November 17, 2025 • 23 mins
You spoke, and we listened. After our last episode with registered dietitian Kim Shapira, my DMs were filled with thoughtful questions, concerns, and requests for clarification. Some of you were curious, some were skeptical, and honestly? I love that. Because that's exactly why I asked Kim to come back.
In this follow-up conversation, Kim answers your most pressing questions with science-backed honesty. We're diving deep into the topics that sparked the most conversation: seed oils, parasite cleanses, food sensitivities versus allergies, and what to do when you're genuinely struggling with food addiction or binge eating.
What I appreciate most about Kim is that she doesn't tell you what to think but she explains the why behind it. She's a friend, but more importantly, she's someone who stands behind what she says with research, experience, and a genuine desire to help people heal their relationship with food and their bodies.
Connect with Kim Shapira:
Website: https://www.kimshapiramethod.com/
Book: This Is What You're Really Hungry For
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimshapiramethod/
Resources mentioned:
EverlyWell food sensitivity testing
Connect with Sabrina:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker (00:00):
Welcome to Redesigning Life.
I'm your host, Sabrina Soto,and this is the space where we
have honest conversations aboutpersonal growth, mindset shifts,
and creating a life that feelstruly aligned.
In each episode, I'll talk toexperts in their field who share
their insights to help you stepinto your higher self.
Let's redesign your life fromthe inside out.
Welcome back to the podcast,and I have to welcome back our
(00:25):
guest, Kim, because Kim Shapirawas on the podcast weeks ago.
Kim happens to be a friend ofmine, and I'll tell you what
happened.
So a lot of you guys DM'd mequestions to follow up with Kim.
And I, because Kim is a friendof mine, I asked her to come
back to clarify and to answerquestions because she stands
behind what she says.
But I do want everyone to feelheard.
(00:48):
And I think this is a greatconversation to just continue
because why not?
It's such a great conversation.
So, Kim, thank you for yourtime and thanks for coming back
on.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I mean, I'm so happy to be here and I can't really
wait to get into it with you,but I do want to just tell you
something.
Very great.
Speaker (01:04):
Tell me.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Okay.
So I just finished my firstbook club.
I'm doing four this month for50 pages at a time.
And I just got a text from aneducational psychologist saying
that the book club that we justdid was the greatest hour of her
life, and it was better thanany therapy she's ever had.
Speaker (01:21):
So I love that.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So now let's get into this.
Okay.
Oh yeah, I want to ride thatwave with you.
Speaker (01:27):
Yeah, I'm in it.
Okay, good.
All right.
So normally I wouldn't belooking down.
So anybody who's watching thison YouTube or um on Spotify, I'm
looking down because I'mactually reading questions that
are coming from people.
So I I also got a lot of greatfeedback too.
So I think that these are justreally thoughtful questions from
listeners.
So I just want to add a littlebit of clarity.
Okay.
So one of the biggest listenerquestions was around, and I
(01:50):
think I told you this parasitecleansing.
Some people swear by them, um,and some people said that
they've had major healthtransformations because of them.
So can you share yourprofessional perspective on why
you recommend against them andwhat the evidence says?
Yes.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Okay.
First of all, I'm a registereddietitian.
My degree is in humanmetabolism and clinical
nutrition.
And our body is it heals all byitself.
If we break our leg, our bodyheals.
And so that is the mostimportant thing for us to
remember.
It doesn't mean that we don'tsometimes need support or
medication, but our digestivetract, our colon, our rectum,
(02:29):
our kidneys, they are what ishelping us detox and get rid of
things that don't belong.
So for the most part, we don'tneed to add outside sources or
do things that starve certainparts of our body because this
can be dangerous.
And that danger creates stress.
And that stress creates a wholeslew of other health problems
(02:51):
and it directly impacts yourhealth span.
Okay, wait.
Speaker (02:54):
But wait, so then, but what there are two things that I
want to talk to you about asyou're talking.
There are people who needparasite cleanses because they
have tapeworms or whatever thecase may be.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
100%.
They need antibiotics or theyneed some sort of medication,
100% for types of parasites.
There's no question.
I mean, parasites are we, youknow, fungus, bacteria, viruses.
We need support for whatever isactually going on, but not
everybody.
Nothing.
Not because you're bloated oryou're having constipation.
(03:27):
That is more likely you're noteating enough, your digestive
lining isn't strong enough, andyou need some support.
That that's usually somethingelse and not parasites.
Speaker (03:37):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
People got, yeah.
Speaker (03:39):
Yeah.
Because I think when peoplelisten to these podcasts, when
they listen to anything, evenwhat people are saying on
Instagram, TikTok, whatever,it's not a definitive all or
nothing.
Like there are certainsituations.
I want to clarify.
Okay.
So yes, it's okay, not foreveryone.
Um, because I also have afriend of mine, Alina.
She goes by soup, Alina.
She does, she's really intosoup cleanse cleansing because
(04:02):
she got cancer and she healedherself with food and she really
believes in claris uh parasiteclean cleansing.
So again, it's not aone-size-fits-all.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
It's not one-size-fits-all.
And I do want to say, like, Ithere's a big a lot of people
say food is medicine.
A lot of people say it.
But actually, I think foodprevents medicine.
But food is also medicine.
Why do we why do you think itprevents medicine?
Yeah, because when we eat likewell-rounded and balanced food,
it prevents our body fromneeding extra support.
(04:32):
And so, like, even if you lookat cancer before it hits stage
one cancer.
So when the cells startchanging, we can actually
reverse all of that.
Yes.
With food.
With food.
But it doesn't mean that foodis medicine.
It means it's just preventingmedicine, right?
Does that make sense?
Yes.
