Podcast Episode #161: Cold Brew Coffee, Alkaline Water, Cavities & a Fertility Tip

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Topics:

1. What’s new for you from Diane & Liz [3:02] 2. Shout Out: Brittany Angell [8:31] 3. This week in the Paleosphere: South Park’s Gluten Free Ebola [12:41] 4. Listener Questions:
* Cold-brewed coffee and mold [14:42] * Drinking alkaline water [22:29] * Packing paleo meals for an off-shore trip [26:31] * Cavities and natural tooth care [33:07] 5. Liz’s fertility tip of the week: getting started [39:24] 6. Diane’s Kitchen tip: troubleshooting bone broth[41:36] 7. This week’s hashtag details: #paleocollection [45:29] [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/balancedbites/BB_Podcast_161_final.mp3″ color=”00aeef” title=”#161: Cold Brew Coffee, Alkaline Water, Cavities & a Fertility Tip ” artist=”Diane Sanfilippo & Liz Wolfe ” ]

     
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Liz Wolfe: Hey everyone! Welcome to Balanced Bites podcast number 161. I’m Liz, and that’s Diane.

Diane Sanfilippo: Hey.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} You’re half muted.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh, darn.

Liz Wolfe: ‘ey! ‘ello! ‘ello govnah!

Diane Sanfilippo: ‘ello. Isn’t that a new; there’s like a new app or an internet thing.

Liz Wolfe: It’s like the new Facebook, and you have to get invited.

Diane Sanfilippo: Ugh!

Liz Wolfe: And it’s like way too exclusive of a party for me. Plus…

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m too old for that. {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: Plus, I read an article that they took a bunch of venture capital, which basically means they sold out before they even had a product, so we’ll see how that goes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yikes.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} They Zuckerberg’d us!

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: Anyhoo. Alright, so 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 http://petespaleo.com/ for all the details, and be sure to check out chef Pete’s cookbook, Paleo By Season. Which I love.

We’re really excited now to welcome Vital Choice as our newest sponsor here on the podcast. First week was last week; I thought it went really, really well.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} They are a fantastic brand that we actually hand-selected to sponsor the show. I’m very, very excited and honored that they are here, making this show possible. Vital Choice is 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. The fisheries that supply most of their seafood are certified sustainable by MSC, look for their blue logo, or the state of Alaska, or are widely considered sustainable. So these people do their research, they’re very conscientious about it. And, as a consequence ,their products are awesome. I order my Portuguese sardines, my oysters, and now and then caviar from Vital Choice. They’ve got all kinds of goodies, check out their website. They’re offering our listeners 15% off any order using the code balancedbites, one word, all lowercase, and they always offer free shipping on orders over $99. So you can take advantage of that, as well.

What’s new for you from Diane & Liz [3:02]

Liz Wolfe: What’s new with you, D-Sizzle?

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} It’s been a while since I’ve had that nickname.

Liz Wolfe: I know.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh, what’s new. Alright, well I think I updated folks on the last show about the new podcast, so definitely come checkout the Build a Badass Business podcast. I have everything rolling, I think by the time this airs, at least 4 episodes, maybe 5, and folks are dropping reviews, which I really appreciate. It really helps me to hear how you’re receiving everything, and how it’s going. If you are interested in that as well, there’s a group on Facebook. It’s not a public page, but it’s a group that if you ask to join it, I will let you in. So come on over and check that out.

Mediterranean Paleo Cooking we are touring December. Nope, not December.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: We actually may also be touring in December, so that’s kind of why that’s also on my brain. So stay tuned for that. But, October 28 in Nashville, October 29 Atlanta, October 30 Chicago, and then, skipping Halloween, and November 1 in San Francisco. I’m super excited about all of those. I have not been to Nashville, ever. I have not been to Atlanta for quite some time. Have never been to Chicago.

Liz Wolfe: You’ve never been to Nashville?

Diane Sanfilippo: I’ve never been to Nashville. I know. And then San Francisco, of course.

Liz Wolfe: Do you watch the show, Nashville?

Diane Sanfilippo: No.

Liz Wolfe: That woman in it has the best hair.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I don’t know.

Liz Wolfe: From Friday Night Lights? My goodness.

Diane Sanfilippo: I don’t watch it, I’m sorry.

Liz Wolfe: You don’t even know. Here’s something interesting, speaking of Nashville.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’ve been focused {laughs} ok, go ahead.

Liz Wolfe: Ok. So I was talking to my, not my sister, but she’s my sister because she’s my husband’s little sister. So what is she? She’s my sister-in-law. Ok.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: Wow. That, it’s really early in the morning. So we were talking to her, and she was telling us about the music she likes, and she likes Tim McGraw. I was like, do you realize that 16 years ago, I loved Tim McGraw. So I really shouldn’t torment my parents so much.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing} What is that from?

Liz Wolfe: Clueless. The way I feel about Nine Inch Nails.

Diane Sanfilippo: Nine Inch Nails.

Liz Wolfe: Is the way my parents… yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Feel about the Rolling Stones?

Liz Wolfe: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: Was that it?

Liz Wolfe: Tolerance is always a good lesson.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing} Epic. Oh, we have to bring in some other shows, other movies, than…

Liz Wolfe: There are no other movies. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Mean Girls. It’s pretty much Mean Girls and Clueless. I tried to quote Pretty Woman this morning, and it was lost on you, so.

