Welcome back to The Inspired
Living with Autoimmunity podcast.
I'm your host, Julie Michelson and
today we are joined by Mira Dessie,
the ingredient guru, and we're
talking about becoming an empowered
shopper to improve your health.
Mira gives us tips and tricks to
navigate the grocery store and
truly know what we're eating.
Mira, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you so much for having me on, Julie.
I would love for you to, to allow
listeners to get to know you a little
bit by sharing your journey and your
story, because it is so specific.
How, how did you become
the ingredient guru?
Well, it was a long and winding path.
I was not always in the field
of nutrition or holistic health.
I actually used to be a
database administrator for an
international research firm.
And the interesting thing is, at that
time we were doing a lot of the things.
We belonged to A C S A,
we had a vegetable garden.
I canned, I baked all of our bread,
you know, all those wonderful things.
And so I was of course patting myself
on the back that, you know, I'm
taking care of myself and my family
and.
Over time, I began to
get sicker and sicker.
I wound up beginning to have
massive amounts of pain and fatigue,
digestive disorders, all kinds
of things, and essentially at a
certain point, had an implosion,
if you will, of my immune system.
And to make a very long story a
little bit shorter, the end result
was I was diagnosed with five
different autoimmune disorders.
My primary was ulcerative
colitis, and you know, I'm, I'm.
One of the things I like to encourage
people to remember is if you're diagnosed
with one autoimmune disorder, chances
are it's not hanging out by itself.
It's that our medical system likes
to put them into categories, so treat
them as if they're each separate.
However, your immune system is your
immune system, and it's either functioning
the way it's designed to or it's not.
I love that you said that.
Yes.
I get that all the time too.
I don't have a diagnosis yet.
Can you help me?
Or, you know, what about this
diagnosis versus I'm like, it's yes.
Let's go, let's, let's fix it now.
Right.
And you know, I, I think, so for me,
the part of the challenge was along
the way to getting sicker and sicker.
I would go to the doctors
and my labs would come by.
Oh, you're fine.
You know?
And then I started, and this breaks
my heart because it happened to me.
It has happened to many of my
clients, and it not only breaks my
heart, it, it just pisses me off
was the, you know, may, maybe
you should talk to somebody.
and it might be in your head.
me.
I know.
And I live inside my skin.
I know how my body is supposed to feel.
all do.
Even if somebody tries to tell you
other, I was, I was also the person with
multiple autoimmune and beautiful labs.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and at a certain point though,
you get to the, I couldn't function.
I was living my life on the sofa.
I had to choose between was
I gonna do laundry that day
or was I gonna make dinner?
Yeah, I was sleeping, I was resting while
my kids were at school so that I could
take care of them when they came home.
And then, you know, pray
they'd wanna go to bed early.
And, and,
yeah.
and I remember, you know, my kids
standing over me going, get up.
I need you.
And I'm like, I can't.
Like it's, and I, you know,
it's, it's very challenging.
It's so hard when you're going
through that because then you
start beating yourself up and
going, what's wrong with me?
You start questioning.
I remember a conversation I
had with my best friend and I
was like, maybe I'm depressed.
And she said, well, let's,
let's talk it through.
And I'm like, well, you know, the pain,
the fatigue, I could check all the boxes.
And she goes, yep, but are you depressed?
And I'm like, well, no.
But they, they think I might be,
you know, she's like, no, no, no.
Um, yeah.
And, and it, what pisses me
off is that you having five
diagnoses isn't even unusual like
you would think that should be.
Almost unheard of, and at the very
least, alarming for the doctors.
But it's not, it's like you said,
you know, even if there's so,
Well,
so how did you go
from
Yeah.
On the
couch?
the, the, the, one of the
things that caused that, that
coin to flip, if you will,
in one week I had two
medical appointments.
The first one was with my
rheumatologist who said to me, I.
I wanna prescribe a medication for you,
but I don't know if your endocrinologist
will like it, so I'm not going to do it,
and I'm not a very confrontational person.
So I was just kinda like, okay.
But then as I was driving home,
I was like, wait, wait a minute.
Did you just say you're
not gonna do your job?
Like
why?
Why would you tell me if
you're not gonna do anything?
Like what does that do for me?
And secondly, aren't you both doctors,
don't you people talk to each other?
And the answer of course is no.
The second appointment was with a brand
new to me, cardiologist, and I thought
he was gonna wanna hear my whole story.
So I walked in already to
like, share, and he went, Mrs.
Dessie, you are getting older.
I
was 42 years old.
And that was what it
took for me to get mad.
And then I started screaming
at my insurance company
and advocating for myself.
Wound up getting, you know, some,
some high level sort of testing
and all of that came back with
two things from all of that.
One was a few of my, my.
You know, protocols were changed, but I,
I was encouraged to advocate for myself
because I realized that I really had to
be the most active participant in my own
healthcare and the startling awareness
that nobody was talking about food.
And
Even with a gi, that's the part
yeah.
that, uh
Right, and no, nobody, nobody
really talked about food.
And as I began to dive in, I began
to realize there were a whole bunch
of things that were still in my
pantry that were really bad for
you.
And I began to clean up my diet.
