Podcast Episode #159: Getting off birth control, preparing for stress & glowing skin

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Topics:
What’s new for you from Diane & Liz
Shout Out: Find Your Balance Health
This week in Paleosphere: New York Times article on ketosis
Listener Questions: Getting off birth control; wean or cold turkey?  How to prepare for impending stress;
Defense mechanism in plants possible hallucinogen; Painful gas and bloating
Liz’s skin care tip of the week:  Glowing skin
Diane’s Kitchen tip: How to cut open winter squash
This week’s hashtag details: #whileilisten

Links:

I’m laughing but it’s not funny: a nutmeg warning

Supplements:
Adrenotone
Adrenal Complex

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Liz Wolfe: Hey everyone! Welcome to episode, what are we? 159? 159.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: Of the Balanced Bites podcast. I’m Liz, and I’m here, as usual with Diane.

Diane Sanfilippo: Hey.

Liz Wolfe: And, I’m going to need to get my document open so I can keep going. Ok! {laughs} First, a word from our sponsors. Pete’s Paleo, bringing fine dining to your cave. Make eating paleo easier and more delicious with Pete’s meal plans. Great for those nights when you need real food fast. Pete’s Paleo is now offering 21-Day Sugar Detox friendly meals to make your life that much easier on the 21DSD. Check out petespaleo.com for all the details, and be sure to check out chef Pete’s cookbook, Paleo By Season.

And now our brand new sponsor Vital Choice. We're super excited to welcome Vital Choice as our newest sponsor here on the podcast. They are a fantastic brand that we hand selected to bring on as sponsors to the show. I've been ordering from Vital Choice for years. And they really are a trusted source for fast home delivery of the world's finest wild seafood and organic fare. It's harvested from healthy, well managed wild fisheries and farms. They've got all kinds of information about their products on their website. The seafood is certified sustainable by MSC, you can look for their blue logo, or the state of Alaska, or they're widely considered sustainable. I personally order Portuguese sardines, oysters, and even now and then caviar from Vital Choice. They've even got some wild salmon dog treats – I just love 'em. They're offering our listeners 15% off any order using code balancedbites and they always offer free shipping on orders over $99. So you can take advantage of that, too.

Liz Wolfe: Well, I have a public service announcement, before we get started.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yes.

Liz Wolfe: Which is, don’t try and record a podcast with a giant puppy in your lap. Oh my goodness! I’m going to have to unfold here.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: Alright, we’re good. So, while I’m doing that, tell me what’s going on in your neck of the woods.

What’s new for you from Diane & Liz [2:08]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright. Well, let’s see. Biggest news I think of what I’ve got going on for people is my new podcast. It is called Build a Badass Business, and it’s all about the stuff. Basically I think you and I talked about it last week or the week before a little bit of some of the businessy oriented stuff. We’ve gotten questions over the last 3 years from tons of other nutrition and health oriented entrepreneurs who are just looking to get started.

The group that I have started on Facebook is not exclusively for that, but obviously because this is what we do, a lot of folks who follow my work, that’s kind of what they’re in to. But the podcast is not exclusive to that. It’s really all about information for entrepreneurs who are either in business for a while, or are emerging entrepreneurs. Just kind of insights and thoughts that I’ve had recently and over the years.

For some reason, looking back, I’ve probably been an entrepreneur my whole life, but I think the pivotal moment was when I was probably about 20 or 21 years old, I started making jewelry for myself because I saw these Swarovski crystal bracelets in the store, and thought that they were way more expensive than they should be. I was like, I could probably make that. That’s totally my dad, just kind of, that’s something my dad would do. “That bagel is too expensive, I can figure out how to make it myself” {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s totally a Charlie move. But I was like, that’s a ridiculous price, I bet I could buy those beads and make it myself. I ended up with too much, and I was like, what am I going to do with all these beads? And I just started making more, and people wanted them, so I started selling them.

That was a long time ago by now, but just over the years , figuring things out like that, and obviously it’s a totally different world than what we do with nutrition and health to help people. But, that’s kind of a little bit. The first episode is called “What is Marketing?” and it just kind of gets into all that stuff, and I think episode 2 is about fear. You guys can check it out in iTunes. Just search for my name, just Diane Sanfilippo, or search Build a Badass Business, and it should come up. It should be in there by then.

Liz Wolfe: I’m offering myself up, by the way, {laughs} as a case study. Because like we talked about last week, we had that introvert write in about getting her business started, and I think maybe we need some help. Us introverts. Being genuine without being totally skeevy.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. I’m totally in. I think, I’m with you. I really believe in everything I’ve ever done in terms of business and marketing, I’ve only ever stood behind things that I really did believe in. I’ve never tried to promote something that I don’t truly love. I think that’s the key, and I think a lot of people are doing that from the heart. They know that they love and believe in something, and so yeah I think that will be really important.

I want to interview people, too, because you and I have talked about this before, too. We have totally different mindsets and approaches to this stuff, and I want to get inside of the head of folks who are a little more introverted, and really encourage them to find a way to make it work for them. I was even just having this conversation with Scott a little while ago, because he’s totally more introverted as well, and is also an entrepreneur.

I think that the one big challenge for introverts being entrepreneurs is that that’s your biggest challenge. You have to find a way to do the stuff that’s uncomfortable in that sense, because that’s the one big hurdle to overcome is figuring out how to market and be genuine and do all of that stuff and maintain it, because otherwise you can’t be an entrepreneur. That’s just how it is.

And it’s not for everyone. Maybe people will come to the conclusion that they don’t want to be an entrepreneur. But for people like me, like my biggest challenge is focusing. {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: That is not your biggest challenge. Really?

Diane Sanfilippo: It is. I have a lot of trouble focusing. I have 10 things I want to work on at any given time, and really just getting focused and having clarity about which thing to focus on. I can get myself there a lot of times but really, it’s a struggle that I have all the time. I have shiny object syndrome {laughs} and I constantly want to do the thing I shouldn’t be doing.

Liz Wolfe: Ok, so what does that mean? You constantly want to do the thing you shouldn’t be doing? Like watching Real Housewives of New Jersey? Or…

Diane Sanfilippo: Yes.

