Realfoodology - Autism + ADHD, Empowering Parents, Children’s Nutrition | Greer McGuinness

Episode Date: October 1, 2024

EP. 215 In this episode of Realfoodology, I sit down with registered dietitian Greer McGinnis, who specializes in autism, ADHD, and pediatrics. Greer shares her personal journey as a mother of a nonve...rbal child with autism and the effective strategies she used to help him find his voice. We explore the challenges parents face when navigating autism, the importance of nutrition, and the concerning issue of glyphosate exposure in children. This conversation is packed with valuable insights and practical tips that I think will really resonate with families facing similar situations. Timestamps:  05:06 - Greer’s backstory   10:48 - Autism in children  13:08 - Autism treatment  15:29 - Conventional medicine & lab testing  17:15 - Finding a practitioner for your child  18:58 - Essential lab tests   19:45 - Food and nutrition for children  23:56 - Nutrition for ARFID 34:27 - Glyphosate rates in children  38:04 - Symptoms of high glyphosate  40:02 - “Everything In Moderation”  50:08 - Preventable chronic diseases in children 56:02 - Treatment vs cure  01:00:14 -  Simple and free interventions  01:02:32 - Update on Greers son  01:03:44 - Profound experiences working with kids  01:07:19 - Greer’s health non negotiables  Sponsored By: Maui Nui  Go to www.MauiNuiVenison.com/REALFOODOLOGY and use code: REALFOODOLOGY for 20% off BIOptimizers MagBreakthrough Get 10% off at bioptimizers.com/realfoodology with code REALFOODOLOGY Wellnesse Go to wellnesse.com/realfoodology to switch to a natural oral healthcare routine  Organifi Go to www.organifi.com/realfoodology and use code REALFOODOLOGY for 20% Off. From 10/04/24 - 10/06/24 in celebration of National Vegetarian Month they’re giving a free 15ct Green Juice with orders over $80. ARMRA Collostrum  Get 15% off your first order at tryarmra.com/realfoodology Our Place Use code REALFOODOLOGY for 10% off at fromourplace.com Check Out Greer:  Linktree Instagram Check Out Courtney: LEAVE US A VOICE MESSAGE Check Out My new FREE Grocery Guide! @realfoodology @realfoodologypodcast www.realfoodology.com My Immune Supplement by 2x4 Air Dr Air Purifier AquaTru Water Filter EWG Tap Water Database  Produced By: Drake Peterson

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 On today's episode of The Real Foodology Podcast. So when you understand that like a Ritz cracker from 1940 will taste the exact same as it does today because it doesn't change. When you have things that constantly change taste, it will throw off a kid who loves structure, who loves, you know, things just being repetitious as well. Hello friends, welcome back to another episode
Starting point is 00:00:22 of The Real Foodology Podcast. I'm your host, Courtney Swant, and today's guest is Greer McGinnis. She's a registered dietitian who specializes in autism, ADHD, and pediatrics. She is a wealth of knowledge and we talk a lot about autism. She actually tells the story of her own son who has autism and things that she did to help him become verbal because he was nonverbal as a kid at a very young age. And she goes over some of the stuff that she did with her own child. And she talks a lot about what she does to help parents of kiddos who are on the spectrum. It was a jam-packed informative episode. I really enjoyed this a lot. And then we
Starting point is 00:01:01 also talked a lot about glyphosate and what she's seeing in her practice with the kiddos that she's testing for glyphosate. And it's pretty, I mean, it's disheartening, but it's also empowering to know that there's a lot that we can do, you know, and information is power. And once we know better, we do better. So I really enjoyed this conversation. I think you're going to get a lot out of it. It was really interesting to hear what she's been seeing in her own practice. And I think this episode is going to help a lot of people. So I really hope that you enjoy the episode. If you could take a moment to rate and review, it means so much to me. And if you could also go to Real Foodology Podcast on Instagram and go follow it, we were posting videos there that you were only going to see there. And then of course,
Starting point is 00:01:41 if you're enjoying the episode and you want to tag me at real foodology on Instagram, you can also tag at real foodology podcast. And I just want to say thank you so much. Your support means everything. Hector and I have been eating these new meat sticks that we got from Maui Nui. It's venison. When I tell you guys that I have never found a better meat stick, I mean, I have never found a better meat stick. And Hector agrees. We love them. We take them on hikes. I keep them in my car for on the go when I need a quick snack. They're great because they're delicious and a great way to help meet your protein goals. But also, this company is pouring their lives into reimagining the role that invasive species
Starting point is 00:02:19 can have in feeding communities and healing the island of Maui at the same time. I just, I love their story so much. So whatever your experiences with venison, forget it. Maui Nui venison is 100% stress-free and wild harvested meat far beyond any grass fed or regenerative beef that you've tried. It's a breeze to cook. My whole family enjoys it. Their jerky sticks are a daily staple with 10 grams of protein and just 55 calories, along with an extensive list of nutrients and a kick-ass omega ratio. They also have ground beef. They have the equivalent of steaks like venison steaks. So I would definitely check out all the different options that they have on the website. All of it tastes amazing and completely changed my thoughts around
Starting point is 00:03:00 venison. Don't just take my word for it. Longevity and performance experts along with professional athletes and clubhouses across the U.S. have adopted it as their go-to protein source. But here's the catch. Supplies are limited by nature. Responsible population management means that they won't go beyond harvest capacity. Memberships are the best way to support the mission and provide access to this one-of-a-kind protein. Secure your spot now. Maui Nui Venison is offering Real Foodology listeners 20% off your first purchase of jerky sticks, fresh venison, and bone broth while supplies last. Visit mauinuivenison.com and use code REALFOODOLOGY for 20% off. That's M-A-U-I-N-U-I-VENISON.COM and code REALFOODOLOGY gives you 20% off your first order of fresh
Starting point is 00:03:44 venison, jerky broth, and Ohana subscription while supplies last. The clock is ticking on 2024. How wild is that to say, by the way? But there's still time to transform your health. Did you know that positive changes can occur faster than you might expect? Improved nutrition can show results in just one to two weeks. Consistent workouts can reshape your body in eight to 12 weeks, and better sleep can enhance your life within 14 days. Now imagine amplifying all these benefits with a powerful supplement. Meet Magnesium Breakthrough by Bioptimizers, your key to unlocking peak performance. This innovative formula features seven highly bioavailable forms of magnesium
Starting point is 00:04:19 crafted to enhance your sleep, support workout recovery, and boost muscle growth. Picture this, you're falling asleep easily, you're waking up energized, and you're seeing your fitness goals come to life. With Magnesium Breakthrough, you're not just taking a supplement, you're upgrading your body's potential. Don't let the year slip away. Take charge of your health with Magnesium Breakthrough. Visit buyoptimizers.com slash realfoodology and use the code realfoodology to get 10% off. That is buyoptimizers.com slash realfoodology. Use code realfoodology to get 10% off. Make the last 90 days of 2024 extraordinary with Magnesium Breakthrough. Oh my gosh, Greer. I have been looking forward to this episode so much because a lot of what you're talking about right now,
Starting point is 00:05:03 and if you're okay with it, let's just get into it, yeah? Yeah, sure. So I first found you because I had posted about Bonza Pasta testing really high for glyphosate, and I'm blown away to see so many people online defending this right now and defending glyphosate. And I saw that you posted a comment, and you were like, this is so wildly inaccurate. All the kiddos that I'm testing right now are testing for really high glyphosate.
