Hey everyone, welcome to the very first episode of Taste Test Thursdays! If you’re new here, this is a special bonus series where I’ll be giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the topics I didn’t get a chance to fully explore during Season 3 of Taste of Truth Tuesdays. Think of this as the leftovers—the ideas that were simmering on the back burner but never made it onto the main plate.
But this series isn’t just about what I didn’t cover. It’s about giving you a deeper look into my thought process—how I research, why I choose certain topics, and the unfiltered thoughts I don’t always include in the main episodes. Some weeks will be casual, some will be research-heavy, and some, like today, will be personal.
Because for this first episode, I want to start with a topic I’ve touched on but never fully shared: my own experience with chronic pain and how it shaped not only my fitness journey but my entire approach to health and resilience.
The Story Behind My Chronic Pain & Fitness Journey
Let’s rewind a bit. Growing up, I was always active, but I never saw fitness as something I’d build my life around. That changed when I started dealing with chronic pain. At first, it was subtle—nagging aches, stiffness that didn’t go away. But then it became something more. Pain wasn’t just an inconvenience; it dictated what I could and couldn’t do. Doctors didn’t always have clear answers, and at times, it felt like I was being dismissed.
That frustration pushed me to start researching on my own-diving into biomechanics, nutrition, corrective exercise, and the ways the nervous system and pain are intertwined. I wasn’t just looking for relief; I was trying to understand why my body was responding this way. And what I found changed everything.
A while back, I wrote a blog post about this—one that really captures my experience in a way that feels raw and honest. And instead of just summarizing it, I want to share it with you here. So, here’s that piece, in its entirety.
This experience didn’t just lead me into fitness; it redefined how I approach movement altogether. It made me realize that pain isn’t just a physical experience—it’s emotional, neurological, and deeply personal. It’s why I’m so passionate about evidence-based approaches to health and why I push back against a lot of the oversimplified fitness narratives out there.
I’ve seen firsthand how the right training, nutrition, and mindset shifts can change the way someone interacts with their own body. And I’ve also seen the damage of quick-fix culture—where people are told they just need more discipline, or worse, that their pain is all in their head.
What I Wish More People Knew About Chronic Pain & Fitness
One of the biggest misconceptions I had to unlearn is that pain automatically means damage. That’s something I wish more people understood. Pain is real, but it’s also complex—it can be influenced by stress, trauma, movement patterns, and even the stories we tell ourselves about our bodies. Learning that was a game changer for me.
Another thing? There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Healing, strength, and movement look different for everyone, and that’s okay.
What to Expect From Taste Test Thursdays
So, that’s today’s leftover—a topic I didn’t get to fully explore in Season 3 but felt like now was the right time to share. But Taste Test Thursdays won’t always be this personal. Some weeks, I’ll take you inside my research process—breaking down how I fact-check, where I find sources, and the information I don’t trust. Other weeks, I’ll revisit ideas I didn’t have time for, explore unfiltered takes, or answer your burning questions.
Next week, we’ll be talking about how I put together my episodes—how I decide on topics, what I look for in sources, and some of the biggest red flags I watch out for when researching.
I’d love to hear from you—what’s been your experience with pain and fitness? Have you ever had to unlearn things about your own body? Let me know over on Instagram or in the comments if you’re listening somewhere that allows it.
Thanks for being here, and as always—maintain your curiosity, embrace skepticism, and keep tuning in!
If you had asked me a year ago why my body hurt so much—why my hips ached, my calves tightened with every step, or why even walking on the treadmill felt like a chore—I would have said it was from overtraining or poor posture. What I couldn’t articulate then was that my pain wasn’t just physical. It was a complex dance involving my nervous system, my fascia, and my body’s attempt to protect itself after years of unresolved trauma.
Our nervous system plays a fundamental role in chronic pain. When we experience physical or emotional trauma, our body reacts by creating a heightened state of alertness. Over time, these experiences are encoded in the nervous system as neurotags—clusters of physical, emotional, and cognitive memories that influence how we react to stress and pain. Chronic pain, I’ve learned, is often an echo of this activation. It’s not just about tight muscles or structural imbalances—it’s a survival mechanism trying to make sense of and respond to past trauma.
This is the story of how I’ve started to untangle it all, and how chronic pain, emotional wounds, and trauma are all intricately tied together in ways I never imagined.
The Connection Between Chronic Pain and Trauma
For years, I treated my body like a machine. During my bodybuilding days, I pushed through discomfort, ignored signs of overtraining, and celebrated soreness as a badge of honor. But what I didn’t understand then was how my nervous system was quietly keeping score.
Chronic pain, I’ve learned, isn’t just about tight muscles or structural imbalances—it’s a survival strategy. When we experience trauma, whether from overtraining, stress, or emotional wounds, our nervous system can get stuck in a heightened state of alertness. It’s like a smoke alarm that keeps going off, long after the fire has been extinguished.
Fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds every muscle and organ in our body, plays a fascinating role in this process. Fascia isn’t just structural—it’s sensory. It’s packed with nerve endings that communicate directly with the brain. When the body perceives danger (even subconsciously), the fascia can tighten, creating patterns of tension that mirror emotional or physical trauma. In my case, that tension showed up in my psoas muscles, my calves, and my lower back—all areas associated with safety and movement.
The more I explored these connections, the more I began to see that pain wasn’t random—it was a message from my body. And it was asking me to listen.
The Power of Neurotags: How Pain and Trauma Intersect
One of the most eye-opening concepts I’ve come across in my journey is the idea of neurotags—a term used to describe the brain’s way of organizing and processing sensory, emotional, and cognitive information. Neurotags are like maps of experiences that are built over time, creating an interconnected network of physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts that work together to form a response to stimuli.
Here’s the kicker: Chronic pain is often stored in these neurotags. When trauma occurs—whether physical, emotional, or psychological—it gets encoded in the nervous system as a pattern. These patterns are not just about the physical experience of pain, but also the emotions and thoughts tied to that experience.
When trauma is stored in the nervous system, it doesn’t just affect how we feel physically; it affects our entire emotional and cognitive landscape. For example, someone who has experienced physical trauma may also experience emotional flashbacks or cognitive distortions that are linked to that experience. These flashbacks are like sudden replays of past trauma, but they don’t just exist in the mind—they can show up physically in the body.
Neurotags, Emotional Flashbacks, and Chronic Pain
Think about it this way: When we experience a traumatic event, our nervous system reacts by encoding that event into a neurotag. This neurotag includes not only the physical sensations (like tightness, pain, or discomfort), but also the emotions (fear, anger, sadness) and cognitive patterns (thoughts like “I am unsafe” or “I am weak”).
Emotional flashbacks happen when the brain reactivates these neurotags, causing the body to respond as if the trauma is happening again. This is why someone with chronic pain may experience intense emotions that seem disproportionate to the physical sensations they’re feeling. The pain can trigger a flashback—a sudden, overwhelming re-experience of trauma that isn’t just mental but is felt deeply in the body.
In my case, the tension I experienced in my hips and lower back was a reflection of both the physical trauma of overtraining and the emotional trauma I had internalized from years of pushing myself too hard and ignoring my body’s signals. When my nervous system encountered stress, it activated these neurotags, making the tension and pain feel more intense and more pervasive. The more I resisted this pain or ignored the emotional connection to it, the worse it became.
How I’m Healing: Creating New Neurotags and Engaging the Vagus Nerve
Understanding neurotags has been revolutionary in how I approach my healing process. The key to healing, I’ve learned, is not simply “fixing” the physical pain but reprogramming the neurotags. This involves creating new patterns that support healing, safety, and relaxation.
One powerful way I’m rewiring my nervous system is by engaging the vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve that plays a critical role in regulating the parasympathetic nervous system. The vagus nerve is like the body’s “brakes,” helping to turn off the fight-or-flight response and return the body to a state of calm. When activated, it encourages relaxation, emotional regulation, and recovery—exactly what my body needs as I untangle the tension stored in my fascia and nervous system.
Here’s how I’m starting to rewire my system:
Reconnecting with Joyful Movement: I’ve reintroduced activities that make me feel alive, like walking in the garden or playing with my pets. These moments remind me that movement isn’t just about strength—it’s about freedom. By incorporating joyful, non-stressful activities, I’m helping to reinforce new neurotags that associate movement with pleasure and ease.
Reclaiming Safety Through Movement: Instead of high-intensity workouts, I’ve shifted to gentle, functional exercises that strengthen my core and glutes while supporting my nervous system. Slow, mindful movements like glute bridges, bird dogs, and pelvic tilts have become my new best friends. These exercises not only build strength but signal to my nervous system that it’s safe to move.
Releasing Fascia with Love: I’ve embraced somatic practices like gentle rocking, diaphragmatic breathing, and fascia-focused stretches to help release tension. These practices aren’t just physical—they’re a way of telling my body, “You’re safe now.” They help reprogram the neurotags associated with stress and trauma by sending a message of relaxation and calm.
Vagus Nerve Activation: To support my nervous system’s recovery, I’ve incorporated practices that stimulate the vagus nerve, such as slow, deep belly breathing and humming. Breathing deeply into my diaphragm (focusing on long exhales) has been especially helpful in calming my body and signaling to my nervous system that it’s okay to relax. By consciously engaging my vagus nerve, I’m helping shift from the fight-or-flight response into a restorative state.
Rewriting Emotional Patterns: Rewiring my nervous system also means rewriting my emotional patterns. This involves acknowledging the emotional flashbacks that arise when pain triggers old neurotags and consciously choosing to respond with compassion and self-care. Instead of reacting with fear or frustration, I’m learning to pause, breathe, and remind myself that I’m safe now.
What Chronic Pain Has Taught Me
Chronic pain has been a tough teacher, but it’s taught me lessons I wouldn’t trade for anything:
Your body is always on your side. Pain is a signal, not a punishment.
