The Power of Serena Sabala - Emotional ties to food, WHY you eat what you eat!

Hello and welcome to The Power of Healing, your energy show. This is a show that is all about your unconditional love, your light, your intuition, your soul's purpose. Depression and anxiety are a side effect of not living your life intuitively, not trusting your gut, the lost connections with your higher self and others. So let's Go higher and feel deeper. Hello and welcome to The Power of Healing Your Energy Show. My name is Christine J Gold. I am your medium, your intuitive energy coach, and old soul healer, and this is episode Episode 39, and we have a beautiful guest, Serena Sabala, and she is talking about emotional ties to food. And this is so important right now with all the stuff I've been seeing online, why you eat what you eat. And Serena is a wellness coach, certified yoga teacher, plant-based nutrition consultant. She studied the subject of nutrition for over 10 years. She has a unique holistic approach to health and wellness, and she's going to talk a little bit about her childhood experiences, you know, about her father, his success in business, but unfortunately translated into illness as well. And she's very passionate about what she does. She also has a book out on Amazon called Make The Shift, and she is coming to us from England. Yes, I'm just gonna— there we go, I gotcha. Well, welcome to the show. I'm in Canada, I'm in Edmonton, Alberta, and you're— where are you in England?

We're in London.

London, wonderful. Thank you so much for joining me. I do appreciate it. And like I had mentioned before the show, Christine J Gold, before we started that, you know, this topic is, you know, months ago. Yeah, we thought it was important. But now, oh my goodness, it's fundamental. So maybe, did you want to maybe talk about how you got into the wellness and plant-based business? I know it has ties to with your dad, but I'd like you to tell the story more so than myself.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, first of all, thank you for having me. And I, I, myself and my husband co-founded Whole Shift Wellness. We have over 20 years of combined experience in various fields of the health and wellness industry, and this has allowed us to develop a proven methodology to shift you to your most fit, healthy, and confident self within 1 year. Now, the seed for this passion of mine for health and wellness was planted at a very young age. Uh, when I was only 8 years old, my father, who was an incredible entrepreneur and business owner and developed a business that didn't even exist before his time and scaled it up to millions of euros, he sadly got sick and ended up losing everything he'd worked so hard for. His entire life with huge repercussions on my life as well as a child and the entire family. And I now realize that he simply didn't have the tools to take care of himself whilst also juggling the responsibility of a fast-growing business and many employees and family, a young family. And that's what made me at such a young age, so present with how fundamental health and wellness is. In our life, which is also very relevant to what the world is going through right now. Really, this realization that there is nothing more important than that, and that if that gets wobbly, the repercussions are profound and they end up affecting not only our life but the life of everybody around us as well. And so that's That's how my passion for the subject started. Now, with food in particular and nutrition, um, food was, you could say, my drug of choice. It was my coping mechanism with these intense circumstances that I was living under with my dad being sick for so many years. And so I Through my own challenges that I faced in healing my relationship with food and nutrition and learning how to take the best possible care of my body and learning how to eat in a way that is truly nourishing, but that also allows me to look and feel my best.

Yes.

I, I developed, uh, incredible skills. So what makes approach and my approach to nutrition unique is that I do not only focus on what you should be eating and what you shouldn't be eating and what food is on your plate, but also most importantly, above all else, on why you eat the way you eat. And what, what we like to call the psychology of eating. What are the emotions that drive your eating habits and how can you create healthier habits at the root level rather than simply telling you what you should be eating and what you shouldn't be eating.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And especially now that we're in close quarters with one another, are you getting, are you finding clients are reaching out more than they have in the past?

Yeah. This is a very, very poignant time for us. And I feel so grateful to have the skills and tools and methodology necessary for many people to cope with these unusual circumstances. And I Absolutely the hottest topic that we are empowering individuals with at the moment revolves around emotional leading to some extent or another. You know, it's got many faces. It kind of manifests itself in very many different ways for each of us, but everybody we have spoken with and we are speaking with at the moment is having some difficulties in one way or another navigating these unusual circumstances.

And emotional ties, what would you say is the biggest factor right now for people? Is it boredom? Is it, are they feeling sad? Are they depressed? What seems to be the biggest trigger, I guess?

