STOP Feeding Your Family THIS? The Hidden Dangers in Everyday Food

When God wants you to pivot and add something new in your life or go in a different direction, he will equip you. He will give you the resources. It doesn't matter if you feel ready or not. He just helps you step into it. Right. Well, welcome, Kristen, to the Fast of Faith podcast. I'm so excited for you to be here.

I am so excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Yes. You are an amazing woman. You have been with me for a long, long time. Right. You were my patient back in the OB GYN days, and so we've known each other a long time, and I just want to commend you for being such an amazing mom, because that was always your focus. You know, it was like, let me take care of my children. Your children have gone through some things I would love to talk about, but that ultimately led you to getting your health on track because you realized, like, wait a second, I got to be healthy for these kids, and we have to just have a healthy household overall. So I want to unpack all of that, because I know there's women listening who. They are just focused solely on their family, especially their kids, and they're really ignoring themselves. Is that what you did for a long time?

Yeah, I ignored myself, and my hormones were out of whack. My gut was an absolute mess. I was angry. I was that yelling mom. I just. I was exhausted and didn't know what to do. So, yeah, I just. I poured so much into them and just kept seeing myself go further and further downhill, and it was just so hard. And just, you know, I wanted the best for them, having them feel good. But, yeah, it was at the expense of my health and wasn't good for us all around. But at the time, I didn't realize what I was doing to my family.

Yeah, I would love to talk about gluten a little bit, because celiac disease is now just a normal, common word in your life. Right. Like, tell me what happened.

So back in 2016, I. You know, I was pregnant with my youngest, and my son was just experiencing belly pain to where we would end up in the er. He would come in at recess and say his belly hurt, and his teacher would say, he would lay down for, like, 30 minutes after lunch, and she finally came up to me and said, kristen, I think you really need to talk to the doctor. I'm not sure what's going on with him. And at the time, our pediatrician was great. She ordered all the tests, and we ended up having him get a scope. And sure enough, he was diagnosed with celiac. Then we had testing my son or my daughter, and my husband and I all got tested. And at the time, I, you know, I was clear. They were like, oh, you're fine. My husband, it was even like, maybe you should get the scope you purifying. And then our daughter, it was, nope, she also has celiac. And so it was just kind of like, boom. The gastroenterologist said, you need to eliminate gluten now, and when you walk out of this office, it has to be out of your life. And basically, that was his directions to us. So I left there 39 weeks pregnant, in tears that my children, my son was not going to, you know, be able to eat or Oreos, and he wasn't going to be able to have his Fruit Loops. I sat down in the Isle of Meyer crying because he looked up at me and said, am I ever going to be able to eat an Oreo when he was 5 years old? And I just. I cried. It was so funny to me, looking back, that I was crying over these foods that weren't doing anything for, you know, their body and nutrition. But at the time, it was what he knew and he liked, and it was, you know, taking that away. And the mom guilt started setting in because I was like, oh, no. The damage that was being done to their bodies, you know, over the years. So we went all in. It was overwhelming. And then, you know, I ended up having Haley in there, and, you know, all these transitions and changes just were overwhelming. But we ended up. We kept plugging along and, you know, I rid our house of gluten, and at the same time, though, I wasn't taking care of myself, and I went into my postpartum anxiety. It was so much learning, too, at the time that, you know, I wanted to keep putting my family first and getting my kids healthy. Yeah, it was just an unexpected journey for all of us. It took my husband two years to accept his diagnosis, and, you know, he just kept eating gluten and wasn't feeling great. And so now, you know, my kids, it's been eight and a half, almost nine years that our family's been gluten free. And my oldest children are like, I don't even remember, like, what McDonald's tastes like or Taco Bell, because, you know, those were the spots we would swing in and grab, you know, food. And they're like, we don't even remember going to. To eat there and what those foods even taste like because it's been so long and their bodies have just they know that eating, you know, protein and getting, you know, the right foods are really good for them. In a way, I'm, like, grateful that that happened so young because they started their journey so much younger than me and my husband, who were in our, you know, mid-30s when we started, and our damage was further along than theirs. So I'm glad that that process was started young for them so they could, you know, get on the right track. But, yeah, it was. It was definitely hard for a while.

