Unique Hammond's Journey Through Gut Healing, Menopause & Food Freedom | Rock Your Goddess Life

Foreign. Today on Rock your goddess life, we have the amazing Unique Hammond. She is. Has made it her life's work to help people feel great again through strategic diet and lifestyle shift. She is a trained holistic nutrition practitioner and being protocol specialist, and she's also a trained sei, trained trauma informed coach, and the author of your take. Taste buds are welcome, Unique.

Thank you so much. I'm really excited to be here.

Yeah, I love. I love Unique. I was just thinking about you. I mean, obviously before this, but I just love. You're so grounded and if you just have, like such a balanced approach and we will dive in that. But I'm like, you know, I. If I have my kids wanting to follow a protocol, this would be it, right? Because it's so balanced. So I just. I love you. I appreciate you. We've had amazing conversations and I'm happy you're here.

I feel the same way about you. I feel like all of our interactions are really compelling and inspiring and I view we have similar approaches. Like, I feel like we're both really curious people and follow that curiosity, you know?

Yeah, totally. Yeah. That's probably why I love you. I love listening to your podcast. I'm like, I just. I just appreciate you and I probably see me in you as well. You know, I'm like, yes, I love that. I love that.

Well, that's an. That's. That's a. Like a. That feels like I'm honored that, you know, that you feel that way. Seriously, that's really cool.

Okay, so let's dive into, you know, we talk about. There's the talk about the hero's journey. We're going to talk about your goddess journey, the heroine's journey. But I want to go back to that. Like, I know you've told it a hundred times, but that moment where you were diagnosed with Crohn's and just kind of that start of your journey of what was that like? And where were you in that moment?

Yeah, it's interesting. At 34 years old, so I had two young kids and I had been dealing with other health issues in my life. Endo was diagnosed at 20, and I just had what everybody called a sensitive gut, you know, like, oh, you just have a sensitive gut. And before I was diagnosed, that year, before I was diagnosed is one that really stands out in my mind because I was in the doctor's office with acid reflux and constipation and loose stools, and the doctor ran a bazillion test and was like, you're fine. And I was like, he's like, take a Prilosec for the reflux and you're fine. And I just was like, I am not fine. But at that stage of my life, I wanted to hear that. So I just kind of went like, they told me I'm fine. I do acupuncture once a week. I'm healthy. I was a trail runner and. And working hard and, you know, supporting the family and just kind of like, working, firing on all cylinders and working six days a week. I have very different views now, but, you know, so I just kind of went on my merry way and didn't really think too much of it. And in with my acupuncturist once a week, he was like, your pulse is not right. And I was like, yeah, I don't. I don't feel good. And I was taking herbs. And he'd always diagnosed me as a hummingbird. Like. Like high adrenaline, high anxiety person. Like, I think I'm the only person in my family who doesn't fall asleep when they put the needles in. You know, everybody else is, like, out cold for 20 minutes. And I'm, like, sitting there going, what if an earthquake happens and I have all these needles in my body? Like, I'm. I was that person, you know, like, I'm sitting here with needles everywhere, but how can I run with that one in my. I need to, like, you know, that. Yeah, high anxiety. And so, you know, and I was seeing also a muscle tester who was muscle testing me for different things and putting me on different supplements. And so I just. I thought, like, I've got this covered. I'm seeing the doctors, I'm doing the acupuncture. Like, whatever this is, is going to be fine. And it just wasn't. It just kept getting worse. And I really. When my medicine doctor referred me out to a gi, I knew there was a problem. Like, he was watching me slowly shrink. And I'm 57, typically 125 pounds. I was, like, shrinking, and he was just like, you need to go see a gi. So I went and saw GI and he was like. We ran all these stool tests, and, you know, we just started looking at everything. Doing sibo testing back then was interesting as well. This is all like, 15, 16 years ago now, and, you know, nothing was really showing up as a major problem. So I continued to not get a colonoscopy and just kind of like, okay, I'm just going to keep doing my thing and taking the Prilosec, which I took for, like, two weeks, and I was just like, I hate the way this feels. There's something felt really wrong about suppressing my stomach acid. So really, you know, so I guess that was, like, two years before the actual diagnosis. And then at 34, I finally broke, and I was like, okay, let's do a colonoscopy, because I was getting smaller and smaller, and the things I could eat were getting smaller and smaller. And when I woke up, and he was like, you have severe Crohn's. And. And I remember I was groggy, like, what is Crohn's disease? Like, what is that? I've never even heard of it. And he's like, it's an inflammatory bowel disease that attacks your small intestine. You can't get any nutrients. Yours is pretty bad. We need to get you on steroids asap, and we need to look at biologics and just to kind of give you the layout. You're probably going to have a number of surgeries in your lifetime. Crohn's disease is really serious, and you need to act fast. And I remember in the groggy state, just being like, is there any dietary lifestyle changes I can make? And he's like, no. Now we have to remember that we didn't have Google, really, like. Like, Internet stuff wasn't happening. And, you know, you didn't have all the specialists that you have, which I'm kind of happy about, because I think it'd be really confusing the landscape now more than ever. But back then, I was reading books. I was checking out medical books from the library. I was, like, reading books, you know, and just taking in all of this medical information. That was scary. And then he said, join a chat room, a support group for Crohn's. And I went that. They were like, oh, I went on this biologic and it blew out my pancreas. And I was like. Like, worst thing he could have had me do if he wanted me to comply with his, like, you know, diagnosis and his plan for me. So it was that kind of moment, by the way, when he said, there's nothing you can do with diet and lifestyle. That was the moment. I just felt this strong, like, because I'm drinking alcohol because I was working, and that's what you did. And taking out clients after a shoot and taking out clients before a shoot. And, you know, and I wasn't finishing drinks because I just didn't feel good. And I was like, I don't know what's going on, But I was like, there's no way that what I eat doesn't make a difference. There's just no way. And he was like, well, some people, you know, do the carb specific diet, and it kind of helps, but nothing puts it into remission naturally. And so I kind of left skinny and crying, and I did a lot of crying because I just felt so hopeless and helpless. And there's something about not be nourished that makes one feel even worse. Like, just hollow and scared. That's how I felt is hollow and scared. And that also began my journey. That began the kind of like, I'm going to prove you wrong journey. You know, I was like, I'm scared, but I don't believe you're right. You know, And I appreciate the medication is there if I need it, but it wasn't my starting point. Like, it was kind of like, I'm going to try everything I can, and if I, if I fail, if that fails, I'll do the medications and I'll do whatever you tell me. And so it was kind of the agreement of, like, this is not going to happen, not right away. So I gave my muscle tester lady my diagnosis. I gave my acupuncture is my diagnosis. And we all kind of got to work on trying different plans. Ayurveda, the GAPS diet. You know, I kind of like, ran the gamut back then. A healing version of the paleo diet went back to my roots, which was more west in a price. Boiling bones, eating liver, you know, the ghee, the butter, the f. I was bad. I, I. Everything made me worse. Everything made me worse. And he, my doctor was looking at me like, you're, you're gonna kill yourself. And I'm. I don't want to be a part of this. He literally referred me to somebody else.

I don't be responsible for this. Yeah.

He's like, you're taking away all my tools. When I got to, like, 90 pounds, I went on prednisone. He was very relieved. He was like. Because I was pooping like 19 times a day. And he was like, will you go on prednisone? And by the way, they, I had done various things in that time. I took two courses of antibiotics that they recommended because they were like, you know, before I had the colonoscopy, I took these courses of antibiotics because the GIs that I saw were like, you must have like a, a bug or something, because you're not, you look healthy, your blood work is healthy. You're not presenting with any major issues, so you might have picked up a parasite Somewhere. So they put me on, gosh, what are the name of the antibiotics? There's like, it basically just carpet bombs your whole system. And. And honestly, I think that was kind of the steps towards what happened ultimately for me was taking those courses of antibiotics. But I thought, in my mind, this is a quick fix. I can just take an antibiotic and move on. Turns out it, it wasn't. And it kind of is what kick started my ending up getting the colonoscopy because I was so sick. And I was like, okay, I gotta get this colonoscopy. I got it. And they, you know, they did an endoscopy and a colonoscopy because reflux was off the hook. I was just in a really bad state. And they found H. Pylori. And we're like, we gotta get rid of the H. Pylori. So I was just, I was kind of on one course of antibiotics after the next.

