A Functional Nutrition Approach to Children’s Mental Health

Children’s mental health issues continue to rise, and now one of every four children will be diagnosed with a chronic condition by the time they are eight years old. How can we support the health of our children through nutrition?

Reed Davis, Founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, joins the podcast once again to offer his expertise after decades of helping thousands of clients get to the root of their health issues. Download the episode here or find wherever you get podcasts.

Key Topics:

Why kids today experience so many health concerns
A deeper dive into the root of ADHD
How food affects mental health and behavior
The role of food sensitivities and kids’ health
Sugar addiction in children
Nutritional support that heals
The function of a child’s nervous system and how screen time disrupts it
Environmental chemicals and toxins that negatively impact health.

To learn more about the program at Functional Diagnostic Nutrition and become your own health detective, click here.

Don’t forget to grab your FREE cup of delicious, plant-based yogurt from Forager Project at this link.

How Many Times a Day Should I Eat?

The blood sugar conversation is more important than ever. We have to understand how to manage our blood sugar before it starts managing us. Like most “common” health concerns, it shouldn’t have to be normal to have blood sugar that is on a continual roller coaster.

Kris DeFoer is a Nutritional Therapist and owner of Happy Body Health. She is passionate about helping women optimize their nutrition and lifestyles to look and feel their best. She believes that healthy digestion and blood sugar regulation are critical to good health and that a healthy diet and lifestyle can address many of the chronic issues that people deal with today.

This discussion with Kris breaks down why we want to fuel our bodies with food that helps to stabilize our blood sugar, and keep our brain and immune systems strong! Download the episode here or find wherever you listen to podcasts!

Key Topics:

– What blood sugar is and why we should care about it

– The difference between hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia

– Kris’ history with dieting and finding a way to regulate her blood sugar naturally

– How many meals a day should I actually eat?

– The stress and blood sugar connection

– What to eat to support a healthy insulin response

– How to eat enough nutrients

– How to support a healthy immune system through food

– The key to salad-building (and a listener challenge)

Learn more about Kris and sign up for her informative emails at Happy Body Health.

Stewarding Our Focus for a Healthier 2021

I love starting the new year with a fresh focus, a fresh intention, maybe even a fresh goal or resolution. But there is so much noise these days, and some of us are still barely hanging on after 2020!

I recently welcomed Thomas Thompson onto the podcast to discuss all the above. Thomas has led churches in Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado for over 25 years. He now works with a coaching ministry, Lead Self Lead Others, as well as a city focused non-profit, COSILoveYou.

In this episode, Thomas shares practical ways for us to cancel out the noise and live with an intentional focus in the new year. Download and listen here or find wherever you get your podcasts.

Key Topics:

– The way that 2020 exposed us all

– How increasing connection with others may not be a good thing

– Why harnessing our focus and being intentional is important

– How to prioritize the information we receive

– Dealing with overwhelm, anxiety, and worry

– Daily rhythms to implement

– Why we need to train our brains to direct focus

– How to ask ourselves the right questions and practical tools

Learn more about Thomas and his work at leadselfleadothers.com/thomas-thompson/

Building a Healthy Brain for a Lifetime

We are all at risk for cognitive decline. While there can be a genetic component to Alzheimer’s, that is not the only factor. There are so many ways to protect your brain and prevent cognitive decline – and it starts 20-30 years before a diagnosis!

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Cathy Williams, who I found on Instagram and instantly was drawn to her clear information and beautiful graphics. She gives simple tips for improving brain function that everyone can employ. Download here or listen wherever you get podcasts!

Continue reading “Building a Healthy Brain for a Lifetime” →

Researching the Research: Are We Asking the Right Questions?

In order to be my own health advocate and find healing, I had to learn to question everything. I take everything I am told and run it through a lens of skepticism, then critical analysis. This recent podcast episode may fall under the umbrella of “too controversial” for some listeners, but if you’re going to draw a dividing line and say you are “pro” or “anti” anything, you better know what you’re up against.

I never want to persuade anyone to change their beliefs on any matter. But I do want to encourage questioning and a deeper look into all sides of an issue. As of now, we still have freedom to choose what is best for our own bodies and our own health. Nobody can tell you what your body needs like you intuitively can.

Which leads into the episode (which you can listen to here or find wherever you get podcasts)…

He is a pioneer of research on the gut-brain connection and had a moral obligation to his patients. Because of it, he lost everything. Now, Andy Wakefield is an award-winning filmmaker with three thought-provoking films highlighting disparities in medical treatment for the medically injured and marginalized.

Continue reading “Researching the Research: Are We Asking the Right Questions?” →

Handling Grief Over the Holidays

December is never an easy month for me. Even in the years I decide to get a head start on my “seasonal lows,” I often end up getting hit by an intense overwhelm at some point during the month. This year, thanks to the added Covid-related stress, it feels like my winter blues got a superboost.

That’s why I was so grateful to get to speak to Licensed Professional Counselor Michael Sweeney on the latest episode of my podcast. Not gonna lie – it felt like free therapy. I realized that these intense feelings I am experiencing right now, on a more intense level than usual, are related to grief. Grief isn’t just losing a person – it can be any kind of loss.

There are many misconceptions to grief. I didn’t realize that my distractibility and lack of focus can also be signs that my nervous system is struggling to process grief while also stay here in the present. I don’t often find myself at a loss for words, but in this episode I definitely was. We cover why holiday grief is so common, how grief doesn’t always take the form we expect, how we need to stop comparing our grief, and ways we can process and manage our grief that is helpful to us!