Actually, what I'm finding is that it's fear. Right now there is a lot of negative news that reaches us from very different media outlets very many times a day, like more than once a day. And for many people, it's every hour they're getting some piece of information that is triggering fear. And with fear comes a neurological response, which is completely automated, which is the fight or flight response. Because your mind doesn't know any difference between an actual threat like a tiger that you're trying to run away from, or, or a hypothetical threat, such as what's going to happen in 2 months? Am I going to get sick? You know, is this virus going to kill somebody that I know? Your mind doesn't know any difference and it's going to trigger the same reactions. It's going to, it's going to go into fight or flight, whether you're actually facing a life or death threat, or if you're not quite in that level of danger. And with the fight or flight come a number of automated reactions, which are greater than anything we can control. But what people don't realize is that the fight or flight is a really expensive state energetically and emotionally. And with that expense, the first thing the body asks for is more energy in the easiest, quickest, most available form possible, which is generally high-processed snacks. Such as chocolate, crisps, you know, sugar. And so there is a biological reason why people are battling with cravings right now more than ever is because actually fundamentally the body is doing what it's supposed to be doing. Uh, but it's, it's unnatural because it's literally all the time and it's not an actual immediate threat most of the time.

That's so true. So how do you work with clients now? I mean, I've heard some scenarios, just don't bring it into the home and then you don't eat it. But do you feel that you're still avoiding something by not having it in the house? Or what are you doing with clients? Are you like telling them to go through all of their cupboards, the fridge, step by step? Or how are you walking them through this?

So you've got, there are two different routes that need to be explored. It's like two parallel roads that you need to kind of go on at the same time. It is absolutely advisable to set your environment up for success. And I'm going to use a metaphor that it's a little bit strong and powerful, but really drives the message home. First of all, I want to clarify that highly processed kind of junky type food, which is the one that we tend to crave. We never really have an impossible to resist urge to eat an apple. We tend to want like chocolate or something really rich and really, really sad that really stimulates the dopamine centers in a very powerful way.

Yes.

And most of those foods are not manufactured with the, with the goal of you eating them in moderation. They're actually specifically designed in a laboratory in order to trigger and stimulate your dopamine centers so that you actually are going to find it impossible to eat them in moderation.

Mm-hmm.

In fact, it is a known fact that they stimulate the brain in the same ways that drugs do.

It's—

they actually create those same reactions. Right. And so if I'm using the drug analogy, which I know is strong and I hope it doesn't offend anybody, but it really, it really brings home this message. Much as you want to set up your environment for success, such as you, you wouldn't, if you were trying to quit a drug, you wouldn't like litter your home in it and kind of live with people that use it and abuse it and have it in front of your face all the time. That definitely is an important step. Step. But at the same time, it's just as important to do a little bit of a different nature of work, which is to dig a little bit deeper. Uh, why are these cravings coming up, these urges coming up? Why do you want this substance in the first place? What are the emotions that get triggered? And what are the triggers which trigger this emotional response? And how you can create better ways to cope with these triggers. So that eventually you get to the point that it doesn't matter if the substance or the product or the food is in front of you. You're not even going to feel inclined to eat it. But that's a little bit of a longer journey. So in the meantime, it's also important to, as much as possible, set yourself up for success.

Yes, definitely. I mean, and is it's, you know, some food has been linked to, you know, other drugs as well, like the same feeling from eating certain things. And then also, isn't there an element of maybe you need to have your blood work done to check your, like, are you deficient in maybe a vitamin or something in the body? Does that factor in as well?

Yeah, deficiencies can trigger cravings and binges for sure. You can get your blood work done. I think if you transform your diet and shift towards eating as much as possible of the foods that naturally contain as many nutrients as possible, um, and that, and which interestingly are the kind of foods that are generally speaking most less calorie-dense. So they generally are actually— the more nutrients a food contains, generally speaking, the less calories it contains. The stuff that we need to worry about is the highly processed stuff which packs in a lot of calories and contains virtually no nutrients.

Yes.

