Processed Foods Esposed: Your Guide to Eating Real and Feeling Great

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to Wellness Connection MD, your
evidence-based podcast.
I'm Dr Jim McMinn and I'm heretoday to bring you the latest
and greatest info on a hot topicthese days, and that is
processed food.
Ever wondered how processedfoods impact health, mood and
even longevity?
In this episode, we welcomefunctional nutritionist Rachel
Olson for a practical andeye-opening discussion about

(00:21):
processed food and itsfar-reaching effects.
Rachel breaks it all down foryou and explains why America
leads the developed world inchronic disease, even though it
spends the most money on healthcare.
Something's just not adding upthere.
But Rachel to the rescue, asshe offers actionable tips for
turning your diet around andimproving your overall health.
So, whether you're a busyprofessional, a parent or just

(00:42):
working towards better wellness,kick back and enjoy the show.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Welcome to the Wellness Connection MD Podcast
with Dr McMinn and Coach Lindsay, where we bring you the latest
up-to-date, evidence-basedinformation on a wide variety of
health and wellness topics,along with practical take-home
solutions.
Dr McMinn is an integrated andfunctional MD and Lindsay
Matthews is a registered nurseand IIN certified health coach.

(01:07):
Together, our goal is to helpyou optimize your health and
wellness in mind, body andspirit.
To see a list of all of ourpodcasts, visit mcminnmdcom and
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The discussions contained inthis podcast are for educational

(01:28):
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any disease.
Please do not apply any of thisinformation without approval
from your personal doctor.
And now on to the show with DrMcMinn and Coach Lindsey.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Hello and welcome to the Wellness Connection MD
podcast, the evidence-basedpodcast on all things wellness.
We thank you so much forjoining us today.
I'm your host, dr Jim McMinn,and Coach Lindsay has a
much-deserved day off.
Today, however, we do have foryou a very special guest, and
that is functional nutritionistRachel Olson, who will be
telling us everything we everwanted to know, and then some

(02:02):
about the timely and interestingsubject of processed food ever
wanted to know.
And then some about the timelyand interesting subject of
processed food.
As always, we come to you tobring you commercial-free,
honest, unbiased, up-to-date,evidence-based and
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(02:22):
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(03:24):
And now on to the show.
Our topic today, processed food,touches every plate, pantry and
health conversation acrossAmerica.
According to the latest data,about 55% of the total calories
consumed by Americans comes fromultra-processed foods, and that
percentage jumps to nearly 62%for children and teens.

(03:44):
Ouch, that's a lot of processedfoods, and that percentage
jumps to nearly 62% for childrenand teens.
Ouch, that's a lot of processedfood and, as we will discuss,
that translates into a lot ofdisease, making America the very
sickest of all high-incomenations on earth in terms of
chronic disease burden, lifeexpectancy and preventable
deaths, despite spending muchmore on healthcare per person
than any other country.
Now everyone seems to beconcerned about health care

(04:05):
costs, and I read an articlejust this morning that estimated
that America could save $2.2trillion per year in health care
costs by focusing on prevention, and, of course, that starts
with what we put in our bodies.
As it turns out, many of theleading causes of death in the
United States, like heartdisease, cancer, diabetes and
stroke, are all directlyassociated with processed foods.

(04:25):
So enough is enough, let's getafter it.
Today, we're going to take adeep dive into the subject of
processed food why is it socommonplace and how it impacts
our health.
Our guest, rachel Olson, willhelp unpack the science and
offer actionable strategies forlisteners looking to navigate
the ultra-processed mind field.
So let me tell you a bit aboutRachel.
Besides being one of myfavorite people in the whole

(04:48):
wide world, rachel is afunctional dietician with an
extensive educational background, holding both a bachelor's and
a master's degree from theUniversity of Alabama.
She is certified by theInstitute of Functional Medicine
as a functional medicinepractitioner and as such, rachel
is recognized for hercommitment to uncovering the
root causes of health issues.
Her unique approach bridges thegap between science and

(05:08):
practical applications,empowering clients with
actionable insights.
Let me just add that if you'rereally interested in getting to
the bottom of your nutritionalneeds, you're probably going to
need to consult someone likeRachel.
Doctors get, on the average,about 15 hours of nutrition in
their four years of training inmedical school, and that is
heavily weighted on things likebiochemistry and nutrient
deficiency diseases like ricketsand scurvy.

(05:30):
They literally get zero hoursof training in applied nutrition
or practical subjects likeprocessed food.
As I think back on it, I don'tthink there was ever a mention
of it in medical school orresidency.
So you can ask your doctorabout the diagnosis of scurvy or
the molecular structure ofvitamin C, but don't bother
asking him or her anything aboutprocessed food.
They probably won't have a clue.
And it's not their fault.

(05:51):
I've talked to them and theywould love to learn this stuff.
It's the fault of the medicaleducation system that laser
focuses on drugs and surgery,while minimizing the profound
impact of diet and lifestylemedicine.
So my advice to you is, if youwant to improve your health via
your diet, connect with Rachelor find yourself your own
nutritionist or health coachwith a similar background in
functional nutrition.

(06:11):
And let me add that I'm notsaying this to bash doctors, I'm
just telling the unfortunatehonest truth.
As I said, most doctors wouldlove to know more about this,
but we're never given the chance.
So, anyway, whether you're abusy professional, a parent
juggling meals or just someoneaiming for better wellness, this
episode is for you.
So, without further ado, let'sdive in with Rachel.
Hello, rachel, a warm welcometo you to Wellness Connection MD

(06:35):
.

Speaker 3 (06:35):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me again.
It's a pleasure to be here so.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
Rachel, let's get started by getting on the same
page with some simpledefinitions, explain what we
mean by the terms whole food,minimally processed food,
processed food andultra-processed food, and please
give us some simple examples ofeach so that we can all kind of
relate to it.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
Okay, absolutely so.
Whole foods are going to be asclose as to their natural state.
I always tell my patients toeat what God or nature produced.
So that would be a whole apple,a broccoli, fresh salmon.
So plants, animals and deriveddirectly from the plants and
animals.
Minimally processed foodsthey're going to be altered

(07:15):
slightly, either for convenienceor preservation.
So frozen vegetables, forexample.
You don't pick them out likethat, but they were made for
convenience.
Bagged spinach or plain yogurt,for example.
Processed't pick them out likethat, but they were made for
convenience Bagged spinach orplain yogurt, for example.
Processed foods are going to betransformed in some way, so
you're going to cook it or canit mill it, so you transform
wheat into a flour, for example,or wheat into a pasta.

(07:37):
So canned beans, cheese.
And then ultra processed foodsthey're different.
They're going to be industrialformulations with additives,
colorings, emulsifiers, thingsto preserve, to extend shelf
life, to improve texture, flavor.
So that would include soda,packaged chips, instant noodles
and other commercial things likebreakfast cereal, pop-tarts and

(07:58):
things like that.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
Things not found in nature.
Right Correct, You'll neverfind a Pop-Tart tree, will you?

Speaker 3 (08:05):
No, no Pop-tart trees .

Speaker 1 (08:07):
All right, give us also some common ultra-processed
additives.

Speaker 3 (08:13):
All right.
So it's interesting to notethat the US allows more
additives than, for example,europe would allow.
This has been changing.
Europe would allow.
This has been changing.
But, for example, things liketitanium dioxide it's like a

(08:33):
white powder that makes thingswhite it's banned in Europe
because there's possibilitythere are studies that show
possibility to like DNA damage.
Potassium bromate it'ssomething that they put in bread
to make it the texture better.
It is banned in Europe as wellas a potential carcinogen, and
we know in functional medicinethat bromide is in the halogens
right and it could potentiallybe disruptive to your thyroid.
Propylparaben, vha, vht all ofthese are food additives that

(08:59):
are banned in Europe but they'restill allowed in the food
sources here in the US inultra-processed foods.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
And we'll get into some of those reasons why in
just a bit.
So help me understand this.
Break it down.
For me, for instance, if I atesome berries, that would be a
whole food, not processed food,right, correct Right off the
tree.
Now if I took some of the sameberries and put them in a
blender and added some water andmix it up and drank it as a
smoothie or a fruit drink, thenthat would certainly change the
glycemic index of these berries,since they're already partially

(09:29):
digested, and so would thosethen become a minimally
processed food Correct.