Speaker (04:50):
We're clarifying somebody's gonna be like,
somebody's not gonna like that.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I'll get the DMs, not you.
Yeah, yeah.
But they can DM me too.
I don't mind.
I mean Yes.
Speaker (04:58):
Please DM Kim too.
DM us both.
We love it.
I'll answer another listenermentioned that she has the MTHFR
gene mutation.
Yes.
And struggles with detoxingcertain toxins or observing
absorbing B vitamins.
How much should gene mutationslike this influence how somebody
eats or the supplements thatthey're taking?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, I think that's a very good question.
What it means is that you can'tmethylate, you can't break down
certain things.
The lining of your gut againneeds support.
And so we can basically turnthat off by making sure that our
body is in its healthieststate.
And again, you can do thatthrough food, lifestyle, and
sleep and water and all thosethings.
(05:40):
But yeah, if it is somethingthat is temporarily affecting
you, and then that is callingcausing you to have like
absorption issues and otherissues.
And then that is what is makingyou feel sick is you're not
getting all the qualitynutrients from your food, but we
can turn it off as well.
How?
Speaker (05:56):
Give me a like if for this person, how?
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, there are some supplements that you would take,
and it would be probably athree to six months, you would
work with somebody to take threeto six months of different
supplementations to really clearout your cells, right?
Like you are detoxing or likeit's like a whole process.
So you'd also have to check tosee like, do you have cavities?
Do you have silver in yourteeth?
(06:20):
You know, what is your mercurylevels?
And all these things need to belooked at to help your cells
breathe and function properly.
So in that case, thensupplementation is
supplementation is amazing.
I think supplementation isvital for every single one of us
at this point.
Yeah.
Depending, but not one sizefits all.
No, I mean, I think a lot ofpeople need vitamin D, but not
(06:43):
everybody needs vitamin D.
And sometimes they need itright now, but they don't need
it in a month.
Right.
Okay.
Speaker (06:48):
Um, so do uh this my next question, somebody was
like, Do you think genetictesting should play a bigger
role in personalized nutrition?
I mean, I listen, I'm not adietitian.
I can't answer that.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Yeah.
Well, what would your answerbe?
Yes.
Yeah.
I mean, I think everythingshould play a role.
And it sounds like yourlisteners are like very
motivated to take care ofthemselves.
But there comes a fine linewhere it's like, it's all I can
think about, or I don't allowmyself permission not to, you
know, live within theseboundaries.
(07:19):
And that is where we want to becareful because we want to be
able to be open-minded to a lotof things and not restricted in
our mindset, I think.
But I think you can't unlearnwhat you know.
And so if you're doing genetictests, then you're clearly able
to see, like, oh wow, look, I amvery sensitive to these things.
And now I can make someadjustments.
Why wouldn't you want thatinformation?
100%.
Speaker (07:40):
Um, okay, this one was a big one.
This one I got a lot of DMsabout.
So I'm just gonna throw it outthere.
We're gonna, we're gonna clearthis up for my listeners.
Okay.
Lots of DMs about seed oils.
Yes.
Oh my goodness.
So some listeners feel likethey're a major source of
inflammation, while others saythat it was harmless in
(08:01):
moderation.
Can you please break becauseone, I mean, one or two people
were going on and on that thatit is seeds oil and have
completely changed, likeeliminating them has changed
their lives.
Um, and I think because seedoils are talked about so much
right now, yeah, it's like, oh,people are so scared.
(08:22):
So can you please break downthe current science and the
actuality of what seed oils, ifit's a problem or not?
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah.
So the actual science of seedoils or seeds is that we want to
add them to our diet.
Now, we talked about thisbriefly.
Some of us are in differentstages of inflammation and
cannot tolerate certain seeds ornuts or certain foods.
But for the most part, if youare somebody who can tolerate
(08:49):
seeds, then seed oils are alsosomething that you can tolerate.
And yes, they have omega-6s.
And of course, we want to havehigher levels of omega-3, which
are really great for our brain,our gut, and our like our colon,
our digestive tract, all that.
But the omega-6, we do need abalance, we we need a ratio of
them.
(09:09):
And so we do get some acid,some really healthy nutrients
from these seeds.
And so every single thing weeat is processed in one way or
another.
I mean, even my strawberriesare in a plastic basket or a
basket that has a lining of somesort.
Speaker (09:27):
Well, not if you get it from the farmer's market.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Depends.
I mean, the farmer's market,there, you know, the eggs are
still in the carton.
Well, like they're still, whatare they lined with?
You know, what are these likeforever chemicals or these
noxious chemicals?
And how is our bodyinterpreting them?
But if we're talking about seedoils, there is vitamin E and
linoleic acid and omega-6s inthese oils that our body really,
(09:50):
really needs.
And there is such a smallamount in the foods that we're
eating, and they help keep themstable on a shelf.
When somebody removes the foodand like doesn't feel
inflammation anymore, it couldbe that they were very sensitive
to sunflower oil.
It could be that they were verysensitive to oat or any of the
(10:11):
food that is actually partneredwith this oil.
But there is 100% no researchbehind these seed oils causing
inflammation.
What that is is like somebodyon TikTok went with it and ran
with it.
And it's just such a um, it'salmost a bigger problem.
Like, why would we want toremove, like, we wouldn't remove
(10:33):
the seeds from our diet.
Speaker (10:35):
But but but if people are just adding using these seed
oils as oil in the thingsthey're baking or the salad
dressings, it can't, I mean, anolive oil is going to be a lot
better for you.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Yeah.
Okay.
So let's talk aboutinflammation.
Okay.
Speaker (10:50):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Inflammation is if you look at your digestive
tract, from your mouth to youranus, it's the width of a tennis
court.
