Are you ready for an honest conversation about meat? This is such an important topic, so listen in as we unpack the reasons why meat has been vilified, why conventional meat is so bad for you, and how regenerative farming can transform not only our health - but our planet too.

Today’s guest is Darby Simpson, former mechanical engineer turned full-time livestock farmer from Central Indiana. Darby is passionate about repairing the environment through regenerative farming practices and changing the conversation around meat as a part of a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. In this conversation, he shares thought-provoking and data-packed information that will help us think about how we approach meat in our daily lives.

• Why meat has become so controversial in the diet and nutrition space
• Why pasture raised meats are more nutrient dense than conventionally raised meats
• How farming practices impact the environment
• What questions we should be asking our local farmers
• Which labels to be weary of at the supermarket

I hope this conversation causes you to dig a little deeper and think about how our food choices impact not just our health of our bodies - but the health of our planet. To stay in touch with Darby, check out www.simpsonfamilyfarm.com or www.darbysimpson.com. You can also check out Darby’s recommended resource www.pastureproject.org for more information on this topic.

If you enjoyed this episode, give me a shout on Instagram at @ericaballardhealth and leave a 5-star review on iTunes.

Have you heard the buzz about keto? It can be a confusing and sometimes controversial topic, but you might be wondering if it’s the key to reaching your goals. (I know you’re curious because 36: Intermittent Fasting 101 with Beth Lipton is one of the most downloaded episodes of The Full Plate to date!)

So, to answer all of our keto questions, allow me to introduce you to Keto Nutritionist & Hormone Specialist, Vivica Menegaz. As a published author, Vivica is an expert on keto adaptation and using this process to bring about healing in the body. In this episode we are breaking down the benefits of the keto paleo diet -- what it is, how it works, and who this program is right for.

But here’s the thing: there’s a right way and a wrong way to do keto, and Vivica wants to make sure you do it right.

Listen in to learn:

• What ketosis is and why it can be a healing state for our bodies
• How our unique bodies differ when it comes to carb tolerances and finding our ideal diet
• What keto adaptation is and how our brains can re-learn to burn ketones
• How ketosis can help balance hormones
• Who keto is for and how to do it right

Today’s conversation only scratches the surface of all that Vivica has to share about the keto paleo lifestyle and the science behind it. For more, be sure to check out her blog and snag this special download for podcast listeners. And, keep an eye out on socials for your chance to win a copy of her book, The Keto Paleo Kitchen.

If you enjoyed this episode, give us a shout on Instagram at @ericaballardhealth and @thenourishedcaveman. We’d love to hear from you!

Do you ever have trouble digesting dairy? If so, you might want to give goat milk products a try. Today we’re talking to Tim Vanzant of Risin’ Creek Creamery. As a 35-year veteran of raising nubian goats, Tim has incredible knowledge when it comes to the nutrient makeup of goat milk and why it may be easier for humans to digest. He also happens to be one of the vendors who I make a point to visit at my local farmers market nearly every week. So, Tim and his herd of goats are an important part of my life, and I’m excited to share his knowledge with you today.

Listen in to understand:

• Why goat milk might be a good alternative if you have trouble digesting dairy
• What you need to know about choosing dairy and goat milk products
• What it means when dairy products are labeled as raw vs. pasteurized vs. ultra pasteurized   
• How seasons and food sources affect the taste and nutrient profile of goat milk
• Why sourcing fresh, local dairy products is so important

You’re going to love getting to know Tim and his “diva” goats, and I hope this inspires you to get to know your local farmers and producers. If you’re near Indianapolis, be sure to visit Indy Winter Farmers Market, Broad Ripple Winter Farmers Market and specialty stores such as Wildwood Market to give Risin’ Creek Chevre a try. You can also check out www.risincreek.com or @RisinCreekCreamery on Facebook and Instagram for market updates (and cute pictures of goats).

If this episode was helpful to you, hop on over to iTunes and give The Full Plate a five star review. We’d be so grateful. And as always, get in touch with me on Instagram @ericaballardhealth.

Do you need a therapist? How do you know if you need a therapist? This episode will help us sort through just that.

Today’s guest is my friend, Topsie Vandenbosch. Topsie is a mental health therapist who specializes in working with career-focused women who struggle with inner confidence. In this episode, she helps us answer some fundamental questions, like What does mental health look like? How common are anxiety and depression? What’s the line between a bad day and a mental health issue that requires professional help?

Because here’s the thing: Mental health is a spectrum, and it manifests itself differently in every person. The key is to know what to look for so we can proactively strive for mental and emotional wellness in our lives.

Listen in as we unpack:

• The most common mental health issues and how they show up in different people
• How to know when it’s time to visit a mental health professional
• What a panic attack looks and feels like, and what to do if you think you’re having one
• What can happen if you avoid processing a traumatic event, and how working with a mental health professional can help
• How to choose the right mental health professional for you

I know you’re going to want to stay in touch with Topsie, so give her a shout on Instagram at @topsievandenbosch and check out  www.topsievandenbosch.com to grab her awesome freebie: “The Top 26 Reasons Why You Need a Mindset Coach.”

