Realfoodology - Toxins, Over-Sanitizing + Children’s Health | Dr. Joel Warsh

Episode Date: August 13, 2024

EP. 208: Welcome back to the Realfoodology podcast! In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to chat with Dr. Joel Warsh, aka Dr. Joel Gator on Instagram, a board-certified pediatrician from LA who’s an expert in parenting wellness and integrative medicine. Dr. Joel explores the troubling rise in chronic health issues among kids, from autism and food allergies to obesity and autoimmune conditions. We also tackle hot topics like the impact of diet and toxins, the pitfalls of over-sanitizing, and the ongoing debate between breastfeeding and formula. Tune in to get practical advice and fresh perspectives on keeping your kids healthy in today’s world! Timestamps:  05:37 - The story behind Dr. Joel’s instagram 08:15 - Rise in chronic diseases in children  11:15 - Diet and toxins  13:50 - Medical gaslighting  17:05 - Doing whatever is best for your kids  21:01 - Dr. Joel’s success stories  23:56 - Biggest parenting mistakes  32:07 - Oversantiizing  35:58 - Keeping your kids healthy 38:46 - Practicing discernment 42:15 - Breastmilk vs formula  45:07 - Informed consent  49:49 - The downfalls of allopathic medicine 53:56 - The influence of big pharma and insurance companies 57:37 - Diabetes and nutrition in utero   58:59 - Taking charge of your child’s health  01:01:11 - Vaccines  01:11:11 - Handling controversial conversations  01:15:45 - Dr. Joel’s book  01:18:20 - Dr. Joel’s health nonnegotiables Sponsored By: Organifi Go to www.organifi.com/realfoodology and use code REALFOODOLOGY for 20% Off Beekeeper's Naturals Go to beekeepersnaturals.com/REALFOODOLOGY or enter code REALFOODOLOGY to get 20% off your order Our Place Use code REALFOODOLOGY for 10% off at fromourplace.com Needed Use code REALFOODOLOGY at thisisneeded.com for 20% off Paleovalley Save at 15% at paleovalley.com/realfoodology and use code REALFOODOLOGY LMNT Get your free Sample Pack with any LMNT drink mix purchase at drinklmnt.com/realfoodology Check Out Dr. Joel Warsh Website Instagram  Book Check Out Courtney: LEAVE US A VOICE MESSAGE Check Out My new FREE Grocery Guide! @realfoodology www.realfoodology.com My Immune Supplement by 2x4 Air Dr Air Purifier AquaTru Water Filter EWG Tap Water Database  Produced By: Drake Peterson

On today's episode of the Real Foodology Podcast. Most of what we're seeing, like you said, is the asthma, the allergies, the autoimmune conditions. And a lot of this has to do with our environment. I don't remember peanut allergies when I was a kid. I'm sure it was around, but I don't remember it. I don't remember asthma. I don't remember autism. I'm sure children had it, but now every other kid has it.

And that is new. That didn't just happen. It's happened over the last couple of years and something is going on and we need to do something about it. Hello, friends. Welcome back to another episode of The Real Foodology Podcast. I'm your host, Courtney Swan. And as always, I'm really grateful that you're here. Today, I sat down with Dr. Joel Warsh, otherwise known as Dr. Joel Gator on Instagram. If you do not follow him, I highly recommend following him. He is a great follow. He is a board-certified pediatrician based in LA, and he specializes in parenting, wellness, and integrative medicine. We cover so many topics regarding kids. First and foremost,

what is happening with kids' health? We talk about how kids are unfortunately sicker than ever. Autism is on the rise, peanut allergies, food allergies, psoriasis, eczema, asthma, autoimmune, diabetes 2, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. And I got the pulse on what he believes is happening right now and also what we can do about it. He talks about, in his opinion, what are the biggest mistakes parents are making with kids, improvements that they can also make with their children, and I also asked him about over-sanitizing and what his opinion is on that. We also talk about formula and breastfeeding

and just so much more. So I'm gonna let you guys dive into the episode. Thank you so much for listening. It really means a lot. If you could take a moment to rate and review the podcast, it means so much to me and it really helps the show and it takes about two seconds. Also, if you are loving the podcast and you want to go to Instagram and follow Real Foodology Podcast, we just started a new page specifically for the podcast and we are posting clips there

every week that you will not see anywhere else. So thanks again for your support. Love you guys. You ever feel like you're just swimming in a sea of toxins from air pollution to processed foods? Our bodies are constantly being bombarded. So you're not alone. That's where Organifi's Green Juice steps in. In today's world, stress, toxins, and daily pressures can wreak havoc on our well-being. But with Organifi's Green Juice, you have a powerful ally to help detoxify and refresh

your system. Packed with detoxifying chlorella and nutrient rich spirulina, each sip supports your body's natural cleansing processes, helping to eliminate harmful toxins that can weigh you down. Start your day with a ritual that not only boosts your energy, but also clears the path for a healthier lifestyle. Organifi's green juice enriched with ashwagandha not only balances cortisol levels, but also helps you reclaim your vitality. Starting your mornings with Organifi's green juice can help you feel more energized and focused throughout the day. It's like hitting the reset button for your body. If you're ready to cleanse away the daily grind,

go to Organifi.com slash realfoodology and use code realfoodology for 20% off. Again, that's Organifi, O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I.com slash realfoodology and use code realfoodology for 20% off. Is it just me or is everyone dealing with crazy allergies this year? I know I personally have been dealing with more allergy symptoms than normal, and I feel like everybody I know has. So one way that you can combat this a little bit is to work on strengthening your immune system. My favorite products to use for strengthening my immune system are from Beekeepers Naturals. I will not leave the house, meaning like anytime I travel, without their Propolis immune throat spray. It's the perfect travel size for your backpack, purse, or carry-on. It's also TSA

approved. So every time I travel, I take it with me. I have it in all my purses, all my travel bags. Propolis is known for its antimicrobial and antifungal properties. So it makes it perfect for supporting your immune system and soothing your throat daily. Plus it tastes really good. I really trust beekeepers naturals and all of their products and the cleanliness of them. I actually know the founder personally. I've also had her on the podcast. If you guys want to go back and listen to that episode, it was so insightful and it was so interesting to hear all about their products and also the sourcing of it and how incredibly amazing Propolis is for overall health and for our immune system. All of their products, including the Propolis spray that I was talking about, are made with clean ingredients. They're also third-party tested

to ensure that they're pesticide-free, which is better for us and also better for the bees. Also certified keto, certified paleo, and gluten-free. I also really love their travel vitamin C liposomal packets. So I bring those everywhere with me as well because when you're traveling, you're exposed to a lot of germs and I tend to get a little bit more sick when I'm traveling or run down. But I've found that when I bring the propolis spray and I take the vitamin C every day that I don't know the last time that I got sick, honestly. So I like to bring them so that I can take them preventatively. The high-dose vitamin C is supercharged for immune support and rapid delivery. It delivers antioxidants like flavonoids, polyphenols that fight free radicals and combat oxidative stress, while vitamin C,

zinc, iron, and B vitamins also support the immune system. Also, it has 1,000 milligrams of bioavailable vitamin C, which is also known to support glowing skin and muscle recovery. I love all of the products that Beekeepers Naturals make, truly. I have every single product in my medicine cabinet right now,

and that's what I love so much about them is that they're a health and wellness company that's reinventing the medicine cabinet and making them healthier for us. So make sure you go to beekeepersnaturals.com slash realfoodology or enter code realfoodology at beekeepersnaturals.com to get 20% off your order. First of all, how are you doing today? I'm good. I'm good. It's been a wild ride. The last couple of weeks have been crazy with the book coming out and everything. It's been super fun.

Yeah. So I love doing podcasts. I used to do a lot more like, you know, news and little things. And I didn't like it because like two, three minutes podcasts are so much more fun. But it takes a good amount of your time to do it. It does.

But I've found with health, this is why I love the podcast so much is I started out on Instagram and I felt like I never had enough time or enough space to get everything out that I wanted to say because there's so much is I started out on Instagram and I felt like I never had enough time or enough space to get everything out that I wanted to say because there's so much nuance involved. And so I love doing an hour-long podcast because then

I can actually get everything out. My guests can get everything out that they want to say and really make their point because otherwise, there's so much nuance that then people get really confused and that's when people get mad at you online and they put words in your mouth. And I'm like, I never said that. They get mad either way, but yeah, they definitely get mad. That is true. Or you can say the exact opposite. I'm like,

I definitely did not say that. Exactly. But you just get used to it, I guess. Yeah. So I have kind of an unconventional question for you, but I'm curious because your name is Dr. Joel Marsh. So why are you Dr. Joel Gator on Instagram? So Gator, because my wife's last name is Intelligator. So people thought it was funny. That's cute. I love it. It's kind of, I was thinking maybe that it was like a fun thing that you did because you're a pediatrician and maybe it was like fun for kids to call you Dr. Gator. I think that's how it evolved because it started with, you know, my wife's last name being that and people were like, oh, it's funny. And

then everybody liked it. And it is, I think, fun for the that. And people were like, ah, it's funny. And then everybody liked it. And it is, I think, fun for the office. So people kind of went with it. And I've gone with it. That's so cute. I love it. Well, thank you so much for coming on today. I've actually been following you for,

I think like four years now. I think I found you around 2020 because I really loved just all the messaging that you were putting out there. You're an integrative pediatrician, which is also why I'm very excited to talk to you today. I've had a lot of integrative and functional doctors on the podcast. So I feel like my audience is very well versed in integrative medicine. You also just wrote a book and it's officially out, right?