So as long as you look at your nutrition and do the right kind of work and shift towards eating the more nutrient-dense foods that you possibly can, you will naturally decrease the amount of calories that you're taking in and you'll be less liable to struggle with possible deficiencies. But if you are, and so that's the, that's the really important work. I think you should only worry about getting your blood work done if you know that you're doing your very best and eating the most nutritious diet. Possible. And, and you're still experiencing cravings and you still feel like something is missing.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's important. So what I guess, what's the number one thing someone can do to, I don't know, like bring in something healthy? What's your go-to or your suggestion?

So I think the single most impactful thing which I see in my practice so often is actually dehydration, is not drinking enough water.

Yes.

And lack of water, lack of hydration. Exactly. Cheers to that. Lack of hydration manifests itself as cravings and sometimes even as food craving because the body is asking for something. And maybe you don't, you don't understand exactly the message that it's sending you, or it's not quite sending you the message in a very obvious way. And you interpret that as needing food when actually what you really need is loads more water than you're taking in.

Yeah, no, that makes sense. I hear that quite a bit. And many times you're, you're dehydrated. It's not hunger, it's, it's dehydration. And or you're so starved that you could eat everything or the first thing that you find, which is usually not the most healthy. But they say to have a glass of water first and then just wait and then go for the food. Yeah.

That's a good tip. So everybody should be drinking at least half their body weight in ounces of water. That's a rough ballpark. Then obviously our level of activity will dictate whether we need extra. I generally, I generally practice a lot of hot yoga and sweat a lot. So I know that I need way more than that, but that's the minimum viable. And then the other thing that I would highly recommend is, is rather than focusing as much on the stuff that you shouldn't be eating and really obsessing over the things that you shouldn't be eating, I always encourage our shifters to focus on the foods that they can double up in and they can really kind of increase the amount of nutrient-dense foods foods in your diets and do what I call crowding out, it will happen organically. If you increase the amount of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes that you consume, you will find yourself feeling fuller, more satisfied, more nourished. And so that will kind of curb your cravings and binges kind of organically.

Yes, organically, definitely. I just want to say hi to everyone who's watching. Please let us know if you're a first-timer. On the show or if you're on the replay, please, you know, let us know where you're from. And if you have questions, we will get back to you even on the replay, guys. And Kirath from South Africa, thank you so much for joining me. It's nice to see you again. And if you have any suggestions on, you know, what are your healthy go-to snacks, or maybe you're struggling with, you know, something maybe you're eating too much of, you need some help, do you have any questions, Serena is here to help you. And you work with your husband Eugene as well, so you run Whole Shift Wellness. How did that get started?

So we are both certified Bikram yoga teachers, so that's how we met. We met through teaching yoga. And I'm a certified plant-based nutrition consultant and Eugene is a certified fitness trainer and therapeutic masseuse.

Oh, wow.

So we found ourselves with this, with all these modalities in our hats that we've, we really have had tons of experience in and really know are so powerful in transforming the health and well-being of these individuals. And, and we thoroughly believe that really the only way to achieve permanent transformation rather than just change at the superficial level is to do a holistic work that looks at you from a 360 perspective and that empowers you to strengthen what we have come to identify as the 3 pillars of wellbeing. And only when you do this kind of work can you really create an environment that allows you to, to transform things at the root level and to embed new habits that become yours and that become second nature to you. Will you be able to achieve transformation rather than just temporary change? Like any diet can help you lose weight, but are you going to retain that weight loss? Are you going to own it? Is it going to become you are.

Yeah, no, I love the whole 360 approach. That's what this show is about— mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and hitting it all. Um, and that's funny you say mind, body, spirit, because it is episode 39. So I like to work with numbers. I make my clients know that. So that works itself down to 3, and 3 is the Trinity— the mind, body, spirit. I mean, you couldn't have we couldn't have planned this better if we tried.

Absolutely. It's interesting because our methodology revolves around the three pillars of wellbeing, which are focus, food, and fitness, and creating really a structure and a process that allows individuals to strengthen their focus, which is anything and everything to do with your mindset, with your mind, with your, with how you think and your, your thinking habits. And then food, which is obviously nutrition fundamental, and then finally fitness. And only once you tackle all three in a very systematic and coherent way are you able to spark profound transformation, we find.