Starting point is 00:05:31 And the second I saw that comment, I was like, I have to get her on because I want to talk about this. So we're going to dive into that. But first I want people to understand what your story is. You have a really amazing story with how you got into this world and your son. So can you share that? Of course. Yeah. So I actually went, so funny story, we'll back up even further. I actually went to college and was wrestling in college. My dream was actually to go to the Olympics for women's wrestling. So that's how I got started just being in college because I went and wrestled for a specific university that had one of the few that had female wrestling. And I got injured within the first three months of me being there. And my major was social studies because I had to declare a major, not that I
Starting point is 00:06:15 intended to go for social studies. I just had to declare something. And I realized real quick that I was, you know, my wrestling career was over and being a social studies teacher was not going to be in my cards. And I that I was, you know, my wrestling career was over and being a social studies teacher was not going to be in my cards. And I remember I was having a heart to heart with my sister and she said, you know, you've always been into nutrition. Why don't you become a registered dietitian? And I'm like, what is that? She's like, I don't know. They just walk around with calculators telling people how to eat all day. And I was like, okay, like, that sounds like cool. So I did like interview a local, you know, dietitian. And, you know, I learned more about what being a registered dietitian
Starting point is 00:06:51 meant and how it worked with like food and nutrition and things like that. So, you know, that really catapulted me into the profession because I was like, wow, using food supplements to like heal somebody from the inside out without needing surgery and things like that would be awesome. And when I started working in healthcare, I was working in healthcare for over a decade. And I was just like, oh my gosh, like our healthcare system is horrible. Like it is just a cycle of keeping people sick. You know, I was, I was a chief clinical dietitian in a nursing home. You know, I had, you know, seven or eight dietitians under me. I had the food service department under me and like every single one of my patients was on Miralax, Coli, Senna, you know, like they, it was just one thing after another. I mean, these
Starting point is 00:07:35 people were on long lists of supplements and medications. And when I had my son, you know, I thought I knew everything there was about nutrition. I thought I was trained the correct way and it was okay. Everything in moderation and this, that new thing, the food guide pyramid at the old school way of thinking. And when my son regressed around 18, 19 months into autism, it was a very eyeopening experience. And I actually just posted a reel about this the other day. If I didn't see it as a practitioner, I would have never believed it. You know, I've listened to parents say, I watched my child regress. And I would sit there and say, we learned that.
Starting point is 00:08:16 No, you didn't. You just missed the red flags. You didn't see really what was going on. And before my eyes, my son regressed and I was like, oh my gosh, like these parents were telling the truth. Like they were, they were right. You know, this, this happens, you know? I got humbled, I say really quickly in my thought process and what I thought was the world. And so I started questioning literally everything, everything I learned in school, I questioned, you know, things that I thought was true was not.
Starting point is 00:08:51 And so once, you know, we, I did all the things that they told me to do. I did all the therapies that, you know, my poor son was in 20 or more hours of ABA therapy and speech therapy, occupational therapy. I never saw my son, you know, and when my son was four and a half, he was still verbally deficient. He scored a 56 on the VB MAP score, which is severe verbal delay. Like you could put him in a kitchen and he couldn't label anything. He couldn't tell he couldn't say a spoon fork. He couldn't even say like what, you know, fridge, microwave, like nothing. And I started my girlfriend who was a nurse. She was a crunchy nurse and she leave me breadcrumbs. She was very good at leaving good breadcrumbs and not being too overly pushy. And she was like, you know what? I think you should join some of these Facebook
Starting point is 00:09:42 groups and see what these parents are doing with their autism kiddos. And I joined and I was like, you know what, I think you should join some of these Facebook groups and see what these parents are doing with their autism kiddos. And I joined and I was like, you know, what are they going to teach? And within six weeks, I got my son almost like talking in sentences. It was on, I remember my husband looked at me, he goes, what did you do? I said, I don't know. I said, I started some supplements and some detox stuff that people recommended. And I was like, Hey, you know, it was worth a shot. Couldn't get any worse. And that was the beginning of the end for me. And, um, I started researching every single day.
Starting point is 00:10:16 I think I was reading five to, or more research studies every single day on autism and, you know, gut health and brain and, you know, toxins and stuff. And it just kind of spiraled into biomedical healing for kids today of what it is today. That is incredible. And that's also why I wanted to bring you on because I want parents to hear this because unfortunately it's interesting. I've been posting a lot recently about autism on my page just because one, I feel so passionately about it. Another reason is because it's incredibly concerning the direction that we're going in right now. As of right now, one in 36 children are getting autism, and it's only getting worse. And from my understanding and what I've dug into in the research is that in many cases, autism is more of like a neuroinflammatory disease where like there's a
Starting point is 00:11:06 lot of inflammation happening. And my thought process is if there's a way that we can help these kiddos and maybe we can't completely get rid of all of the symptoms, right? But if we can at least go in a direction where we're really helping them and reducing their symptoms and reducing all of the not so desirable symptoms that come along with autism sometimes. Why won't we help kids and try to figure this out, right? It's a hard concept. So I call it a three-ring concept. You have genetics in the middle, and then you have metabolic on the outside and environmental sources on the outside. And we don't know. I mean, even the DM5 for autism diagnosis still doesn't have a conclusive, like we just always have been told it's genetic. I mean, literally
Starting point is 00:11:52 since the 1980s, autism is genetic. But what happens if it's not completely genetic? What happens if it's not genetic, how we look at it as genetic? It's not like a, you know, a fragile X syndrome or a micro deletion or an abnormality in a genetic SNP. There could be a methylation issue, or there could be a detox issue within the genetic SNPs that, you know, when you get all these toxins or you get a metabolic issue going on, it all plays an intricate role into how the brain develops. And we know that, you know, a child's brain develops is in a critical time period for the first five years of their life. So any environmental piece, anything that can trigger that brain inflammation, which can be anything, you know, can definitely detriment, you know, the brain
Starting point is 00:12:43 development. And when we're looking at environmental factors, we have researched to show that autism factors could be 40 to 50% environmental and not genetic. Wow. Well, when you think about that's huge. And you also think about the epigenetics component where, okay, somebody can maybe have a genetic predisposition to it, but environmental things are going to be what are going to pull the trigger. So if we can also avoid that, right? I mean, why wouldn't we? So what were some of the things that you saw that really improved with your son? It was interesting because I took my son to the pediatrician. I said, I want to do a bunch of tests. And she was like, well, let's just do some basic blood work. And everything came back normal,
Starting point is 00:13:21 like literally. And I looked at her, I said, he eats five things. He's severely constipated. Nothing should be normal. You know, like, you know, we, that's just so bizarre to me. Like, but I learned that the, the child's body is, is, is a hard thing to crack because they're resilient. I've had kids in front of me who are like pretty much on the borderline of being anemic doing cartwheels. Like, you know, and if it was a grown adult like that, we would be on the floor, you know? Um, but kids are very resilient. So their bodies are trying to keep that balance and that homeostasis. So that's why a lot of labs come back normal. So I went to, I found a functional practitioner and I was like, he didn't specialize in children, but I was like, listen,
Starting point is 00:14:03 I know you don't specialize in children. I know what I need done. And we started just running tests. And that's when I started really seeing how the biochemical makeup of a child is vastly different than a neurotypical child without autism. So my son, his gut, I mean, he had yeast overgrowth, dysbiosis, liver toxicity. I mean, it was just like, I looked at his test and I wanted to throw up because it was just like, you know, it was like validating that, like, I knew something was wrong, but at the same time, I'm like, oh God, now how do
Starting point is 00:14:37 I fix this? You know, like, you know, it was like opening Pandora's box. We did heavy metal testing, mold testing, environmental toxin testing. I tested him for PANS, PANDAS, Lyme disease, which he was positive for Lyme disease, you know, things like that. So it was a very eye-opening experience. And I've literally done every test I think under the sun that I could on this child, just because I'm like, I needed the data and I needed to know, and I wanted to make sure that I knew I wasn't crazy. Yeah. Because people tell you you're crazy. It's, it's, it's just genetic Greer. You have to just live with it. You have to accept this and just be okay with it. And it was like, my son was four and a half and very barely verbal. And you're telling me that he may or may
Starting point is 00:15:21 not ever speak. He might need an ACC device. I'm going to be, you know, he's going to be dependent on me for the rest of his life. And you're telling me I shouldn't worry about it. See, this is the problem that I have with allopathic conventional medicine is that, okay, there's a couple of things happening here. One, you go and you get these labs done. Something is clearly wrong. And they're like, oh no, you're totally healthy and you're fine. I talk about this all the time on the podcast. One, I don't think that they're running the right tests. They're not doing anything outside of the box. It's a cookie cutter. We call it cookie cutter testing. In regular medicine, if you were in a nursing home or you go to a hospital, it's cookie cutter testing. It's the same testing for
Starting point is 00:15:58 every single person going in there for basic stuff. And it's really basic stuff. They're not doing a stool test. They're not doing a heavy metal test. They're not doing a parasite test. Like they're not looking outside of the box. And this is not to speak badly of allopathic doctors. It's just, they're not trained to look for all of this. Yes, because it's not the standard practice of care. That's part of the problem. And it's not covered by insurance. Right. So no different than if a child goes to a doctor for an ear infection. The standard practice of care is to give antibiotics. Do you need antibiotics? Absolutely not.
