be that. Taco salad in a jar is one of her specialties. The recipe is in the cookbook. [11:06]
7. The best advice Tina can give for people just starting out is to start prepping with just one meal. Start small and then add on from there. Be open minded to new recipes, but not all at once. [15:11]
8. Snacks are things that are easy like boiled eggs with carrots and tomatoes or nuts and fruit. Cottage cheese with a green apple is another choice. [22:15]
9. A publisher approached Tina over email. Simon & Schuster were actually in the market for a meal prep cookbook author. She had a large following and the publisher knew that eating healthy and meal prepping was a trend that they wanted to follow. She took time off to focus on writing the book. [24:27]

Links mentioned in this episode:

• The Everything Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook
• Fit Chicks Cook
• Tina on Instagram
• @fitchickscook on Twitter
• Fit Chicks Cook on Facebook

Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!

• Clean Eating Every Day by Carrie Forest
• Clean Eating for Women episode index
• Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

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Kate Van Horn the Co-Creator of the GoodFest wellness festival is here to talk about the festival, her recovery story, body love, and all good things. In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• What GoodFest is all about
• Letting go of labels and still living authentically
• Tools like yoga helped Kate heal from her eating disorder

Some highlights of this episode on body love & all the good things:

1. GoodFest started in Philadelphia and the first festival ended up with 350 women from all over. Then they decided to try a festival in L.A. Then they are going back to Philadelphia, but they are also planning to go to Austin and Seattle. [01:35]
2. The spirit of loving yourself and finding like minded women at GoodFest. They want it to be an inclusive community. Wellness should be fun and exploratory, not rigid. People should go to GoodFest with an open mind, and take what works and leave the rest. [03:10]
3. Kate's personal journey of figuring out where she belonged and letting go of labels. She thinks it is important to feel you identify with others. She started out as plant based vegan, but struggled with it. Being able to make choices and be in alignment with our food choices. Letting go of labels can be a feeling of relief. [06:28]
4. Not being rigid left more room for being creative. This actually snowballed into the Good Festival. Flowing led to more opportunities and made things more fluid. Just allowing things to be along with having trust leaves room for flow. [10:00]
5. Kate loves yoga and thinks it was the final piece of the puzzle that helped her eating disorder. Mindfulness and moving intuitively really helped her healing process. Her yoga practice started as a home practice where she was at peace with her body. [12:04]
6. Having an accountability buddy or working with a specialist when working on recovering from an eating disorder. Everyone benefits from talking through things, but it is also empowering to have tools like yoga. There is a lot within us that we can do when we are ready. [16:25]
7. Finding balance in finding speakers for GoodFest. They chose a panel for the L.A. GoodFest because people have had different food experiences. They want to represent different voices. They also chose the food freedom route. They framed it as a relationship with food and discovering what food is best for each person. [18:56]
8. One of the purposes of GoodFest is for women to have a place where they aren't judged. Kate wants it to become the norm when people in the wellness community get together. [24:06]
9. The next GoodFest on 8/11/18 will feature Kelsey Patel and Ruby Warrington, a panel, yoga, and Alexis Joseph. It will end with a meditation. They are going to have large groups instead of tracks. It's going to be a main stage format. [31:21]

Links mentioned in this episode:

• GoodFest
• She Be Kalein It
• Kate Van Horn Instagram
• GoodFest 8.11.18
• The Skinny Confidential

Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!

• Clean Eating Every Day by Carrie Forest
• Clean Eating for Women episode index
• Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

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In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• The difference between marijuana and CBD from industrial hemp
• The legality of CBD oil and industrial hemp
• Health benefits of CBD products

Some highlights of this episode on how to make veggies taste delicious:

