Nourish Balance Thrive

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) expert Jason Moore is the co-founder of EliteHRV, an app for iPhone and Android that tracks sleep patterns, workout patterns, mood and more.

After being impressed by Jason's AHS presentation I was equally impressed by the app, and it's now something I use every day.

In this episode I was delighted to be joined by Dr Lynda Frassetto. Lynda is a medical doctor and Professor of Medicine and Nephrology at the University of California San Francisco. She is the director of a clinical research center at UCSF, supervises patient care at three of the University's hospitals, and helps teach courses on improved communications and behavioral stress modification techniques.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects up to 8,000,000 women in the US alone. Women with PCOS are often unable to become pregnant, and are at increased risk for obesity, depression, and cancer.

We don't understand all the causes of PCOS but we know that it is closely related to insulin resistance. And one of the best ways to treat insulin resistance is diet!

As of writing there are just 9 days left for you to help fund a groundbreaking study into the efficacy of diet for treating PCOS. If like me you've been wondering how you might give back to the Paleo community, here's your chance.

Donate to the PCOS Paleo Diet Study »

Another dietary champion episode with author, blogger and ketosis expert Jimmy Moore. Find out how Jimmy was able to permanently lose 180lb over at his blog or better yet, head over to Amazon and treat yourself to a copy of his new book, Keto Clarity, just out today.

Hear Jimmy debunk the the myths concerning ketogenic diets and cortisol, thyroid, fatty liver disease.

In this episode we were delighted to be joined by author, blogger and autoimmunity expert Sarah Ballantyne, better known as The Paleo Mom. Adopting the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol was the first step I took towards regained my health and fitness, so having Sarah on our show was really quite something. Since the AIP diet focuses on maximizing nutrient density whilst simultaneously avoiding exposure to potentially allergenic or toxic food, it's still pretty much what we as a family eat today.

Join us as we talk to Sarah about ketogenic diets, adrenal fatigue syndrome, her forthcoming book "The Paleo Approach Cookbook: A Detailed Guide to Heal Your Body and Nourish Your Soul" and much, much more.

Daniel Kalish, D.C., is a pioneer, having developed his own model of Functional Medicine founded on 20 years of successful clinical results while working with over 8,000 patients in his private practice. He has certified over 700 practitioners worldwide in The Kalish Method which solves patient challenges through a proven lab based mentorship program addressing the three key areas of Hormones, GI and Detoxification. He has trained practitioners from Dr. Mercola's medical staff to Mayo Clinic physicians in Kalish Method functional medicine protocols. Dr. Kalish received his B.A. in Physiological Psychology & Philosophy from Antioch College in Ohio and completed his Chiropractic degree in California. He also studied at the University of London and conducted research with biochemist Dr. Robin Monroe at Cambridge University. His studies led him to mentoring with renowned psychiatrist Dr. R.D. Lang utilizing drug-free treatments for schizophrenics. More recently, Dr. Kalish proudly served as an advisor to the Honorable Patrick Kennedy and participated in the first One Mind For Research conference held in Boston in 2011 where 200 of the nation's top neuroscientists gathered to form a unified front to promote research on brain disorders.

He is the author of two books, The Kalish Method: Healing the Body Mapping the Mind and Your Guide to Healthy Hormones and is a frequently requested speaker for health summits across the United States.

See the sample result discussed in the interview.

In this episode we were delighted to be joined by the Paleo legend that is Robb Wolf. For most he will need no introduction, but for everyone else Robb is a former research biochemist and the New York Times Best Selling author of The Paleo Solution – The Original Human Diet. A student of Prof. Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet, Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast, book and seminars.

In this extended interview Robb speaks candidly about his background and homelife, his time working under Prof. Cordain, the limitations of modern healthcare, childhood immunisations and much, much more.

UCAN Superstarch has been an extraordinary tool that allowed me to make the transition from sugar burning age grouper to ketogenic pro. Registered Dietitian and Director of Nutrition at UCAN Seth Bronheim explains why Superstarch works so well and why it's not just for athletes.