Speaker 3 (09:34):
That's minimally processed.
You're breaking down the fiber.
The sugars are going to beabsorbed a little quicker.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
And similarly, if I ate some whole oats versus oat
flour that's been processed.
It's the exact same ingredients, but on the other hand, one is
whole and one is processed right, Correct.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
You increase the surface area so you're going to
absorb it so much faster.

Speaker 1 (09:57):
Right, right, right right.
So let's take that same berrysmoothie I mentioned a minute
ago and we'll add someartificial sweeteners, some
flavor enhancer, a thickener andsome coloring to make it look
prettier, and that same smoothiebecomes an ultra-processed food
, right, Yep.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
The moment you put those industrial substances in
to engineer a specific taste, aspecific mouthfeel, a texture or
increase shelf life, thenyou've crossed the line into
processed foods and that's wherethe risk appears right Gut
health and all the things we'regoing to talk about.
Okay, risk appears right, guthealth and all the things we're
going to talk about.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
Okay, Well, so what puzzles me, especially now that
we know how bad they are for us?
Why are they so common in ourdiets, especially in the United
States?

Speaker 3 (10:35):
It's an unfair competition with natural foods
because they're cheap, they'reconvenient, they're aggressively
marketed.
They were engineered to behyper palatable.
So there's.
I want I don't want to sayaddiction because it's a strong
word, but there is such ayearning for these foods.
People can't.
They crave them a lot.
So for busy families they don'thave a lot of help anymore.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
But there's a hidden cost, right for health and so,
for instance, is this mainly amainly an American problem, or
we're seeing this as a worldwidephenomenon?

Speaker 3 (11:09):
It's global for sure.
In the US, 60% of dailycalories come from
ultra-processed foods.
That's over half of what peopleare eating In the UK it's about
similar.
In Germany it's about 46%.
France is 36%.
In Brazil, where I'm from, it'sabout 16.8% of calories.

(11:30):
And I have a little anecdote totell about this.
It's funny Subway Bake.
I should have looked up when itopened the first time in Brazil
.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
So the first time it opened, let's suppose it was
You're talking about the Subwayrestaurant chain right, let's
suppose it was like early 90s.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
It closed like within months.
Nobody understood the concept,nobody liked the food.
Well, now it is everywherebecause the palate has changed.
People are busier and they'relooking for those convenience,
cheap foods.
So it rose a lot in the lastmaybe 20, 30 years.

(12:04):
So about one in every fivecalories of our diet there in
Brazil comes fromultra-processed food.

Speaker 1 (12:11):
Wow, yeah, yeah, I mean that figure you threw out
earlier, the 60%.
That's just staggering to me.
Yeah, so what are the mainhealth risks associated with the
eating processed food andultra-processed food?
Oof.

Speaker 3 (12:24):
Obesity and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, because
the salt content of these foodsis unreal.
Cardiovascular disease, stroke,even certain cancers not
directly linked but indirectly.
Fatty liver, kidney disease,higher rates of depression,
anxiety, dementia because of thegut-brain axis, autoimmune

(12:45):
flare-ups because of all thoseadditives.
They're foreign to the body,right Acne.

Speaker 1 (12:51):
The list goes on and on, wow, it does go on and on,
doesn't it?
That's daunting just to hearthat.
Yeah, wow.
So what about other justeveryday things like energy
level, productivity, a sense ofwell-being?
How do processed foods affectthose things?

Speaker 3 (13:04):
Tremendously.
So they are mainly emptycalories.
Right, let's think about a bagof Doritos.
Usually ultra-processed foodsare going to be very heavy in
carbs, with a bunch of additivesand nutrients.
Life force, vitamins, minerals,proteins, building blocks and
actual life force energy are notpresent.

(13:24):
The food is basically dead.
So if you're not gettingmaterials, what do you think the
output is going to be?
So there's going to be bloodsugar spikes from the high
content of carbs and low fiber.
Brain fog, mood swings,inflammation, which can then
lead to joint pain, overall pain, impaired sleep, impaired focus

(13:44):
.
Many additives mess with thebrain.
Replacing processed snacks withwhole foods can really
stabilize mental clarity, mood,energy levels, and both of us
have seen this happen in ourpatients, I'm sure.

Speaker 1 (14:01):
Are there any specific populations, for
instance, children, athletes,seniors, etc.
Who are more vulnerable to theeffects of processed food?

Speaker 3 (14:09):
All three of them for sure, children.
They're growing, so they'rebuilding their little house,
right, they need theconstruction materials and if
that material is not highquality, the output of this
child.
When it becomes an adult,everything in their little
bodies that was can be of lowerquality and they're more prone
to disease.
But while they are children,you give them you know a

(14:30):
Pop-Tart and send them to school.
Well, all those additives andall those carbs, they're going
to have a problem focusing atschool.
And sometimes it's not a mentalillness diagnosis, it's just
the breakfast that you gave themand they can't and certainly we
have an incredible amount ofobesity in our country, don't we
?

Speaker 1 (14:46):
with children, and so that plays into that as well.
And type 2 diabetes used to bea disease of adults and now it's
a disease of children.
It is, it's crazy, you know.
As far as populations, I'm alsothinking of elite athletes.

Speaker 2 (15:02):
One person who comes to mind is Novak Djokovic.

Speaker 1 (15:05):
And you know, he's arguably the greatest of all
time in tennis and he ishyper-attentive to his diet.

Speaker 3 (15:08):
Yes, he is yeah and yeah, athletes can be misled by
sports nutrition products.
You know that are full ofadditives and they just are
ultra-processed foods indisguise.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
Speaking of vulnerable populations, let me
share with the audience a reallyinteresting and somewhat tragic
true story.
The Pima Indians lived forcenturies in the area of what is
now known as southern Arizonaand upper Mexico, and they ate a
traditional diet of beans, corn, squash and desert plants, and
they had virtually no diabetes.
But when the US and Mexicoborder split the tribe in half,

(15:42):
their diets diverged.
Us and Mexico border split thetribe in half, their diets
diverged.
The Pima Indians in Mexico kepteating their traditional food
and stayed lean and healthy,while the US Pima Indians
shifted to a diet based on whiteflour, sugar and other
processed foods and within a fewgenerations they developed some
of the highest rates of obesityand type 2 diabetes in the
world and diabetes went frombasically zero to over 50% of

(16:03):
the population having diabetesafter the introduction of
processed food.
Wow, isn't that something?
Wow.

Speaker 3 (16:09):
Yeah, that's a powerful example of how
environment will shape healthright.
The genetics were the same.
They didn't change theirgenetics, but the food that each
of them ate shows how dietquality can override strong
genetic predispositions.

Speaker 1 (16:24):
So what about our children, Rachel?
Does poor diet, especially witha lot of sugar and processed
food, play a role in theirhealth, especially behavioral
health and mood disorders inchildren, issues like ADD and
hyperactivity disorder?

Speaker 3 (16:36):
Absolutely.
Diet will play a major role.
High sugar in theultra-processed foods and when I
say sugar, it's not just sweetsugar, right?
The ultra-processed foods andwhen I say sugar, it's not just
sweet sugar, right?
Most of the ultra-processedfoods are going to be high in
sugar and either starch, whichis savory, or sugar, sugar, and

(16:56):
it correlates with hyperactivity, irritability, shorter
attention span, while a wholefoods diet can stabilize their
blood sugar, stabilize theirmood, increase their focus,
increase their attention.

