SAMIA: Hello, Salaam, Shalom, Namaste, Sat Sri Akal, Aloha, Holah, Ciao, Bonjour, Buna, and Privet! It's really, really good to be with you again. And you know what, you will be so happy to have joined us today because we have a very special guest. And it's Jenn J, who is a women's health... or Women's Hormone Health Coach and Family Nutritionist. I think that is so cool. Welcome, Jenn…

JENN: Hi, there. Thank you for having me…

SAMIA: Yes, please Jenn, tell us more about who you are and what you do…

JENN: For sure. Yeah. So yeah, my title is a bit of a mouthful. I am a Women's Hormone Health Coach and a Family Nutritionist. And I think it's important that women understand that I am both… because as a mother, I know that it is very difficult to focus on our own health habits when we're taking care of other people. And so it's important in my practice that I'm incorporating both units, both the individual woman, mom, with her family, in order to help her achieve her goals. And at the end of the day, what I help women do is recharge their batteries and feel better in their body. And we do that through sustainable approaches, non dieting approaches, and by balancing underlying hormones that are actually perpetuating the types of cycles that moms find themselves in that leaves them feeling exhausted, overwhelmed with, you know, moody outbursts, anxiety, and, you know, all the other symptoms that we see… weight gain and bloating as well. So…

SAMIA: Thank you so much for... Wow, okay… just right there, you brought up so many excellent points. I love that you brought out the aspect of, you know, you can’t just help mom as an individual unless you're also bringing in the family. I know, wow, in my own family, I can see how that is so necessary.

JENN: Yes, absolutely. Yeah... And you know, years ago, before I became a parent, I would have, you know, probably just shrugged at the hesitation that mom's experience in taking charge of their health because, you know, as a single or as a non-mom, you know, a non-parent, you really don't comprehend what goes into parenting until you actually become a parent... And so I was blissfully ignorant to that, despite being raised in a large family. And when I became a parent, I really did realize, you know, my cup is empty, probably 90% of the day, because I'm pouring into my daughter and my family, in the household… And, you know, when I'm not refilling that cup, I feel it. And unfortunately, so does the rest of my family. And so I've really, really learned to recognize that, you know, if mum really wants to get anywhere, it has to include the whole family, because it's just not going to happen otherwise. And if it's not easy, she can't do it... There isn't the time, there isn't the energy, there isn't that ability to adopt a new practice. So it really comes down to, you know, the family unit. And looking at sustainable approaches to our health that mom can actually do that doesn't feel like more work.

SAMIA: Yeah, yeah. Oh, my gosh... And I think, you know, for people like my mom, also, if you have the family involved, and it's something that they know is going to benefit their family… like, it gives them extra motivation to actually stick to this plan to create positive change. Because I know like my mom will oftentimes not do things for herself, but she go to the ends of the world for the family. And I don't know if that's necessarily the best mindset, but it's my mom's mindset, so we take advantage of it. I remember actually, we started going to see herbal nutritionist… well, she wasn't... she didn't call herself a nutritionist primarily… but because she's a holistic health doctor, she also talks a lot about nutrition and so forth. And we were like seriously amazed because usually my mom will put up all kinds of resistance to taking care of her health and all that good stuff. But she also like really pulled at my mom's heartstrings as a mom. And she was like…

JENN: ...yes…

SAMIA: ...what about your son? If you don't take care of yourself right now by doing this and doing this and doing that, who will take care of him? And my mom was like, Oh, you're so right. Oh, my gosh, I have to do this…

AD HERE

JENN: Yeah, exactly, right... And you're right, it's probably not the best mindset, but the majority of us have actually grown up in that culture. And I'm guilty of it still sometimes to, where you know, we'll put everybody's needs above my own. And so it does take a little bit of, you know, work on our mindset to start to factor in the fact like, hey, my needs matter, too, right. And if I'm not up to par, I'm not going to be able to serve anybody the way I want to. But it's actually two fold too, in the sense that we're raising the next generation. And when we look at the, you know, the epidemic of heart disease, and diabetes, and illness, and just sickness in general, you know, we have the opportunity to actually change that in the future, right, just through one generation. And so what we do for ourselves, and what we teach within our family home, is going to relate and actually, you know, help shape our children into a healthier society. And of course, I mean, that goes way beyond just nutrition. But I mean, that's going to trickle into productivity and, you know, the work environment and our medical systems and our cultural systems and all of that. So, there as a parent, we actually have a significant obligation, right, to start to think about how can we adopt more healthier habits in the family? You know, not just for myself, but for our future generations as well…