It is a pre-order officially. I guess I don't know when. Whenever this is coming out in the world, it's officially out August 6th. So depending on who you're listening to, it is in the future or maybe in the past, it's already out yet. And like I mentioned, you have an amazing community on Instagram. And I'm so grateful for people like you that are really spreading the word of true health. So I want to ask you, first and foremost, what is happening with kids' health? I was reading a little bit about this before we got on and kids are sicker than ever. Autism is on the rise, peanut allergies, food allergies, psoriasis, eczema, asthma, autoimmune, diabetes two, obesity. Oh, even diabetes one, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. I mean, I could go on and on. And it seems like almost

every kid now has at least one chronic disease. And what, in your opinion, what's going on? Yeah, it is very scary. And that is one of the big reasons why I wanted to write the book. And one of the big reasons why I even started talking about all this stuff online in general, because almost 50% of kids, depending on which study you look at, have a chronic disease at this point. And that's insane. If you have two kids, that one of them is going to be on a medication every day, one of them is going to have a chronic disease. It should not be that way. And it wasn't even remotely like that a few decades ago. It was maybe like 5% of kids just a few decades ago. And now we're, you know, 40, 50%, whatever the number is, it's insane. And yeah, every condition

is going up. I mean, basically every single one. And the biggest question is why? Why is it happening? And why are we not doing anything about it? Like, why are we letting kids get this sick? And why are we not making changes? We don't know the answer for sure. I certainly have theories. And we can talk about that. But we don't actually know, right? We don't know what's going on. It's just a lot of discussion around, ah, you know, maybe it's genetics, maybe we're better at diagnosing things, but there's no way that that's true. I mean, of course we are better at diagnosing some things. That's a little part of it, but you don't go from one in 25,000 children with autism to one in 30 by just being better at diagnosis. That's insane. And that's what people are saying. And I think that's a big part of the

problem is where we're trying to not blame anything. We're trying to just put it out like, oh yeah, no, this is happening. And maybe it's just an NX, which is not true. It's not about blaming anybody really. It's about taking some responsibility that we are doing something. There are many things that are going on. There's a big issue and we have to figure out why and make some changes. Not so you feel bad that you did something that caused your child's condition, but so that way we can inform people, well, here are the things that increase your risk. Here are the things that you can do. And let's change the trajectory. Let's do something different. Let's see chronic disease come down.

Because right now we're not. And it's not about blaming medicine, right? Or talking about pediatricians. Like, you know, pediatricians are good people. These are people that are trying to take care of kids. But what we are seeing right now is this chronic disease epidemic. And it is time that we take it seriously and do something about it. Yeah. I mean, I couldn't agree more. I was just, as you were talking about that, I kept

thinking about how when I was in school, and I know a lot of people my age, and I think you and I are probably similar ages. When I was in school, I don't think I knew a single kid that had a peanut allergy. In fact, I don't think I knew a single kid that had asthma. And I remember there was one movie, I want to say it was The Sandlot, but if I'm wrong, I'm so sorry to everybody listening. But I remember there was a movie when we were kids and they made this big deal about this kid that had asthma. And I remember everybody was like, oh my gosh, this kid has asthma. And I just bring that up as a point to say that now I feel like every parent I know that has a kid that has at least one kid with asthma. And every single parent that I know right now, I have a lot of girlfriends that have kids, every single

one of their kids are dealing with eczema right now. And I just am like, what is going on? I have a couple of theories. I would love to dive a little bit into that. I mean, obviously a big issue is our food and a big issue is the toxins that we're being exposed to. And my theory is that we're at a point where a lot of people talk about these buckets and I think our buckets are overflowing with toxins and it's coming from

the food, it's coming from the water, it's coming from the body care. A lot of people aren't thinking about what they're putting on their kids as far as like lotion goes and all of that. What are your thoughts about all that? Yeah, I couldn't agree more. That's literally what I say in general. So if I will take a step back for a second. So one of the big things that I wanted to do for the book was to really dive into these issues from day one, just like you mentioned, because we want to prevent these things, right? We want to discuss what are those foundations and what are the things that we can be doing. I start with the Dr. Gator smoothie, you know, really, because it's like a play on, you know, you watch on daytime TV that

the guru air quotes goes on and says, Hey, you know, you can take celery and carrots and this will cure everything. There's no such thing as that, right? That's not real. And so I start with a big scoop of the seeds being stress, environment and toxins, exercise, diet and sleep, throw in their vitamin D, getting on to nature, family time, cooking. These are the things that are really the core foundation of our health. And when I talk about this, I really focus on those exact two things that you said, diet and toxins, because I believe that it's exactly that. I think our food is crappy. And even in the best case scenario, it's pretty crappy these days. And there is no way that your body is going to function appropriately if you don't have the nutrients that you need. And you mix in an environment that's so filled with chemicals and toxins that

at some point, everybody can't handle it. And I think that's where we're getting to where there are just too many toxins for their little bodies to handle and for our bodies to handle. And it expresses itself in different ways, whether that's an autoimmune condition, mental health condition, diabetes, whatever it is that it expresses itself as for you, that's what's going on. And yes, absolutely, genetics matter, right? Of course they do. And for some conditions, it could be completely genetics, but that's not what's going on most of the time. Most of what we're seeing, like you said, is the asthma, the allergies, the autoimmune conditions. And a lot of this has to

do with our environment. I don't remember peanut allergies when I was a kid. I'm sure it was around, but I don't remember it. I don't remember asthma. I don't remember autism. I'm sure children had it, but now every other kid has it. And that is new. That didn't just happen. It's happened over the last couple of years and something is going on and we need to do something about it. Well, and it's hard, right? Because, you know, obviously parents are sensitive and a parent doesn't want to hear that maybe decisions that they made, whether it was in utero or when the kid was really little, that could have potentially harmed their child, right? I mean, it's horrible. And my heart goes out to any parent dealing with anything like that. Um, but it really is becoming such a big

issue. Like you said, it's like one in two children. At what point is society going to start going, okay, what, what is going on here? We need to address this because we owe this to the children, right? We owe this to our kids to figure this out. Um, and I don't love that. It feels like there's a bit of like a gaslighting happening in the medical community that's like, oh, we're just, we just are diagnosing it, you know, more and easier now. I'm sorry, but with autism, we would have known

30 years ago if kids were nonverbal. It's very obvious. Exactly. Exactly, like there's no, I said that many times, but that to me is the best evidence that it's not just better genetics. You wouldn't miss 25, 30% of kids that were nonverbal. Maybe they would have a different diagnosis. Maybe that's true.

Like maybe you would say, oh, there were so many kids that were nonverbal. And then now we call that autism, but there's no such thing. There's no group of these 25, 30% of kids, which is a huge number of kids. Cause we're talking one in 30-ish kids have autism now, and then 25% of those or so are nonverbal. That is a massive amount of kids that have just appeared. You know, if you're saying that, it's not true. They weren't there before. There were kids with autism. Absolutely, there were kids that could have been diagnosed with autism that weren't back then because we were much more aware, but that's one small part of what's going on.

And we need to focus back into reality and not feel bad about what's going on. We don't know. We don't know what's going on. We don't know what we were doing or what a parent is doing that might be contributing. And that's what we need to figure out.

It's not so you feel bad. It's so that way we improve things, so that we improve their resilience, so they don't get another condition, so that way they can improve their symptoms. I mean, even there are kids that these days they work with practitioners and they lose their diagnoses. They lose their autism diagnoses if they work in a functional perspective. So I think that there is a lot that we can do, and it's not about blaming anybody. It's really just about acknowledging that this is happening and doing something about it.

And I don't know why we're so unwilling to do it because with diabetes, we are. It's like a weird dichotomy where you have type 1 diabetes and type 2. We know that you improve your lifestyle, you eat a little bit better, you exercise more, and a lot of people lose their type 2 diabetes diagnosis. I think most conditions are that way where there's this genetic component for some kids that is the predominant factor. And then the rest of it is more of a lifestyle condition. And if you change your lifestyle, then the condition will improve or go away. But for whatever reason, it's really just a diabetes thing and nothing else.