Liz Wolfe: It fell flat. I just can’t watch very much Julia Roberts.

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s like old school classic Julia Roberts. And yes, there’s such a thing as old school; I mean, like Mystic Pizza, and, what’s…

Liz Wolfe: Steel Magnolias.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah! I’m like, what’s the crying wedding moving {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: Look, look. It’s never Julia Roberts, it’s the men she’s in the movies with that I watch them for.

Diane Sanfilippo: Dylan McDermott. {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: Dylan McDermott, Richard Gere, that guy who was in Batman, the guy who was in Erin Brockovich? He was all bikered out?

Diane Sanfilippo: I don’t know his name.

Liz Wolfe: Oh, what is his name? He’s hot though.

Diane Sanfilippo: What about My Best Friend’s Wedding. Wasn’t she, she was in that one.

Liz Wolfe: Oh, Rupert.. Something.

Diane Sanfilippo: Rupert.. I don’t know. And Dermot Mulroney.

Liz Wolfe: Dermot Mulroney!

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: Yeah, that one. Dermot.

Diane Sanfilippo: Classic.

Liz Wolfe: He was like, I have to grow up to be a hot actor, otherwise this name, Dermot, is going to destroy me.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: Sounds like Kermit.

Diane Sanfilippo: Worst.

Liz Wolfe: Worst. Ok.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, so. What’s up with you?

Liz Wolfe: {laughing} I just told you. Well, this is a really. I’m going to go ahead and tease this, so people know to look out for it, but sometime in the nearish future, Diane is going to hop on a very cool webinar with me. No, we don’t do everything together, but we like to do some things together. So I’m pulling her on a webinar with me. We’re going to talk about things like skincare, the sugar detox and beyond, so I just wanted everybody to keep their ears open for that, because it is going to be free, and there’s going to be lots of good stuff wrapped up in that little webinar, so keep your eyes and ears open.

Diane Sanfilippo: Are we going to be on video?

Liz Wolfe: I don’t know, it depends. It depends.

Diane Sanfilippo: I just want to make sure I adjust my shower and hair washing schedule for you.

Liz Wolfe: Yes, actually, we are going to be on video. We’ll do a video webinar. I’ll go into town for the good internet. We will do it up right.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Alright.

Liz Wolfe: It will be amazing. And of course, if you sign up for my email list, you’ll get notified of that if you’re worried about missing it, or falling through the cracks on that. Because it’s going to be live, probably, so we’ll see about making it available to people after that. But that’s usually an extra expense and extra work, so we’ll just have to see how that goes.

Other than that, my audio book is finally really, really close to being done. So the audio book of Eat the Yolks. If you want to engage in healthful, salubrious activates rather than sit and read, you can go for a walk and listen to me talk, you can do jazzercise, you can do prancercize and listen to me talk. You can do almost anything with a pair of headphones and my audio book. Because you cannot get enough of me or prancercization.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m definitely going to listen and prancercize.

Liz Wolfe: Correct.

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s what I’m going to do.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} Those are pretty much my updates for right now.

Shout Out: Brittany Angell [8:31]

Liz Wolfe: Alright, so this week we’re shouting out your ideas twin, Diane. {laughs} Brittany Angell. Tell us about Brittany!

Diane Sanfilippo: So, Brittany Angell, I call her many things. {laughs} One of which is sort of the queen of cupcakes, the {laughs} I don’t even know. I’m thinking of all these goofy names.

Liz Wolfe: The Baron of Bread.

Diane Sanfilippo: Exactly. Something of waffles.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m just tapped out on creative names right now. Anyway, Brittany Angell, whenever somebody asks me, what can I replace this with in a recipe, when it’s a baked good or something like that. So if you need recipes that are egg free, nut free, seed free, {laughs} calorie free! No, I’m kidding.

Liz Wolfe: {snort}

Diane Sanfilippo: If you need recipes that are creative and interesting, but also fun and kind of help you put those celebrations back in your life where, you know, you want to make cupcakes for something or cakes or cookies. She’s got a pumpkin sugar cookie recipe, and all kinds of really good stuff, like a pumpkin soft pretzel. What? Who does that? She just has these weird creative ideas that are awesome. She shares tons of it for free on her website. She also has something called Club Angell, which is super inexpensive. It’s just a way to get access to a lot more recipes, because she’s constantly developing new recipes. I know you and I are both Club Angell members.

Liz Wolfe: Yes, yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Card-carrying members of Club Angell.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: One day, I saw her post a nut-free, egg-free chocolate chip cookie. I was like, yes! Sign me up! {laughs} So I bought it that day. Yes, I know tons of recipes over there. I just want folks to know about it, and give her a little shout out. She’s working super hard. I know she has her new book coming out, Every Last Crumb, releases I think late November-ish, and I got to have a sneak preview of the book, and it’s amazing, and the recipes I just know… So many times, we get books and we’ll flip to one or two recipes because we just have it on the top of our minds. I know Simone’s book I cooked a really amazing chicken dish, it was supposed to be duck, but I couldn’t find duck {laughs}, from Zenbelly’s cookbook. But I know, also, off the top of my head she’s got a really amazing plantain tortilla recipe in there.

So, I think Brittany’s book is kind of, it’s going to bring you back to the book for recipes over and over again, because it’s the kind of recipes you need recipes for, if that makes sense?