Food troubles down at about onemillimeter an hour, hopefully
giving you a 24-hour transittime.
Okay.
So now we're talking about theinside of your body or your
digestive tract, which if Icompare it to a cardboard box, I
mean sorry, a cardboard papertowel ring.
(11:11):
So we're talking about theinside of this cardboard paper
towel ring.
Technically, what's inside thatnarrow opening has not entered
your bloodstream yet.
So if we're havinginflammation, and inflammation
is headache, teary no uh tearyeyes, runny nose, clearing your
throat, heartburn, burping,bloating, smelly gas, stomach
(11:35):
noises, constipation, diarrhea,joint pain, itchy skin,
vaginitis, like so many thingsare inflammation.
It's usually because the liningthis of your cardboard, the
inside of your digestive tract,it's that's the mucosal layer
and it's been dinged.
And you know, when we havemucus, like if we have a sore
throat or runny nose, it hurts.
And so what happens is we startgetting an inflammatory
(11:58):
response.
That's our body's natural wayof saying, I don't recognize
what you're breaking, what is inmy body now, right?
It's it's created thisinflammatory response that is a
defense.
And when we keep eating thingsor adding things to our body
that our body can't break down,sometimes the immune response
gets stuck on, and that's anautoimmune disease, right?
(12:19):
But for most people, when youstart seeing a breakdown in this
mucosal layer, it means thatthings are inside that digestive
tract, that cardboard ring, arenow entering the paper towels.
They're now inside yourbloodstream, right?
We want to prevent that.
And so if you're saying I hadseed oils and I was having
(12:40):
inflammation and then I took theseed oils out and I don't have
any inflammation, you also haveto think where where were the
seed oils with?
Like, was it garlic?
Was it pepper?
Was it lemon?
Was there a certain grain?
There's so many possibilities.
Speaker (12:58):
What if it's the it's let's say it's the salad
dressing.
Yeah.
Instead of using seed oils, nowI'm using an a different oil,
an olive oil, and now I don'thave the it's the same
ingredients.
And it's only switched the oil.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Yeah.
Okay, so let me put it thisway.
I have a client who has likeunfortunately so many foods that
he's sensitive to.
And one of them is sunflower,and one of them is safflower.
Do you know how many foods havethose oils?
They're hurting him everysingle time he eats them.
I don't personally havesunflower, safflower, but I do
(13:31):
have chia on my sensitivitylist.
So that food would hurt me.
So what I'm hearing you say isthat the person who now switched
to olive oil, they removed afood that they were inflamed
from.
So it could be that the personwho DM'd you and reported, I
took them out and I felt better,actually was really sensitive
to one or the other.
Speaker (13:52):
Right.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Yeah, but let me be really, really clear.
A sensitivity is not anallergy.
It's not an allergy.
Speaker (14:00):
Okay, but you, Kim, if you had a choice to put
something in your saladdressing, what oil is it?
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Olive oil or avocado, but that is not because they
cause inflammation.
They are because one is amonounsaturated fat and others
are a polyunsaturated.
And so when you look at heartdisease and you look at like
longevity, all of the studies weknow for like the last 40
years, olive oil and avocadohave been like the winners as
(14:29):
far as like improving andmaintaining your health.
It's not because they'recausing inflammation and
lowering your health, it'sbecause they have no effect on
your heart.
They have no effect onlongevity.
Okay.
They're totally different, butthey do not cause inflammation.
Sensitive to it.
And if you are sensitive to it,remember, it's not a, it's not
an allergy.
(14:49):
And so you can't, it's notpermanent.
And that means that your bodyneeds some support and you need
to add a variety of things thathave omega-3s, probiotic,
fermented foods, and fruits andvegetables and whole grains and
fiber to repair that mucosallayer of your digestive tract.
And then you won't havesensitivity anymore.
Speaker (15:08):
Right.
So certain people can tolerateplants differently again.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Blueberries give me diarrhea.
I mean, that's unfortunate.
I'm sensitive.
Yeah, you're welcome.
I'm sensitive to something thatpeople would call a superfood.
Okay.
It's not a superfood for me.
Okay.
It is not.
Speaker (15:26):
Um, it is for your toilet though.
Um what's right for their bodywithout falling into the
extremes?
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, don't fall into the extreme.
Well, I know that, Kim, but I'masking.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, first of all, if you'relistening or watching something
that is upsetting to you, thenkind of question like what is
going on there.
Like, I think it's okay tosometimes be triggered, but if
it's something you can't escapefrom, the trigger you can't
escape from, I feel like youneed some support there.
Okay.
Um, I don't know if I said thatas nicely as I meant to, but I
(15:59):
really do mean that like in aloving way.
Um, because the most importantthing is a person needs to trust
themselves.
They need to know what's goingon with their body and how their
body feels when they eat ordrink something at all times.
And again, if they're having aninflammatory inflammatory
response to something, theytemporarily either can remove
(16:21):
it, but they don't need toremove it, but they do need to
add all those things I justlisted to help heal their gut.
There, we talked about genetictesting, but there's a lot of
tests that you can do for foodsensitivities.
I love Everly Well so much.
What is it?
It's Everly Well.
Speaker (16:36):
So basically Everly Well.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Everly Well.
I can send you a link.
Yeah.
Speaker (16:39):
And so basically, everybody.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah.
So basically you order thistest and you you do it like a
pinprick of blood and you sendthe test back.
And five days later, you get alist of foods that you are
either mild, moderately, orhighly sensitive to.
And then you have a choice.
Do I want to not eat thesefoods for a week or two and see
(17:02):
how I feel?
Or I can keep these foods in,maybe minimize them and increase
all the things I need to helpheal my gut.
Speaker (17:11):
I I was I got this done and it said that I'm like
sensitive to tomatoes.