Liz Wolfe: Ok. So you’re more like me than I thought.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Or, or, there’s a more fun project that I want to work on, but the other thing has a deadline, and it’s committed to, and it involves more people than myself, and I do want to do it, but today I don’t. And today I never do. But I want the thing to be done, I just today I don’t want to do it, and every day that today happens. If that makes sense.

Liz Wolfe: Uh, sure. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing} Anyway.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah, absolutely.

Diane Sanfilippo: Anyway. Big projects are just, ugh, tackling them is tough for me. But, I’m finding ways to tackle it. So anyway, I’m talking about all that stuff in the podcast, so if you’d like to hear me ramble about all of that, come over there.

And I think the only other thing I’m going to talk about this week that’s coming up for our listeners is the Mediterranean Paleo Cooking tour. Which, I just love touring, I think it’s a lot of fun {laughs}.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: And I love meeting people on the road, and eating all the things. {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: I love that too, but it’s the getting there.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: And driving, and flying, and all of the things that make me constipated for two weeks.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing} I don’t have that problem, so I think I would feel the same way. I love it. I think being an entrepreneur and having my business pretty much in my laptop and my phone has pretty much alleviated a lot of the stress of travel for me.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: So, you know I used to get really anxious. Like, oh I have to get home at a certain time for this or that. And now it’s like, there’s wifi at the airport, I can do whatever I want to do, or I can just watch Real Housewives on Hulu or something {laughs}.

Liz Wolfe: Man, the airport used to be a safe haven away from all of the hustle and bustle of work, and now it’s like, you have no excuse not to work at the airport.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh, I totally feel differently about it, because I feel like I used to be trapped in this vortex of, I can’t do anything and I just feel trapped. I used to feel trapped in an airport. Yeah, it was bad. But yeah, I don’t feel that way anymore. I’m like, whatever, I’ll just sit here until that plane’s ready to go.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: You know? It like, I sit here or I sit there, and the only difference is if I skipped a workout that day, sometime I get mad if my flight’s delayed and I didn’t get to work out. Anyway. We’re completely on a tangent. October 28th is the day the book comes out, and we’ll be in Nashville. The 29th we’ll be in Atlanta. October 30th in Chicago, which I have not ever done an event in Chicago, so I’m super pumped about that. Definitely come check out that event. And then November 1st, my city where I left my heart, {laughs} San Francisco.

So come join us at those events. Just RSVP. You can go to balancebites.com and RSVP from the website. It’s free, we just need to get a headcount so we can limit folks if things get a little unruly with the amount of people who want to come to the events. I think Chicago and San Francisco are the ones that are the most full right now, so if you’ve been waiting on those then check them out. And that is all.

Liz Wolfe: And that is all.

Diane Sanfilippo: And you, my friend?

Liz Wolfe: Flick says he saw some grizzly bears near Pulaski’s candy store.

Diane Sanfilippo: I have no idea what just happened.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: Anyone who’s favorite Christmas movie is the same as my Christmas movie will totally get that. And now that it’s fall, and it’s sadly when I start thinking about Christmas movies. So, that was that.

Diane Sanfilippo: So, I saw you posted on Instagram something exciting.

Liz Wolfe: #IgetyouLiz. I want people to start using that hashtag when they put up nerdy stuff that nobody else understands.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Listen, I’m nerdy. Just in a different way.

Liz Wolfe: Well, yeah! For different nerds.

Diane Sanfilippo: I was listening to America’s Test Kitchen this morning, and {laughs} every time I listen it, Scott comes into the kitchen, and he’s like, oh are you listening to the delicious dish again?

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Have you seen that skit on SNL?

Liz Wolfe: Oh yes. Yes I have.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: Yeah, ok, so I think you’re referring to my little preview of the audio book. Eat the Yolks audio book. We got a bunch of the edits back, and I just posted on Instagram part of; if anybody has read Eat the Yolks, which you should, there’s this part of the fat chapter, and the subheading is, let’s talk about fat, baby. And of course, you can’t…

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing} See I get that!

Liz Wolfe: Yeah, you’ve got to get that one! But I actually sang it in the audio book recording, and what’s actually funny is that it took us the whole day to get it, because I kept being like, let’s talk about …{clears throat} ok. Hold on. {deeper voice} Let’s talk about fat. {clears throat} Ok, one more. Give me one more take. Because I just cannot carry a tune. But anyway, it made it into the audio book recording. Me singing that line.

Diane Sanfilippo: Done. I love it.

Liz Wolfe: So, it’s in there. We’re working on it. All of the recordings are pretty much done and generally edited, but now we have to go through and listen again just to make sure there’s no segments missing or anything wonky. So I’m hoping by the end of October, it will be out and ready to go. So if you want to spend 12 hours listening to me talking, this is the purchase for you! It will be fabulous.

Diane Sanfilippo: I love audio books.

Liz Wolfe: I do too, but I don’t love it when audible charges my credit card once a year $250.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: It’s kind of like Amazon Prime; I love, love, love it until I’m like, dang it! They charged me for the year. $99 bucks?

Diane Sanfilippo: I know.

Liz Wolfe: Get out of here.

Diane Sanfilippo: But then I just forget it and love the heck out of it the rest of the year.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah. But other than that, still working on some fun updates for Skintervention, skin care line, fertility and pregnancy stuff, which is going to be really awesome. I’m excited about it, but that’s a ways off. So I’ll keep everybody updated.

Shout Out: Find Your Balance Health [12:31]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so our shout out this week is to my friend Michelle, I’m pretty sure I know how to say her last name, Pfennighaus, over at http://findyourbalancehealth.com/. Now, just a heads up, she is not exclusively a paleo oriented blogger. She does post a lot of paleo friendly recipes, and I think at the time she wrote this blog post she maybe was vegan or vegetarian. So just keep it in mind, and chill out when you check out this blog post, but she posted something that she wrote back in 2008. She reshared it this week and I just thought it was really interesting, and it caused quite a stir on my Facebook page.

The title of her blog post was, I’m Laughing, But It’s Not Funny: A Nutmeg Warning. And she was explaining how she was seasoning a breakfast that she was just trying out, and was in a rush, and she shook nutmeg into her dish and didn’t realize it had a little shaker top, it was just an open jar, and it dumped a whole bunch of nutmeg into the dish. She tried to scoop some out, but didn’t really make it to get all of it out, and then later that day, apparently was very ill and sort of light headed, nauseous, felt like she was going to faint, and eventually took herself to the hospital, her husband took her to the hospital, and found out that it was this overdose of nutmeg. Have you heard of that before?