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: I know all of the recipes we have inspire people, but sometimes you make them once or twice, and you’re like, ok, I got this, I know what flavors to put together, or maybe not. But, when it comes to baking, which I think is a really challenging thing to do, Brittany has been testing recipes for a long time. She’s written other books in the past, and her new one that’s paleo friendly, and it’s also kind of beyond paleo. I know she uses some starch flours, and maybe even some rice flour now and then. But I definitely, you know how I feel about that stuff. If it’s a treat, and you need to make a cake for someone who can’t have nuts or seeds, you know, there’s lots of ways to do things.

Liz Wolfe: No, Diane, people that can’t have nuts or seeds can never have cake! It’s not paleo!

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing} No cake for you!

Liz Wolfe: No.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m just looking at her website now. Grain free bagels, and I’m like, oh, I want to eat that. Anyway, just wanted to give her a little shout out. I know she’s just crushing it over there, always creating content and she’s kind of like my business and content soul-sister because we’re both always trying to put so much out that’s free. And then we, of course, do have things that we need to have folks pay for so that we can support the work that we’re doing. But, she just constantly cranks it out, and I’m just really impressed by her, so I want you guys to check her out. I’ll probably interview her for a short segment coming up soon before the book comes out, and then I might even interview her for the business podcast because, she’s doing it. She’s really doing well with everything, and I’m just really impressed. That’s my shout out for this week.

Liz Wolfe: That would be gruel.

This week in the Paleosphere: South Park’s Gluten Free Ebola [12:41]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so this week in the paleosphere. It’s probably technically last week, because by the time this episode airs, I think all of you probably saw this around the interwebz. But, there was a hilarious episode of South Park called Gluten Free Ebola. {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: {laughing} What?

Diane Sanfilippo: You have to watch it! It’s amazing. Who is, it, oh shoot! Why do I forget their names? Who’s the teacher guy who goes, “M’kay?” {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: I don’t know, just call him “M’kay?”

Diane Sanfilippo: So he goes gluten free, and their having this PTA meeting, or something like that, and everyone in the meeting is like, “I don’t want to hear about him talking about his stupid gluten free diet! “ He comes in, he’s like, “oh I had to stop and get a snack, m’kay. I knew you guys would be eating donuts, and I’m on a gluten free diet, m’kay.” {laughs} It was just hilarious. The whole episode is talking about gluten being the devil and killing everyone. It was just, oh it was hilarious. There are these amazing little clips where they’re all talking about how gluten was hidden in something, and one of the dad’s was, I hate to be a spoiler, but it’s a cartoon, so I’m going to spoil it.

One of the dad’s was drinking beer still, and he’s like, “beer! There’s gluten in beer! What?!” and they end up in quarantine in a Papa John’s. {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: And there’s like three or four dudes in there, and they’re like, “how did you get in here? What did you eat that had gluten?” And this one guy’s like, “soy sauce. I didn’t know it was in the soy sauce.” {laughing} It’s just… if you eat gluten free, you just, you laugh so hard, because you’re like, that’s my life! So. Anyway. It was pretty hilarious. Definitely check that out.

Liz Wolfe: One of the guys on that staff must be gluten free.

Diane Sanfilippo: I know.

Liz Wolfe: For him to get all that.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or a staffer was, and they’re in the writing room, and the guys being totally annoying. I could picture this episode of 30 Rock, you know, where they bring a pile of donuts, and someone’s like, oh, I’m gluten free, so. Yeah.

Listener Questions:
Cold-brewed coffee and mold [14:42]

Liz Wolfe: Alright, then. Let’s move on to the listener questions. My favorite part, because I get to show off my reading aloud skills.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: I always loved to do that in Sunday School.

Diane Sanfilippo: T-t-today, Junior!

Liz Wolfe: {laughing} Alright. This question is from Michelle. Cold-brewed coffee. Michelle says, “Hi Diane and Liz! I love the new format of your podcast. You both seem to have so many irons in the fire, and also seem to be embarking in some new directions. I can’t wait to see what the future unveils for you both, but also appreciate that you’re sticking with the Balanced Bites podcast.” That is really nice. Thanks Michelle. “Onto my question. I’ve heard you both rhapsodize about Chameleon Cold Brew so often that I finally tried some. It was the first coffee I’ve had in a year after eliminating it and all caffeine from my diet as part of the AI protocol. I have MS. I’m happy to report the reintroduction went well. So well, that I have to limit myself to a morning brew, no matter how much I’d like another cup later. It’s just so tasty. My question has to do with other cold-brew blends available on the market, and coffee in general.

I’m convinced that part of the reason the reintroduction of the coffee went so well is it is low acidity, and also of high quality. I wonder if other blends, such as the new Trader Joe’s cold brew, are of similar acidity and reliable quality. I’ve heard Dave Aspry promote his coffee, and discuss the dangers of molds in most commercial coffee brands. His bulletproof brand is a little out of my price range for daily consumption, but I do not want to reintroduce molds along with coffee. Can you speak to the issue of mold in coffee, it’s affect on health for people with a history of leaky gut and autoimmune issues. Should I be concerned? I’m safe with Chameleon Cold Brew. Is there a difference in the various brands of cold brews? Thanks so much. Love, Michelle.”

Oh my gosh, I just realized that in the entry form for these questions, the very last one is, “Anything else you want to talk about? Your feelings? Your latest PR? Vampire fiction? Classic 80’s movie references? Wow.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I updated that a couple of months ago.