You know, that is crazy. And I just love to hear that story because I love to get the beginning and then also where you are now, right? And it's like, I love that you tried everything. And I know we've talked about this. You were like, and, and we have talked about. I had tried the GAPS diet for my kids, and I had that same experience. I've read it all and it's like, if you're going to do the GAP side, like, you really read it and it's like a big commitment. You're like, am I gonna go all in? Am I gonna do this? And the bone broth and I'll, you know, like, did it all jumped? I jumped in with the kids and within like weeks, I was like, this is making everyone worse.

Yeah.

And this is not, not, not working. But you were like, you just kept doing all aip, right? I mean, you did like all the things.

I did all the things. Yeah. And the thing I think was the closest was Ayurveda. But I think because of all the ghee, I just wasn't getting the benefit of the soluble fiber. It was just binding up all that soluble fiber, which in the end turned out to be a really important component for me. And I think on multiple levels, the more I understand the gut microbiome, the more I'm not just thinking about beans as soluble fiber, but I'm like, it's got Foss, it's got Gauss. I'm actually feeding the gut microbiome on so many levels, but I'm also supporting the liver and the gallbladder. Like, hello. How many wins can I get here with one single bean.

Let's go back to that moment, because I love this part of your story, too, where you get Karen Herd's book and you throw it against the wall.

Oh.

And you're like, beans? You have got to be kidding me.

I mean, I'd avoided beans my whole life. They were kind of a food in my childhood. When I talked to my mom about it later, um, she was like, you know, I used to put beans in your tacos on taco night because it was a great filler food. And, you know, it wasn't really done for the health benefits as much as it was done because my parents had spent a lot of time in Mexico, and they were like, oh, you know, beans are. Beans are great, and they're tasty. And so my mom used to make us beans all the time, which is so interesting to think about now, because I'm like, gosh, I didn't even remember that until she was like, oh, yeah, we ate beans. Because, you know, it was like. Is, like, better than a potato kind of vibe. And, yeah, it was interesting. So when my. Actually, the lady who sold me my house when I bought my first home, the one that actually just burned down, she had become a really good friend. And, you know, I was like. I'd see her from time to time. She's, like, unique. You don't look so good. And I was like, yeah, I'm really sick, and I have Crohn's disease, and I'm trying to figure this out naturally. And she's like, well, if anything ever comes across my path, I'm gonna make sure to bring it to you. And one day, I mean, I was so ill. I was so ill, because every protocol I tried made me worse, not better. And it was just so disheartening because I was like, he's right. I'm gonna kill myself. Like, none of this is working. I thought. I thought I could figure this out, and. And I can't. And I was really disheartened, and I had rolling, like, fevers all the time, and I knew that meant there was. You know, my body was fighting off infection, and that's not good with Crohn's disease. And I kept fighting going to the emergency room, because I'd lay there and I'd be like, okay, let me play this out. I'm gonna go to the emergency room. They're gonna put me on antibiotics. They're gonna put me on steroids. You know, maybe I end up with an emergency resection, you know, like, I would play out what would happen the moment I walk through those doors. And every single time, something in my body said, you're okay. And I'm like, oh, God, I hope so, because I'm gonna trust you. I'm gonna trust you. Like, goes against my mind, but something in my body was like, you're all right. Just hang out. And, you know, kudos to my partner, because he was just like, whatever you want. I'll take you to the emergency room right now. And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna. I'm gonna stay right here in bed. And if I feel like this in the morning, then we go. And every day, we didn't go. And I'm like, was I just really stubborn or really stupid or just. Or totally aligned? Which is it? Sometimes those edges are really blurred, you know? So, yeah, my friend called, and I was really sick in bed, and I'd been in bed for about a week, home from work, working in my bed with my laptop. And she was like, hey, Unique, I dropped a book off at your office a week ago. Did you get it? And I'm like, no, I've been home in a really bad flare, and, you know, I'll probably get in next week sometimes. And she's like, you know, I'm just gonna pick it up and drop it off at your doorstep. And I was like, yeah, I can't really see anybody. Like, I couldn't walk. I was kind of bent over. I was in so much pain. I literally would walk bent over with a hot water bottle. And so she dropped it off, and she texted me, and she said, hey, it's at your door. She's like, I've heard really good things about this lady, and friends of mine have done this protocol, and I know it's. They haven't had Crohn's, but check it out. I hobbled out. As soon as I heard her leave, I hobbled out to the door, I picked it up, I looked at it, and I was like, beans? Like, no, no beans. First of all, I can't stop pooping. And on top of that, I'm bloated. I look like I'm eight months pregnant. There's no way I can do beans. And I. I picked it up, I read it, saw, threw it against the wall, walked away, climbed back into bed with my hot water bottle, and I just. I just kept looking at it in the corner, like, crumbled, bent. Angry. I was angry. I was angry because I had just kind of come to terms with the fact that Maybe I couldn't do this with diet. Like, I broke, I was, I was broken. My partner found me on the floor bent over with my shirt, had kind of come up slightly and all he could see were bones and ribs and, you know, veins and, and like Gollum. I really looked like Gollum. I would wear layers of clothing to stay warm in the middle of summer. And I just was done. I was done with my family watching me suffer, my kids being in bed with me every night. Instead of me tucking them in, they were tucking me in. And I just was done with the whole journey. I was like, this is it, uncle. You know, I cry uncle. And I went over there, I looked at, picked up the book again, went into my pantry, found a can of beans, opened it up and took my first bite. And that weekend I started eating beans and, and the rest is kind of history. I mean it, it wasn't a perfect journey of healing by any means. It wasn't like, oh, I started eating beans and then I got better. It was like horrible flares every month around my period, like debilitating flares. And I just didn't give up. I was like, this was the first thing that I put in my mouth that gave me a sense that I was on the right direction.

I had like tears and goosebumps of like, just. And it's so crazy and that's why I love you and Karen. It's just, it seems so crazy that that would actually heal you, right? In the world of wellness and health.

Well, I mean, I think you're seeing what I'm seeing after 13 years of being the outcast and the weirdo, slinging beans for a living and helping people with a high fiber omnivore diet that Today, October, whatever, 24th, 2025, we're seeing fiber everywhere.

Like, but it's interesting, I do agree with that. But I also think you and Karen are still, still distinct because there's still the camp, you know, and I've interviewed both sides from carnivore to plant based. I've interviewed, you know, both sides. So the carnivores are. Fiber is horrible, right? And then. But you have the plant based who is like protein is also going to kill you. And if you eat too high of a protein. So you guys are out. And especially you, you're an outlier because you're high fiber, but you're also like bordering high, moderate to high protein, which.

Yeah, I'm pretty high protein for my body type. I'm, I'm 57, 125 pounds. And I eat about 145 grams of protein a day. Like animal protein, not from beads.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

I'm eating a lot of protein, guys.

So I think there's also that because, you know, the, the one doctor that I interviewed was just saying that pro, you don't want to do any animal protein. Us ideally, right. And he's amazing and he's transforming lives. But then I also have like, you and Karen who are like, well, we're doing the high fiber, but we're also doing the high protein and we're thriving.

Yeah, yeah, it's. Well, here's the, here's the thing is, I think what the health world does very poorly is, is lump all protein together, you know, and it's like, oh, protein, bad protein. Saturated fat, not great. Not great for the heart, not great for the gut microbiome. I mean, that part is nuts to me that when they study the gut microbiome of people who eat high saturated fat diets, they see a lot of pathogens because they feed off of the bile. So you're creating all of this bile when you're eating high saturated fat diet. Even in vegans who eat coconut, by the way. So if they're, if you're eating mostly plant and then you're eating a ton of coconut, they see higher pathogens. So to me, I'm like, we're eating lean protein, so we're not high saturated fat, we're high unsaturated fat, which is in all of the brain health diets out there is high unsaturated fats, olive oils, nut butters. And then we're eating high fiber, which feeds the gut microbiome. If 75% of your immune system is in your gut, wouldn't you want to be feeding the gut microbiome? Like, I'd like to have the community of carnivore people have their gut microbiome studied because I think that would be the shocking revelation.