Liz Wolfe: No. I feel like I’d heard that you can’t eat a lot of cinnamon because you’ll die, or something.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Like the cinnamon challenge?

Liz Wolfe:` Yeah. But I’ve never heard this about nutmeg. So is it a hallucinogen?

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, apparently that’s kind of what happens. And a bunch of people commented over on my Facebook page. Some people were accusing me of being alarmist or sharing scare tactic articles.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I’m like, you guys! I had no idea this was even possible with nutmeg! And a couple of people chimed in saying that, I think it was on this season, season 2 of Orange is the New Black, a couple of inmates from the prison stole nutmeg from the kitchen, I guess to try and get high. Somebody was kind of mad like, this is going to teach teenagers something to do. I just can’t even respond to that stuff, because that’s totally not why I shared it.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} Next you’re going to share something about licking frogs.

Diane Sanfilippo: Just, I mean, no. That is not my intention at all. Anyway, I thought it was crazy. I had no idea. I actually was very enlightened by that information, and jeeze, I’m going to make sure I never put too much nutmeg in something that I’m cooking.

Liz Wolfe: I do like nutmeg.

Diane Sanfilippo: It was on; I’m going to make sure we share a link in our show notes. It was on September 22 that I posted that. I just never knew. I thought it was kind of freaky, so there you go. If you didn’t know, now you know. I don’t know that song, but there’s a song in there somewhere.

Liz Wolfe: {singsong} If you don’t know, now you know.

Diane Sanfilippo: {singsong} If you don’t know, now you know. {laughs} So check that out. That’s my shout out to Michelle over at findyourbalancehealth.com. She’s now a fellow Jersey girl, once again. So welcome back to the state, Michelle.

This week in Paleosphere: New York Times article on paleo lifestyle [15:56]

Liz Wolfe: So, this week in the paleosphere, the paleo lifestyle was mentioned in the New York Times, and they actually also mentioned PaleoFx and some of our friends, Michelle Tam. It was called The Paleo Lifestyle, the Way, Way, Way Back. And it was actually fairly positive. It talked about kind of all the other ways that paleo people are triaging their health. For example, Michelle Tam, our friend Nom Nom Paleo using blackout window, I don’t know what their called, they stick on the window, and they make blackout shades. What?

Diane Sanfilippo: Panels. I don’t know, it’s some kind of panels.

Liz Wolfe: Blackout panels? Yeah some kind of panels. They talked about somebody who does skin care, and I was super jelly that it wasn’t me. But whatevs. And, what else did they talk about?

Diane Sanfilippo: They really just kind of addressed the fact that it’s not just about nutrition, and it’s not just about what we’re eating, but really this whole thing is affecting more in terms of our choices with lifestyle. Even down to affecting other business, so how Michelle was obviously recommending blackout shades, and she mentioned the brand, and that company I guess kind of blew up with her mention.

So just little things like that of how the information that we’re teaching about food; I think you and I talked about this before. Once you question what you’ve been told about what to eat, you sort of get that, well, what else should I be questioning? Right, and it definitely extends to lifestyle factors. I think we talk about this a lot on the show. Sometimes those lifestyle factors are even more critical than what’s on your plate. Because if you’ve got a poor mental attitude, or you’re not sleeping, and you haven’t figured out how to shift your lifestyle around, sometimes it makes it that much more challenging to stick to what you plan to eat.

Anyway, they’re showing a picture of Michelle here with her amber goggles on, which I definitely have a pair of those. Of course, after we saw this article, Scott’s like, where are those amber goggles of yours? Weren’t you supposed to be wearing those at night? So I was like, oh shoot, I better {laughs} remember to put those on. I know how attractive they are.

Liz Wolfe: Better yet, just get rid of all the electronics once the sun goes down.

Diane Sanfilippo: I know.

Liz Wolfe: I mean, that is one of those things that feels impossible, but it’s really not. For most people.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: Especially if you kind of stack your morning with getting up with the sun and catching up on your Jersey Bell early instead of late.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} That’s probably the thing that I’m transitioning towards more and more now. It’s obviously something that I’ve known for a long time, but after Mediterranean Paleo Cooking, there’s only so many insults your body and your physiology can take before you just have to make a different choice, which we said this as well a million times to people.

But I just kind of have made that choice, that you know what, I know I feel a million times better every day if I wake up really early, even if I didn’t get to bed as early the night before, it’s still, I’m making the requirement to wake up really early; 6 if I can and 6:30 at the latest, and I just feel better all day regardless of if I went to bed 30 minutes later than I intended to, but also setting all of that up and kind of reversing back out into getting the lights off sooner and all that good stuff. There are interim steps that you can take, like doing the amber goggles, flux, installing flux on your computer.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: So that blue light isn’t in your eyes. I think that we all have to pick and choose the things that we’re more perfectionist about, I guess, and try and mitigate some of this stuff as much as we can along with our nutrition. It’s like, not everyone is doing everything perfectly, let’s just work on the things we can work on, and don’t stress about the other things in the meantime.

Listener Questions:
Getting off birth control; wean or cold turkey? [10:53]

Liz Wolfe: Alright, our first question today from our listeners is from Krista. It’s about the best way to come off birth control. So Krista says, “Hi there. I’ve been thinking about getting off birth control for a while, and after listening to your podcast, I’m even more convinced it’s the best thing to do for my body and fertility later on. I was wondering if you could give any suggestion s on the best way to quit birth control. Do you quit cold turkey, wean yourself off, stop after you finish a month of pills? I was hoping you could share from your experience, and also if you noticed any differences in your body after you stopped taking them. Just want to be prepared. Any other information you could share on this topic would be very much appreciated, because I’m very interesting in learning more about these little white pills I’ve been taking for years without even thinking anything about it. Thanks for all the knowledge you pass on, and for making us question things like this. It’s very helpful, and I really enjoy your podcast on my long drives.”