Healing isn’t linear. Some days, progress looks like resting instead of pushing.
Movement is medicine, but only when done with intention and love.
I share this journey because I know I’m not alone. So many of us carry the weight of trauma—both emotional and physical—in our bodies. And while the road to healing isn’t easy, it’s worth it.
If you’re navigating chronic pain, I want you to know this: Your body isn’t broken, and you don’t have to fight it. With the right tools, patience, and self-compassion, you can create safety, release tension, and rediscover the joy of movement.
I’m still on this journey, and I’d love to hear about yours. What has chronic pain taught you? How are you learning to trust your body again? Let’s keep this conversation going—because healing happens when we feel safe enough to share.
Let’s talk about stress, baby! The holiday season is here, and so is the pressure—family obligations, shopping, cooking, and don’t even get me started on the aftermath of an election year. It feels like stress is at an all-time high, right? But guess what? It doesn’t have to wreck your health goals or derail your progress in 2025.
Forget extreme diets, gimmicky regimens, and complicated rules. In 2025, we’re mastering the basics and building a lifestyle that lasts. The key to handling the chaos of life, including holiday stress and beyond, is learning how to manage it effectively. That’s where stress management fits into the 365 Easy Challenge—your simple, sustainable plan for the new year.
Stress is the silent killer of self-control and health. It doesn’t just disrupt your mind—it messes with your body, too. And when stress builds up, it pulls your energy away from what matters most: your health, your relationships, and your goals. That’s why stress management isn’t just about “chill vibes”—it’s about learning to recognize, manage, and even reframe how we handle stress.
2025 is the year we crush the basics—here’s how to make stress a manageable part of your journey, not a roadblock.
What Is Stress, Really?
Stress is your body’s natural response to change. Whether it’s positive (like getting married or landing a new job) or negative (like losing a loved one or dealing with financial pressure), your body reacts in a similar way. Your nervous system goes into high gear, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to help you react to the situation.
At a basic level, stress is a mechanism for survival—your body prepares to fight or flee from danger. But in today’s world, the “danger” is more likely to be a heavy workload, relationship problems, or feeling overwhelmed by societal issues. It’s no longer a saber-toothed tiger lurking around the corner, but your body responds with the same intense, sometimes overwhelming, force.
The Stress Response: Fight or Flight, or Freeze?
When stress triggers your fight-or-flight system, your body shifts into survival mode. This state is designed for short bursts of energy—like running away from danger or facing an immediate threat. However, in today’s world, this system is often activated for prolonged periods, even when the “danger” isn’t physical but emotional or mental.
This prolonged state of stress can lead to:
Chronic inflammation: Your immune system is on constant alert, which can cause inflammation in your body. Over time, chronic inflammation is linked to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders.
Cortisol imbalances: Cortisol is your body’s primary stress hormone. It’s helpful in small amounts, but if cortisol levels stay elevated for too long, it can affect your metabolism, immune function, and even your mood.
Digestive issues: Chronic stress slows down digestion, leading to issues like bloating, indigestion, and constipation. Your body diverts energy away from digestion to focus on “surviving,” which means your gut doesn’t get the attention it needs. Check out this post for more!
Sleep disturbances: Stress can interfere with your sleep cycle, either by making it difficult to fall asleep or by causing you to wake up in the middle of the night. Inadequate sleep further exacerbates stress, creating a vicious cycle.
We dive deep into the cycles of stress and their impact on the body here–>Unraveling the Impact of Stress on Chronic Health with Theresa Piela-In this powerful episode, I sit down with holistic healing expert Theresa Piela to explore the deep connection between chronic stress and health.
The Chronic Stress Cascade: How Your Body Reacts Over Time
When stress becomes chronic, your body begins to break down. This is where it gets tricky. Initially, stress is adaptive—it helps you meet deadlines, take care of important matters, or perform in high-stakes situations. But when stress persists without relief, your body’s systems start to degrade. Here’s what can happen over time:
The Brain’s Reaction: Your brain uses a part called the hypothalamus to detect stress. The hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland to release ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), which triggers the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. This is your body’s way of priming itself for action. But when cortisol levels remain elevated, it can impair cognitive function, causing issues with memory, focus, and decision-making.
Metabolic and Hormonal Disruptions: Prolonged stress can disrupt your body’s metabolic rate and hormonal balance. Elevated cortisol levels encourage your body to store fat, particularly around the abdominal area, leading to weight gain. It also suppresses the production of thyroid hormones, slowing down your metabolism and making it harder to lose weight.
Impact on Digestion: Under stress, the digestive system gets “shut down” as blood is redirected to muscles and the brain. This leads to slower digestion, poor nutrient absorption, and can worsen symptoms like bloating, constipation, or acid reflux. Over time, these digestive issues can lead to more serious conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or leaky gut syndrome.
Sleep and Recovery: The relationship between stress and sleep is a two-way street. High cortisol levels can make it difficult to fall asleep, and poor sleep further heightens stress. Sleep is a critical time for recovery and repair, and without it, your body cannot recover from the physical or mental toll of stress.
Stress Triggers: What’s Really Affecting You?
Now that we understand how stress works, let’s take a deeper look at the factors that are increasing your stress levels. In today’s fast-paced world, many of us are chronically stressed without even realizing it. Some of the most common stress triggers include:
Work: The pressure to perform, meet deadlines, and juggle multiple tasks can create a constant state of stress. Add in the current economic uncertainty, and the pressure can skyrocket.
Family and Social Expectations: From holiday gatherings to social media pressures, the weight of fulfilling expectations can cause significant stress. Feeling obligated to meet everyone’s needs can drain your mental and emotional reserves.
Politics and Global Events: In an election year, especially with heightened tensions and divided opinions, political issues can contribute to a constant feeling of unease and anxiety.
Financial Strain: Worrying about money, whether it’s paying bills, managing debt, or planning for the future, is a significant stressor for many people.
Managing Stress: Key Educational Insights for a Healthier Life
While stress is inevitable, there are clear strategies you can adopt to keep it from sabotaging your health. Let’s break down effective stress management into actionable steps.
1. Reframe Your Perception of Stress
Research shows that how you perceive stress matters. When you view stress as something that harms you, your body responds in a negative way. However, when you view stress as a challenge—something to overcome—it actually helps improve your body’s response. It’s not about eliminating stress, but rather about adjusting your mindset.
2. Practice Mindful Stress Reduction
Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation, can help lower your stress levels by activating your parasympathetic nervous system. This is the “rest and digest” system, which counters the “fight or flight” response. Even just 5–10 minutes a day can significantly lower your stress levels.
3. Physical Activity as a Stress Reliever
Exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. When you engage in physical activity, your body releases endorphins—those “feel-good” chemicals that elevate mood and decrease stress. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout; even a walk, yoga session, or light stretching can help.
4. Nutrition and Hydration: Fueling Your Stress Management
Adequate nutrition and hydration are crucial for your body to handle stress. Dehydration can make you feel more stressed, and poor nutrition can exacerbate your body’s physical stress responses. Eating a balanced diet, with plenty of protein, healthy fats, and fiber, helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and keeps your hormones balanced.
5. Sleep Hygiene: Prioritize Rest
As mentioned earlier, sleep is foundational to stress management. Without quality sleep, your body doesn’t have the opportunity to repair itself. Implementing good sleep hygiene practices—such as avoiding blue light before bed, keeping a regular sleep schedule, and creating a restful environment—will help you get the restorative rest you need.
Conclusion: Stress is Manageable, Not Inevitable
The bottom line is that stress doesn’t have to control your life. By understanding the science behind it, recognizing your triggers, and taking proactive steps to manage it, you can reduce its harmful impact on your health.
As you embark on the 365 Easy Challenge for 2025, managing stress is one of the foundational steps toward living a balanced, sustainable life. Focus on building resilience and consistency, and remember: stress is a challenge you can conquer, not something to fear.
By addressing stress and its impact head-on, you’ll create a lifestyle that nurtures your health, happiness, and long-term success.
Stay calm, stay consistent, and take control of your stress in 2025. You’ve got this! 💪✨
Check out previous blog posts or podcast episodes for more insights on stress!
Posting on a Wednesday? Guess my calendar’s been indulging in holiday cookies too.
Yep, we’re shaking things up this week! Whether you’re catching up on leftovers or prepping for your next holiday feast, now’s the perfect time to talk about digestion. After all, it’s the unsung hero of health—working overtime while we’re busy piling on the mashed potatoes
This post also kicks off a sneak peek into January’s 365 Easy Challenge, where we’ll focus on mastering six foundational habits to make 2025 your healthiest year yet. So, grab a cozy beverage, and let’s dig into how to keep your gut happy (and your pants buttoned) this holiday season.
Why Digestion Deserves the Spotlight
Let’s be real: you can load up on the healthiest foods, but if your digestion isn’t working properly, your body can’t absorb all those nutrients. Instead of diving into advanced gut protocols, let’s focus on digestive basics—those everyday habits that can transform how you feel after a meal.
From holiday feasts to office potlucks, the season is full of opportunities to test your digestive system. If you’ve ever felt bloated, gassy, or sluggish post-meal, you’re not alone. These are signs your gut might need a little TLC.
The Big Three Digestive Culprits
Stress: Chronic stress throws your digestive system into chaos, slowing it down and causing discomfort.
Rushed Eating: Gulping your meals doesn’t give your body time to process food properly.
Poor Chewing: Chewing is where digestion starts, but many of us rush through it like it’s a race.
What to Do Instead:
Set the Scene: Before you eat, take a deep breath, relax, and engage your parasympathetic nervous system (aka your “rest and digest” mode).