Speaker 1 (17:05):
And while we're on the subject of children, let me
ask you about autism.
From what I'm reading, itappears that processed food does
not cause autism, but manyfamilies find that the symptoms
of autism improve as processedfoods are eliminated and they
get on a healthier diet.
Would you agree with that?

Speaker 3 (17:20):
Rachel, yeah, correct , the ultra-processed foods
won't cause the autism, but manyparents will notice
improvements in mood digestionfocus when the ultra-processed
foods are reduced.

Speaker 1 (17:32):
Do ultra-processed foods actually affect epigenetic
expression for the patient andfor the offspring?

Speaker 3 (17:38):
Yeah, I love epigenetics.
Yes, absolutely.
It will turn on and turn offgenes.
Diet is one of the strongestepigenetic signals we put,
whatever we put at the end ofour forks three, four, six times
a day.
However, time you're eating issending a message to your body
so you can turn on inflammation,obesity, diseases that you're

(17:59):
predisposed to having, right andeven more concerning.
These effects can be passed onto children, so you can turn on
your genes and pass it on toyour offspring.
So a nutrient-dense diet willsupport favorable gene
expression across generations.

Speaker 1 (18:15):
Yeah, I love the statement that food is not just
calories, it's information foryour cells right, and for your
nucleon, for your DNA.
And so just to explainepigenetics just a moment you
can have the same two, exact,say, twin sisters, with the same
genetic risk for breast cancer,and yet one gets it and one
doesn't because of epigeneticexpression due to things like

(18:36):
stress, toxins and, to yourpoint, diet is a huge one, right
?

Speaker 3 (18:39):
So we don't really have to go far.
I have the FTO gene that hasbeen linked to obesity and
nobody can see me on camera, butyou can tell them I'm very
skinny.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
She is very skinny.
I'm learning Spanish, rachel.
Let's see what is it calledFlaco right.

Speaker 3 (18:56):
Flaco.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
Rachel, it's not flaco.

Speaker 3 (19:02):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
It's coming along slowly.
Anyway, are there someprocessed foods that people are
eating and they may not evenrealize it?

Speaker 3 (19:09):
Yeah, Some foods are disguised, as you know,
processed foods.
Some people actually don't stopto think that pasta is a little
bit of a processed food.
It's still okay to eat, but itis a processed food In excess.
It could be a little bit toostarchy, for example.
So I think the main message,hopefully, that everybody will
get at the end of the podcast isread ingredients Would you have

(19:32):
that in your pantry?
Do you have that in yourkitchen?
And, if not, put it back.

Speaker 1 (19:37):
Yep, okay, now there are these foods they call halo
foods.
I think they get a halo randombecause they kind of sound good.
You know sugar-free ice cream,or plant-based meats you know we
talk about.
You know plant-based diets, sowe think those are all great for
us.
Or some of the protein barsthat people eat, but actually
they're full of ultra-processedadditives, right, and so what's
your lowdown on these products,rachel?

Speaker 3 (19:58):
They're my biggest annoyance because it's already
so confusing for people to eat.
Nutrition in itself is veryconfusing, right?

(20:18):
First, eggs are bad for you,now eggs are good for you.
First, saturated fat is bad foryou, now it.
They'll put the halo on thisfood and it's still just as
junky, but they'll put organic.
My husband falls for this allthe time, but this was organic.
Organic does not mean healthy,it just means they didn't do you
know certain things to the crop.

Speaker 1 (20:37):
You can have organic arsenic right.
It's not healthy for you.
So anyway, yeah, yeah, okay,tell Joey he needs to clean up
his head.
It's not healthy for you.
So anyway, yeah, yeah, okay,tell Joey he needs to clean up
his head.

Speaker 3 (20:47):
The swabs that they do, like sugar-free ice cream,
but at the cost of what?
What did they put there to keepthat mouthfeel and that
sweetness right?
They're going to put anartificial sweetener that could
mess with your gut, that couldmess with your brain, that could
mess with your thyroid.
So again, read the ingredientsif you don't recognize it.

Speaker 1 (21:05):
Okay, Well, okay, Rachel, I have a confession to
make.
I got the ice cream gene frommy dad.
Yeah, it's my favorite food inthe whole wide world and I've
definitely cut way, way, wayback on it.
But I remember one time okay,I'm going to eat healthier ice
cream, I'm going to get some ofthat sugar-free.
And so I went to the store andI got the carton and I read the
label.
I thought, oh my gosh, that'sawful.

Speaker 3 (21:26):
I think I'll be better off having regular ice
cream.

Speaker 1 (21:28):
So that's what I do, but I eat wasteful.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
I don't know if it's still on the market, but there
was an ice cream called Naga MooN-A-D-A Moo.
That was really clean.
Oh, wow, Cool yeah.

Speaker 1 (21:42):
Yeah, I'll have to check it out, naga Moo.
N-g-a-m-m-o-o, Since I'm notyeah, moo like in the cow, but
it's not, as in Spanish, no cow,so you know, as I said, I
stopped and I read the label onthe ice cream and I put it right
back.
But can we trust food labeling?
Is it accurate or is it reallyinfluenced by money and
lobbyists?

Speaker 3 (22:02):
It is influence.
For sure we have to be savvy.
They're going to disguise thenames like brilliant, blue or
something very attractive, right, so it's often misleading.
And the term natural, organicgluten free.
They'll put it in the front ofthe packaging.
Don't ever be fooled at thefront of the packaging, because

(22:22):
that's where they want to sellyou the product.
Turn it around, read theingredient list and if the name
literally does not correspond tosomething in your fridge or in
your pantry, I would say eitherlook for something else or put
it back on the shelf.

Speaker 1 (22:36):
It's played through a lot of fights over these
labeling and names and stufflike that.
For instance, at one time Ithink I heard them talking about
maybe labeling ketchup as avegetable and pizza as a health
food or whatever.
So I think that you have yourindustry, money and your
lobbyists in there at the tablemaking changes in these labels.

Speaker 3 (22:58):
Tomato sauce in pizza at schools counts as a
vegetable.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
Isn't that bizarre?

Speaker 3 (23:03):
Yeah, and the serving sizes.
That's the thing that gets methe most.
You'll look at the nutritionfacts label and it says sodium
150.
And you're like that's not toobad, but the serving size is.
People don't eat that servingsize.
It's like two popcorns.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
Popcorn's a bad example, because it's actually
okay, but you know, so we canwrap our heads around this.
Is this a big deal?
How much money is involved here?
Is this like a huge, powerful,influential industry or not?

Speaker 3 (23:31):
It's a multi-trillion dollar global industry.
Yeah, absolutely theshareholders.
You know they're pushing formore and more profits and
they're trying to make it ascheap as you can, and then
that's where the additives comein.
They're trying to make it ascheap as you can and then that's
where the additives come in.
To replace expensive mouthfeelof actual fat, they'll put
hydrogenated fats.

(23:52):
Right, that's cheap.
That is a byproduct that wasgoing to be thrown away.
So yeah, the marketing budgetis also astronomical to try to
push these products.
You're going to watch afootball game.
How many of the commercials areabout food, fast food,
especially right and snacks andbeverages and electrolyte drinks
and the energy drinks.

Speaker 1 (24:13):
So yeah, so what are the some things we need to look
for on food labels to spot ultraprocessing?

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Long, long lists are usually not a great sign.
There are a few exceptions tothat, and then things again that
you don't find in your homekitchen or your fridge or your
pantry.
So hydrogenated oils, highfructose corn syrup, corn soy
protein isolate, whey proteinconcentrate, maltodextrin,

(24:39):
carrageenan, artificial colorsthat are going to have like blue
one, red 40, yellow, threeartificial sweeteners.
Emulsifiers Carrageenan is anemulsifier, but polysorbate 80.
A good rule of thumb.
Grandma wouldn't recognize it.
You probably don't eat it inyour body.
There are resources out there.