SAMIA: Yeah. And I love that you also make the whole process easy... I mean, that's another thing. I mean, whether you’re a mom or anyone, like, change can feel so hard, and it can discourage so many people from making change. But I think you're speaking to the right people… we love making change fun and easy. So we really appreciate you and your effort Jenn.

JENN: Yeah, yeah, for sure. And that's exactly it… like we are as humans, creatures of habit, we will always seek out the comfort of what is familiar. And you know, when it comes to our nutrition and our health habits, it is really scary, to make a change and to step out of our comfort zone and to trust somebody else in that process. And, and that's why I love that what I do really does break it… like, you know, like, my coaching motto is one bite at a time, because you might have this ultimate, incredibly scary and ambitious health goal. But at the end of the day, the only way you're going to get there is by the simple bites that you take every single day, that's going to add up cumulatively to where you want to be. And so bringing it right down to that mindset of, okay, what is on the end of my fork, right now? What is my body telling me it needs right now? Instead of looking at that really long-term, scary picture... And by doing that, it's totally doable.

SAMIA: Yes. Oh, I love that… you know, we will have to come back to this idea... And before we dig deeper into it, what I wanted to maybe have you talk a little more about to us is… I've been thinking… why hormone health? Like, what made you hone in on the hormone health aspect of things? Like, what are the problems that you saw that you realized, Oh, it's about hormone health?

JENN: Yeah. Yeah... That's a really great question. So I grew up with hormonal imbalances. They started when I was 13... And unfortunately, you know, four out of five women at some point in their lifetime will have a hormonal imbalance. And when we think of hormones, particularly women's health, we think mostly of our menstrual cycle… but what we don't realize is how tightly connected our menstrual cycle is to all the other hormones and systems that run in our body. And so for me, you know, the big warning flags were that I was having menstrual disorders and that I was having irregularity and pain and heavy bleeding and infertility even. And those were the warning signs to me that, you know, something inside my body is wrong or not working efficiently. And when I went the traditional medical route, I didn't get a whole lot of support. I was given, you know, what I refer to as Band-Aid solutions. So I was given oral contraceptives that would mask my symptoms, but not really address what was going on in my body. And it was just, you know, it was great, because I got, you know, maybe 10 years of symptomatic relief. But when it came time to starting a family, I was now facing a more severe problem that could have been avoided had it been addressed earlier in the situation. And so, you know, it was at that time in my fertility journey, where I was starting to think, you know, what can I be doing differently, that might improve my chances of just getting pregnant? That was my ultimate goal at the time, you know… how can I get pregnant naturally? And how can I... How can I carry to term... And it was in that journey, that I started to realize how important our food and our lifestyle habits really are, and how they fuel the body to precipitate healthy hormones. And during that journey, I spent a lot of time feeling like I was a victim to my body, you know… my mom had disorders, my sister has hormonal imbalances. And I thought, it runs in the family, these are the cards I've been dealt and there's nothing I can do about it. And that was kind of the, the, you know, the message I had received from the practitioners that I was working with as well. And then when I started to realize how much things changed for me… I was starting to… I had put on, at that time, about 30 extra pounds. I started losing it just by cleaning up my diet. I started sleeping better and having less anxiety when I started getting out in the sun in the morning... And this was just, you know, this was like a simple thing, right. And they say, you know, get outside. And that sounds all good and dandy. But until we really do it and we understand why or how it impacts us, it's hard to commit to it. And when I started having all these tiny little changes, my symptoms started clearing up... I didn't have these menstrual irregularities. I didn't have cystic acne that I had struggled with for 15 years, my moods actually regulated. I didn't have, you know, depressive states, anxiety states. I didn't have high levels of stress or nights where I was up till two in the morning, because my brain wouldn't shut off. And I just realized, you know, women need to know... We… you need to know that there are options, you need to know that you actually do have a lot of power. It's not to say that's the end-all solution. But there's a lot you can do to offset what you might be feeling or what you might be experiencing. And we actually have a lot more control than we think. So what I always like to tell women is that what you're experiencing might be really common, but it is not normal... These are symptoms that your body is saying to you, "Hey, hi, I'm over here. Let's have a listen, I've got something to tell you." And when we just take a step back to listen to that... it's incredible how easy you can feel in your body and how empowered you can actually become in your health.

