Topics
- News and updates from Diane & Liz [2:41]
- Listener feedback and comments [7:19]
- 5 years ago, where did you see yourself in 5 years [9:22]
- Favorite hobby not related to work [13:14]
- Secret talent unrelated to business [16:35]
- How have you changed from the first episode to now [23:06]
- Finding balance in your eating lifestyle [27:20]
- Diane's travel tip [35:42]
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You’re listening to the Balanced Bites podcast episode 301.
Diane Sanfilippo: Welcome to the Balanced Bites podcast. I’m Diane; a certified nutrition consultant, and the New York Times bestselling author of Practical Paleo and The 21-Day Sugar Detox. I live in San Francisco with my husband and fur kids.
Liz Wolfe: I’m Liz; a nutritional therapy practitioner, and author of the Wall Street Journal best-seller Eat the Yolks; The Purely Primal Skincare Guide; and the online program Baby Making and Beyond. I live on a farm in the mystical land of the Midwest, outside of Kansas City.
We’re the co-creators of the Balanced Bites Master Class, and we’ve been bringing you this award winning podcast for 5 years and counting. We’re here to share our take on modern paleo living, answer your questions, and chat with leading health and wellness experts. Enjoy this week’s episode, and submit your questions at http://blog.balancedbites.com or watch the Balanced Bites podcast Instagram account for our weekly calls for questions. You can ask us anything in the comments.
Remember our disclaimer: The materials and content within this podcast are intended as general information only, and are not to be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Before we get started, let’s hear from one of our sponsors.
Liz Wolfe: The Balanced Bites podcast is sponsored in part by the Nutritional Therapy Association. The NTA trains and certifies nutritional therapy practitioners and consultants (including me; I’m an NTP), emphasizing bio-individuality and the range of dietary strategies that support wellness. The NTA emphasizes local, whole, properly prepared nutrient dense foods as the key to restoring balance and enhancing the body’s ability to heal. Nutritional therapy practitioners and consultants learn a wide range of tools and techniques to assess and correct nutritional imbalances. To learn lots more about the nutritional therapy program, go to http://www.NutritionalTherapy.com. There are workshop venues in the US, Canada, and Australia, so chances are you’ll be able to find a venue that works for you.
Liz Wolfe: Ok. Hi Diane!
Diane Sanfilippo: Oh hi.
Liz Wolfe: Hi friend. So, gosh, I haven't talked to you in at least 2 hours when we last tried to do this.
Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}
Liz Wolfe: And we had a great episode, actually, when we recorded this earlier.
Diane Sanfilippo: It was good.
Liz Wolfe: Yeah. Yeah. The challenge was I did not record my part. {laughs}
Diane Sanfilippo: I will not lay blame. It has happened to all of us, Literally everyone.
1. News and updates from Diane & Liz [2:41]
Liz Wolfe: I was so sad. But I think we can do it better the second time around. I think this will be great. So, tell me what’s up with you this week.
Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} So, this week we've got; well, the first update is that this podcast is we're attempting; which, I'm just calling the first time we recorded this the dress rehearsal. We’re attempting to bring you guys a little bit more of a concise show. Which, we all know that brevity is not my strong suit. However, we're going to try to keep the show to about 30 minutes. It might squeak up to 40 or 45. But we’re definitely not going to be doing an hour-long show going forward. Because we know there are tons of new amazing podcasts out there. Our friend, Juli Bauer, has one, as I think she's bringing you on the show soon.
Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.
Diane Sanfilippo: So, we know that people are listings to lots of podcasts, ourselves included. We want to respect your time and give you a new episode each week, but give you a little more time to be listening to lots of other shows. So, that's part of it right here. That’s my first update.
The second piece of really big news is that I have a new book coming out. Ahh!
Liz Wolfe: Ahh!
Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Because I’m crazy! So the 21-Day Sugar Detox Daily Guide, which is like a daily handbook and journal and day by day notes and all kinds of fun stuff, and times of new recipes that are super easy and just like every step of the way, we’re helping you guys through it, delivering information each day. So I think you guys are going to love this book. You can get more information at www.BalancedBites.com/dailyguide. It will take you to the Amazon listing. It’s currently listed at $29.95. I’m sure they will discount it, but you know when it's a brand-new listing it’s that price. And when you preorder, you will get the lowest possible price that they offer it for. I’m guessing it's going to be under 20 bucks, for sure. I've also got some preorder bonuses that I’ll be sending out in December. So if you want to join us for the 21-Day Sugar Detox in January, you'll be well prepared with the preorder bonus that I’m sending. Because it’s a really good one. And yeah, just wanted to let you guys know about that. So yay! I feel like we need a cheering noise.
Liz Wolfe: I know, sound effects. That could be down the road.
Diane Sanfilippo: Ok, so, honey, if you can do that. If you could just go ahead and do that, that’d be great. {cheering}
Liz Wolfe: {laughs} That would be great.
Diane Sanfilippo: What’s up with you?
Liz Wolfe: Well with me just some quick news. Folks might have noticed on Instagram that I have a couple of sponsors that I’m excited about. And I just wanted to explain that briefly, because our podcast people are kind of like our core community, I feel like. And folks know that we have sponsors on this podcast. Which, major kudos, I love the brands that reach out and basically say, “Let us support your works so you can keep doing it.” There are various ways to partner with brands on different things, and I think no matter what, you Diane and myself, we will only always partner with brands that we believe in, that we actually use, that we feel are doing impactful things in the space. There's never a question about that.
But a lot of times, brands don't have the capacity, or they're not used to working with folks in a sponsorship capacity, and just to kind of educate and to put it out there, what it is is basically they are supporting our work and making it possible for us to continue doing it. So if you’ve seen some of our Instagram stuff, or some of my Instagram stuff, you'll notice that I have a couple of sponsors in there. I just want folks to always, as always, show our sponsors on the podcast, and any sponsorships that you see on Instagram or Facebook or whenever it is, just show them some love. Because basically what it means is these companies are enabling us to continue doing our work.
Diane Sanfilippo: And doing our work so that we can bring you content that you guys can access for free.
Liz Wolfe: Exactly.
Diane Sanfilippo: So everybody knows there's no such thing as a free lunch; nothing in this world is free. Somebody has to pay for it. So allow the sponsors to pay for it so that you don't have to, and see it that way. See it as a way to continue getting amazing content that you don’t have to pay for. So there you go. I'm excited. I think that's awesome. And we; you know how much we love our show sponsors.
Liz Wolfe: Yes.
Diane Sanfilippo: So, I love being able to promote them, and just had some Vital Choice for lunch today.
Liz Wolfe: Oh my gosh, we have Vital Choice salmon all the time. But my stuff is just never very pretty, so I often forget to put it on Instagram. It’s just such a such a tragedy. Because they have amazing stuff.
Diane Sanfilippo: It’s awesome.
2. Listener feedback and comments [7:19]
Liz Wolfe: Ok. So, before we dive into today's topic, I wanted to read some listener feedback that warmed our cold little podcasting hearts a little bit. Here we go. “I'm not sure if you recognize my e-mail or not, but I’m emailing the both of you for this reason; thank you! Throughout the last five years I’ve sent you both questions, e-mailed a bit and gotten some responses. Additionally, I’ve commended the both of you for helping me make the decision to become an NTP instead of an RD. While I’m still worried about being 29 with only an associate's and no bachelor's yet, I’ve got to cut myself slack; my adrenals cannot take it. I digress. I’m writing you to let you know today that I randomly picked a Balanced Bites episode to listen to about SIBO, as this is what I’m treating in myself, along with hormonal imbalance and adrenal stuff. Without question, as soon as I heard both of your voices again, I let out a huge sigh. I was so relieved. I have missed the both of you on a weekly basis, and have reflected on my journey, how far I've come, and how much the both of you still help. I went from listing to the podcast every week to having over 100 to catch up on. In my world, Liz, you have just gotten pregnant and Diane, you're still engaged! Ha-ha! I thank you for all you do. You're loved, you're enough, and you matter.” And that's from Juli, I’m going to say Micino, but it might be Micino, NTP.
A little prodigal listener there.
Diane Sanfilippo: I love it.
Liz Wolfe: Had some good memories, for various reasons floated away, came back. And I'm glad that we are still rocking it and making her feel good.
Diane Sanfilippo: Love it.