Liz Wolfe: I love it. I love it so much. Alright, so I don’t really know what to say about this. I think that Dave Aspry is a good guy. I think he found a very active niche to promote some expertise that perhaps he has that other people don’t have.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: You know, so I think it’s a good business decision on his part. I’m not sure that mold in coffee is any more concerning than pesticide residue; it might just be one of these things. It’s not some crazy thing that we should only worry about coffee because of mold.

Diane Sanfilippo: Mm-hmm.

Liz Wolfe: I think almost everything that we purchase and eat that comes from anywhere probably has some kind of element that’s going to be dangerous, and maybe I could build a business around that.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: You know, something under the stems of apples, I don’t know. I’m not saying it’s not a concern.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, I think, just to address her question super specifically on how much of a concern is mold in coffee in general. Well, first of all before I even get into that. I love Trader Joe’s, I worked there for a while back in the day.

Liz Wolfe: You worked everywhere for a while.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} No, I didn’t.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: I worked at 3 really, really good brands. I worked at the Gap for a long time, I worked at Trader Joe’s and I worked at Lululemon. I’m very selective with my retail opportunities.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I learned a lot from all of those places. But the thing about the Trader Joe’s cold brew is, it’s terrible.

Liz Wolfe: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: It tastes like battery acid. And it’s not sold cold. I was like, I’m sorry, I love Trader Joe’s. Their honey mints are fantastic. {laughs} I highly recommend them. It’s like a healthy Junior Mint. Please buy them and freeze them. Oh my gosh, they’re so good. Sorry, I had a moment.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah, you did. Feeling uncomfortable here, do you want me to leave you alone for a minute?

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} They are so good. Hold on, I need to go get one. But that cold brew is horrible, and I blech. I can’t even talk. I don’t wish it on my worst enemy. Don’t buy it.

Liz Wolfe: Oh my god.

Diane Sanfilippo: So that aside, I think that the mold issue comes into play far before the coffee is brewed, primarily. So, I know some people are brewing coffee, they’re doing cold brew in their own home, and they’re leaving it on the counter because it seems natural and normal, but it’s not quite the same as a kombucha where your intention is to ferment it, and some people are getting mold growing on their cold brew at home.

That’s not really what we’re talking about here. What we’re talking about here is the molds that can grow on the actual beans before, I think, they even get roasted and bagged, or how much time they’re sitting and fermenting. I don’t know if coffee is naturally fermented. I know cocoa is naturally fermented when it just sits, kind of waiting to go wherever it’s going to go, and that’s an ok thing. I actually listened to a podcast about this. I listened to the equivalent of the Delicious Dish {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Over America’s Test Kitchen, and they did a whole episode on fermentation with Sandor Katz, who’s written lots of books on fermentation. Yeah, so he was talking about that, about how chocolate is fermented. Anyway, I’m getting on a tangent. But I think the issue with mold is really it comes into play far before it’s either cold brewed or not, and I think possibly looking for a high-quality brand that’s organic and fair trade and maybe a company that’s producing it locally would help, and I would definitely make sure you’re buying it cold.

I think with this sensitivity, you’re just going to have to try it and see how your reaction is. Because if you had a really good experience with Chameleon, which we know has that low acidity and I don’t presume many issues with mold, I just can’t say exactly what’s going to happen with some other brands. So, the short answer is, I’m not sure. I don’t know. But, I do think that if you’re worried about it, maybe don’t brew it yourself at home, and I would just make sure if you do decide to brew something at home, that you try and find beans that somehow you’re making sure that they’re fresher.

And that is one of the things that can be tougher, and I think that’s where we’re finding a lot more mold. On food products that can sit for a long time without going off, so that’s one of the big issues with peanuts, for example. It’s not necessarily just an issue of lectins in a peanut, it’s that they sit for a really long time and can develop mold, aflatoxin, and that can be really problematic for people.

But then again, this is another one of those topics where I don’t think it’s just the mold that’s an issue. I think it’s the environment it’s introduced into. Because, obviously, just like gluten and grains, just like dairy, just like even folks who eat fish that contains mercury. It’s not necessarily the amount of that trace element that’s there, whether it’s the mold or heavy metal. It’s not necessarily the amount. It’s the dose, and duration, and the environment it’s introduced to.

So when I say environment, I mean your body. So somebody else may be able to drink a different cold brew, have no effect, and feel fine. And perhaps they’re not sensitive to that mold, if there is mold. But if you are sensitive, and you try it and it doesn’t go well for you, that is where that N=1, you have to see what works for you, really comes into play. It’s just not going to be the same for everybody.

Liz Wolfe: Agreed.

Diane Sanfilippo: Thoughts and feelings?

Liz Wolfe: No. I don’t have any.

Diane Sanfilippo: Did she have a little shout out thing? We can definitely give her some love on that, or was that not. Oh no, that wasn’t her, that was a different question.

Liz Wolfe: Must be another one.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, it was a different question.

Drinking alkaline water [22:29]

Liz Wolfe: Alright, next one. Alkaline water. Renny says, “Hi ladies! Love your show. What is your opinion of alkaline water? It seems like if your stomach is full of acid, and you drink alkaline water, that your stomach would have to produce more acid to neutralize the alkaline water, which seems to defeat the whole purpose of drinking alkaline water, to become more alkaline.” {Laughs} “What are your thoughts on eating alkaline foods, and maintaining a slightly alkaline pH balance in your body? Thanks for all the rants and rambles.”