So this person has been taking birth control for 6 years, which I think is, I mean short in the scheme of some people that we talk to. I know I was on birth control for 10 years, maybe 12 years. That’s a lot. So I’ll just jump into answering the question. It really does depend. Well, it doesn’t depend on how you do it, but it depends how it’s going to affect you based on your overall health, your lifestyle habits, your environment, things like that. But my opinion, if it were me and the way I came off the birth control pill was just to stop. I just went for it. I don’t know if it’s worth trying to taper off. There may be people that disagree with me on that, but I don’t see any real reason to do that.

But I think it is important that you really do make a conscientious effort to support your body in as many ways as possible with your external environment as well as what you’re putting into your body. You really want to help support your liver, because your liver is the one having to deal with all these excess hormones and all that. So, my recommendations for this are usually pretty similar to the recommendations I make for healing the skin, because a lot of people that are dealing with acne are dealing with hormonal issues, and really the birth control pill for some people is basically tantamount to giving yourself a hormonal issue.

Support the liver, eat foods that are really good for your liver, as well as a couple of supplements that can help support detox. In particular, eating cruciferous veggies and greens for sulfur can be really, really supportive to the liver. Eggs for vitamin A and choline, liver in particular is really great for your liver because it’s dense in B vitamins. You could do some liver smoothies with Liz. I also like milk thistle. I like to get milk thistle from Dr. Ron’s. I just tend to trust them, and their products. They don’t use any magnesium sterates, so I can appreciate that. It’s the silymarin extract standardized, I’m not sure what it is. But it’s good stuff, and that’s where I’ve always gotten my milk thistle.

But you also need to work on minimizing your overall toxin load. Please don’t microwave in plastics. Please don’t use too many topical things that you don’t really know what’s in them. Don’t use wonky finishes on your furniture, things like that. Just anything you can do to minimize the toxic load in your environment is really important.

And then the other thing I would do is definitely grab some topical magnesium, like magnesium spray, and use that to support your body for a while there. Most of us are deficient in magnesium, but I really love the topical stuff. I get mine from ancient minerals, which you can get on Amazon. And just spray that, like on your arms in the morning, let it sit for a while, and then you can rinse it off. That’s really what I would do to come off of birth control. Just generally making a really concerted effort to support your body from the inside and the outside while it adjusts.

Diane Sanfilippo: Awesome. I think if someone is concerned about it, I think different pills have different dosages, so some pills are consistent across the month and some pills have stronger dosages across the cycle.

Liz Wolfe: And varying different types of hormones.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. And so I think if you’re worried about when you stop, and you want to do it cold turkey; which, I really don’t think there’s any way to ease off of it.

Liz Wolfe: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: You don’t just take half a pill. It doesn’t kind of work that way. I would just stop with your next period. Pretty much when you have your period, if you’re taking anything, you're taking placebos during that time, so if you actually have that many pills or yours just stop and you're not supposed to keep taking it. But that’s kind of I think the heads up there.

If you want to talk to your doctor about what’s going on, and make sure that he or she knows that that’s your plan, and if there’s anything you should know about coming off of it, hopefully they know if there are some side effects to expect or changes you may not be thinking might happen right away, and it might kind of freak you out. But I don’t think there’s any way to be slower about that {laughs} than to just stop. So maybe just the timing of it, if there’s anything to bear in mind there, it might be just to stop with your next period.

I definitely recommend also keeping track of when you stop, and then when you start menstruating on a regular cycle again, and I wouldn’t be surprised if your period is definitely irregular after you stop. I know many, many, many women who either stopped getting a period altogether for a period of time, or they just had a very, very irregular period after they went off the pill. So I think it’s important to just pay attention to all of that.

And for our listeners who are going off the pill, and thinking about getting pregnant in the future, I would definitely be very mindful about the fact that, again, countless women that I’ve spoken with and consulted with, as well as classmates of mine from nutrition school back in the day, who, you know, very health conscious people, and have gone off and it’s been years for some of them to get a normal period back, and were not able to conceive for a really long time. So I just want to throw it out there that if it’s something on your mind, that you want to have kids, that for some people, you go off it this month, you’re pregnant the next. Totally a possibility. But for some, it could take a really long time. I want women to be aware that that could happen, and not to be scared of it, but to just know that that’s a possibility.

Liz Wolfe: Don’t be scared.

Diane Sanfilippo: No, don’t be scared.

Liz Wolfe: You’ve got to do it now, or you’ve got to do it later.

Diane Sanfilippo: Indeed. And I also was on the pill for many years, and same kind of thing, I basically just stopped whenever I stopped. I think for a lot of women who eat this way, and then start to question everything else as well, you know about hormones and all of that.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: We’ve talked about this so many times in the past, too, and I’m sure if you want to go back and hear some of those episodes, we talked about it a lot, I know. But making that decision is a very, very personal one, but I know we both feel very, very strongly that hormonal birth control is a bad idea. We’re not physicians, we’re not telling you what to do there, we definitely are not out to have women get pregnant when they don’t intend to. We’ve just seen so many women struggling after being on it, and I think we just want to make sure that it’s a very conscious, educated decision if it’s one that you’re making to be on it, and also to not be on it.

Liz Wolfe: Agreed. And, just to throw some controversy in here, I think it’s worth pointing out that just being on the birth control pill and protecting yourself from an unwanted pregnancy is not protecting you from sexually transmitted diseases, and I think too often we think we’re covering all bases just by being on birth control, being responsible and whatnot, and there are far too many people that end up contracting STDs because they’re just not wanting to deal with condoms. But, my opinion is, unless you are in a committed relationship of full medical knowledge of whatever each other might have, you should be using condoms as well.

Diane Sanfilippo: Thank you for that.

Liz Wolfe: Yes, you’re welcome. Love, Liz.

Diane Sanfilippo: Agreed. XO, use a condom.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

How to prepare for impending stress [28:34]

Liz Wolfe: Alright, next one. Best way to deal with anticipated stress. Kristen says, “Dear Diane and Liz. Thanks for all the great info. I’m a teacher due back at school very soon.” She’s probably back at school already.

Diane Sanfilippo: Woops. {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: “I find my job to be very stressful, and I’m attempting to transition out of the profession, because I acknowledge the damage that stress has done to my body and my mind.” I don’t know how teachers do it. Good on you for being a teacher, it’s the most difficult job in the world.