Yeah, I know. I love, I love that too, because I'm very curious. There are some outliers in the carnivore. I've talked to two of them who have one of, one of the doctor and he actually had his gut tested. And it was so good that he, the founder called him and it was so good. But he does mostly meat. Not crazy high fat, not crazy like that. He's not amazing fat carnivore. He also does ferment, so fermented vegetables.

There you go. So that's fiber.

That's the thing. So Those are the two things. So he's not a hundred percent carnivore, but I do know another carnivore who had his gut test, and it was really good. But I also think that is potentially the outlier.

You'd have to do, like, a broad study of the ones who were 100 eating steak. You know, just. That's what they're eating. Like a, Like a carnivore. You know, they sound like they might be eating more lean cuts versus, like, high saturated fatty cuts, but also, how much can you eat if that's the only thing you're eating? So the fact that. Yeah, the fact that he's putting in fiber and fermented foods, probably like sauerkraut or kimchi.

Yes. 100.

So there you go, right? So even though you're not eating legumes, you're still getting that fermented fiber down there. You're not getting the benefits potentially, of the other types of fiber that feed different parts of gut microbiomes. But also, if it works for him, hallelujah, you know, like, awesome.

Which I also love. And I feel like you're really awesome about this too. The bio individuality, right. Of, like, some people do aip, and they're, like, writing books about it. It changed their life and healed them. Paleo, vegan, like, all of it. And I just feel like they're. Why I love you is it's just another alternative of like, okay, cool. Have you tried paleo? You tried carnivore? You tried vegan? Let's try the Omnivore. Like, why, that's crazy. But let's try the Omnivore thing.

Let's be wild and crazy. You know, I will say, in my. In my travels, I met a woman who put her Crohn's disease into remission, and all she ate three times a day was steak. Just steak. That was it? Yeah, that was it. And she was like, you know, and she wasn't underweight, and she was totally fine. But she came to me because she's like, I, I, I just feel like I should probably be eating other things. You know, I believe, if I remember correctly, she even had kids. You know, like, and where I sit is there isn't a wrong or right. There's tools. We have all of these tools available to us. I mean, I've met people who've been in remission by eating only raw vegetables. And in my mind, I'm like, when I ate raw vegetables, that went through me and came out the other side looking the Same way it went in. Right. So undigested. Because raw vegetables are actually kind of hard to digest for a lot of people. And so. And also being in this world and eating this way for the last 13 years and with all the people that I've consulted all over the world, I really, I have a hard time demonizing anything that works. Quite honestly. Like, suffering is really difficult. And if you found something that takes you out of suffering and gives you quality of life, do that carnivore you're out of. You're having a good quality. Yes, please do it. You know, but if you're not doing well and you're clinging to a ideology, like, I meet people who are not well and they're clinging to being a vegan, and I'm like, something ain't working. And if something ain't working, it's time to open up the mind and get curious about what it could be. Um, but if it's working for you, charge. Hang. Hang onto it with both hands.

You know, I always like to say, your physiology does not care about your food ideology.

That's such a good way to put it.

Right? Like, it's like, okay, I know that I have this food and I've had many food ideologies. That's why I can have this conversation. I have been vegan. I've gone all the way over to the. I mean, I've like, literally believed in all of them at one point. Like, this is it. But there's also. Your body doesn't lie. And I love that. You, you are just a great demonstration of don't give up. Right. I talked to so many people who just don't give up. We just haven't found the right combination for you. Like, what is going to unlock your healing. And here are all these people who have done it in all these different ways. But don't give up and don't get locked into, you know, this one path that not working.

Yeah. And don't give up too soon. Like, I think that's the other interesting thing. So I have a few people I'm working with right now that are so, so sick and have tried so many things and continue to try so many things. And one of the piece of wisdom I can also get is know when to quit something, know when to move on from something that isn't working. But also don't give up on something too soon. Like, it's a very interesting balance. Right. So had I, after six months on the protocol, expected that I shouldn't have flares anymore, then I would have got off and I would have never reached the destination of remission. And now, 10 years later, full remission. And having worked with a lot of people with autoimmune, I know how special that is. Somebody I recently interviewed for my podcast in the Gut Microbiome space. When I told him and he works with IBD, when I told him I'd been in remission for 10 years, he was like, wow, we're really excited to get a year. And I was like, I can't imagine if I was flaring every year that would just, you know, like, ah. But they're so excited because that's how, that's how severe IBD is and it's no joke. So the fact that I've been in remission, healthy blood work, healthy microbiome, all of these things are like checking out. I'm like, all right, I'm not messing with this. You know.

That also just gives you personally credibility and for your practice and for your work, right? That you can be like, it's 12 years, it's 12 years. But that it took you years to get to that place too, which I. That was on my list of talking to you because there is, I'm trying it for three months. It's not working. How do you coach people and guide them? Like, okay, maybe this isn't the right path for you. Maybe you should switch it up. Because we can quit too early, but we can also go too long. A woman who did, who did gaps for 10 years with her family and she was so committed. 10 years not getting better. She actually got Hashimoto's, like, she started getting worse. She ended up with like four autoimmune diseases. And I'm not, I'm not smashing the gaps. So if you've done the gap, then it works for you. Rocket.

Beautiful.

But she changed to high fiber and beans and, you know, still the animal protein, a lot of this. And she's literally put everything into remission in like two years. But she gave it 10 years, right?

Yeah.

That's long.

That's a long. That's a long time. I mean, I think the one thing I tell people when we start working together is this isn't about my ego. This is about your results. And if I think at some point that this isn't actually going to work for you, I'll be the first person to say, let's pull the chute. You know, like, I don't think ego belongs in healing, which is why when I see people fear mongering thing, I'm like, this is about your ego and this is about selling a product or a lifestyle. Because if we truly have human health at our greatest desire in our, in our heart, then we're never going to be like, don't eat beans. You know, we're never going to be like, fear fiber, fear plants. We're going to be like, hey, let's figure out what's right for your physiology. Let's figure out what's right for your gut microbiome. And by the way, what works right now might have to be tweaked later. And by the way, if you heal your gut now, you might be able to eat more variety later. Let's drop the fear mongering. Let's make this about actually educating people about their individual bodies and where they are right now. Because maybe they could eat everything when they were a kid, before they took seven different types of antibiotics throughout their life and now their gut microbiome is different and now their mucosal lining has changed and maybe they need something different now. But it's the fear mongering and the, the ego that really messes up the health space and messes up people's heads, you know?

Yeah, because you can, and I have been there and I know you and I have talked about this. I have studied everything for 25 years and I, you can get confused. Like, confused. And you're like, I know this person and I, I can tell you exactly what a carnivore can, will tell you. I can tell you exactly what a vegan will tell you. I've studied all of them, I've interviewed most of them. But it can be confusing. You know, we can overthink things and then we can fear. Like this is, plants are trying to kill me. Meat's trying to kill me. And you're like, everything's trying to kill me. You know, like with the fear mongering. Yeah.

And you know, humans were here to adapt. Like, we wouldn't be in this moment right now if we hadn't adapted many times. So we're incredibly adaptive. And the human body, the human state isn't static. It's in constant motion and healing. Like we're healing right now as we're talking, we are breaking down and we are rebuilding as we have this conversation. So this, this a, of a static being. You know, it's, it's, we're, we are the constant evolution. And you know, I do think that some people have done their body so dirty that they can't tolerate a lot and it can take a Long time to be able to tolerate more. And then you have genetics, then you have, you know, genetic dispositions and, you know, lifestyle habits can trigger that. I triggered my autoimmune condition and now it's in remission. So I think there's a lot of interesting conversations around pathways can be turned off if they can be turned on. And there's a lot to learn there. It's kind of in its infancy as far as I can see. The genetic conversation about all of this, by the way.