(25:00):
I really like this lady calledthe Food Babe.
She has a wonderful websitethat you can search each
additive and then she'll tellyou the science that's out there
.
For that, I want to say theEnvironmental Working Group has
a search tool for that as well.

Speaker 1 (25:15):
Yeah, I'll look up the Food Babe and put her on the
website McMenMD under resourcesfor you.
What is the role of deceptivemarketing play in this problem?

Speaker 3 (25:24):
It's huge right.
They will make the food look soappealing and push it in our
faces all the time, and it's inoutdoors and it's in the TV
commercials and prime time.
So the budget for this is justso big.
Can you imagine how much moneythey're making off of the
product if they have so muchmoney to push on marketing right
?
And then kids are so vulnerableto that?

(25:46):
They're the future us, they'rethe future country.
This is the first generationthat is probably not going to
live as long as the currentadults are going to live as long
and we have more obese peoplenow, children now, than we have
malnourished children.
That's crazy in the whole world.
So they'll use marketing, willuse the buzzwords, you know,

(26:14):
whole grain, fortified, madewith real fruit, organic, again
gluten-free and use cartooncharacters to target children.
You know, creating brandloyalty since infancy.
So it's going to be hard tocontrol that for sure.

Speaker 1 (26:28):
And showing young, healthy, athletic people out
there doing fun things likesurfing or whatever.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
And so we all want to be like that person, right?

Speaker 1 (26:35):
Maybe if I ate that food I might look like that and
have that kind of fun, right?

Speaker 3 (26:40):
What about?

Speaker 1 (26:40):
social media that's a whole new thing.
And influencers are theyplaying a role in all of this?

Speaker 3 (26:48):
whole new thing.
And, you know, influencers arethey playing a role in all of
this?
Absolutely, they're playing arole, and it's double, it's
double right, it could be a goodrole of, like the food babe,
for example.
Like us, you know we're tryingto share the best information,
but it's also people that aregetting paid to show certain
products.
They're not so healthy.
Or, on the other side, they'reshowing this perfect life, maybe

(27:08):
body dysmorphia, maybe, youknow, try to lose weight and eat
just this product.
So they're creating confusion.
I think not because they wantto, I guess, but it is creating
confusion.
There's people with so manydifferent messages.
It's hard for especially theyoung people to sift through
what's good information.

(27:29):
Who should I follow?

Speaker 1 (27:31):
So, rachel, I'm just asking for your opinion on this.
But years ago, when I was soyoung, cigarettes were not
regulated.
But then, after lots oflobbying and many fights and
whatever, it became regulated,and then alcohol is somewhat
regulated.
What about processed food?
What do you think?
Should that be regulated or not?

Speaker 3 (27:49):
Oh gosh, people are going to hate me, but yes, I
think so.
The impact is just so severe oneverybody, you know, mainly
children.
I mean it should be betterregulated, especially in schools
.
Vending machines should not beallowed.
I don't think Sodas should notbe allowed in school, that is an
environment to learn, to grow,to become a better person.

(28:14):
Let's bring back gardens.
Let's bring back cookingclasses, but not to make cookies
.
They'll have cooking classesbut they'll teach cookies, you
know, like let's make a cake ora cookie.
Let's empower these children toknow how to make a real meal
Easy.
You know, for the little ones,there are things that you can
learn how to do that don't evenrequire heat or cutting.
You can make, like, littlepower balls with protein, you

(28:37):
know.
They can make little gummieswith gelatin and real juice.
It's not that hard.
But, yes, I think that we haveto save people from themselves.
Now, it's actually this Like wehave to.
I think the government shouldstep in and save people from
themselves and if they stillwant to make that choice, then

(28:58):
okay, but maybe increase taxeson those foods or make it not
covered by food stamps.
You know people still have achoice to smoke and drink right,
and they can still have thechoice to drink or eat those
things.
But I think a little extrabarrier would really be helpful.

Speaker 1 (29:16):
Yeah, the next thing I want to ask you about is the
concept of food deserts, andjust to explain that just a bit,
you know I live here inBirmingham, which is a pretty
good-sized city, and so withinjust a few miles I have some
wonderful options as far asgrocery stores where you can get
pretty much anything you want.
However, if you go tosmall-town Alabama, their only

(29:36):
option is the local, say, dollarGeneral or something like that,
and I got to hand it to DollarGeneral.
I think they are trying to theyare better, they're trying to
get better and they're trying toprovide better foods.
But I'm just saying in someplaces you don't really have
that many choices.
What do you think about thatconcept of food deserts and how
can they try to eat better inthose situations?

Speaker 3 (29:58):
Yeah, it is really, really hard.
I work with a patientpopulation that some of them can
only shop at dollar, and it'snot even a Dollar General.
It's one of the other dollarstores that don't have a frozen
section.
Because, depending if they dohave fresh I mean frozen veggies
and fruits I would say let'sstart there.
If not, then maybe the cannedvegetables, and then you rinse

(30:20):
that out to try to get rid ofthat excess sodium.
It's hard, it's almostimpossible.
It's shelves upon shelves uponshelves of ultra-processed foods
.
So the smarter thing to dowould be grow your own chickens,
have your little vegetablegarden.
You know, I would love for thecities to come together and

(30:42):
bring farmers markets to thoselocations.
We only find farmers markets inthe affluent places.
It's like a trendy thing to do,you know, go to the farmers
market and shop very expensivearugula.
But if you would take it tothese communities and try to
sell it to them at a betterprice.
I mean, there is no excuse.

(31:02):
Here in Florida the weatherwill grow anything.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
Yep, okay, I got to brag on my wife here a little
bit.
Dr Cheryl, yeah, she hasstarted a program at the local
women's shelter, which is thelargest women's shelter in the
country, and she started agarden there.
She's a master gardener starteda garden there where they grow a
lot of their vegetables andherbs and stuff like that, and
so that's been pretty cool.
That is awesome.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And now some people actually goso far as to say that

(31:28):
demonizing processed foods iselitist and it's unrealistic for
many people to transition awayfrom processed food due to cost.
Any thoughts on that?

Speaker 3 (31:52):
I can see where that is coming from.
If you do shop the soconvenience processed foods that
are healthier for you, right,that have cleaner ingredients,
they are way more expensive,right?
If you're buying a high qualitysourdough bread that's already
done for you, it is way moreexpensive than white, regular,
full of stuff bread.
That is correct.
That is correct.

(32:21):
However, if you shop theperimeter veggies frozen
vegetables or fresh for theperson to realize how important
that is and the effort to learnhow to cook with ingredients
that are actually real and notjust open a pack of Lunchables
but it is possible to eathealthy on a budget.

Speaker 1 (32:38):
You know I love your process there, the knowledge and
attention and stuff like that.
But I think change starts withawareness and that's what we're
trying to do today is to bringawareness to people that this
stuff is awful for you and it'sresponsible for a lot, a lot, a
lot of awful, terrible diseasescancer, heart disease, whatever.
So that's our goal here today.
But then if people can takethat to the next step and then

(33:00):
move forward with knowledge andintention and that kind of thing
, then that's where we want togo.
Is there any such thing asaddiction to processed food?
Are they designing these foodsto give you this kind of
dopamine hit so you get hookedon them?
I've read that the foodindustry is making some foods
what we call hyperpalatable.
I think you used that wordearlier.
So we can't stay away from themand we'll come back to them

(33:22):
over and over and over.
It's almost like regular foodseems bland and unpalatable,
like after you've had a Doritochip.
Then a slice of apple tastespretty darn boring.