Download and listen wherever you get podcasts, or listen here.

Learn more about Michael and his practice here.

Why Can’t I Lose Weight? Breaking Down Diet and Weight Loss Myths

You’ve heard me say it a thousand times – there are no one-size-fits-all plans for weight loss. If anyone tries to convince you of that, question it. If I ever start heading down that road, feel free to call me out.

Before you start a new plan or detox or resolution for the new year, take a listen to my latest podcast episode. The way we as humans have the ability to store weight or lose weight is a fascinating topic, and not as simple as “move more, eat less.” There are many factors that contribute to weight loss or weight gain.

If you find yourself struggling to lose weight, or never able to sustain a smaller size due to dieting, you’re not alone. Studies show that 95% of people who lose weight will gain it back in 2-5 years and over 50% will gain more. Chances are, you are one of them. It’s a frustrating reality. Cutting calories alone will not work, and it may actually damage your metabolism in the long run.

Smaller size doesn’t always equal greater health. Just because a person is losing weight or in a smaller body, doesn’t mean they are “healthier.” Just because a person has a perfect BMI, doesn’t mean they are free of health issues.

Then you factor in the fact that our fat cells store toxins, stress drives of inflammation, gut dysbiosis affects cravings, and it’s clear that the topic of weight loss is not a simple one.

It’s time to take a new approach to health and weight loss. I want to help YOU find what’s right for YOU this new year.

Listen to this podcast episode here or download and listen wherever you get podcasts.

Key topics include: the calorie counting myth, my take on the “obesity epidemic” (there’s not one), types of fat, the role of gut health, weight gain as a symptom, and how to learn to trust your body.

Maybe you used to be able to diet and lose weight, and now you can’t. Maybe you’re setting resolutions and trying to figure out what’s right for you. Maybe you’re sick of people trying to put you on their program and telling you what’s best for YOUR unique body.

Before you start anything new, listen to this episode.

And if you are looking for guided assistance in nutrition with a flexible plan that can be tailored to your needs, check out my Feast 2 Fast program, which starts January 4.

Master Your Health and Know What Healthy Feels Like

I’m just over one year into the wonderful world of podcasting. With more than five million downloads in that short timeframe, there are numerous episodes interviewing renowned health experts. I’ve been honored to sit down and pick the brains of the best of the best. But what I also love is interviewing the non-famous experts, the people who have been passionate about holistic health for decades and let it infiltrate every area of their lives.

My friend Emily Hill is one of those people. She has been a connoisseur of all things health and wellness for the better part of two decades and currently works as a holistic nutritionist in Dallas, Texas. She has spoken to many audiences on the topics of nutrition, supplementation, and holistic living and has so much wisdom to share when navigating these tricky health issues.

In this episode we cover all things related to individualizing nutrition for optimal health and avoiding “diet dogma.” We even get into the great meat debate! Emily is a wealth of health info, and her belief that there is no one sized fits all gives a refreshing perspective in the midst of endless nutrition debates that often make incorporating healthy habits completely overwhelming.

Key Topics:

Emily’s holistic health journey and various certifcations
Favorite health hacks and supplements
Why nutrition dogma is such a problem
How to individualize nutrition while staying away from diets
Emily’s philosophy: “if it comes from the ground, it’s way more sound.”
Should we be concerned about lectins and grains?
How to give our livers a break
Meat or no meat – what’s the concern with eating meat?
Movement and weight lifting for women
How “women need a constant reminder of how strong they are.”

Download the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts. If you’re in Dallas-Fort Worth area, check out Aum Integral Wellness here.

How EMDR Teaches Your Brain to Process Trauma and Find Healing

Everyone has experienced trauma in some form in their lifetimes. The fact that trauma is stored in the body is well-documented, and the various tools and therapies being developed for healing continue to amaze me. This is why I was so excited to take an entire podcast episode and devote it to one revolutionary healing method!

Zach Herrin is a Licensed Professional Counselor trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). In this powerful episode, we discuss how trauma impacts our lives, the affect of grief, and how EMDR can be a powerful tool for healing. Download here or find it wherever you get podcasts!

Key Topics:

Why is a trauma focus important in counseling?
How do you know if you have trauma?
The connection between grief and trauma
The history and science behind EMDR
Who can benefit from EMDR
The methodology behind EMDR
Kids and EMDR
The importance of emotional vulnerability

Learn more about Zach’s practice at solacecounselingcenter.com.

Hot Topics in Women’s Health

Navigating female health issues is a topic I haven’t targeted for the Sparking Wholeness podcast. So I was THRILLED to interview the amazing gynecologist, Dr. Kamilia Smith. She has a refreshing take on empowering women to be their own health advocates.

Dr. Smith is an OB/GYN and Founder of Charleston House Gynecology Dallas, Texas, which offers a new approach to women’s healthcare and wellness inspired by the needs of the modern woman.

In this episode, we uncover all the hot topics in women’s health today. Download wherever you get podcasts, or click to download here.

Key Topics:

The importance of doing work from the top down
The “common” concerns that may not be normal or optimal
How women should thrive, not survive
Signs of healthy ovulation and menstrual cycles
What to do with estrogen dominance and mystery weight gain
Insulin resistance and the effect on hormones
The rise in PCOS and what we know about it
Changes in sexual desire and what to do about it
Navigating PMS and perimenopause
The brain/hormone/stress connection

To learn more about Dr. Smith, head to charlestonhousegyn.com and follow on Instagram: @charlestonhousegyn