SAMIA: Yes, oh my gosh… and I loved what you just said about… what you may be feeling may be normal in terms of lots of people feel it. But it doesn't have... but it's not really what's healthy. And it doesn't have to be that way. Yes, you know, I can so relate to that as a happiness expert when it comes to the happiness-related mindset as well. I mean, most people, thankfully, are not clinically depressed, thank God... But most people are also not actually happy in their lives. And people don't realize that it doesn't have to be that way. There's actually a difference between not being depressed and being actually happy. And similarly with our physical health, so many people, you know, oh my gosh… we just live with at all kinds of aches and pains and issues in our lives. And we just think it's normal… especially now, I'm seeing with my mom, for example. She has been aging. She's about to hit 70 and I see her saying things like… oh, you know, she'll feel some ache or some pain or something or the other... And she'll be like… Oh, it's just, I'm getting old, this is part of getting old. And I like to challenge that thinking... Like, is it really? Is it really?

JENN: Yeah, exactly. Yeah... And you're right. You know, a lot of us, we accept what we feel as being acceptable, because it's so common. And the reality is that there are options. And there are so many ways to look different, feel different, you know, move differently, enjoy the way that you feel in your body, and actually wake up every day feeling rested. Like, as a mom, I think one of the most common things I hear is, you know, when will this fatigue go away… and other mom’s joke, oh, in 20 years when your kid moves out, right... And, you know, while it's funny, because there's some truth to that, at the end of the day, you can still wake up feeling rested, you can still get good quality sleep, even if you are up several times a night with your child, even if you're still nursing, if you're pregnant, right. And so being able to optimize all those processes so you can enjoy those benefits… Because when we're a tired, exhausted mom, like, we're not a fun mom. Like, my daughter just… my husband even, can't stand me when I've not had good quality sleep, right... I can't even stand me. Like, when I'm not happy, it's not a good situation. And so, you know, for a lot of moms, as sort of that glue to the household, that sort of central turning point for everybody, it is important that we have good energy, that we have a good emotional state, that we feel good and that we feel like we are valued by ourselves before others. And so yeah, taking those tiny little steps and stepping outside of that realm of, this is normal, and saying, "What can I do to do better?"

SAMIA: Yes, yes. And I think I'm also learning from you Jenn, right now that, all of this is so connected. So we've talked about hormone health being connected to other aspects of our health…. aspects like your sleep, you know, just being out in the sun in the morning... Oh, my gosh, all of these aspects of having a healthy lifestyle… ultimately, they're all connected and necessary for our good health. Oh my gosh, you know, another thing I'm just realizing, in terms of one of the challenges that I have experienced and seen occur again and again in the traditional medical context is that, well, up until like, maybe two, three decades ago, people didn't even… like, doctors didn't even really talk about nutrition and sleep. At least, that was in my experience. Now, it's interesting, like, there is more awareness, and they will, like, talk about it. But usually, it's sort of like very minimal. And they will say something like… and how are you eating, and you will say something, and then they will say something… but it's not really like an emphasis. And if you, like, don't change your diet, or you don't change your habits of getting more exercise or getting more sun, they don't really emphasize how absolutely important that is. And they just be like, Oh, okay, here's a pill. Okay, so you're not getting enough sun, not enough vitamin D, here's a pill… like... And, you know, and then again, you know, going towards fixing things, or rather fixing symptoms that way rather than, you know, being like really focused on healing these root causes of what the problem are…

JENN: Absolutely, yeah. And it's unfortunate because, you know, I think a lot of people rely on their doctors for this kind of information. And, you know, most medical doctors, they only have, you know, several hours of training in nutrition and it's not that in depth and it's not really truly related to how the rest of the systems work, right. Like, they are not taught how iodine impacts our thyroid, which they know impacts our metabolism, but they're not taught all those connecting pieces, right. And so when we go to see our medical practitioners, you know, it's a great place to start for sure. But it's not your only solution. It is not the end-all solution, either. There are definitely different practitioners and people that you can be visiting in order to help you get this holistic approach to all the various areas of your health…

SAMIA: Yeah, okay, okay... So do you want to share anything else with us about, like, the problems that people are facing in terms of… if someone's facing that problem they can... If they see it in themselves, they're like, "Ah, I need Jenn."