Speaker 3 (33:33):
Yep, that is it.
They will spend fortunes onfinding the bliss point, the
exact combination of salty tosweet, to crunch, to mouthfeel,
texture and even color.
You know it's attractive tolook at something that's bright
orange.
Or to me it's not anymore,because I just I don't even see

(33:56):
it as food anymore.
But I can understand a childthat grew up eating this.
They're going to become theadult that craves those things.
So again, I don't like to useaddiction, because addiction is
a strong word and it'sdisrespectful, I guess, to
people that actually have anaddiction.
But it is something that is avery strong craving and it
causes binging.

(34:16):
It does we see people that justcannot stop you know, and they
are making these foods hyperpalatable and it is the taste
buds are being hijacked.
So that amount of sweetness isnot found in nature, it's not
natural.
And so you're eating ablueberry and really doesn't
taste, doesn't taste good, butit's quick, your body does

(34:39):
recover quick.
You just give it a chance andit you will start craving real
food because you'll feel theenergy.
Food that comes from the earthhas life source in it.

Speaker 1 (34:50):
And it's nothing woo-woo.

Speaker 3 (34:51):
It's mitochondria ATP producing.
You know, it's nutrients yeah.

Speaker 1 (34:57):
Yeah, great.
Yeah.
Years ago I read thisinteresting book called the
Dorito Effect.
Did you read that?

Speaker 3 (35:02):
No.

Speaker 1 (35:03):
I didn't.
It's interesting, and theauthor points out, that the food
industry uses chemicalflavorings to make the bland
food taste exciting.
It would be otherwise bland,but you add all these chemicals
and it becomes exciting.
And these flavors trick oursenses, creating the illusion of
nutrition when there really isvery little nutrition.
It's really kind of interestingthat over millions of years,

(35:24):
mother Nature designed many ofour most flavorful foods to be
also our most nutritious.
For instance, a good orange isbursting with flavor, it's also
loaded with vitamin C, when infact ultra processed foods are
just the opposite.
You know, they taste great, alot of flavor, but basically no
nutrition.

Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yeah, and the danger in that is that it really breaks
apart that connection betweentaste and nutrition.
Right, it's just empty, emptycalories.
A moment of pleasure.

Speaker 1 (35:56):
So let's get practical.
So you're in the grocery storeand what are some strategies for
healthier shopping?
When it comes to minimizingprocessed foods, I think you
mentioned earlier like stay onthe outer aisles, right?

Speaker 3 (36:06):
Stay on the perimeter .
So start on the perimeter withyour produce, so veggies, your
fruits, your starches from there, and then the meats.
And then, of course, the aisleshave very important things
Olive oil, extremely healthy foryou.
Go, grab me some in a darkbottle, in a dark glass bottle,

(36:33):
and then make a list, stick toit.
Don't go in that aisle with thechips.
Why do you need to go there?

Speaker 1 (36:35):
There's nothing else for you in there.

Speaker 3 (36:36):
So just don't go in there.
And if you don't have it in thehouse, you won't have it.
Leave it for a special occasion.
You go to somebody's, we'regoing to go watch a tailgating,
do something.
There's chips.
You eat the chips there.
But if you have it at the house, the likelihood that you're
going to resist it, especiallywomen in their luteal phase.
It's going to be very hard.
Read the ingredients whenyou're going in the aisles,
because, of course, in theperimeters there are no

(36:57):
ingredients, right, it's onewhole food.
But if you are in the aisles,read the ingredients, not the
front of the package, becausethey're trying to sell you the
fruit.
Flip it over and read the list,right.
This is your superpower, thisis where your purchasing power
is in action.
And then buy frozen, If you,you know, if you're just one
person cooking for oneself.

(37:18):
Frozen fruits, frozenvegetables they keep forever,
they cook faster and thenutritional content is very
similar, very similar.
It's a little bit less and itdoesn't have all the additives
that a canned vegetable wouldhave.

Speaker 1 (37:31):
You know, years ago I used to tell people that one of
the key things to do is justkeep it out of the house.
Don't trick yourself thatyou're going to buy it at the
grocery store and bring it inthe house.
And eat just a little bit, andso when the bad food's there,
it's going to call to you in themiddle of the night to come
have a Dorito or whatever.
So, anyway, you've got to keepit out of the house.
What about some quick and easyswaps or substitutes?

(37:52):
So, for instance, instead of asugary cereal, try what.

Speaker 3 (37:57):
You can do.
Some People hate thesesubstitutions because it's not
going to taste the same right,but nuts, fruits, dates are so,
so sweet.
You can have two dates filledin with little almond or walnut
butter or like an actual walnutinside it.
For me it tastes like a sweettreat from heaven and it's

(38:17):
packed, packed, packed withnutrients.
Make your own burgers at home.
It takes like two seconds.
You know there are healthier foryou brands out there that once
you read the ingredients you aregoing to recognize all of them.
It is processed in the form offlour, but it's still going to
give you that crunchy, saltymouthfeel that people crave.
There is not a substitute forthat.

(38:40):
You know you can do carrots andhummus and cucumbers and hummus
all day long, but you're stillgoing to want that dry, crunchy
thing.
Then look for the better brandsthat are going to have very few
ingredients.
Unfortunately, siete was justbought out by Pepsi and I think
they've already started changingout their little ingredient
list.
You can make your own cookieswith real ingredients.

(39:03):
They're going to taste just asheavenly.
You can cube your own toast andmake your own croutons.
It's whole foods, real foods.

Speaker 1 (39:13):
Right, right.
What about any strategies forgoing out to dinner?
When you go out, you never knowwhat's in that food, right, it
could have MSG or who knows whatelse.
So any strategies for that?

Speaker 3 (39:23):
So there are.
There's actually one place inBirmingham that advertises no
MSG.
It's that Korean place by theAldi there.
I forget their name, but few.
In the bigger cities, the morehealth conscious cities.
You can already go to apps andfind companies like the fruit,
the true food kitchen, theflower child.
They're not going to cook withseed oils.
So it's coming.

(39:43):
It's a movement that has beengaining heat and that's great,
but in a regular, you know smalltown that you're not going to
have any of that.
I would say pick a meat andchoose two sides of vegetables.
So it's.
They're always going to have asource of protein a chicken, a
beef, a fish, any kind of animaland then pick two sides of
vegetables and start with a sidesalad.

Speaker 1 (40:03):
So what about folks who travel a lot and you want to
stop and get something to eat?
You're in a hurry, and so howdo you navigate the fast food
joints?

Speaker 3 (40:12):
Yeah, that is my husband for you.
I used to pack a whole bunch ofstuff and it would come back
uneaten.
So it is proteins and veggies,and you can find that anywhere.
You're going to have to removebuns.
Just know that preparation ismuch better, right?
If you can prepare and takeyour own snacks with the

(40:33):
ingredients that you know,that's great.
That would trump everythingelse.
If you cannot, then gasstations now have boiled eggs.
They have veggies that are cutup.
They have fruits and fruit cups.
If you make an effort, you canfind real food, even in fast
food joints.
Now they put stuff in it topreserve, to make it look better

(40:56):
, but it's still better thaneating the deep fried, super,
super heavily processed things.
So I would say salads andgrilled meats, burgers, without
the buns, what else?
And then, honestly, gasstations are going to be.
They're getting better andbetter at that, at having actual
whole foods.

Speaker 1 (41:17):
You know, I used to tell my patients you can walk in
McDonald's and you can order aburger, fries, a shake and a
Coke yeah.
Or you can order the Asiansalad with chicken right, yeah,
In the same place, right.
But it's all about makingchoices, making wise choices,
yeah.
So as much as you can sort ofbe in charge there and do that,
then that's good, all right.
What about social gatherings?