Well. Here’s another one where I have to honestly say, I’m not sure. I wrote in Eat the Yolks about the acid/alkaline balance and how it relates to our bones with regard to animal foods supposedly being acid and high protein diets being acidic, and leaching calcium from your bones, and whatnot. And I talked about how the body balances alkaline and acid.

But, I have heard so many anecdotal reports of people who have literally developed superpowers from drinking alkaline water that I’m curious about this concept, no so much as a function of acid/alkaline balance, because I think that’s been pretty well taken down, but I’m just wondering if there’s something else about alkaline water. The process they do to make it alkaline? I don’t know. This is interesting to me, and it’s still a topic I’m curious about. I don’t think it’s the panacea that other’s think it is. But I’m glad to take testimonials from people who, the one thing they changed was to start drinking alkaline water. And, something happened.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, and were they drinking a lot of water before, and just switched it to alkaline?

Liz Wolfe: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or all of a sudden they just start drinking more water? But also, just to remind people, this whole acid/alkaline balance thing, your body regulates that really tightly. So, of course on an overall basis, getting high quality, nutrient dense foods in, not eating foods that are depleting your nutrient stores instead of replenishing them, can help. But you’re not going to affect your blood pH, for example, by eating different foods.

Liz Wolfe: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: In the way that you think you are. Because if you were able to do that, it would be very, very dangerous. {laughs}

Liz Wolfe: Which is exactly what I say in Eat the Yolks. This is something that’s out of your hands.

Diane Sanfilippo: Like if eating Poptarts and bagels were making you so acidic, people would not even be alive!

Liz Wolfe: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Eating that stuff. But they are.

Liz Wolfe: Somehow, they are.

Diane Sanfilippo: Somehow, they’re alive. We were.

Liz Wolfe: And sometimes, and I wonder, another thing I talk about in Eat the Yolks, how studies are conducted, how different variables are picked out and related with health outcomes, and it’s really kind of a sketchy process. But you think, alright, what else do we know about so-called alkaline foods when we’re talking about vegetables, for example. Also dense in fiber. So are we actually looking at positive health outcomes from an increase in fiber? It’s just one of those things. I don’t know that acid/alkaline is really what we’re looking at for any kind of positive health outcome.

Diane Sanfilippo: Indeed.

Liz Wolfe: But I’m hoping to hearing what other people have to say. There’s some kind of super; so, down the street from us, and by down the street, I mean like 6miles down the road, there’s this crazy house with gargoyles. It’s just this huge house, and I think it’s also a business, I don’t know. Nobody knows what it is. Our cable guy told us, though, when he came to hook us up with a satellite, that there’s a special doctor who lives in that house that makes special water for autistic kids. And I was thinking, what are you talking about? And I’ve been wondering if that guy is brewing some kind of special alkaline water over there. It’s like Fort Knox, though, so I’m not going to be able to find out. Sorry guys.

Diane Sanfilippo: Interesting.

Liz Wolfe: Interesting.

Diane Sanfilippo: Very interesting.

Liz Wolfe: Gargoyle house. But anyway, I know that people spend a lot of money on that stuff, and they swear by it. Come talk to us about. Come over to my page, and tell me what alkaline water did for you.

Packing paleo meals for an off-shore trip [26:31]

Liz Wolfe: Alright, next one. Paleo friendly packed lunches. McKayla says, “Seeing as your new sponsor is a canned sockeye salmon provider, this question is particularly pertinent. My dad fishes for sockeye salmon every year in Alaska. I started following the autoimmune protocol for my Crohn’s disease, and my parents started the paleo diet in support. They’re both loving it, and my dad is feeling better than ever. My dad is getting ready to go fishing again, but doesn’t want to go back to eating pasta and instant oatmeal every day. Here’s my dad’s question. What can I feed the guys on the boat that will keep them fueled and energetic all day?

A little more info: Most of the food has to be purchased in advanced, and sent up, so mostly non-perishable. He does most of his shopping at Costco. There’s a small freezer on the boat, and there’s plenty of fresh, wild salmon available. They often work 48-hour shifts, with little time to rest or cook. Thanks in advance for your advice. I love listening to the podcast.”

And, we’re going to just go ahead; this is the one you were talking about earlier. She says, “I want to shamelessly self-peddle my blogs.”

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah {laughs}.

Liz Wolfe: {laughs} “Slightly Lost Girl, where I share my latest struggles with Crohn’s and info about the autoimmune paleo protocol. And LaChica Paleo, which is the first Spanish language blog about the autoimmune protocol. Also, I want to lose three pounds.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Just kidding.

Liz Wolfe: Just kidding, I don’t. {laughing} Cute. Alright, what do you have to say on this?

Diane Sanfilippo: Well, I wasn’t sure. She said there’s a freezer, but I couldn’t tell if there was a microwave or how they were heating things up. If she was sending instant oatmeal, I presume they’re heating things up somehow. What do you think?

Liz Wolfe: Huh?

Diane Sanfilippo: Do you think there’s a microwave, if there’s a freezer?

Liz Wolfe: I totally missed everything that you just said.

Diane Sanfilippo: Am I muted?

Liz Wolfe: No, you’re fine. You’re fine.

Diane Sanfilippo: Do you think there’s a microwave? She doesn’t say anything about that.

Liz Wolfe: I doubt there’s a microwave.

Diane Sanfilippo: You doubt it? I mean, there’s instant oatmeal.

Liz Wolfe: I feel like she would have told us.