Diane Sanfilippo: I feel badly. I feel like we told her how bad stress is, and she’s like, I’m not going to be a teacher anymore. It’s like, no, wait, we need you!

Liz Wolfe: Well, if she feels in her heart she’s going to do something else, then good for her.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: “This summer I lived as primal as possible. I woke up without the alarm, went to sleep when tired, spent a lot of time in the sun, walking in the woods, feeding myself with excellent paleo foods whenever I was hungry, and attempted to keep an open schedule. It felt great, and I was in tune with my mind and body. I’m very worried that the optimal health I experienced this summer will slowly evaporate in the coming fall and winter. Thinking about my upcoming hectic schedule, a heavy teaching load, less hours of sunlight and the stress that goes along with all of these day to day responsibilities have seriously made me consider quitting and moving out of New Jersey.”

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Amazing.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} “Unfortunately, that is unrealistic. I recognize that a positive attitude helps, and so does finding another profession. But those are things I’m working are not likely to happen by September. Can you provide any tips for preparing for and dealing with anticipated stress. Supplements, how to transition into a different sleeping pattern, foods that relieve stress perhaps.”

Diane Sanfilippo: This is a good one. I like this question.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: Ok. So. I think I might have a few things to say {laughs} about this one.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Because I’m kind of on the brink of anticipated stress all the time {laughs}. I had a nervous breakdown on Monday about all the projects that are coming up and I was like, I don’t want to do any of them! And then I had to come to grips with reality and just kind of reset and think about this exact question. How do I deal with that anticipation of stress?

I think one of the big things you can do when you’re heading into; I don’t know, it’s not really a 9-5 schedule, maybe it’s an 8-3 or 4 schedule, and whatever else may come up with that, is first and foremost saying no to a lot of things. So obviously at work, you’re going to have back to school nights and things like that. I mean, it’s already the beginning of October, so she’s probably not dealing with too much of that anymore. I think whether it’s over committing your time, even to your friends. And that doesn’t mean, don’t spend time with your friends as the year goes on and you get kind of reacclimated to balancing your schedule, but I think while you're getting back into it, if you always went out Friday and Saturday nights, maybe you take Friday night to yourself for now, and get some things done around the house that kind of make you feel less stressed.

I remember when I was working a job where I went into an office, it was like I could do one other thing every night that was besides just coming home from work and maybe exercising. It was like, I could go grocery shopping, or I could do laundry. I could do this one other thing. I didn’t have time to do more than that. And just kind of thinking ahead to what I needed to get done so that the rest of my week would feel balanced, that’s always really helpful. So, that’s kind of part of it.

I do think that, I mean, I’m from and currently live in New Jersey, and I find that a lot of us here tend to over schedule ourselves. I definitely fall victim to that myself when it comes to work, but I very rarely commit to more than one thing per day outside of that. If somebody wants to spend time with me on Saturday, and someone else wants to also spend time on Saturday, I just don’t commit to both of those, because that’s just hectic to figure out scheduling and all that. So that’s kind of one thing.

When it comes to any other stuff that crops up with anticipated stress, I would say just get the stuff that you know you're going to face planned out. So again, that stuff like laundry and grocery shopping and all that, so that you’re then not stuck without groceries, because something comes up at work, or what have you. So get all that stuff planned out.

When it comes to supplements and sleeping patterns and all of that, we were just talking about that in the previous question, or our news tip of the week, about lifestyle factors. So, I think some of the light in your face at night can really be over-stimulating, so if you’re having trouble getting to sleep earlier, it’s really making your entire environment just darker when you get home. I think that you’ll find that mimics what was happening. Obviously, daylight is going to end much earlier now that it’s fall and winter, so that will kind of happen for you naturally. But instead of turning every light in the house on, maybe muse much dimmer lights and try and get your body to calm down after hours.

Something that I never thought I would say when I was younger, but I think it might be helpful, just depending again on your schedule and I don’t know when you work out and how you fit all that in, but if you currently get home and try and do a lot of things at night. Like what we were just saying, Liz, about maybe doing more in the morning hours. {laughs} So when I was younger I used to watch my parents be up earlier than they needed to be for work, like the time that it would take to just get yourself ready, eat, and leave was pretty much all I ever thought was necessary to wake up a head of time for anything.

So, if it took me an hour to get ready and eat or whatever for school, I would be up at 7 so I could leave at 8. But my parents would have all this extra time to straighten up and do other things in the morning, and I thought that was insane. I was like, what are they, why would you wake up any amount earlier than you absolutely have to? But now I realize that sometimes that really sets your day up better because you just get those things done in the morning. Maybe you throw in a load of laundry in the morning, and can move it into the dryer, and maybe fold it when you get home. You don’t have to do all of that at night.

That’s just another tip if you can handle getting up earlier and getting some things done in the morning. One of the things I used to do really often before work, before I get in the shower, I used to put chicken thighs or chicken legs in the oven in a container that I could put into a cooler bag. I’d wrap it in a fabric napkin or something like that, but I would throw it in my toaster oven that had a timer on it, put it in there for 40-45 minutes literally first thing when I woke up, then that would bake the whole time I’m getting ready, and then I could take that with me. So if you didn’t plan ahead the night before, there are things that you can do to just make your life easier throughout the day, passive cooking and all that.

The last thing I want to mention is, this is something I’ve been recommending, and this is something that people keep asking about on Facebook because obviously Liz was previously talking about supplements when it came to a little bit of detox support from birth control. But there are some supplements that I recommend, and I take. I definitely feel a difference when I take them. One company that I like, even though one of the additives that you mentioned, Liz, the magnesium sterate maybe, is in some of these supplements. I’m not sure. But it’s design is for health. They just tend to have blends that are vitamins, minerals, adaptogens, sometimes glandulars that just, instead of taking 4 different bottles, you have everything you need in one.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: So there’s one called CatecholaCalm. That’s just to get some of the upregulating neurotransmitters and chatecholamines in the brain to kind of relax. So if you’re having trouble relaxing, I was taking that a lot while I was dealing with stress from editing Mediterranean Paleo Cooking. I just can’t not do the editing, it has to happen and it has to happen in that amount of time. I really was having trouble relaxing to the point I was having trouble breathing. I mean, that’s the kind of anxiety that I get about this kind of work sometimes. Going for walks outside, and trying to spend more time in the sun, I was doing all of that and it wasn’t helping. I did as much as I could to physically reset my environment, but I just needed that additional physiological support. So that’s one.