I realized I needed to know more.
I went back to school, became
a nutrition educator, and then
from there began unintentionally,
but began my own practice.
And then because of my beautiful clients
wound up writing a book because I had
to say the same thing over and over and
over.
It looks like there needs to be a book.
So that was when I wrote the pantry
principle, and that basically
just launched me down the path
to becoming the ingredient guru.
I love it.
I, I love it.
And I, I share that my oldest son from
birth was a projectile, vomiter, horrible
reflux, terrible, poor little thing.
Terrible GI system, skinny,
you know, just, and.
Saw the best air quotes experts.
Um, and of course they medicated
the snot out of this poor baby.
And he usually, the, you know, even
infants that have reflux, it'll correct.
Um, I mean, he was still
medicated as a toddler.
Nobody ever asked me, and I
didn't know enough back then.
No one ever said, what is he eating?
Nobody said to me when I was
nursing, what are you eating?
Right.
Nobody ever said, it turns out, you know,
hindsight's 2020 poor has celiac, and
it, it took 12 years to finally figure
out, oh, maybe what you're eating.
and part of the challenge is even
if you know that tiny bit, to go to
your doctor and say, Hey, I think
I may have some food sensitivities.
I think there's an issue
with this, or whatever.
They go, nah, you know,
Yeah.
That's not enough to,
Right, and, and so it really becomes,
we're not, I'm not bashing doctor.
I
live with one like to, to be fair,
I have been the
it's the system.
Wonderful medical care.
Yes.
I think the challenge is doctors
are very, very good at what they do.
What they do does not
typically include nutrition.
Right.
Which is why I love my current
GI Doc because he is more
functionally minded and he
He's a unicorn.
you know, pay attention to FODMAPs
if they have gastrointestinal issues
and that kinda thing.
Yes.
So like that's great, but that also
again requires being an advocate for
yourself and saying, okay, I'm seeing
this doctor right now, not the best fit
for me, not the best partner for me.
I'm going to continue to look and
see if there are other options
Yes.
And I love that you use that word partner
because that's, that's the key and
that's a shift from how we were taught
to, you know, work with our doctors.
They knew everything and we were
supposed to just do what they say,
take what they tell us, you know?
Um, and that really, that that's
the perfect, you know, your doctor
should be your partner in your
health journey and your wellness.
So I love that, that you used that word.
And, and I, you know, I want to also
fast forward all these years later
and tell you that my last colonoscopy,
cuz at this point I've had a number
of them, uh, with a diagnosis
of ulcers, colitis that happens.
Uh, but my last colonoscopy, I was
told that there are no more signs
of ulcerative colitis in my system.
Oh, wait a minute.
I'm sorry.
The body can heal.
You know, and, and, and here's the thing.
There are admittedly varying degrees.
The colon is very long, and
different sections can be
more impaired than others.
Like some people do require surgery,
some people require lifelong medication.
I was able to get off medication and
I was able to restore gut function.
Um, but it, it is possible
for that to happen.
It is.
And I tell people, and people read
my story and they know, you know,
I got off of 10 prescriptions and,
and they'll come to me and say,
yeah, I wanna do what you did.
I wanna get off my meds.
And I'm like, I just wanted to feel
well, like that was a side effect of
correcting the underlying drivers.
And, and so, you know, sometimes
it takes lifestyle and medication.
Sometimes the medication is that
bridge while things are healing.
Um, but there's no, uh, To me, like
the win isn't, there's no judgment.
Are you on medication or are
you not on educa on medication?
It's what is your quality of life?
And is life getting bigger
and better as we age?
Or is it getting smaller?
That's, that's what I look at.
So I love that you said that, you know,
it is, it's all different degrees.
Um, but it is crazy thinking that
like your intestines can heal.
Of course they can.
and, and even more than that, I also,
like when I'm working with clients,
I really like to encourage them that.
Anything that we can do to improve
where you are right now is worth doing.
Can I guarantee that you're
gonna get off medication?
No.
Can I guarantee that things are
going to go back to the way they
were however long ago it was?
Before you go say, no, I can't.
But if we can do things so that you are
actually nourishing your body so that you
are practicing self-care, getting good
quality sleep, doing all these things
that support a balanced body state.
You are going to feel better
to some degree and, and that's
better than where you were.
Like that's the goal is just to feel
better and to make sure that you're doing
the best you can to take care of yourself.
I love that.
And every little inch we move the needle
gives us more energy and motivation
to address more things in other areas.
And, and so it, it is,
it's a, it's totally a pro.
It's a lifelong, I'm
still always adjusting.
I feel amazing.
I didn't know I could feel this
well at 54, you know, really.
But I'm also still always looking
for the, like, what else can I do?
And, and we're never done in the
sense that if I go back to living
how I was living before, I will
go back to being as sick as I was.
I mean, it, it's, I have to protect all
those things you were talking about.
Not just what I eat, but how is my sleep
and you know, am I moving the right way?
Am I managing my stress?
And there's no one, stress isn't static.
Right
You know, and so I may have a great
stress management routine, and then
I, I may need to uplevel sometimes.
So, or also human, not perfect.