JENN: Yeah, yes. Yeah. So one of your probably biggest warning signs would be that you are waking up tired, like, that you are not feeling rested, or you're having trouble getting going in the morning, or you're finding that mornings are super irritable for you, those are sort of… like, those three things are big warning signs. And then some other ones would be weight gain for no apparent reason. Like, if you know why you're gaining weight than maybe just address that issue. But if you're gaining weight and you're like, Oh, I feel like I'm doing everything right, that could definitely be, you know, another warning sign. Because that's all weight is… weight is an underlying hormonal issue… of other hormones saying like, Oh, wait, our body is in a protection mechanism right now, we need to preserve ourselves, let's put on some extra fat. And so when we really get down to what the root causes of what some of those symptoms look like, or what they're saying to us, that's generally what our body's saying, like, oh, it's time to preserve, let's go back to caveman years, right. But even things like having food cravings, or PMS symptoms… bloating is another really common one I see for women… brittle, dry hair… these are all some of those symptoms and warnings. And like of course, menstrual irregularities, even just painful menstruation is, you know… yes, we're having actual muscular contractions. But on average, those shouldn't be debilitating. And they shouldn't take away from your enjoyment of life. So you can actually do a couple of things to tweak that and experience healthier menstruation so you're not in so much pain. But generally, yeah, those tend to be sort of like the biggest warning signs that I see, that when I start working with women… And we really start super simple, you know, like, going back to basics… let's clean up what's on your plate. Let's make it really easy to put clean stuff on your plate, right. Let's factor in the fact that your kids don't want to eat the clean stuff that you want to put on your plate. So let's address that issue too. Because if you're stressed out, let me tell you, your weight is going to increase, your sleeps gonna decrease, your moods are gonna go wonky, right... And then that just perpetuates your cycle. So really coming down into those basics and really reinforcing them for you as a new habit so you're not falling back on that familiar, unhealthy habit that's perpetuating your cycles and your symptoms.

SAMIA: Yeah, okay, okay... So let's get into the solutions that a lot of it you already sort of touched on… But right now, for example, you mentioned cleaning up a plate. If we talk about that a little bit, or any other solution that you would love to highlight…

JENN: Yeah, for sure... Yeah. So you know, I think a lot of us, there's so much misconception about what clean eating looks like. And unfortunately, most of us have a diet culture mindset, you know, "Oh, I should just cut carbs or, you know, eat a keto diet, do a vegan diet, do this..." And I think it really comes down to, let's just start with a lot of whole foods on your plate… you know, anything that would have an expiration date because you can't leave it out for more than a day. That's a clean food, right. That has minimal ingredients… Something that is, you know, maybe two or three ingredients. You know exactly what those ingredients are, they're very simple... Moving away from those refined foods, those processed foods. And even things like, you know, for some of us, it might mean moving away from certain dairy or gluten products, because they might be causing us some discomfort and we don't know because we've just always eaten them, that's just been the norm. And that really depends on how your body experiences and responds to that environment as well. So you know, when it comes to cleaning up your plate, just think about, you know, how can I add more plants to this plate? How can I get more color, and texture, and variety? How can I add more fiber to this? Because all of those components are going to help clean out your digestive system which are bulking up excess hormones. They're going to help clean out your liver which is a major detox center for hormones in the body… and they're really just going to hell help you feel better, like, you will feel lighter, you won't feel so bogged down, you'll have mental clarity. And like, you'll just see this huge ripple effect. And I think when we just bring it to that of like, "How can I add more color and plants to this plate?" That is a perfect place to start.