Slow Down: Put your fork down between bites and chew each one 20–30 times. Yes, it feels slow at first, but it’s worth it!
Be Present: Step away from distractions like phones or TVs and focus on your food.
The Unsung Heroes of Digestion
1. Stomach Acid (HCL): Stomach acid is crucial for breaking down protein and absorbing nutrients like zinc, iron, calcium, and B12. It also acts as your body’s first line of defense against harmful bacteria.
🙅♀️ Stop: Overusing antacids or skipping protein-rich meals. ✔️ Start: Eating a nutrient-dense diet, practicing mindful eating, and managing stress to naturally support stomach acid production.
2. Digestive Enzymes: Digestive enzymes break down food so your body can absorb the nutrients. Without enough enzymes, you may experience bloating, constipation, or gas.
🙅♀️ Stop: Rushing meals and lying down immediately after eating. ✔️ Start: Chewing thoroughly, walking after meals, and addressing inflammation.
3. Bile Production: Bile is essential for breaking down fats so your body can absorb them. If bile production is compromised, you might miss out on the benefits of healthy fats like omega-3s.
🙅♀️ Stop: Relying on low-fat diets or consuming unhealthy fats like vegetable oils. ✔️ Start: Eating healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, grass-fed butter) and supporting stomach acid levels.
A Healthy Gut Microbiome: Your Digestive Sidekick
Your gut bacteria play a vital role in digestion and overall health. To keep your microbiome balanced:
Eat a variety of fiber-rich foods like kale, spinach, swiss chard, cabbage, leeks, turnips, carrots, beets, and artichokes.
Avoid overloading your system with excessive fiber, which can cause bloating or discomfort.
Nuts, Seeds, Grains & Legumes: Prep Like a Pro
These foods are nutritional powerhouses, but they contain anti-nutrients like phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that can block digestion and deplete minerals. Preparing them properly—by soaking or sprouting—neutralizes these compounds and makes nutrients more bioavailable.
How to Soak:
Cover your nuts, seeds, grains, or legumes with water and a splash of vinegar or salt.
Let them soak overnight, rinse thoroughly, and cook as usual.
Even with proper preparation, these foods can be hard to digest, so enjoy them in moderation.
Holiday Digestion Tips
Here’s how to support your gut through the festive season:
Chew your food mindfully. No one’s handing out awards for fastest eater.
Go for a walk after big meals. Gentle movement aids digestion and prevents sluggishness.
Stay hydrated. Your digestive system needs water to function optimally.
Be intentional with your intake of highly processed refined sugars.Excess amounts can disrupt your gut flora and leave you feeling sluggish and out of balance
Before trying advanced protocols, start with the basics:
Chew thoroughly.
Manage stress.
Prep your meals for optimal digestion.
And don’t forget, this is just the start. In January’s365 Easy Challenge, we’ll dive deeper into digestion and other foundational habits like sleep, stress management, and nutrition.
Let’s make 2025 the year we simplify health and feel amazing doing it!
When clients come to me saying they have a “slow metabolism” or a “broken” metabolism, often they think they need to eat even less or cut carbs to jumpstart weight loss. But let me flip the script: in many cases, it’s actually chronic under-eating and restrictive dieting that’s slowing down their metabolism. Chronic dieting, especially with very low calories, can lead to impaired thyroid function and ultimately disrupt how the body uses energy. Here’s how it happens and what you can do to restore balance.
What is the Thyroid and Why Does It Matter?
Your thyroid is a small gland in your neck that plays a massive role in regulating your body’s metabolism. Often called the “controller” of metabolic function, the thyroid works closely with the hypothalamus and pituitary glands in the brain to maintain your metabolic rate. This system allows your body to increase or decrease energy production based on its needs, influencing everything from how you process food to your body temperature.
The thyroid primarily produces two hormones:
T3 (Triiodothyronine) – the active hormone that your cells use.
T4 (Thyroxine) – the inactive hormone that must be converted into T3 before your body can use it.
The production and conversion of these hormones depend on a feedback loop that begins with TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), which signals the thyroid to produce and release T4. But when the body is stressed—especially due to chronic under-eating or extreme calorie restriction—this whole process can become disrupted.
How Chronic Dieting Wrecks Your Thyroid
Under-eating is a significant source of stress for the body. Dieting or calorie restriction triggers the HPA axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis), leading to an increase in CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone) and cortisol, our primary stress hormone. High cortisol levels can interfere with thyroid function in the following ways:
Reduces TSH Production: Elevated cortisol inhibits TSH, lowering T4 production and decreasing the amount of thyroid hormone available for energy use.
Impairs T4-to-T3 Conversion: Chronic stress slows down the conversion of T4 (inactive) into T3 (active), reducing your body’s energy production.
Increases rT3 Levels: Instead of converting into T3, some T4 becomes reverse T3 (rT3), a hormone that blocks T3 from being used. This, in turn, reduces the sensitivity of your cells to thyroid hormones, further lowering metabolic function.
This is why individuals who chronically under-eat or yo-yo diet often experience symptoms of hypothyroidism, even without an official diagnosis.
Symptoms of Suboptimal Thyroid Function
If your thyroid isn’t functioning optimally, you may notice some of the following symptoms:
Low body temperature (below 97.8°F)
Frequent feelings of cold, regardless of weather
Low or no libido
Anxiety, brain fog, or poor memory
Unexplained weight gain or difficulty losing weight
Bloating, poor digestion
Changes in hair texture or hair loss
Many clients experiencing these symptoms have been stuck in a calorie-deficit mindset for years, keeping their bodies in a constant state of stress. As a result, they’re often dealing with adrenal dysfunction, hypothyroidism, or even reproductive health issues, like extreme PMS, cycle loss, or low testosterone.
Restoring Your Thyroid Health—The First Steps
To begin improving thyroid health, our initial goal is to support both psychological and physiological balance, moving away from restrictive dieting and focusing on nourishment. Here’s a breakdown of the steps:
Stabilize Blood Sugar: Balanced blood sugar supports thyroid health and reduces stress on the body.
Maximize Nutrient Density: Prioritize whole, nutrient-rich foods to ensure your body receives adequate vitamins and minerals, especially selenium, zinc, and iodine, which are crucial for thyroid function.
Reduce Inflammation: Chronic inflammation can further stress the thyroid. Anti-inflammatory foods and lifestyle practices can help.
Incorporate Breathwork: Simple breathwork techniques can stimulate the vagus nerve, helping to regulate the HPA axis and reduce stress.
Avoid Dietary Triggers: Reduce foods that promote “leaky gut,” such as highly processed foods, sugar, and gluten, if sensitive. This protects your immune and thyroid health.
Manage Stress Proactively: Yoga, meditation, journaling, or spending time in nature can help keep cortisol in check.
Reduce Toxins and Pollutants: Environmental toxins can interfere with hormone health, so minimizing exposure can be a powerful step.
Prioritize Rest and Sleep: Quality sleep allows the body to recover and reset, which is essential for thyroid health.
The Bottom Line
Restrictive dieting isn’t the solution to a slow metabolism; it’s often the root cause. Chronic under-eating can lead to imbalances in your thyroid and adrenal glands, ultimately slowing down your metabolic rate and making it harder to achieve your fitness goals. Rebuilding a balanced, nourished body will not only help you feel better but will also lay the foundation for sustainable health.
This week, we’re talking all things thyroid health, and this post breaks down why breaking free from the dietary dogma of diet culture is crucial! Ever feel like your energy’s tanked, your minds in a fog, or your metabolism’s stuck in slow motion? 🧠✨ You’re not alone, and it could be your thyroid talking.
On this week’s Taste of Truth Tuesdays, we’re joined by Nicole, a holistic health advocate who’s here to shed light on how diet culture’s obsession with restriction can wreak havoc on your thyroid. From her own experience facing an autoimmune diagnosis to her advocacy for individualized nutrition, Nicole breaks down how restrictive dieting not only slows your metabolism but also impacts hormone balance, brain clarity, and overall well-being. Join us to learn how making friends with food (yes, even carbs!) might be the best way to support your thyroid and reclaim your energy.
Ever felt like your brain’s on vacation while your body’s still clocking in? 🧠✨ Join us as Nicole unveils the secrets behind thyroid health, brain fog, and why carbs might just be your new best friend!
🔍 From Autoimmune Shock to Holistic Advocate: Nicole shares her journey from being blindsided by an autoimmune diagnosis to questioning mainstream diet culture and diving into functional medicine. Find out what sparked her transformation into an advocate for individualized nutrition and holistic health!
💡 Thyroid Health Unveiled: Thyroid dysfunction can be a mystery wrapped in an enigma! Nicole explains why thyroid hormones are key to overall health and how her unique approach, including The BRAIN Method, differs from traditional treatments. Discover how she tackles symptoms and optimizes thyroid function!
🧠 Decoding Brain Fog: Ever felt like your brain is stuck in a fog? Nicole breaks down the most common culprits of brain fog and offers tips on how women can pinpoint their own triggers. Say goodbye to mental sluggishness and hello to clarity!
🌱 Gut Health & Thyroid Function: Did you know your gut health has a major impact on your thyroid? Nicole dives into how imbalances in your gut can affect thyroid hormone production and utilization. Learn how addressing gut health can boost your thyroid function!
🍞 Carbs & Hypothyroidism: Carbs might be getting a bad rap, but Nicole explains why they’re actually essential for those with hypothyroidism. Discover how including carbs in your diet can support thyroid function and enhance overall well-being.
🙏 Please help this podcast reach a larger audience in hope to edify & encourage others! To do so: leave a 5⭐️ review and send it to a friend! Thank you for listening! I’d love to hear from you, find me on Instagram! @taste0ftruth or Pinterest!
Did you know your body can help your brain feel more hopeful through movement?