It was if nobody even told methat.
I'd haven't changed a bit.
I still probably even moretomatoes.
Yeah, and that's okay.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
And sometimes that heals your gut.
Speaker (17:25):
Like it's no, actually it does.
Seriously, my eyes are stillconstantly watering.
So I'd be curious.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Wait, hold on.
Very lastly, like if you removesomething, you'll know within
three days how you feel.
So if you eat, let's say youtook tomatoes out today, I would
keep them out for three days.
That's all you need to do istake them out for three days and
then add them in one time.
And you'll know within twohours how your body responds to
(17:52):
tomatoes.
Speaker (17:53):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And then you can have a choice to see like, do I want
to, you know, fix my gut orkeep eating tomatoes and still
feel this way.
But I would say if you keepeating tomatoes and you keep
having inflammatory issues, youneed more omega-3s and, you
know, fiber and things likethat.
Speaker (18:09):
All right.
Here's an here's another bighot topic or trigger point.
Somebody was saying that youlike they suffer with food
addiction addictions.
So if someone truly struggleswith food addictions or binge
eating, where's the line betweenjust eat what you want and
listen to your body and needingmore of a structured therapeutic
approach?
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Yeah.
So everything that I talk aboutis based on science.
And so I have six rules that Icoach my clients with.
And that's the what you'retalking about is rule number
one, you eat when you're hungry.
So hunger is a hor is based onthe hormone ghrelin, and it
tells your brain it's time tostart looking for food.
We're going to start needingsome fuel.
And then we get a secondhormone, leptin, that tells us
(18:50):
we're satisfied and we no longerneed to eat.
So my rule is to you, whenyou're hungry, take your normal
portion, cut it in half, andwait 15 minutes to see if you
need more food.
This is actually how we put ournatural GLP1 in harmony.
We eat when we're hungry.
And if you have a foodaddiction, that means that you
either have binged or you'verestricted.
And so we really need tounderstand that in this moment,
(19:14):
you're trying to be curiousabout doing something new.
I'm not trying to restrict youand I'm not trying to cause a
binge.
So if you can just accept I'meating when I'm hungry, and I'm
going to cut my food in half andwait 15 minutes to see if I
need more, physically oremotionally, what ends up
happening is you develop trust.
(19:35):
And waiting 15 minutes givesyou a fail-safe that you're not
going to overeat.
We ideally need to be eatingthree to five times a day, every
three hours, for our body tofeel safe.
I have many people who say tome, I eat twice a day and I
can't lose weight.
And that's because their bodyis unsafe.
Their blood sugars are notregulated, and they their body
(19:58):
thinks that they're storing forthe winter when they do eat, and
then there's a famine whenthey're not eating.
And we need to be eating everythree to four hours for our body
to feel safe.
If you have a history ofbinging and restricting, you're,
you know, this idea soundsterrifying.
And I can totally appreciatethat, but it's one meal at a
time.
We do not need to worry aboutwhat's going to happen later
(20:20):
today or tomorrow.
We need to focus right now, andwe just need to practice that
rule.
Speaker (20:24):
Got it.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
And then wait, I just want to finish.
Rule number two says, eat whatyou love.
And that is where people thinkI'm giving them permission to
eat endlessly.
Speaker (20:35):
I got a lot of DMs about that.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Yeah, I am not.
I said, eat what you love, makesure the food loves you back.
So we are fixing all of the gutissues by paying attention to
what doesn't love us back.
And we are eating what we lovewhen we are hungry and we're
starting with half.
There's a built-in fail-safethat you will not be eating, but
you do have permission to eatit again in three hours.
(20:58):
Okay.
If somebody is physicallyhungry, they don't want cake and
donuts.
If I gave them the option of aturkey burger or a donut and
they said they were hungry, uh,10 times out of 10, they're
picking the turkey burger.
They're eating the donut whenthey're not hungry.
But because they restrictedthemselves and they haven't
(21:19):
allowed themselves to eatdonuts, that's what they think
they love.
Speaker (21:23):
I have a friend of mine that e wakes up in the middle
of the night hungry and eats inthe middle of the night like a
binge eating.
What do you think that's about?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
A couple things.
I would want to know if they'retaking melatonin because
melatonin really tricks ourbrain into stop making it.
So we don't have restful sleep.
Number two, they could not beeating enough throughout the
day.
Number three, they could betaking an antidepressant that is
causing them to need likeserotonin.
Got it.
So I would make sure they'reeating enough throughout the
(21:53):
day.
Speaker (21:54):
Um, what okay, so all right.
First of all, Kim, you're sucha freaking badass because the
fact that you even you uh justfor everyone listening, I asked
Kim if she wanted me to send herquestions beforehand, and she
was like, no.
Which most people would want tobecause they'd want to
understand, you know, what areyou about to ask me?
(22:15):
But I love that you standbehind what you say so much so
that you didn't need me to sendyou the questions.
So that is like just mygratitude for that alone and you
coming back because I thoughtthis was gonna be maybe five
minutes, and we've alreadytalked for over 20 minutes.
So I appreciate that.
Um so just the last one.
(22:36):
What's one simplescience-backed habit that you
wish everyone could focus onregardless of their diet
philosophy?
Oh my gosh, that's so tricky.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Um science backed?
Yeah, that you you believe inscience.
No, all of them are based onscience, but I'm like, what
would I say to that?
That's so tricky.
Okay, maybe I should have askedyou for the questions before.
Speaker (22:58):
Um I'm gonna have to myself how awesome that you did
it.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
I'm gonna go with sleep.
Okay.
I love that.
Okay, yeah, because the averageAmerican gets six and a half
hours.
We need between seven and nine,and we need to be consistent.