Maybe it's slipping and
I'm not paying attention.
Just time to adjust.
And, and that's exactly what
I was gonna say too, because
it, we are human and we are in situations
sometimes where challenges come up.
And again, being your own advocate is
one of the biggest things you can do.
In the beginning of a journey where
you are changing your food, changing
your holistic health patterns, really
paying attention to all of that, that
we've operated on by autopilot for so
long, typically, you are going to run
into either a provider, a friend, a
neighbor, or a family member who's gonna
go, oh, You're so hard to feed, like
really, do you have to do all this?
Or is it really how A little
bit is not gonna kill you.
Right.
And so what happens is you start getting
into this, I feel guilty because I'm
forcing other people to accommodate me.
And then learning ways to meet
your own needs without having
to overwhelm other people.
And I love that.
You know, in the beginning.
I will admit that my family was kinda
like, but we, we like Captain Crunch and
Oh, but you had to let
it get soggy first, sir.
It would scratch up
the roof of your mouth.
I joke with people like I
was not born a health coach.
I ate.
You know, all the
all the things.
dis things I find disgusting now.
I thought were delicious back then.
You know, I couldn't even imagine.
Um,
but learning, learning how to make
those changes and then learning how
to advocate for yourself and also
learning where you need to flex.
So
recently, for example, I was at a
birthday party with a family member
and it was a big celebration.
Lots of family around, I.
And I really knew that
I wanted to participate.
And so I said to them, I am going to have
one bite of cake to celebrate you, cuz it
was not the kind of cake that I would make
and want to eat, but it's, that's about
celebration, that's about being human.
And really that one bite was totally fine.
It's not like I ate it and I'm like, man,
I wish I could have a whole slice of cake.
Like I didn't.
Because that's the other thing
that happens is as we begin to
nourish our body, as we begin to
take care of ourselves, a lot of
those cravings, a lot of that,
oh, gotta have it, that goes away.
It does.
It really does.
And I will qualify that by,
I will not take the one bite
because I have Celiac and I'll be
Right?
So
for you, that's not an option,
and that, but that's so
empowering to know, right?
Like.
Maybe I'll have a bite of cheese
or, you know, I know where I can sneak
a little something once in a blue moon.
And, and I always say, you
know, there's certain things
that aren't gonna make me sick.
Like something like gluten, um, and,
and dairy, I said cheese, but that,
that really wouldn't be my sneak.
It would probably be a tomato.
Um, But also it, it's that
the power of knowing what the,
you're gonna be dealing with.
So maybe it's not gonna make you
feel sick, but maybe your brain's
not gonna function that well.
So don't do that right before you
get up in front of an audience.
Right.
Like really
Oh, absolutely.
Or finding other ways.
You know, can you bring
a gluten-free cupcake
and celebrate that way?
Can
Yeah, absolutely.
or offer an option?
You know, I also, when I was visiting
with this family, I offered to make brunch
one day, and I don't think anybody there
paid attention, but it was a gluten free
Right.
And that's the other thing I, I think,
you know, first we have to retrain and
get over this, like apologizing for taking
care of ourselves and, and be okay with
not everyone's gonna understand, right?
Or support or, or whatever.
But also we make good food.
And it's real food and even people
with terrible diets enjoy it.
And you don't have to explain, well,
this is grain-free and this is, I
have friends that don't eat real food.
And they come over and they eat the
cassava tortillas with the homemade wa and
they don't say like, Ew, where's the corn?
Right.
Like it's, um, so I, I think like
you said, if they don't, especially
if they don't know if some people,
if you tell them like, I'm gonna
make a gluten-free brunch for you.
They've already
put it in their head.
Yeah.
They're, they're just thinking,
oh, that's gonna be gross.
I know.
And, and I I love also that when
we make good, delicious food and we
simply serve it without having to
apologize, without having to explain,
but we can all enjoy it together.
Nobody questions it.
They just wanna sit down
and enjoy a meal with you.
Right, and that's, it's the connection.
It's not really the food.
Yes, we have memories tied to foods
and I joke I've yet to have a client
that, you know, a salad is what gives
her that gooey feeling about her mom.
So, you know, it's never a salad.
But it will maybe our kids or their kids.
Um,
and, and I think the other thing
too is, like you said, for you with
celiac disease, that's a huge issue.
You know, for me, I just know there's
all the ingredients, all the challenging
non-food things that they do to food.
I'm very sensitive to that.
I, people like me, I consider
us the, the canaries in the
coal mine of food, you know?
Let's talk about the non-food ingredients
because you know, we're chatting cuz
we're talking about real food and
we know what we're talking about.
And you can pick on gluten, you
can pick on dairy or sugar or
any of it, but, but really, I.
Let's, let's talk about, you know, from
the perspective of the ingredient guru.
Uh, what is, what is real food like when
I say, oh, we're talking about real food,
not, you know, what are those things?
What are share with us?
Sure.
Well, and, and just to back up and
finish, what I was going to say
though is that I know that I cannot
add those other things back in
because if I do, it is a slow decline
back to living my life on the sofa,
and I refuse to go back there.
So
and you don't have to.
I don't, right.
I don't have to.