Starting point is 00:16:32 You can handle it and do things without it. And for decades we did and people handled it perfectly fine. But now it's the standard practice of care. And now you have over 75 percent of kids getting one round of antibiotics, at least before their ages of one or two, because of stuff like that. And it's just deteriorating the microbiome. Our kids just don't stand a chance, unfortunately, now. It's really hard to navigate all of this and to help a kiddo that's really sick when you're just looking for answers, right? And you go in the doctor and they say like, oh, everything's totally
Starting point is 00:17:04 fine, even though you're looking at your kid going, okay, well, something is wrong. So like, how do we get to the root of this? Another thing that comes up a lot, because I want this episode to be really helpful for parents. Maybe there's a parent listening that's really struggling with this with their own kid and they don't know where to start. If they have a doctor that's not able or willing to do these tests or really don't know, one, how would they go about finding that? And then also, what are some of the other things they can start looking for? Like, I know there's a big connection with heavy metals. There's also a connection with parasites. So the thing is, is basically you don't know what you don't know.
Starting point is 00:17:40 And with a practitioner, you know, this is a very big world that I kind of dived into in the biomedical world. So there's a lot of moving parts. And with autism or with a kid with ADHD, a lot of what we call comorbidities, comorbidities mean like other symptoms that are related to a specific diagnosis. So if your kid isn't sleeping, they're constipated, they're stimming, they're headbanging, or, you know, they're aggressive, that could all be comorbidities to that specific diagnosis. And they just say, oh, that's related. There's not much you could do. It's just an association with that particular issue. So basically, the first thing is, you know,
Starting point is 00:18:21 ask around, ask who other parents have taken their kids to, you know, moms love to talk and moms love to share their good and bad experiences with certain people. And listen, like not everyone's going to be perfect, but there are a lot of us out there that, you know, specialize, like I only specialize in pediatrics. If you want to come to me to work with you on an adult IBS, I'm going to say, I'm sorry, that's just not my area of expertise because I want to be an expert just in one specific area. And that's really important for me. So finding somebody that aligns with what you want and is an expert in that particular area, it could be super helpful. And then also there's, there's always tests that you could do. I call it peeling back the onion layer. And I want to
Starting point is 00:19:05 figure out like our foundations first. So one of the first foundation things I'm always going to do with every single patient that walks through my door is a stool test. The gut is the engine to the car. If the car is not working, if the engine isn't working, the rest of the car is not working. The radio is not working. The windows aren't working, you know, and that sets up the whole entire system. That's how we, you know, digest our food. That's how we metabolize things. That's how we get energy and brain production and your body's movement. You know, if you're not sleeping, it impacts that.
Starting point is 00:19:37 So there are so many different things that the gut impacts and food and gut is always going to be our number one focal point. Yeah, that was going to be one of my questions is what you've seen in your office with the kids you've been working with and then also with your son. How important is food really? And I want to dive a little bit more into this and just say this too, that, you know, and I want to be sensitive to parents that are dealing with kids that are, you know, on the spectrum because I can't imagine how hard it is, especially with food. But I see a lot of pushback when I talk about the importance of eating real
Starting point is 00:20:08 foods is that parents will say like, oh, well, my kid will only eat this food. And are they supposed to starve? And I have so much empathy for that. But where do parents maybe that are struggling with that help their kid eat real whole foods and not just like a single, you know, like white food item. Yeah. The beige and white foods. I'm very familiar with them. So many people know that my son Keegan has ARFID, which is avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. It is a different way. It's, it's, you know, we have picky eating and then we have ARFID, which is a actual eating disorder. So it's not like it's a choice for him to be picky. There's just something about trying new foods or being around unfamiliar foods. It just literally gives him anxiety. So I've, I'm very aware of the struggles parents go through because
Starting point is 00:21:00 honestly, for the longest time, I couldn't get Keegan to try food. I mean, just showing him something new, he could run into a corner and like freak out, you know? So I was really lucky. I was working with Duke university. They had an ARFID study that I was able to get Keegan into, and it really catapulted and expanded his diet astronomically. But, you know, with kids and on the, with autism, ADHD, you know, we want them, it's not that us as parents are just lazy. And that's like, I feel like that's like a misconception is that we're just like, oh, like they're just not going to eat it. You know, like, trust me, we've had battles, you know, like every parent has had battles trying to get their child to eat different foods and, you know, wanting them to eat on a better.
Starting point is 00:21:48 But you can't force a kid to do something. And if you force a kid to do something they're not ready for, especially when it comes to food, they might have a very poor association with food. So there's a lot of things that with Keegan I never really said no to. But at the same time, I try to encourage better foods. And now that we're pretty much a hundred percent gluten free and he's 10 and I can have that conversation with him and be like, buddy, I'm sorry. That has gluten in it. You can't eat that, but let's find something else that's like it for you to eat. You know, now he understands that concept where he didn't understand that before. It could take up to a hundred times to show a kid or to give them
Starting point is 00:22:27 a new food, like, Hey, here's a piece of, you know, pepper, you know, it could take a hundred times of just offering it, being around it, you know, associating with it just to get them to eat it, you know, or even bring it up to their mouth and kiss it or lick it, you know, and that's a win, you know, the, the whole purpose is not to get the kid always to eat the food first. It's actually just to touch it. It's actually just to be in the same room with it, um, you know, and getting close to it. So I have, I have a lot of my families do something called like a no thank you plate or a no thank you bowl, where like, if you work up your way to getting the kid, you know, to get the food near the kid, they have to actually pick it up and touch it your way to getting the kid, you know, to get the food near the kid,
Starting point is 00:23:05 they have to actually pick it up and touch it and put it in the no thank you plate or the no thank you bowl. And basically it's giving them control whether they want to eat it or not, but it's also making them touch it and actually being more familiar and comfortable with it. So there's, there's a way of, you know, working with the child. I always say we want to work with the child and not against the child. Once you start working against the child, you know, working with the child. I always say we want to work with the child and not against the child. Once you start working against the child, you give them the option to say no. You give them the option to decline something or to not want to do something. That's when we're working against them and it's not going to happen.