Oh, my goodness. Well, I know there's women that can totally relate to this, because when your kid isn't okay, you just pour into your kid and you do all the research and you're like, how can I make them comfortable and enjoy their life again? And you're right. Like, those foods were destroying your children and making them so sick. But it felt like a loss because all of a sudden, that was going to change their life. It was going to change their ability to go to parties and eat lunch at school with the rest of the kids and do all those typical things. But you have figured out how to navigate it. But I think it's really important that we realize when we neglect ourselves during that time. Yeah, there's a bigger mess to clean up, and it's harder to shift things the older that we get. Right. So luckily, like, I feel like you're super young, you have youth on your side, but you're like, no, I was like, get, you know, getting a little bit older, and it really. I wasn't bouncing back as quickly. So let's talk about the fact that when you finally, like, what was your tipping point that helped you go, okay, now it's time to focus on me. There's like, I need to do this.

Yeah. I was experiencing severe upper right quadrant pain. I just remember I went probably almost a year of just really struggling. I would eat certain foods and it would just, like, instant pain. Or I would have, you know, a couple drinks out at dinner and then just would be throwing up in the middle of the night and just not feeling good. And I'm like, this is just not normal. I thought my gallbladder was giving out. I thought, you know, just something maybe with my liver. I just couldn't go on anymore. I felt paralyzed to it, like, you know, so scared, like, what am I going to eat that's going to trigger something? And it just hurt so bad that finally, you know, I went to my primary doctor and they did all the labs and I had a HIDA scan and a ct and they just they were like, everything looks great. And they were like, your labs are normal. And so you seriously, like, you feel like it's in your head. And I'm like, no, you had just moved into your functional medicine practice. And so I remember talking to Ashley and she's like, you need to schedule an appointment with Tabitha, like now. And yeah, I just. I remember walking in there and just sitting down with you and talking, and you were like, it sounds like leaky gut. And just, you know, we did all the testing and it was the best investment I did for myself was just putting my health first because, yeah, that's when I discovered my hormones were a mess and my, you know, my periods were out of control. My. A period of time when I was going through my postpartum anxiety where I was, you know, losing like £10 a week. But then, you know, I gained it all back because I was eating all the wrong things and using food to kind of cope with, like, my emotions and stress and, you know, and alcohol when I, you know, would come home from work after a stressful day and I would have wine or whatever, just not taking care of myself. And yeah, when we discovered all those things and I eliminated my food sensitivity activities and got on the right supplements and really healed my gut was when the changes, like, it was so incredible, the changes that were happening in me because I took that step to, like, put myself first. And, you know, my family had been on their healing journey. The labs were showing that my kids celiac levels were in range, and I was like, okay, it's. It's okay to like, work on me. Like, they're going to be fine, but mama needs to, like, you know, I can't be that yelling, angry mom who's just always exhausted and just like, snapping at my kids. And I want to be the wife that my husband wants to come home to. And, you know, I just. I wanted that also for my family, but for myself because I was just. It wears on you when you're just not happy and, you know, and you're hurting and you're, you know, your health is suffering and so you can't give your best. Right? Like, we all hear you can't pour from an empty cup. And I don't know where my pouring was coming from at that point. So, yeah, it was just incredible. And just the changes. Feeling good and losing that pain that I had felt for an entire year. And they were telling me I wasn't. Everything was okay and it was normal and than to just lose that, that, aha, like, wow, I. I needed this for.

Yeah, well, I have no doubt people listening are like, how did her pain go away? What was wrong with her? What happened? Well, I'll tell you. It was your gut, right? It was. You had some major dysbiosis. You had the wrong bacteria living in there. You were not absorbing your foods or digesting them or any of that. And you had leaky gut. And when we change the ecosystem that's living in us and running the show, all of a sudden, everything changes. And I think. I don't think most people realize that. What's living in your gut, in your stomach and your intestines and your colon? Those bacteria, those yeast, those parasites, they have free access to your liver, to your gallbladder, to your pancreas. They're all connected by little ducks, little highways, little tunnels. And so those bacteria get up in there and they ang our liver and our gallbladder, and they cause the gallbladder to cramp and contract or to be paralyzed. And so it just sits there, and it doesn't squeeze out the bile, and then we don't absorb our fats appropriately, and then the bile sits there and accumulates into stones, and then you get gallstones. And the saddest part is the conventional medicine, doctors, their answer is, we'll just remove the offending organ, take the gallbladder out, when, honestly, we just need to change the microbiome. We need to change what's living in there and get that gallbladder working, get those liver ducts cleared out and functioning and not being so congested. And so I'm proud of you for doing the root cause approach and not jumping on a quick fix, a band aid surgical approach, because now you still have your organs and everything's functioning well, and that's a big deal. Right? And it was all affecting your hormones, if I remember correctly. You had the wrong bacteria living in your gut. And so you were making excess beta glucuronidase, which causes you to reabsorb your estrogens and those types of things. But also, let's just talk a minute about the fact that you're a teacher. And every summer your period got better. After you healed your gut, your period would be good for the summer, and then you'd go back to teaching and it would shift. Tell me about that.