In our fast-paced world, finding effective ways to boost our mental and physical well-being is more crucial than ever. Recent research highlights an exciting phenomenon: our muscles aren’t just for movement; they act as endocrine organs, secreting beneficial substances known as hope molecules. These molecules, or myokines, have a profound impact on our brain, body, and mood, offering a natural and powerful way to enhance our overall health.
What Are Hope Molecules?
Hope molecules are proteins released into the bloodstream from our muscles during movement. These myokines play a vital role in:
Protecting against depression, PTSD, and chronic stress
Increasing neuroplasticity, which helps our brain adapt and grow
Altering the hippocampus, a brain region crucial for stress resilience
Boosting brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which enhances our ability to manage stress and difficult emotions
Dr. Kelly McGonigal succinctly puts it: “Every time we move our muscles, we are giving ourselves an intravenous dose of hope.” This means that even a short burst of movement can significantly impact our mental health, providing an antidepressant effect that enhances resilience to stress and trauma.
For instance, a short walk or a quick workout doesn’t just get the blood pumping; it also triggers the release of these mood-enhancing chemicals. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as an “antidepressant effect,” where the physical act of moving your body leads to the release of neurotransmitters that can lift your spirits and combat feelings of depression.
Moreover, this boost in mood and resilience isn’t just about the immediate effects. Regular short bursts of exercise contribute to long-term mental health benefits, enhancing your ability to cope with stress and trauma. By incorporating even small amounts of movement into your daily routine, you can help your body produce more hope molecules, thereby strengthening your mental health and emotional resilience.
So, the next time you’re feeling low, remember that a little movement might just be the key to unlocking your body’s natural antidepressants and enhancing your capacity to handle life’s challenges. 🚶♀️💪🌟
The Mind-Body Connection: Insights from the “Mind Over Milkshake” Study
To deepen our understanding of how movement and mindset intersect, consider the fascinating findings from the study titled “Mind Over Milkshake: Mindsets, Not Just Nutrients, Determine Ghrelin Response.” This research explores how our beliefs about the food we consume can alter physiological responses, such as hunger and energy regulation.
Participants in the study were given milkshakes with differing calorie information, but their physiological responses varied based on their expectations. The study demonstrated that our mindset about what we consume can impact hormonal and physiological reactions, revealing the powerful connection between belief and bodily responses.
Similarly, our mindset towards exercise can greatly influence the benefits we derive from it. Viewing exercise not merely as a physical task but as a source of hope and well-being can amplify its positive effects on our mental health.
Why Movement Matters More Than We Think
Understanding that hope molecules and our mindset play a critical role in our health highlights the multifaceted benefits of exercise. It’s not just about weight loss or physical fitness; it’s about enhancing:
Happiness and life satisfaction
Resilience to stress and anxiety
A sense of purpose and social connection
Emerging research suggests that when exercised, our muscles essentially become a “pharmacy” for our physical and mental health. This perspective shifts the focus from restrictive exercise goals to a more holistic view of movement as a tool for improving our quality of life.
Applying Hope Molecules to Recovery from High-Control Environments
For those recovering from high-control environments, such as strict religious or ideological communities, the concept of hope molecules is particularly relevant:
Resilience and Recovery: Engaging in regular movement can help mitigate the effects of chronic stress and trauma often associated with high-control environments. The release of myokines (hope molecules) during physical activity supports brain health and emotional resilience, aiding in the recovery process.
Regaining Control: Movement and exercise can be empowering for those who have felt controlled or restricted. It offers a way to regain a sense of agency and control over one’s body and mind, promoting healing and personal autonomy.
Restoring Mental Health: For individuals recovering from harmful environments, exercise can provide a natural antidepressant effect. Regular physical activity enhances mood, reduces symptoms of depression, and supports overall mental health, which is crucial for those rebuilding their lives and self-esteem.
Practical Tips for Integrating Movement into Recovery
Start Small: Incorporate any form of movement into your routine, even if it’s just a few minutes each day. Studies indicate that as little as 3 minutes of exercise can have positive impacts.
Adopt a Positive Mindset: Frame your physical activity as an opportunity for mental and emotional growth, not just a chore. This mindset can enhance the benefits you receive.
Enjoy the Process: Find activities you enjoy and that make you feel good. The more you enjoy your movement, the more likely you are to stick with it.
Build a Routine: Establishing a consistent movement routine can support long-term recovery and well-being. Integrate movement into your daily life in a way that feels sustainable and rewarding.
Connect with Community: Movement can also foster social connections. Engaging in group activities or fitness communities can provide additional support and a sense of belonging, which is valuable for those recovering from isolating environments.
Hacking Consistency: Your Path to Achieving Health Goals
In my 20 years as a personal trainer, I’ve seen one common thread that holds people back from achieving their health and fitness goals: consistency. For many, the journey to better health is fraught with the misconception that it must be difficult. If you resonate with this, I want you to know that I understand how intimidating change can be. It can feel like a long road ahead, but I’m here to share some tips to help you hack consistency and make your health journey not only achievable but also enjoyable.
1. Habit Stacking: Start Small
The first strategy to develop consistency is habit stacking. Focus on one or two small habits that you can easily commit to. Once you’ve established these, you can begin to build additional habits on top of them.
For example:
Starting Habit 1: A 5-minute morning walk. This quick stroll can boost your mood and energy levels, providing an immediate sense of accomplishment.
Starting Habit 2: A one-minute breathing exercise. Before your walk, try a simple box breathing technique: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold again for 4 seconds. This practice can reduce stress and help center your mind.
Once you have these foundational habits in place, you can stack additional practices:
Post-Walk Habit: After your 5-minute walk, add 2-3 minutes of gentle stretching. Focus on your neck, shoulders, and legs to release tension and enhance the mental health benefits of movement.
Post-Breathing Habit: After your breathing exercise, incorporate a quick moment of gratitude. Name one thing you’re grateful for to reinforce positive thinking and cultivate a hopeful mindset. This simple act can help you recover from emotional strain and improve overall well-being.
Starting small with these habits allows you to create a consistent and sustainable routine.
2. Focus on Addition, Not Restriction
The second tip for hacking consistency is to concentrate on what you can add to your life rather than what you need to take away. This could involve increasing your movement, enhancing your awareness, practicing breathwork, or incorporating more protein, fruits, and vegetables into your meals. When you focus on adding positive elements, it becomes easier to embrace change and maintain consistency.
3. Find Personal Meaning
Your journey to feeling better should be tied to personal meaning and intrinsic motivation. This means tapping into your internal drive to pursue these changes. Reflect on why you want to achieve your health goals and let that guide your actions. When you find personal significance in your journey, it becomes a source of motivation rather than a chore.
4. Build Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy is crucial in creating a sustainable lifestyle. It’s about building belief in yourself over time and understanding that consistency is the key to lasting results. Instead of thinking in terms of short-term challenges, consider how you can develop habits that last long-term. Routines created from consistent habits lead to sustainable success.
Building on habits is what creates a routine. A routine is what creates consistency and consistency is what creates results.
Awareness is the first step in bridging the gap between your goals and the actions you need to take. While you may have aspirations, it’s consistent behaviors and actions that make them a reality.
Mindset Matters
Remember, if you’re struggling to maintain consistency, it’s not a reflection of your willpower or determination; it could be a sign that your approach needs adjustment. Your mindset is vital in this journey. Frame your movement as an opportunity to boost your brain and body rather than a chore or punishment.
By implementing these strategies, you can transform your health journey into a rewarding experience. Consistency is everything. Embrace the process, celebrate your achievements, and watch as you progress toward your goals!
Broader Implications for Personal Development
The principles of hope molecules tie into broader themes of personal development, critical thinking, and spirituality:
Challenging Limiting Beliefs: Movement and exercise can challenge limiting beliefs about oneself and one’s capabilities. This aligns with the focus on critical thinking and questioning restrictive ideologies.
Embracing New Perspectives: Seeing movement as a tool for embracing new perspectives and opportunities for growth is crucial for those redefining their lives after leaving high-control environments.
In conclusion, the science of hope molecules reveals that our muscles do much more than move us; they create hope and enhance our mental well-being. By embracing movement and adopting a positive mindset, we can unlock these powerful benefits and cultivate a more resilient, fulfilling life.
Embrace the power of hope molecules and experience the transformative effects on your mental and physical health.
RESOURCES:
For a comprehensive understanding of the role of hope molecules (myokines) and their impact on mental and physical health, the following studies and sources are highly relevant:
Key Studies and Sources
Myokines and Mental Health
Pedersen, B. K., & Febbraio, M. A. (2012). “Muscle as an endocrine organ: Focus on muscle-derived cytokines as potential pharmacological targets.”Diabetologia, 55(10), 2975-2985. Link to Study This review discusses how muscle-derived cytokines (myokines) are involved in various physiological processes and their potential therapeutic effects on metabolic diseases, inflammation, and mental health.
Exercise, Hope Molecules, and Brain Health
Gordon, B. A., & Herring, M. P. (2014). “The effect of exercise on depression: A review of meta-analyses.”Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 75(2), 156-161. Link to Study This meta-analysis reviews the impact of exercise on depression, highlighting how physical activity influences mental health through various mechanisms, including the release of beneficial myokines.
Hope Molecules and Neuroplasticity
Hogan, M. C., & Durcan, J. M. (2018). “Exercise and neuroplasticity: A review of the role of physical activity in promoting brain health and cognitive function.”Journal of Clinical Neurology, 14(3), 342-350. Link to Study This review examines how exercise-induced myokines contribute to neuroplasticity, cognitive function, and overall brain health.
Mindset and Physiological Responses
Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2015). “Mindset matters: Exercise and the placebo effect.”Psychological Science, 26(4), 663-670. Link to Study This study explores how individuals’ beliefs and mindsets about exercise can influence their physiological responses and overall effectiveness of physical activity.