[00:00:33] UCAN Superstarch is a high molecular weight non GMO cornstarch

[00:00:57] Peter Attia's presentation

[00:01:26] I found UCAN as a partial solution for pre-diabetes

[00:01:49] Initially a gram for gram replacement for maltodextrin

[00:02:15] Genova Diagnostics Organix Profile

[00:02:18] Carnitine deficiency

[00:03:00] UCAN is a carbohydrate that doesn't knock me out of ketosis

[00:03:20] Who can benefit from UCAN

[00:03:42] Slow heat elongates the carbohydrate

[00:04:03] UCAN is actually a food not a supplement

[00:04:27] Originally developed as a solution for glycogen storage disease

[00:04:49] UCAN requires less of an insulin response

[00:05:03] Also great for people that can't stop to eat

[00:05:20] Insulin controls adiposity and high levels block fat burning

[00:06:01] UCAN works for anyone trying to stabilize blood sugar

[00:06:22] Adrenal Stress Profile test for cortisol

[00:06:57] The brain doesn't need carbohydrate in the amounts commonly found in food

[00:08:27] There's no food that provide carbohydrate in the form found in UCAN

[00:09:04] Fructose is low glycemic but cannot provide the sustained release of carbohydrate

[00:10:21] High protein diets lack an energy source

[00:11:22] UCAN was a key component to my transition to being a fat burner

[00:11:41] What foods work best with UCAN?

[00:13:13] UCAN smoothie with coconut oil and whey protein isolate

[00:14:50] All is not lost even with high carbohydrate foods

[00:15:28] Bacon and eggs is a great choice of breakfast but the whey smoothie could be great for travelling

[00:16:21] Large molecules move through the stomach very quickly

[00:16:39] Tropical Orange UCAN as an alternative to orange juice

[00:18:01] Is the UCAN business model flawed?

[00:18:28] UCAN becomes more effective over time

[00:19:15] If you're not in ketosis you must have a source of glucose

[00:19:37] Higher intensities still require glucose

[00:21:33] Finding something that works and then taking it to the extreme

[00:22:13] The upper limits of dose

[00:22:33] For 60 to 90 minutes, 1 - 2 scoops. For longer than 120 minutes, 1 scoop every 90 minutes

[00:23:24] Ironman athletes can use 11 packets!

[00:24:02] The trick is to figure out your need in training

[00:24:18] 1 scoop per hour for 6 hours gave me horrendous gas, but hey that's just me!

[00:25:31] Artificial sweeteners and insulin

[00:25:53] There's a small amount of artificial sweetener in UCAN but they're moving towards natural sweetener

[00:26:29] Insulinogenic effect is negligible at these low doses

[00:26:48] UCAN started with sports teams

[00:27:18] No sugar based sports drink claims mental clarity as a potential benefit

[00:27:43] Lifetime Fitness

[00:28:11] An alternative to desk draw snacking

[00:28:36] What is it about coffee?

[00:29:58] Great for personal trainers

[00:30:32] UCAN and ketogenic diets

[00:31:44] UCAN is a great tool for transitioning to a ketogenic diet

[00:32:28] Going really slow saved me the deleterious effects of the keto adaptation phase

[00:33:03] Corn and secretory IgA testing

[00:34:10] If you have a known allergy to corn, UCAN might not be for you

[00:34:27] Often it's the GMO that causes trouble

[00:34:47] I know I'm sensitive to corn but UCAN is fine

[00:35:10] Pays to be cautious

[00:35:47] Remove all the potential triggers and then experiment

[00:36:36] Sipping or one serving all at once is fine

[00:38:07] UCAN electrolyte mix

[00:38:41] Ketogenic diets tend towards electrolyte depletion

[00:38:59] Storing UCAN

[00:39:26] Hydrapak SoftFlask

[00:39:38] Only the plain UCAN separates

[00:40:28] Just bring the packets on longer rides

[00:40:47] Limitations of UCAN

[00:41:59] Mixing UCAN with Bulletproof MCT oil

In this episode I was lucky enough to be joined by Roland Schoeman, the current world record holder in the 50m freestyle. In 2004 he won Gold, Silver and Bronze at the Athens Olympics. Roland is 33 years old and will be 36 at his 5th Olympics in Rio. Roland will be taking three tests to get a better understanding of how well his body is responding to his enormous training load.