Diane Sanfilippo: Today’s podcast is sponsored by Vital Choice seafood and organics. Purveyor of premium sustainably sourced seafood and a certified B corporation. Vital choice offers a wide range of fish, shellfish, humanely raised meat, protein rich bone broths, and paleo friendly snacks like organic dark chocolate, super antioxidant trail mix, and bison jerky. As the days get longer and the grilling season heats up, www.vitalchoice.com is your source for real food.
3. 5 years ago, where did you see yourself in 5 years [9:22]
Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so we received so many great questions with our “ask us anything” episode that what we wanted to do this week was sort of continue the conversation for another episode. But we're just going to take the ones that go a little bit deeper into the topic of mindset and balance. Because it seems to be a timely issue. A timely topic and issue. And I wanted to talk about it a little bit more, because it’s also a little bit of a marker with 300 episodes; something that has changed a lot over the years.
So, let's get going. I think what I'll do is maybe I’ll ask you the first question, then you ask it back, and we'll kind of go back and forth. Does that sound good?
Liz Wolfe: Brilliant. Sounds good.
Diane Sanfilippo: Alrighty. So five years ago, what did you think you'd be doing in five years, and how is your life different from that?
Liz Wolfe: Well, I think approximately five years ago is when you plucked me from obscurity to do this podcast. I remember sitting on the toilet in my parent’s house, getting a text I think from Hayley that you were maybe going to reach out to me about this podcast. And I think maybe at the time I had a book deal; maybe, maybe not. I can’t remember. But I think that was the moment where I kind of let go of all expectations for my future life, and decided just to go with it and see what would happen from there. If you'd asked me like 10 years ago what did I think I'd be doing in 10 years, I think that would be a little bit different. I think 10 years ago it was like; oh man. I think maybe I thought I was going to be a land surveyor or something. I mean, I was working nowhere near in my field. I was working for an energy company and land leasing. Before that, I had been in media, thinking I wanted to be like a buyer or you know that oh so obscure, “I want to work in media,” you know when you're in college. And I think around that time, married the military, was getting ready to move. Or maybe this was a little bit before that. But anyway, I absolutely never could have predicted that I would end up doing anything in the wellness space. Especially since my concept of the wellness space at that time was, “How many spin classes can I do and how skinny can I get?” I mean, that was literally it. So, I think the 10-year question might be a little more interesting than the five-year one. How about you, Diane?
Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, kind of the same thing. Because five years ago, I don't know that I pictured anything so specifically. I know I've talked about this before, that as somebody who I consider myself more of a speaker and a teacher in that way than a writer. And I write my own books, but it's so hard for me. That process for you; it's easy in a sense that you're a writer, but it's hard for everyone. The process is always hard. But the actually writing and thinking in a linear way is really hard for me. I think it circles a lot. And so I would never have thought that this is where I would be five; or will this be six books in? Something like that. So I wouldn’t have thought about that.
I probably thought that I would be doing something with teaching nutrition five years ago. But 10 years ago, to your point, I probably would've pictured myself running some sort of graphic design small business ad agency here in San Francisco. Because when I first moved back to the city, and was still working for an ad agency, I thought I was going to grow that business. So I probably would have pictured that. So, yeah. I think that's pretty much where I would see it. But it's pretty different. I just kind of see about one year ahead at all times, and that's about it.
Liz Wolfe: {laughs}
4. Favorite hobby not related to work [13:14]
Diane Sanfilippo: What's your favorite hobby that's not related to your line of work?
Liz Wolfe: Oh, that’s hard. That's hard because first of all I think I have really let a lot of this stuff that I used to do for enjoyment fall away. I don't know when that happened, though. I mean, when you think about the different phases of your life, the things you do for fun, I think for a significant chunk of time there, it was like, “I drink.” {laughs} I do pub crawls. I go out to brunch. That type of thing. So, you know, that a tough one. Especially since I think you and I both have found ways to integrate the things we enjoy into our work. But I’m still not sure that counts. So, let me think of a hobby that I will try to hold myself accountable for cultivating in the future; and I’ll say maybe art, maybe coloring. I don’t know if that’s a hobby, but I do really enjoy working with like watercolors even colored pencils and stuff like that.
Diane Sanfilippo: I think that’s hobby.