And that makes no sense to me. I think we need to have type 2 everything at this point. Yeah, I completely agree. And I also, I think you brought up a really good point is that we need to start having these kinds of conversations because so many people are just told that it's all genetics and that they can't do anything about it. And that's what really, and I'm sure that you share the same sentiment that I do. That's just so maddening to me because I hear people all the time just throw their hands up in the air and say, well, I was born with bad genes.

And we know now with epigenetics that a lot of this stuff that we're dealing with actually is only about 10% of our genetics, and it's about 90% of lifestyle. And if people don't know this, then they're just going to go on with their life and think that no matter what they do, that they're just doomed. And then another great point that you just brought up that I really want to emphasize is that a lot of people are seeing things like autism. I don't know if you would use the term reversed. I forgot what you said, that they lost the diagnosis or with like type two diabetes, they're reversing it because that if you go to just a traditional allopathic doctor and they diagnose you with

diabetes too, or like maybe pre-diabetes, they're like, oh, got to put you on medication. It's just for the rest of your life. That is 100% a lie. Type 2 diabetes is 100% reversible. All you need to do is change diet and lifestyle and it's 100% reversible. Now, I wouldn't say the same thing about autism, but I will say that I've heard many stories of children that were presenting autistic, what do you call it, symptoms. And then when they either detoxed from heavy metals, they cleaned up their diet, they did certain lifestyle changes, maybe they got more vitamin D, like there's a lot of things that you could do their symptoms lessened or went away yeah and the tough thing with autism i think is that it there's no lab test right there's no

easy test for it so we have these these symptoms that we call autism and then you get that diagnosis but it's probably many different things. And that's why you can take 10 kids with a diagnosis of autism and put them through a functional program. And, you know, some of them are going to get completely, completely lose their diagnosis. Some kids are going to have some of their symptoms go away. Some kids, nothing's going to change. So I think that, yeah, there, there's a lot of new research that's coming out about genetics and autism and a lot of genes that seem to be related to it. So I think that's interesting and important because we want to know those

things and certainly your genes influence how you're going to work your protocols for those kids. But at the end of the day, our goal is to get the all kids to be as functional as possible, as healthy as possible, happy life as possible. And we're all on the same team and we there's no us versus them. There's no western medicine versus natural medicine it is whatever will do the best for our kids so that way we can have healthy kids for our future like that's we're on the same team and it's just so crazy to me that you start talking about this stuff and then there's arguments and fights and talking about all these things no there are

a lot of families and children that are struggling and we should be doing whatever we can to help those kids and we should be doing everything we can to figure this out because this is our future. And in the direction that we're moving, every kid's going to have a chronic disease within a few decades. That's where we're going. And that is ridiculous. And it doesn't have to be that way. Medicine is good at some things, right? Medicine's really great at some things. We used to live till we're 40. Now we live till we're in our 70s. So that's good. I mean, let's not throw away all the medicine. There are a lot of great things that can save your life. But life expectancy is going back down again, and chronic disease rates are going up. So maybe not everything that we're doing in modern medicine is the best. Maybe there's some things that we can be doing to come

back into balance a little bit more. Some things that we were doing 20 years ago that were a little bit better. We need to take a little bit of everything and do whatever is best for our kids and right now it seems like we're just telling people what to do and what we're telling them doesn't even make any logical sense half the time and and there's just no reason for that there's no reason why we can't start to focus back on on root cause and spend time to figure out what's going on our Our kids deserve that. 100%. I totally agree. I don't understand why people fight us on this at all. I'm blown away. Because like you said, I'm like, we're on the same team. We all just want to help

each other, you know, because it's heartbreaking to see what's happening with kids right now. Have you personally seen any success in maybe a really sick kid that's come to see you, whether that's with autism or type 2 diabetes or just anything? Do you have any really stories that stuck out with that? Yeah. And there's so many over the years. One of the first ones that really sticks out, I was working in the hospital and there was a child who was very overweight, was coming in the hospital all the time for all kinds of illnesses, like every week or two for mysterious illnesses

and happened to be on my team. And I walked in the room one day and saw all these snacks and not the best foods in the room. And this child who's in the hospital were really sick. And during the rounds, we talked about the child's like, well, you know, have we ever discuss the diet? Have we ever discussed the foods and kind of got brushed off? Because you don't talk about those things in the hospital because you're just trying to get them out of there. But grandma happened to be there. And she pulled me aside after. I was like, oh, you know, no one ever mentioned this. Like no one ever talked about the diet. And I've been saying that for a while, but no one's really done anything. So she was like, would you be willing to be his

doctor? Let me talk to the parents. And they ended up coming to see me after and we did change up the diet we did get him exercising a little bit more um getting into some activities and his symptoms got better he stopped going to hospital after that it was like a crazy impressive transition over a few months of a child who was going to the hospital every week or two and then all of a sudden wasn't going anymore and and i don't know what it was exactly but he changed up his lifestyle and it got better. And I think there are a lot of stories like that. I also am an advisor for Documenting Hope. I don't know if you know that organization.

But they're basically working on the total load model and they put out a study just recently in the Journal of Personalized Medicine. They were looking at two twins, 20 months old, autism, and they worked over a couple of years with functional practitioners and they did a bunch of lab testing and change up their lifestyle. And both kids lost the diagnosis of autism over just a couple of years. And it was a really great study that they did just to kind of publish like, okay, this

is just one anecdote of one family. But the point is it can be done. Here's the evidence. We're looking at it. Here are the scores. Our autism scores go from like 70 to 30 and 50 to three or whatever it was. I can't remember the exact numbers, but it was very dramatic in terms of the improvement in their symptoms. And again, why are we fighting that? If that's something that is possible, then why are we not providing that for our kids and for the families that want it? If you don't want that, if you have a child who has autism and you are completely happy with everything that our kids and for the families that want it? If you don't want that, if you have a child who has autism and you are completely happy

with everything that they're doing and maybe they're extremely brilliant and smarter than other kids, I've seen that too, where there are kids that are savants. That's great. You don't have to do anything, but there are a lot of parents that are struggling

and let's provide them resources. Yeah, I completely agree. And wouldn't you want the best for your child? And even if it's not going to completely take that away and reverse it or whatever you want to call it, if you can just lessen the symptoms and make their life a little bit easier, wouldn't you want that for your kid? That's, you know. So what do you think are, what are the biggest mistakes that parents are making? Like what are kind of the biggest offenders as far as like what could be driving this rise in all these chronic diseases? I would say the biggest contributor is probably food. I think our food is terrible in general. If you look at the stats, most kids these days are

eating 40, maybe even 70% in some studies, ultra processed, sugary, not real foods. And that's the majority of their diet. And there is no way that you're going to be healthy if you don't have the nutrients that you need. In the best case scenario for most families, you're getting produce from the store. And even that is still a lot of times sprayed in chemicals. It's been sitting there and that's the best case scenario. So, but most people aren't even eating that they're eating preserved foods that are preserved in packages. You're buying things because of the fancy label or the cartoon character that's on the box.

And to me, first place to start is with the food and really start reading labels. I think that is the key to really turning things around and becoming a mindful consumer is to read the label on everything you buy from now on. You don't need a PhD. You don't need to know chemistry. You just look at the words. If you don't know what they are, it's probably not good for you.

And then you buy the things that have real words that you actually know what they are. And hopefully over time, people start to become a little more mindful. They start to read about some of these words. They start to realize, oh, why would I ever want to put that in my body? Why is it in this food?

But you don't need to start there. You can just start by looking at two bags of chips and saying, well, this one's got better ingredients. I'm going to buy that one. And every little bit adds up. It makes a huge difference over time. And if we start to decrease the chemicals and the toxins, then most kids can handle it. We used to, right? So I think if we just minimize the chemicals and toxins a little bit, then that's going to allow our kids' bodies to do what it's supposed to do and will vastly decrease the chronic disease that we're seeing. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And then I want to add on to that too. And I briefly mentioned this earlier, but a really big one that I think a lot of parents, I think most of my audience listening is very well on

this already, but anyone that's not, is checking everything that you're putting on and around your child to spraying on them. I mean, I think about the spray sunscreens all the time. I see this like at the pool and I'm just like, Oh God, it breaks my heart. Um, just being really conscious of everything that you're putting on their body, around their body, in their body. Unfortunately, it's just the reality of the world that we live in right now. We have to be incredibly careful with all of that. I couldn't agree more. That's usually my step two. And it's really the same thing as reading labels, right?

It's just reading labels for everything. When you are buying anything, you need to be conscious of everything that's going on or around your children or yourself, everything in your home. You have to create an environment where you're sleeping and where you're eating and where they're playing. That's as toxic, it's toxin free as possible because the best that you're going to do is still going to have some toxins. You're still going to have some chemicals in your water. There's still chemicals in the air. And so, you know, we can put some plants in your home, we can get a filter,

but at the end of the day, there are still things that you're exposed to. So we just have to minimize them as much as possible. And it's possible to do that by becoming an active consumer and reading the labels and thinking about these things. 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. So I've avoided Teflon is a coating that is used on nonstick pans and a lot of these appliances that I just named. 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 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 Our Place products that I have so many of them displayed on my counter

because they are legit pieces of art. ArtPlace is a mission-driven and female-founded brand that makes beautiful kitchen products that are healthy and sustainable. All their 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 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 site-wide. That's fromourplace.com, code realfoodology.