Definitely. And, and it bears repeating as well. It becomes part of your life. It becomes a very good habit. You don't just say, oh, I'll try that for, for today and see what happens. Which I don't know, maybe you have clients that have that mindset at the beginning that maybe it's just too much. Does any of that make sense?

Of course, of course. And it's, to be honest, it's a bit of a pandemic in our industry. The kind of the short-term fix is really a thing that is, we are bombarded with all the time. The 21-day detox plan, like the lose 2 stones in 2 weeks, or like keto.

I mean, I'm not knocking it, but Nice.

It's probably worthy of a few knocks.

I don't see it as a, as a whole approach. I just see it again as a fad. But yeah, and I, and I mean, there's been enough studies done on that in regards to the heart, like all that fat taking in, all that.

It's definitely a dangerous one out of everything that's out there. It's probably the most dangerous one health-wise, especially the animal-based one. And now there's a plant-based version of it, which I myself tried because many people were asking me about it. So I wanted to have a firsthand experience around a plant-based ketogenic diet. And, and by all means, it's remarkably healthier than the animal counterpart because you're eating healthier kind of fats. You're avoiding saturated fat and cholesterol. But I still don't think it's a sustainable way of living because ketosis fundamentally, it's an emergency state. The body gets into ketosis as a way of coping with circumstances which are not ideal. It's, it's not its natural state. The natural state is for us to burn glucose as our primary fuel. And so I think that anything that resorts to, to that is, is not sustainable in the long run. And it is important to really do something that you, you could safely do for the rest of your life and be your healthiest self. Mm-hmm.

Definitely. So how does one set effective wellness goals that people can stick to? What do you recommend?

Yeah, that's a great question. You know, I developed We've had the pleasure of doing this for over 20 years combined, over 5 countries, transforming the wellbeing of over 500 individuals. And we kept, we keep seeing the same mistakes reoccurring time and time again that transcend geography, gender, age, profession, you know? So we started kind of really identifying them and seeing all the commonalities, all the most common ones that people struggle with. And there are two which are the most common ones. The first one is, is that busy professionals and go-getters and people who do generally very well in life, they generally know when they're not fulfilling their potential in the space of health and wellness and not taking the best care of themselves. So they're present with it. They realize it, but because they view it as this massive mountain to climb, they actually never take one step in that direction because they feel overwhelmed. They see it as too big. And so they're like, no, I can't deal with it. I don't have the time. I don't have the space. I don't have the energy. So they wait for life to get easier in order for them to start doing things differently. The problem with that is, is that that never happens. Yeah. So you could be waiting for your whole life and you're never going to take the first step. Step. That's the most common mistake. Then the second most common mistake we see is, is that once, for whatever reason, they master the motivation, they go, they, they enter that kind of New Year resolution mindset.

Yeah.

Which is of going all in too far, too deep, changing too many things at once and creating a plan that is not sustainable because it's too extremely different from where they're coming from. Because they are hoping that that will speed up the process, but it becomes so painful and unsustainable that they end up giving up in like 2 or 3 weeks because it's just too much. Yet they're trying to take a step that is way longer than their, than their legs. And so they can't, they can't do it.

So baby steps then.

It's important. It's important to have big goals, Yes. It's really important, but it's important to chunk them down into small, manageable, realistic things that you can start implementing right now without feeling too overwhelmed. Yes. And that won't slow down the process. It will actually allow you to get to the end destination. Whereas thinking that you're going about it the quick way is generally the least effective way. It won't get you there.

Definitely. And I, you know, myself, I usually eat, it depends, 4 to 6 small meals. I'm eating every couple hours because when you're, you know, using a lot of energy, whatever you're doing, you have to sustain. Otherwise, if you skip meals, that's where, at least for me, I fall into the trap of I eat whatever I see.

100%. And it's good that you're present with it. I mean, everybody kind of works slightly differently. Some people prefer to just have 3 larger meals and then a long break in between. Whereas some people, many people like you, like you prefer, because they don't like to get themselves to the point of being starved because they know that that triggers unhealthy behaviors. So as long as you realize what is the best pattern for you and you honor it rather than trying to mimic what somebody else is doing or what this guru, that guru is saying is the best thing for for you. Because now intermittent fasting is, is very popular, for an instance.