Liz Wolfe: I think so.
Diane Sanfilippo: I can hold you accountable, Obliger.
Liz Wolfe: I know.
Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}
Liz Wolfe: I’m going to need to pay you.
Diane Sanfilippo: Next week you’ll have to show me your work.
Liz Wolfe: Oh my gosh.
Diane Sanfilippo: Hold it up on a video so I can see your coloring.
Liz Wolfe: I think that would be a good idea. And you know, I’m trying to read more fiction and things like that. But I really like taking walks. That counts as part of my work, wellness-wise, technically. I don’t think watching Bravo; I don’t think we can consider that a hobby.
Diane Sanfilippo: Why not?
Liz Wolfe: I think that’s a distraction. I know. I know. Andy Cohen; so Andy Cohen is like the male pop culture Diane, because he literally has found a way to make everything that he is personally fascinated in into like an industry.
Diane Sanfilippo: I cannot believe you just said that, because I said to Scott the other day that I felt like the Andy Cohen of paleo.
Liz Wolfe: Well, there you go.
Diane Sanfilippo: This is why we’re friends.
Liz Wolfe: Am I the Anderson Cooper of something? No. I can aspire to that.
Diane Sanfilippo: Oh, maybe.
Liz Wolfe: That would be fun.
Diane Sanfilippo: Oh my gosh.
Liz Wolfe: Anyway. So, Diane, what is your favorite hobby to do that is not related to your line of work?
Diane Sanfilippo: I think it's probably, like, buying and potentially fixing up old stuff. Not mechanical stuff, just furniture. And the problem with that is we have a very limited amount of square footage to fill up. Especially even in our new place. You know, we bought a house but it's not that big. I mean, it’s San Francisco, and you know {laughs}. We still won’t have a ton of space to fill up with furniture. But, just kind of rehabbing old furniture. Whether it's painting it, or changing the handles, and having a vision for it. And then possibly like redoing rooms and sort of the whole Trading Spaces deal. Like, what’s the new vision for this room, and if I have this piece of furniture, how do I make everything work around it. That's sort of a hobby of mine. It’s something that I want to be better at, and I am not that good at it. I have this artistic vision, but then I can’t always execute it, but I try. And I think that’s a hobby. Maybe.
Liz Wolfe: I think it works.
Diane Sanfilippo: Ok. I mean, like you said, a lot of what we do that we enjoy becomes part of work. And that's also; that is a hobby for me. I mean I like talking shop, and I like doing things that are related to work, because the work is our life and vice-versa. So there’s that.
Liz Wolfe: Yep.
5. Secret talent unrelated to business [16:35]
Diane Sanfilippo: Alright. Liz, what are your secret talents unrelated to your business?
Liz Wolfe: I'm a pretty good artist. I mean, I think it's something that I should have cultivated. I think I said that in the last one. So, I'm pretty good with that. I don't know, I can't figure out how that could possibly ever become related to my business, so I think that's a pretty safe one.
Diane Sanfilippo: Did you draw your original logo?
Liz Wolfe: yeah.
Diane Sanfilippo: Your cavegirl?
Liz Wolfe: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I wonder if people can dig that up out of like the annals of the Internet. Yeah, I drew that in Sharpie and scanned it in at Lane Energy Company in Beverly, New Jersey. {laughs} That’s so crazy. And you know what my other talent is, I think? I think I'm doing a pretty good job as a mom. I feel like I’m just now willing to admit that. And I know just doing a good job does not guarantee that your kids come out great {laughs}. But I do think now, two years into it, I think that I have really made a conscious effort to be thoughtful and be respectful and treat my child as a whole, competent person worthy of respect from birth. And I'm just starting to feel good about the choices that I've made as far as that goes. So, you know what, I think I’m maybe a good mom. That might be a talent that I didn't realize that I had.
Diane Sanfilippo: I think that's probably more true than you even want to believe. And I think that even thinking about it probably makes people a good mom. Just wondering if you're doing a good job is probably enough. Because I bet some people, not any of our listeners for sure, but maybe it doesn't cross their minds if they’re doing ok. Although, I bet most moms wonder if they're doing alright.
Liz Wolfe: I imagine.
Diane Sanfilippo: You’ll man never know.