And
so I define real food as.
Either unprocessed or low processed
with no non-nutritive added ingredients.
Awesome.
for example, I'm pretty sure everybody
listening knows that things like
artificial colors, artificial sweeteners
and artificial flavors are not real food.
It kind of says so in the name,
But what about natural flavors?
I love that you brought that up.
Yes.
Because part of the challenge is
natural is one of those wonky terms
that encompasses just about anything.
Yes.
It's a catchall,
yeah, it is.
And I will also say that this is like a
really great place to talk about this.
You can only control what you can control.
In my home, in my own home,
I can control everything.
If I'm out or if I'm at somebody else's
house, there's only so much that I can do.
I.
So the, the goal is to be as avoidant
as possible for those things that
are not food, but to not freak out.
We don't wanna develop orthorexia
where we can't go anywhere or eat
anywhere except our own home, and
we can only eat certain things.
Like that becomes very
restrictive and very overwhelming.
I.
However, I do encourage avoiding
anything that says natural
because you never know what it is.
An example of that is natural vanilla
flavor could be something called cast.
Now, here's the thing.
Cassium by itself is
apparently not harmful for you.
What I object to is they
don't tell you what it is.
They just hide it because they know
if people went and looked it up to see
what it was, They would not eat it.
It is the anal gland secretion of beavers.
I call it beaver
You don't want that.
I, you
You're right.
I don't think anybody would
ever go and order that.
well, so here's the weird thing.
There is a liquor over in Scandinavia
that is made with cast and they
proudly announce it on the label.
Um, yay
for
them.
tastes like vanilla,
Probably does.
Uh, so not, not my choice, but,
but again, they're hiding it.
And so some of the natural flavorings
can be true extracts from you, steep
something and you get the essential
oils out of it, and it, you know,
becomes a flavor, a fragrance, whatever.
However, because of the federal guidelines
behind what constitutes a natural flavor,
they can do so many things to it and
add so many chemicals and in extract it,
and manipulate it in so many ways that
all of a sudden it bears no resemblance
whatsoever to what it started from.
And so we wanna watch out for that.
Yes.
also, Really strongly encourage
people to look at the ingredient
panel, cuz most people when
they go, oh yeah, I read labels.
I, I am really good about reading
labels and what they're re and they
are and I congratulate you for that.
Like, that's great.
However, what they're talking
about is the nutrition panel.
Mm-hmm.
The nutrition facts, how many calories,
how much sugar, how much fat, all of that.
That's only a tiny piece
of what's going on.
And that, by the way,
can be very misleading.
We can go back to
that in just a minute.
Uh, but the real information about what
you're consuming is those ingredients,
Yes.
It.
you need to read that.
Yeah, I, I listeners know I've shared
this before, but when my daughter
was in high school, so to me it was
like my crowning moment as a mother.
She called me during lunch cuz she
and her friends had gone to the
grocery store to pick up snacks
for lunch, not really lunch.
And she said, I.
You've ruined my life.
I was all, you know, I, I don't
even remember what it was.
That wasn't even the important part,
you know, I, I, I wanted such and such,
and then I read the ingredients and now
I couldn't possibly eat it, you know?
And it was like, yes, shit.
Gonna be okay.
My job here is done.
Yeah, mic drop.
I love it.
I dunno.
And, and, um, let's talk a minute
and we, we kind of hit on it with the
natural flavor and, but, but let's talk
about a little deeper in the, you know,
the information is in the ingredients.
Um, I, I hate to to sound all
conspiracy theorists, but do you
think the marketing on the front
of the package is often misleading?
Oh, absolutely.
Manufacturers use that to manipulate
and misguide you on a regular basis.
So that is something called
front of package labeling.
And they, first of all, food producers
spend tons of millions of dollars a year.
To try to figure out what are the
words that are going to attract us?
What are the things that are
going to encourage us to want to
buy their product, and hopefully
encourage us to pay no attention
to what's on that ingredient panel.
Mm-hmm.
And as an example for that, I used
that, you know, a couple of decades
ago, fiber was the big thing.
Everybody needed to get enough fiber.
So you would look at bread or cereals
or other processed foods and it
would tell you, oh, made with so many
whole grains, made with so many grams
of fiber, all that kind of stuff.
But if you flipped it around,
often the number one ingredient
was still enriched wheat flour,
like, A highly processed, high
glycemic, non-nutritive food.
Uh, and now we've gone through
several iterations where different
things have been important.
And the big thing at
the moment is protein.
Uh, I mean, my, my joke is, you
know, with apologies to Dave
Berry, cuz I borrowed it from him.
I think they would put protein in shoe
polish if they thought it would sell more.
You know, I mean they, they
wanna use whatever words they
think we are paying attention.
Keto is the other big thing.
They're making keto everything
Well, and vegan.
I have, I'm not even kidding you.
I've seen vegetables labeled as vegan.
I'm like, how could they not be vegan?
Their vegetables.
And my favorite, I actually took a,
a, a picture, um, And sent it to a few
people in my life that understand me.
There's a product called
Don't Come After Me.
Uh, just eggs.
Just eggs.
And it looks like it
comes in a plastic bottle.