SAMIA: Nice. I love it. I love it. And so, you know, when you talked about the concept of the clean plate and bringing in more whole foods and textures and colors... Wow, that sounds  delicious to me… that…

JENN: Yes... Yes, I'm literally just sitting here thinking like, what am I going to have for lunch now that I'm thinking about the rainbow…

SAMIA: Indeed, and, you know, I think that… having that appreciation for whole foods, for colors, for textures... I'm so grateful that I lived the first eight years of my life in India. Because, you know, especially like, because we were like in a smaller town in India. And this was back in the 80s, you know… we had very limited access… very, almost no… no access to like, what do you call it… exported or imported... or like foreign food, like, you know, frozen in the farmer… I mean, in the supermarkets and stuff… which have become extremely common now. So like, basically, we ate what we had locally, for the most part. Even like having foods from different parts of India was not so common. Just because, you know, it was part of, I think, the small town life, that you know, it was like, when people traveled, it was like this huge thing where they would bring foods back from other parts of the country, that then we would have as a treat, you know… But most of the time, we were eating what we had locally available. And in India, the other dynamic that my family experienced was, unlike in America, meat was really expensive. And very few people could afford dairy also. And so most of the time, you know, we were… it was all about the fruits and the veggies and the grains, you know, that we had access to. And so it was just naturally a sort of very wholesome diet. It was so easy. I mean, we totally took that for granted. And we didn't realize how lucky we were with, you know, just having that kind of food as part of our lifestyle until we moved out of India… We went to the Middle East. And at that time, by the Middle East I mean Dubai... And by that time, it was the 90s. And by that time in Dubai, you know, it was already… well, way more modern and international than anything I had been exposed to in India. I mean, we were like, fascinated… we went to the grocery stores there and there were freezers full of all kinds of processed foods. And that convenience factor of the processed foods and the taste factor…. something about, like, eating those high fat, high sugar, highly processed foods that was so… like, oh my gosh, I've never tasted stuff like this. And it's just so addictive, and oh my gosh. And wow, I mean it… for a while it like really took us for a ride in terms of creating a massive change in our eating habits. And then, you know, we definitely started to feel the impact in terms of weight gain, in terms of other health issues cropping up that we never were familiar with in the context of our small Indian town life… like things like diabetes, in a small Indian town, I mean, unheard of, you know, very rare. But you change your diet, you change your lifestyle to a more modern, Western, American diet, standard American diet and you immediately start to experience all of these health problems. And we didn’t put all of this together until, like… it took us, I don't know, another decade or so... And then, yeah, it was like in the 2000s when we came to America. And it wasn't until I would say maybe, like 2005 and 2010, somewhere in that period, when it was mostly my dad, who was like… What in the world is going on with our family's health? And he started to do more research into like nutrition and other holistic health aspects. And since then we started to transition our diet back to more like how we were eating in the 80s in India…

JENN: Yes, yes. Yeah... And, you know, it's interesting you mentioned all that, because there are definitely different areas of the world that do follow a much more wholesome, plant-rich diet… clean eating based style of eating… and it is interesting how sort of this western culture really doesn't. And I think a lot of us, we do try… like, it's not for lack of trying… it's just, you know, our lifestyle looks different, our convenience levels look different. And when it's available, of course, we're gonna go for it. The other thing you brought up there that was really interesting was that you guys felt addicted to it, right. And this is always an interesting topic to touch on because I think a lot of people… they underappreciate how addicting those products really are. And so I always like to bring it back to the concept of, you know, these processed foods are being made by companies who want you to buy their products. So if it doesn't taste good, you're not going to buy it again. And so, you know, these products, the flavorings, the combinations of spices, and MSG, and all of that, are specifically tested in labs, to actually trigger brain parts, like parts of your brain that do deliver dopamine hits, that make you feel good, particularly sugar when we're looking at sweet foods, okay... And so their true whole purpose and intention of having these tested and created in that context is that you will enjoy their products so much that it makes you feel good that you buy it again. And that is the true definition of an addiction. Right, when you actually have chemical responses in your body that are like, I have to have this, I love this, or I'm addicted to that, I can't go without it. Right. And that is that is exactly what these companies are, are creating their products around… is that entire chemical process that happens in the brain. So when we say that we're addicted to certain processed foods, that is a true statement, it is an actual... And you know, most of us laugh about it, because it's funny. But the truth is, you know, if we were addicted to a drug or alcohol or gambling, we wouldn't be laughing. And so when we really think about how serious that is, and how it impacts our health in so many other ways, that it's actually really not a laughing matter. But it's quite serious. And so when we look at it that way, we can have a little bit more perspective over the fact that, "Ooh, you know, maybe I should really be more intentional about trying to have, you know, a less processed version of what I enjoy."

