Today we are excited to have Christa’s colleague and certified hypnotherapist, Anya Drapkin here to teach us how to tap into our childhood through Mind Zoning® to understand why we make certain food-related choices in adulthood. Stay tuned to the end, when Anya leads us through a ten-minute Mind Zoning® session!

As with any Mind Zoning® session make sure you’re taking a break from distractions, outside of your car, and have a space to “zone out” and let your mind unwind.

Childhood Patterns That Shape Our Adulthood Behaviors

During Anya’s educational training, she discovered how crucial the first seven years of life is for us when it comes to how we behave later in life. This time period serves as a template for how we relate to our environment, nature, our homes and even our food choices. This imprint period has been shown to directly shape our patterns, but is also the root which determines how our habits are formed. These engrained behaviors are unlikely to change unless we tap into them.

Our culture places a big importance on food and although we don’t want to shame the treats used in celebrations, such as birthday cake, we do need to be mindful of how these celebratory foods make us feel. From an early age, we are taught to associate food with comfort and happy times, and this relationship typically continues into adulthood. We “self-soothe” with food.

Anya points out that a child’s first interaction with their mother is being brought to the breast to be fed. The child feels loved, reassured, and the sweetness of the milk fills the brain with pleasure and there is a bond that forms over this encounter. This intimate moment is a core time that shows that love flows from mother to baby. This first nourishment soothes the brain for years and emotionally attaches the child to the food and the human it comes from.

As we grow, we don’t always get the same emotional support from humans that we can find from food. We may find ourselves using food, sugar or alcohols as a way to soothe and comfort ourselves – so this becomes a critical point where we need to analyze these patterns and behaviors we’ve brought into our adult lives.

Carbs, Sugar, and Alcohol

These substances in particular are to blame since they “fire up” the reward center in our brains. If you’ve ever tried to give up all or one of these things for a period of time, you’ve surely realized the emotional and physiological connection associated with these substances.

It makes better sense when we look back to the caveman stages of humanity (primarily what the paleo diet is based from) our brain is wired to keep us safe. When we eat sugar, it fires up our brain’s reward center and suddenly we feel happy and safe. In today’s times, it’s important for us to realize that our brain is simply trying to fix itself. We consume these foods because we are hardwired to do so. This realization may help to release the guilt we associate with consuming these substances that we know are not good for us. Although the brain is trying to recover that feeling of safety and comfort, it is actually creating havoc in our bodies. It’s important for us to create new patterns as a brain safety mechanism. Getting off the reliance of sugar, carbs and alcohol gives our bodies the freedom to create new neural pathways.

Tapping Into Childhood

Anya states that most people struggle with changing lifelong behaviors towards food and alcohol simply because of the ritual they’ve created around it. Patterns are built through repetition. We associate a lot of our eating habits with situations with emotional components and that we want to cherish and repeat. Many of these patterns ‘make us feel good’ and many times we use these habits to help us feel good in a pinch. We not only need to learn how to break the ritual but also the brain connection we have with it. Anya encourages, “We have to create a different, healthier way to get our means."

Techniques How to Identify and Shift These Patterns

Anya focuses on:

• Diving into the emotional state – We simply cannot address the inner soothing we need by giving ourselves quick sensations. Food doesn’t work on the cognitive level.
• Empowering to use imagination – In our society we are trained to use our more logical left side of the brain. This is the product-driven, performance-based part that controls behaviors that make us successful. To evolve as humans, it’s important we pay more attention to the right side of the brain. This is the emotional, holistic part of us that makes up the meaning of life.

“Nothing has meaning other than the meaning you give to it.”

Anya asks her clients to envision and use imagery to tune in at this time, the conscious mind will go to what is most relevant. She says, “The power is about what the client’s subconscious needs to complete and it will soothe what the deeper being wants to receive." Anya goes on to tell us, “The mind zoning space will bring you what’s missing and what the solution will be for you, outside of food. Sometimes it’s community or support and to engage in the people who want to support and love you.”