Exercise, Stress Resilience, and Mental Health
McGonigal, K. (2015). “The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It.”Penguin Books. While not a study, this book by Dr. Kelly McGonigal provides insights into how stress, when managed effectively, can be beneficial. It complements research on how exercise and movement can positively influence mental health through stress resilience.
“Mind Over Milkshake” Study
Elder, R., & Croyle, R. T. (2011). “The role of expectations in health behavior: Mindset and health.”Health Psychology Review, 5(1), 2-12. Link to Study This study investigates how people’s expectations about what they consume affect their physiological responses, illustrating the influence of mindset on health outcomes.
Feeling stressed? 😩 Chronic stress can drain your energy, disrupt your sleep, and even increase the risk of serious health issues like cancer. This week on the podcast, we are diving deep into how stress impacts your body—and sharing real tips to fight back! 👊🏼 💥
In this powerful episode, I sit down with holistic healing expert Theresa Piela, @livingrootswellness to explore the deep connection between chronic stress and health. Theresa shares her personal story of hitting rock bottom in 2019, when chronic illness nearly led to organ failure. We dive into the guilt and exhaustion that comes with being chronically ill in a toxic world, and how healing techniques like Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping can offer relief. 🌱✨
The Impact of Stress on the Body
Understanding Stress:Theresa breaks down the three stages of stress and how they manifest in our daily lives, leading to digestive issues and chronic illnesses. She sheds light on the silent havoc that prolonged stress wreaks on our gut health and overall bodily functions. Please review our earlier blog for more details!
Fuel & Nutrition: Supporting Your Body’s Adaptive Stress Response
Just as important as shifting your mindset is fueling your body with the right nutrients. A starved or inflamed system will struggle to adapt to stress, especially when trying to balance internal chaos. Proper nutrition is key to supporting the body’s stress response.
When the body isn’t fueled properly, persistent stress leads to harmful effects, such as blood sugar swings, hormonal dysregulation, and weakened immunity. To counteract this, we need to provide the body with the building blocks it needs to recover.
Here’s a high-level look at what your body requires for optimal function:
Proteins: Anti-inflammatory sources like grass-fed beef, broths, shellfish, and dairy.
Carbohydrates: Glucose and fructose from fruits, honey, maple syrup, and root vegetables.
Fats: Saturated fats are essential.
Vitamins & Minerals: Vitamin C, D, E, B1, B6, B12, calcium, magnesium, copper, sodium, potassium, selenium, and zinc.
I wanted to expand a BIT MORE on nutritional tips we may or may not have mentioned in this week’s discussion that are for sure helpful along your healing journey!
1️⃣Adrenal Elixirs-It’s a combination of sodium, potassium, and vitamin C—a perfect blend for your adrenals. Click here for recipes!
2️⃣Magnesium: During stressful times, your body burns through magnesium faster! Supplementing orally and using topical magnesium is helpful all the time, & increasing during times of stress can avoid future deficiency. Click here for a guide to Magnesium supplements!
3️⃣Boosting mineral-rich foods: Coconut water-rich in potassium. Potatoes, squash, fruit—also rich in potassium, Brewer’s yeast-rich in potassium, B vitamins, and many more nutrients (if you can handle the taste!) Cacao powder-rich in magnesium, Citrus & vitamin C rich foods-support adrenals and copper balance.
4️⃣Consistent timing for meals & snacks with proteins carbs and fats to help support blood sugar. Meal tips here!
5️⃣Prioritize Daily Routines with your non-negotiables like: Reading, meditation, walks, eating, movement, winding down time. Stay consistent! Research shows that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for someone to form a new habit. Let’s talk more about morning and bedtime routines!
Morning Routine:
☀️ Morning person or not, having a set routine can be beneficial. First, a good morning starts the night before-am I right? Be sure to prioritize getting to bed at a decent time to support incorporating the new routine. ⏰ A great morning routine is the one that works for you. Not everyone will be able to have a lengthy routine due to time constraints or family obligations and that’s okay.
Here are some ideas:
Don’t pick up your phone right away: Scrolling Instagram and reading emails can wait. When you reach for your phone right after you wake up, you put yourself directly into reactive mode. This can cause you to lose focus and get stressed before you’ve even made it out of bed.
Making your bed takes about two minutes and it gives you a quick, easy sense of accomplishment right off the bat. Plus, it makes your room look neat and tidy even if the rest of your space is messy.
Eat Something Even if you’re not a big breakfast person, getting some nutrients in your body can really turn on your brain. Having a balanced meal can go a long way toward improving your mood and energy levels right off the bat. Whatever constitutes breakfast for you, just get some food into your body.
Do something for yourself each morning. Even if you just have five minutes, you can stretch, do a quick meditation, journal or work on a crossword puzzle while you drink your morning coffee. (Catching up on social media can also count as self care if this activity truly brings you joy. )
Write—or review—your daily to-do list and calendar Check over what’s on deck for the day so you don’t run into any surprises. You might even block off ten minutes or so to look over emails and address any messages that need to be taken care of right away. 📧
Bedtime Routine:
Sleep is consistently the most underrated aspect of any health & wellness journey. Creating & maintaining a bedtime routine is the best way to prioritize a good night’s sleep.
It’s best to be consistent with the time- set an alarm or notification on your phone. It will be a help signal that it’s time to unplug and start your bedtime routine.
The circadian rhythm regulates the body’s temperature, lowering the thermostat to 65 degrees is a good temperature for sleep. The body will adapt to the lower room temperature and you will begin to feel drowsy. Turning off or lowering bright lights can help with the process. As we know with screen time, exposure to bright lights before bedtime affects the circadian rhythm.
Screens from TVs, smartphones and laptops emit blue light that stimulates the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), keeping you buzzing long after it’s time to hibernate for the night. Sleep studies have shown that exposure to high amounts of blue light before bed can lower melatonin levels, resulting in sleeplessness and delayed REM sleep.
Journaling is good for mental health by reducing stress and helping you remember good ideas before sleep.
Using foam rolling and yoga for sleep will help relax your muscles and ground your mind before bed. They decelerate the mind and body, relieve tension and improve sleep quality.
Aromatherapy are used to help with stress management.
❔HOW LONG should my bedtime routine be? About 30 to 60 minutes. This will give you enough time to unwind without feeling rushed.
Okay back to the final aspect of today’s post for supporting your body during stressful times:
6️⃣TOXINS – Specific chemicals called halogens (bromine, chlorine, and fluorine) compete with iodine and bind to thyroid receptors, preventing thyroid hormones from working properly. Filtering fluoride and chloride out of your drinking and bath/shower water helps those with thyroid dysfunction. More Information here
Research says about 90% of cancers are a result of a lifetime of dysfunction: stress, poor nutrition, toxin exposure, chronic hormone imbalance etc. It is estimated that it takes up to 10 years for cancer to develop in the body. Every day our environment and personal choices provide information to cells, in a constant feedback loop. Research has shown us many factors that cause cancer cell development—we can use this information to optimize our environments, nutrition, hormones, etc, create a healthy terrain, and mitigate cancer risk. The body is always responding to us, and healing is possible! One of my favorite resources is here! Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D.
In summary
Addressing intestinal permeability, blood sugar imbalances, and other stress-induced dysfunctions through proper nutrition will help rebuild resilience. For those with severe gut issues, a nutrient-dense, elimination-style diet—like carnivore plus easy-to-digest carbs—may be necessary short-term to restore balance. In the end, listening to your body is critical. Experiment with what makes you feel good, trust yourself, and remember: you know best.
By shifting your mindset and supporting your body with proper fuel, you can navigate life’s stressors with resilience and strength.
🎙️ Tune in now to learn how to take control of your stress before it takes control of you!
In this week’s episode, we dive into the power of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping — a unique blend of traditional Chinese medicine and modern psychology. By tapping on specific meridian points while addressing emotional struggles, EFT helps release energy blockages, reducing stress, anxiety, and even trauma. 🌱✨
In this powerful episode, I sit down with holistic healing expert Theresa Piela to explore the deep connection between chronic stress and health. Theresa shares her personal story of hitting rock bottom in 2019, when chronic illness nearly led to organ failure. We dive into the guilt and exhaustion that comes with being chronically ill in a toxic world, and how healing techniques like Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping can offer relief. 🌱✨
We’ll explore how EFT has shown promising results in mental health, from lowering cortisol levels to easing PTSD symptoms in veterans. However, with its roots in spiritual and energetic practices, EFT has sparked controversy in some Christian communities. Join us as we unpack these perspectives and discuss how EFT can be a powerful tool for both emotional and physical healing.
The Impact of Stress on the Body
Understanding Stress:Theresa breaks down the three stages of stress and how they manifest in our daily lives, leading to digestive issues and chronic illnesses. She sheds light on the silent havoc that prolonged stress wreaks on our gut health and overall bodily functions.
The Three Stages of Stress and the Fawning Response: Understanding How High-Control Religions Impact Emotional Well-Being
Stress is an inevitable part of life, but how our bodies and minds respond to it can vary significantly depending on the intensity and duration of the stressor. Hans Selye, a pioneering endocrinologist, developed the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) to describe the body’s physiological response to stress. This model helps explain how prolonged stress affects overall health and well-being. While the three stages of stress capture the body’s core reactions, the behavioral response known as fawning—especially common among individuals who have come out of high-control environments like fundamentalist religions—adds another layer to this discussion.
The Three Stages of Stress: General Adaptation Syndrome
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome describes how the body responds to stress over time, detailing three distinct stages:
1. Alarm Stage
This is the initial, immediate response to a stressor. When faced with a perceived threat, the body goes into “fight or flight” mode, releasing adrenaline and cortisol. These stress hormones increase heart rate, sharpen focus, and provide a surge of energy to prepare you to either confront the threat or escape it. In modern life, this could be triggered by anything from a work deadline to an argument with a loved one.