1. Marijuana related product products have .3% or higher THC, whereas hemp related products have less than .3% THC. Marijuana plants look significantly different than industrial hemp plants. Medterra gets their CBD from industrial plants. [02:33]
2. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. There are some CBD products that have very small percentages of THC, but none of the Medterra products do. [03:21]
3. [05:33] The endocannabinoid system in our body has receptors that react with cannabinoids. The ECS is an essential part of our bodies. Anything in our body can be out of balance resulting in a need for supplementation. The same thing can be said for the ECS system.
4. Is CBD legal? After 2014, industrial hemp became legal to cultivate in the US. This kicked off the renaissance of CBD oil and products. Colorado and Kentucky are on the forefront of industrial cultivation. Industrial hemp in CBD are fully legal. [11:29]
5. Medterra products are third-party lab tested for 0% THC. Their products are refined into CBD isolates. They certify that there is no THC, heavy metals, or solvents. [16:52]
6. CBT helps with anxiety. It is great for sleep. It also is said to help reduce inflammation. It has also been said to help with things like Parkinson's and neuropathy. CBD is one of the strongest anti-inflammatory agents found naturally. [24:28]
7. CBD use for pets. People have seen dramatic results giving their pets CBD for things like anxiety and arthritis. They are thinking about coming out with a pet line that isn't as strong since animals are smaller. [27:50]
8. Medterra products. A CBD tincture is infused with MCT oil. The tincture is the recommended product to try first. They also have gel caps with concentrated MCT oil. They have a dissolvable sleep tablet that infuses melatonin with CBD. They also have a topical pain cream. [31:30]

Relevant links for this episode:

• Medterra (use the code CLEANEATING for 10% off your order)
• ProVerde Laboratories
• Project CBD
• Using CBD for Health Reasons, My Experience & Giveaway
• CBD for Your Pets
• Medterra Customer Service (800) 971-1288
• Medterra Products (discount code CLEANEATING for 10% off)

Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!

• Clean Eating Challenge
• Clean Eating for Women episode index
• Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

Don’t miss new blog posts! Join my weekly newsletter list to get all the latest news and recipe links delivered directly to your inbox.

Dr. Alvin Danenberg (Dr. Dan) is a periodontist and a certified functional health practitioner. He is here today to talk about everything that women need to know about dental health, hormones, diet, and more. In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• Dr. Dan's amazing health recovery story
• How the gut is the center for everything
• Benefits of spore based microbiotics and vitamin K2

Some highlights of this episode on how to make veggies taste delicious:

1. Dr. Dan is almost 71 years old. When he was 59, he suddenly had a stroke. His doctors saved his life and put him on seven medicines for life. He was exercising regularly and eating foods that he thought were healthy. He started investigating what a healthy lifestyle and diet would actually be. [03:44]
2. When he was 66, he took a nutrition course at a yoga center. He heard terms that he had never heard before like ancestral health. He and his wife cleaned their pantry out of all processed foods. They started buying organic foods from farmers markets. He removed grains, sugars, legumes, and milk products from his diet. He ended up losing 35 pounds and becoming healthier than he had ever been. [05:57]  
3. You are never too old to make a change in your life. Carrie shares how her health started to turn around when she became dairy-free and gluten-free. [08:47]
4. Removing foods that don't benefit your body and giving your body healthy foods completely changes your gut biome. The gut is the center for everything. Having a leaky gut makes other organ systems begin to break down. [11:57]
5. Dr. Dan explains how inflammatory bowel disease can actually create periodontal problems. He also explains how having a leaky gut leads to inflammation and other chronic disease including his stroke. [17:04]
6. Improving gut bacteria and the health of mitochondria can actually eliminate disease. The gut lining completely replaces itself every 3 to 5 days. Get the insult out of the gut and allowing it to repair itself is a head-start to treating disease. [19:59]  
7. Some probiotics are destroyed by stomach acid. Spore based bacteria can actually get into the gut and enhance the diversity of friendly bacteria. [21:38]  
8. How vitamin K2 can actually reinvigorate the mitochondria. In an animal model, it restored the health of the mitochondria and actually helped treat a disease. It even seems to help reduce gum disease. [28:04]  
9. The things you should probably get rid of are processed sugar, grains, and dairy products. Get rid of things that aren't nutrient-dense and that cause inflammation in the body. Eat animal products and fresh caught fish. Eat raw honey. [38:50]

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Paleo f(x) Facebook Group
• Ancestral Health Symposium Discussion Group
• Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
• Chris Kresser Podcast
• Well Being Journal
• Oral spore-based probiotic supplementation was associated with reduced incidence of post-prandial dietary endotoxin, triglycerides, and disease risk biomarkers
• Dr. Danenberg
• Crazy-Good Living!: Healthy Gums, Healthy Gut, Healthy Life

Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!