Now it’s your turn (guided hypnotherapy)

Find a safe space that you can relax and take a couple deep breaths

Know that you have all the talents and skills to get relaxed

Tune out visual stimulus and wiggle into a comfortable position

Feel the solid support beneath you

Begin to get in touch with your breath

Paying attention to your breath and the words

Notice any tight spots you’re holding tension

Feel the deep breaths in the bottom of your lungs

Feel the power of your muscles as you consciously inhale

On the exhale surrender into gravity

Trust the solid support beneath you

Keep deepening your breath

Tune into yourself

You’re the most interesting entity in this moment

Tune attention inward so you can fully benefit from your focus

Accept your focus

Let that be a possibility

Have unconditional acceptance and focus

You deserve it

You can take up space

Begin to move attention

Open your inner eye to a place where you can imagine things

You’re at the top of the staircase moving down

You see a big beautiful tree

So big it has a doorway

Walk around the tree

Walk up to the door

Behind the door is your childhood

A place where you were safe and felt good

Put your hands in the doorway and step through

Step into a place where you were much younger and smaller

Go into that place

How do you feel?

Notice the quality of the air

Notice who’s there

Where you are

That you’re okay

That you’re still in your imagination

Notice that this childhood mind is still in you

Notice what does this child want

Do you want to play?

Explore?

A hug?

Look at your childhood self and ask a question

“What do you want the most right now?”

“What are feeling right now?”

“What do you need?”

Anya asks us to think about, what would you tell your childhood self that would comfort them and give them an opportunity to grow and soothe their inner worries during that moment? These answers are the very things that we carry with us into adulthood.

For more information about Anya and her practices check out her website My Oasis for Healing.

If you enjoyed this Mind Zoning® session make sure you listen to Mountain Escape, on the Fitlandia website. You can sign up for a FREE, 2-week trial and unlock access to the entire collection and all the other member benefits for 2-weeks.

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Background

Dr. Michele Sherwood began working in functional medicine after she began noticing that she addressed her patients more by their specific medications or diseases, instead of by their names. She had earned a naturopath degree before medical school and was now realizing she was simply prescribing maintenance medicines to her patients; a type of “band aid”. She discovered a dramatic improvement in her patients and in her practice when she began to look at the root cause and their life as a whole; including nutrition, activity level, hormonal balances, stress, and sleep patterns which can feed into sickness and disease.

Mark and Michele, besides being married, also have a wellness-based medical practice. They work with genetics, excessive fat reduction, medication reduction and improvement of muscle tissue and texture. Simply put, they’re working to eliminate self-imposed choice driven sickness and diseases from the planet.

By helping to get the focus off obsessing over weight and transitioning to eating whole foods and being healthier overall, Mark and Michele are hoping to work themselves out of jobs.

Get healthy on purpose and lose weight on accident

Mark states, “Anytime we talk about a program where weight loss is included, it’s important to remember, you cannot lose muscle tissue.” Muscle tissue is the way we move our bodies, without it, we’re dying. When we focus on maintaining muscle, we lose fat and overall body composition and our longevity improves.

When focusing on overall body composition it’s a good ratio for 10%-20% body fat for men and 18%-28% for woman. When this is normalized, physical health and emotional health improves.

In their practice, they use an analysis called Bioimpedance for examining body composition. This is different than BMI (Body Mass Index) that measures below, in the middle or above a certain range for body composition but doesn’t actually measure the actual body mass. Conversely, Bioimpedance evaluates lean body mass; how much is withheld, fat inflammatory mass, intracellular and outer cellular water and basal metabolic rate. This is a more accurate measure of cellular health.

This is used as a base line evaluation of a body’s composition and how many calories are necessary to be properly fueled. Mark and Michele use this to study and develop individual plans for their patients. They’re also working on point specific genetics dealing with metabolic health and sports components. Stay tuned for a future podcast where we’ll dive into this information on what chronic inflammation can do this to our bodies and techniques like these that can be used to target solutions.

Now, how does our food inflame us right into disease?

Inflammation, when acute, is how we heal. When it becomes chronic is when it becomes problematic and is the first signs of sickness or disease.

Roughly 80% of the inflammation in our bodies is coming in through our mouths.

When we eat foods that inflame our system, they’re disguised as macronutrients when in reality, they’re simply just macro calories. If we have an efficient, healthy body when we eat foods with good macro nutrient quality, we can get the micro nutrients out of these foods. If not, our bodies start to get inflamed and break them down one organ at a time which can result in hormone imbalances, weight gain, back pain, digestion issues, brain fog, etc.

Known inflammatory foods  

A good pneumonic for these foods is, S.A.D. which stands for the Standard American Diet.