Well, yeah, as you know, you would always get the message from me that, oh, my word, my hormones must be a mess because my periods. I'm getting a period every two weeks, and I'm bleeding super heavy, and I was really good at tracking my period, so I could, you know, like pull up the calendar and say, oh yeah, or I would bleed for two weeks at a time and then, you know, I would have like a week off and then I would bleed again for two more weeks. And it just got to be so much where, you know, you're losing all of that blood now my iron's gonna be super low and just, you know, everything affected it. So. Yeah, just the stress. And for me it was like really having to change my mindset and try to really think like differently about going back to school and the environment and everything because, yeah, otherwise gonna just remain miserable. Right. And just every year it's gonna repeat the same cycle. So just kind of like managing my stress levels, giving it to God and letting him kind of lead. And it's just been this endless cycle for years that just. Yeah.

I think you are a great example of the profound impact stress has on our hormones. We just, we don't respect stress enough and we don't realize it because mentally we, we can handle it. Right. Like, you were great at your job, you could do your job, but your physiology was not happy with the fact that your cortisol and adrenaline were pumping all day long and you weren't getting time to have any downtime. You weren't eating in a nice calm environment, you weren't eating the same foods that you were in the summertime. You know, everything was shifting because your job was being put first. And I know women relate to that. Like, that was me in my old life. Was like, my job comes first. And so are there any specific things that you did that really shifted that? Did you just like start bringing your own food? Did you start making quiet time or were you able to set some boundaries or breath practice or what? How did you shift that?

A couple years ago I did switch school buildings, so it's closer to home where I'm at now. And so I was able to, to now leave and I'm able to come home because I only live three minutes away. And it was a longer lunch period because I actually get a 45 minute lunch, which, you know, sometimes you get like a quick, like, I'm gonna eat on the go or like, you know, you just grab a quick bite to eat. And now I. Every day, it may not always be the same time every day, but I leave and I turn off the, the building, anything that's happening at school, and I come home and I get to sit. And some days, you know, if I'm on one of my Longer fasts, I just sit and just relax and kind of turn off the noise or get into my Bible or listen to worship music. But really just stepping away really helped. And it's just amazing how just stepping away from the building in the middle of the day just can kind of reset and you come back and you're like, okay, I can get through the rest of this day. I even noticed I have a lot of co workers that will go for a walk. You know, they'll just leave on their lunch or their break and take a walk. And just seeing that, I'm like, okay, everybody needs to get away. It's not just me. And that was another thing, just knowing that, okay, it's not just me, it's all of us are feeling this. So it's okay to, to just give yourself that time.

Yeah, it's the same thing with office jobs and jobs, you know, all kinds of jobs that we have. We think if we just plow through those eight hours, we'll be super productive and get it done and then we can go and relax. But the problem is that is not a healthy way to be. If you are constantly in that cortisol stressed out overdrive mode, you're just in destruction for eight hours. And so if you can break that up even once in the middle of the day and really shift your nervous system back into the parasympathetic rest and digest, that is going to bring in some healing during all of that destruction and chaos. And I have seen that just make such a huge impact on people. So leave the building, walk outside, go somewhere, go eat outside of your office. If you, especially if you work in cubicles and offices and things where you're literally in the same 10 foot area for 8 hours a day like that is so unhealthy. You need fresh air, you need movement. I'm so proud of how far you've come and how much you've shifted. It's so incredible. And you really have just been able to own it and step into that and go, okay, you know what? I have some value to give. And you jumped into the coaching program. Now you're one of the first certified Fast of Faith coaches. How do you feel about this new role that you are embarking on? Are you just so excited what God's doing in your life?