SAMIA: Yeah. And to recognize that there will be a bit of a transition period where you're…

JENN: Oh, definitely…

SAMIA: ...sort of recalibrating your taste buds and etc. so that the healthy wholesome food actually tastes good to you…

JENN: Yes. Yes... Absolutely, yeah. And so what I do in my membership with my clients is we actually do talk a lot about that, you know, how our taste buds recalibrate and how long that could take. And, you know, bringing it back to having that transition period feel as comfortable as possible… because everybody's transition period is going to look different. For some people, you know, they have to go cold turkey, right. Because they just don't have the willpower. Maybe they've got those addictive personality traits that just caused them to fall back, right. Whereas other people were like, no, like, I'm good with my moderation. But I do want to make these changes. And so that transition period looks different for everybody. But understanding that process and that journey actually allows you to have trust in the journey, and in yourself, and just be gracious in that journey as well. So it's an important aspect that we talk about in my membership. And I find that for many women, it actually helps ease the transition so that they do feel confident in the steps that they're taking and they're not always falling back into those old habits.

SAMIA: Yeah, you know, you just made me think about another aspect of being Indian that I really appreciate and love... and that is our use of spices because… you know, I think when it comes to like making food tastes tasty in a healthy way… and, you know, the amazing thing about spices is that, you know, especially when you look at, like traditional Indian wisdom around cooking and nutrition and how it's related to health, and so forth… actually, Indian traditional health wisdom teaches that spices not just only make food taste better, but they also contain all kinds of micronutrients. And so they actually improve the healthfulness of your food. And so it's so important to use spices. And I know, it's like, when you use the right kinds of spices, the right levels of spices… And I think, you know, what happens also is like in Indian food... because like I was describing, especially the traditional Indian diet, especially in the smaller towns and stuff, it was like so much about, okay, what's locally available, seasonally available, and you know, focused on the fruit, some veggies and grains, and stuff… you know, so they are simple ingredients. And so what Indians... but Indians… like majority, like, traditionally, have been a vegetarian eating population or culture. And so you know, we are masters at vegetarian cooking, like, really we are, you know. And so, like, we have learned to really appreciate complexity of flavors. And even our simplest dishes, like, the core ingredients, like we'll have maybe one or two veggies. Or if you're doing lentils, that's just lentils and water. But you know what happens is that even our simplest dishes usually have at least half a dozen spices, you know. And so what happens with that is that, wow, you get this amazing complex flavor that's layered and so delicious, and you don't need... like, you don't even begin to miss the sugar and the fat and, you know, like all that fancy stuff that they use to make the processed food taste good…

JENN: Yes, exactly. And it's interesting, you mentioned that... So I, myself went plant-based six years ago. And a lot of what I eat on a weekly basis are Indian-based dishes. And I have probably, at least 40 spices in my spice drawer. Like I don't know anybody who has as many spices as I do. And what do you use all those for? Like, my food... It makes it taste good. And like you said, like, it does have health benefits, right. Like a lot of them are anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial or they actually improve absorption of other nutrients from your food. They… I mean, there's so many ways that spices can go in the right direction for your health, right. And so yeah, I love using spices in my food. And like I just... I often find so much inspiration from an Indian style of eating because there is so much emphasis on a whole food, plant-based selection. And so it feels good, and then I feel good... And then I'm like, everybody else feels good, because I'm in a good mood and I feel light and peppy, right…

SAMIA: Yeah, yeah... It's like, I think that's one thing that when I was transitioning back, here in America, to eating better, cleaner, and we would… so for a while, you know, we're like, okay, go… we tried going vegan. Because we wanted to… we were... we went through this process where we were, like, trying to see… do we have some kind of allergy to dairy, all of that. And so we actually tried eating vegan only for some time. And turns out in my case, my personal case, I actually do much better when I eat dairy free. Interestingly, I can eat meat without ill effects to my health… but dairy, oh my gosh, I can't believe I never because, wow, I…