Our body thrives inconsistency.
And so when we change the timewe go to sleep, it's almost like
we're jet lagged, but we're notreally paying attention to
that.
And so we really want to be asconsistent as possible and going
(23:23):
to sleep at the same time andwaking at the same time and not
hitting the snooze button.
And when we do that, we wake upless inflamed and more
motivated to do all the thingswe need to do to take care of
ourselves.
Speaker (23:35):
I love a snooze button.
Oh, I love it.
Oh, I love I I would sleep 10hours if you let me.
Welcome to Redesigning Life.
I'm your host, Sabrina Soto,and this is the space where we
have honest conversations aboutpersonal growth, mindset shifts,
and creating a life that feelstruly aligned.
In each episode, I'll talk toexperts in their field who share
their insights to help you stepinto your higher self.
Let's redesign your life fromthe inside out.
Welcome back to the podcast,and I have to welcome back our
(00:25):
guest, Kim, because Kim Shapirawas on the podcast weeks ago.
Kim happens to be a friend ofmine, and I'll tell you what
happened.
So a lot of you guys DM'd mequestions to follow up with Kim.
And I, because Kim is a friendof mine, I asked her to come
back to clarify and to answerquestions because she stands
behind what she says.
But I do want everyone to feelheard.
(00:48):
And I think this is a greatconversation to just continue
because why not?
It's such a great conversation.
So, Kim, thank you for yourtime and thanks for coming back
on.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I mean, I'm so happy to be here and I can't really
wait to get into it with you,but I do want to just tell you
something.
Very great.
Speaker (01:04):
Tell me.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Okay.
So I just finished my firstbook club.
I'm doing four this month for50 pages at a time.
And I just got a text from aneducational psychologist saying
that the book club that we justdid was the greatest hour of her
life, and it was better thanany therapy she's ever had.
Speaker (01:21):
So I love that.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So now let's get into this.
Okay.
Oh yeah, I want to ride thatwave with you.
Speaker (01:27):
Yeah, I'm in it.
Okay, good.
All right.
So normally I wouldn't belooking down.
So anybody who's watching thison YouTube or um on Spotify, I'm
looking down because I'mactually reading questions that
are coming from people.
So I I also got a lot of greatfeedback too.
So I think that these are justreally thoughtful questions from
listeners.
So I just want to add a littlebit of clarity.
Okay.
So one of the biggest listenerquestions was around, and I
(01:50):
think I told you this parasitecleansing.
Some people swear by them, um,and some people said that
they've had major healthtransformations because of them.
So can you share yourprofessional perspective on why
you recommend against them andwhat the evidence says?
Yes.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Okay.
First of all, I'm a registereddietitian.
My degree is in humanmetabolism and clinical
nutrition.
And our body is it heals all byitself.
If we break our leg, our bodyheals.
And so that is the mostimportant thing for us to
remember.
It doesn't mean that we don'tsometimes need support or
medication, but our digestivetract, our colon, our rectum,
(02:29):
our kidneys, they are what ishelping us detox and get rid of
things that don't belong.
So for the most part, we don'tneed to add outside sources or
do things that starve certainparts of our body because this
can be dangerous.
And that danger creates stress.
And that stress creates a wholeslew of other health problems
(02:51):
and it directly impacts yourhealth span.
Okay, wait.
Speaker (02:54):
But wait, so then, but what there are two things that I
want to talk to you about asyou're talking.
There are people who needparasite cleanses because they
have tapeworms or whatever thecase may be.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
100%.
They need antibiotics or theyneed some sort of medication,
100% for types of parasites.
There's no question.
I mean, parasites are we, youknow, fungus, bacteria, viruses.
We need support for whatever isactually going on, but not
everybody.
Nothing.
Not because you're bloated oryou're having constipation.
(03:27):
That is more likely you're noteating enough, your digestive
lining isn't strong enough, andyou need some support.
That that's usually somethingelse and not parasites.
Speaker (03:37):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
People got, yeah.
Speaker (03:39):
Yeah.
Because I think when peoplelisten to these podcasts, when
they listen to anything, evenwhat people are saying on
Instagram, TikTok, whatever,it's not a definitive all or
nothing.
Like there are certainsituations.
I want to clarify.
Okay.
So yes, it's okay, not foreveryone.
Um, because I also have afriend of mine, Alina.
She goes by soup, Alina.
She does, she's really intosoup cleanse cleansing because
(04:02):
she got cancer and she healedherself with food and she really
believes in claris uh parasiteclean cleansing.
So again, it's not aone-size-fits-all.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
It's not one-size-fits-all.
And I do want to say, like, Ithere's a big a lot of people
say food is medicine.
A lot of people say it.
But actually, I think foodprevents medicine.
But food is also medicine.
Why do we why do you think itprevents medicine?
Yeah, because when we eat likewell-rounded and balanced food,
it prevents our body fromneeding extra support.
(04:32):
And so, like, even if you lookat cancer before it hits stage
one cancer.
So when the cells startchanging, we can actually
reverse all of that.
Yes.
With food.
With food.
But it doesn't mean that foodis medicine.
It means it's just preventingmedicine, right?
Does that make sense?
Yes.
Speaker (04:50):
We're clarifying somebody's gonna be like,
somebody's not gonna like that.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I'll get the DMs, not you.
Yeah, yeah.
But they can DM me too.
I don't mind.
I mean Yes.
Speaker (04:58):
Please DM Kim too.
DM us both.
We love it.
I'll answer another listenermentioned that she has the MTHFR
gene mutation.
Yes.
And struggles with detoxingcertain toxins or observing
absorbing B vitamins.
How much should gene mutationslike this influence how somebody
eats or the supplements thatthey're taking?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, I think that's a very good question.