Not great right there,
but it looks like eggs.
It just looks like, you
know, raw scrambled eggs.
There is not an egg.
Well, it's not eggs, it's an
No, it's plant-based
and it's called just eggs.
It should be called just not eggs
like, but that's, it's such a, it,
it's for me like such a shining, like
there's misleading and then there's
like actually just opposite of true
right.
Well, and the
and the thing that I struggle with is food
producers look for a couple of things.
One is they want it to be
a, a, a trend, not a fad.
A
fad is something that comes and
goes very quickly and maybe they can
capitalize on it, but in the long run
it doesn't really do a lot for them.
Trends are things that stick around
either because a larger segment of
the population needs to eat that way
and is grateful that they've started
doing this or because other people who
had not considered doing that before
have been attracted to that idea.
Right.
Gluten-free is a very
good example of that.
There is a segment of the population
that must eat gluten-free.
It's very important to them.
Otherwise they are horrifically ill.
And then there are some people who
have, um, you know, they're, they're not
diagnosed with any sort of disorder that
precludes adding gluten, but they know
they feel better when they don't eat it.
Right.
So they, they don't have a specific
diagnosis and then there are other
people who are like, you know, I
just, I like the idea and it tastes
good, and so I'm gonna do that.
So that has become a trend.
They love that.
So now one
I still wouldn't eat most of that stuff,
I wouldn't either, cuz
it's highly processed,
right?
But I'm just saying they're
looking to capture larger and
larger market share.
So now one of the things that's
happened is plant-based looks
like it's at that tipping point
to become a trend rather than a fad,
because more and more people are jumping
on that bandwagon, and so they have
begun going after larger and larger
segments of the grocery store to try
to figure out how they can make it.
You
know, vegan or plant-based, using
those two terms interchangeably to
try to attract larger market share.
Because unfortunately, a lot of
people seem to think that food
producers are in the business of
making food and they're really not.
They're in the business of making money.
Food
make food.
their product.
Yes,
exactly.
know, And, and so that's why we have
so many different things that we
see now, and it gets very confusing
sometimes, like you said, because
they're misleading about what's in there.
Um, one of my least favorite things
at the grocery store now is the
bizarre number of beyond, you know,
Oh.
beef, chicken, whatever
type
beyond, beyond
food,
And, and there and there are more brands
coming to market going after that segment
and all of a sudden you can have, you
know, burgers and, and steaks and chicken
and all these things that are not meat.
And my thing
and I don't understand.
I I have, maybe you
could explain it to me.
Um, and I.
I don't judge what anybody
chooses to eat or not eat.
That's not true.
Not anybody.
If you're eating real food and
you're, you're making choices
for whatever reason, great.
The part I don't understand is
if you don't wanna eat meat,
why do you want a burger?
Like, I don't, I don't get that part.
And, and I think the reason they,
the reason food producers are
trying to tap into that is because
they're hoping to attract enough
Meat eaters.
Yeah.
They're enough omnivores to go, Hey, sure,
you can be omni all you want, but you
know, sometimes maybe you want a little
break, come over and have our product
Right.
And they're marketing.
It is healthier.
And it is
nuts.
it's not.
No,
not.
And, and so again, it's
about market share.
It's about what they're doing.
The one of the latest products that I
just did a mini rant about on my YouTube
channel was a breakfast cereal that
is supposed to help you sleep better.
And Oh, yes, they put melatonin in it.
Come on.
And then you're
supposed to have it in the
morning.
you're supposed to have it at night?
No, you're supposed to have it
at night before you go to bed.
It's like a little s snack you can have,
so you can have cereal in the morning for
Oh,
no.
you could finish your day
with another bowl of cereal.
And there's massive
amounts of sugar in it.
So I don't care how much
melatonin they put in there.
It's an exploded grain and
it's got a lot of sugar.
And it's like the last thing you
should be eating before you go to bed.
not
my gosh.
should be eating.
It is the, the thing you
Do not, just don't do it.
Yeah.
You know, and, and they do that because,
I mean, the cereal isle has become
sleep is so important,
so I'm being healthy.
Cause
now I
what I was gonna say is the
cereal aisle has become an
alleyway at the grocery store.
There's, you know, hundreds of
different kinds of cereal and
they've pretty much tapped that out.
So now if they wanna grow,
they have to figure out what's
the next thing we can do?
Well, let's figure out how to
get people to eat more cereal.
I know maybe they should
eat it at bedtime.
It's, it's insane.
Well, and they're tapping into the,
again, it's that idea of, that's the
part that frustrates me the most is.
Marketing to people who are trying
to make a health conscious choice.
Right?
Oh, I, you know, I understand sleep is
an important part of overall health.
I'm gonna buy this garbage cereal
and eat that at night before I go to
bed and really mess with my system.
But it, it's just frustrating to me.
Worse than, you know, you wanna buy a
box of donuts, buy a box of donuts, and
tell yourself you're having the donuts.
But that marketing of,
of products, I won't
even
manipulates you into thinking that you're
doing something that's good for you
someone's actually taking that extra
minute to try to make the better
choice, which goes back to the
way to do that is to turn the box
around and read the ingredients.