Liz Wolfe: And really, I’m sure if you come at it with an attitude of love, and like wanting to do a job, then you're a good mom. But I mean, I'm just saying I wasn't sure that I was, and now I feel like maybe I just am. And so I’m feel good about that. It took like therapy for me to finally be like, “Okay, yes, fine. I will admit that I'm doing a good job.”
Diane Sanfilippo: An unbiased source who isn’t supposed to be your friend telling you.
Liz Wolfe: Exactly.
Diane Sanfilippo: Because I’m pretty sure I’ve been telling you this for a couple of years.
Liz Wolfe: You have.
Diane Sanfilippo: That’s ok. You don’t have to listen to me.
Liz Wolfe: It just wasn’t enough. It just wasn’t enough. Ok, so what are your secret talents that are not related to your business?
Diane Sanfilippo: I think that a secret talent or skill of mine is, this is very strange, but I think it's…
Liz Wolfe: You can put your whole fist in your mouth?
Diane Sanfilippo: Absolutely not.
Liz Wolfe: {laughing}
Diane Sanfilippo: I think it’s relationship advice. And that does not mean that everything I do in my relationship, whether it's my romantic relationship, or friendships, doesn't mean that that's always perfect. Because we all make mistakes. But I think whether it’s a friendship or a romantic relationship, I think when my friends come to me with a question or a problem, I think I have a pretty good ability to diffuse the bomb and help see their side and also the other person’s side. Which I think in the moment it’s sometimes hard to see the other person’s side. And in seeing the other person’s side, we see the part that we are responsible for instead of simply blaming them. I almost always force my friends to stop blaming, if that makes sense. Because it's, and I know we’ve probably had those conversations. Because it never solves the problem, and I'm a problem solver. I can't help it. It's like, I want to tell you how to take the nail out of your head. You know, that YouTube video?
Liz Wolfe: {laughs}
Diane Sanfilippo: Where it’s like, it’s not about the nail. But I’m like, no, but it’s about the nail, because can we move on now? You know.
Liz Wolfe: I have no idea. What are you talking about, a nail?
Diane Sanfilippo: You know, sorry I was coughing so I had to mute myself. There's was a YouTube where it's a woman talking to a man, and she's got a nail in her head. And she's telling this man about the pain that she’s feeling, and he just literally want to say, “So take the nail out of your head.” And the whole point of the video is that for women, it's not about the nail, it's about having their feelings validated or you hearing them. And I think this is where I have a very classically “male dynamic” to my personality. Even you and I had this conversation the other day, where I was telling you something that I was stressed and upset about. And you literally offered me a solution, and said, I know this isn’t what you want. And I was like, no Liz, that’s what I want.
Liz Wolfe: {laughs}
Diane Sanfilippo: I want you to diffuse the bomb and just tell me the solution. Because I don't want to be festering in this stressful moment. I don't like the heightened emotional response to things; that's kind of pointless. I find it very unproductive. It doesn't mean I don't feel my feelings when I have them, but I feel like there's an amount of time during which that's like, grace that you give yourself, and then it becomes unproductive and a waste of time. Like, I'm not alive to keep fussing over this.
Liz Wolfe: Diane. Diane. Diane.
Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. What.
Liz Wolfe: I had to go to therapy to realize that there is a limit to that grace that you get. Why didn’t I just call you?
Diane Sanfilippo: I told you! I’m basically a closeted therapist. And I only ever went to therapy like a handful of times, because I was like, this lady has got more problems than I do.
Liz Wolfe: Holy moly.
Diane Sanfilippo: The one that I saw. Yeah. So, you know, I think that that is a skill of mine. It’s just innate. There are few things that I’m naturally good at. Not everything. But I think that's one of them. So anywho. So there’s that.
Liz Wolfe: Yes, I whole-heartedly agree with you.
Diane Sanfilippo: A secret talent of mine.
Liz Wolfe: That is definitely one of your talents for sure. And I think, obviously we problem just set feminism back like a bajillion years or something, by saying this is more classically female or classically male. But I have no problem with that. I do think there is, if not actual, like, you know, “This is how people with this type of genitalia are, and this is how the opposite.” No, it’s not that. It's a personality type that there’s classically female and then there’s classically male. There are many men who; this is, I guess maybe gender versus sex. I don’t know. We’re enlightened people, though. We’re enlightened. Let’s just leave it at that. {laughs}
Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. just talking about things that have been norms, perhaps.