Yeah.

And, and fasting in general is very popular, and I'm not knocking it. There are huge health benefits to it, and I've, I've done all kinds, and, and I, I know that it can be very, very good for you. But we are all different, and we need to honor our own unique predisposition. And so if fasting actually ends up triggering unhealthy patterns, then it is not— no matter what they say, no matter who, what degree the doctor has who's promoting intermittent fasting, if it's not good for you, it's not good for you. That's why it's important with Nutrition Above All Else to have a bespoke approach and really honor your unique predispositions and tendencies and preferences.

Yeah, and everybody is different. I mean, you could take a piece of this and a piece of that and kind of make it how you want, just like a meal. Not everybody likes, let's say, turmeric, for example. I love it. Some people don't. Or curry, or you just, you go to what feels good. And Stephanie is just, she's talking about a 21-day fix portion, 5 to 6 small meals a day, healthy balance, fruits, veggies, fats, proteins, cleaner foods. And she's been very successful eating this way for 5 years and it's sustainable. And that's what works for her. That's great.

And that's brilliant. And that's brilliant. And when you find what works for you, don't be afraid of it and don't get distracted and don't get sidetracked or tempted. Really honor it and stick with it and stay true to it. And, you know, I'd never make anybody wrong. That's why I tried the plant-based keto thing myself, for instance, is because I wanted— because there are people who find some benefits in eating the ketogenic way. And I was very curious as to whether it was possible to do it in a healthier way, because I want to respect the fact that many people out there do struggle with carbohydrates sugars. And those are trigger foods for them. They trigger certain reactions that don't allow them to feel their very best. And so in trying the plant-based keto, I was able to identify that there is a healthier way of sustaining ketosis that doesn't put you at arm's length like the animal-based one. Then I left still feeling that it wasn't a long-term sustainable solution for me. And I, probably wouldn't recommend it to most, but if you are on a keto diet and if you feel that the keto diet is, and the ketosis is the best thing for you, then I would highly, highly recommend you to try the plant-based version. Cause at least you're not taking in cholesterol and cancer-promoting foods.

Yeah, that's important. Especially if it's not, you know, clean grass-fed, all that, you know, organic, where did it come from, how are you cooking it? I mean, there's so many questions, right? So the cleaner, the better. And you can get a ton of protein from other foods, fruits, vegetables, legumes. And, and Kiraf is just asking if he can skip meals, but he prefers water instead. Is that normal?

I'm not sure I understand. So he prefers water instead instead of eating food. So, so, um, any fast highly recommends still drinking tons of water unless you're doing it for religious purposes, which is a completely different subject. But if you're doing it for health, wellness, and nutrition, you should absolutely drink tons of water, even more if you are skipping meals and choosing to try intermittent fasting. Because essentially you will be in ketosis from skipping meals. That's where really ketosis comes from. It comes from fasting. The body doesn't have enough glucose, so it starts using fat as a source of energy. And in the process of doing so, it releases certain toxins and certain substances that you want to flush out as much as possible. So Kirath, I would say if you, if intermittent fasting, if skipping the odd meal here and there works for you, for you, by all means do it. But yes, do not skip the water. Continue drinking as much as possible. That's not only normal, it's actually highly advisable.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, definitely. Because I, yeah, I've been finding since I've been home more and in close quarters that I usually only like— I was such a breakfast person, but now I'm like, I'll have my tea. I'll have a lot of water. I might have a little bit of fruit. And definitely, you know, I'll throw flaxseed and hemp and all that in there with a little bit of coconut culture. And that's it. I kind of save, I feel like I am kind of doing it in a way, like I'm saving it more for lunch and for dinner. So does that happen now? Are people doing that more? They're maybe eating less or do you think they're eating more?

Well, they're definitely eating different. Sadly, most people are eating more. Because it's interesting with lack of mobility and lack of exercise, because most people, for whatever reason, they're finding it harder to also stick to their fitness routines because obviously the gyms is closed and it's not as easy to motivate yourself to work out at home. I mean, I'm used to doing it that way. And so I, for me, nothing has changed. If anything, now we are streaming a lot of online classes. So I'm doing even more from home than I generally do. But I recognize that in many instances, people— for the average person, their fitness routine is quite disrupted. And, and when you move less, interestingly, you tend to eat more, which is counterintuitive because your body is burning less calories. But exercise is known to regulate your hunger hormones so that if you do exercise regularly, you actually find yourself being more on track with your eating as well. And so it's beautiful that you've managed to kind of cut down on your breakfast calories just organically. And that's probably because you're less hungry because you may be commuting less and moving about less.