Yes.
And, and the other thing that I will
share also, and this taps back into
what we were talking about before, the
more you start to include real whole
foods, getting enough vegetable content,
getting good quality protein, getting
clean fats into your diet, the better
you feel, the less you want those things.
And it gets to the point where, I mean,
I love going to the grocery store cuz I
love seeing all the stupid stuff they're
doing and I just like read the packages
and take pictures and it's great.
But I don't buy them.
I don't want them.
As a matter of fact, I'm in the
middle of doing a piece about cereal
that I'm working on and I had to ask
my neighbors if they would bring me
cereal boxes cuz I wasn't gonna buy
Right.
I refuse to spend my money on this.
Yeah.
I love that.
So this sounds so cliche, um,
but this idea of shopping the
outside of the grocery store, is
that something you believe in?
I love that you brought that up.
Oh my gosh.
So there are some benefits to shopping
the perimeter of the grocery store.
And you know, I will, first of all, I
want to address, a lot of people go, oh,
they put the milk in the back cuz you
have to walk all the way to the back.
It's a ploy to get you
into the grocery store.
No, it's convenient because the
back is where the loading docks are
Right, and the refrigerated
walk-ins.
And the freezers typically are
closest to the loading doors,
so that's why they're there.
But typically, you walk into usually
the produce side of things, and then
there's a certain path that you go around.
Maybe you go through the the deli
or the bakery or whatever, and
then you walk your way around.
There's a couple of things that
you have to watch out for in the
perimeter of the grocery store.
However, one is.
Grocery per manufacturers
or grocery stores.
Grocery chains have learned that people
are saying, oh, I only shop the perimeter.
Like it's the healthiest place.
I don't go in the middle of the store.
So they, their job is to sell more stuff.
Their margins are very
thin, something like 3%.
And so the more they can
sell you, the better they do.
They have started doing
something called product creep.
So product creep is where, let's say
you walk into the produce section
and it's strawberry season, and all
of a sudden there's this new little
refrigerated case in the produce section
and it's got those little squishy spongy
things that are supposed to be angel
food cake and cans of whipped cream,
Cool
whip.
time for strawberry shortcake.
And the strawberries are
fragrant because they're fresh,
they haven't been held over.
You know, and then force ripened,
they are literally fresh and
they are the most fragrant.
They're gonna be all year
round and it just attracts you.
And you're like, oh yes,
strawberry berry shark cake, I'll
just buy some of this and this.
Or you get over to the, the vegetable
section and all of a sudden now there's
a whole case that has salad dressings in.
It didn't used to be there.
You know, so they, they put things from
or, yeah.
right, exactly.
So they
put things from other sections
of the grocery store into.
The perimeter to try to convince
you to buy more products.
And then the other thing that we need
to keep in mind is, yes, there are
more whole foods in the perimeter, but
you still have to know the quality of
what you are getting Is your dairy free
of added hormones and antibiotics and
other things like that for your produce?
Are you aware of the dirty dozen, those
12 fruits and vegetables that are most
likely to be contaminated by pesticides?
You really need to buy those organic.
If you know, so just being aware of
what's in each of the different sections
and how to make the best choice for you.
I love that.
I, I love the, and yeah, it's not like,
oh, but it was on the outside, so I'm
sure this whipped cream is good for me.
Like there is, and that's the thing.
It's just like being your own advocate.
You know, with your
healthcare, it's the same.
It is on us to do a little
bit of our homework.
We have to, we have to, you know, take
responsibility for what we're buying
and what we're putting in our mouth.
And I would also encourage anybody
who's listening to this, please don't
feel that you have to like, throw
out everything that's in your pantry.
Go to the grocery store, spend seven
hours there, like carefully micromanage
your grocery shop and then come home.
Cuz that's exhausting.
And, and I don't know anybody
who could stick to that.
The goal is, I.
One thing that's important to you.
So if your family consumes a lot of
dairy products, then look at how do
we make the healthiest dairy choices
that we can if your family is going.
Away from all of the ready,
carby, starchy things.
Finding those better options for you.
Learning about the dirty doesn't like pick
one thing and master that before you go on
to another section of the grocery store.
Cuz if you try to do it all
at once, it's not sustainable.
But if you make those baby steps,
every single thing that you do
eventually down the road when you
look back becomes a lot of things.
I love that.
Yeah.
And I like the, that advice of,
there's so many things that you've
said that mirror the way I live and
work with my clients around toxins.
Same thing, right?
To me, no, we can't avoid toxins.
We can't live in a bubble.
And if we did, what
would it be made out of?
Um, you know, but I want
my home to be my haven.
That is where.
I, I am as close to perfect as you can
be because this is where I spend all my
time, and then I have that resilience
to take the hits in the outside world.
Right.
And you're saying that it's the
same thing with, and so I'm always
looking for bang for the buck.
Like, I love, uh, when people are looking
at cleaning products, I love starting with
detergent because it touches everything.
You're sleeping on your sheets,
you're wearing your clothes, you're
drying off, you
know,
drying off with a
Yeah, and that's essentially, it's that
same idea and I, I wouldn't say throw out
everything in your home and go spend, you
know, $2,000 with, on all clean stuff.