Our Place offers a 100-day trial with free shipping and returns. 2024 is the year of fertility for me. I'm just naming that right now. While I am not actively trying to get pregnant this is not an announcement for that I do know that it can take a couple years to get your body ready and fertile for pregnancy and I do know that I very much desire to have kids and I also know that pregnancy and postpartum are some of the most nutritionally demanding times in a woman's life and a mom and her baby's health now and for years to come is influenced by her nutrient status also a woman's fertility. And a mom and her baby's health now and for years to come is influenced by her nutrient status. Also, a woman's fertility is also influenced by her nutrient status. So I am really taking this year to focus on all the things that I can do in order to set up my fertility for hopefully the best outcome that I can have. Most prenatal vitamins include bare

minimum nutrition based on outdated guidance and stale research. And we deserve to thrive, not just survive. This is why I really love this company Needed. They offer radically better nutrition products, education and advocacy rooted in clinical research and practitioner validation. I know that there's so many women's health and prenatal supplements out there, and it can be really hard to know what's truly the best option. And I get asked often what prenatal I recommend. I really like the brand Needed. It's recommended and used by more than 4,000 women's health experts from nutritionists to midwives, functional medicine doctors, and OBGYNs.

I even have girlfriends in my own life that have used it pre and during pregnancy as well. And this is because Needed offers products that are formulated by experts in women's health and are backed by clinical insights from their collective of over 4,000 practitioners. Their products offer the forms of nutrients your body can actually use, dosed at optimal versus bare minimum levels. They also go above and beyond with third-party tests, testing every batch to ensure the safest product. Needed offers radically better nutrition for women from conception to pregnancy to new motherhood and beyond. If you would like to try any of their products today, head over to thisisneeded.com

and use code REALFOODOLOGY for 20% off your first month of Needed products. Again, that is thisisneeded.com and use code REALFOODOLOGY for 20% off. Yeah, exactly. thisisneeded.com and use code realfoodology for 20% off. Yeah, exactly. Just becoming more conscious is, you know, really what is important and what our kids need. I'm curious to know your thoughts on over sanitizing, especially from a doctor's standpoint. I will tell you that it has been driving me absolutely bonkers the last couple of years

because people have never been so obsessed with germs. And I know from what I learned in school is that we don't want to be over sanitizing because we have a good gut bacteria in our microbiome that builds up our immune system. And if we're killing all that off, we're killing off parts of our immune system. What are your thoughts on that? Yeah, there is a lot of fantastic research at this point that over-sanitation is not good for you. It started with looking at rural communities

and looking at children in farms and other Amish communities, things like that, where the rates of almost everything are lower. And one of the big theories behind that, if you're talking about like eczema or mental health concerns or allergies or asthma, the big theory is that we're sanitizing too much in the city and you're not exposed to the bacteria and the things that you're supposed to be exposed

to. We have grown up, I think, in the last several decades being afraid of bacteria. The word is bad, which is not. Bacteria, if you get the wrong bacteria into the wrong place, it can be bad, but otherwise it's good. I mean, that's what we're built of. That's what we're made of. Our body is an environment and you don't want to start killing things without a reasonable reason to do so. We know that about when you take an antibiotic, it affects your gut, right? If you sanitize anything, that's going to affect the biome on

your body. So do we want to go around licking doorknobs? No, probably not, right? If you sanitize anything, that's going to affect the biome on your body. So do we want to go around licking doorknobs? No, probably not, right? But if you are sanitizing over and over again, you're ruining what's supposed to be there. You're ruining the natural defenses. And I do believe that over time, that increases your risk to get sick, and it increases your risk to get chronic diseases. And so what might be something that's a little beneficial in the short term is definitely not beneficial, I think, in the long term. And it's not the way to be. You're not meant to be sitting there sanitizing with alcohol every five minutes for touching everything. You're supposed to be able to live in the world. You're supposed to touch things. And it's good for you. I mean,

we're supposed to be a part of nature and we're already so dissociated from nature as it is. And then you add to that sanitizing everything. We're not built for that. We never, we never, our genes didn't evolve like that. We evolved in the forest and in the world, right? With real, with real bacteria. And we're supposed to be exposed to these things in a, in a balance. And we're already so far out of balance. And this is just one more thing to really be that last, last bomb to kind of get rid of everything that's already there that we've already damaged. So, yeah, I think it's a big issue. And I caution parents against doing it. It doesn't mean you should never sanitize your hands.

It doesn't mean that if you're coming off of a playground, you can't wash your hands or whatever. I think that's fine. But over-sanitizing is not good either. And also you gain an anxiety around germs, which is a big problem in the last couple couple years for a lot of kids i mean you throw them through covid and fear of death for three years and then you're like oh it's all good good luck to you you know these like four-year-olds they don't know any different it's very difficult for them and i i i think it was a very weird thing that we did i mean a lot of things were weird over those years you know it's not a surprise that there's a lot of kids with a mental health concern

or fear of germs when you say you go outside and you talk to grandma and you're going to die or they're going to die and then a couple years later like i never mind we're actually joking that was it wasn't true you know you're going to be okay now it's it's covet's gone you're good like a kid like we've lived through the world for you know 30 years 40 years 50 years whatever it is you've seen the other right you've seen walking around without masks. But for a kid who maybe is only two or three and been living, that's all they knew. And then you can't just go from that to like, it's okay. Like they don't know the difference. So it's unfortunate. Yeah, it is really unfortunate. What would you consider to be like a good, like healthy balance of cleaning and sanitizing. Like what I tell people

is, you know, wash your hands with soap, especially if you, you know, like you said, if you were at the playground or something with your kids or coming home from the grocery store, or like, for example, I never use hand sanitizer, if I'm being honest. I have one in my car that I've had in my car for like four years since COVID. And actually now that I say that, I'm like, I wonder if it still is good. But a time that I will use it is when I go for a walk and I have to pick up my dog's poop. I'll use the hand sanitizer afterwards. But otherwise, like I'm just not obsessing. In fact, I'm actually really against hand sanitizer. And I just tell people, when you get home, just wash your hands. And you know, maybe if you were at the grocery store, don't be licking your hands. But get home, wash your hands with soap and water, and then

don't think about it and go about your day. Would you consider that to be good advice? Yes, that's perfect advice. Soap and water is perfect. It's just not always as practical depending on where you are. So I think if that's an option, that's always going to be the best and the safest if you get a really good quality Castile, you know, basic soap with none of the crap in it, which a lot of soaps do. So first you got to read which soap it is, but then just a basic soap is perfect. You know, you might not have that at the park. So if your kids are at the playground and they're touching a bunch of things, that could be a reasonable time to use hand sanding if you want to after that. But realistically, yeah, washing your hands is better. And I think we

think about it like it's a medicine, right? Like if you need to do it, that's fine. But there's a positive and negative to everything that you do and you have to balance those out. And if you feel like your child is a very high risk because they just, let's say, left the playground and they were 30 kids with runny noses around them, well, probably that one time washing their hands is probably okay. Versus if you're doing it all the time, well, then there's a much higher chance that you're doing it for no good reason except to kill the good bacteria that is there.

So it's a balance. Everything's a balance. And like most things, we're way out of balance these days. And it's just one more contributor to this huge problem that we're seeing. Yeah, and it's our anxiety. I think it's our anxiety, not our kids. We're worried that we're not doing something. We're not

the best parents, we're not doing the right things, we're exposing them. And kids are supposed to get sick. I mean, they want them to get very sick. But our job is not to protect them from ever getting sick. It's to make them as resilient as possible. So when they do get sick, it's mild and they get better in a couple of days. And that's what we're trying to do. But I think parents feel it's a very tough time to be a parent because of all the information out there.

And it can be really overwhelming sometimes to feel like you're missing something or not doing the right thing or doing the wrong thing. And you don't trust your gut when you really know that what you're doing is great and the right thing to do. Trusting your gut is a really important one. I talk about this all the time. You know, for every human on this planet, like we need to practice discernment and really learning how to trust ourselves and learning how to tune into our own intuition about things. I mean, look, we have a primal instinct, you know, and one of that includes how we take care of our kids.

And if something feels off to you in your gut, it probably feels off for a reason. And if something feels like it's the right thing to do, it probably feels like it's the right thing to do for a reason, you know? And I think that's really under looked now because we hear everybody's, trust the science. Where's the science? Where's the science? And look, I went to school for science.