Yes.

But sadly, it is not the usual circumstance for most. I, from my conversations with our shifters, many people are actually finding that for whatever reason they feel more hungry and it's not just emotional, it's actually genuine physical hunger. And I know that that's because they're exercising less.

Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, I, I have a routine every morning, and it's either yoga or Pilates or qigong. That's part of my practice, but among other things. But I, I'm getting outside every day too. Like, I go for a walk every single day. I feel, you know, you need that vitamin D, you need to move, you need to sweat. I mean, that's important. It also raises your serotonin levels, your endorphins, all that good stuff, like the good hormones.

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

Um, so, um, I guess when it comes to exercise, what, what are you recommending? I, I mean, there's a lot of stuff online.

There is. So it's important to be safe That's of utmost importance. I would, I'm not a huge fan of working yourself to the ground to the point where, you know, you've killed yourself. Um, cause I also like to be, to feel present in my body as I exercise. So, uh, I would say that if you were, if you were only able to do one thing and one thing only right now, I would highly recommend I recommend a practice such as yoga or even Pilates, but something that not only works the body and allows you to move your body, but it also allows you to work with the breath, which is fundamental, and maintain a level of mindfulness and presence as you go through the practice, because that will help you clear the mind and detoxify the mind from negative thoughts. And it's a little bit like a moving meditation. So you're getting, you're getting double the value. You're not just working on a physical level. You're also working on a mental and possibly also a spiritual level. But then with that said, my recommendation around fitness is, is the best workout is the one that you enjoy the most, because that's the one that you're most likely to do regularly. Because with exercise, The key is continuity and consistency of effort. And people tend to, some people tend to go to the gym once a week and kill themselves.

Yeah. I used to do that.

Absolutely. And I was a runner and I used to run a lot and I used to think that I could pack in these extra long runs that I would burn all the extra calories. Cause I was only thinking in terms of that when actually 20 minutes a day is better than 2 hours once absolutely.

Wow. Yeah, absolutely.

I—

that's why I try and move every day. And being on the computer, I don't know about you because you're talking about online, where I feel like, you know, I'm doing 8 hours on my computer every day. But every hour I get up, I go up and down the stairs in my house, I run around, I do squats, I do lunges. I'm just— because I don't like sitting, I find it really hard, or even just standing in one place. Place. But, uh, that, that's just some of the stuff that I do because I know that's what works for me.

100%. 100%. Fundamental. So whatever it is that you like to do— and in fact, we have a Facebook group where we're streaming classes right now because we are so present with the fact that not— nobody can access gyms or studios, etc. So we put out a full schedule every week. And one of the most popular things we do every Saturday afternoon, we do a cardio dance off.

Oh, fun.

Just put up a playlist with all our favorite tunes and we just literally, me and my husband, we just dance as if nobody was watching, even though there's like 200 people connected on Facebook.

I love that.

It's become this hugely popular appointment because it's, it's such a fun way, but it's also such an amazing workout. You know, it literally, we finished that dance-off and we We literally have to catch our breath. And, but it doesn't feel like a workout. It's fun and it's lighthearted and it's joyous and it releases all the right hormones and feel-good hormones in the body. So it's whatever, whatever it is that makes you feel happiest is the way that you should move your body every day.

Absolutely. And I think this time we're finding that out more and more, what we love to do or what we don't like to do, what we like to eat, what we don't like to eat. Lynn is saying hello, she's joining us. Hi Lynn, hope all is well in Manitoba. All right, let me know if you guys have any questions about, you know, eating, starting to eat healthy. What I guess I'm gonna ask, just because I think there's someone out there that's asking, what is plant-based eating?