No, it's a process
and, and like you said, every,
every step really does have
more and more lasting impact.
And so I'd love that.
That's your same approach
with, with the food.
Like at home you're really careful.
Let's not make yourself crazy,
you know, somewhere else.
And if we try to, you know, change it
all up at once, we're gonna do it for
like a week and we're going to hate
life and we're never going do it again.
We're
you have to do what works for you,
because what works for one person isn't
necessarily the answer for someone else.
And
that's, I think, part of where
people get so overwhelmed because
there's so much that you can address
and trying to figure out where to
start, what's the best thing for you.
Yeah.
And, and that's where you really,
again, you step into that self-advocacy
role where you really step up
and you think, what do I need?
How do I take care of myself?
And then from there, it's kind of
like, you know the other analogy
that I like for this, when when you
travel on the airplane, everybody's
heard this talk a million times.
Nobody listens anymore, but put your own
mask on first and then somebody else's.
Well, it's the same thing when
it comes to health and wellbeing
and how you nourish your family.
Take care of yourself first, get
yourself strong, and then from
there, be able to make decisions
that then can support those you love.
Well, and you know, and I know because we
lived it, that, that when you don't, you
can't take care of everybody else anyway.
So, um, you become a better mother, wife,
partner, friend, daughter, whatever.
Um, fill in the blank.
When you take care of yourself
first and your teeth teaching your
children by example to do the same.
Mm-hmm.
Absolutely.
which is is amazing.
Know, um, I, we joke cuz I, my oldest
who has celiac and when he was sick,
he did outgrow his, his GI symptoms.
Um, probably at around age four.
I.
And so then it really didn't
seem like celiac at all.
And, but he, you know, right before middle
school, toward the end of elementary
school, started being homesick a lot.
Um, and again, no GI symptoms.
What did I do?
I did what my mother did.
I gave him saltines.
I gave him, you know, I gave,
it's like the running joke in
our head, you know, you felt me.
Holy crap.
You were trying to kill me.
You know, like, no, I did what?
And so we're, we're changing the cycle
when you start bringing in the real
food and teaching kids to read labels.
And it just becomes that, that's
they're not having to relearn
everything, you know, decades later.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Uh, so such gold.
I love it.
That's amazing.
And I, I'm assuming I know the
answer to this, but obviously.
My audience is autoimmune
or touched by autoimmune.
Your life has been, as has mine,
but what about the people that,
well, how do you get buy-in from
the people that think they feel?
Well?
I love that you asked that because that
is, you know, so my, my area of focus
is gut health and chemical cleanup.
And frequently, you know, I have someone
who's come to see me because they're
having issues or they've been referred
to me by somebody else, and the rest
of their family is like, oh, you're
gonna take away the food that I love.
Oh, you know, whatever.
Because some of these foods too, are.
So addictive.
There's
They are.
much, salt, hyper palatable, and we
really do become addicted to them.
Well, they're literally designed in
a lab for us to become addicted to
yes, they, they are.
And so that's where I.
You know, I feel having
backup is always a good idea.
Mm-hmm.
And my book, the pantry principle has
the backup because there's all the
research, all the studies, all the
information, and I encourage them to
start sharing that with their family.
And, you know, I, I love it when someone
says to me, Oh, you know, my husband
really resisted for the longest time.
The other day we went to the store, we
were looking for something, it had kean in
it, and he put it back and I'm like, yay
Yes.
Yeah.
Time and at, at a certain point, you
have to sometimes say to your family,
this is what I need to do to get
healthy, so I'm gonna ask you guys
to support me and be on this journey
with me so that I can be healthy.
But then along the way, you
also find teachable moments
or ways to share information.
My husband will say that I overshare, but
Oh, I, yeah, you and me both sister.
But you know, to just find ways
to help them understand because
one, it is hyper palatable.
Two, we're frequently changing
years of eating experience,
Yes.
and that doesn't change overnight.
Right.
Yeah.
But have you ever, I literally don't
think I've ever, no matter what the
resistance was in the beginning,
you know, uh, partners, family,
spouses, everybody does end up really
becoming very fond of real food.
Yes.
said, it's a process and it takes
time, but I've never had anybody,
like there's, I've never had somebody
have a holdout in their family.
Yeah.
just, it really does eventually trickle
down, at least within the household.
Right within, within the household?
Yes.
And, and there may be extended family
members who will accommodate you
when you're around kind of thing,
Right.
go back to what they're
doing when you're not around.
And that's fine.
That's their choice.
But at, at the very top of that chain
is the, this is what I need to do.
I mean, I have.
Sometimes if I'm going to be someplace
for an extended period of time, I have
offered to go grocery shopping for them so
that I can choose the things that I want.
Uh, you know, but it, it's really just
about doing the best you can and like
you said, in your home environment,
making that what serves you best.
I love that.
A and where you need to, I told you
before we hit record, I'm in about
an hour leaving for the airport and
I'll be with family, um, for the
weekend and um, I am bringing food.
I'm bringing food in my suitcase,
you know, not just in my
carry-on, but because then they
don't have to worry about it.