2. Resistance Stage
If the stressor continues beyond the initial shock, the body enters the resistance stage. While the outward signs of the fight-or-flight response might fade, internally, the body is still on high alert. Stress hormones like cortisol remain elevated, and the body tries to adapt and cope. However, this stage can’t last forever. Prolonged exposure to stress at this level takes a toll on the body, potentially leading to mental and physical exhaustion.
3. Exhaustion Stage
When stress continues for a prolonged period without adequate recovery, the body eventually reaches the exhaustion stage. Here, the body’s resources are depleted, and it can no longer function normally. Symptoms such as fatigue, depression, anxiety, and even burnout may manifest. The immune system weakens, making the individual more vulnerable to illness and disease.
Understanding these stages is crucial for recognizing when stress becomes chronic and dangerous. But there’s more to the picture when considering how stress affects behavior—especially in people who have experienced trauma or high-control environments.
Enter the Fawning Response: A Behavioral Reaction to Trauma
Fawning doesn’t fit neatly into the General Adaptation Syndrome model because it’s a behavioral rather than a purely physiological response. Still, it’s crucial to understanding how certain people cope with chronic stress or trauma, particularly in interpersonal or high-control environments.
The “Four Fs” of trauma responses—Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn—describe various ways people react when they feel threatened. While fighting, fleeing, or freezing are instinctive survival responses, fawning is a more subtle and less discussed way of coping, often rooted in a need to appease the threat to maintain safety.
What Is Fawning?
Fawning involves appeasing or placating others to avoid conflict or harm. People who fawn try to please or appease the person or situation causing the stress in order to de-escalate the threat. Instead of confronting the stressor (fight), avoiding it (flight), or becoming immobilized (freeze), a person who fawns seeks to reduce the danger by submitting, people-pleasing, or over-accommodating.
This behavior often develops in individuals who have experienced prolonged stress or trauma, especially in abusive, manipulative, or high-control environments like toxic relationships or fundamentalist religions.
How Fawning Fits into the General Adaptation Syndrome Model
Although fawning isn’t a stage of stress, we can still see how it might manifest within the GAS framework:
Alarm Stage: Fawning could be an immediate response to the initial stressor. Rather than fleeing or fighting, someone might instinctively try to placate the threat. For instance, in a high-control religion, a person might conform instantly to avoid punishment or conflict.
Resistance Stage: If the stress persists, fawning can become a habitual response during the resistance stage. The person continues engaging in appeasement behaviors, attempting to manage the ongoing stressor while sacrificing their own needs and well-being in the process.
Exhaustion Stage: Over time, relying on fawning as a coping mechanism can lead to emotional and physical exhaustion. Constantly trying to meet others’ demands, avoiding conflict, and suppressing one’s own needs results in burnout and emotional depletion.
Fawning and High-Control Religions: The Long-Lasting Impact
People who come out of high-control religions often exhibit the fawning response as they attempt to navigate new environments and relationships. These religions typically operate with strict rules, strong hierarchies, and harsh consequences for dissent. As a result, members often suppress their own needs and opinions to avoid punishment or ostracism.
Even after leaving these environments, the pattern of fawning often persists. The deeply ingrained survival mechanism of appeasing authority figures to avoid conflict becomes habitual. This behavior may manifest in various ways:
People-pleasing: Going out of their way to accommodate others, even at the expense of their own well-being.
Difficulty asserting boundaries: Struggling to say no or express personal needs and preferences, often feeling guilty for doing so.
Fear of conflict: Avoiding disagreements or confrontations out of fear of rejection or punishment.
Self-silencing: Suppressing thoughts, feelings, and opinions in order to maintain harmony and avoid disapproval.
For those deconstructing from high-control religions, the fawning response can be particularly challenging to recognize and unlearn. Many may not even realize that their behaviors are rooted in a trauma response. Helping individuals understand and break these patterns is essential for their emotional recovery.
Moving Forward: Unlearning Fawning and Rebuilding Self-Worth
Breaking the cycle of fawning involves learning to assert boundaries, rebuild self-worth, and reclaim personal autonomy. This is not an easy process, especially for those who have spent years in environments where appeasement was essential for survival. Therapy, support groups, and self-compassion can be powerful tools in helping people regain their sense of self after leaving high-control environments.
By recognizing fawning as a response to trauma and stress, individuals can begin to unlearn these behaviors, reclaim their identity, and create healthier relationships—both with others and with themselves.
Understanding stress responses, both physiological and behavioral, is key to supporting individuals who are recovering from trauma. Recognizing the fawning response and how it fits into the broader stress picture can open the door to healing for those emerging from high-control situations like fundamentalist religions.
Mindset & Thought Shifting: Changing How We React to Stress
We must first accept that stress is a normal and natural part of life. Short-term stress, when followed by ample recovery, can enhance cognition and boost our capabilities. It’s like strength training: with proper recovery, the stress we place on our muscles leads to gains. However, persistent stress, if not managed properly, can be damaging. This is why we must shift our relationship with stress.
In times of severe depletion and exhaustion, recovery takes time and commitment. Start by meeting yourself where you are. Shift your mindset by deliberately choosing thoughts that signal to your body that everything is okay. Surround yourself with calming influences—whether it’s people, sounds, colors, or landscapes—that make you feel safe and hopeful. This isn’t a luxury; it’s a requirement for healing. Equally important is removing stimuli that drain you and recognizing that your body has an incredible capacity to heal when given the right tools.
As the Dalai Lama once said, “If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.”
Fuel & Nutrition: Supporting Your Body’s Adaptive Stress Response
Just as important as shifting your mindset is fueling your body with the right nutrients. A starved or inflamed system will struggle to adapt to stress, especially when trying to balance internal chaos. Proper nutrition is key to supporting the body’s stress response.
When the body isn’t fueled properly, persistent stress leads to harmful effects, such as blood sugar swings, hormonal dysregulation, and weakened immunity. To counteract this, we need to provide the body with the building blocks it needs to recover.
Here’s a high-level look at what your body requires for optimal function:
Proteins: Anti-inflammatory sources like grass-fed beef, broths, shellfish, and dairy.
Carbohydrates: Glucose and fructose from fruits, honey, maple syrup, and root vegetables.
Fats: Saturated fats are essential.
Vitamins & Minerals: Vitamin C, D, E, B1, B6, B12, calcium, magnesium, copper, sodium, potassium, selenium, and zinc.
Addressing intestinal permeability, blood sugar imbalances, and other stress-induced dysfunctions through proper nutrition will help rebuild resilience. For those with severe gut issues, a nutrient-dense, elimination-style diet—like carnivore plus easy-to-digest carbs—may be necessary short-term to restore balance.
In the end, listening to your body is critical. Experiment with what makes you feel good, trust yourself, and remember: you know best.
By shifting your mindset and supporting your body with proper fuel, you can navigate life’s stressors with resilience and strength.
Ever wonder why stress keeps you up at night?
Sleep Disruption and Hormones: How Stress, Trauma, and Hormonal Imbalances Impact Sleep Quality
Sleep is one of the most critical factors for overall health, and yet, it’s often disrupted by stress and hormonal imbalances. In this section, we’ll dive into how stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline interfere with sleep, explore the impact of early life trauma on sleep quality, and discuss how the menstrual cycle and hormonal imbalances can further complicate our ability to achieve restful sleep.
Stress Hormones and Sleep Disruption
Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline play significant roles in the body’s response to stress, but when they’re constantly elevated, they can wreak havoc on our sleep.
Cortisol: Often referred to as the “stress hormone,” cortisol follows a natural rhythm called the circadian rhythm. In healthy individuals, cortisol levels are highest in the morning to help us wake up and get ready for the day, and they naturally decline in the evening to prepare the body for rest. However, when we are under chronic stress, cortisol can become dysregulated. Instead of dropping at night, elevated cortisol levels can keep us in a state of alertness, making it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. This leads to frequent waking, shallow sleep, and feeling unrefreshed in the morning.
Adrenaline (Epinephrine): Adrenaline is the hormone responsible for the fight-or-flight response, which prepares the body to face a threat by increasing heart rate, blood flow, and energy levels. If adrenaline surges before bed—due to stress, anxiety, or even unresolved trauma—it can make falling asleep nearly impossible. You might feel restless, agitated, or have racing thoughts, all of which disturb the calm necessary for a good night’s sleep.
Practical Strategies for Managing Stress Hormones for Better Sleep
Create a Wind-Down Routine: Establishing a relaxing pre-sleep routine helps signal to your body that it’s time to rest. This can include dimming lights, turning off electronic devices (which emit blue light and can increase cortisol), and engaging in calming activities like reading, gentle stretching, or meditation.
Balance Blood Sugar: Blood sugar spikes and crashes can trigger cortisol release. Eating a well-balanced meal with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates before bed can stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent cortisol surges during the night.
Supplement Support: Some supplements, such as magnesium, have been shown to help reduce cortisol levels and promote relaxation. Herbal adaptogens like ashwagandha and holy basil can also support the body’s stress response and reduce cortisol.
Mind-Body Techniques: Practices like yoga, deep breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation can help lower cortisol and calm the nervous system before sleep.
The Impact of Early Life Trauma and Adverse Events on Sleep
Early life trauma or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have profound effects on the body’s stress response systems, which can manifest later in life as sleep disturbances. Research shows that people who have experienced trauma, particularly in early development, often have overactive sympathetic nervous systems and altered cortisol levels, leading to difficulty achieving deep, restorative sleep.