Starting point is 00:23:37 You know, they're just going to they're going to say no. You know, you can't argue and can't rationalize with a child. You know, it's not that that can't argue and can't rationalize with a child, you know, it's not a, that, that can't happen. So we have to use, you know, be creative and use, you know, fun techniques to get the kid involved. We have to make food fun or else it's just not going to work. Yeah. Yeah. And I, I mean, it seems to be a struggle for a lot of parents. Um, and, and how I'm curious if there even is a way, like, how we bridge the gap between a child who is really picky and, you know, or for example, with your son, like how do we bridge that gap of them being really picky and, you know, almost having like fear of these certain foods while also making sure that they're eating whole real foods because we know the importance of diet in these diagnoses, especially with, you know, like on the spectrum. Yeah. So one of the big things that like, I'll tell a lot of my families, most of them are already working with a speech therapist or an occupational therapist. And a lot of them are also feeding therapists. They're like dual certified. So I will say,
Starting point is 00:24:38 Hey, listen, ask, you know, the speech or OT or ABA therapists, if any of them are, you know, SOS trained or, you know, you know, any type of, you know, feeding therapy trained where they can start incorporating and working with incorporating new foods with the child. That's a huge help if you can, or just, you know, literally taking your child to feeding therapy, you know, and, and for us, we did feeding therapy for a long time, but Keegan had ARFID, which very different than just a picky eater. A lot of times when you do picky eating, feeding therapy, it works really, really well. And but kids with ARFID just have a different mindset. The second thing is trying to find ways of making food fun and incorporating doing fun
Starting point is 00:25:22 things. Strawberry picking, blueberry picking, blueberry picking, apple picking, you know, creating robots out of cucumbers, like literally playing with food. I'm fine with that. I love I encourage all my families to have like fun food Friday, where like you just have a fun day with everybody and you have like a smorgasbord of just like fun foods and you could blindfold dad and make dad try new foods and then you can try new foods or, you know, make a, they have like so many different types of fun plates out there and stuff like that. I mean, just even just playing with your food, coloring pasta, coloring rice to get your child to play with it. If you
Starting point is 00:26:03 make it fun, the likeliness is that your kid is going to be more apt to trying it. So, I mean, you and I know we need to eat our broccoli. We know that. We know that it's good for us. We know that it's healthy. We may or may not like it now, but we know we have to eat it. Why don't you get like purple cauliflower and call it like unicorn food? You know, but that's, you know, I, you know, we were in the store and my son picks up this big purple head of cauliflower. He's like, what's this? I said, Oh, that's purple cauliflower. That's like almost like unicorn food. And he was like, can we have this? I said, absolutely. You know, but it's the fact that I made it magical, you know, so it's also learning your child.
Starting point is 00:26:53 My son, my youngest loves salt. He has an obsession with salt. So if I let him sprinkle some little bit of salt on stuff, he's the happiest kid and he'll eat every piece of broccoli. He'll eat everything you give him. So, you know, he likes salty foods. So sometimes when I'm cooking, I'll add a little vegetable stock that's a little salty, you know, has flavor, you know, it's just finding that, you know, what that child likes to eat and then piggybacking. We call it food chaining. So say,
Starting point is 00:27:25 for instance, your child only eats an apple and you're trying to get your kid to eat something else besides an apple, try an Asian pear. That's the closest thing to an apple, but it's not the same thing as an apple. Yeah. You know, it's literally just piggybacking one thing over another and just seeing if you can continuously work down, you know, the, the, the line into adding other things. Let's talk about oral health. This is incredibly important for your overall health. And if you've been looking for a natural, effective way to boost your dental care routine, I've got something exciting to share with you. Wellness toothpaste. This isn't just any toothpaste. It's packed with
Starting point is 00:28:04 hydroxyapatite, which is a mineral. That's a true powerhouse. It's packed with hydroxyapatite, which is a mineral that's a true powerhouse for your teeth. Hydroxyapatite is naturally found in your enamel and bones and using it in toothpaste helps to remineralize and strengthen your enamel. It's like giving your teeth a natural shield against cavities and sensitivity. Now, if you're concerned about fluoride, you're not alone. This is why I personally use toothpaste that has hydroxyapatite in it. Wellness toothpaste is fluoride-free, making it a fantastic option for those who prefer to avoid fluoride due to potential health risks. Instead, this toothpaste uses hydroxyapatite to provide effective protection and support without the worries.
Starting point is 00:28:38 And here's a bonus. Hydroxyapatite doesn't just protect, it also helps with whitening. By filling in microcracks and smoothing your tooth surface, it gives you a brighter, healthier smile naturally. Whether you're trying the best-selling whitening toothpaste, the kid-friendly strawberry toothpaste, or the detoxifying charcoal toothpaste, Wellness has you covered.
Starting point is 00:28:56 All options are fluoride-free and made with the same natural hydroxyapatite. Plus, Wellness offers more than just toothpaste. Please check out their oral probiotic mints, floss, toothbrushes, and concentrated mouthwash, all crafted with essential oils and natural ingredients. Curious to see how it can work for you? Use link wellness.com slash real foodology to explore their range and make a switch to a healthier, more natural oral care routine. Again, that is wellness. It's W-E-L-L-N-E-S-S-E slash realfoodology. So for a smile that's not only brighter, but healthier, visit wellness.com slash realfoodology
Starting point is 00:29:31 and discover the benefits of hydroxyapatite today. Your teeth will thank you. This is really exciting. Organifi now has kid stuff. They just released two kid products. One is called Easy Greens and it's a refreshing green apple juice where kids will never know that it's packed with veggies.
Starting point is 00:29:46 And the other one is called Protect. It's a delicious wild berry punch like the Kool-Aid that we used to have as a kid but without any sugar. This is really exciting, and if you've listened to the podcast for a while, you know that I'm a huge fan of Organifi, and most specifically because every single product that they make is glyphosate residue-free. So you know that you're going to be able to give these powders to your kids and know that they will be able to consume them safely without any glyphosate in it. So let's break down each one. The Easy Greens is a nourishing and delicious blend of superfoods and veggies that provides essential nutrients, probiotics, and digestive enzymes to bring balance to kids' growing bodies without fillers, additives, or junk. It helps to fill in nutritional
Starting point is 00:30:22 gaps, aids in growth and development, supports digestive health, has a rich micronutrient profile and includes digestive enzymes. This would be a great way to sneak in greens for your little one without them actually knowing that it's healthy for them. And the second one, which is the wild berry punch similar to Kool-Aid is called Protect and it is to support your child's daily immune health with food derived nutrients that work to strengthen their body's first line of defense i know just through girlfriends of mine that have children that when your kids are going to school going to daycare they're coming home sick a lot more often just because they're getting exposed to different kids and different viruses when they're out in the world playing with kids so this would be a great way to help
Starting point is 00:31:02 to support your little one's immune health it's organic and it's also made with real whole food ingredients it has a delicious berry taste and it's low sugar and it's gentle enough for kids to take every single day and I really love the ingredients in this one it's orange and acerol cherry which is a powerful source of vitamin C and antioxidants astragalus elderberry and propolis these are all really great for overall immune health if you want to try the products that I talked about today or any of the Organifi products, go to Organifi.com slash RealFoodology and use code RealFoodology for 20% off. Again, that's Organifi. It's O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I dot com slash RealFoodology. I love that. And I think that involving your child in the whole process is so incredibly important I think back to some of my my most fondest memories were cooking in the kitchen with my mom
Starting point is 00:31:53 or baking I remember I would sit on the kitchen counter my mom used to make homemade pasta from scratch and I would sit there and she'd let me eat the dough and then she'd help me crank the pasta out and she really involved me a lot in the cooking process. And then also, well, this actually could be tough for some parents, but I loved going to the grocery store with my mom. Now, as I was like thinking about this, I'm going to say this, I was also thinking about how my mom, it would also drive her nuts because I would want to buy every cereal in the aisle and like all the bad stuff. But maybe there's a world in which you could take your kid to the farmer's market, you know, and involve them in the process of buying the fruits and vegetables. And just like as much as you can involve them in the process, I think that really
Starting point is 00:32:32 helps them to to see the whole process go down. It does. Anytime you can involve a child, they'll be more apt to actually eat something. My little guy and my and my oldest love, like love to cook and they love to bake. I bake a lot. We make a lot of muffins. We make a lot of different things like pumpkin bread and things like that. And they love it. They will eat anything that they also help make. And it's interesting because one of the first things I started doing with Keegan, especially because he had such an aversion to anything green, like literally anything green, like even like veggie straws, he would take all the green ones out. He wouldn't even,
Starting point is 00:33:08 Oh, that's so funny. So what I wanted to start doing was incorporating something green into something he liked. So I would, I had him help me make zucchini muffins and he helped me like shred the zucchini and put it in. And then he would, he actually ate the muffin and started understanding that green things didn't mean bad. So you have to understand with, with a child, it's, it takes one bad negative, you know, it takes, it takes actually three positives to outweigh one negative. So say for instance,
Starting point is 00:33:36 you were trying to get your kid to eat a blueberry, but this week he ate the blueberries and they were sweet and they were beautiful and juicy. And then next week you buy the blueberries and now they're bitter. And that kid takes a bite out of that blueberry and it's bitter. You just ruined his whole life. You know, game over blueberries are off. Yeah. But that's what happens. And you have to understand that they don't understand why that happened. It's kind of like a gotcha moment. And so when you understand that like a cracker, a Ritz cracker from 1940 will taste the exact same as it does today because it doesn't change. When you have things that constantly change taste, it will throw off a kid who loves
Starting point is 00:34:19 structure, who loves, you know, things that just being repetitious as well. Yeah, that makes, that makes perfect sense. So I want to talk more about some of the other stuff that you've been seeing with your kids. Um, you know, the thing that we talked about this in the very beginning of the episode, the thing that really inspired me to bring you on was the glyphosate and what you're seeing. So can you share a little bit about what you're seeing? Your comment was, is that you test all the kids that you work with for glyphosate. And I believe you said almost all of them are coming back with really high levels of glyphosate.