So I'm a huge, I respect science very much and the whole process and the method of it. But we also have to know that logic is fast and science is slow. And it often takes a long time for the science to catch up to things that we already know logically to be true. Right, and a lot of the science

or a lot of what you read is not specific to you, right? And that is one of the big reasons why, again, I wanted to write the book, one, because of the health side, and two, to help parents think through a lot of these questions, because it is really hard to be a parent because there's so much information out there. And for almost everything, it seems like there are multiple different opinions. Those opinions are completely contradictory. You want to do anything and it says, well, this is going to kill your kid if you do it this way. This is going to kill your kid if you do it this way. I don't know what to

do. I don't know how to do it. And that is debilitating. And that's where we are right now. And so what's really important is to become savvy at looking at what information is out there and getting the different opinions and then figuring out how to synthesize that so you can do what's best for your family or what you feel like in your gut is best and you won't always know that but you have to get really good at seeing what's out there synthesizing what there is figuring out which information to trust a little bit more you know you're going to trust grandma or are you going to trust what's on the internet you're going to trust the influencer or you're going to test the research study and just because there is a guideline from the new y American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't mean that's

the right thing for your family to do. It's good to know about that because there's probably some good information in there that has been studied, but it's not always going to be the thing that you're going to choose to do because they don't know you. It's not about you. It's about what's good in general or what information has been found in general. And so that, again, it's good to know it, but it doesn't mean it's the right thing. You have to trust your gut and then go with it. Or I was going to say also sometimes that information is more in the best interest of the company that funded the study versus what's actually in the best interest for human beings. And sadly, They would never do that.

Oh, I know. Right. Never. Of course not. And so sadly, we have to really more than ever practice, practice discernment. And I think what you brought up was a really good point is, are we going to trust grandma or are we going to trust, you know, some random stranger online? And I think that goes back to ancient wisdom, right? Like things that we've known for a long time. And, you know, I say this from the lens of food, but we can really apply this to everything. Look to what humans have been doing for a really long time. Like I say this about our food.

I'm like, look to what humans have been eating forever, and use that as kind of your guiding way to determine like, okay, does this seem like it's right? Or like, does this seem like it's a little bit off? And obviously you can't apply that to everything because we're making advancements all the time and that's great. But like, if you kind of want to use that as a way to discern through some of the information, I think it's super helpful. What are your thoughts? And I know that this can be really controversial, but what are your thoughts about breast milk versus

formula? Yeah. So I'm always a big fan and proponent of breast milk, if you can. There just is antibodies and other items to breast milk that you just can't replicate with formula, not yet at least. Formula is a magical invention that we've created in the last however many decades, and it can do a great job. And there are a lot of kids that have formula

and are perfectly healthy, but you just can't replicate that with breast milk. So if you can, and if you want to, I think you should always try to breastfeed for as long as you can. If you can't or you don't want to, that's totally fine and reasonable. Thankfully, we have amazing formula that can give your kid the calories that they need, but you're never going to, and not in the near future, is it going to replace it? And most research shows that you have a lower risk of all the things that we talked about if you breastfeed. So I think it should be encouraged when and if parents can do it. Yeah. Yeah. I have a very strong opinion about this and I want to start out by saying, I, um, I want to be incredibly sensitive to mothers that just physically cannot breastfeed. And my heart truly goes out to you because that really is an issue. And if that is the case for somebody listening, don't, don't be so hard on yourself. You know,

it's like, we all have different journeys in life and we all have to deal with the cards that we've been given. Right. But the issue that I have right now about this conversation is that when I was in school for nutrition, we were taught the number, the first two questions when you sit down with a new client are, were you breastfed as a baby and were you born vaginally? Because we were taught in school that both of those will be very large indicators of your overall health moving forward in life. Now, does that mean that because you were taught in school that both of those will be very large indicators of your overall health moving forward in life. Now, does that mean that because you were fed formula instead of breastfed that you are just fucked, for lack of a better word? No. But there are a lot of really

important things that happen with breast milk. Antibodies. It's a magical liquid that right now, at least like you said, there is no way to perfectly mimic it. When a baby is sick, the mom's breast literally creates more antibodies to help that baby get over their illness faster. I also read that at night, it releases melatonin to help the baby go to sleep. Formula doesn't do that, unfortunately. And again, if formula is your only option, that is okay. But what I don't like what's happening right now is it almost feels like there is this push to just get every woman off breast milk

and just tell every woman, oh, it's totally fine. Formula is, if not exactly the same, better, I've heard sometimes from people. And I just don't like that there is this conversation happening where we're not giving women all the facts because what I always believe in is informed consent. Give everybody all the facts so they know everything that they need to know. And then they can make a decision that works best for them. And truly, I respect that. If a woman decides that she wants to do formula over breast milk,

it's not my child and it's not my life. And I totally respect that. All I ask is that people are completely informed and then they know all the facts. Yeah, I mean informed consent, you brought up the main beautiful word that seems like it's gone away and medicine saves it. I don't know why, but I mean the word doctor literally comes from the word docer, meaning to teach. That's the Latin word for it and that's what medicine always was, right? It was not telling people what to do. It was never meant to do that. It was, you learn something, you know, you're educated in this field, you do it for a long

time, then you teach parents what you feel like is going to be the best for them in that situation. A lot of times, if you like your doctor, and they're a good doctor, then whatever they're going to tell you is going to be probably what you're going to do. But it's not about telling people what to do. It's about teaching them about the options, teaching them and informing them of the risks and the benefits of whatever you're doing, whether it's medication, whether it's a vaccine, whether it's breastfeeding, whatever that is, and then letting them make that decision. And for whatever reason, that seems like it's gone

away. Like if you have a Jehovah's Witness, it's like you can let them not take blood products, right? That's a part of medicine. You learned it on day one. But then now it seems like it's my way or the highway. This is what we're doing. I'm not even going to talk to you about all these things. It's just, this is what it is. And that's how it goes. And that is not a good place to be. And that is why medicine, I think to some degree is falling apart. And that's why I think a lot of people don't respect medicine anymore. And over the last few years, it's really taken a really big hit in terms of trust, because there's a lot of telling people what to do instead of talking about things. And you don't have to know everything. If you have a new medication that comes out, you don't know

what the long-term side effects are. You don't need to. You just say, here's what we know. Here's the risks, here are the benefits. Do it if you want to. And there's not a lot of doing that these days. It's like, hey, the company who benefits from the product gave us this research and they definitely have no reason to lie. And let's definitely trust their benefits and their risks. And they're definitely giving us all the right information. Let's just go with it.

I'm sure they're telling us the truth. And that's like, I don't understand that. It's so insane. It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't mean you shouldn't take a medicine. It doesn't mean you shouldn't take X, Y, or Z. It just means that we should have all the information so we can make the best decision and then go from there. I don't think it's that complicated. Are you trying to stay hydrated but still feeling tired no matter how much water you drink? It's time to rethink hydration. Introducing Element, the electrolyte drink mix designed to replenish what you lose when you sweat.

Unlike plain water, Element provides essential sodium, potassium, and magnesium to prevent muscle cramps, headaches, and energy crashes. Developed by renowned biochemist Rob Wolf and KetoGames founder Louis Villanueva, Element contains zero sugar or artificial additives with refreshing flavors like citrus salt and raspberry salt. There's something for everyone. And for my sparkling water lovers, Element has created a sparkling water called Element Sparkling. I'm so excited about this

product. With the same trusted electrolyte formulation you love, now in a refreshing 16-ounce can of sparkling water. Element Sparkling provides health-conscious consumers with a guilt- free option to support their wellness journey. With every sip, you're making a conscious choice against sugary and stimulant filled beverages, empowering yourself towards a healthier lifestyle. Try element sparkling today and experience hydration with a sparkling twist to get your free sample pack with any drink mix purchase. Go to drink element.com slash realfoodology. That's drinkelement.com slash realfoodology. And if you're an Elementi insider, you have first access to Element Sparkling, a bold 16 ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Snacks. Let's talk about snacks. Everyone

loves snacks. And I feel like it's hard to find a good snack that actually fills you up and that you really crave and like to eat. I am obsessed with the grass fed beef sticks from Paleo Valley. If you guys follow me on Instagram, you probably saw recently that I went, I literally went to this show downtown and my girlfriends were making fun of me because when I met up with them, I literally had a paleo valley beef stick sticking out of my pocket. My friend goes, are you packing meat in there? I was, I always have a paleo valley stick with me either in my purse or I always shove a bunch, a bunch of them in my car and just leave them in there for, you know, emergencies for snack

emergencies. I'm always bringing them places on hikes. You name it. I always have them on me because they are just, they're such a great snack. It's a great source of protein. They taste really good. They come from 100% grass fed beef and they're really high quality. It's only organic spices in there. You're not going to find any other fillers. And you know what I love so much? Their beef comes from 100% grass-fed cows raised entirely on natural grass pastures by family farmers right here in the US. And they also are committed to supporting regenerative farms, which is really important. If you guys are not into beef, if beef is not really your thing, they also have pasture-raised turkey sticks, and they also have pasture-raised turkey sticks and they also have

pasture-raised pork sticks. So they have a variety of different flavors and all different kinds of meats to serve your meat desires. And if you guys go to paleovalley.com slash realfoodology, you're going to save 20%. Make sure you go to paleovalley.com slash real foodology. You're going to save some money. Also check out everything else they have on that website. They have super food bars. They have organic super greens. They also have bone broth protein. They have grass fed whey protein. They have essential electrolytes. They also have a super food golden milk, which is going to be really good going into fall. So make sure you guys check it out, use the code real foodology, and you're going to save some money. I know, I know. I feel like I could go into this conversation for so long, but we're on the same page with that. I just,