In this first of a series of interviews, we talk about stress, hormones, neurotransmitters, recovery, ketogenic diets, GI pathogens and more!

[00:00:09] Introduction to Roland Schoeman

[00:00:37] About Nourish Balance Thrive

[00:01:06] Roland's background

[00:02:35] Aging has forced careful attention to recovery

[00:02:56] Ben Greenfield 7 Signs Your Cortisol and Adrenals are Broken

[00:03:48] Saliva Adrenal hormone testing

[00:04:33] What we really use the stress response for in modern life

[00:05:15] The problem of excessive stress

[00:05:34] Roland has a swim and strength training coach, but that's it

[00:05:59] Roland's anti-doping stance

[00:06:37] Resistance stretching and Capoeira

[00:07:29] Enlightened self-interest

[00:07:58] We assume that the pros have access to the best but it's not necessarily true

[00:09:19] Chris was forced into the system of testing by a huge deterioration in health

[00:09:51] Stress puts long term building projects on hold

[00:10:21] Roland tracks HRV using Sweetbeat

[00:11:11] HRV and readiness to train are sometimes discordant

[00:13:10] Having the data can sometimes be your downfall

[00:13:32] Sleep should be really easy

[00:13:56] Low libido, sugar cravings, uneven energy

[00:14:32] Excited about training since fixing adrenal insufficiency

[00:15:04] Travelling makes sleep really hard

[00:15:29] Do sleeping pills help you sleep or knock you unconscious?

[00:15:53] Low resting heart rate and parasympathetic nervous system

[00:16:35] Licorice extract inhibits the breakdown of cortisol to cortisone

[00:17:43] Adjusting cortisol should only be attempted with a lab result, and even then with caution

[00:18:37] Robb Wolf

[00:19:05] Genova Diagnostic Organix urine test

[00:19:22] L-Tyrosine and 5-HTP, dopamine and serotonin

[00:20:31] The Australians have banned the use of sleeping pills

[00:21:56] Checking blood glucose

[00:22:35] Roland has worked with Kim Swanwick

[00:22:50] Blood glucose cortisol connection

[00:23:37] Blood glucose poor sleep connection

[00:24:21] Fixing sleep with diet

[00:24:33] Optimal blood glucose is usually 80-90 mg/dL but there are many exceptions

[00:25:30] Fasted morning glucose is of particular interest

[00:25:56] Keto adaptation

[00:26:24] Roland's experience working with Prof. Tim Noakes

[00:27:36] You must train like you race

[00:28:20] The Real Meal Revolution

[00:29:07] Roland's keto adaptation was painful

[00:29:46] Tons of energy, BUT only with loss of top end power

[00:30:55] Roland abandoned the ketogenic diet and currently eats quinoa, rice, yams

[00:31:57] Mountain biking is almost completely aerobic and lends itself to ketosis

[00:32:44] Open water swimmers might benefit

[00:32:54] Any event lasting more than 9 minutes is 99% aerobic according to Phil Maffetone

[00:33:23] Supplementation during a swim workout

[00:34:16] Protein shake and amino acids immediately post workout

[00:34:33] Definite improvement in recovery

[00:34:50] Needing to eat immediately post workout is a sign your workout was glycolytic

[00:36:10] Not just for Olympians!