Starting point is 00:34:51 Well, a lot of them do come back with high or moderate or borderline levels. Here's the thing with testing is it's kind of like an iceberg. So your body is only going to excrete a specific amount because a lot of toxins hide. So toxins love your adipose tissue, your muscles, your organs, you know, your bones. So when we're doing a test on a kid, we're kind of sometimes only skimming the surface. We're just seeing what their body is actually letting go of and not actually what the whole hundred percent picture of. So for some toxins, we might only see 20%. Sometimes we'll see 50 and sometimes we'll see more.
Starting point is 00:35:30 So it's a little hard where, you know, a lot of my kiddos do come back high with glyphosate and BPA. That's a pretty high amount. And it's because of how much is actually being dropped every year. It's like in the billions, like it's like one or two billions of glyphosate. And that's just glyphosate. That's just not that we're not talking about all pesticides. What people don't understand about, you know, things like glyphosate and specific toxins is one, the purpose of glyphosate is it, what chelates minerals. So basically when you spray a plant with glyphosate, it's starting to, it pulls out the minerals and stuff for it to die. So then it gets more exposure to like mold and
Starting point is 00:36:13 fungi and diseases and stuff. And that's why the plants die off because you removed all the minerals. That happens in the same time that if you ingest glyphosate, it does it to us too. So we really do lose a lot of mineral, like a lot of my kiddos are mineral deficient and, you know, and it's, it's a vicious cycle when you're dealing with things like glyphosate and BPA, which is, you know, a plastic paraben that, and other types of, you know, endocrine disruptors, you know, that go into our system and they just, they mess up our thyroid, they mess up our hormones. And kids on the spectrum biochemically typically do have higher levels of toxins, including heavy metals, including mold and
Starting point is 00:37:00 including environmental toxins like BP. They actually just released a research study not too long ago that like BPA is like extremely high in kids with autism. And I'm sitting there going, yeah, I know. You're like, yeah, I see it. I was like, yeah, duh. But yeah, I see this and it's like, oh, could this be a link for autism? And it's like, you know, it pick your poison. You know, you have a, you know, if, if you look at a child's first year of life, you know, they come out and they're this cute little, tiny little thing. And within one year they're walking and talking almost, you know, um, there's a lot of growth that happens. There's a lot of brain growth that happens. So any environmental factor, and we are, our environment is just getting more toxic every day. So glyphosate, BPA, heavy metals, mold, all these toxins, some people do better at detoxing than others. And some are just more predisposition to accumulating them and having them stuck in their system.
Starting point is 00:38:03 Yeah. Oh God. It's just heartbreaking. You know, when you look at the stats and we see just how, how our environment and our food system is really affecting kids right now, what are some of the symptoms or, or I don't even know if you can actually pinpoint this back, but are you able to kind of see specific symptoms in kids that maybe have higher glyphosate or is this more just that we consciously know what it's doing to their bodies? And so we need, we know we need to get it out. It's hard because with a child and with toxins in general, heavy metals, mold, environmental toxins, the trifecta, the symptoms all overlap. Yeah, that makes sense. So just when I think I have it pinpointed, they'll just like, oh, I bet you that kid has
Starting point is 00:38:45 tons of heavy metals. They come back with no metals, but tons of mold. You know, it's like no different than if you had 10 people in a room and all have gluten sensitivity, they're all going to have different symptoms. One could have headaches, one could have abdominal pain or, you know, rashes and stuff. So with environmental toxins, heavy metals and mold, the symptoms of every kid are going to be vastly different because it does depend also on their system, their body, their gut. So I do get some kiddos on the spectrum and they eat great. You know, I have a family, sometimes they're like, oh my God, my kid will eat anything you put in front of him. And I'm like, thank you. You know, like makes my
Starting point is 00:39:25 job so much easier. But then I get a kid that has like tons of toxins, only eats one kid. I worked with only Hawaiian bread, literally only Hawaiian bread. And I was like, you know, I know that tastes amazing because Hawaiian bread is really great. But like when you're trying to get a kid who has so much toxins in his system and, you know, won't eat even a fruit, you know, you're trying to get a kid who has so much toxins in the system and, you know, won't eat even a fruit, you know, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place for a little while. And, and I rely on supplements sometimes to really help get them back on track. I had a question actually that I forgot to ask you before, but since we came back to the subject of kids and eating, um, I'm trying to figure out how to word this because I know that
Starting point is 00:40:05 this is going to be a little bit of a sensitive subject for people, but I see a lot of arguing online and I want to know what your opinion is on this. So now, obviously it's going to be a little bit different when you have a kid that's on the spectrum, but what do you think about picky eaters and the connection to how the parents are with the food with the children. Do you think that even with an autistic or, you know, a kid on the spectrum, that it would still be better off for the parents very early on to try their hardest to introduce kids to more food? Or is there really just a situation where like they are just like not having it no matter how hard the parents try with the food? So I think this is like a twofold question. So one, I created a 30 day like allergen friendly meal plan that was like gluten free, dairy free,
Starting point is 00:40:51 corn, soy free and stuff for my families because they were always asking me like, I need ideas. I need food ideas. I had a parent reach out to me and she goes, thank you so much for creating this because I never really learned how to properly plate food. Makes sense. And I was like, wow. Yeah. I mean, I went to school for nine years to learn how to, you know, formally make a great plate of food, you know, four ounces of protein, four ounces of car, whatever. Yeah. And, you know, not, you know, if you went to school for insurance or, you know, you know, marketing, it's not like you knew about nutrition. So like some of my family is like, you know, you know, marketing, it's not like you knew about nutrition. So like some of my family is like, just didn't even know, like, should I offer a vegetable?
Starting point is 00:41:29 Should I offer just fruit? Like how much should I offer? Like how much should my kid be eating? Like they just didn't know because we don't teach that, you know? Um, so that I think is part of it is just the lack of education as a dietitian. Andian, and as I'm sure you know, we have done a very horrible job of educating the public. Food guide pyramid, for starters. Oh my God, it's atrocious. Have you seen a South Park episode where they're like, you just have to flip the pyramid? It's so funny. People listening, you got to go watch that. Because, you know, and it didn't. So part of it, and this is why I hate part of my profession to a certain degree, is that when we were educated, we weren't educated from nutrition experts. We were educated from the food industry. Yeah, that's the problem.