Liz Wolfe: 100%.
6. How have you changed from the first episode to now [23:06]
Diane Sanfilippo: Alright. So, how do you think you've changed between episodes 1 and 300?
Liz Wolfe: Lord. So I think, and this is part of the reason we like for people to just start with the current episodes and not necessarily go back 300 episodes and listen from the beginning, unless you’re just doing it for fun. I think our, my, our perspective is a lot more nuanced than it used to be. I think I kind of have more of a bird's eye view of things, whereas I think when we started it was, paleo, paleo, paleo, what nutrient is responsible for this issue that this person is having, that type of thing. And I do think that probably, not as much as maybe 10 or 15 years ago, but when we started I think I was still a little bit preoccupied with physicality, like the a certain physical picture being representative of health. And I think then I was still being myself up a little bit for not looking a certain part and I think I was still limiting myself a little bit along those lines. So, I think now there's a lot more grace, for myself and for others. A more nuanced perspective, and probably more nachos than episode maybe 1 through 27. {laughs}
Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}
Liz Wolfe: What about you, Diane, how have you changed between episodes 1 and 300?
Diane Sanfilippo: Well, aside from the logistical elements of now been married, and I still live in San Francisco {laughs} although I didn’t at one point. Aside from that, I think it’s a lot of similar things and I think that's why throughout the last about five years or so of our friendship and relationship and this podcast, we've been able to grow together. And I know there was a time period in there where, I think probably you were just a new mom for a little while that folks were kind of confused about how we could have a show together and be in such different places in our lives. And I think that the way that we've both evolved with our mindset and our view of things is just a testimony to a solid foundation of not only a good relationship as friends, but people who evolve and are willing to adjust their viewpoints over time. I don’t think we've actually, as much as we may pick different types of questions now and want to answer different things, and have different conversations, I think at our core, being people who try to offer a balanced approach with some grace and forgiveness or, I don’t know, I’m losing my words right now. I think we've always been that way, even though we would first present a lot more sort of protocols. And so I think we may have changed to open up to more of that, both of us, but I do think it's always been there and I think that was one of the reasons why we both felt comfortable calling the show Balanced Bites, because we felt like we offer a balanced approach to things. But, I think I’ve probably just relaxed a lot. And definitely working hard, and you know I have a team who helps with a lot of things now. But personality-wise, at my core I’m the same, and on the outside I think it's just a matter of relaxing a little more. And I do think that also just frankly comes with age. You know, part of it being that I'm almost 40, I see so many things that I did even 10 years ago, and I’m like, well I didn't know that that really didn't matter. You know?
Liz Wolfe: Yeah.
Diane Sanfilippo: Like, how could I have known that that wouldn't matter? And so now I try to move forward looking back at the things that I chose and that I did for reasons that really weren't valid. Like you were kind of talking about, the arbitrary way to look or what have you. I almost can’t choose things now that will be punishing, or I don't know what. Because I’m like, well in five years I’m going to look back at that and be like; that was really dumb. I should have just enjoyed my life a little bit more.
Liz Wolfe: Yeah.
Diane Sanfilippo: So, just perspective, I guess. So there we go.
Liz Wolfe: And also, I have a 2-year-old. That’s how I’ve changed.
Diane Sanfilippo: Minor detail.
Liz Wolfe: Yeah.
7. Finding balance in your eating lifestyle [27:20]
Diane Sanfilippo: Alright. So we want to talk about this topic of balance, and on the heels of what we were just addressing and some of the questions that came in from you guys, and this topic that's just been very apparent lately. Not only in our show, but we know that you guys love when we dive into this idea of, how do we make healthy decisions around food? How do we have this mindset of balance, or how do we go into different situations and make those choices? And recently I was in Vancouver with Cassey Joy, and we did what we called a #GlutenFreeBakeryCrawl {laughs} where we were on a hunt for donuts and whatnot, all kinds of goodies. Gluten free. That doesn't mean they’re healthy. But we just really wanted to have a fun time with it. I know that you do this a lot with whenever. It’s not about living a perfect lifestyle or making perfect nutrition choices all the time. So, what do you think are the main thought processes or just like; where are you at and what's the mindset that you have when you approach, “Ok, I'm eating these things that are ‘super healthy real food paleo’ and these things that aren’t.” What's in your head or not; where do some of those decisions come from? How does Liz approach that?