Plant-based, that's a great question actually, because Plant-based and vegan tend to always get a little confused, and many people don't quite understand what the difference is between eating plant-based and eating vegan. And so eating vegan means eating any products that don't contain animal products, you know, so you're simply avoiding animal products. You're eating anything that doesn't contain animal products. Now, in this day and age, and I have no complaints over it because I like to occasionally indulge in those, but there's quite a bit of vegan junk food out there. So eating a vegan diet doesn't necessarily mean eating a healthy diet. There's also some randomly vegan mainstream products like Pringles Originals so happen to be vegan. And Oreo cookies so happen to be vegan.

Yeah.

And so, and so when you say vegan, you're not necessarily saying healthy. Now don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against a vegan burger or a cookie or whatever on occasions, but that's still an occasional treat. If you're sustaining yourself off chips and Oreos, you're not going to feel like your best self yet. Whereas eating plant-based emphasizes the fact that not only are you avoiding animal products, but you're also centering your diet around whole unprocessed plant foods. So fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and you're getting at least 90% of your calories every day from unprocessed plant foods, as much as you possibly can. And that's an important distinction because that's actually the food that contains all those micronutrients that we were talking about that make you feel healthier and curb all those cravings.

Yeah, definitely. And Lynn is just— normally she doesn't have a chance to join us, but she is still able to work. And so she caught us on the fly. Thanks again for joining us, Lynn. We appreciate that. Yeah. So is there anything else you wanted to share? How can people reach you? I mean, you talked about your dance party and that's on Facebook. Are you guys doing stuff every day or?

Yeah, absolutely. So this, it's an amazing community that we are so honored to have been able to build. And we have a Facebook group called Make the Shift. So if you just go on our Facebook page, which is Whole Shift Wellness, you'll find it easily from the page. And we put out a full schedule every, every week and every day there is some activity, whether it's fitness-based, yoga-based, nutrition-based. We're even doing cooking classes and inspirational talks. And, and so that's if you're stuck at home feeling a little bit demotivated and needing like, you need a health and wellness related community that, that you can feel supported by. That's probably The best way to do it is to join our group and you'll get immediate free content every single day.

Well, that's, that's wonderful. I know I'm going to check it out.

Absolutely, please do join in. And then obviously we have a number of other resources on our website for anybody who at the moment has the time and the capacity and wants to investigate the subject of health and wellness a little bit more. We have developed a scorecard questionnaire, which again, is completely free, even though it was quite an investment for us to put together, but it allows you to score your level of development across the three pillars of wellbeing. And then you get a bespoke report with your score and some tips on how you can start making improvements right away. And it takes only 5 minutes. It's up on our website, wholeshiftwellness.com. And that's another great way to start becoming present with what are the areas with most room for improvement in the space of health and wellness for you.

Yeah, I'm going to go and take the test because I tell you what, I am a student of the universe and I'm always learning. So I'm sure there's something I can adjust or tweak. And there is no excuse now to not invest in your health. You have the time, even if you are working things are— look very different than how they did. What are we, 21 days in for us? 21 days ago. So start now and then 21 days from now, it's just part of who you are.

100%. And actually, I think that that is an underlying blessing under all the mayhem that is happening, which is undeniable. I'm not going to deny that this is a very traumatic time for many. But if you want to look at the silver lining, that might very well be one of them, is that you have more capacity, whether it's time capacity or whatever, to do things, to tackle things that you generally wouldn't find yourself being able to tackle. And why not make health and wellness the one? I mean, could it be any more important now more than ever?

Okay. Oh, Lynn has a good question. Definitely. She's asking about supplements.

Ah, that's a, that's a brilliant question. So, um, I am not one of those people who advocates that you can get 100% of all your dietary needs through just nutrition. And the reason why that is, is very simply that the food chain is sadly quite disrupted these days. So we are not living and eating the food that's coming naturally from very fertile soil because we're having, you know, the food chain is having to sustain such high demand that it's become industrialized. So even the best and highest quality foods is not really coming to you the way Mother Nature intended it, or it's traveling for long periods of time, so it loses some of the nutrition along the way. Um, so, but with that said, the distinction is important. The word supplement in and of itself means to supplement, you know, so to kind of fill in the gap. And I see very many individuals thinking of supplements as a substitute. So they think that they can eat whatever they want and then they take one multivitamin and they're fine. And that's not what supplements are designed for. You should aspire to get as much as possible of all the nutrients required from the food that you eat, because that's how Mother Nature designed it to happen. That's why we eat fruit that has a certain color or that comes in a certain season, because it contains the nutrients that we need. Once you do the best with food, food, if you still find yourself not feeling your best or experience some cravings, or if you experience some sort of difficulties, then you can investigate and add on what may be missing via a supplement. But it's important to, to realize that supplements do not substitute for healthy and nutritious foods. They— you are never going to get everything that you need from a pill. It doesn't work that way. It doesn't matter how high quality it is or how many of them you are getting.