Starting point is 00:42:23 That's who wrote our textbooks. That's who came up with this stuff. Actual nutritionists didn't come up with these things, the food market and the food people did. So when you look at the food guide pyramid and you go six to 11 servings of whole grains per day, like that, you know, and then we, we come up with this coin phrase of everything in moderation. You know, again, we didn't come up with that. The food market industry comes up with these kinds of coins and phrases. The problem is, again, is the lack of education. Everything in moderation does not mean today you give your kids a Pop-Tart. Tomorrow you give them Cheez-Its and Goldfish. The next day you're giving them McDonald's. Like that's not what we meant by everything in moderation. Everything in moderation means for 80 to 90% of the week, you eat fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbs, and homemade meals. And Saturday morning,
Starting point is 00:43:18 you wanted to have a Pop-Tart, you had a Pop-Tart. That's how you and I probably grew up. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Fruit or I'm sorry, dessert in my house was always yogurt, fruit, maybe a little whipped cream on top. It was not ice cream, cookies, candy and stuff every night. It was fruit with like some yogurt or fruit with some whipped cream. That was my dessert. And then having ice cream was maybe once every two weeks. And that was a special treat. Yeah. That's what we meant with everything in moderation. But today it got taken and blown completely out of proportion of what you see today. And that's why we have a problem where people really just, I think it's the lack of education. It's the lack of understanding of what we're meaning by eating well and eating, you know, a healthy diet. And it's also part of, you know, mom stress, parent stress, both parents are working. They don't have time to make a home cooked meal. And I think it's
Starting point is 00:44:29 kind of, I think that has a lot to do with it. It's stressful. There are times where I, you know, both of my kids are driving me cuckoo and I got work up the hoo-ha and I'm like, you know what? It's chicken nuggets and French fries tonight. They're gluten-free and I'm making the French fries from potatoes, but you know what? It's a gluten free and chicken nugget night. And guess what? It's called survival mode. You know, 100 percent, especially as a special needs parent. There are times that I just literally am in survival mode and it's OK. My kids are fine. They're they're fed. They're getting their vegetables with their meal. They're eating their gluten-free chicken nuggets. They're having some, you know, some, you know, potatoes and some fruit. I'm okay. They're okay. So, you know, we have to be kind to ourselves, but we also have to educate ourselves.
Starting point is 00:45:17 Is it just me or is colostrum just totally taking the internet by storm? I mean, I'm so happy about it. And it's so interesting how certain things will just become a massive trend. I've been taking colost happy about it. And it's so interesting how certain things will just become a massive trend. I've been taking colostrum for probably at least 10 years now or so. My mom got me on it. It's an ancient practice used for immune function. It really helps to strengthen and bolster the immune system. And I will say Armra colostrum has really taken the internet by storm. And for good reason, it is a really good high quality colostrum. I get so many DMs from you guys just specifically asking me if I use Armra Colostrum. And yes, I do. I've been taking Armra specifically for almost a year now. I travel
Starting point is 00:45:55 with it everywhere I go. I bring the little individual packets with me and I especially take it while I'm traveling because that's when we are most susceptible to getting sick. And you know what's really cool? There's actually a study that's been done comparing the effects of the flu vaccine and colostrum and colostrum performed better in protecting the body from the flu. Isn't that wild? And this is a peer reviewed study posted in a very well-renowned medical journal. So what is colostrum? It is the first nutrition we receive in life and contains all the essential nutrients we need in life and contains all the essential nutrients we need in order to thrive. Armour is a proprietary concentrate of bovine colostrum that harnesses these 200 plus living bioactive compounds to rebuild your immune barriers
Starting point is 00:46:34 and fuel cellular health for a host of research backed benefits. Armour colostrum strengthens immunity. It ignites metabolism. It fortifies gut health. It helps activate hair growth and skin radiance. And I actually have seen all my little, I have all these baby hairs that have been growing since I started taking it and it helps to power fitness performance and recovery. And what's cool is we have worked out a special offer for you, my audience, my listeners, who I absolutely adore. You're going to get 15% off your first order. So go to tryarmra.com slash realfoodology. That is T-R-Y-A-R-M-R-A.com slash realfoodology or simply enter code realfoodology and you're going to get 15% off. Again, that's tryarmra.com slash realfoodology. Armra is A-R-M-R-A.
Starting point is 00:47:24 Did you know that most cookware and appliances are made with forever chemicals? Yes, that means your nonstick pans, your air fryers, your waffle makers, your blender could possibly have PFAS. And yes, even our beloved crockpots and pressure cookers. I have actually been talking about this for so long. Back in 2006, my mom came to my dorm room and made me get rid of all my nonstick pans because she was concerned about me being exposed to something called Teflon. Teflon is a coating that is used on nonstick pans and a lot of these appliances that I just named.
Starting point is 00:47:56 So I've avoided Teflon, nonstick, PFA coated appliances, pots and pans, you name it for a very long time. And the only option for the, for a very long time was just stainless steel pots and pans. So I was really excited when a company like our place came out because they started creating really beautiful cookware and appliances that are like pieces of art. Every appliance that I have from our place, I legit want to store it on the counter. And I'm the type of person that does not want anything on my counter because I like it to look really just clean and minimal. But I'm so obsessed with all the art place products that I have so many of them displayed on my counter because they are legit pieces of art. Our place is a mission
Starting point is 00:48:38 driven and female founded brand that makes beautiful kitchen products that are healthy and sustainable. Other products are made without PFAS, which are the forever chemicals, and also made without PTFE, which is Teflon. If a company is not outwardly stating that they don't use these chemicals, then if they are using nonstick coating on their appliances, they are absolutely using forever chemicals. And there's been increasing global scrutiny for their impact on the environment and our health. And recognizing this impact, the EU plans to prohibit PFAS by 2025. Our place has always been PFAS free, and they offer durable toxin-free ceramic coatings, ensuring a healthy, safe cooking experience. And let me tell you, you guys, they are changing the game with non-toxic appliances. They have a blender. They have an air fryer. They have a crock pot, not to mention
Starting point is 00:49:25 their amazing always pan. They have a perfect pot, which is just the perfect size for soups. And they also just came out with a cast iron that I'm loving as well. And I more recently replaced all of the bowls and plates in my kitchen because I really needed an upgrade. My other ones were so old. So I got some from our place and they are so beautiful. The ceramics are beautiful. The colors are amazing. Like I said, everything is like a piece of art. If you want to try any of the products from our place, go to fromourplace.com and enter my code realfoodology at checkout to receive 10% off sitewide. That's fromourplace.com, code realfoodology. Our place offers a 100-day trial with free shipping and returns.