Yeah, yeah, well, and I love that too, the, the genetic component because I mean, obviously you came from a very healthy, like your parents were Western Price, you know, like they were like back to the land. And then how that genetic, like how we can, how we can flip the switch of heading down the path of disease. And some of us. I always kind of joke, I am a super sensitive person. You know, I've had many people look at my genes and they're like, it's not surprising that you're so sensitive with your detox pathways and whatever. And I'm like, I have been blessed by the gods with a really sensitive system. And I've. Most of the time I felt like it was a superpower, but there has been, it's been an integration of like, that's just not fair. Like, why do I have to like, watch everything that I do and eat and the toxins and everything and this person's over here just doing whatever. But I also think, you know, you've talked about that with your genes too, of like, you're not willing to go back and you won't tolerate. Like, you have strong boundaries about your lifestyle, which I'd love to hear more about of like, you're like, this is. This is it. I'm not going. These are my rails and these are my bright lines and I will not cross them.

Yeah, it's out of self perseverance and self care and. And I really have such a different relationship to my body than I ever have in my life. I absolutely honor her and adore her and I spent my 20s and 30s judging her and trying to make her different and you know, look good on the outside, but was not healthy on the inside kind of vibes and over training, under eating, under sleeping, over drinking, you know, just repeat, you know, and I can look back and, and have kindness for her for that version. There was a time when I was healing, when I thought, when I go into remission, I'm going to go. I'm going to be able to go back to the way I used to live, you know, really excited because I loved sugar and I loved drinking. I loved, you know, I even had the nickname Tequila Unique. Because when I would drink tequila, I was funny and outgoing instead of being shy and, you know, like awkward. And so it was like Tequila Unique was my alter ego. So the idea of like, oh, I'm never going to be these versions of myself again was really terrifying because who would I be? I didn't know what was coming next and what would come after the healing and what happened it. What it took to heal was so much top down control to keep myself in the rails. And every time I slipped up on my protocol, I was sick. I went into a flare. My daughter's birthday bite, a cake flare. My daughter. My second daughter's birthday bite of ice cream flare. My partner's birthday bite of this flare. Like, I got slapped down and hammered so many times, and that wasn't even taking the equation out that I was flaring. Every single month between ovulation and period, I would go into a massive Crohn's flare. And every time I asked the doctor, I was like, hey, like, are my hormones causing this inflamma inflammation in my gut? And they were like, no, it's just Crohn's disease. And I was like, you're wrong. Like, my hormones are taken, are beating me every single month because of my endo. And they just had no connection to my hormones, my endo and Crohn's disease. Like, they weren't putting together the dots. So I was, I was going, I'm experiencing this every month. So I will have two good weeks a month or one good week a month, and then I'll go into a massive flare for three weeks. And that was the thing I noticed getting less and less over time, you know, but when you bear witness to that suffering of your own body and sleeplessness, by the time, a year and a half in that, I healed my gut, and then another six months later, my periods stopped being painful and I stopped getting loose stools. And that two year process changed me. It didn't make me jaded. It didn't make me mad. It made me really understand the, the importance of health and wellness and realize that I needed to have boundaries up. I needed to not drink, I needed to not eat sugar. I needed to not do these things. And quite honestly, at first I was just really scared. I was like, I don't want to. I don't want to flare. You know, I don't want to flare. I don't want to eat these things. It's not worth it. Like, I suddenly understood that some things just may not ever be worth it ever, ever again. And that changed about two years into my remission. I started to kind of mess around with stuff a little bit. I was like, I'm gonna have a. I'm gonna have a little bit of. I'm gonna have a sip of that wine.

Yeah.

I started kind of pushing the limits a little bit, especially after I'd plussed out my diet. I was eating a variety of vegetables. I was eating a variety of proteins. I was eating a variety of beans. I could only eat one bean when I started. I was eating, you know, so few things for such a long time that I slowly started to add things back in. And then once I had fully plussed out my whole foods, that was when I went like, is it safe to try a bit of dark chocolate? Is it safe to try some blueberries? Is it safe to taste that dessert? And I started to kind of, like, over a period of a year, kind of play with those things. And then after the end of that year, I was like, I don't feel better, so why would I do it? And so that's kind of how the evolution happened. It was, like, little by little, I gave myself permission and agency to try things. And after the end of that kind of, like, play time, I was like, if I don't feel better, is it really, like, how important is it to me if feeling better is my highest value? Just became unimportant, and I changed my relationship to all of those things.

Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. Because you. Because it's like, such a. Food is such a, like, acceptable addiction in our society, right? Of, like. And if people look at what you eat, and they're like, oh, you're so restricted. I could never not do that. Right? And I always. I find this fascinating, just this relationship we have, because evolutionarily, you didn't have the option. There was no cheesecake in the wild. Like, you know what I mean?

Like, you. You.

Like, until recently, we didn't have all of these things, right? So I always. I always tell my kids, because they're like, look at all the kids eating that. And I was like, that's not food.

That's a mouth party that doesn't do anything for you downstream. And, you know, I get it. I get the mouth party. Like, I'm really kind about that. You know, people. A lot of people's joy is found on their plate, and they're Willing to sacrifice their health for the joy they find on their plate. And I. I get it. Life is complex. But I do not feel restricted. I do not feel like I'm missing out. And I can be as pre. I can actually be more present to friends and family sober. And there while they're eating their dessert, enjoying them. Enjoying whatever they're doing, and feeling really good that I can take care of myself at the same time, you know, and there's no judgment for what they're doing. There's no. It's a second bottle of wine coming to the table. You know, I'm like, hey, good on you. Do you, you know, party on, Garth, don't let me get in your way with my kids.

I'm more of like, I'm not gonna do that.

I'm not.

You know, we just were gone, and I let them do. They went, like, to the buffet. They're like, can we get what we want to get? You know, And I have to, like, shut my brain off, you know? And they're getting, like, oatmeal, which is. They're like, oatmeal with some brown sugar. They're not getting crazy stuff there. No croissants. There's no colored cereal. Like, there's none. Those are, like. Literally, we just don't ate those. But they're getting oatmeal. And I'm like, I just need to be quiet. I know that's full of bate. Like, I just know it's not organic.

Wait, isn't there one called, like, Second Light or something that has no glyphosate in it or something like that?

It's one degree.

One degree?

One degree.

Yeah, one degree.

And there's another one called Wild something. They make it a granola, too. That does. But we're at the hotel.

Hotel.

So the hotel. Like, I'm like, all this is just food. And I'm like. They're like, you're having a really hard time, aren't you, Mommy? And I'm like, I am having a really hard time, but I'm gonna let you do it, you know? But it's. It's hard for me with my kids to be like, what are you eating? Oh, oatmeal. But it's still. I'm like, your livers are going to still have to process that.

And they will. And I think, you know, I. I was where you were because after I healed, I definitely, like, shifted the household food, and I didn't have any crap in the house. But if they were at their Friends and they ate crap. I was like, do you. But here, this is how we eat. And quite honestly, I have two daughters who know how to eat really well now, but they're still in their 20s. And, you know, I'll talk. Not my old, my older daughter, she has health. She, like, she's very health conscious because of other issues and like ADHD and stuff like that. So for her, eating well is a way to maintain her mental health. And she doesn't feel good drinking. So, you know, she's, she's like, really on taking care of herself. But my younger daughter is, is, you know, like, I really have to bite my tongue. And we really, we have a rule that we've had for a long time now where I don't offer unless they ask. I don't offer my opinion unless they. Now, obviously, we're talking about older kids now. Right. Versus younger ones. You have a lot of say over what is happening in their diet. But the transition of power happens at a certain point and I'm just preparing you for it. Because there's a point where they're like, hey, I get it now. I'm going to do me. And you're just like.

Well, I love that. My older, he's 13. And he's like, you know, Mommy, I mean, there are some things that I'm probably going to try. And he's like, but I'm never, I just know too much. I'm never going to, you know, like, he's like, I'm going to go have a pizza and I'm going to do whatever. And I was like, you have to do you, like, you need to do that. I'm like, I, I, it's not worth it for me where I am and where I have been and just, it's just not worth it for me. But he's like, well, you know, Mommy, like, when we were in New York, that was worth it. And I said, that's amazing. You, you, it's worth it for you, you know, and my husband will always say, but you also want to be really grateful for your mother that you have the health that you do, because she has been so on it since she. You were in her womb.