JENN: ...and you know what, you are not alone, there are, you know, without going down the rabbit hole too much on it. But, you know, dairy milk was created or is created to grow an 80-pound calf to 800 pounds in a year's time, right. So when we think about the concentration of natural growth hormone in dairy milk, and then we try to relate it to what's happening in our body, you know, first of all, our body still recognizes that as a growth hormone, except most of us don't need growth hormone anymore... We're done growing, right… and the minimal amounts that we need our body makes and creates from the rest of our diet and the things around us, right. So we don't necessarily need that high concentration. And what we end up seeing is it does cause a lot of inflammation in the body, especially for women, where we already are producing natural growth hormones for our menstruation and our growing a fetus and nursing children and that sort of thing. So you're not alone in the sense that dairy doesn't agree with you. It's just most of us aren't even aware that it doesn’t… we don't agree with it, right. And yeah, and like, I like that you said that, you know, that the vegan diet didn't work for you. And that's okay, right. And that sort of some of what I teach in my membership to with clients is, you know, let's look at what works for your body, what feels good for your body? Where is your body's tolerance levels… because it's different for every body... And it's also different for every mind, right. So when we look at the, you know, the ethics around it as well, right? If it, if ethically it doesn't align with you, then let's find a way to make it physically work for you. And so there's a lot of components that come into play with that. But it's important, because that's what makes it sustainable…

SAMIA: Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I definitely have a lot of appreciation for, you know, this idea of… even if you're not going to be vegan, but to have, as we might… there was a Food Network show that I was watching where the chef was like… I make food where meat is on the side… I was like, oh, that makes sense, that makes sense. Because it's not that the problem is that you are eating meat at all. But the problem is like how much you're eating and the proportion relative to everything else... you know,

JENN: ..that's exactly…

SAMIA: …something that in America, especially like, you notice when you go to restaurants and things… meat is the main thing, and the veggies are on the side. Whereas if you just reverse that, and have a little meat on the side and fill up on the veggies…

JENN: Yes, exactly... And that's exactly what I mean. Like, when I say, like, if there's one place you want to start it is… how can I add more vegetables and whole foods to this plate? Because that's exactly it… the proportions of what we have on our plate… You know, meat isn't inherently bad. Of course, there are better sources and quality of meat, but inherently it's not bad. And if your stomach can handle it, then that's fine, too. But let's look at the proportions... How much are you eating? How much of everything else are you eating? Are you leaving room for the stuff that's really going to take your health and nutrition to this whole other level that you didn't realize was possible? So that comes back to… what's on your plate? And how can you put more colors, varieties, textures and vegetables on it?

SAMIA: Yes, and make them nice and spicy. Not like hot spicy, but…

JENN: ...flavorful.

SAMIA: ..flavorful spicy. So you love to eat them.

JENN: Exactly, exactly…

SAMIA: Ah, okay. Okay. So I'm very sad to say Jenn, we're sort of running out of time for today. But is there any last things that you want to share with us?

JENN: I think yeah... so last words… I think is just, you know, trust the process, you know, listen to what your body is telling you take a moment to listen to what it's saying, what it's really saying to you. And, and, and question it, right... Like, don't just assume that it's okay, that, you know, question it, tell it... ask yourself, How can I make things different? How can I improve this situation? And then seek out the sources that are going to help you get there… you know, whether that's working with me as a nutritionist in your diet and lifestyle, maybe it's working with you and improving happiness, and you know, just being more in tune with what it is that you need. And I think when… if we can all adopt that sort of mindset of being comfortable with the uncomfortable, there's no telling where your life could take you and it could take you to places you never dreamed imaginable. So just trust the process. Ask the questions.

SAMIA: I love that. Oh, my gosh, that's such a wonderful life philosophy, and happiness-promoting life philosophy, I love it... Thank you so much Jenn and yeah… I am just so thankful for having had this time to talk with you and learn with you. So for our audience, for all of you who are listening, I just want to remind you to please make sure you check the show notes. Because we will be dropping Jenn's links there so you can get in touch with her and get some help and support whenever you're ready for it. And until we connect next time, I just wish you lots and lots of peace and joy... :)

JENN: Thank you!