Diane Sanfilippo: How are they eating instant oatmeal? Are the heating…

Liz Wolfe: Maybe they have a hotplate and they heat up the water.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh boy.

Liz Wolfe: Just add water.

Diane Sanfilippo: Hmm.

Liz Wolfe: I don’t know.

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright. Well, it might require getting a little creative, so how long are they there, a week? I’m like, I read these things, and then I remember the details, and then… Because I was going to say, I mean, plenty of fresh wild salmon. Oh, that would be so amazing.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm. I’d eat that. I’d just bite right into the fish there.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I know. I know! You know, my first thought, which I don’t know if it’s practical because I don’t know if they have something to heat food up, but I was thinking to make a bunch of chili, and you could.. if he’s getting protein and fat from the fish, but he wants to get some other kind of protein or something, you could do a chili that also includes a bunch of butternut squash or some kind of squash or sweet potatoes kind of chunked up in it. That would give you the carbs. I don’t think fishing requires a super high carb intake. I could be wrong, this could be a lot more physically demanding and active than I’m imagining, so correct me or forgive me {laughs} if I am wrong. But it doesn’t seem like a 24/7 workout. I think there’s probably moments, or several minutes here and there, or even an hour, of activity and then maybe not.

I don’t know what the fishing experience is like, but those are my guesses. So that was the first thing I thought of. The other thing you could do, it really just depends on your commitment level to how interesting you want this food to be, but if he had a way to get hot water, but not to heat something else up, then you could actually get like a Food Saver, and do some kind of soups or stews or chilies, and put them in a Food Saver bag, and then make sure that it’s heat resistant, something that could go in a sous-vide for example, you could basically use warm water to just heat it up or defrost it. So that was kind of what I was thinking.

I don’t think there are tons of dry goods that would make a real meal. We know there’s plenty of ways to do jerky or dried fruit and veggies, nuts if he can tolerate nuts, that kind of thing. But, that’s the kind of stuff that I would take on a trip like that if I had a way to sort of preserve it, and I had a way to heat it. Or, if it’s something that could just defrost and then could be eaten room temperature, or whatever, cold. Just not frozen. I don’t know, what else do you think about that? I mean, if he doesn’t bring pasta and oatmeal, he’s not going to eat pasta and oatmeal. That’s kind of the bottom line.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah. Well, I don’t even think oatmeal is that bad of an idea. Really. If it’s good, decent oatmeal, hopefully gluten-free oatmeal, that does have some soluble fiber that will keep you pretty darn full. Just add salt and some kind of fat to it, don’t just eat a bunch of carb and water. So I don’t think that’s a terrible idea. I think it’s vastly less terrible than pasta, or ramen, or something like that. I would probably take cans of sweet potato, something like that. Lots of canned stuff.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, canned stuff sounds like a good idea. I’m guessing it wouldn’t be too heavy, it wouldn’t be a problem. I actually really like that idea. Canned sweet potato is a really good one.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: You could kind of do a can a day of that. Or a can every other day. You could make that.

Liz Wolfe: And if you could do cans, you could get. I mean, I don’t mind eating things like chili or whatever out of a can. You could get cans, Annie’s organic, right? I know they just sold out to General Mills.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh boy. Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: I mean, these are special circumstances. But you might be able to find quite a few canned things that are dense in calories and nutrition, and portable.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. And I would bring, I think bringing a small container of ghee or coconut oil or something that’s calorie dense, but doesn’t take up a lot of space.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: When I travel, I almost always carry a 2-3 oz jar of ghee, or more than one, sometime’s one is just in my carryon bag, and I put one in my suitcase wrapped in lots of plastic. Because I know, if I really need calories, it’s a great, quick way to do it.

Liz Wolfe: Yep. And of course, there’s what, you like Sophia’s jerky?

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, Sophia’s survival food. I love her jerky.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah. And then paleo kits, they do a strong man paleo kit. It’s not a bad idea to have stuff like that around.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: And not rely on it completely.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, we try and keep that stuff, just always, hanging around.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: In the cabinets, even Epic bars, stuff like that, just for when travel comes up. Sometimes we bring it and don’t eat it, and that’s fine. We just know we have it there, so that’s helpful.

Liz Wolfe: I would not do a lot of dried fruit.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Liz Wolfe: Because you don’t want a bunch of men on a boat with excessive gas.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}.

Cavities and natural tooth care [33:07]

Liz Wolfe: Next one. Cavities and natural toothpaste. Christine says, ”I just wanted to let you both know that I love the podcasts, books, and all the Instagram pictures and videos you guys post. I’m also a big fan of the banter at the start of the podcast.” Wohoo! We got one. We got one person who likes it. “You guys are super awesome, and have really helped change my skin, overall health, and just the general outlook on life. Now my question. Growing up, I never had cavities. After having kids, my youngest is 3-1/2, I seem to have at least one cavity every time I go to the dentist, twice per year. I can’t understand it, since I brush twice a day and floss on a semi-regular basis. I’m working on that. I don’t drink sugar in my tea or coffee, and follow about an 80% paleo diet.

At my last appointment, the hygienist told me that some people are just more prone to them, and it might have something to do with the type of bacteria in my mouth. I currently use a standard fluoride toothpaste, but have been reading about the fact that this might not be the best option. Do you have any recommendations for a better, natural toothpaste? I’ve heard you mention the toothpowder from Primal Life Organics, and I’ve been thinking about trying Earthpaste, a clay based toothpaste, but I’m not sure whether I need to be concerned about the trace amounts of lead that’s contained in the clay. It can be hard to wade through all the information that’s out there on the interwebz.