Yeah. And honestly, they, my older daughter recently got labs back and it was funny, like, she didn't send them to me or ask me about it, but I'd remembered that she got in labs and I was like, hey, how did your labs look? And she's like, oh, actually, my fasting glucose was high and my A1C was high. But my doctor hasn't called me back, and I'm like, do you want to send it to me? Let me have a look. I had a look, and I was like, well, I said what you should know. And I'm like, can I. Can I offer advice? She's like, please, I've been waiting for the doctor. I'm so freaked out about this. I did a little Dr. Google, and I was like, well, we have type 2 diabetes in our family. Genetically, all of my genetics showed that high saturated fat diets lead to. To obesity and diabetes, and I have so many genes that point in that direction. So, you know, here's what I do. That works for my blood sugar, because there was a time in my Life where my A1C was rising and my fasting glucose was a little. A little higher than it should be. And, you know, these are the changes I made. And she's like, okay, amazing. I'm gonna make these changes, and thank you so much. And her brain fog went away. Her allergies went away. She just wasn't eating well and. Or well enough for our genetic pattern. And I then got her a glucose monitor, and now she's super, you know, empowered, and she's taking care of herself. But, you know, it's this delicate balance. When your mom. When we do the work that we do. And my older. My younger daughter is very funny. She only calls me when she's scared. And then we talk about it, you know, like, something's not feeling good in her body, and we talk about food options, and then she won't apply it, but she wants to know what to do.

Or, like, when it's time.

Yeah. She's like, okay, my stomach hurts. What can I do? I'm like, okay, all right. Thanks, mom. Love you. All right. But I can't offer anything. Like, it has to be them seeking me out and asking questions, because they're just like, I don't want to know what I'm doing to myself. And I'm like, I know, but I do, and it hurts a whole lot.

Appreciate it. And so do mine. Like, we were at a dinner with our. With heroic and our CEO. He was talking about his blood work and whatever, and they're having him do this. And I was like, do you have your blood work with you? He's like, yeah, here. So he has it. And I'm looking at it, and I'm like, blah, blah, blah. And then we got home to our hotel, and my son was like, isn't it funny how everybody always, like, gives you Their stuff, you know, like, he's like, you know a lot, don't you? And I was like, Levin's a, setting this up for a really long time. So you know, like. But it's so he, they see it, right? And I think your kids are seeing the transformation. So that's always like this safety net. They're going to be able to come back to us, you know, like mom's got it if, if you know.

Yeah. And they, and having the agency, I think that was the key in. Because I'm really close with my daughters, but I know it's, I know we're really close because I honor their boundaries, you know, and them being able to come to me as a resource versus me coming to them and going, don't do that. Why are you drinking beer? You know, whatever. It's like they are empowered to come to me and I'm empowered to trust them, which creates this really sense of calm in our relationship. And also they both know the power of soluble fiber. They saw it, my daughter, they read my book and they were like, holy crap, you were so sick. And they add beans into their diet and they feel really good. And so it's like all of the pieces are there for them when they're kind of ready to embrace less of, you know, the 20 year old lifestyle. And, and that's, that's a, that's a journey, you know, I wasn't nearly as connected as they are, you know, and so that feels good to be a resource for them. But, but like you like looking at blood work for all of these years. I, I was kind of pissed that the doctor, when she finally spoke to the doctor and said, hey, type 2 diabetes, my grandma, my mom, you know, genetically this is happening. Should I worry about this blood work? And they're like, no, don't worry about it. Her fasting glucose was 127. Don't worry about it. I was like the actual 100 something, right?

What?

Like why would you tell a 26 year old to not worry about 127 fasting glucose? That is especially with our history, like that is nuts.

That's wild. Yeah, it's crazy. Okay, so I do want to talk about this blood sugar issue because I want to know. I have a couple questions for you. I want to know what you changed for your blood sugar with the saturated fat and just what you, you personally changed with you with yours. But then I also am curious because I know for the most part on the bean protocol there is no sugar and there, that includes Fruit with maybe some low, you know, berries or something. Right? So that's like, I want to talk about that. But then why you have like, you could have sourdough bread or you could have rice or something, and how that connects with the blood glucose. Because I have found that fruit, and I know it goes through the liver, but fruit doesn't do as much for my glucose as much as, like, rice. Rice is a very. Like, for me. It's not a good. It's not a good thing for my blood glucose. I just threw a lot at you, so go where you want to go with that glucose conversation.

So when I was eating, I was eating berries, mostly frozen berries, but berries. And I got my blood work done, and I saw that my A1C, my fasting glucose was fine. It was 90, and my A1C was 5.6. And I was like, I don't like that. I don't like that. Not with my family history and not with my genetics. I don't like that. So I took it upon myself to remove the berries. I didn't remove my sourdough bread. I don't typically, like. Most people on social will kind of be, like, unique. On the bean protocol, you can have whole grains and you used to eat a lot of rice. I don't see a lot of rice on your plate. I don't eat rice, really. If I go to a sushi restaurant, I'll have rice, but I always get a salad first to help any blood sugar spike that the rice in the sushi might cause. And. But I. I don't eat rice in my everyday life. I just don't. I eat sourdough bread. I also eat sourdough bread very strategically, and I also do long ferments on it. And I also get it sproute, sprouted organic varieties. So that's where the individual individuality comes in, is like, my body's fine with sourdough bread, not as good with fruit, so I don't do a lot of fruit, and I do sourdough bread. I bake once a week, and I do sour dough bread, and then I freeze the rest, which makes it more of a resistant starch. And then I'll continue to eat it from the frozen section of my refrigerator. So those were the changes, but the changes I made to retest my blood work, because I get blood work every three to six months just to kind of keep an eye on autoimmune and my inflammatory markers and just to make sure that what feels good on the outside is also reflected on the inside. I. I'm really big fan of data. And the first thing anybody should know about me is I have no issues making changes to my diet in. In honor of my blood work. You know, just like, yep, changes need to be made. Let's do that. So I got rid of the frozen blueberries that are obviously really good for us on so many different levels and saw my A1C drop to 5, 4 and I was like, sweet, you know, we're, we're back. And I could see it reflected in my body as well. I was left less puffy, I had more muscle tone. So also, you know, this higher blood sugar that was happening was happening at 47. I'm 49. This was two years ago. So I think it's worth mentioning that I'm like two months away from being in menopause. And a lot changes in the body in that transition is where will. Where we become more insulin resistant as we decline in estrogen and all of these other conversations that are happening. So I'm also aware now that I am where I am right now, that that could have been going on when I got that blood work. Because we don't know when we're going into menopause. We're just looking. I was just looking at blood work going, it must be the berries. And now I'm like, berries and. Or just berries. Nothing was berries. And I think it was berries and declining in estrogen. And you know, because I'm active, I should be using that glucose just fine. On paper, it's not a refined sugar product. It's not a processed food. I should be okay with it for all intents purposes, but I wasn't. So I do look at that now and wonder about it. Like, needless to say, I do have probably 20 grams of blueberries a few times a week now where I've added them back in again, the frozen blueberries. And I've been doing that for the last year and a half. Blood work continues to come back healthy. Blood sugar as well. But I don't eat a lot of grain. Mostly maintain my weight by not having a high saturated fat diet. I just, I don't eat fatty cuts of meat. I drain my red meat beef to my partner's disappointment, you know, I drain everything off. He loves it. It's better for him anyway, trust me. But he's like, oh, it doesn't taste as good without like, shit shut.

I. I get like a leaner and everybody in the family is like, like.

I like douse everything in olive oil. Like I'M big on olive oil.

The saturated fat was impacting your blood sugar as well. And. And what?

Oh yeah.

So you, you limit your red meat. Because I know there's this debate right now, like there's obviously red meat is trying to kill you, but then there's the other side that's like there's nothing wrong with red meat and you can eat it all the time, every day. Do you limit your red meat and that's impacting your blood sugar as well?