I want everybody to have all the facts and then they can make the best decision for them and their family, you know, and everybody's going to make different decisions. And that's great. That's the beauty of the life that we live. You know, we all have autonomy. And when we have all the facts, we have all the information, we can, you know, weigh out the pros and the cons like, okay, I might have the side effect, but you know, I have all this other stuff that I'm dealing with. So I feel like this medication or intervention or whatever will be best for me or wouldn't. Yeah. It's just, it's incredibly infuriating. And I think what we're talking about right now is why so many people are now seeking out practitioners like yourself, like more functional, integrative, naturopathic, because we're getting back to that place in those fields, at least, where you can sit down with your doctor and weigh the pros and cons. And we actually feel like we're getting all the information instead of just going to the, you know, not all, but, you know, most allopathic traditional doctors where you just sit down and

they're like, oh no, you have to do this. I mean, I experienced this with birth control. Like, I mean, it had to have been like 15 years ago now, but I sat down with a new gynecologist and she was like, are you on birth control? And I was like, no. And she was like, do you have a partner? And I was like, yeah. And she was like, okay, well we need to get you on birth control. Not even asking me if I wanted, it was like, okay, we need to get you on this. And I was like, do you have a partner? And I was like, yeah. And she was like, okay, well, we need to get you on birth control. Not even asking me if I wanted. It was like, okay, we need to get you on this. And I was like, I don't want to. I don't want to be on synthetic hormones.

Went on and on and on and on saying, oh, no, that's all lies. You're not going to have any side effects. And I was just sitting there like, are you freaking joking me right now? And then she went on to, I said no again. And then she goes, okay, just a second. She sent in a nurse with a pamphlet and the nurse tried to talk me into it. I actually ended up leaving the office early

because I just felt so disrespected. She did not care that I didn't want to put synthetic hormones in my body. She just had, she had her own prerogative and she wanted to put me on it for whatever reason. I don't know if she was making incentives off it or like what it was, but I was like, I'm never going to another doctor like this because I felt so disrespected and she didn't listen to why I didn't want to be put on synthetic hormones.

It was wild. Yeah. There are unfortunately way too many stories like that. And we get way too many patients that call us at the office that, you know, they tell me the stories from the last office and they're in tears or they got kicked out or they didn't feel heard. It's really sad to see where we are. And again, it's not because doctors are bad people. It's just the system is so frustrating right now. I don't know, something's happened over the last maybe 10 years where we've moved so far away from risks, benefits, and discussions. Maybe it's just because everyone's too busy and they don't want to spend the time. They don't want to do more research. They don't want to look into things. They don't want to question anything. I don't know what the actual reason is, but it's very clear

that it's happening. And the pushback is bigger than ever now. I mean, there's no question about it. That's well known. And it's deserved. I think it's really deserved. I mean, medicine needs some humility, and we need to get back to a place where we're working with patients because we're on the same team and we're not deciding things for people.

I mean, we're trying to provide the best information to help people to get healthy, but that's not even what's happening right now. It's like, here's your diagnosis. Here's your pill. We'll see you later. And medicine is really good at emergency care. I'm really happy that we have antibiotics. I'm really happy we have steroids. I'm really happy we have MRIs. They're great things that could save your life, but we're really bad at chronic disease. We're really bad at prevention and that has to change for our health to get better. Yeah, 100%. disease, we're really bad at prevention, and that has to change for our health to get better.

Yeah, 100%. Yeah, we are in a very wild time. I would argue I think a lot of what's happening right now, and again, I'm not here to vilify allopathic doctors. I know really amazing doctors. I think a lot of them are stuck in a system and then they know that they're stuck in a system that they feel is too big for them. You know, like they don't have a lot of control.

And I completely lost my train of thought. Oh, I was going to say that I just feel like a lot of it is, you know, big pharma. We've allowed them to take too much control. And there's incentives for doctors to, I know for a fact for certain medications, it might be for all of them, I don't know for sure. But for certain medications, they have like quotas that they have to meet.

And if they don't meet those quotas, then I don't know what happens. But so a lot of doctors are just, you know, trying to meet quotas with the medications. And they're like, okay, we're going to diagnose you with this and then prescribe you with this drug because it's matching the symptoms that you have. And yeah, it's really awful what's happening right now. Yeah, I mean, pharma and insurance companies have way too much control in modern medicine. And it's taken medicine away from people. Really, it's like become a system.

And I said it twice already. I'll say it again. Doctors are not bad people. Pediatrics are not bad people. These are people that went into medicine to help kids. Sometimes we might have a different opinion of how to get to a place of health. But at the end of the day, we all want the same thing. And so the way to get there is to have discussions and to debate.

I mean, if you don't agree with something, that's fine. You might be very pro-medication, very anti-medication, whatever. That's fine. You can be that way. But you just have discussions. You have debates. You don't trust the company and you don't trust their research. You do it yourself and you continue to validate it and you continue to study it and you continue to question it and you continue to try to make it safer and better. And that's what we do. That's

what we've always done. But all of a sudden it's like, oh, this CEO of this company is totally telling us the truth. They have no incentive to make sure that their profits are better than last month like you know that's their literal job like you're a ceo of a big company if your job is to make sure your profits are better this quarter than last quarter you do not care about people's health doesn't mean that there's always a nefarious thing going on sometimes there probably is but there's not always a nefarious thing on they just want to make money that's what they're supposed to do they're not here to make you healthy. If their product happens to make you healthier, all the better. They're happy. You're buying their product. But really what they want and what they care about

is that you get their product more. And sometimes health is in there, but most of the time it's not. It's really just, well, let's give you this medicine to help you with this symptom. And that's just what it is. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just, that's what it is. We have to recognize that and we have to control it. We have to push back. We have to regulate it. And we have to put our health first, not blame the company, blame ourselves for not regulating these big companies and not taking our power back, which doctors have all the power. We can decide if we band together like, okay, we're not doing it this way anymore. We are going to focus on health. We're going to spend more time. We're not going to go with your insurance company if you don't pay us for this time. The therapist is not going to

use this insurance if they don't pay you enough to see the patient. We have the power. Just got to take it back. Yes. Oh, I love that so much. And that to me, I found incredibly empowering is that we have all the power. We have all, we can make all the decisions. We just need to educate ourselves and know how to navigate and just know that unfortunately the reality that we live in right now is that we can't just trust everyone point blank. We have to really look into it ourselves. And it's just the reality of what we're living through right now. So kind of to bring it back to kids, considering everything that we've talked about, what can parents do to ensure a healthier life for their child? And I mean, in utero, after utero, actually, and one more thing

I want to ask you too, it reminds me of this. I have been hearing recently, and again, this is going to be a little bit controversial. I don't want people to take this the wrong way, but again, we need to be able to talk about these kinds of conversations. I heard recently that type one diabetes, now they're starting to think that it was whatever the mom did in utero. Do you think that that's true or have you heard that? So I have heard that. I mean, I've heard that about many things. It's not just type 1 diabetes. It's a lot of it, I think. Yeah. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Right. How could it not be true? How could the things that you do not affect your child? Now, is it the cause? Almost for sure, no. I mean, these things are very complicated. There are

many things that go into having a condition. Sometimes it could be completely what you do in utero, like fetal alcohol syndrome. You drink too much alcohol, you could have a baby that has fetal alcohol syndrome. So that's one side. Other side has nothing to do with it. Sometimes you have a genetics where you have cystic fibrosis, it has nothing to do with what you did in utero. But I think most things are in the middle somewhere and they can contribute. And regardless of that, I mean, it does not make any difference to me, really, if that's true or not. There is no reason not to think about your health and your child's health, because how could it not be true that the things that you're doing don't affect them, whether it's diabetes or some other thing? You know,

the Environmental Working Group did research on cord blood and they found like 200 chemicals in there in your cord blood. So of course these things affect you. I mean, how do they not? So yeah, I think we should be more mindful of it. Not to shame you or to make you feel bad if your kid has diabetes, just we should be mindful that what we're doing affects our kids in the long run. Yeah, that was the first question. The second question was about what we can do. And I would bring it back to some positivity, right? Because it's really easy when you're talking about this topic to get bogged down in the big things like, we're not going to change the entire system and medicine and everyone's evil and pharmaceutical companies are evil and the air is all toxic. No, there are some things that we can't change and sure it would be great if we all go and

go to Capitol Hill and do those kinds of things. But you can if you want, if you want to be an advocate. But for the most part, we're going to focus on our own family. Because if we focus on our own family and we focus on what we're doing, then that is usually going to be more than enough. Families that are health conscious in general have healthy families and healthy kids. I know that because I see it every day. I rarely see obesity or chronic disease in my practice. And that is not because of anything magical I'm doing. It's because it's a bunch of people that are already health conscious and are taking these steps for themselves. So yes, you're not going to change the air, but you can get some plants. You can get a filter, right?