Liz Wolfe: How does Liz approach that. Well, who is Navin Johnson? So, {laughs} gosh it seems like, it just feels like I had this conversation earlier today. So, I think what people have probably noticed over the last however many hundred episodes, maybe. A lot of what we talk about isn’t about the decisions themselves anymore, it's about, and the word you used earlier when we were chatting was the energy behind those decisions. Because I think they are still lot of people that are like, “Oh, ok. It’s ok for me to have a gluten-free donut? Ok, I will.” And that's good. I'm really glad people are open to enjoyment and treating themselves. However, the energy behind that is still like this tentative, like ok I’ll do this, but I’m going to have to atone for it somewhere. Or, ok, I’ll do this, and it's my guilty pleasure. Which, still, operative word is guilt. Guilt, shame, whatever it is. The energy behind your choice to do something like that; to have nachos, or to have a gluten free bakery crawl, or to have nachos, a hamburger, sliders, two wheat beers with fake orange juice in them, and then go home and eat chicken fingers. I didn’t do the chicken fingers part, but I did have sliders and several wheat bears at Lake Okoboji a couple of weeks ago with some friends. If you don't decide to fully enjoy the moment that you’re in; not thinking about the consequences later. I mean, provided it's not an autoimmune issue or whatever it is. Provided you are a human who can make these choices without significant harm to your person, if you're not really making the commitment to make that choice and enjoy it for however long it lasts, then it's still fraught with like rebound potential. It's still not; it just doesn't count. {laughs} You're treating wrong. You're treating yourself wrong.
You want to come at it with this total commitment to loving the decision that you're making, whether that's eating something sweet that you normally wouldn’t eat, or whether that's nourishing yourself with homemade bone broth stew with whipped marrow on top, whatever that is. You come at it with an energy of like appreciation. And then you remove all the guilt and shame. You remove all the atonement and all of that from it. And that's really where I want people to get whether they approve or not, whether they’re going to go have a donut or a glass of wine. Keep positive energy there.
Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. I think with all we've done over the years to educate people, and if you are a new listener, then maybe you do want to go back, to, you know, let’s just say start at 200. Not 100 or before. But I think we get to this point; actually I think we just reshared this recently on my Facebook page. I posted something about trusting yourself, you know? You have to learn something, but then you have to just trust yourself. I think I had said, “Just think a little and trust yourself.” Because people really want to say that they’re following some way of eating and feel really guilty about not following it for some reason. And I think that we all need to allow ourselves to, I don’t know. Just be smart enough or thoughtful enough to say that, “Well, this is how I eat most of the time. And, if I want to eat this this thing also, it doesn't make me a bad person. It’s not a bad choice. It doesn't mean that I need to then, you know, have two donuts and then have two dozen.” And if you do, whatever. But I really think that so much of this power that we put outside of ourselves to say what's right and wrong and healthy and not and a good choice and a not so good choice for us, the more we put that power outside of us, then the more guilt and shame we might associate with choices that don’t align with whoever is making those decisions for us. But the more you internalize a decision and make it your decision, then the easier it will become.
And I don’t think this is just for someone who’s a Rebel, because Liz, as an Obliger, who does like that outside expectation to sort of get things done just moving through life, and myself as somebody who likes to have my own internal compass to drive everything, we're both saying the same thing here. So I think it does come back to; you learn what you're going to learn; you figure out what works yourself, and you trust yourself to make decisions. And you trust yourself to know that you enjoy making decisions that are indulgent, and enjoy it in the moment, and you also enjoy making healthy decisions. And both are ok. And I think we can take pleasure in all of that. And yeah, that's what I think about that.