True enough. Or even, um, some of those protein powders, I use them occasionally. I mean, they're plant-based for me, but it's not something I do every single day. It's just to kind of add in, oh, I'm feeling, you know, like having this shake or whatever, or a smoothie. Sure. Again, find what feels good, I guess, and go with that. So basically 95%, you should be eating like real food. Would that be okay? Awesome. Well, thank you so much for all of your wisdom and for you, for you coming on. I really appreciate it. And thanks everyone for joining and adjusting, you know, your, your time schedule because normally we're on at 4, but poor, poor Sarina would have been on at 11 o'clock at night. Gosh, I'm usually like an hour in sleep-wise by that time. And we never even discussed sleep. That's important as well.

Like possibly the most important thing of all, you know, cause it has such, in fact, it has a profound impact on your hunger levels. And so if you're constantly sleep deprived, you are never going to be able to eat healthy. Like literally you will not be able to do it because your hormones are out of whack and you lack energy. So the body's going to constantly ask for something. What it might really need is a nap or a good night's sleep. And you think it's actually food. But also, you know, it's tied in deeply with mental health and mental health is so fundamental. And let me tell you from firsthand experience, experience, because my dad's diagnosis was bipolar disorder. So my dad suffered from bipolar disorder. And, and so mental health is— once you, once you lose it, it is so hard to, to, to regain it, because the brain is such a delicate and intricate organ. So as much as possible, try and do preventative work in space and do not neglect your sleep and do not neglect your mental health. It is so hard to, to fix that if it gets broken that I highly discourage anybody from pushing it that far. It's so much easier to just do what you need to do up front to avoid getting there.

Absolutely. I, I struggled with mental health my whole life and now it's I'm helping others do the same because I know what it's like. And but once you— it's, it's hard to describe. That's why I do this show. Once you've healed your own energy, and that includes mind, body, spirit, you just need to maintain. It's just maintenance. Maintenance. That's what I call it. Just like with your vehicle maintenance.

And that's beautiful. And well done. Congratulations for overcoming such a big hurdle. Being in a place where you're able to now give to others because it's, it's, it's, it's powerful. And, and knowing, knowing what it's like not to have it, I'm sure you're, you're so much present with how important it is and empowering others.

Yeah, and Lynn's saying she can relate to that as well. So yeah, very important. So if you guys are struggling with your mental health or your well-being, please reach out to someone, you know. There's lots of resources available, including myself. I always throw it out there. I'm here no matter what. It doesn't matter. Reach out to— and there's lots of online resources and professionals that can help as well. And if you have any questions on the replay, please put them in below. If you're struggling with your nutrition, maybe emotional eating, your mental health, your, your physical health, spiritual health. I like to throw that in there. Just all of it. We're here for you. And thank you again for coming on, Serena. Do you have any events coming up, like a virtual event maybe, or are you guys just doing stuff every day?

Yeah, yes, on the, on the group, yes, we're definitely, we're definitely posting loads of events and it changes every week. So anybody that wants to stay in touch with us digitally right now, just Follow our handles on Facebook and Instagram, which is @wholeshiftwellness.

Yes.

And, and yeah, you can tune in for, for all the latest on there.

Wonderful. Well, stay safe, healthy as always. I'd love to have you on again, maybe in a different format, because I do teach, uh, 3 days a week online, so I might have to bring you on for that as well. It's a different community through Zoom. Yeah, that would be great. They could learn so much. But I want to wish you guys an amazing week, and please remember, healing begins where the ego ends. Take care, guys.