Starting point is 00:50:08 It's hard sometimes to have these conversations online, and I'm sure you've felt the backlash too, where I simply just want to educate people and I want to help people because I know a lot of Americans are struggling right now with preventable chronic diseases. And we're seeing this with children. I mean, autism, ADHD, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is rising. That's been up a lot since COVID. I can't tell you how many patient inquiries I've had
Starting point is 00:50:37 after the first year of COVID because kids were at home. They were not going outside and all they were doing was eating junk food and carbohydrates. And it was like a month, I got like 20 referrals and I was like, what is going on? And it was just people who found me locally too, which was weird. And it was just like this bizarre. And as I was watching just kids, weight know, just kids, weight has been going up. Obesity went up during COVID. Depression went up during COVID. I mean, it was just like a, it was a downward spiral for these kids. Yeah. And it's just heartbreaking. And then, you know, and I struggle sometimes having these conversations online because my message is that
Starting point is 00:51:21 it's not our fault. Like we're. We're getting miseducated. These large food companies have massive amounts of money behind their ad marketing budgets. We're not educating people correctly. Nobody gets this education in school. You said this earlier, you and I, the only reason we know this is because I went through six years of schooling for this,
Starting point is 00:51:40 plus all the other stuff that I've just read over the years. I also had help from my mom, but it's like, whenever I try to have this conversation, we're not shaming the moms at all here. Like I'm like, moms, I'm on your side. Like we, it's us against the food system right now is really what's happening. And I want to do the best that I can as far as like educating and getting this information out there. And like, how can we help parents? And then, you know, what you said too, a lot of moms are working, they're stressed, they've been working all day. They just want to get food on the table quickly. And it's, it's tough. Like there's a lot of hurdles that we are having to, um, get through right now. But part of my message
Starting point is 00:52:18 as well is that like, I think part of the issue is that people don't understand how incredibly important nutrition and food is because unfortunately we live in a time where it's really hard, but it's also one of the most important things you could do. So like, we've got to fight like hell right now. Well, however we can do it, you know, and come up with little tips and tricks. And like you said, you know, you have the gluten-free chicken nuggets and you make the potatoes from home. Great. You know, throw a little greens on the side, maybe put some fruit or whatever. And then like, that's great. You know, like we all got to do what we got to do. But I do, I do just think this is such an incredibly important conversation. And I hate that it turns into, um, that we're mom shaming or, you know, that we're,
Starting point is 00:52:57 we're attacking moms. I'm like, I'm moms. I'm on your side. I'm here. I want to help. I, I, you know what it is, uh, being a quote unquote crunchy mom now has a horrible stigma. And I find it so funny and ironic that living a natural, more of a natural lifestyle, eating home, you know, cooked foods and less processed foods is now demonized, you know, um, you know, and back to like the glyphosate thing, you know, you have these health influencers who are just regurgitating things like from the EPA that says, Oh yeah, glyphosate's fine. We have all these studies for decades that show it's fine. And it's like, did you really like do the research? Like I'm just, you know, it kind of is crazy to me because I
Starting point is 00:53:48 feel I'm like, if I can Google and research and find dozens of research studies to show how glyphosate damages the microbiome, damages the mitochondria, you know, damages the thyroid, damages the reproductive organs, damages the brain in children with autism. Now it's like, okay, but why aren't you explaining this? I know. So these parents just literally only, it's also like a comfort thing too. So it's like, oh, they said it was fine. So I'm going to go on that notion that it's fine and be okay. Here's the thing. We're not fear mongering. We're not shaming. We're literally trying to educate. We're trying to show what I call the other side of science that nobody wants to talk about, that nobody wants to
Starting point is 00:54:40 acknowledge actually exists when it does actually exist. And that's part of the problem. If we know other things cause autism besides just genetic, why are we not talking about it? If we know that there are things that can help kids with autism thrive, why are we not talking about it? And why is it so shameful to support the kids? You might not agree. And that's perfectly fine. I get into fights with people who are like, you're trying to cure. I'm like, I never use that word. I don't use the word cure. I don't use the word recover because it's insensitive. And we know that if you have true autism, you cannot cure that and you cannot reverse it. But it doesn't mean that there
Starting point is 00:55:22 aren't things that we can do when we're educated to support our child so that they can thrive. Because we know when you do better and you feel better, magically everything's easier and you can do amazing things. I've had kids start speaking within a few weeks or months or days by just replenishing some vitamins and minerals and some nutrients. Wow. Because their brains are starved. Why is that seen as a negative thing? Yeah. I don't know. It's because we've gotten in this weird place where everybody's fighting about like a specific word or like, like the cure thing you just said. I can't tell you how many people have written me these vicious or not emails, DMs on Instagram. And I'm like, point me to where I ever said there was a cure. I've never once said that. Like,
Starting point is 00:56:16 yeah, people say that to me all the time. And I'm like, I didn't say that. I'm just showing what, what I could do, you know, and listen, I, my families will always ask me like, you know, what's your success rate and stuff. It's like, listen, every kid is vastly different and I'm not claiming that I can cure fix or make your child speak or be the perfect person. What I'm trying to always say is I'm going to try to make your child as, as happy and as healthy as I possibly can. And then anything that comes out of that is gravy on the boat. Yeah. That's it.
Starting point is 00:56:52 It's yeah. I mean, it's just I was trying to think of an analogy because just for people to help understand it better. But it's kind of like let's say you have like an older car and something's like clicking and then you go in and you get the click fixed and then great. Now you don't have the click anymore. So it's like, you still have the older car and maybe it's not perfect and it's not totally fixed and brand new, but it's like, there are things that you can do where you can modify and make it better and easier for the children, you know? And so that's just where you and I are on the same page. It's just maddening. Cause I'm like, cause you know, then people try to silence us and shut us down i had you know
Starting point is 00:57:28 a couple people on this like reel that i did recently that were just like how dare you like this is you know such horrible information and i'm like point to me how this is horrible and damaging we're just trying to help these children have better outcomes and healthier and happier lives that's it like if we can make their lives easier, why not? Yeah. I, I, I really wish I could like, you know, you know, I, I can understand a part of them of where they're coming from in certain aspects where, you know, there are people that, you know, sell things online and market things online to like cure your kid and stuff like that. So I totally understand where they're coming from because it's insensitive, you know. But at the same time, it's not fair
Starting point is 00:58:12 where I've had a lot of people who, you know, claim to be adults with autism or autistic adults that would, you know, make horrible comments to me or say, my son will never forgive me. My son's going to hate me. And it's like, you know, it's really easy for you to sit there and write all of this out when a lot of our kids won't even be able to speak or type or write. And it's not fair that you get to think that your voice kind of trumps everybody else's voice too, including these children. You know, I want to speak for those who can't too. And I want to also speak for the families who are just trying to help their children. And that's the biggest thing is we shouldn't be confining our children.
Starting point is 00:58:57 Like my biggest fear was who's going to take care of my child when I'm not here? Do I have to put him in a group home and leave him there when he's 18 because I can't handle him? You know, will his brother have to take care of him when we're gone? And, you know, that's reality for a lot of people. And that's a very sad and scary reality. And that's not the hope and dream when you have a child, that's not your future. So I want families to be able to say, listen, if there is a little bit of hope that your kid can be independent or have a really great quality of life, let's give them that amazing opportunity because I I've seen the other side, you know, I, I worked in nursing homes and where do you think they put people who, you know, are adults with autism who couldn't function in
Starting point is 00:59:52 society when there weren't group homes and stuff like that, they put them in nursing homes. And that was a very sad eyeopening, you know, thing for me to see and witness these, these people. And that was their home and that was their life. And it was just not anything that I would want for my son. Yeah, absolutely. Wow. I mean, that's heartbreaking and thanks for sharing that. Yeah. I mean, just, you know, I've said this a million times, we want to help as much as we possibly can. And what's amazing is that there's a lot of things that people can do now that's not as widely known because it's, quote, unquote,
Starting point is 01:00:29 we're not allowed to talk about it. And so that's why I'm so grateful for your time to come on and share your stories because this is so important for parents to hear that it doesn't mean that it's going to be a magic cure fix-all. We have never said that we're trying to cure anything. But if somebody is really struggling, there are things that you can do that could improve their life is all we're really trying to say. And my message across the board, whether we're talking about autism or anything else, it's like, we're talking about really for the most part, simple
Starting point is 01:00:59 and almost free interventions. I'm talking about, you know, cleaning up your diet, filtering your water, getting sunlight, getting good sleep, you know, cleaning out the gut. These are all things that are going to improve your life. There is no harm in doing any of these. We're not talking about doing these crazy drug interventions that could possibly have really bad side effects. Yeah, no, listen, when I work with families and I'm putting them on supplements and stuff, it's specific to what their body's needing. And we do the testing to figure that out. I don't like families, you know, just trying to do things on whims because sometimes that could be dangerous. You know, even probiotics, I've had some horror stories of people that are like, Hey, this person said this
Starting point is 01:01:37 probiotic would be great. Now my kid is having horrible tantrums, not sleeping. It's like, because the system's a very finicky thing. We're very complex individuals, every single one of us. So doing these tests to really see what's going on inside someone's body is invaluable information so we get it right. We're not throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping something's gonna stick.