Liz Wolfe: I love that. So I do think that the books I've been reading, Brene Brown’s stuff, I’m getting like this whole tutorial in what guilt and shame really are. She talks about guilt and shame being the feeling that we are unworthy of love. Or something like that. And it's so ridiculous to me to translate it that way anytime you feel guilt or shame over something you eat; you’ve eaten this thing, you feel guilt and shame, and that means you're unworthy of love, because of this thing you ate? That is so dumb. That is so dumb. And to define ourselves that way. I mean, if we do nothing else but pull people out of that spiral, we've done our jobs.
Diane Sanfilippo: I recently sat down with Balanced Bites podcast sponsor, Bethany, of Primally Pure Skincare to ask her more about her company and the products that they make.
Ok, we all want to know. What’s your most popular product?
Bethany: Deodorant is definitely our most popular product. It’s one of the most important conventional products for people to ditch, because of all of the toxins hiding in most of the stuff you see at the drugstore. It really does have the potential to do some damage over time. Our deodorant is all natural, and it actually truly does work. We also offer a sensitive option for those who don’t do well with baking soda.
Diane Sanfilippo: Your website talks about products that nourish the skin, body, and self. What do you mean by that?
Bethany: We’re passionate about creating products that promote overall health, and are also enjoyable to use. Self-care is so important to us, and we live in such a go-go-go world that one of our goals is to create products that have the ability to take some stress out of an otherwise hectic day for those who use them.
Diane Sanfilippo: It’s been so great chatting with you. Thank you so much for joining me!
Bethany: Thanks, Diane!
Diane Sanfilippo: Don’t forget Diane’s favorite Primally Pure product is the dry shampoo, and Liz’s favorite is the Everything Spray with magnesium. As a special bonus for you, Primally Pure is offering a free lip balm with your first purchase of one item or more. Simply add a lip balm to your cart along with any one item, and use the code “balancedbites”, one word no caps, during checkout to receive one of their lip balms for free with your order. Head to www.primallypure.com and check out their range of safe and effective all natural skincare products.
8. Diane’s travel tip [35:42]
Diane Sanfilippo: Alright. So I’ve got a travel tip for you guys today. Here it is; stay at a spot with a kitchen. Which I always do if all possible. There are so many hotel chains now that offer this; you’d be surprised at how common they are if you just look around for it. You can find full-sized refrigerators, to burners, pots and pans, dishes, utensils, storage containers, glasses, etc. Everything you need. They even often have salt and pepper. It might not be sea salt, or organic pepper, but hey it’s there.
And one big tip I have is to soft boil or semi-hard boil eggs if you're not sure about cooking methods in a new place. So get a dozen eggs, and you know, you can fry them up. They usually have nonstick pans, which we don't have necessarily the Teflon at home, but you know use it once or twice in a hotel, no big deal. You can use some butter from the breakfast buffet, get real butter and fry them up. But if you boil the eggs, you can cook once, eat multiple times. One other tip I love is if you're like me and you enjoy your hard or soft-boiled eggs kind of warm out of the boiling water, you don't want them to be cold a kind of rigid, the way the whites get really hard in the fridge. You can actually fill a bowl with hot tap water, peel the eggs, and then let them sit in the hot tap water while you cook whatever else you're cooking, the eggs will kind of relax and just be a little mellowed out. So I really love eating them that way. And keep those tips for next time you need to stay at a hotel.
Alright, so closing thoughts for today. We want to encourage you guys to have your treat yoself moments, have them in the moment, do your gluten free donut crawl, have your nachos. Do what you're going to do. It doesn't have to be an everyday thing. Get yourself back on track, and don't worry about things being a diet, when what we’re trying to do is achieve a lifestyle that you feel is something you can do for the long-term. And if you're always trying to just follow strict rules for your whole life and beating yourself up for choices that could otherwise be really enjoyable and fun and pleasurable and social in the moment, then you're going to look back and regret that, I think. I think. So, let's work on this being a lifestyle and not a diet. And just loving ourselves through the process.
Liz Wolfe: Amen, my friends. {barking}
Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} The dog thinks so too.
Liz Wolfe: He does.
Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, well that’s it for this week. You can find me, Diane, at http://dianesanfilippo.com. You can find Liz at http://realfoodliz.com/. Join our email lists for free goodies and updates you don’t find anywhere else on our websites or on the podcast. While you’re on the internet, please leave us an iTunes review. It helps new listeners find us, and we really, really appreciate it. We’ll see you next week.