[00:36:23] Paying attention to your body

[00:36:36] Coeliac and gluten sensitivity

[00:37:12] Increased period of stress leads to suppress immunity leads to infection

[00:37:54] Roland's digestion is stellar, but he's always looking to do better

[00:38:52] H. pylori and protein digestion

[00:39:37] Stool antigen testing

[00:40:06] The combination of lowered immunity and pathogens is a dangerous one

[00:40:52] Swimmers might be at particular risk as many pathogens are waterborne

[00:41:19] We're only looking for milliseconds here

[00:41:58] More about the Organix test

[00:42:08] Carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism

[00:42:17] Neurotransmitter turnover

[00:42:19] Methylation, phase I & II detox, i.e. liver function

[00:42:39] CDC Forth Report

[00:43:15] Sulfur containing amino acids and B vitamins

[00:43:33] Bacterial and yeast overgrowths, clostridial species

[00:44:17] The metabolite indican is from the bacterial breakdown of protein

[00:44:50] Dr Dan Kalish

[00:45:25] All the collection is done at home, no need to visit the doctor

[00:46:18] All the tests cost about $1,000

[00:47:29] Symptoms are usually the last thing to show

[00:47:48] Elevated oxidative stress, athletes, phospholipid bilayer, red blood cells, anemia

[00:48:51] How Nourish Balance Thrive works

[00:49:04] The bulk of our inventions are diet and lifestyle based

[00:49:23] Diet, rest, exercise (more is not more), stress reduction

[00:49:47] 400% increase in testosterone, 700% increase of DHEA

[00:50:18] Addressing root causes is far more effective than supplementation

[00:50:45] Supplementing with steroids doesn't make sense for anyone

[00:51:11] Topical hormone supplements are particularly troublesome

[00:51:37] Downregulating sensitivity and production

[00:52:23] Next time we will be reviewing Roland's food diary with our food scientist Julia Kelly

In this episode, Julie and me were lucky enough to be joined by biochemist, Silicon Valley executive, professional pilot and Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner Toréa Rodriguez. We discuss how Hashimoto's thyroiditis grounded her dream job, her experience working with Chris Kresser and what exactly she's doing now to get back on track.

Toréa has opened up a list for you to sign up to work with her.

05:20 Initially decided against the endocrinologist 06:00 A completely natural approach didn't work 06:27 Elevated antibodies diagnosed Hashimoto's 07:00 Toréa has a massive amount data from blood work on her thyroid 08:00 Symptoms are the last thing to show 08:25 The lab work reveals issues before they become a real problem 09:00 The benefits of functional medicine 09:33 Sensitivity is a current limitation of hormone testing 10:21 Started synthetic meds 11:00 Wasn't feeling any better, lab results still abnormal 11:21 Trial and error titration 11:45 Frustration 12:00 Treat the symptoms, if that doesn't work we'll cut it out 13:00 Toréa has spoke to many people that have had a thyroidectomy 13:20 Chris Kresser 13:43 Understanding the complexity of the condition 14:45 Dividing complexity 15:13 Health care vs disease care 16:19 Kresser ran lots of labs and spent two hours doing the interpretations 16:50 Adrenal fatigue, iron deficiency anemia 17:00 Granola bars and a vegetarian diet weren't cutting it 17:30 Put onto a strict Paleo reset diet and reintroducing meat 17:49 Within 30 days felt so much better 18:00 The transition from vegetarianism 18:41 Resilience 19:31 Vegetarianism seemed like a healthy choice 19:52 Hypoxia 21:00 Oxygen deliverability is a deal breaker 21:24 Why Toréa is no longer working with Kresser 22:00 Dr Cowan in San Francisco 22:26 Being the middle man didn't work 22:50 Quit being a pilot 23:00 Stable results were still elusive 23:36 Glandulars didn't work 24:00 Alan Christianson NMD 24:30 The role of diet in treating Hashimotos 24:50 Tried reintroducing dairy didn't work completely 25:21 Gluten is definitely a no no 25:42 Now eating an autoimmune protocol 26:00 Skin is clearing up within a week 26:15 What is AIP? 26:30 The Paleo Mom, The Paleo Approach 27:00 Leaky gut 27:45 Great book for maximizing nutrient density 28:00 Functional Diagnostic Nutrition 28:30 Which tests to run first 29:00 Diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction and then supplements 29:22 BioHealth 205 Adrenal Stress Profile 29:39 Toréa has struggled to make progress with adrenal fatigue 30:00 Is running further tests to uncover hidden root causes 30:45 Root causes vs symptoms 32:00 The importance of gut health 32:15 Women and Hashimoto's 33:00 Women's hormones are more fragile 33:45 Sara Gottfried 34:30 What you can do to help yourself 35:00 Nurturing 35:00 Take time for yourself 36:00 Falling down the hormonal flight of stairs 37:00 Toréa has the knowledge AND the time to take care of you 39:00 Getting started with lab testing