I only limit. I don't think red meat's trying to kill us. I think this whole fear around protein and cancer, there's obviously like mtor. There's definitely pathways that speak to an over consumption of protein. Protein is a growth factor, right? It's a growth of cells, which is why we want it not just for muscles. We want it for so many reasons. I mean, efficient amino acids in my opinion are so important and especially more important, it appears for some people's genetics versus others. I know vegans who are thriving on plant protein and good on them. Power to the people. But if you are struggling, probably need some efficient protein coming in in the form of animal protein. But I don't believe red meat's trying to kill us. I believe the way we consume red meat and overconsumption of red meat and a ton of saturated fat may not be all that great for a many people's genetics, including my own. Like I, you know, did not do well with a high saturated fat diet and could really see it in my blood work, you know, early on, my lipids are perfect, you know, my hdl, my ldl, my apob. Like you're just looking across the board at green, green, optimal, optimal, optimal. You know, and I eat high protein as we already established, so I don't think proteins try to kill us. I don't think red meat's bad for us. I personally limit it because I have high iron. I only have one gene for hemochromatosis, but my. Everything I do is to get iron into the cells because I've got a lot of free iron hanging around.

Yeah, okay. And then so then when you say you limit and obviously this is bio, individuality, but unique. What do you limit to like one time a week, three times a week? Like what? And then you focus on the lean proteins. Chicken, I think I heard you say, I've heard you say numerous times you don't like fish.

I like it when somebody else cooks fish for me. I do some eggs, not a lot of eggs right now. I do A lot of chicken and turkey, predominantly. I would say that's. Those are my protein sources. And people go, don't you get tired of it? I, I don't because I see food as functional. And as long as I'm thriving, I can eat the same thing all the time. Food is the gateway to a healthier body and a good life. So I'm not like, oh, I'm bored of feeling good. I'm like, oh, this is what allows me to feel good. Let's load her up. Let's do this. So I'm very mature about my functional foods and I can eat it all the time. So how I eat red meat is very funny. I'll defrost a bunch of, you know, grass fed ground beef. I'll cook it and we will eat it once a day until it's gone, and then I won't have it for a while again. So I wish I were more structured when it came to that of like, okay, we will cook it. I will have it once and then I will freeze the rest. But it's so delicious. And I'm like, I'm going to have it. And then it's gone. And then I don't have it for a while again. But so I'm trying to figure out the high iron. I'm really trying to get more iron into the cells is kind of my focus. So I'm not adding in extra iron elements right now beyond what, what's in my plants and what have you. But I, I think red meat is great. I think lean red meat is even better.

Yeah, no, for sure. Yeah. I just did the Tiny health gut test.

Oh, I love Tiny Health.

I know, they're so great, right? They're, they're like. And I talked with one of the doctors that I've interviewed is Dr. Jason Haric.

I don't know if you know, I love him. He was just on the podcast with me.

Oh, my gosh. That's who I was talking about with the protein.

Yeah, yeah, he. Well, he was. It was funny because I was telling him about the bean protocol and me being in remission, and he was one who was like, oh, if somebody's in remission for a year, I'm excited. And I'm like, well, this is protocol I've been in remission with. And he's like, don't stop anything. He was the one.

I've done his pro. I've done his programs and stuff. And he. And we talked about it. We talked about saturated fat. We also talked about protein and he was like, do not do high protein. And I kept thinking about you of like, well, he.

He was the one who told me, because I just edited that podcast, that it was the saturated fat of protein that was the problem. Not necessarily the protein itself, but the saturated fat of it.

Okay. And then he lumps those together. I mean, it. At least in his course that I have done, it kind of is lumped together.

Yeah, I. I did his course as well. He does lump it together. I. But I also think that nobody has done, like, okay, let' a group of people who eat only lean protein. Like, how are you going to get that group? Right?

Yeah, yeah.

Where are you going to get that group of high. High protein eaters that are not eating high saturated fat and then. But are eating high fiber? Like, that's a kind of a unique scenario, if you will.

Yeah, you know, it is for sure.

Yeah.

Pun intended.

I know. I hate it when I use my name in a sentence, but it's unavoidable at times.

Okay, so that's interesting on that. Oh, I'm so the Tiny Health is kind of. Because him and I went into all the. The tests and we're. I'm like, I'm doing Tiny Health. I think it's the best. And he just went off and he's like, Tiny Health is the best because you have pr. I don't know all the different.

Yeah, the shotgun. The shotgun, yeah, PC, whatever.

But then I was high in. I think it's tma, which also shows. Which I know Viome also talks about. If you're high in tma, it's. You should probably ease down on your red meat.

I'm. I'm waiting for my Tiny Health right now. So I guess we're about to find out. You know, I did take it other. Another gut test recently, and it showed no pathogens, which I was talking to him about. And I'm like, yeah, is that okay? Like, shouldn't we have, like, a variety of stuff going? He's like, no, no, no passion, no pathogens. That's good. Se.

I'm excited to listen to your. Did I didn't tell you about him? Did I feel like maybe after my. Oh, okay.

No. A client of mine did who I was working with her son, and he. He had been on the Bean Protocol for a few months when they did Tiny Health, and then, you know, consulted with Dr. Harlak and they were like, no, we don't want to do anything. His gut looks really good. And he'd been on high fiber, high protein so they chose not to have any interventions, just to kind of keep an eye on his gut. And I was like, sweet. And so once she told me about him, I looked him up and, you know, started working with Tiny Health in my practice. And because I'm really curious because most of the bean people, not everybody's as high protein as I am. But like all of my genetics speak to bean to doing well with a high protein diet. So I'm also kind of like playing with that. But also I really started doing it at 46 when I noticed the menopause transition happening. That was the first time I bumped it up to where and it wasn't even to where it is now. I started to slowly push it up because I noticed that my body had an affinity for fat and not building muscle, even though I was eating well and working out. And so I started kind of shifting the dials. I mean, I started thinking about menopause when I was 40. I was like, what is going to happen to my body? And I started to really pay attention. And at 46, that was when I noticed the first like, oh, suddenly my body is, is wanting to grandma on me. But I'm not ready to be a grandma. Like, I'm not ready to. I'm not ready, like, so what do I got to shift to, like move the dial. So I just started getting curious. It wasn't anybody's advice. It was like, okay, I'm going to have a little bit more protein. I'm going to have more of these types of fibers. I'm going to have less sugar. I'm not going to have grains. I'm just kind of moving this piece to see. And now FE50 in February, 21.6% body fat, more muscle. And I feel really good. So I'm kind of just hanging out. Obviously, if I get Tiny Health back and it's like, hey, maybe eat less meat. I'll be like, hey, maybe go F off. But you know, I'll probably take it into consideration.

So I don't think it'll show that because you don't do. I mean, like, I think there's like the TMA is like red meat and you're not doing the red meat. I would be. Please let me know. I'd be very shocked because you do so many done fiber for so long. I think I do want to know, I want to know what your results are interesting. Because my daughter, who doesn't eat that much red meat, he has the best score. Tiny Health is like, it's not a Competition for having a high score. And I was like, but I still want a high score. You guys are ranking it. I'm like, I still want to go for a high score. And they kept telling me, it's not a competition. And I was like, well, maybe not for you.

You're like, I'm very competitive, and I will get that score. I will. No, and I appreciate that. I'm that way, too. I'm like, I want. I want optimal. I'm always seeking to optimize, and I don't mind being uncomfortable to do it. Like, I'm not a person. It's interesting. I know this is kind of off topic a little bit, but I was in a breath work, and the teacher who I adore, said, it's not. We. We weren't meant to suffer. And I was like, when in human history have we not suffered like that? That. I don't believe that. We're not built to work through suffering. I don't think we'd be at this evolution of human history if we didn't. You know, like, imagine living when there wasn't a toilet, literally freezing, like, food every day.

Or find it.

Yeah. Like, I watch alone, the show alone just to remind myself how far we've come.

Have you seen. We're. I want to get back to the perimenopause, but have you seen a human race? No, it's a human race. It's on Amazon or it's like a docu series. It's older, but it goes through how they think. Everything evolved, and you go through all the phases. I watched it with the kids, and it is amazing. So I always bring it up. I'm like, you guys remember the human race. Like, did you see how hard they had to work to make a fire and to catch the fish? And, like, we have it so good. But that's also. We were. So We're. We were resilient, and now we're just wimpy.

Yeah, we're.