There are a couple of adrenal support supplements that I like, as well. I am currently taking those whenever I can remember to. They’re also from Designs for Health. We’ll throw links into the show notes if you want to find them. One is called Adrenotone, and one’s called Adrenal Complex. The Adrenal Complex has adrenal glandular in it, which is definitely something that most practitioners tend to recommend. I wouldn’t say prescribe, because that’s not what we do, but recommend to support your adrenals is something that, like you mentioned Liz, with liver detox. You eat liver to support your liver. Same thing with adrenal glandulars, getting some of that in.

The Adrenotone is something that is a little bit more of a balancing supplement. So instead of the Adrenal Complex, which is if you’re feeling low energy and like your adrenals are really taxed, that can be really helpful. But the Adrenotone is a lot more of the adaptogenic herbs, and I think minerals and vitamins. And what the adaptogens do is really just respond to wherever you're at. So if you’re in a really high stress place it will help calm you, but if you’re feeling really tired it will help to kind of boost you up a little bit, and they’re very gentle. If you’re not sure, if your nervous about any of the other stuff, I think the Adrenotone or anything that’s an adaptogenic herb. Things like ashwagandha, rhodiola, those can be really helpful for someone that just wants something a little more gentle. And that’s kind of what I’m thinking.

Liz Wolfe: Very good.

Diane Sanfilippo: Do you have any other tips on transitioning to a different sleeping pattern. I know that’s something that you’ve done a couple of times for yourself.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: Between your own experiment that was kind of like this a few years ago, and more recently over on the farm.

Liz Wolfe: The way I do it, I think really the fastest way to do it is just to have a really, really long day just prior to that. So, you can kind of just pass out the second your head hits the pillow. It can be a little bit painful for a couple of days there, but if you’re trying to go to bed early without actually having had a full day ahead of that, it’s just, you’re not going to get the same kind of deep sleep cycle started.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: It stinks. Especially when you’re over 30.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing} Oh my goodness.

Liz Wolfe: As I am.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Oh yeah. I’m not. Just kidding.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, I think that’s really a good point. And kind of what I was mentioning, too, about waking up early. If you’re trying to go to bed earlier, and it’s not working, start forcing yourself to wake up earlier, because you’ll force that longer day, and I think you’ll fall asleep earlier.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah. Cool.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. Cool.

Defense mechanism in plants possible hallucinogen[39:37]

Liz Wolfe: Alright. It’s Mark the trucker again! {laughs} “Hello again ladies. It’s Mark the trucker in Michigan. I like the new segment sound transitions. You need a recording of Diane sharpening her favorite knife..

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: “With a steel for the cooking segment. I love that sound, and take any excuse to sharpen knives. It gets me thinking…

Diane Sanfilippo: Wait, what?

Liz Wolfe: Wait, what? Ok, that sounded kind of scary. Sorry. Onward. “I picked up some kohlrabi, the whole deal, stems, leaves and all. Like many of my morning scrambles, I start with a tablespoon of lard or grass fed butter, a couple of slices of bacon, chopped, two to three eggs, and proceed to add whatever veggie I have for the week. Last week it was kohlrabi and carrots, those cool looking purple and white ones from Trader Joe’s. That night I got the chills and the fever, and generally thought I was going to die. That went on for three nights, and yes, I ingested a second round of kohlrabi. Truck drivers have iron guts, right? Wrong. Sure glad I had the weekend to recover.

This was not my first kohlrabi.” {laughing} I don’t know why that sounds so funny to me. “This was not my first kohlrabi, but it was the first with leaves, stems, and outer husk left on. I should have researched this before I ate it, but after the third night, I looked up whether the stems and leaves were indeed edible. I found a site that says yes they are, and the next paragraph describing preparation. Step one, remove stems and leaves and discard. What the..? “ {laughs}

“To my question. Did I poison myself with two helping s of kohlrabi bad parts? Afterthoughts. In my fevered hallucinations those three nights, I kept coming back to the death scene in Monty Python’s meaning of life. It was {laughs} the salmon mousse!” {laughing} “Liz might get that reference. Monty Python and British humor, much like liver, is an acquired taste. Back on the road, and I look forward to the next podcast.” Do you know that reference?

Diane Sanfilippo: Come on. No, I do not.

Liz Wolfe: “You didn’t use canned salmon, did you?” I did that completely wrong. That was like half-Irish.

Diane Sanfilippo: I feel like this episode is hallucinogenic foods, etc.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah. That’s pretty much what we should call it. And dear, dear Mark the trucker, I probably should have researched the answer to your question before I decided to answer it. But this kind of reminded me; first of all, we’re going to talk about nutmeg. So, food can have hallucinogenic properties in certain amounts. But I mention at some point in Eat the Yolks, I talked about, in the discussion on lectins and phytic acid, I talked about other plant defense mechanisms, and I’m guessing the outside of this kohlrabi was probably really bitter. Which, whenever you have any kind of bitter flavor in food, you can assume that that’s a plant defense mechanism.

The one that I mention in the book, in Eat the Yolks, is called myrosinase. I have no idea if that’s what’s in kohlrabi, but I don’t see why some of these plant defense mechanisms wouldn’t cause something like that to happen, especially if you just happen to be more susceptible or don’t filter toxins as well as other people. But I just wanted to throw in a reference to my book, and also to Monty Python. {laughs} That was my motivation here.

Diane Sanfilippo: I was trying to see if there was anything specific on hallucinogens on kohlrabi.

Liz Wolfe: Are you Googling?

Diane Sanfilippo: I was.

Liz Wolfe: You Googling for me?

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m trying to find a reputable resource that way.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah, good luck with that.

Diane Sanfilippo: Mostly, it’s nutmeg is what’s being pointed to, which is kind of funny. But yeah, I think any time we eat the part of the plant that’s intended to protect the plant, we just run whatever risk we’re going to run. And I don’t think that everybody has the same reaction to any of that stuff.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: Some people just get kind of GI upset, and some people, it’s full on hallucinogenic.