I eat paleo about 80% of the time. Strength training twice per week. Lots of walking and carrying my kids around. I get between 6-7 hours of sleep per night; working on that. I don’t eat any dairy other than a very small amount of cow’s milk in my tea.”

I wanted to answer this one because, obviously it’s not just what’s going on from the outside, it’s also what’s going on from the inside. It’s very true that your entire body’s microbiome, from the bacteria on your skin to your mouth to your gut can completely change in different periods of your life. There’s a really interesting article about this, and I can’t remember where it was, but basically people who are studying the Hadza, which is basically an untouched, last hunter-gatherer tribe that’s left in the world, and they are studying their gut microbiome. And, it is vastly different from, of course, we should expect this, but it’s vastly different from more westernized nations gut bacteria, and it’s also providing some clues to the fact that the biome in the body can change over years and decades, and very much based on circumstances.

So, there are a lot of different reasons that could have happened. It could have been ok at one point in life, and now it’s maybe affecting your mouth differently than it was before. But my recommendation, if this was me, I probably would make sure I was getting a lot of cofactors for mineral retention. So making sure you’re getting a good amount of magnesium, a good amount of calcium, a good amount of vitamin D, and along with that vitamins A and K2. So, a really easy way to do that would be some cod liver oil/butter oil blend, a little topical magnesium oil, and maybe even for a short term, you could do a cal-mag D supplement, just to be sure that you’re not dealing with some residual mineral deficiencies, perhaps from growing a baby. You said your youngest is 3-1/2, so these things can take some time to resolve. I eat the cal-mag, it’s like taurate or something like that, from Dr. Ron’s. If you do buy that, let them know that I sent you. I trust their supplements and the way they make them.

And on top of that, I think trying some kind of toothpowder or Earthpaste would be good. Right now, I am using a combination of Orawellness and Earthpaste or Primal Life Organics. I’m very lucky, people like to send me things. I know this stuff is not cheap, but it’s worth a try. I really like Orawellness, I really like the tooth powder from Primal Life Organics. I like toothpaste as well. I personally wouldn’t worry about the lead. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, and there are these types of things in all of the things. So, it’s not necessarily avoidable, it’s just a matter of not being overexposed.

Other than that, potentially oil pulling would be worth a try. I’ve gotten really, really good reports back on that from people. And remineralization of cavities is possible, you just kind of have to play with your approach orally, your external approach, and kind of figure out what works for you. Diane, any insight?

Diane Sanfilippo: A couple of other dental care brands that, I don’t know your full on take of some of them, but Orawellness, I’ve definitely used that one over the years, which is kind of an oil blend that folks can use.

Liz Wolfe: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: Just a few drops on the brush. There’s one, it’s actually another essential oil based one, I’m going to Google it right now to make sure I can tell you a little more about it. DoTerra.

Liz Wolfe: That’s one of the essential oil companies, yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh, ok.

Liz Wolfe: It’s like Young Living and DoTerra.

Diane Sanfilippo: But they have a paste, like a whitening toothpaste. I don’t know if it’s maybe like baking soda, or whatever. It’s a fluoride free type of toothpaste with essential oils, that kind of thing. Scott actually uses that one. We’ve gotten that. I tried that at one point, as well. He kind of likes that. That’s just the other outside in, kind of thing. But yeah, I’m with you on really looking at why you’re developing the cavities. Maybe it’s the kind of thing where, if it is a bacterial balance issue, work on looking at your digestion and what’s happening there. I mean, I know going paleo for me, I used to get cavities all the time, and I thought it was just because I ate a lot of sugar. And it probably was one of the reasons why, partially just topically, and partially depleting a lot of minerals from my body. But I have not had any issues with that since changing my diet, and I do think that there are a lot of different factors going on. So while we can recommend some stuff to use topically, I do think the inside-out approach is really important to pay attention to, as well.

Liz’s fertility tip of the week: getting started [39:24]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, Liz. Do we have a fertility tip from you this week?

Liz Wolfe: Why yes, we do Diane! Thank you for asking. So, literally the second I started teasing the fertility program that I’m going to put together.

Diane Sanfilippo: Super, thanks for asking!

Liz Wolfe: Super! I started getting all these questions about it, which is great, but I’m kind of like, man the whole reason I’m putting it together is so that I can have all of this in one place {laughs} without maybe answering the same question millions of times. Which, it just helps when you’ve already got the question answered somewhere. But I’m glad people are excited, and it’s definitely going to help guide the direction of the fertility program.

So, this is kind of the most important tip that I’ve got. And this won’t apply to everybody, but it will apply to some. It’s start now. The most powerful nutrition you can get, and the most powerful work you can do on preparing your body, you do that long before you try to get pregnant. And of course, I understand, when you’re ready, you’re ready, and you want it now. But, there are plenty of people who aren’t even thinking about getting pregnant, but think maybe kids are in their future somewhere, or they thing, I drink a lot of wine, so things happen. Stuff like that. So just start thinking about this stuff right now. Get in some organ meats. Get in some beef heart. Those are amazing fertility foods, and they also help support your body’s detoxification system. So if you’ve got a healthy liver, which is kind of the central governor of so many things, you very possibly will be able to avoid things like morning sickness, and massive hormone swings that happen when you’re pregnant.