• Clean Eating Challenge
• Clean Eating for Women episode index
• Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

Don’t miss new blog posts! Join my weekly newsletter list to get all the latest news and recipe links delivered directly to your inbox.

Cheryl Malik is the creator of the 40 Aprons website. She is an amazing recipe developer and food photographer. Today, we are going to talk about healthy clean eating and her new book The Paleo Instant Pot Cookbook.In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• Cheryl’s health journey
• Healthy clean eating
• The Instant Pot Cookbook

Some highlights of this episode on how to make veggies taste delicious:

1. 40 Aprons is actually the fourth name of Cheryl's blog. She finally decided on this name, because she didn't want a blog that wasn't tied down to a specific type of eating. Plus, whenever her friends traveled they would bring her a new apron, and she had at least 40. [02:01]
2. Cheryl tells her story of how being vegan stopped working for her. Cheryl and her husband were thinking about having children, and she got a blood test and found out that she had hypothyroidism. She also noticed that healthy fat might be a solution and started eating coconut oil. She finally discovered she was missing nutrients from not eating animal products. She switched to non vegetarian clean eating and started getting healthy right away. [15:26]
3. Carrie shares how when she was vegan, and she was eating a lot of soy she eventually developed Hashimoto's and had to have her thyroid removed. She also talks about the Weston A. Price foundation and the importance of eating a more rounded diet. [23:41]
4. Transitioning from vegan to Paleo. Cheryl had no problem eating meat again. Even when she was vegan she craved steak. The hardest part for her was the ethics. She decided that eating meat wasn't the hard part it was the factory farming that she wanted to avoid. She spends her money at very deliberate places. [25:31]
5. Cheryl explains how she got involved with The Whole30 diet. Some friends of hers tried it, and they lost weight and felt amazing and we're even sleeping better. Cheryl and her husband also tried it and they ended up feeling a lot better. It also made her TMJ go away and she lost all of her baby weight. [29:49]
6. Then they transitioned into a Paleo diet and it was very doable. After time, they transitioned into more of a primal diet. They had already spent a lot of time healing the gut and eating nutritious food, so now they just eat what works for them. [34:36]
7. The Instant Pot changed Cheryl's life forever. Her first recipes were horrible, but then she decided to start thinking like a pressure cooker. When you're on the Paleo diet or the whole30 diet, you spend so much time in the kitchen that having something like an Instant Pot makes things a lot easier. [38:09]  
8. All of the recipes in her book are whole30 compliant. She also tries to optimize the Instant Pot cooking to cut down on the time spent in the kitchen. Everyone should have an Instant Pot. One of her favorite recipes is Zuppa Toscana - an Instant Pot take on her super popular Whole30 Zuppa Toscana recipe. [39:59]  

Links mentioned in this episode:

• 40 Aprons
• 40 Aprons on Facebook
• 40 Aprons on Instagram
• 40 Aprons on Pinterest
• The Paleo Instant Pot Cookbook
• [email protected]
• Podcast #16: Traditional Diets & Health with Hilda Labrada Gore
• Weston A. Price Foundation
• Whole30 Zuppa Toscana (Paleo, Dairy Free, Gluten Free)

Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!

• Clean Eating for Women episode index
• Clean Eating Challenge
• Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

Don’t miss new blog posts! Join my weekly newsletter list to get all the latest news and recipe links delivered directly to your inbox.