This includes:

• Fried Foods
• Sugars, Artificial Sweeteners, Soda
• Processed Foods and Preservatives – including processed sandwich meats
• MSG – fillers found in dressings, cookies, spices etc.
• Excessive Caffeine - 200-300 milligrams more than daily amount
• Excessive Alcohol – 1-2 drinks a week
• Corn, Soy, Yeast, Grains and Bread
• Anything found in a box or package
• Any foods with added ingredients to change the foods nature or preserve it

 Anti-inflammatory foods to enjoy

Anything that grows in the land, aside from certain food allergies, is going to be much easier for the body to identity and digest. Including more of these types of foods will start to improve your health and mood in as little time as a week!

• Raw fruits – lower glycemic so you watch sugar levels, but also include nutrients and vitamins
• Vegetables - no limits to greens. Vegetables help alkalize the system and help with digestion, they also provide lots of minerals and fiber.
• Hormone free, grass-fed meat
• Pasture raised eggs
• Fish – fresh cod and farm-raised fish like trout

Pro Tip: 75% of your plate = vegetables and then make healthy fat choices for the remaining 25%.

What to expect when transitioning to an anti- inflammatory diet

• Increase in energy which helps release brain fog
• Better digestion which boosts weight loss
• Look out for perceived fatigue because of blood sugar dropping – don’t quit - have a piece of fruit, and let your mind and body start to adjust.
• Don’t focus on depravity but welcome the new journey of releasing toxins and overcoming the brain, gut connectivity we have to certain foods.

It’s helpful to stay connected and you’ll be three times more successful with support and accountability partners. Here at Fitlandia we have an amazing group of people who will help you every step of the way.

Mark states, “Don’t dabble in your health, it’s not a part time job but a full-time life.”

Ready to try out an anti-inflammatory diet and reclaim your health with both mental and nutritional support?

Our next No Fools' Detox starts on 5/15/17. Only 15 spots available! A FREE, 1-yr membership to Fitlandia is included ($228 value). Our listeners get 20% off. See below for details.

REGISTER TODAY! 

(THANKS FOR LISTENING! Save 20% and enter EPISODE30 at checkout)

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This week we bring back regular guest, Dr. Jerome Craig, to teach us all about living a gluten free lifestyle. As you may know, Dr. Craig is the voice, vision and wisdom behind many of our Fitlandia webinars.

Today we’re talking about being gluten free and asking if it is just another diet fad or truly beneficial for our health. If you’ve listened to previous Fitlandia podcasts you know we’re passionate about bringing credible, science-backed information to our listeners - no more fads, no more diets, no more quick fixes. So, this gluten free thing is a hot topic right now, and was initially thought to be healthy. But now there’s a backlash about the research, or lack thereof about the health benefits of eating gluten free.

So, we posed this question to Dr. Craig, “Do you believe being gluten free is a diet fad?”

He tells us that it’s become a very popular way of eating. The statistics show that 20 million Americans are eating gluten free and a third of those people are trying to avoid gluten. It’s very much front and center in today’s culture.
So, is it a fad? Yes, no and maybe. It is a necessity for everyone? Yes, no and maybe. Dr. Craig states, it’s important to look at the science.
It’s hard to say, one way or another, exactly what being gluten free or not will do for your body but a diet concentrated mostly on any grain isn’t going to be the most nutritious. The best thing about grains is how much fiber they provide. Fiber is good for us, helping to maintain blood glucose levels but also creates digestive distress for many people and that’s when the gluten argument gets a little foggy.

So, what is gluten?

Typically, we know of gluten as the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Gluten is made up of two molecules that are added together; a larger, polymeric glutenin and a smaller protein, gliadin. When combined, they create a lot of stickiness. As wheat is ground and kneaded into dough, it becomes very elastic which is popular in bread making. The air molecules within the dough are trapped, making the bread strong and fluffy.

This is where the science and the argument come in - the gluten free market place is a huge industry now. Dr. Craig tells us, “The gluten free market has more than doubled in sales between 2011 and 2016 and today is a $15 billion market.”
Although thriving, these products are not necessarily better for you, just because they are gluten free. Most of these baked goods are corn or rice based and don’t provide us more nutrition.

Gluten Free Society posts a variety of glutens. Their argument is with 400 glutens occurring in nature; only 40 of those exist in the human food supply. Most seeds are made with components that are meant to be protected and not digested. These seeds are grown so animals eat and spread them to reassure regrowth of the plants. For optimal health and digestion, it is recommended to not only watch wheat glutens, but all grains because every grain has gluten in it.

That’s right; gluten is not just in wheat, rye and barley but also rice, corn and millet which are used in gluten free foods. These all have a group of plant storage proteins, called prolamins, which for most of us are not easily digestible. If we look back at traditional ways of making breads, they used to ferment it. These grains required time to absorb water and the fermentation process gave the bread the gluten-like texture we know and love.