It’s just one of those things that, the sooner you get started. It doesn’t mean you have to have a baby now, but if you think that might be somewhere in your future, might as well really start being a nutrient seeker, and getting in those foods that I think sometimes, we’re like, meh, I don’t like them that much, so maybe I’ll just not eat that. Maybe I’ll just keep that in the freezer for one day. But get started now. That includes things like guided meditation, good rest, things like. {singing} Don’t wait! Oh, wait. That’s don’t blink, never mind. That’s a Kenny Chesney song.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing} I have no idea what just happened.

Diane’s Kitchen tip: troubleshooting bone broth[41:36]

Liz Wolfe: Alright, time for Diane’s kitchen tip. Diane, can you help us decipher why the following happened? I’m going to read this to you.

Diane Sanfilippo: Ok.

Liz Wolfe: “I just followed you recipe for mineral bone broth in your book, Practical Paleo. I had more than would fit in my Crockpot, so I followed your instruction of putting it in the oven in a cast iron enameled pot. Your recipe suggested the longer the better, so I went 24 hours. The recipe also suggested300 degrees, and I remember thinking that seemed high, but I just figured to trust it. Well, I should have checked the pot in the oven. Even though the Crockpot was fine, the pot in the oven was burnt with all the broth evaporated and bones burnt to the bottom. What a bummer to spend the time and energy, not to mention the money, even grass-fed bones are expensive, and then have the efforts ruined. Just had to share. Sad face.” Why did this happen?

Diane Sanfilippo: Womp, womp, womp. I feel like sad trombone there.

Liz Wolfe: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: Honestly, I have no idea how much she put into her cast iron enameled pot. Or did she split this between the Crockpot/slow cooker and the cast iron enameled pot? I guess she probably put it in there altogether. I have to just give, I don’t know, maybe a buyer beware type of thing, where if you’re going to leave it in there longer, you have to check on it. I mean, it’s one of those things where, I give you the time, but whenever something says you can cook it longer, you have to just see. Even an oven can run hotter. Maybe your oven does run hotter.

Generally, and I say the longer the better, in a slow cooker, the temperature does regulate a lot lower. I think we’re talking somewhere between 2-300 if it’s on low. So if you are putting it in the oven, yeah the longer the better, you can totally cook it longer, but there’s got to be a little bit of discretion there, and you have to check on it.

Unfortunately, I don’t have another reason. Basically, the water just evaporated. I don’t know, was the lid on it tightly? Did you not have the lid on it? Did she say in here if the lid was on there?

Liz Wolfe: Id don’t think so. But I have a pot, by the way, that seems to conduct heat. It just seems to heat things up way, way faster and more sustained than some of my other wares, so I don’t know if that could factor in, too.

Diane Sanfilippo: Well, yeah. Enameled cast iron definitely does that, it holds heat a lot better. But it shouldn’t get hotter. The temperature is the temperature. That was profound, right? {laughs} The temperature is the temperature. But I don’t know if she had it closed. I really don’t know how that could have happened if the lid was on tightly, because water really can’t escape to that degree. But, that’s really, how can people prevent that in the future? Check on it after the first 8 hours. Because even when you’re cooking something in a slow cooker, typically the lid is clear so you can kind of peek, or maybe you’ll catch a whiff. If something smells like it’s getting a little too cooked, it will smell a little bit burnt. So that’s really kind of the best option there.

But yeah, anytime something says you can go longer than the recipe time, you really have to just kind of use your sensibilities there, check it out, see what’s going on. I’m sorry that happened, that’s definitely a bummer. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of it happening, so that’s kind of my 2 cents on it. But yeah, I would just be careful with that. Make sure you’ve got a lid on it, and perhaps work at a lower temperature in your oven in the future.

Liz Wolfe: We’re very sorry for your loss.

Diane Sanfilippo: It is very, very sad.

This week’s hashtag details: #paleocollection [45:29]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, time for our winning hashtaggers from two weeks ago. The tag was #whileIlisten. So, I had three that I wanted to pick, because I thought all three of these were pretty darn cool. The first one is from the Paleo Fox, and she had a huge fridge, no freezer, filled with beef, half a hog, all kinds of goodies, and she was, let’s see what she was doing while she was reorganizing the freezer. Something to that effect, trying to make room in her freezer. So liked that one.

The second one, Parizyenaysin, I can’t really pronounce this one. It’s someone in Paris. And she said, my morning commute starts here #whileilisten to the Balanced Bites podcast, and it was a really cool photo from inside whatever the, what is it, the metro station? And I loved that, thought that was super cool to see us internationally.

And then I picked a third winner because I thought this was super cool. It’s Drkatelyndc and I believe she’s probably in Colorado; oh, yep. Denver, and she’s at Mmm… Coffee, having some bulletproof coffee while listening to the Balanced Bites podcast, and editing a paper at the same time. I don’t know how you do that, because I cannot listen to podcasts and do mentally taxing work. So there’s that.

And now, our next interactive hashtag is going to be Paleo Collection. So, we want to see your #paleocollection and show us your collection of paleo books. So, whether that’s just what’s sitting on the shelf, or a couple you have in your kitchen. Wherever you are that you want to show us your #paleocollection, let us know what you’re cooking from, what you’re reading, and show us what you’ve got!

Liz Wolfe: Yeah.

Liz Wolfe: 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! Come get on the list! 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. See you next week.