If you loved this episode, jump on over to iTunes and leave The Full Plate a five-star review so we can reach more people with this important conversation on mental health!

It's not that you don't like it. It's that you're not good at it yet.

This is the mistake so many of make when trying to get healthy. We think we don't like doing things. But really we feel inadequate.

You can overcome that though. Tune into this quick dish to find out how. 

How do we bring more of us into the healthcare system? It’s a challenging question, and one that some healthcare providers, like today’s guest, are trying to answer.

Dr. Dan Pino is an internal medicine and pediatrics doctor at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis. As a primary care physician, Dan is asking important questions about how the systems we live in play a role in our overall well being. Dan and I met randomly at a coffee shop, and after a brief and fascinating conversation, I knew I had to introduce him to my listeners, too. I think you’ll enjoy this thoughtful conversation.

Listen in as we explore:

• What identity means within the healthcare setting
• How the healthcare system has evolved from disease-specific to understanding the full context of a patient’s life
• How different socioeconomic factors can affect the patient-physician relationship
• How social isolation is detrimental to our health and why community is essential to our wellbeing as individuals and as a society
• How we can be a part of transforming the healthcare system and promoting positive outcomes in our lives and in the lives of those around us

Wasn’t that a refreshing and encouraging conversation? I hope you’ll continue to explore these questions and keep the conversation going over on Instagram by tagging me at @ericaballardhealth.

FREEBIE ALERT: Do you work in an office? And does the food sitting in the breakroom keep you from reaching your biggest health goals? Then I’ve got a free gift for you. Grab my new ebook, “Erica’s Healthy Break Room Guide” to learn the 5 steps offices can take to improve their food today.

Why do we need to take care of our spines? Well, there are a lot of reasons, and my friend Dr. Lauren Harden lays them out for us in today’s episode of The Full Plate. Dr. Lauren is a natural health and wellness professional, a chiropractor and a licensed athletic trainer. She’s also the owner of Body Mechanics Health & Wellness and host of Medically Speaking on AM1310 in Indianapolis.

Dr. Lauren is an expert when it comes to spinal health, and she makes this essential information accessible and easy to understand. So listen in for practical tips on how to take care of one of the most important parts of your body: your spine.

You’ll learn things like:

• Why a healthy spinal cord and spinal column are essential to our daily function
• How repetitive stresses lead to myofascial pain
• How things like trauma, thoughts and toxins cause misalignment in the spine  
• How chiropractic adjustments work and what to expect when visiting a chiropractor
• The number one thing you can do to improve your spinal health

If you loved this episode, let us know by taking a screenshot and tagging me at @ericaballardhealth and Dr. Lauren at @bodymechanicsindy on Instagram. You can get in touch with Dr. Lauren via email ([email protected]) or by tuning into her call-in radio show, Medically Speaking with Dr. Lauren Harden, every first and second Saturday of the month on AM1310: The Light in Indianapolis.

It's never cute when it happens, but breakdowns are actually helpful. That is, if you let them be helpful. 

I know that and drank my own kool-aid this week. So, tune in to see what I learned and what you can learn from this week's Kardashian-like cry. 

Oh and if you like what you hear - pretty please jump on over to iTunes and leave The Full Plate a five star review. It would mean to world to me if you helped me get these messages out to those who need to hear it. 

Like CBD, it seems like everyone is talking about mushrooms and their superpowers. But, honestly, I didn’t know all that much about them before this episode. In fact, I had no idea there was so much to know about mushrooms! Thankfully, today’s guest enlightened me on the hundreds of species of mushrooms and their countless benefits.

Jeff Chilton is a mushroom aficionado whose fascination with the plant led him to his current role as President of Nammex, the first company to offer a certified organic line of mushroom extracts in the US supplement industry. Jeff is also a kind and brilliant soul who is here to share with us the many benefits of mushrooms -- both edible and medicinal -- and what to look for when choosing a mushroom supplement.

As Jeff makes clear in this episode, mushrooms are not a panacea, but they can play an incredible role in bringing our bodies back into homeostasis.

Listen in to learn:

• The basic nutritional benefits of edible mushrooms
• The difference between edible mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms
• How medicinal mushrooms work to enhance your health and bring you back into homeostasis
• How to start implementing mushrooms into your diet and supplement routine  

• What to look for in the quality mushroom supplements

Our friend Jeff doesn’t have Instagram, but you can learn more about his company at www.nammex.com. And don’t forget to give me a shout on Instagram at @ericaballardhealth. I’d love to hear from you!

Here’s Part 2 of my Peru revelations. If you listened to Part 1, you know that I learned a lot. Almost too much. As I was stopped dead in my tracks.

In this episode, I lay out how I handled all the lessons I learned. What I did with them. And how you can to apply them to your life. 

So, tune in. And if you like what you hear, I’d love if you hopped on over to iTunes to leave me me a five-star review.