(41:37):
You know, you go to a friend'sparty or whatever, and you're
surrounded by badness, and soany strategies there, boy?

Speaker 3 (41:46):
It's going to.
So I think once you establishthat this is a priority for you,
it becomes easier.
In the beginning it's like anylearning curve it feels awkward.
So what I do nowadays is I willgo eat Like I will eat at the
house and I will just nibble ifthere is anything.
If there's a veggie plate, Iwill nibble on that.

(42:07):
If there's a salad, I willnibble on that.
But I'm not going to go therehungry, because I know that when
I'm hungry, you know I'm goingto have to.
I'm going to feel forced to eatthings that are not healthy for
me.
However, if 80% of the timeyou're doing everything right in
your house, there is no problemfor you enjoying the 20% with
your friends and not be thatperson that's not going to eat.

(42:27):
So that's fine.
Just go and eat without yourguilt.
But if it's something, ifyou're one of those people that
entertain all the time and nowthe 20% is not 20% anymore then
it does require some planning.
You either eat before or you'rethe one that's going to take
the healthy dish, so hopefullyyou'll find a protein and some
kind of veggie.
Usually you'll find a proteinright and if you can find a

(42:49):
veggie or a fruit stick withthat and nibble on the other
things, just not to be unpolite.

Speaker 1 (42:56):
And so what are your advice for parents who are
trying to navigate this worldfull of ultra-processed food and
options for their kids?
You know, every time you gothrough the checkout line right
there at child eye level, youhave all this stuff and then
you're doing pretty good at homebut they go over to Johnny's
house for a birthday party andthen all coke and cake and

(43:17):
whatever.
So I've seen some parents justkind of give up and let the kids
have their way and havewhatever they want and others
kind of fight the good fight.
So any thoughts for thoseparents and how they can
navigate that?

Speaker 3 (43:27):
I would say do everything that is in your power
to fight the good fight.
So I have a example for youguys.
My sister and I are 20 yearsapart and we have the same mom
and dad.
My mom and my dad when they hadme, they were very young.
And my mother, like I said, mygenes are not great.
I have all the genes fordiabetes, obesity, heart disease

(43:48):
, and my mother made such aneffort to not feed me the sugar
until I was like not let me haveanything and it was kind of
natural.
I don't think I was sufferingthat much, except for when she
sent me like tuna and beetsandwich to school and that I
thought that was a little bitmuch.
But anyway, she would pack myown lunches, blah, blah, blah,

(44:12):
blah.
She didn't have any help.
We didn't have, you know,somebody to do that.
It was her and she still workedfull time.
So I'm sure it was a lot ofeffort.
When, years later, they have mysister and they're older and
they're tired and they justwhatever.
And also, my sister was born inAmerica, which is a little
harder.
I was born in Brazil.
Nowadays, I feel like my sisterhas so much trouble making
better choices and she lovesCoke and she loves chips, and

(44:35):
it's just harder for her to havea healthy eating pattern, which
for me, comes naturally.
So if parents can conjure up theenergy to make your own snacks
and they can be yummy you canmake gummies, like I said.
You can use gelatin and juice.
You can make power balls withdates and nuts and nut butters.
You can make sandwiches usinghigh quality bread.

(44:56):
There are high quality delimeats out there Plainville,
applegate, applegate is yourbest friend for kids.
Okay, if you have kids, look upApplegate.
They'll have like corn dogs,They'll have chicken nuggets,
they'll have turkey ham all withway, way, way, way less
additives.
Lesser Evil is a brand that hascrunchy, salty snacks that are

(45:16):
less worse for you.
There are options out there.
You just have to look for them,and working with somebody that
already knows this stuff andyou're not trying to navigate
everything from your own, can bereally helpful.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (45:29):
Yeah, and Rachel, you know doctors have almost no
training in nutrition, and so ifsomebody needs help with this
because I think even if somebodyhas gone down the path of
diabetes, I mean you can turnthis stuff around right, but
you're going to need help fromsomebody like you it's going to
be almost impossible to do onyour own, and so I recommend

(45:50):
people get hooked up with a goodfunctional nutritionist like
Rachel.
I think, of all the things Iever did with patients, probably
one of the most powerful waschanging their diet.
You can hit a lot of things Ifyou look in America's favorite
snack foods.
Rachel, let's see.
It's M&M's Ritz crackers, oreosantivirus and chips.

(46:12):
Is there anything that's reallya healthy snack?

Speaker 3 (46:18):
There are healthy for you snacks.
Like I said, lesser Evil doeshave some crunchy, salty things
that can be a little bit lessworse for you.
I like high quality jerky.
So if you're thinking about ahealthier snack, you want to
think about protein and fibermore than the carbs, and that's
exactly the opposite ofeverything that you just listed.

(46:38):
M&m Ritz crackers those arecarb, carb, carb on carb right.
So Primal Kitchen, paleo Valley, epic have very high quality
jerky apple with almond butteror sunflower butter, any veggie
you like, with hummus orguacamole, a handful of nuts and
seeds, plain yogurt withberries, hard boiled eggs,
deviled eggs.
And it's about shifting themindset of I'm going to put in

(47:01):
my body what nourishes me, andit can be tasty.
You just have to let your bodyclear all of that hijacking that
the ultra processed foods havedone to you and I always remind
people.

Speaker 1 (47:16):
You're not just feeding yourselves, you're
feeding your microbiome right.

Speaker 3 (47:19):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (47:19):
So getting the wide variety of vegetables in there
can help that, and then thatresults in much better health in
many ways.
And before we leave the issueof kids, Rachel, I have a
confession to make In an attemptto help my kids.
Years ago we had just moved hereto Birmingham from out of town
and we were literally unpackingand this truck starts to pull
down the street and it wasringing bells and playing music

(47:42):
and I looked and I saw, oh, it'sthe ice cream truck.
And so my daughters were outthere with me and there were I
think maybe four and five atthat age and they had never seen
a truck like that.
And so they asked me Daddy,what's that?
It looked pretty enticing.
I said run, girls, run.
It's the immunization man inthe shot truck.
I love that.
So they went high-tailing it inthe house and hid under their

(48:03):
bed.
For the next two years I neverhad to fight the fight with the
ice cream man.
Every time they would hear thattruck, they would come running
in the house.
Finally, one of their friendstold them what it really was and
they kind of got mad at me.
But oh well, yeah, so all rightNow, rachel.
I don't have chips very often,but when I do, my favorite is
called a sweet potato chip.

(48:24):
And here are the ingredientsOrganic ground white corn,
organic sunflower oil, organicsweet potato powder and, let's
see, organic sugar and sea salt.
So let's break it down.
For me, that is obviously aprocessed food, or is it an
ultra processed food?
And with such a chip a coupleof times a month, would it
really be all that bad for me?

Speaker 3 (48:43):
Not a couple of times a month, not at all.
But we can break it down right.
The first ingredients isprocessed, because it was ground
corn, but it's very minimallyprocessed.
You just increase surface area.
So you're now having a littlebit high glycemia, and then you
took a whole food sweet potatoand you turned it into a powder.
That's another level ofprocessing.
My one thing here would be thatsunflower oil.

(49:07):
Nowadays there are chips thatare flat fried in avocado oil,
so that is what I'm looking forwhen I want to eat chips.
I love chips as well, but inthe grand scheme of things, if
you're going to have this chiptwice a month, once a month, it
really will not make a dent.
It's what you're doing everyday, consistently.

Speaker 1 (49:25):
Okay good, and so then it may be okay to have some
ultra processed foods inmoderation, or should we be
aiming for a zero tolerancepolicy?

Speaker 3 (49:36):
here.
I think there's a nuance there,because there is a spectrum of
ultra-processed foods.
I honestly do not think thatthe artificial colors and the
very bad additives should beconsumed, even minimally but,
that's just me right Now.
Will I eat a chip with threeingredients every once in a

(49:58):
while?
Yes, I will.
So I think that there is aspectrum of how bad this food is
for you and we can aim towardszero tolerance, but I don't
think that that's feasible forthe regular person.