Yes, I am just so excited. And I don't even know if I ever shared this with you, but at the time when you rolled out the coaching program, I also received an invite to interview for this program through Grand Valley for Teaching. And they, you know, invited me to come interview, and I had the fast of faith and, you know, this incredible opportunity to further my career in education. I just remember sitting there and it was kind of like, you know, praying about both of it. And I seriously heard a very clear no from God with furthering my education career. And it was just almost like that, like you always say, like, it was just a download from him. Like, he was like, no. And I remember emailing them and thanking them for the incredible opportunity. And I said, the timing isn't right for me. And, you know, I had to apply. Apply for this and all the things.

And you didn't tell me that. That's incredible.

Yeah. So it was just. Yeah. And Wyatt and I just sat down and we talked about it, and I was like, this has been placed before me. And I said, I just feel like this is all just God, like, saying here, like, this is what you're meant to do. And even if I don't ever leave, you know, the education world, you know, I have this coaching that's amazing. And it's just been so awesome to just trust God and where he's been leading me through all of this. And it was almost like a sense of relief to, like, say, you know, no, like, this isn't the time for me to, you know, further my education and that I maybe need to pivot and go in a new direction. And, yeah, it's just been trusting God and his lead and where he's taking, you know, me, and. Yeah, it's just been so awesome.

That is amazing. Well, you are such a blessing to the fast, to faith, sisterhood. Like, you bring so much value. You're always cheerleading the other women and sharing your wisdom and knowledge. And I am just so excited about the fact that we incorporated all those functional medicine principles into the coaching program. And so it's like you understood your health and the transformation you went through on some level, right. Because you were experiencing. It was your body. But now you're like, I can really connect the dots and help other women connect their dots because they're coming to me. They're telling me their problems and stuff. And I'm like, wait, this is what I've learned in the coaching academy. Like, we need to check your thyroid. We need to heal your gut. Your adrenals need some love. Like, you're getting it on a whole nother level. And I just. I can't wait to see what God does with you. You have just come so far. It's amazing.

Well, thank you. Yeah. You have been a huge support behind, you know, my health journey and just. And even growing in my faith and my walk with God and just learning to really just sit down and listen, you know, pray, trust, wait and see where he leads the next steps. And it's just. Yeah, it's been incredible. And just. Yeah, like you said, supporting other women and getting to be that cheerleader and just watching people in their journeys has been just so incredible to watch, like.

Making friends with women all over the country, that we're all doing this together.

Yeah.

And I think the most beautiful part is God downloaded this to me and told me to create it, and I just offered it. And the women that he spoke. Spoke to, you've just been obedient and stepped up. And it's like, there's no pressure. There's no, like, am I supposed to be doing this? Like, there's so much clarity around it. And how beautiful is that? Because a lot of times we don't get that much clarity. You know, he'll tell us the next little step. But this is what I've repeatedly heard is God made it clear, like, this is what I'm supposed to be doing now, and I'm going to step into this role no matter how scared I am. So, yeah, that is incredible. He's doing really big things with these coaches, you included. So I just. It's going to be an incredible year.

Yes. For sure.

Wow. Well, thank you for sharing all of that. I know that it can be a touchy subject when it comes to your children and their health, and we could have went on and on. I mean, you've been through moving. You were going to build a house, and you got a farm, and you and your husband are, like, taking care of all these animals. I mean. Yeah, you're just an incredible woman, and you're just such a great testament to the fact that when God wants you to pivot and add something new in your life or go in a different direction, he will equip you. He will give you the resources. It doesn't matter if you feel ready or not. He just helps you step into it, right?

Oh, yes. Most of the time, you're not really ready for it. We're just like, hey. Yep. All right, God, here we go.

Yeah, exactly. God's got you, and you just have to trust. So.

Yeah.

Oh, my goodness. Well, I'm really excited. I hope that women resonated with your story and if they're feeling connected with you, to reach out to you, because you are going to be an amazing coach, especially to moms, women who are trying to juggle the kids and their calling and their health issues. And you're such a great example that you have to put your yourself first in order to love on your family and take care of your family. So thank you for being available and helping women.

Yeah, well, thank you. Thank you for this incredible opportunity.

Oh my goodness, yes. If you guys want to learn more, go to fastofaith.com the coaching academy just is filling my heart seeing that sisterhood community of women supporting each other, all becoming friends and being coaching buddies and really supporting one another and making an impact on the world. Imagine maybe God's calling you to do that and maybe that's why you're listening to that this episode like so good. Oh, I can't wait to see you guys next week. I'm your Christian physician and I'm here for you. Bye guys.