Starting point is 01:02:00 We're gonna know exactly what that person needs in order to thrive. And that's the most important thing. And that's why I like testing. And I, I even have free workbooks that go through the testing and even tells you what tests will get covered by insurance that you can ask your pediatrician for, because I want families to be able to get like a foot in the door and actually start trying to do something versus absolutely doing nothing. Yeah. Wow. That's so incredible. I just, I love so much what you're doing. Thank you so much for being an advocate for these
Starting point is 01:02:30 children. So I always like to end the episode on, you know, on a, on a good note. And I'm wondering, I mean, you've already shared your son, which by the way, I don't think we ever actually said this, but your son is verbal now, right? Yeah. Oh yeah. Okay. I wanted to clarify that. You know, he, he's, he's verbal. Um, he's still behind, um, like reading, you know, by a year, but that's okay. Pretty much the world is because of COVID too. So that didn't help when everyone was virtual. Um, but I mean, he's gaining, I mean, last year he gained five reading levels and, you know, so he's still gaining every year, even though he's just kind of like on his, you know, you know, growth, you know, with everything and that's fine. Like he'll catch up. I'm not too worried. I was speech delayed as a child too. And I always had reading comprehension issues
Starting point is 01:03:20 up until I went to college and I learned how to read research papers. So, um, but yeah, he's verbal, he's sassy. Uh, he's funny, you know, he loves, you know, telling jokes and stuff like that. So I can have conversations with him. He could tell me about his day and that's the most beautiful thing in the entire world. Oh, I love that so much. Well, I was going to ask you, but maybe it is a story of your son, but I was going to ask maybe what was one of the most profound things that you've seen working with kids? Like maybe somebody that was loaded with glyphosate and nonverbal or whatever it is. I have a funny story where I had a mom and a dad that got on a call with me and you could tell the dad was so skeptical of everything. Like he just classic, you know, like mom was like gung ho. She was a referral from another family that I had worked with and I helped her kid.
Starting point is 01:04:13 Her kid actually dropped her diagnosis, which was a beautiful thing as she within about a year or so. So she was a referral from this patient. So she was so gung ho of talking with me and getting started. And the dad, I just remember him sitting on the call going, you know, just like, just eyeing me. Um, and you know, the, the child had a lot of, um, behavior issues, skin issues, allergies, um, and things like that. And I told the mom, you know, get came back and she's like, listen, my husband's not really. And I said, listen, give me six months, just give me six
Starting point is 01:04:51 months. So, and I told the dad, I said, I'm just asking you for six months. If you don't see any changes, if I haven't helped any way, I will give you a hundred percent refund because he was that skeptical. Like you could just tell, like he had the beating eyes on the zoom and, um, mom reached out. We had been working for about six months and she reached out at the six month mark. And she was like, and her husband was like, Oh my God, her skin issues were gone. Her allergies were gone. Allergies to food were completely gone. Her behaviors were non-existent. She was getting like B's and A's. Her behavior in school was like on point. She said everyone around them couldn't believe the change in their daughter. And the dad was like, this was amazing. So I just thought it was so funny because he was just like, I was, I was like, Ooh, a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure. I got to do right
Starting point is 01:05:53 right here. But you know I can understand like it's, it's a, it's an, it's a lot to entrust on somebody who's not an MD or a doctor, you know, but I've spent almost two decades doing, you know, working in medical field. I have now spent almost, you know, eight years doing what I'm doing now. And, you know, it's, it's kind of like second nature where I kind of got it. Like I understand it a lot better. So it, you know, I can understand why someone would be skeptical because you're kind of saying, listen, I can fix a lot of these problems that everyone told you couldn't be fixed. Well, and the problem is, is that the general public is trained that the only people we can listen to are medically trained doctors. And the irony of that is that those medically trained doctors, they're great in an emergency. You break your leg,
Starting point is 01:06:46 you have, you know, some crazy infection. Oh my God, thank God, they're miracles. But they're not trained for all this new stuff that we're dealing with, which has really popped up in the last like 60 years, which is a lot of it. I mean, I would consider it to be like foodborne illness, which is a lot of these preventable chronic diseases that we're seeing now. And it's, yeah, but it's amazing. We're definitely seeing a paradigm shift. It's so awesome. And you're definitely a part of that. It's incredible.
Starting point is 01:07:13 Yeah. And also I want to ask you one more question before we go. And then I'm going to let you plug all your stuff. So what, this is a personal question for you, actually. What are your health non-negotiables? So these are, no matter how crazy your day is, you prioritize these things for your own health. For me personally or for my family? Or you could say for your family too, either or, but yeah. Oh, that's a good one.
Starting point is 01:07:39 Non-negotiables is laying with my kids at night. That's every night we're going to hang out before we go to bed and just kind of relax and just talk and just kind of be with one another. We don't even need to talk, just being cuddling, you know, my little guy is such a snuggler, like, you know, so, um, but I started trying, especially, you know, self-care for an autism parent is almost like non-existent. Um, so I started trying to, um, find hobbies because I don't have hobbies. My hobbies were work, gym, children, cooking, laundry. Um, so I started, um, embroidering and learning how to embroider. So at least for a little while,
Starting point is 01:08:27 you know, maybe 20, 30 minutes a day, I embroider and just gives, keeps me off my phone. Um, and makes me feel good. And I try to definitely go for a walk every single night, you know, no matter what, just to get outside, clear my head, get that fresh air and stuff like that. So, I mean, it's taken me a long time to understand self-care as a parent and as a practitioner. And, you know, it's, I've always put everybody else before me. Yeah. I've always had that. I've struggled with that too. And I have to tell you, I have recorded over 200 of these and I ask every single time and nobody has ever mentioned hobbies. And I just want to say, I love that you just did that because we, we talk so much about like, you know, get the, get the food in the healthy food
Starting point is 01:09:17 and the walks and the sunlight. And those are also incredibly important, but it's also important to nurture our inner child. And I would say you nurture your inner child with those hobbies and you find the things that you love to do. Because when we're just stuck in this rat race of like the work and the, you know, the food and exercising and all the other stuff, it's like, where do we find the time to have fun? So thank you for saying that. That was great. Well, it was funny. Cause I just posted about that on, on Facebook. Cause somebody asked me like what I, what my hobbies are. And I was like, I don't have like, like, I felt like I'm like, Oh, man, I used to have tons of hobbies when I was single. And like, now I'm like, like, man, mom life really takes over your hobbies. I bet I can only imagine. Well, hopefully I'll be there next year. We'll check in.
Starting point is 01:10:03 So well, Greer, thank you so much. This has been such an amazing episode and I'm so grateful to have you on and please let everybody know where they can find you and where they can find your, you mentioned some workbooks and stuff, so please let them know. Yeah. So I keep everything the same. So it's biomedicalhealingforkids.com. And that's my, I have a private Facebook group. I have an Instagram. I do have a Tik TOK, but I'm not really on to, I don't really like Tik TOK too much. I like Instagram a little bit better. Um, but yeah, you can find me at biomedical healing for kids. I have a lot of free guides on my website cause I want my families to understand that they can get some just basic information and,
Starting point is 01:10:39 and you know, not everything has to cost an arm and a leg. And I also do have resources and stuff. You know, I have a rebalancing kids roadmap. I have a food guide. You know, it's for shopping, you know, what has over 450 different types of food items in there that are clean, low toxin type of foods to help you with your shopping if you're having a difficult time too. So I have a lot of things to offer. So if, but if you have questions, concerns, issues, you can always reach out to me. Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Thank you so much for listening to the real foodology podcast. This is a wellness loud production produced by Drake Peterson and mixed by Mike Fry. Theme song is by Georgie. You can watch the full video version of this podcast inside the Spotify
Starting point is 01:11:22 app or on YouTube. As always, you can leave us a voicemail by clicking the link in our bio. And if you liked this episode, please rate and review on your podcast app. For more shows by my team, go to wellnessloud.com. See you next time. The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual medical and mental health advice and doesn't constitute a provider patient relationship. I am a nutritionist, but I am not your nutritionist. As always, talk to your doctor or your health team first.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.