Speaker 1 (50:12):
So yeah, so.
So tell me about some ultraprocessed foods that are like
super bad and others that aremaybe less bad and we could have
now and then.

Speaker 3 (50:20):
Yeah, I'm going to start with sodas.
Right, those are just sugarsweetened beverages are.
I think they're going to be theworst for you, not just because
of the high, high, high, high,high sugar content.
And then you're like, well, butI drank diet, yeah, but then
the sweetener is a chemical that, depending on what chemical it
is, it can be bad for your gutmicrobiome, it can be bad for
your thyroid, it can be bad foryour brain, it could be

(50:43):
potentially cancer forming.
So it's just so many emptycalories with a ton of chemicals
.
So that would be like on thisend of the spectrum, like really
, really bad.
Then I would say Doritos andall of those, because of the
added colors, it's more thechemicals than it is the deep
fried, you know, not so healthyfor you thing.

(51:07):
So on the end of the less bad,you would say like a sourdough
bread, a whole grain, somethingLike the deli meats.
I eat the Applegate deli meatsalmost twice a week because it's
for the days that I'm roundingwith the doctors and I can't,
you know, prepare my breakfast alittle bit more thoroughly.
So pasta sauce is a processedfood, but it's just tomatoes and

(51:31):
seasoning.
Some of them will have sugar,some of them won't.
It's just reading the labelsand you will know intuitively.
You will know that bread number40 plus polysorbate 80 is worse
than something that says corn,salt and oil, right.

Speaker 1 (51:46):
You know, rachel, speaking of Cokes and Diet Cokes
, oh my gosh, I've had somepatients who are absolutely
addicted to diet drinks.
They would have back in the olddays they would have a tab and
they would drink, you know,seven to ten a day and Diet Dr
Pepper, Diet Coke, whatever.
They seem to be just absolutelyaddicted to them.
Yeah, have you seen that?

Speaker 3 (52:06):
Oh, absolutely.
I see it all the time and it'shard to pry it off their hands.

Speaker 1 (52:11):
Yeah, yeah for sure, like fruit juices and energy
drinks.
What are your thoughts on those?

Speaker 3 (52:17):
I want to say they're just less chemical versions of
soda, but in the terms of sugarcontent they can be even worse.
So I just say don't drink yourcalories.
That's like the best rule.
Don't drink your calories.
It's going to be so aggressiveon your blood sugar and you
don't want to be doing this, andthis I'm doing with my hands.

(52:38):
You don't want to go up anddown, up and down with your
blood sugar all day long.
That's just not good for avariety of reasons.

Speaker 1 (52:45):
Okay, Rachel, let's see.
Can you share with us some reallife success stories or case
studies of a client who improvedtheir health dramatically by
reducing processed food?

Speaker 3 (52:53):
of a client who improved their health
dramatically by reducingprocessed food.
Being a dietician and workingspecifically with food, right
that is my biggest tool in mytoolbox.
I honestly cannot pick oneclient, because 100% of all the
now more than 400 people thatI've seen has not come back and

(53:14):
told me huh, I wish I'd nevertook out those deep, heavy
processed foods.
All of them felt better, tovarying degrees, of course.
Ones were more strict and feltbetter, ones could not be as
strict and didn't you know feelas better.
But none of them ever came backsaying boy, I really regret
removing those foods.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
And so give me a ballpark of once somebody makes
the change, how long does ittake to kind of reset their
health and start to feel better?

Speaker 3 (53:40):
It's so quick, how the body.
It's so beautiful.
You just give it a chance andyour body recovers.
Of course, it's going to berelated to two things how bad in
shape you are when you comeright and how strict you are
following the plan.
So it could be things to weeks.
People can feel better in weeks, two months to several months,

(54:00):
but I would say average, inthree months everybody is going
to be feeling much, much, muchbetter.

Speaker 1 (54:08):
You know, there's an old saying that I like.
It's something along theselines the body really wants to
be healthy and tries to behealthy.
We just have to get out of theway and stop poisoning it with
junk and undermining it.
So anyway, all right, let's see.
I have a nice story to tell you.
It's a true story.
I had a good friend who lost abunch of weight I think about 30
to 40 pounds, and I asked herhow she did it.

(54:28):
And she said briefly that I justate whole foods, that's it.
And then she elaborated andsaid if it comes in a box, I
don't eat it.
If it doesn't run, swim, jump,fly or grow on this earth, I
don't eat it.
And wow, it's really amazing tohear her say that.
And so it was so simple and sohonest.
And yet, just by doing that,she achieved her goals within a
pretty short period of time.

(54:48):
And wow, 30, 40 pounds.
I was super impressed.

Speaker 3 (54:52):
Yeah, that's a perfect example.
It's not about a complicateddiet, it's just eat real food,
what you would see grow on theearth or walk, fly, jump, swim,
right.
It really is.
It doesn't have to becomplicated at all and you'll
start craving those nutrientsyou really would.
You're like my gosh.
I want a vegetable like rightnow.

Speaker 1 (55:14):
So, rachel, look in your crystal ball for me and,
from your perspective, what doesthe future look like if our
society continues to emphasize,increasingly rely on heavily
processed food?

Speaker 3 (55:20):
It's unsustainable.
It really is.
It's a healthcare crisis.
We already seen this Type 2diabetes in children, fatty
liver in children, my gosh Heartdisease and children Heart
disease and children.
It's just really bad.

Speaker 1 (55:35):
Yeah, these poor kids , poor, poor, poor kids.

Speaker 3 (55:38):
Not a future that we have to accept, though you know
we can change it.

Speaker 1 (55:41):
Speaking of sustainability, what about the
environmental angle?
Are ultra-processed foods asbad for the planet as they are
for our wastelands?

Speaker 3 (55:47):
Yes, very, very, very bad.
Because of deforestation theyhave to tear down all trees and
to make commodity crops that arevery used in ultra-processed
food, like soy and palm oil andthings like that.
Loss of biodiversity fromfarming only one crop.
It's so energy consuming toprocess and transport these

(56:10):
things globally.
Right, it's going everywherenow.
And the plastic, all theseultra-processed foods, they
don't come off the tree, theycome off a box, a package, a
plastic, a bottle.
It's the most unsustainablething really.

Speaker 1 (56:26):
So, looking to the future once again, how can we
better educate our nextgeneration about healthy food
choices?
This is somewhat controversial,but, in your opinion, should
schools play a role in nutritioneducation or should we leave it
up to the parents, who areobviously doing a terrible job?

Speaker 3 (56:40):
Yeah, and it's hard for them, I mean, but schools do
need to help.
You know, bring back thegardening, bring back the
cooking, bring back things thatchildren will actually use in
their daily lives and not, youknow, things that they, that
they bored them to death, andit's the kids will like this,

(57:02):
they will enjoy this.

Speaker 1 (57:04):
Yeah, we.
My local elementary school hasa garden and the kids love it.

Speaker 3 (57:08):
Those children know where food comes from but most
children, don't?
They think it comes from thegrocery store.

Speaker 2 (57:12):
Really.

Speaker 3 (57:12):
They've never been to a farm.
Let's do field trips, you know,taking them to local farms and
to see how animals are raisedand to make them appreciate it
too.
You know, a life has to be lostto feed us, and they have to
appreciate that too you know,right, right, right, and so
we're going to wrap this up here, rachel.

Speaker 1 (57:30):
So what are some of the big myths or misconceptions
about ultra-processed food you'dlike to debunk today?