What it means is that you can'tmethylate, you can't break down
certain things.
The lining of your gut againneeds support.
And so we can basically turnthat off by making sure that our
body is in its healthieststate.
And again, you can do thatthrough food, lifestyle, and
sleep and water and all thosethings.
(05:40):
But yeah, if it is somethingthat is temporarily affecting
you, and then that is callingcausing you to have like
absorption issues and otherissues.
And then that is what is makingyou feel sick is you're not
getting all the qualitynutrients from your food, but we
can turn it off as well.
How?
Speaker (05:56):
Give me a like if for this person, how?
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, there are some supplements that you would take,
and it would be probably athree to six months, you would
work with somebody to take threeto six months of different
supplementations to really clearout your cells, right?
Like you are detoxing or likeit's like a whole process.
So you'd also have to check tosee like, do you have cavities?
Do you have silver in yourteeth?
(06:20):
You know, what is your mercurylevels?
And all these things need to belooked at to help your cells
breathe and function properly.
So in that case, thensupplementation is
supplementation is amazing.
I think supplementation isvital for every single one of us
at this point.
Yeah.
Depending, but not one sizefits all.
No, I mean, I think a lot ofpeople need vitamin D, but not
(06:43):
everybody needs vitamin D.
And sometimes they need itright now, but they don't need
it in a month.
Right.
Okay.
Speaker (06:48):
Um, so do uh this my next question, somebody was
like, Do you think genetictesting should play a bigger
role in personalized nutrition?
I mean, I listen, I'm not adietitian.
I can't answer that.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Yeah.
Well, what would your answerbe?
Yes.
Yeah.
I mean, I think everythingshould play a role.
And it sounds like yourlisteners are like very
motivated to take care ofthemselves.
But there comes a fine linewhere it's like, it's all I can
think about, or I don't allowmyself permission not to, you
know, live within theseboundaries.
(07:19):
And that is where we want to becareful because we want to be
able to be open-minded to a lotof things and not restricted in
our mindset, I think.
But I think you can't unlearnwhat you know.
And so if you're doing genetictests, then you're clearly able
to see, like, oh wow, look, I amvery sensitive to these things.
And now I can make someadjustments.
Why wouldn't you want thatinformation?
100%.
Speaker (07:40):
Um, okay, this one was a big one.
This one I got a lot of DMsabout.
So I'm just gonna throw it outthere.
We're gonna, we're gonna clearthis up for my listeners.
Okay.
Lots of DMs about seed oils.
Yes.
Oh my goodness.
So some listeners feel likethey're a major source of
inflammation, while others saythat it was harmless in
(08:01):
moderation.
Can you please break becauseone, I mean, one or two people
were going on and on that thatit is seeds oil and have
completely changed, likeeliminating them has changed
their lives.
Um, and I think because seedoils are talked about so much
right now, yeah, it's like, oh,people are so scared.
(08:22):
So can you please break downthe current science and the
actuality of what seed oils, ifit's a problem or not?
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah.
So the actual science of seedoils or seeds is that we want to
add them to our diet.
Now, we talked about thisbriefly.
Some of us are in differentstages of inflammation and
cannot tolerate certain seeds ornuts or certain foods.
But for the most part, if youare somebody who can tolerate
(08:49):
seeds, then seed oils are alsosomething that you can tolerate.
And yes, they have omega-6s.
And of course, we want to havehigher levels of omega-3, which
are really great for our brain,our gut, and our like our colon,
our digestive tract, all that.
But the omega-6, we do need abalance, we we need a ratio of
them.
(09:09):
And so we do get some acid,some really healthy nutrients
from these seeds.
And so every single thing weeat is processed in one way or
another.
I mean, even my strawberriesare in a plastic basket or a
basket that has a lining of somesort.
Speaker (09:27):
Well, not if you get it from the farmer's market.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Depends.
I mean, the farmer's market,there, you know, the eggs are
still in the carton.
Well, like they're still, whatare they lined with?
You know, what are these likeforever chemicals or these
noxious chemicals?
And how is our bodyinterpreting them?
But if we're talking about seedoils, there is vitamin E and
linoleic acid and omega-6s inthese oils that our body really,
(09:50):
really needs.
And there is such a smallamount in the foods that we're
eating, and they help keep themstable on a shelf.
When somebody removes the foodand like doesn't feel
inflammation anymore, it couldbe that they were very sensitive
to sunflower oil.
It could be that they were verysensitive to oat or any of the
(10:11):
food that is actually partneredwith this oil.
But there is 100% no researchbehind these seed oils causing
inflammation.
What that is is like somebodyon TikTok went with it and ran
with it.
And it's just such a um, it'salmost a bigger problem.
Like, why would we want toremove, like, we wouldn't remove
(10:33):
the seeds from our diet.
Speaker (10:35):
But but but if people are just adding using these seed
oils as oil in the thingsthey're baking or the salad
dressings, it can't, I mean, anolive oil is going to be a lot
better for you.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Yeah.
Okay.
So let's talk aboutinflammation.
Okay.
Speaker (10:50):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Inflammation is if you look at your digestive
tract, from your mouth to youranus, it's the width of a tennis
court.
Food troubles down at about onemillimeter an hour, hopefully
giving you a 24-hour transittime.
Okay.
So now we're talking about theinside of your body or your
digestive tract, which if Icompare it to a cardboard box, I
mean sorry, a cardboard papertowel ring.
(11:11):
So we're talking about theinside of this cardboard paper
towel ring.
Technically, what's inside thatnarrow opening has not entered
your bloodstream yet.