Erica Winn of Real Simple Good a wonderful website for inspired paleo cooking and living is here today. Erica offers all kinds of healthy tips and tricks for cooking and eating including paleo and whole30 meal prepping.In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• Erica’s health story and starting Real Simple Good
• Eating paleo and cooking at home with real ingredients
• Meal prepping to make healthy eating easier

Some highlights of this episode on paleo & whole30 meal prepping with erica winn of real simple good:

1. Erica and her husband started Real Simple Good a couple of years ago. It stemmed from making lifestyle changes and Erica having MS. It was time to take her health story into her own hands. She began researching diets and lifestyles that reduce inflammation. Which led her to the paleo lifestyle. [02:25]
2. Erica's recipes are mostly paleo. She doesn't use any processed foods. They don't use grains, gluten, dairy, or soy. They also leave out the legumes and refined sugar. This is the template that all of the recipes stem from. They may have an occasional white rice or pastured cheese. [09:29]
3. Erica and Justin wanted to live on their own terms. They decided to make paleo cooking and living a lifestyle. They also decided to make the blog a full-time job. [13:02]
4. Before they quit their accountant jobs they were really stressed for time, so they started meal planning out of a necessity. There is no way to get through a busy work week without doing some sort of meal prep over the weekend. [14:06]
5. Erica and Justin sell meal plans to help people who aren't sure what recipes to make and what to shop for. These are for people who really like to cook and just need a little extra help. They also offer simple recipes with minimal ingredients for people who don't like to cook but need help with eating healthier. [17:50]
6. They currently offer seasonal meal plans that are bundled together. There is 13 weeks in each bundle. They are also doing challenges like the whole 30 challenge. People sign up for the challenge on their website. Then everything was delivered through email which included helpful tips and meal plans. They also posted on their Facebook group. They were also available to answer questions. [22:23]
7. A whole30 diet is like a Paleo diet but more strict. There's no Paleo baking and no sugars and alcohol of any kind. [25:11]
8. One of Erica's favorite recipes and also one of their most popular recipes is the crock pot chicken enchiladas. Another popular recipe is their creamy spaghetti squash casserole. [27:35]
9. An instapot is like a pressure cooker with pre programmed functions. The pressure cooker cooks faster and the instapot has more functions. You can brown ground beef and then cook it and make a one pot meal. [31:58]

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Real Simple Good
• Erica on Instagram
• @realsimplegood for all social media
• @realsimplegood on Twitter
• Terry Wahls
• Minding your mitochondria | Dr. Terry Wahls | TEDxIowaCity
• Paleo Enchilada Casserole With Cornbread Topping (gf + Dairy-free)
• Creamy Garlic Spaghetti Squash Casserole (paleo, Whole30, Gf + Dairy-free)
• Instant Pot

Show sponsors (affiliate link included):

• Otto’s Naturals Cassava Flour (use code CLEANEATING for 10% discount + free shipping over $35 during checkout)

Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!

• Clean Eating Challenge
• Clean Eating for Women episode index
• Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

Don’t miss new blog posts! Join my weekly newsletter list to get all the latest news and recipe links delivered directly to your inbox.

Marek from Marek Fitness is here today to talk about meal prepping. Eating healthy can take extra work and meal prepping can solve the temptation to cheat for convenience.  Marek is a single parent and shares some of his great meal prepping tips.In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• Marek’s fitness story
• How Marek’s son is involved in the kitchen
• The basics of meal prepping

Some highlights of this episode:

1. Marek is from Slovakia, but he has been in the states for 12 years. Meal prepping has been part of his life for a long time. Getting a divorced and becoming a single-parent gave Marek a chance to start fresh and prepare his own food. It also brought him back to his Slovakian roots and nutritious homemade meals. [01:55]
2. Marek is an electrical engineer with a demanding job and a single-parent. He also competes in men's physique competitions and plays competitive volleyball. At first, cooking seemed almost impossible. Meal prepping for Marek was the missing piece of the puzzle. [04:14]
3. Meal prepping means prepping food for 4 to 5 days at one time. Meal prepping Sunday means prepping dishes for 4 to 5 meals and measuring them up and storing them for the week. [04:56]
4. He Googled and watched YouTube videos and watched people cooked ten pounds of chicken at once and really tried to figure out how to incorporate this into having a healthy diet. He started small just making his lunches. Then he started figuring out ways to make it easier, more efficient, cheaper, and better. [07:37]
5. Budget is a huge benefit of meal prepping. Time is the number one benefit, but saving money is the number two benefit. Cooking in bulk saves time, and time equals money eventually. Buying in bulk and in season also makes the food better. It also costs less. [09:27]
6. He uses vegetarian chocolate protein powder and organic cocoa and oat flour to make healthy muffins. He also uses fruit like bananas. Then he lets his son cook with him and add dark chocolate. This is one way to keep his son involved and encourage him to eat healthy also. [14:18]
7. Meal prepping for beginners. Start small you can't change your whole life that wants. It's a marathon not a sprint. Prepare foods and ingredients you enjoy. Get proper containers. The air around your food affects how long it can keep. Eliminate as much air as possible. Try getting glass or plastic containers from Rubbermaid or Pyrex. [17:10]
8. Utilize your oven for multiple items at a time. Also start with the item that takes the longest. While the potatoes are baking you can get your chicken and veggies cooked at the same time. Also jazz up your meal with spices. Split your chicken into three different groups and use three different types of spices. This will give you variety. Know what you like and always have your staples on hand. [26:54]
9. Make avocado ice cream with organic chocolate, frozen banana, and frozen avocado. This is going to be Marek's new ice cream recipe. Once he finds the ratios, he is going to make it in the food processor. [32:15]

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Marek Fitness on Instagram
• Marek Fitness on YouTube
• Marek Fitness on Facebook

Show sponsor (affiliate link included):

• Otto’s Naturals Cassava Flour (use code CLEANEATING for 10% discount + free shipping over $35 during checkout)

Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!

• Clean Eating for Women episode index
• Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

Don’t miss new blog posts! Join my weekly newsletter list to get all the latest news and recipe links delivered directly to your inbox.

Carol Lourie is a Naturopath, Licensed Acupuncturist, Functional Medicine expert and Homeopath, with over 30 years of experience in providing integrative health care. Carol joins me today to talk about women’s health and polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS.In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:  

• What PCOS is and Carol’s full spectrum approach to treatment.
• How PCOS symptoms are different for everyone and it is difficult to get a diagnosis.
• Increased environmental toxins can increase PCOS symptoms.

Some highlights of this episode on how to make veggies taste delicious:

1. I am a survivor of PCOS. This is not a condition that is easily resolved or easily tolerated. It impacted my life for two decades, and I've only had it under control for three years. [01:11]
2. Carol always wanted to be a medical doctor. In the 70s, She lived in New York in a spiritual community. She knew a chiropractor who did detox diets. Carol ended up working in his office and saw all the people that he has helped. Carol ran across a flyer for a College of Naturopathic Medicine, and she decided to go, and she graduated in the 80s. [01:48]
3. The more Carol has practiced, the more she has noticed the connection between the mind and the body. She has also noticed that all chronic disease has a foundation of a history of trauma. There are multiple factors and multiple symptoms in PCOS. Everyone's symptoms are a little different. This can be confusing for medical doctors, and it makes getting a diagnosis difficult. [03:38]
4. Carol has been treating PCOS for the last 25 years. She has seen symptoms become more severe and more hormonal disruption as toxins in our environment increase. [07:36]
5. People with PCOS have elevated sugar levels and increased cholesterol and cysts on their ovaries. Carol includes an underlying inflammatory process and the emotional component that she feels is very important too. As well as a hormonal imbalance. [08:24]
6. Metabolic syndrome or blood sugar disproportion is one of the spokes. Having extra sugar swimming around in your bloodstream has a direct impact on the formation of cysts in your ovaries. Targeted nutritional changes and supplements can make a big difference in blood sugar. Carol begins by getting a proper breakfast in place like a healing protein smoothie with milk thistle, probiotics, and vitamin C. [11:47]
7. The basics of Carol's approach is to work nutritionally to lay the foundation for cells and decrease inflammation. Stabilize your blood sugar and support your liver and your triglycerides will go down. Your body likes to be healthy and will respond in a positive way if you give it what it needs. [17:23]
8. The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. The hypothalamus and pituitary are connected. There is a clear system of hormonal feedback loops. When one hormone is released it goes to the thyroid gland and then the thyroid gland releases thyroid hormone. When we are stressed, the body releases cortisol and this clogs up the messaging system. Everything we do relates to our health. [23:30]
9. Environmental chemicals that get in our body can be estrogen disruptors. This can also lead to excessive estrogen and other hormonal imbalances. Start with the toxin free home. Laundry detergent has estrogen disruptors. The sheets you sleep on and the towel you dry your body with are coated with estrogen disruptors. [30:38]