Hypervigilance: Trauma survivors often experience hypervigilance, a heightened state of awareness where the body is constantly scanning for potential threats, even during sleep. This state of heightened arousal makes it hard to relax, and the individual may have trouble entering deeper stages of sleep like REM (Rapid Eye Movement) or slow-wave sleep.
Fragmented Sleep: Those with a history of trauma may wake frequently during the night, as their bodies remain on high alert. This fragmentation prevents the deep, uninterrupted sleep necessary for physical and emotional recovery.
Nightmares and Flashbacks: Trauma-related nightmares are common and can disrupt sleep, causing the individual to wake in distress. Flashbacks, even during waking hours, can trigger the body’s stress response, elevating cortisol and adrenaline and making sleep difficult.
Strategies to Address Sleep Disruption in Trauma Survivors
Trauma-Informed Therapy: Engaging in trauma therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), can help individuals process traumatic memories and regulate their nervous system responses, ultimately improving sleep.
Grounding Techniques: Practicing grounding exercises, such as focusing on your breath or engaging your five senses, can help bring your body back into the present moment, reducing hypervigilance and promoting relaxation before bed.
Sleep-Friendly Environment: Creating a sleep environment that feels safe and secure is crucial for trauma survivors. Using weighted blankets, soothing sounds, and minimizing noise or light disturbances can enhance feelings of safety during sleep.
The Role of Menstrual Cycles and Hormonal Imbalances in Sleep Disruption
For many women, sleep disturbances can be closely tied to the fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones that occur throughout the menstrual cycle. Hormonal imbalances, especially during perimenopause or menopause, can further exacerbate sleep issues.
Estrogen and Progesterone: These hormones play vital roles in regulating sleep. Estrogen promotes sleep by increasing serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and sleep patterns. Progesterone has a calming, sedative effect on the brain and helps prepare the body for sleep. However, imbalances in these hormones—whether due to the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or menopause—can lead to insomnia, night sweats, and difficulty staying asleep.
Premenstrual Sleep Disruption: Many women experience disrupted sleep in the luteal phase of their cycle (the days leading up to menstruation), when progesterone levels spike and then rapidly drop. This sudden shift can lead to insomnia or restless sleep, often accompanied by PMS symptoms like bloating, mood swings, and cramps.
Perimenopause and Menopause: As women approach menopause, declining estrogen and progesterone levels can lead to hot flashes, night sweats, and other symptoms that interfere with sleep. The lack of estrogen can also cause vaginal dryness and discomfort, further disrupting rest.
Cortisol and Menstrual Cycles: High cortisol levels, often due to stress, can also impact the menstrual cycle by suppressing the release of sex hormones, leading to irregular periods or exacerbating PMS symptoms, which in turn disrupt sleep.
Practical Strategies for Hormonal Sleep Issues
Track Your Cycle: By tracking your menstrual cycle, you can become more aware of patterns in sleep disturbances and adjust your habits accordingly. For instance, you might prioritize stress management techniques and good sleep hygiene during the luteal phase.
Herbal Support: Certain herbs like chasteberry (Vitex), black cohosh, and red clover can help balance estrogen and progesterone levels, potentially reducing sleep issues related to PMS or menopause.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): For women in perimenopause or menopause, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can help restore hormone balance, improving sleep quality. Consulting a healthcare provider about HRT options may be helpful.
Takeaway: Supporting Hormonal Balance for Better Sleep
Stress, trauma, and hormonal imbalances each play a major role in sleep disruption, but by managing stress hormones, addressing trauma, and supporting hormonal health, you can improve your ability to achieve deep, restorative sleep. Prioritizing sleep hygiene, engaging in calming practices, balancing blood sugar, and supporting hormone levels with natural or medical interventions are key strategies in restoring balance and reclaiming restful nights.
Nutritional and Lifestyle Adjustments: Theresa shares actionable tips on how to nourish your body for better sleep. From balancing blood sugar to enjoying nutritionally dense meals, she emphasizes the importance of tuning into what your body needs, rather than following rigid dietary rules. We also explore the benefits of bedtime snacks like fructose, carbs, and chamomile tea to promote restful sleep.
Emotional Resilience and Self-Compassion: In a world that demands so much from us, Theresa encourages us to meet ourselves with curiosity and compassion. She reminds us that it’s okay to feel frustrated, angry, or tired—these emotions are part of being human. Through self-experimentation and treating ourselves with the kindness we would offer a child, we can navigate the healing journey with more grace.
Tune in to this episode for a heartfelt and insightful discussion that will leave you with practical tools and a renewed sense of hope on your path to healing. Whether you’re struggling with insomnia, chronic stress, or just trying to find balance in a chaotic world, Theresa’s wisdom is not to be missed.
For helpful tapping videos, be sure to check out TappingwithT.com, where you can explore a variety of free resources without needing to sign up. You can also take advantage of a 7-day free trial to the membership and app! Additionally, if you’re interested in personalized support, 30-minute discovery calls are available for those considering 1:1 sessions.
In today’s complex world of nutrition and health, embracing skepticism and critical thinking is essential. Rather than accepting dominant narratives, challenge them to uncover the truth.
🥕 Veganism vs. Meat: What’s the Real Issue? 🥕
The debate over veganism often gets tangled in oversimplified conspiracies. However, the real concern lies in our growing disconnect from nature’s balance. Our modern lifestyles and diets are increasingly detached from natural ecosystems, which profoundly affects our health and well-being.
To truly grasp the nuances of nutrition and health, especially when it comes to veganism, we must examine how our beliefs have been shaped by science, history, and religion. Over the next few weeks, we will time traveling through the last century to see how these elements intertwine and influence our perspectives on veganism.
🔬Before Lobbyism: The Golden Age of Nutritional Science 🔬
Before the rise of lobbyism and industrial influence in the mid-20th century, nutritional science was marked by pioneering research that laid the groundwork for our understanding of essential nutrients. One such figure was Elmer McCollum: Vitamin Pioneer.
Elmer McCollum, a prominent nutrition researcher in the early 20th century, made groundbreaking discoveries regarding vitamins A, B, C, and D. His work was instrumental in identifying the role of these vitamins in preventing nutritional deficiencies.
Vitamin A (Retinol): McCollum’s work significantly advanced the understanding of vitamin A, which is crucial for vision, immune function, and skin health. Retinol, the active form of vitamin A, is primarily found in animal-based foods like liver, fish oils, eggs, and dairy products. Unlike plant-based sources, which provide provitamin A carotenoids like beta-carotene that the body must convert into retinol, animal sources deliver this vitamin in its ready-to-use form.
🧬 BCO1 Gene and Vitamin A 🧬
Did you know that about 45% of people have a genetic variation that makes it hard for them to get enough vitamin A from plant foods? This is because of a gene called BCO1.
The BCO1 gene is responsible for converting beta-carotene (found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and other plants) into active vitamin A, also known as retinol. But for almost half of the population, this gene doesn’t work very efficiently, meaning their bodies can’t make enough vitamin A from plants alone.
Vitamin A is crucial for things like good vision, a strong immune system, and healthy skin. If you can’t get enough from plants, you might need to include animal foods like liver, fish oils, or dairy in your diet to make sure you’re meeting your vitamin A needs.
This explains why some people might struggle with a vegan diet—they need the more easily absorbed form of vitamin A that comes from animal products.
McCollum’s research emphasized the importance of unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods in maintaining health. Diets high in refined grains can exacerbate nutritional deficiencies by displacing more nutrient-dense foods. This indirectly touches on the issues, we see today related to grain consumption, though McCollum’s era was more focused on preventing deficiencies than on inflammation.
The Refinement of Grains: A Double-Edged Sword
As the food industry grew and refined processing techniques became widespread, the nutritional value of grains was compromised. The removal of bran and germ during processing not only reduced the essential vitamins and minerals in grains but also increased their glycemic index. This shift contributed to inflammation and other metabolic issues, like Type-2 Diabetes a concern that has become more prominent in later research.
A Shift in Focus: From Nutritional Science to Industrial Influence
McCollum’s era represents a time when nutritional science was still largely driven by the quest to understand and prevent deficiencies. However, as we moved into the mid-20th century, the influence of lobbyists and industrial interests began to muddy the waters, promoting processed foods and refined grains that strayed from McCollum’s principles of whole, nutrient-rich foods.
🥕 The Influence of Religion and Early Health Movements 🥕
Ellen G. White, a key figure in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, significantly impacted early American dietetics with her advocacy for a plant-based diet and abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. Her health reforms, which emphasized vegetarianism and whole foods, were institutionalized through health institutions like the Battle Creek Sanitarium and figures like Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. The sanitarium’s success and the dissemination of these dietary principles led to the establishment of the American Dietetic Association in 1917, which originally promoted many of these plant-based, whole-food principles. The Adventist emphasis on preventive health care and diet principles laid the groundwork for many modern dietary guidelines and continue to influence discussions around veganism.
🔬 The Role of Science in Shaping Dietary Beliefs 🔬
In the early 20th century, scientific advancements also played a role in shaping nutrition. The Fetner Report highlighted the need for standardized nutritional guidelines and brought attention to the importance of vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, innovations like Crisco introduced hydrogenated fats into American diets, shifting culinary practices and influencing our understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet.
In a future episode dropping 9/10, we’ll take a deeper dive into how industrialization, scientific reports, and influential figures like John D. Rockefeller and Ancel Keys have further impacted our dietary beliefs and public health policies. Stay tuned as we explore:
The Flexner Report: How it reshaped medical education and its ripple effects on nutrition science.
The Rise of Processed Foods: The transformation of our food supply and its long-term health implications.
Rockefeller’s Influence: The role of industrial interests in shaping modern dietary guidelines.