We.

Getting resilient is. Is, I think, is really the focus, you know, and that's really what I try to focus on with my clients. I'm like, if you can get really healthy and you can have this or that, and it doesn't make or break you, you've created resilience, and you may choose to never have those things again, but the g. The idea is for you to absolutely create resilience and a strong immune system and a strong body and, you know, like, let's. Let's get back to that resilient gut Microbiome, so we can go long. Because I think it's the killing of our gut microbiome that's really sabotaging human health, quite honestly. So I kind of love Dr. Harlock. I think he's such a gem in the world of confusion. I don't love the fact that he's promoting a low protein diet because I think women historically have never eaten enough. Quite. In my personal opinion. And I think, And I think that's been a detriment to females. I'm not saying that we should be eating a lot of red meat. Occasional, you know, like whatever works for your genetics. But this whole undereating protein, I see it in my practice, it's like we're carrying more fat than we need. We got more visceral fat than we need. And we're eating way too many carbohydrates and carbohydrate high foods. And just because of that, we're hungry all the time. Because of not eating enough protein, we're hungry all the time. And so we're just eating. And, and it's just women's bodies have an affinity for fat and that's cool. But I'd like muscle, personally.

I mean, that makes sense evolutionarily. We need to have the fat. We need to have the dha. Like, we're making babies. Yeah, it's a good, good thing to have. But know when you're not making babies, you're like, okay, I don't need that. Oh, the belly or the butt.

Yeah, we definitely, I mean, we. All of our steroid hormones are created from fat, so we definitely need fat. I just prefer to do unsaturated fat.

But, yeah, I like that. And I am with you on Dr. Jason Herac. I love him. I. He's like such a delightful human too. He's like so kind. And I just, I just, I love. He's so committed. He's been, he was the pioneer. Right? I mean, he's been doing this for 30 years, 25 years, like actually studying the microbiome. But I love, and I love that he now knows about you too, because that, I think that will also shift a little. Like, oh, interesting. Okay, maybe you can have the fiber with the protein. And you know, I know we talked about what is on his plate and he's mostly vegan. Yeah, we had a conversation because I was talking about, I did the biome and like, my b. My microbiome was better than my oral microbiome. Right. And so then I was like, well, that's weird. Because you're swallowing it. And you would think. And we have a dentist who tests like your, like they'll take your plaque and your saliva and stuff, and they test to see what's in it. And they're like, you know, you have spiral Keith. Or you have this, and you don't want to have certain things. So I do have some of those. I'm like, okay, so you need to dress up that. But I think it's so. It's all.

How do they. How do they address it? Now I'm curious. Like, how do they address.

They have a certain protocol. They'll do like ozone on it.

Okay.

There's baking soda with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide. They kind of just do it and kind of like colonizes in your mouth.

So.

And you can get it all from anywhere. You can get it from other people. You can get it from restaurants. I mean, you could just get it. Yeah, your mouth has to. It's like same terrain, right. Like your terrain has to be a little bit off for it to colonize. So they have that and they do like a water pick with a like a little bit of hydrogen peroxide for like 30 days to just get it all out.

Interesting. I've never had my oral microbiome tested, but I can say when I was sick and healing, I would get sores in my mouth the worst. Sores all over my mouth. Like, my microbiome was definitely not good. Not good. And now my oral. I mean, I don't know. I haven't had it tested, but I knock on wood, don't have cavities and I don't get mouth sores. And I haven't since I've been on protocol. And I. They put the worst. Oh, canker sores all the time. I don't. That's fruit. Whenever I would, you know, if I ate more fruit, I would get canker sores. Again. There's something about fruit for my microbiome that does not. Not jive.

Yeah. I. If I go like off my protocol for, you know, enough days or like a period of time I have enough, I will get like a little canker sore. And I'm like, that's very. But it like almost never happens because I usually am pretty a pretty strong boundaries. But I might confess I'm to going amazing. Like just getting that f. Feedback of like, in case you were wondering, that's not going to work for you.

Doesn't work for you. You know, the, the. The sensitive body. I always celebrate that with my clients because they Come in going, I'm so sensitive. I hate it. And I'm like, honestly, if I had to choose between a body that gave me no signals while I silently festered disease or a body that gave me signals, a choose the body that gives me signals, because that's the body I have. And I would rather listen to my body giving me signals than, you know, like, the person who goes to the doctor for a routine colonoscopy and finds out they have Crohn's disease. I'm like, how does that even possible? They had no idea. And my doctors told me that. He's like, oh, yeah, this person came in for a routine at 50 fully Crohn's disease, had no idea, no symptoms. What?

I. I think if they do have symptoms, they're not aware.

Like, numb doubt, maybe.

I have a friend in our community who he. Like, I won't go into his whole thing, but he basically had his. His colon was, like, obstructed, right. He had to go in and, like, he lost some of his colon. He almost, like, died. Right? And then it happened again again, like, maybe a year later. And I called him, and I was like, okay, this is. He's like, doctor says I'm fine. And I'm like, something is not fine. Your gut is not fine. We have liver gut. Like, there's something going on here. So I'm like, do this test. Whatever. Long story short, I'm like, you need to find a functional doctor. Like, this is just not. You're not in the right space. So he found a functional doctor. Anyways, he calls me months later, and he's like, oh, my gosh. You were essentially right. I have ibd, maybe Crohn, and maybe colitis or something. And I was like, what?

How did you not know?

You know, maybe a little acid reflux or, like, a little things that people don't think about, you know?

Yeah.

Like, oh, my gosh, you're not fine. That's not fine.

That's not fine. That's not fine. That's, like, either ignoring all of the signals or. Yeah. Yeah, that's intense. That's really intense. Okay, what are your other questions? I want to make sure you get.

Then we're gonna end. I just want to talk because I. In the world of perimenopause. And then we will end. I love you. I appreciate you, But I do want your thoughts, because you're almost 50. I'm 46. The perimenopause and the menopause, and I've listened to you talk about with Karen. And I've also heard Karen talk about it. You know, Karen heard how she just eased through menopause. I'm like, this is where I am right now. I'm like, you. I'm like, I'm going to be prepared and I want to just navigate it. I'm not buying into the idea that it's going to be like, horrible. And I have no symptoms currently.

Oh, good for you.

Like, what. What do you think are the key levers to navigate perimenopause and menopause gracefully and naturally?

You know, I think most women always going to be outliers. And what works for every woman, as we just established, might be different than what works for me. But having boundaries and really dialed in on how I nourish myself has been key. Like my body, I could feel recently my body thinking about having a period and it didn't. But I could feel that kind of like surge in hormones and you know, like, is this happening? Is this not happening? No, it's not happening. And I was kind of like, I hope I don't get one period right before the 12 months because, like, it'd be nice for. To not reset that clock. Because every time you get a period, you reset the clock. And I'm like, in December would be 12 months for me, and that would be like in. In menopause. And I'm like, come on, menopause, let's do this. And you know, but I think it's. I. Women, most women don't know how insulin resistant they become, and they're. And they're hungry all the time because of the hormones are just really surging and they're more erratic and, you know, you might skip a period, but you were eating like you were gonna have your period. Because we tend to want more calories right before we have a bleed, which makes sense. We're about to lose a lot of blood and, you know, need more calories. And they get into these cycles where, you know, suddenly, for the first time in their life, they can't lose weight. And so I think really staying present to your body and its changes and noticing it and being proactive about changing it. Most, most women in the 40s shouldn't be drinking alcohol. Like, not good for gut microbiome, not great calories. You're. You're, you know, you're consuming a fair amount of calories in alcohol. And you know, I just think there's a lot of habits that a lot of women have that don't set them up for a good Menopause. So thinking about how much processed sugar you're taking in, thinking about, are you drinking alcohol? Thinking about your stress, how much caffeine are you living on instead of eating a decent meal? Obviously I know that puts us in the category of intermittent fasting and blah blah, blah, but I'm me personally, I do not fast. I don't believe in skipping breakfast. I love breakfast. I'd rather eat an early dinner and have a good 12 hour, 14 hour fast overnight from dinner than miss out on breakfast. Like, I wake up ready for breakfast, I'm like, yeah, bring it. You know, within an hour of waking, I'm, I'm scarfing my first protein. So and, and moving the body and sleep. Like all of these things that I do are in honor of this transition and I've been in practice with them for the, you know, and more so in the second half of the 40s where I'm really, the first half I was sleeping because I was exhausted from being sick all the time. And so I was going to bed early, I had a, would struggle to stay up later. Now I'm in bed, asleep by nine, up at five, moving my body, getting that morning light. These are all practices that I have now. But I also know that it works for me. I'm not having hot flashes, I'm not having brain fog, I'm not having headaches. You know, sometimes I feel like I have less capacity. I would say that's the biggest symptom I've noticed for me is even for the work I love, I feel like I need more, more me time, if that makes sense. So I've just kind of shifted everything to kind of fit where I am in my life. But find out your protein needs, take care of your gut microbiome, eat the fiber. They're not going to kill you. I mean, unless they are. And then we'll figure that out. But eat a variety of fiber implants and eat the, get that unsaturated fat. I mean all of these brain health diets can't be wrong with dementia and all of these issues that women suffer with with memory loss, not just through menopause, but then beyond of, of all of that. And all of the mind diets are all really focused on low saturated fat, high unsaturated fat diets. And I know this is, this can be a hot debate, you know, in the community, but that's kind of what I've been leaning into.