They Don't Make 'Em Like they Used To

Today, however, commercial bakeries use a gluten concentrate in creating doughs. This modern way of milling flour strips the nutrients, leaving the starch and then the concentrate is added to make the bread fluffy again. This is why eating “gluten” causes intestinal distress for so many people because our immune systems and guts are reacting to it. Additives such as coloring, sweeteners, shortening and bleaching agents are added to commercial bread products and are not usually labeled because they’re not technically food ingredients. No wonder our bodies are inflamed!

One of our big issues with gluten today is with studies of Celiac; a serious genetic autoimmune disorder. Celiac provokes problems with the immune system if gluten is consumed. Most celiacs have to follow a strict gluten free diet. Even non-celiac people may have sensitivity to wheat/ gluten because many ingredients in wheat can be problematic. The best way to feel better is to avoid eating these types of foods for a period of time, and there are certain probiotics that may help people digest gluten.

Dr. Craig points out, “If you eliminate all grains from your diet, you’re going to change your body’s microbiology. This colony changes when you change what you eat, and when a certain food is eliminated and then brought back into the diet later – there is likely to be difficulties with digestion.”
Studies do show people who suffer with gut inflammation, leaky gut or IBS greatly benefit from a grain free diet. Eliminating grains not only helps us cut out wheat glutens but we naturally incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diet instead of processed foods. This gives us greater health benefits by increasing our nutrients and helping to manage blood sugar levels.

It’s not about replacing the gluten with other non-gluten baked goods but transitioning into more of a “paleo style” way of eating by removing all flours and adding in more root vegetables and nutrient dense foods. We need to listen to our bodies. When we slow down and pay attention to how our body feels, we can use that as a guide for dietary choices. The easiest way to see what might be causing you inflammation is to take a break from it, see how great your body feels, and introduce it back slowly later if you choose.

Tips on Reintroducing Foods Back Into Your Diet

Grains for example:
• Look up fermentable ways to make your own bread so you know exactly what you’re adding in to it
• Start with consuming small amounts and see if you feel any gastrointestinal distress
• Probiotics which help with digestion – some in the bacillus or lactobacillus family or any lactate fermenting will help break down these foods.

With so many people suffering from gut inflammation and borderline immune dysfunction, its no wonder that being gluten free has become so popular and is seen as a trending fad.

People who experience food disorders or GI distress tend to benefit from a low FODMAP diet. A low FODMAP diet, or FODMAP elimination diet, refers to a temporary eating pattern that has a very low amount of food compounds called FODMAPs.

The acronym, as described by co-creator Sue Shepard, stands for:

• Fermentable – meaning they are broken down (fermented) by bacteria in the large bowel
• Oligosaccharides – “oligo” means “few” and “saccharide” means sugar. These molecules are made up of individual sugars joined together in a chain
• Disaccharides – “di” means two. This is a double sugar molecule
• Monosaccharides – “mono” means single. This is a single sugar molecule
• And Polyols – these are sugar alcohols (however, they don’t lead to intoxication!)

This way of eating is primarily beneficial for people with GI problems because any fructans, the fructose molecule found in wheat are removed as well as plant fibers which lead to bacterial overgrowth in the gut.

Leaky gut can also be caused by a gluten dense diet resulting in a buildup of antibodies to the hormone, Zonulin. This hormone, which acts like a border control in the gut, opens up gap junctions allowing large particles to pass through. However, gluten stimulates the release of Zonulin which can promote leaky gut.

How do glutens affect autoimmune disease?

Protein molecules that define a grain may be mistaken by our immune system to look like the digestive tract called molecular mimicry. Hyperpermeability, or the increase of permeability (leaky gut), is at the heart of immune dysfunction. Protein leaks out of the digestive tract directly into the blood stream which creates a negative response in our bodies. This can be caused by food particles or toxins that make it across the bacteria that lines the gut. Our bodies become hyper-vigilant and when the immune system dials in with an unrecognizable substance in the system, our bodies can start attacking its own cells. To help with this, we want to broaden the spectrum of probiotic foods in our diet, since we tend to miss out on nutrients if we eliminate food groups for long periods of time.

For people who are trying to reintroduce foods back to their diets, Dr. Craig suggests starting with fermented foods which are easier to digest. A small amount of toxins help to keep our immune system alert and makes it easier to adjust after detoxification.