Ancel Key’s: His research became highly influential in the field of nutrition, primarily took place during the mid-20th century, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. His most famous work, the Seven Countries Study, began in 1958 and was published over several decades. This research was pivotal in linking dietary fat, particularly saturated fat, to heart disease and played a significant role in shaping dietary guidelines that emphasized reducing fat intake to prevent cardiovascular disease. Now adays it is seen as deeply controversial due to several perceived flaws that have been widely discussed by critics over the years.
How does current research define the top nutrient-dense foods?
📰 Spotlight on Micronutrient Density: A Key to Combatting Global Deficiencies
A March 2022 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition titled “Priority Micronutrient Density in Foods” emphasizes the importance of nutrient-dense foods in addressing global micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in vulnerable populations. The research identifies organ meats, small fish, dark leafy greens, shellfish, and dairy products as some of the most essential sources of vital nutrients like vitamin A, iron, and B12. These findings could be instrumental in shaping dietary guidelines and nutritional policies.
🍽️ Plant vs. Animal Nutrients: Understanding Bioavailability 🍽️
When it comes to nutrient absorption, not all foods are created equal. The bioavailability of nutrients—the proportion that our bodies can absorb and use—varies significantly between plant and animal sources.
🌱 Plant-Based Nutrients: While plant foods are rich in essential vitamins and minerals, they also contain anti-nutrients like phytates and oxalates. These compounds can bind to minerals such as iron, calcium, and zinc, inhibiting their absorption. For example, non-heme iron found in plants is less efficiently absorbed compared to the heme iron from animal sources. Similarly, the vitamin A found in plants as beta-carotene requires conversion to retinol in the body, a process that is not always efficient, particularly in certain populations.
🍖 Animal-Based Nutrients: Animal products, on the other hand, often provide nutrients in forms that are more readily absorbed. Heme iron from meat, retinol from animal liver, and vitamin B12 from dairy and eggs are all examples of highly bioavailable nutrients. These forms are directly usable by the body without the need for complex conversions, making animal products a more reliable source for certain essential nutrients.
🌍 Global Property Rights: Gender Inequality 🌍
Promoting veganism can unintentionally undermine the very principles of women’s rights and social justice that the political left often advocates for. In many countries, women face significant legal and cultural barriers that prevent them from owning land, despite laws that may suggest otherwise. However, in these same regions, women often have the ability to own and manage livestock, which serves as a crucial economic resource and a form of wealth.
This disparity highlights the persistent challenges in achieving gender equality in property rights, especially in rural areas where land ownership is key to economic independence and security. While livestock ownership is valuable, it doesn’t offer the same level of security or social status as land ownership. The lack of land rights perpetuates gender inequality, limiting women’s economic power, social status, and access to resources.
🌿 Plant-Based Diets and Environmental Costs 🌿
Plant-based diets are often praised for their environmental benefits, yet it’s crucial to recognize the complexities involved. While the availability of vegan foods has significantly improved, making it easier than ever to follow a plant-based diet, this increased accessibility does not necessarily equate to better environmental outcomes.
Many vegan products rely heavily on industrial agriculture and monocropping practices. These methods can lead to deforestation, soil depletion, and the loss of biodiversity. The production of popular vegan ingredients, such as soy and almonds, often involves large-scale farming that can have detrimental effects on local ecosystems. Additionally, the industrial processes used to produce processed vegan foods, including heavy use of pesticides, fertilizers, and water, also contribute to environmental concerns.
Understanding these trade-offs is crucial for making informed dietary choices. Opting for sustainably farmed, organic produce and supporting local farmers can help mitigate some of these negative impacts. It’s not just about choosing plant-based foods, but also about how they are produced.
🔄 Ethical Food Choices 🔄
Making ethical food choices involves a comprehensive evaluation of your diet’s impact on health, the environment, and animal welfare. While plant-based diets can be a step towards reducing your carbon footprint, it’s important to consider the broader implications of industrial agriculture and monocropping. Strive for a balanced approach that aligns with your values and promotes sustainability. This might include supporting local and organic options, as well as exploring ways to minimize your environmental impact through diverse and responsible food choices.
By being mindful of these factors, you can better navigate the complexities of dietary decisions and work towards a more ethical and sustainable future.
🔍 Listen to Our Podcast for More 🔍
For an in-depth exploration of these topics and more, tune into our podcast. We offer detailed discussions and insights into how history, science, and societal trends shape our understanding of nutrition and health. Stay curious and informed!
In a future episode dropping 9/10, we’ll take a deeper dive into how industrialization, scientific reports, and influential figures like John D. Rockefeller have further impacted our dietary beliefs and public health policies. Stay tuned as we explore:
The Flexner Report: How it reshaped medical education and its ripple effects on nutrition science.
The Rise of Processed Foods: The transformation of our food supply and its long-term health implications.
Rockefeller’s Influence: The role of industrial interests in shaping modern dietary guidelines.
The interplay of religion, science, and industry has profoundly influenced our beliefs about veganism and nutrition. By understanding these historical and scientific contexts, we gain insight into the broader impact on our dietary choices and health.
Don’t miss the upcoming episode where we’ll explore these themes in greater depth!
Resources:
1. Historical and Nutritional Science:
“Nutrition and Physical Degeneration” by Weston A. Price: Examines traditional diets and their impact on health, providing historical context for nutritional science.
“The Adventist Health Study: 30 Years of Research” edited by Gary E. Fraser: Covers the impact of vegetarian diets advocated by the Seventh-day Adventists.
“Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health” by Marion Nestle: Examines how food industries shape dietary guidelines and public perception.
“The Vitamin D Solution” by Michael F. Holick: Offers insights into the importance of Vitamin D, complementing McCollum’s work on essential nutrients.
Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White (Library of Religious Biography) Paperback – July 2, 2008
Articles:
“Ellen G. White and the Origins of American Vegetarianism” from Journal of the American Dietetic Association: Explores the historical influence of Ellen G. White on American dietetics.
“Elmer McCollum: The Vitamin Pioneer” from The Journal of Nutrition: Provides an overview of McCollum’s contributions to nutritional science.
Genetic Factors and Vitamin A
Research Papers:
“The Role of Genetic Variability in Vitamin A Metabolism” by Steven A. Arneson et al. (Journal of Nutrition): Discusses the genetic factors affecting Vitamin A conversion.
“BCO1 Genetic Variation and Beta-Carotene Conversion” in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Explores how genetic differences impact the conversion of beta-carotene to Vitamin A.
The Impact of Industrial Agriculture
Books:
“The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan: Investigates the industrial food system and its environmental impact.
“The End of Food” by Paul Roberts: Looks at the global food industry and its implications for health and the environment.
Articles:
“The Hidden Costs of Industrial Agriculture” from Environmental Research Letters: Analyzes the ecological impacts of industrial farming practices.
1. Regenerative Agriculture Principles and Practices
Books:
“Regenerative Agriculture: How to Create a Self-Sustaining Farm Ecosystem” by Richard Perkins: Provides a comprehensive guide to regenerative farming practices.
“The Regenerative Garden: How to Grow Healthy Soil and Manage Your Garden for the Future” by Maria Rodale: Focuses on regenerative techniques for gardening.
“Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture” by Gabe Brown: Shares practical experiences and insights from a farmer who has successfully implemented regenerative practices.
Articles:
“Regenerative Agriculture: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?” from Regenerative Agriculture Initiative: Provides an overview of regenerative agriculture principles and benefits.
“The Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture for Soil Health and Sustainability” from Agronomy Journal: Discusses how regenerative practices impact soil health and sustainability.
2. Sustainable and Ecological Farming
Books:
“The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet” by Kristin Ohlson: Explores how soil health can be restored through sustainable practices.
“Beyond the Jungle: Regenerative Agroforestry and Resilient Communities” by S. H. Smith: Examines the role of agroforestry in regenerative practices and community resilience.
Articles:
“Sustainable Agriculture and Its Impact on Environmental Conservation” from Sustainable Agriculture Research: Analyzes how sustainable farming methods contribute to environmental conservation.
“Ecological Farming: Benefits Beyond the Farm Gate” from Ecology and Society: Looks at the broader ecological benefits of adopting ecological farming practices.
3. Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration
Books:
“The Carbon Farming Solution: A Global Toolkit of Perennial Crops and Regenerative Agriculture Practices for Climate Change Mitigation and Food Security” by Eric Toensmeier: Focuses on using regenerative practices to sequester carbon and improve soil health.
“Soil: The Incredible Story of What Keeps Us Alive” by David R. Montgomery: Provides an in-depth look at soil science and its crucial role in agriculture and climate stability.
Articles:
“Carbon Sequestration and Soil Health: The Role of Regenerative Agriculture” from Agricultural Systems: Discusses how regenerative agriculture practices contribute to carbon sequestration and soil health.
“Soil Organic Matter and Its Role in Carbon Sequestration” from Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: Explores the importance of soil organic matter in maintaining soil health and sequestering carbon.
4. Food Systems and Regenerative Practices
Books:
“The Ecology of Food: A Historical Perspective” by Peter M. Smith: Provides historical context on food systems and their ecological impact.
“The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” by Michael Pollan: While it explores various food systems, it touches on sustainable and regenerative practices in agriculture.
Articles:
“The Future of Food: Regenerative Agriculture and Its Role in Sustainable Food Systems” from Food Policy: Examines the role of regenerative agriculture in creating sustainable food systems.
“Regenerative Agriculture and Food Security: An Integrative Approach” from Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics: Looks at how regenerative practices contribute to food security and sustainability.
Gender Inequality and Property Rights
Books:
“Women, Work, and Property: Gender Inequality and the Economic Impact of Land Rights” by Elizabeth N. L. Allwood: Analyzes the intersection of gender, land ownership, and economic empowerment.
Articles:
“Gender and Land Rights: A Global Overview” from World Development: Examines gender disparities in land ownership and its implications for women’s economic status.
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