Liz Wolfe: Which is kind of funny.

Diane Sanfilippo: I don’t recommend people test that.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah, don’t everybody go out and buy some kohlrabi to test this.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: But really, any time you have a really bitter flavor, probably you want to eat less of that. I mean, we use bitters as a digestive tonic, so a lot of times it’s those things that can be really beneficial, but the poison is also kind of the dose. And it’s probably also in how you prepare it, and whether or not what’s it cooked in and all that kind of stuff. But Mark, the answer to your question is just don’t do that again. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: You’ll probably be fine. If you're still having symptoms, go to the doctor.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, typically when we think of antinutrients in that type of food, in cruciferous vegetables, it’s generally more along the lines of goitrogenic properties, and that’s not really something I would think of addressing or causing this kind of temperature dysregulation, although if you are eating something that messes up your thyroid, you can easily have a body temperature dysregulation issue, so I don’t know {laughs}. It’s possible.

Liz Wolfe: People crazy.

Diane Sanfilippo: Anything’s possible.

Liz Wolfe: Ever since pot got legalized in Colorado people are looking for a different high. That makes no sense.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} On to the nutmeg.

Painful gas and bloating [45:05]

Liz Wolfe: Alright. Next one, and I think this will be the last one. Why do healthy foods cause gas? Christine says, “recently I’ve begun adding in more nutrient dense and probiotic foods to really heal my gut. Mainly raw fermented sauerkraut for probiotics, and bone broth. My issue is this; since incorporating these foods, I’ve had the worst bloating and gas ever. Sorry for the TMI, but I’m at my wits end. When I first started paleo, I noticed that my stomach was flatter and less bloated than it had ever been from cutting out grains, but now it’s the worst ever. I feel like I spend most days just figuring out how to relieve the pressure.

Further, after some meals, I feel pretty strong pressure and sometimes twinges of pain in my right upper abdomen, where liver and gallbladder are located. Side note, I had some issues with pressure and bloating in this upper right area last fall, and wound up having a CT and MRI to make sure nothing serious was wrong. They came back all clear of my liver, gallbladder, and other internal organs. So, back to my question. Could the sauerkraut and the broth be causing this excessive gas? And if so, if there anything paleo-friendly I could take or do to remedy that while still getting in that good probiotic.

I’m also curious if you think the pressure and slight pain in the URQ could be gallbladder related. My scans came back clean, but there’s a history of gallbladder problems in my family. My grandmother had her gallbladder removed when she was around my age, and my mom has gallbladder pain when she eats fatty meat. The pressure and pain seems to be worse after a fatty meal. Is there anything I can do to make sure my gallbladder is functioning optimally? “

Diane Sanfilippo: Whoo-hoo.

Liz Wolfe: You’re Miss Gallbladder.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Am I? I don’t know how that happened. Alright, well a couple of things here. She kind of has two different questions/issues going on, and the one typically the gas response to healthy foods is really just about the bacterial balance or imbalance of what’s happening in your gut. So this would be, primarily we’re talking about your large intestine. But if you do have too much bacteria in your small intestine, it can cause even more gas and bloating.

So this is one of those times when I would say to get in touch with a practitioner who can test you for SIBO, which is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Because what it sounds like what she’s experiencing is pretty aligned with the symptoms of SIBO. I’m absolutely not diagnosing you, but it’s one of those things where, get tested for that. Because if you have it and you don’t address the bacterial overgrowth that’s in the wrong portion of your digestive system, you’re just going to be climbing, fighting this uphill battle. Climbing uphill. Wait, what? {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: It will be an uphill battle. So that’s part of it. And really, any foods that we eat that contain carbohydrates at all can promote gas or bloating if they are just throwing our gut bacteria off balance. So, the bacteria in our gut are generally eating the carbohydrate material that we are eating, generally in the form of either soluble fiber or sometimes a bit of insoluble, but generally it’s going to be soluble fiber that they’re eating, and that stuff like jicama or sweet potato or anything that’s the more fleshy part of a carbohydrate food, versus the skin of a sweet potato, for example. Or broccoli probably has a decent amount of insoluble fiber, meaning the gut bacteria probably don’t eat it as much, but a bit as well of the soluble.

You can absolutely get gas from anything that’s like that, and fermented sauerkraut, even though a lot of the carbohydrate is actually broken down from the cabbage, just that process of fermentation can absolutely promote more gas. I’ve heard tons of people of having that same issue. For some people, they get the probiotics in by drinking the juice from the sauerkraut, and they find that not eating the cabbage just yields a better result.

I’m not sure about the bone broth having this effect. I’m curious to know if when you get rid of the fermented foods, just seeing if the broth on its own does that. But truthfully, if this is an issue with any types of carbohydrates, I would just really figure out why you’re getting that response. Because you should be able to eat vegetables, and even some fermented foods without much issue.

When it comes to the pain in the upper right abdomen, it could absolutely be gallbladder related. Sometimes it really is just gas, and very easily gas can cause that kind of pain, and it can feel very severe, and much bigger than it is in terms of you feel like it’s your gallbladder. But, at the same time, if it is happening after a fatty meals, we’ve talked lots of times about what to do to support your gallbladder. Just to kind of touch on it a little bit, I would say grab Practical Paleo, if you have a copy, open it up to that digestion section and read how to troubleshoot this. Because I’m going to explain it, but you can kind of review that any time.

If you are having issue digesting fats, first of all, you could reduce your fat intake. That doesn’t mean don’t eat fat, but if a ribeye with two tablespoons of butter doesn’t feel good, then don’t eat something with quite as much fat in that meal. It just might not feel good for you. Or you could supplement with some ox bile, which will help your body to emulsify those fats. Or even taking it one step back, is making sure you are in rest and digest mode, allowing your body to prime and accept food, and to start secrete the digestive enzymes it needs to break it down, and making sure that your stomach acid is sufficient. Because without sufficient stomach acid, the rest of the downstream effect of digestive function and the enzymes we need and the bile that we need really don’t get signaled properly. So we really need to make sure that we have sufficient stomach acid so that we can actually signal that gallbladder to release bile in response to the food that we’re eating.