So if we're havinginflammation, and inflammation
is headache, teary no uh tearyeyes, runny nose, clearing your
throat, heartburn, burping,bloating, smelly gas, stomach
(11:35):
noises, constipation, diarrhea,joint pain, itchy skin,
vaginitis, like so many thingsare inflammation.
It's usually because the liningthis of your cardboard, the
inside of your digestive tract,it's that's the mucosal layer
and it's been dinged.
And you know, when we havemucus, like if we have a sore
throat or runny nose, it hurts.
And so what happens is we startgetting an inflammatory
(11:58):
response.
That's our body's natural wayof saying, I don't recognize
what you're breaking, what is inmy body now, right?
It's it's created thisinflammatory response that is a
defense.
And when we keep eating thingsor adding things to our body
that our body can't break down,sometimes the immune response
gets stuck on, and that's anautoimmune disease, right?
(12:19):
But for most people, when youstart seeing a breakdown in this
mucosal layer, it means thatthings are inside that digestive
tract, that cardboard ring, arenow entering the paper towels.
They're now inside yourbloodstream, right?
We want to prevent that.
And so if you're saying I hadseed oils and I was having
(12:40):
inflammation and then I took theseed oils out and I don't have
any inflammation, you also haveto think where where were the
seed oils with?
Like, was it garlic?
Was it pepper?
Was it lemon?
Was there a certain grain?
There's so many possibilities.
Speaker (12:58):
What if it's the it's let's say it's the salad
dressing.
Yeah.
Instead of using seed oils, nowI'm using an a different oil,
an olive oil, and now I don'thave the it's the same
ingredients.
And it's only switched the oil.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Yeah.
Okay, so let me put it thisway.
I have a client who has likeunfortunately so many foods that
he's sensitive to.
And one of them is sunflower,and one of them is safflower.
Do you know how many foods havethose oils?
They're hurting him everysingle time he eats them.
I don't personally havesunflower, safflower, but I do
(13:31):
have chia on my sensitivitylist.
So that food would hurt me.
So what I'm hearing you say isthat the person who now switched
to olive oil, they removed afood that they were inflamed
from.
So it could be that the personwho DM'd you and reported, I
took them out and I felt better,actually was really sensitive
to one or the other.
Speaker (13:52):
Right.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Yeah, but let me be really, really clear.
A sensitivity is not anallergy.
It's not an allergy.
Speaker (14:00):
Okay, but you, Kim, if you had a choice to put
something in your saladdressing, what oil is it?
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Olive oil or avocado, but that is not because they
cause inflammation.
They are because one is amonounsaturated fat and others
are a polyunsaturated.
And so when you look at heartdisease and you look at like
longevity, all of the studies weknow for like the last 40
years, olive oil and avocadohave been like the winners as
(14:29):
far as like improving andmaintaining your health.
It's not because they'recausing inflammation and
lowering your health, it'sbecause they have no effect on
your heart.
They have no effect onlongevity.
Okay.
They're totally different, butthey do not cause inflammation.
Sensitive to it.
And if you are sensitive to it,remember, it's not a, it's not
an allergy.
(14:49):
And so you can't, it's notpermanent.
And that means that your bodyneeds some support and you need
to add a variety of things thathave omega-3s, probiotic,
fermented foods, and fruits andvegetables and whole grains and
fiber to repair that mucosallayer of your digestive tract.
And then you won't havesensitivity anymore.
Speaker (15:08):
Right.
So certain people can tolerateplants differently again.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Blueberries give me diarrhea.
I mean, that's unfortunate.
I'm sensitive.
Yeah, you're welcome.
I'm sensitive to something thatpeople would call a superfood.
Okay.
It's not a superfood for me.
Okay.
It is not.
Speaker (15:26):
Um, it is for your toilet though.
Um what's right for their bodywithout falling into the
extremes?
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, don't fall into the extreme.
Well, I know that, Kim, but I'masking.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, first of all, if you'relistening or watching something
that is upsetting to you, thenkind of question like what is
going on there.
Like, I think it's okay tosometimes be triggered, but if
it's something you can't escapefrom, the trigger you can't
escape from, I feel like youneed some support there.
Okay.
Um, I don't know if I said thatas nicely as I meant to, but I
(15:59):
really do mean that like in aloving way.
Um, because the most importantthing is a person needs to trust
themselves.
They need to know what's goingon with their body and how their
body feels when they eat ordrink something at all times.
And again, if they're having aninflammatory inflammatory
response to something, theytemporarily either can remove
(16:21):
it, but they don't need toremove it, but they do need to
add all those things I justlisted to help heal their gut.
There, we talked about genetictesting, but there's a lot of
tests that you can do for foodsensitivities.
I love Everly Well so much.
What is it?
It's Everly Well.
Speaker (16:36):
So basically Everly Well.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Everly Well.
I can send you a link.
Yeah.
Speaker (16:39):
And so basically, everybody.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah.
So basically you order thistest and you you do it like a
pinprick of blood and you sendthe test back.
And five days later, you get alist of foods that you are
either mild, moderately, orhighly sensitive to.
And then you have a choice.
Do I want to not eat thesefoods for a week or two and see
(17:02):
how I feel?
Or I can keep these foods in,maybe minimize them and increase
all the things I need to helpheal my gut.
Speaker (17:11):
I I was I got this done and it said that I'm like
sensitive to tomatoes.
It was if nobody even told methat.
I'd haven't changed a bit.
I still probably even moretomatoes.
Yeah, and that's okay.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
And sometimes that heals your gut.
Speaker (17:25):
Like it's no, actually it does.
Seriously, my eyes are stillconstantly watering.
So I'd be curious.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Wait, hold on.
Very lastly, like if you removesomething, you'll know within
three days how you feel.
So if you eat, let's say youtook tomatoes out today, I would
keep them out for three days.