Speaker 3 (57:35):
All right.
So first one is you're notfailing.
Okay, the food system, themarketing, the way the food was
engineered is designed for youto fail, so it's not about
willpower.
You're going to just have tostart reading ingredients and
listening to something like this, realizing how important it is
for you to nourish your bodyrather than feed it calories.

(57:57):
And your body has an incredibleability to heal.
Just give it a chance.
Remove the processed foods, tryit.
Try it for a week, just listen,you know, to this podcast and
then try it tomorrow.
Start small.
You don't have to changeeverything at once, so pick the
one thing that you eat the mostand just make that one swap.
Read the ingredient list.

(58:19):
Cook at home as much as you can.

Speaker 1 (58:23):
Yeah, I agree, rachel .
For some of us that arestarting small, there are people
who are so darn sick they needto be more aggressive.
I think I know in the past I'vehad I remember I had a
nutritionist she would actuallygo to their house with them,
clean out the cupboards and goshopping with them, you know and
bring in new stuff, becauseit's in the cupboard, they're
going to eat it, right.
So they had to kind of clean outall the bad stuff.

(58:44):
So what are some of the reallykey take-home points that you'd
like our listeners to bethinking about?
Moving forward?

Speaker 3 (58:55):
Well, the main thing is that every bite is a message
to your body.
Right, you have to choose foodsthat speak the language of
health, not of disease.
And did I say, read the labelsingredients.

Speaker 1 (59:09):
And so is there anything I have not asked you
about that you'd like to sharewith us today, or have we
covered it?

Speaker 3 (59:16):
I think there was one question about the elemental
diet and I do want to go andcomment on that because it's
funny.
I use the elemental diet a lotbecause in my practice I
specialize in gut health, right,so people come to me so messed
up, and the elemental diet isjust like a reset.

Speaker 1 (59:33):
Do you want to explain to everybody?
Let's back up a little bit.
Explain to people what is theelemental diet.

Speaker 3 (59:38):
Please explain to them what it is.

Speaker 1 (59:40):
Well, you are the expert, but I'm going to stab at
it.
But basically, because I was onit for a long time myself, it's
basically complete nutritionbroken down into most elemental
forms.
So, for instance, a lot oftimes with gut health, what is
causing the immune reaction orthe inflammation is the proteins
or protein fragments.
So what this does?
It just gives you all theimportant amino acids, which are

(01:00:03):
the components of proteins, butbroken down into the most
elemental form, the amino aciditself.
So there are no intact proteinsor protein fragments, so that
cannot cause inflammation or animmune reaction and it allows
your gut to have a rest.
And so people with certainsituations, like since it's SIBO
, for instance, I think it'slike a huge cure rate just with
elemental diet alone, the SIBO.
And so that's my concept of theelemental diet.

(01:00:25):
What did I get wrong there,rachel?

Speaker 3 (01:00:28):
No, you didn't get anything wrong.
So, yeah, so the elemental dietis elemental because all the
macronutrients and we have threeof them the fats, the carbs and
the proteins.
Dr McMahon explained theproteins.
The carbs are going to bebroken down in either dextrose,
like smaller pieces, right, andthen the fats are going to be
usually in medium-chaintriglycerides.
So the body just needs toabsorb it.

(01:00:49):
Basically, you don't depend ondigestion, you just have to
absorb it.
It's a great reset, it's abreak for your gut if you have
inflammatory bowel disease.
But anyway, even in theelemental diet.
So I went to this conference andthey gave me a big tub for free
.
And these elemental diets areexpensive, you know that right.
So I come back home.
My husband always struggleswith a million things.
He has long COVID and I'm like,oh, let's get you on the

(01:01:10):
elemental diet.
And he starts taking it.
And gosh when I read the back90 grams of carbohydrates per
serving, yeah, a lot of sugar, alot of glycemic index yeah, but
there are other ones that don't.
So even me as a professional, Idid not turn the thing around,

(01:01:33):
I just trusted because it was amedical product.
It was, you know, there at theexpo, and they gave it to me,
and nobody needs 90 grams ofprotein per serving or then 90
grams of carbohydrates perserving.
So I do find other brands thathave way less than that.

Speaker 1 (01:01:49):
Well, and since it's kind of predigested, then you
get this huge glycemic indexfrom that.

Speaker 3 (01:01:53):
Oh huge.
Or you can inflame the personyou want.

Speaker 1 (01:01:56):
Right.
Do you happen to know what thebrand is that you would
recommend, for it has the leastcarbs in it.

Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
Yes, one of them has a horrible taste.
It's called Vita-Aid and it'sgot a keto line.
It tastes awful but it is very,very good.
There is one that tastes reallygood.
It is from Dr Ruscio and he hasa low-carb version, so you have
to look for the low-carb.
And the other one that I usethat is my favorite.

(01:02:21):
It's called the website isListen to your Gut and it's
called Absorb Minos.
So Absorb has two lines onewith like about 50-ish grams,
which for my skinny,non-inflamed, just like just gut
disease, I can use the regularone, but then they have an
aminos line that is just wayless carbs.

Speaker 1 (01:02:46):
Yeah, and Dr Ruscio has that right on his website.
He's got a web store there.
It's his R-U-S-C-I-O Years ago.
A quick story I was having someterrible gut issues and went to
see my doctor and he diagnosedCrohn's disease it's no fun
right.
And he actually did biopsieswhich showed inflammatory bowel
disease and he started me on anelemental diet 5-N-X at that

(01:03:08):
time, which is awful tasting,but I was so sick I stayed on it
for three months, which I wouldnever recommend my patients do,
because I was just so afraid togo back to real food because
they were messing with me, andso usually we use an elemental
diet for about maybe you knowTwo weeks.
So then after three months Itransitioned back into normal

(01:03:30):
food, step by step, and I cameback six months later and scoped
again Crohn's gone.

Speaker 3 (01:03:36):
Wow, and you never had a flare, it's never come
back.

Speaker 1 (01:03:40):
Okay, rachel, with your permission, I'll have your
bio posted on the website atmcmindycom, along with some
contact info.
Is that okay?

Speaker 3 (01:03:46):
Yes, that would be great.

Speaker 1 (01:03:47):
Wonderful, and so it's time to wrap this up, folks
.
Thank you so much, rachel, forbringing us your passion, your
experience, your knowledge aboutnutrition, especially about
processed food.
I found this so informative,and I hope that our audience did
as well.

Speaker 3 (01:04:00):
I hope so too.
I hope you guys can get somegood takeaways.

Speaker 1 (01:04:04):
Well, that about does it for this edition of Wellness
Connection MD.
Thank you so much for listening.
I hope that we were able toshare with you something that
informed you and inspired you.
If you did find this episodeinteresting, then please share
it with others and help thepodcast grow.
We're trying to build a tribeof people who are passionate
about optimal health.
If you'd like to reach out tome to comment on the show or to
make recommendations for futuretopics, then you may do so at

(01:04:26):
drmcminn at yahoocom.
Since Coach Lindsay is not withus today to leave you with one
of her wonderful pearls ofwisdom, I'll do my best to fill
in for her.
Imagine if you had the fastestrace car in the world that ran
on jet fuel, but one day youmistakenly filled it with diesel
fuel.
It certainly wouldn't win therace.
Chances are it would sputterand spurt and die out, leaving

(01:04:47):
you stranded.
Your body's kind of like thatrace car.
It was designed over millionsof years to run on a certain
kind of fuel, which is calledwhole food, and not on
artificial chemicals like MSGand red dye.
Number three.
And if you keep feeding yourbody fuels for which it was not
designed, just like that racecar.
It too will break down andleave you stranded, often with
catastrophic health consequences.

(01:05:08):
Let that sink in for just a bit.
Well, that should do it Untilnext time.
Stay curious, stay informed,keep it real and remember small
actions can lead to big changes.
Take that first step towardsbetter health.
This is Dr McMinn signing out.
Take care and be well.

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