There are many things that you can do to be conscious. Just like you said, if you're going to buy a product to put on your skin, think about it. Think about what kind of sunscreen you're using. Are you spraying this chemical sunscreen that's going to go in and they're breathing it? Or can you get a zinc oxide sunscreen? Or can you use no sunscreen and just make sure you plan your day accordingly? Can you read the labels on the food that you get? These are all the things that we talked about. It's the basic, simple things, the foundations. And these are what's important. This is what sets them up for health and and bringing it back to look that's why i wrote the book that's why i chose the age range i want

to do it from day one my book starts off there's no parenting book that i ever have read that starts the first chapter off by talking about health right most of them are written by therapists and moms and there's a lot of great books out there but it's just different but we're at a point now where a parenting book needs a health component to it. I think we need both. We need to learn about tantrums and potty training and all those things. And I talk about it, but we also need to focus on health from day one so that they don't ever come to us. So that those kids are healthy and that we change the trajectory. And if you do that from day one, it's a lot easier to make those changes early than to have to go backwards once they have a chronic disease. You can, you can do it.

We talked about it, but let's prevent it from ever happening. Okay, so this is probably going to be the most controversial thing that we talk about today on the episode, which is really sad in my opinion, because this should not be controversial. In my opinion,

we should just be able to ask questions. And the fact that we cannot ask any questions is the biggest red flag to me. But I digress. What are your thoughts on vaccines? Yeah, when you mentioned the controversy before, I thought that's where you were going and you went with breastfeeding, which is far less controversial than vaccines. That's still very controversial. There's a lot of topics that are very interestingly controversial these days. Circumcision was another one that I had no idea was so controversial,

but vaccines obviously are far and above the top of the mountain when it comes to controversy. And I think that's so unfortunate. I mean, I have, I cannot believe that we're at a point where we cannot talk about a word. It's crazy to me that as a pediatrician, we can't have discussions around it. We can't talk about risks and benefits. a pediatrician, we can't have discussions around it. We can't talk about risks and benefits. We can't, we can't really talk about anything. It's like you mentioned the word, whether it's on social media and everyone just starts fighting and going crazy and loses their mind. And I don't know why that is. You know, as a doctor, you really, you can't tell somebody certainly online or anywhere like what, what to do, right do right I mean you can't get medical advice and you shouldn't because you don't know the person but it's really I say again frustrating

that we cannot have a discussion about pros and the cons or discussion about what people could do or or think about doing I think it's something that needs to change and we need to be able to talk about it because again it you know it's like you're trusting a company, you're trusting information and there's a lot of new shots. There is a lot of discussion that should always be had because it's not about... I'm not against vaccines at all. I just think that the issue is you have to weigh the pros and the cons, or you have to weigh the risks versus the benefits.

And different diseases have different benefits depending on how common the disease is and what's going on in the world. And that's something that should be discussed openly. And we should have conversations around what's going on in the world and what your risks and your benefits are. And for sure, when it comes to shots, there's a lot of discussion needs to be had about the risks, because most of the research is pretty fast. It's done by the company. It's only for a few months, maybe even a month or a couple of weeks. And there's not a lot of information that talks about things long-term. There's not a lot of information that talks about things of anything in combination with each other. And what do we want as a pediatrician? What do we want as a parent? We want healthy kids. So there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to talk about this, have discussions,

have independent research, and figure out what is the healthiest, safest thing. And that might be to do them all. It might be to do not all of them. It might be to do other things. I don't know. I don't know what the answer is. But if you just blanketly say to do something, then you don't get to a place where it's the safest or the healthiest.

Because maybe there is something in some of the shots that you could take out or you could change to make them more effective, work better, be safer. I don't know. Right. I don't, I don't know the answer when you just talk about these things all the time, like, oh, let's just do them all because that's what the CDC says. That's the recommendation, right? That's all I can tell you. Do the, do the CDC, the schedule, because that's what's recommended by the CDC. That's recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. But I don't think it's unreasonable to ask questions. And I wish we would ask more questions and have more discussions because we should trust nothing ever. We should never trust anything ever. And we should never give our power over to a company. We should take

that back. And we should have discussions and make decisions that are best for our kids, whatever that is. And we should be open to it. I could not agree more. And I would add on to what makes me nervous about this whole conversation is that when I was a kid, we had, I think, about six to eight shots. Now the schedule, I don't know the exact number, so people don't come for me, but it's something like 84 shots, somewhere around there. The difference in the amount of shots that kids get now makes me incredibly concerned. The other thing that I find incredibly concerning is we have levels of mercury, aluminum that normally the CDC or government warns about, right? Like we don't want to have exposure to X amount of mercury or aluminum in one shot. You get that amount of mercury, mercury, um, and aluminum. I worry about the effects of that. Now, again, I'm on the same page as you. I just don't understand

why we can't sit down and have a one-on-one discussion with our doctor and weigh out the risks and you know, the benefits of it and have it be something that's just a decision that you make together with your doctor? Why can't that just be an individual decision? And that's really where I stand with this. To me, there's no reason that you shouldn't be able to have that. But I mean, the bigger question to me is why we don't have discussions on a grander scale to talk about some of these things because it is even for me as an integrated practitioner who i do have discussions with with patients about these things there's a lot of information that i don't have so i cannot give you information that doesn't exist right and

so it's really hard to have discussions on risks when you don't know some things and and like you said yes there are a lot of potential shots that could be good it could be bad right i mean it could be good because you're protecting against more things. And, you know, if you take some magical pill that had no side effects and it cured you of all diseases and you would never get sick from something, I mean, that's great, right? More is not necessarily bad, but like you said, if you're taking more of something and there's more products that are going into you, whether you're drinking it or injecting it, then there are further and further potential risks from those things because it's it's additive right and maybe that what we're doing is there's no risk i don't know but maybe has lots of

risk and that's what we should be figuring out and we should be discussing it and you can't just add more forever right i mean that the logic there it's like you can't just add more of something forever you can't do 10 and 20 and 30 nor do you need to because some things have been taken care of over the last few decades. So you have to, I think we need to be mindful to say, look, let's not throw this all out, but let's discuss what is working, what is not working. What are we trusting a company? Okay, now we have all these things. Can we study them in combination? How is that affecting your kids?

How is that affecting them long term? You cannot say that the cancer you have 30 years from now isn't to do with something you did today, whether it's vaccines or the water you drank or whatever, because nobody's studying these things. So how can you say that? I mean, it's really impossible unless you do, but we have this chronic disease epidemic

and everything should be on the table as a possible risk factor. Nothing should be assumed to be perfectly safe or perfectly effective because nothing is. You can take Tylenol and you can die from it. So there's no reason that you can't have a discussion about risks and benefits, right? There's no reason why we can't have a rational, logical discussion. Doesn't mean you should never do any or you're telling people not to do it. No, it's just, why can't we talk about it? And why can't we get some independent research

to start looking at these things, answering these questions and making parents feel safer about what they're doing i mean hesitancy on vaccines is higher than ever by a long way and that is because people are not having discussions about this if you want to convince people to do something you have to prove to them that it's in their benefit to do it and just telling people to do something doesn't do that that actually pushes people back and that's what's going on if you want people to get more shots if that's what medicine wants let's say you have to prove to people that it's giving them a better benefit than it is a risk and and i think there are a lot of questions from a lot of intelligent parents that say well if i look into this i don't see the data on that where is it right and so again it's not to tell people what to do, I don't see the data on that. Where is it? Right? And so,

again, it's not to tell people what to do. I can't tell you what to do. But I can say that we're missing a lot of information. And there are a lot of parents that have great questions, that have concerns about things, and it deserves a discussion. And it deserves to continue to be discussed. Because if you want somebody to do it, you convince them to do it. You don't tell them to do it. You convince them because the benefits outweigh the risks. That's what you do with any medical procedure. You want them to get a surgery for their heart. You don't just say, get the surgery, you know, unless they're like dying and you're like, okay, do it. But in general, you're like, hey, well, here are the benefits of the procedure. Here are the risks. You have, you know, this much of a risk of having a complication, but if you do it, then you get better. Or if you have a hip, you know, you need a hip replacement.