Personally, I love it and, and it's amazing and it's also get ahead of It, I also think you've gotten ahead of it as well because it's like once we start to get like, if, you know, like if you have been living on adrenaline your whole life, that's going to be that you're, it's going to, you're going to get hit harder.

With that, you're going to get hammered. If you're sliding in sideways as a woman into menopause, why do you think we have the HRT revolution? Because people are sliding in sideways. Most of us had kids. I had kids early, but most of my clients had kids later. They're in survival mode and they're propping themselves up on, on chalk, dark chocolate and coffee. And they're not thinking about menopause until suddenly menopause hammers them in the face and they're desperate. And so we are seeing a movement of desperate women who've net, you know, a lot of them haven't prioritized their, well, wealth, their health. They've prioritized their wealth over their health and working really hard and not prioritizing, eating well and taking care of themselves and getting enough sleep. And women are different animals than men. We just are. And that hormonal system needs care and that gut microbiome needs care. And because the gut microbiome plays a part in our hormones and we see that especially on the bean protocol where you get this high fiber diet going and suddenly hot flashes go away and suddenly they don't have brain fog all the time and you know, they start to feel better and they get a libido again and that's kind of hot, you know, so who doesn't, I mean, I don't want to lose my, my libido, you know, so I get it. Like I'm, I'm, I'm here for it. These are all tools, right? People ask me, how do you feel about hrt? I'm like, it's a tool with potential consequences. What do you think about GLP1? It's a tool with potential consequences. Like there, there is no choice without consequence. You choose to do the beating protocol or you choose to do carnivore. You choose to do vegan. You're giving up something and you're, you're, you know, you're always going to be, there's always a consequence to it. My consequence of staying in remission for 10 years and being on the beaten protocol for 13 is I don't eat sugar, I don't drink alcohol. You know, I don't do these things that other people think are like things they couldn't live without. That is the consequence of my choices. We all have consequences to any choice we make. So it's really at the end of the day, I think feeling empowered with whatever choice you're making and stepping up to the bat to whatever the outcome is going to be. Does that make sense?

Yeah, I know. That was awesome. I love that. I love the concept consequences and just the consequences of the HRT. I just, Dr. Naysha Winters, her, she's a dear friend of ours and she helps with cancer. She's like metabolic health for cancer. Right. So she was just looking at my genes recently. I'm just going to throw this in there because I think it's an important aspect. I was like this. She's like, I know why you're so sensitive from your genes. She was the one, one of the many doctors that told me that, you know, but she's also like, you should never go on any hormone replacement therapies ever.

Is it because of your liver pathways, your C4?

Like it's the estrogen, but I don't know specific which pathways. I look at her notes on that, but it just stuck with me. I mean, I wasn't planning on it, but I'm like, oh my gosh. Like not Everybody has a Dr. Naysha Winters or has their genes to look at that. She was like so clear. Absolutely not. Like, that is a recipe for disaster. And I don't know if that's talked about as much as there is the HRT revolution of you should get on it as soon as possible. And I'm like, maybe we should run some red flags. Maybe not.

Well, and also like, I just had Karen back on the podcast to talk about through her lens and you know, it. She's like, well, if your innate hormones can give you cancer, why wouldn't an a synthetic estrogen give you cancer or progesterone? People walk around thinking bioidentical means your hormones. It's synthetic but it's identical to your hormone, but it's still a synthetic. It's not. It doesn't mean that they went and harvested it from a woman. And it's human made hormones. It's. It's still made in a lab. It just means that it's identical to the makeup of our own. So, you know, she's like, so if our own hormones can give us cancer, why can't bioidentical hormone give us cancer? And the problem is, is most people won't find out for 10 to 15 years for what they do. Today. So it's, it's. But again, it's a choice. And for a lot of women who haven't been proactive, walking around with a dry vagina and no sex drive and hot flashes and you're looking at a life rope, you know, a life raft of like, oh, hey, I can have some life back and all I have to do is, is do this. And you know, I'm, I'm. I'm a realist. There are no choices without consequences, even the ones that are seemingly without consequence. And I just worked with a woman who was on HRT for a year and ended up with breast cancer. And they said it had no connection to the hrt, but you're like, she never had cancer before. Like, how could it not be connected? And you know, so it's, it's complicated. But I think self responsibility and advocating for oneself, whether it is to take HRT or to not. Or maybe you do get your genetics done, like be empowered, you know, because if one gets cancer from taking hrt, nobody's responsible for, but for the person who's deciding to take it.

Yeah. I love that. I love the responsibility and, and there is the lifeline. I mean, we all have to make the choices. And depending on where our health is, I mean, there's, you know, do you do. I mean, there's so many choices. Right. But it's like I was just thinking, if you give you hrt, then do the bean protocol or something similar. Yeah.

Like bind up the excess hormones. Y. Yeah.

The margins. Whatever choice you make, you're gonna have to have some sort of pumpkin consequence. If you give up sugar now, you know, you're giving up sugar now, but what are you getting later? You know? And if you don't give up sugar or whatever it is, alcohol, there's going to be a consequence at some point, at some time, you're going to be like, I really wish I would have done that.

Yeah.

That's what I always think. I'm like, I wish that I would have. What would my future self want me to do right now? Even though I feel like I like chocolate, for me was like I needed to give up of like, okay, I just can't be eating a whole bar of chocolate. It's just not like, it's just not working for me. But my future self is going to be happy that I gave the chocolate up, even though it felt hard, you know?

Yeah. And it's finding for me. I don't feel restricted. I know that somebody else living my life would be like, Oh, I couldn't do it and that's fine. But I feel free. I feel free from addictive behavior, I feel free from sugar cravings, I feel free from disease and suffering, which I did a lot of. But the consequence of my choices are I don't eat sugar, I don't drink alcohol, and that's the identity that I prefer for myself, that I've created for myself. And I'm not mad about my past self that totally indulged in all those things, but I want something different for my 80 year old self and I want to gift her my choices today of but also just I live the gift every day of food is my function, it's functional, it nourishes my animal body, my gut microbiome, and I feel great and I am thankful every time I sit down to what I call a love letter from me to me. It's like I'm nourishing myself from the inside out with these incredible nutrients for my gut, for my brain, for my body. And it's worth it.

Yeah. Amazing. I love it. Yes. You make it all. You make like the discipline. I know you say discipline to devotion. I call it bliss upline. But you make it look so beautiful and elegant and like doable. So I always appreciate you having the courage to share your journey and your path and to share it so beautifully that you're like, I could do it like that. Like, I know you give so many people. Like, look at her, she's totally rocking her goddess life. She is like rocking it and she is not missing out. And that through the discipline and devotion you have that freedom. Like you are a demonstration at least from my vantage point of like more of that. Yes.

Thank you. I feel it and I really appreciate you and adore you and we definitely need to catch up offline as well.

Yeah. So thank you so much, love. Thank you.