In this episode I was lucky enough to be joined by Aaron Olson, blogger at paleorunner.org and creator of the wonderful podcast of the same name. Aaron is a forensic lab technician (tech) and not test! Whoops, sorry Aaron.

00:25 The list of amazing guests on Aaron's podcast
01:39 Aaron's story
02:00 The Paleo diet is a cure for digestive issues
02:40 Advice from the doctor made it worse
03:10 Symptoms gone in 3 weeks, life changing for a runner
03:31 Inspired to start the blog and podcast
04:00 Tim Noakes on hydration
04:24 The Perfect Health Diet for pregnancy
05:06 The body as a whole, listening to the body
05:30 Becoming in tune with your body
05:49 Priority foods for pregnancy
06:00 Organ meats for folate and selenium
06:30 No morning sickness, but can be a positive sign
07:00 What is the purpose of morning sickness
07:26 Could protein aversions save a pregnant women and unborn child from pathogens?
08:31 More than 20% protein particularly toxic
09:00 Maximising nutrient density in the run up to pregnancy
10:00 Julia is an amazing cook!
11:00 Planning a birth
11:42 Aaron starting with a traditional doctor, didn’t like what he heard
12:00 Not keen on ultrasound
12:20 Settled for a midwife and birthing center
12:48 Trusting the body to do what it was designed
13:28 Our experience was rather different
14:00 Don’t believe the laundry sales pitch!
14:14 Belly circumference not reliable after 20 weeks
15:28 What is normal gestation?
16:33 Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering
17:17 Our birthing experience
18:00 Julia waited as long as humanly possible before going to the hospital
18:32 Hospitals deal with emergencies!
19:25 Baby was born within 2 hours of our arrival at hospital
20:00 Signing a release form
20:10 Unnecessary blood test
20:37 Silvia is breast fed, but not by Aaron
21:00 Dealing with bottles is an arse
21:43 Nipple probiotics
22:00 Ancestral health and bottle feeding
22:24 No problems eating a Perfect Health Diet whilst breast feeding
23:02 Including some safe starches
24:35 Postnatal pre-diabetes
25:30 Ketogenic diets and breast feeding
26:00 Milk production
26:45 Noakes thinks >118 mg/dL is toxic, Jaminet 140
27:00 Hyper palatable food combinations
28:00 Leafy veg as a vehicle fat
28:40 First foods
28:52 Nourishing Traditions for Baby by Sally Fallon
29:00 Raw egg yolks and liver
29:36 Our first foods
30:00 US Wellness Meats Liverwurst beef trim (30%), liver (30%), heart (20%)
30:30 The Fifth Quarter Charcuterie, Berkeley, CA
31:00 Nordics Naturals fish oil
32:50 Overeating protein
33:00 Breast milk is only 7% protein
34:23 Blending safe starches with bone broth
35:00 Pre-chewing food
36:32 Inoculating with probiotics
37:00 Vaccines
37:30 Making your own decision
38:00 Aaron isn’t completely decided, takes a balanced approach
39:00 Most diseases were already on the decline when vaccination began
39:16 Terry Wahls on the Bulletproof podcast, adjuvants
40:00 Do we need to vaccinate against disease like Polio which have been eradicated?
40:26 Small percentage react severely, risk of death is non-zero
40:50 Measles makes more sense
41:16 Our partner, Dr Jamie Busch and group immunity
42:00 Of course your kid is always most important
42:44 Aaron’s favourite guest is Tim Noakes
44:00 Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong by Emily Oster