And I can say, you know, and
then there's no poor meal.
I can't eat the, no, I have
my clean protein in my bag.
I, you know, I, I have the
things that I know will keep
me feeling well and healthy.
And so, you know, that's a di not
everybody needs to go to that length.
Um, I'm going to, you know, Come
back home and get right back to work.
And I wanna feel, well,
I, that's my priority.
Um, and then there's no,
I'm not gonna shame anybody.
People always think I'm
judging, you must get this too.
I'm judging what they're eating.
No, I'm not.
I
don't
care.
I, I got to a point where, you know, I.
I would sometimes go out with friends
and we'd be at a restaurant and
everybody would just sort of be looking
yeah.
you know, and I'm, what
are you guys waiting for?
They're like, we wanna see
what you're gonna order.
I'm like, please order what you want.
And it finally got to a point
where I was like, you know what?
Unless you're paying me, I don't
really care what you're eating.
Right,
right.
if you are paying me, there
is no judgment because you are
learning how to eat differently.
Like please don't choose based on what
I do, because the other thing is what
I do may not be a good fit for you.
What
Exactly.
sensitive to nightshades and I
happen to love them and I'm ordering
a, you know, an eggplant cap.
Like, sorry,
Right.
Yeah.
No, it's so true.
So I'm so glad.
I'm so glad.
I'm not alone.
We overshare and we don't care what
you're doing unless you want help.
That's different.
That's
very
and and the other thing is those
people who do choose to work with
practitioners like us, are here
because unfortunately, the rest of the
medical system has underserved you.
You're here because you
want to make a change.
You just need a guide.
You need someone to support you while you
do this, to help you learn how to navigate
this often confusing and overwhelming.
Yeah.
And to keep you from trying
to do all of it at once.
At once.
Right?
We were just talking about
cuz it's not gonna work.
Right.
I find sometimes I, you know, I'm
like, wow, the basis of my job is
like reeling people in, you know,
educate and then reel them in and
let's slow this path down a little bit.
Right.
And, and even more than that is also
remembering, getting people to remember to
congratulate themselves for what they've
accomplished.
Because I find also often, you know,
um, you get to a certain point with
a client and they're like, oh, I
can't believe this is taking so long.
It's like, wait, let's stop.
Let's review.
Where
have we.
Come from like, what have we done?
Look at all these things that
you accomplished and look at how
much better you are feeling now
yeah.
because of that.
And they all of a sudden their
eyes kind of brighten up a little
bit and they smile And it, because
we are so forward focused in our
culture, it's
like once we've accomplished something
that's been there, done that,
I on the target, you know, like, yeah.
And it is, it's a long road
and it's a lot of little wins
and milestones along the way.
Yes.
We have to remember to look
back and see where we've
been.
Love that.
That's, that is, that is the
other really big part of our job.
So you've already given us so
many things people can just,
you know, take and run with.
But that's just the way
I design the podcast.
I always put my guest on the
spot at the end and ask for that.
One step listeners can take today.
So it could be something you
already gave us or could be
something totally outta left field.
You know, I really feel the one
best thing that you can do is make
a habit of reading the label of
anything you put in your pantry.
So when you buy it, look at that label.
Even if you are not ready to make changes
based on what is going into the pantry
right now, to get into the habit of
reading that label so that as you learn
more, you can begin to spot things and go,
oh wait, that has polysorbate 80 in it.
I really don't wanna eat that anymore.
Or, oh, this has monosodium
glutamate, you know, or a, a.
Form of it, and I don't
want to eat that anymore.
But if you get in the habit of reading
the label, then that makes it that
much easier to make those changes
once you're ready to make that shift.
I love that.
And that is, it's the
essential first step.
It, it's, you know, because you,
you are not gonna know until
you start reading the labels.
Um, but I love that, that you highlighted,
you're not saying, you know, don't bring
any of these things into your house.
Just start to learn, create that habit
of reading the labels, the ingredients.
the ingredient panel on the label.
Yes.
Ah, I love it.
Thank you.
Thank you so, so much.
You and I could talk
for hours and hours and
hours
This is great.
best practices.
Um, but I love it because you know
much like probably your husband
would agree, not, not everybody
wants to hear the same person share
and share and share and share.
Um, and so I, I just love that
you, you gave us so many tips
and tricks today and really just.
Incredible advice for not trying to
go overboard and sabotaging ourselves.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Mi, thank you so much for joining us.
Oh, before we go, I, I almost ran myself.
For those that listen on the go,
we're gonna have links and things, but
where's the best place to find you if
they're not gonna pull up show notes.
Sure the, so the best place to find me
is the ingredient guru.com, and you know,
that has, My, my blog links to social, I
mean, I am on Instagram and YouTube and
all of that as the ingredient guru, but
if you start with the website, you'll
pretty much get to everything else.
I love that.
That's keep it.
Keep it simple.
Keep it easy.
Thank you again for joining us today.
Thank you so much for having me on.
It was super fun to talk with you.
My pleasure.
For everyone listening, remember, you
can get those show notes and transcripts
by visiting inspiredliving.show.
I hope you enjoyed this
episode as much as I did.
I'll see you next week.