Well, here's the benefits. Here's the risks. How long is it going to last? That's what we do for everything else. You know, it doesn't mean people don't get hip replacements anymore. No, they do. There's a risk. I mean, we know, you know, you can get a blood clot. It doesn't work. You can get infection. Like things happen. We have a discussion. We open up to what the risks are and then people choose to do it or not. And most people do it. Yes. And this is such a rational conversation about it. And why, why after somebody listens to this, somebody is going to call us anti-vax and we haven't even said that we don't want people to get them. We're just simply saying

like, it's absolutely crazy that the medical system is just saying you have to do this or you can't go to school and you can't ask any questions and that's it. You know, people say that. I was like, what does that even mean? You know what that means? People say like, oh, I can't have this because of your position. I don't have a position. My position is we should give people information and they should make a choice like they do for every other thing. I have vaccines in my office. We offer them to people if they want them. That's what you do as a pediatrician. I'm not against them at all. I just think that I'm against the discussion and I'm against the division where it's like, you're crazy if you do it or you're crazy if you don't. And there's a ton of middle

ground there. And again, we want to convince people to do things that we believe in. And if you are a pediatrician who staunchly believes in vaccines, that's totally fine and reasonable. And then we need to be able to convince people to do those things based on your belief, based on the evidence that you have, based on why you've seen the science be the way that you have, that's led you at that decision.

Not to tell people that, well, this is the only way. No, you convince them to do it and have debates, discussions. If somebody says, oh, I shouldn't do have B, well, why? Let's have a debate about whether you should or you shouldn't.

And let's let the information help people to decide. I love that. By the way, I also wanted to say too, because you brought up that you were shocked when I was saying breast milk and formula is controversial. I did want to explain that at least in my world and in my corner of the internet, anytime I talk about breast milk being healthier, I get attacked in droves. And I never thought when I first talked about it, because again, like I mentioned, I learned in school that it's just healthier and better for the baby. But does that mean that I'm diminishing a mom's experience if she can't breastfeed? No, I just was sharing the facts. And the first time I ever did that,

I have never in my life gotten more vicious messages from moms just by simply saying that breast milk was healthier. So that was a reason why I was like, it's a little controversial. I've actually had some people on the podcast be like, I don't want to talk about breast milk because they get so attacked by it. Yeah. Let me clarify. I agree. It is definitely controversial-ish. And I've seen that. What I more meant was the way that you introduced it, I thought you were tiptoeing into the vaccine discussion because that's what people do for me. If they don't, they're like, yeah, I don't know if you want to talk about this. So controversial.

But yeah, I don't mind talking about it anymore because we have talked about it. I'm sorry. And it's not about Provax or anti-vax, it's not about anything. It's about giving people information and discussing things like we should do with everything. That's it. There's no anti-vax. You want to call us anti-vax? Fine, go for it. But it doesn't bother me anymore. But it's not everything. That's it. There's no anti-vax. You want to call us anti-vax? Fine, go for it.

But it doesn't bother me anymore, but it's not true. Yeah, it's not true. We should point blank. We should be able to have a conversation about a medical intervention. It is a medical intervention. Every single medical intervention comes with risks, and we should know the risks going into it. That's it.

That's all we're saying. And the fact that we are, quote unquote, not allowed to even talk about this or say that is what makes me also feel like, I don't know. I'm like, what else is going on here? I'm not implying anything. I'm not saying anything. Don't put any words in my mouth. All I'm saying is that it's weird that we can't just have a normal, rational conversation. I would consider this an incredibly rational conversation. I think everybody has a right to the information and to be able to decide what is best for them and their bodies. Point blank, that's it. Yeah, I agree. I think it's been made to be controversial and it should not be. And even more so as a doctor, a pediatrician, a person who administers these things,

to not be able to talk about that, it's pretty insane. It's much more insane for me than even for you. And it's true of everybody, but for a doctor, we should be talking about this every day. We should be talking about, as a pediatrician, this should be one of the biggest topics that are discussed all the time. Because it's an intervention that we're giving to kids when they're first born in the first couple of months. You're giving them many. So let's make sure it's the safest possible so our kids are the healthiest possible. And if you believe that that is true, then that's fine. Then convince everybody else. But there are a lot of people that are not convinced. That's why I'm just saying, and I think that we're moving in the wrong direction by not having discussions

about it. It's not to stop people from doing it. It's just to discuss it so people feel comfortable with the decision that they're going to make for their family, whatever that would be. And I think the fact that we're not allowed to have the conversations is actually pushing more people into the buckets of like not wanting to get them at all because it makes them nervous that there's so many secrets. Correct. That's exactly what I'm seeing. That's exactly what's happening in my office. That's what's happening all over the world. And that is why you see now news reports saying that hesitancy is higher than ever because people are concerned, not able to have discussions. And then they're just like, well, I guess I'm just not going to do anything. And that's not

necessarily the best thing either. No, I honestly think it's a bad thing because we could be doing harm with that too. So yeah, we just need to be able to have the conversation. And so I'm, I'm grateful that you were willing to have that conversation with me today because not everybody is, and I get it. I get why they're not. So that's okay. Whatever. I feel like that's a great, great place to end. Um, I love that you wrote this book and I love that you brought up the point that a lot of these parenting books, if not almost none of them, have any conversation about health whatsoever, whichrums and less of the issues that a lot of modern parents, I think, deal with because their kids are so unhealthy. And I don't think a lot of people make that connection. So I think it's incredibly important and I love that you're talking about this. And I wanted to ask you just one more thing, just more of a broad thing

regarding your book or really anything that we talked about today, just to give you a chance to maybe mention anything that you think is important for the listener to hear that we hadn't, that we haven't talked about. Yeah. I, one of the big things that I always love to finish with is just reminding parents that we can do it. You know, I think a lot of people and parents these days don't trust their instincts. They don't trust their gut. There's so much information out there and it can be really debilitating. But at the end of the day, it's in us, it's innate and we can do it. And yeah, there are things that are stressful out there, but a lot of things are actually a lot less stressful when it comes to parenting.

We have a lot more safety rules and we have phones, we can look things up if we need to, we can call 911 if we need to. All these things exist that didn't exist 100 years ago. So it's actually, in general, a much time, and a much easier time to be a parent, in a lot of ways. So but we feel like we can't do it. Sometimes we don't have that village, we don't have the grandmother to tell us that we can do it. We don't have somebody else that can kind of pat us on the back and say we're doing a good job. So we have to tell ourselves that and, and we can and we definitely can do it. Nobody is ready to be a parent until you do it. You figure it out as you go. We all do. And I know that we can all do

this and we'll do it together. I mean, that is how we do it. I love that so much. And just want to remind anybody listening that's a parent to give yourself kindness and grace and just know that you're doing the best that you can. And if there's some things that you heard today that you've heard for the first time and maybe upset you a little bit, just remember that you are doing the absolute best you can with the information that you have at the time. And then when you know better, you do better. And it doesn't do any good to revel in the past and feel guilty about it. Just make simple changes and also be empowered by the fact that there's a lot that you can do and there's a lot that you can control, which is really cool. Exactly. I mean, we said this a couple times today. There's no shame,

no blame, nothing, right? It's you learn what you learn today so we can do better for the future. Every little bit makes a difference. And if you learn something that you were doing before that you shouldn't, okay, great. I mean, there are plenty of things for me, right? Like I ate fast food when I was younger. Like I didn't know these things. You know, I would slather creams and lotions. I didn't think about this at all.

Not till I did, right? And once you start to, then you're like, oh, wait, like, obviously I should be thinking about these things, but you just don't. And that's okay. That's fine. That's where we all are. But that's also why we're getting to this point where some people have a chronic disease. So it is time that we start to take that power back and start to think about these things and not to make you feel bad, just to empower you to start doing it. Yes, I love that so much. Okay, I have a personal question for you that I ask all my guests at the end. What are your health non-negotiables? So these are things that no matter how crazy your day is, you prioritize these for your own health. To me,

it's getting outside at lunch and going for a walk and getting some sunshine. I think that's a non-negotiable. Making sure I eat healthy food and try and have some healthy snacks, fruit and veggies throughout the day and trying to spend some family time and making sure that my day is not too crazy and too stressed. If I start feeling that I'm getting a little too busy or a little too stressed and putting everything down, all the technology and taking a little time. I love that so much. Well, thank you so much for coming on today. Please let people know where they can find you on Instagram. Also, guys, go give him a follow. He's a great follow. And then also let us know where we can find your book. Sure. So yeah, for Instagram or Twitter, or I, I guess it's called, Dr. Joel Gator.

And book is called Parenting at Your Child's Pace. You can get it everywhere. You can get all the regular books or you can go to parentingatyourchildspace.com and get the book from there. Amazing. Thank you so much. 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 app or on YouTube. As always, you can leave us a voicemail by clicking the link in our bio. And if you like 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.