As you start reintroducing foods look for:

• Family history (especially celiac) to try and avoid gluten and grains
• Gut inflammation (heart burn, IBS) correlations with food allergies
• Intestinal permeability (many food sensitives) you will start to react to more foods
• Skin issues (eczema, psoriasis, discoloring, bruising)
• Digestion (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn)
• Brain function (brain fog, hard time concentrating, fatigue after meals which are all associated with immune function and a difficulty regulating blood sugar and insulin levels.
• Anxiety / Depression – inflammatory process which grains tend to feed into this response

For more on how grains affect our neurological health, check out Grain Brain by David Perlmutter.
If you’ve experienced any of the symptoms we’ve talked about or are curious about eating grain or gluten free, it’s worthwhile to try it for your body. Our food controls every function of our bodies; our mood, energy and our digestion.
When you look out for your gut, your gut will look out for you!

Here are some helpful tips:

• Focus on understanding how your body feels – food journaling is beneficial
• Use framework of how you’re doing with eliminating or reintroducing foods (Christa uses a scale 1-5)
• Look at avoiding pesticides and glyphosates in commercial foods which damage the gut microbiome
• Be confident in your journey in finding what best works for your body

Do you love Dr. Craig as much as we do? You can join his online Nutritional Ketosis program that launches April 23rd. A FREE, 1-yr memberhsip to Fitlandia is included ($228 value). Our listeners get 20% off. See below for details.

REGISTER TODAY! 

(save 20% and enter LOVEKETO at checkout - good through 4/14)

Want More? Subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today and have a healthy commute everyday!

Long-time (30 years!) friend of Christa, Gina Robert and her husband Kris, join the Fitlandia Podcast to talk about their incredible lifestyle overhaul. They'll share how they managed to make amazing healthy changes in spite of both of them having full-time jobs and 4 children, 2 of them under 10! This episode is filled with laughs as they all speak openly about what it takes to make a permanent lifestyle change.

The show opens with Christa cracking up as Gina says, "She looks just like she did in high school, except without the bangs." After the ladies recall they've known each other for over 30 years, first meeting in high school, they settle in to talk more about their collective fitness journeys. Through the power of Facebook, they've been able to watch each other's transformation over time.

Kris shares his story of growing up in sports and how he started to lose his healthy fitness habits in college to focus on his studies. He also notes the typical college lifestyle of not-so-healthy food in the cafeteria and drinking. As a teacher he found he was stress eating too. He would make attempts over the years with Weight Watchers and/or brief stints at the gym.

Kris was  diagnosed morbidly obese and found it increasingly difficult to find clothes that fit. He knew he had to make a change.

Gina then brought to his attention a challenge at Fit Body Bootcamp where they both signed up! Feeling a bit skeptical at first, Kris then became hooked through their challenges where he's now

• lost over 60 lbs since September 2016
• has all normal blood work, including cholesterol for the first time in his life
• lost 15% body fat
• inspired now to help others on their own fitness journey
• reversed digestive issues

Gina was personally motivated after her daughter turned 2 and after having a c-section, she wanted to get her body, especially her stomach feeling fit and doctors told her to reactivate these muscles. Well that inspired her to look at her total body the same way - that it was time to reactivate ALL of her muscles to get fit.

Previously, they would let their healthy food spoil so now they are saving money by making time to cook and using the healthy food they buy. Gina's gotten very creative using spices and veggies to change up using base proteins like chicken - and even her kids are gobbling it up!

Kris and Gina then go on to talk about their #1 tip: PLANNING for meal prep.

Sunday is their big prep day together and they'll take the time to get all of their veggies prep. When they do need to eat out, they just make healthy choices.

Christa, Kris and Gina commiserate on the negative attitudes they hear from others on how hard it is to give up X or they don't have enough time for X. It's just a matter of changing habits. Christa then talks about the power of Mind Zoning® to change the neural pathways in the brain.

Together they all discuss how unhealthy foods are a part of our culture and how to integrate the occasional treat. They are sticking with their new diet because they finally know what it feels like to feel normal and how that outweighs that brief moment of indulgence with cake. Kris wraps up with his favorite tip to have your favorites on hand. Try new things, yes, but when you're really busy, have your go-to meal available. Final thoughts from them all - have positive thoughts! Get the Mind Zoning® app free here.

"Focus on what you're gaining and not what you're giving up." - Christa

Show Gina & Kris some love and head over to iTunes or Stitcher (click below) to download this episode, give us a rating and tell us what you got out of hearing their story today.