That's all you need to do istake them out for three days and
then add them in one time.
And you'll know within twohours how your body responds to
(17:52):
tomatoes.
Speaker (17:53):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And then you can have a choice to see like, do I want
to, you know, fix my gut orkeep eating tomatoes and still
feel this way.
But I would say if you keepeating tomatoes and you keep
having inflammatory issues, youneed more omega-3s and, you
know, fiber and things likethat.
Speaker (18:09):
All right.
Here's an here's another bighot topic or trigger point.
Somebody was saying that youlike they suffer with food
addiction addictions.
So if someone truly struggleswith food addictions or binge
eating, where's the line betweenjust eat what you want and
listen to your body and needingmore of a structured therapeutic
approach?
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Yeah.
So everything that I talk aboutis based on science.
And so I have six rules that Icoach my clients with.
And that's the what you'retalking about is rule number
one, you eat when you're hungry.
So hunger is a hor is based onthe hormone ghrelin, and it
tells your brain it's time tostart looking for food.
We're going to start needingsome fuel.
And then we get a secondhormone, leptin, that tells us
(18:50):
we're satisfied and we no longerneed to eat.
So my rule is to you, whenyou're hungry, take your normal
portion, cut it in half, andwait 15 minutes to see if you
need more food.
This is actually how we put ournatural GLP1 in harmony.
We eat when we're hungry.
And if you have a foodaddiction, that means that you
either have binged or you'verestricted.
And so we really need tounderstand that in this moment,
(19:14):
you're trying to be curiousabout doing something new.
I'm not trying to restrict youand I'm not trying to cause a
binge.
So if you can just accept I'meating when I'm hungry, and I'm
going to cut my food in half andwait 15 minutes to see if I
need more, physically oremotionally, what ends up
happening is you develop trust.
(19:35):
And waiting 15 minutes givesyou a fail-safe that you're not
going to overeat.
We ideally need to be eatingthree to five times a day, every
three hours, for our body tofeel safe.
I have many people who say tome, I eat twice a day and I
can't lose weight.
And that's because their bodyis unsafe.
Their blood sugars are notregulated, and they their body
(19:58):
thinks that they're storing forthe winter when they do eat, and
then there's a famine whenthey're not eating.
And we need to be eating everythree to four hours for our body
to feel safe.
If you have a history ofbinging and restricting, you're,
you know, this idea soundsterrifying.
And I can totally appreciatethat, but it's one meal at a
time.
We do not need to worry aboutwhat's going to happen later
(20:20):
today or tomorrow.
We need to focus right now, andwe just need to practice that
rule.
Speaker (20:24):
Got it.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
And then wait, I just want to finish.
Rule number two says, eat whatyou love.
And that is where people thinkI'm giving them permission to
eat endlessly.
Speaker (20:35):
I got a lot of DMs about that.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Yeah, I am not.
I said, eat what you love, makesure the food loves you back.
So we are fixing all of the gutissues by paying attention to
what doesn't love us back.
And we are eating what we lovewhen we are hungry and we're
starting with half.
There's a built-in fail-safethat you will not be eating, but
you do have permission to eatit again in three hours.
(20:58):
Okay.
If somebody is physicallyhungry, they don't want cake and
donuts.
If I gave them the option of aturkey burger or a donut and
they said they were hungry, uh,10 times out of 10, they're
picking the turkey burger.
They're eating the donut whenthey're not hungry.
But because they restrictedthemselves and they haven't
(21:19):
allowed themselves to eatdonuts, that's what they think
they love.
Speaker (21:23):
I have a friend of mine that e wakes up in the middle
of the night hungry and eats inthe middle of the night like a
binge eating.
What do you think that's about?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
A couple things.
I would want to know if they'retaking melatonin because
melatonin really tricks ourbrain into stop making it.
So we don't have restful sleep.
Number two, they could not beeating enough throughout the
day.
Number three, they could betaking an antidepressant that is
causing them to need likeserotonin.
Got it.
So I would make sure they'reeating enough throughout the
(21:53):
day.
Speaker (21:54):
Um, what okay, so all right.
First of all, Kim, you're sucha freaking badass because the
fact that you even you uh justfor everyone listening, I asked
Kim if she wanted me to send herquestions beforehand, and she
was like, no.
Which most people would want tobecause they'd want to
understand, you know, what areyou about to ask me?
(22:15):
But I love that you standbehind what you say so much so
that you didn't need me to sendyou the questions.
So that is like just mygratitude for that alone and you
coming back because I thoughtthis was gonna be maybe five
minutes, and we've alreadytalked for over 20 minutes.
So I appreciate that.
Um so just the last one.
(22:36):
What's one simplescience-backed habit that you
wish everyone could focus onregardless of their diet
philosophy?
Oh my gosh, that's so tricky.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Um science backed?
Yeah, that you you believe inscience.
No, all of them are based onscience, but I'm like, what
would I say to that?
That's so tricky.
Okay, maybe I should have askedyou for the questions before.
Speaker (22:58):
Um I'm gonna have to myself how awesome that you did
it.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
I'm gonna go with sleep.
Okay.
I love that.
Okay, yeah, because the averageAmerican gets six and a half
hours.
We need between seven and nine,and we need to be consistent.
Our body thrives inconsistency.
And so when we change the timewe go to sleep, it's almost like
we're jet lagged, but we're notreally paying attention to
that.
And so we really want to be asconsistent as possible and going
(23:23):
to sleep at the same time andwaking at the same time and not
hitting the snooze button.
And when we do that, we wake upless inflamed and more
motivated to do all the thingswe need to do to take care of
ourselves.
Speaker (23:35):
I love a snooze button.
Oh, I love it.
Oh, I love I I would sleep 10hours if you let me.
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