• Links mentioned in this episode: 

  • Carol Lourie website
  • Carol's free Healthy Hormone Guide
  • Clean Eating Challenge

  Show sponsor (affiliate link included):

  • Otto's Naturals Cassava Flour (use code CLEANEATING for 10% discount + free shipping over $35 during checkout)
• Join the Clean Eating for Women Community!
  • Clean Eating for Women episode index
  • Clean Eating for Women Podcast private Facebook Group (great for asking questions and connecting with me personally)

Erin Holt is a holistic nutritionist and a very strong woman. I have been listening to her podcast, and it is an honor to have her on the show today to talk about a subject that is very sensitive to me. Today, we discus eating disorders and recovery from eating disorders.In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, We talk about:  

• Erin’s health journey
• Eating disorders and diet culture
• Healing never comes through restriction (there is a time and place for therapeutic elimination diets)

Some highlights of this episode:

1. Erin grew up as a chunky kid, but as she grew and became more lean she received a lot of positive reinforcement. She started running and drastically reduced what she was eating, and she started a 13 year struggle with eating disorders. She started clinging to the restriction model in high school, but in college she was introduced to bulimia. [02:40]
2. Erin decided to get her life together and become a dietitian. After graduating, she decided she didn't want to become a dietitian. Conventional medicine looks at things in a black and white way. She became a health coach, a yoga teacher, she stopped dieting, and starting eating whole food. She finally started to heal. [05:58]
3. After getting married and having a baby, her health fell apart and she was diagnosed with systemic scleroderma an autoimmune disease. This influenced how she lived and practiced nutrition. She wants to empower women to live free of diet culture and chronic disease. [07:54]
4. We don't have to let diet culture dictate our lives. We can break free from that. How we live our lives and the thoughts we have all matter. [08:42]
5. How chronic illness makes us feel betrayed by our bodies. There is a huge correlation between eating disorders and body Image issues and the way chronic illness can make you feel. Your body hasn't betrayed you. These things are actually protective mechanisms to try to keep us safe and keep us alive. [10:03]
6. How responsibility means responding to the situation. We don't have to follow every restrictive message and take more and more things out of our diet. How restriction and the diet mentality is beat into us. How people with autoimmune diseases are taught that healing comes from restriction. Even with autoimmune disease, Erin tries to move away from the restriction. [13:19]
7. How healing never comes through restriction.The stress of the diets were outweighing the potential benefits for Erin. Why would you be given something in which the only solution is restriction. Food manipulation is pretty easy. Changing our relationships to ourselves, other people, and stress is where the hard work is at. This is also where the magic and the healing happens. [17:44]
8. First and foremost, things need to be approached with love. Weight loss and healing are not always simultaneous goals. It's very rare that Erin sees healing come through dieting. Erin actually had to put on 10 pounds to feel better. This really created an internal struggle for her. [20:17]  
9. Listening to our bodies and connecting with how foods make us feel. How we need to find a way to get back online with our bodies. This is how Erin healed from an eating disorder and an autoimmune disease. Getting back in touch with yourself and feeling things including how your body responds to food and how you feel emotionally. [29:35]

Links mentioned in this episode (some affiliate links included):

• Erin Holt Health
• Funk’tional Nutrition Podcast
• Erin Holt Health on Instagram
• Erin Holt Health on Pinterest
• Chris Kresser Revolution Health Radio
• Why I Gained 10 Pounds
• Jessica Flanigan
• Otto’s Cassava Flour (use code CLEANEATING for 10% discount + free shipping over $35 during checkout)
• Rachel Yehuda