Liz’s skin care tip of the week: Glowing skin [51:21]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, Liz. This week, we are going to get a skin care tip from you. Are we?

Liz Wolfe: We are. So this is my skin care tip, and this is kind of a response to one of the most obnoxious tips I see on the internet about what to do for glowing skin, or what have you. And that is, you just always hear, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink so much water for glowing skin. And, I am completely not in that camp.

Diane Sanfilippo: And spend your life in the bathroom.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah, exactly. Spend your life peeing clear and feeling really proud of yourself because there’s absolutely no yellow in your urine. Meanwhile, if your skin is plump and glowing, it’s not going to be for a good reason. You don’t want to over hydrate. This is a general tip, but I find that any kind of wellness tip also applies to the skin, because the skin is kind of the mirror into how our body is doing on the inside. Over hydrating can do nothing but, number one, dilute the digestive process. And number two, manipulate the cellular balance of fluid and minerals. And that is not a good thing.

I’m not saying don’t drink water when you're thirsty. Absolutely drink water when you're thirsty! Eat enough sea salt and get an abundance of minerals in your food, and some topical magnesium if you can. But don’t wake up and chug water. Don’t chug water before your meals to help fill you up. Don’t hydrate to the point that you are peeing clear. That is not necessary. Just drink when you're thirsty, eat a variety of water rich foods, and make sure you’re peeing a couple of times a day, but not constantly. It shouldn’t be this urgent feeling, like, oh my gosh that gallon of water I had for breakfast needs to come out now.

So. That’s important for skincare, that’s important for overall health, and that is my skin care tip this week.

Diane’s Kitchen tip: [53:33]

Liz Wolfe: Ok, so it’s time for Diane’s kitchen tip. What’d you got for us this week, Diane?

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright. Well, people are asking, now that its fall, about how to cut open those pesky gigantic gourds. {Laughs} A spaghetti squash, or a butternut squash, or a pumpkin, etc.

Liz Wolfe: Wait, can I tell you how I do it?

Diane Sanfilippo: Please. {laughs} Spence!

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} No, I use my meat mallet, and I slice the knife partway through and then I bang the knife the rest of the way with the meat mallet.

Diane Sanfilippo: That sounds, that sounds legit if you feel safe doing that.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} Ok.

Diane Sanfilippo: I will not be next to you in the kitchen while you’re doing that.

Liz Wolfe: Fair enough.

Diane Sanfilippo: But I’ve seen you, what do you call it? Pry eggs, and you’re excellent at prying eggs.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Poach frying eggs.

Liz Wolfe: Thank you.

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so somebody says that they always end up banging the squash or whatever it is on the counter with the knife stuck halfway. I kind of do too {laughing}.

Liz Wolfe: Awesome.

Diane Sanfilippo: No, I generally take the biggest knife that I have, and first off I try to lay the squash down so that it’s length wise on the cutting board, so it’s not standing on the skinny side. It’s lying down on the long side. That will give you a little bit more stability. If you’re trying to cut from skinny end down, that might be too unstable. You might need to take this in a few movements of the shoulder and get your back into it. I mean, these things are pretty rough, so I would definitely get a really big knife.

If you’re worried about splitting it evenly, you could go from the middle out, and then from the middle out on the other side, and just kind of take two separate cuts, instead of going straight from one side to the other. It really kind of depends on how confident you are with that. But I would just go slowly, and if you don’t do it in one clean cut, that’s ok. Nobody will know, especially when you go to scoop all that squash out of the spaghetti squash. No one is going to know that it wasn’t cut totally evenly.

And if you do end up cutting it really wonky, just make sure that if you’re roasting, for example spaghetti squash, and one half is a lot smaller, pull that half out earlier from the oven because it will probably be done a lot quicker. Now, when it comes to something like butternut squash or pumpkin. Well, I would say pretty much for butternut squash this will apply. You can peel the whole thing first, and just start cutting it, and not cut it in half, and just roast it. So if you just want to peel it, cut it into cubes, pull out the seeds when you get there, and then just either roast it or steam it that way, that’s another easy thing to do because the skin on the butternut squash is much thinner. I find that’s one of the easiest ways to handle it, is just to peel it first. If you’re having trouble with cutting the whole thing in half.

This week’s winner for hashtag: #myfavoritefat [56:45]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so our listener feedback for this week was #myfavoritefat. So we’ve got our chosen favorite of this week, and that was from Kristine Rudolph @kristinerudolph on twitter, I believe.

Liz Wolfe: That’s my girl!

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh yeah?

Liz Wolfe: She’s one to follow. She keeps track of all the alignment stuff and all that good stuff.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Liz Wolfe: Kind of disseminates it. She’s the one who introduced me to Katy Bowman.

Diane Sanfilippo: Cool. I saw something was retweeted amongst she and Katy Bowman. Cool.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah. She’s legit.

Diane Sanfilippo: So she said, duck fat is #myfavoritefat, especially on chicken. I giggle thinking of the species intermingling.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: Which, I kind of giggle at that too. Or, like a turducken.

Liz Wolfe: A turducken.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or like cooking duck eggs in duck fat. That’s not the intermingling, but just the layering of duckness.

Liz Wolfe: Of duckness?

Diane Sanfilippo: Duckness. I posted recently on Instagram. Scott and I have been making duck fat fries or home fries, and they’re amazing. So, you guys can check that out in my Instagram feed. What about this week? What’s our hashtag for this week?

Liz Wolfe: Ok, I think we settled on #whileIlisten. Right? #whileIlisten.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yes.

Liz Wolfe: Ok. So, you guys know we like to hear about and see what you do when you listen to the Balanced Bites podcast. So if you’re on a walk, snap a picture. If you’re on a subway take a pic… no don’t take a picture, you’ll get beat up if you take a picture on the subway. Or just let us know what you do while you listen. So it’s #whileIlisten.

Liz Wolfe: Cool. So that’s it for this week. You can find Diane at http://dianesanfilippo.com, and join me, Liz, at http://realfoodliz.com/. Join our email lists! Puleese! And, if you’re loving our new segment format, let us know in your iTunes review. And of course, if you don’t like it, just don’t say anything. {laughs} See y’all next week.

 

Cheers! Diane & Liz