May 12, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode, Jess and Claude sit down with Dr. Kate Ricciardi, a functional dietitian who shares her powerful personal journey from years of digestive struggles to lasting wellness. Together, they explore how gut health directly impacts workplace energy, mood, and hormones, and why even trained professionals can get stuck in the conventional cycle.
Kate dives into the gut-brain connection, breaking down how food sensitivities, inflammation, and stress affect everything from emotional eating to daily productivity. She offers clear, approachable steps for listeners looking to heal from the inside out—emphasizing mindset, habit change, and the importance of support systems.
Whether you're curious about functional nutrition, dealing with burnout, or ready to take control of your health, this conversation is filled with practical strategies you can start today.
Find more about Gut Health and Dr. Kate Ricciardi here:
Website --> https://www.digestionbydesign.com/
Instagram--> https://www.instagram.com/digestionbydesign
Facebook--> https://www.facebook.com/digestionbydesign
LinkedIn--> https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkatericciardi/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jess K (00:00):
Hello work besties.
What if the foods you love aresecretly draining your energy
and making you work harder,feeling sluggish, unmotivated or
maybe even irritable at work?
I'm sure that's not because ofyour bestie, though that's
probably because you might behaving too much caffeine no, I
am, but it also could be relatedto your gut health, and today
(00:22):
we have Kate Ricciardi here tobreak down the gut-brain
connection and how it impactsyour focus and workplace
relationships and, mostimportantly, the sneaky food
mistakes that's wrecking yourenergy.
So stay with us until the veryend, because Kate is revealing
the biggest hidden culpritbehind workplace fatigue and how
(00:44):
you can fix it.
Claude (00:46):
Hi, I'm Claude and I'm Jess.
We are corporate employees byday, entrepreneurs by night and
work besties for life.
Join us as we explore how workbesties lift each other up,
laugh through the chaos andthrive together in every
industry.
Work besties.
Jess K (01:07):
So welcome Kate.
We're so excited to have you on.
Welcome, Kate, Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Would you mind giving a littlebit of a background on yourself
and how you became into thisfield of work?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (01:20):
Yeah, so I am a registered dietitian,
doctor of physical therapy and Ihave been doing that for well,
a total of about 20 years nowbetween both of them, first
dietitian and then the physicaltherapy piece came.
So I've been trained in theconventional mindset, if you
(01:43):
will right, Like you know,especially being a dietitian,
that there is a diet fordiagnosis and then that's all
that's what you do.
And with my own struggles withIBS and migraines, especially
eye migraines, where I initiallythought I was like having a
stroke because my left field ofvision was just completely gone
with this, like shiny aura here,and I was told well, you know,
(02:06):
it's an eye migraine, so you'rejust going to have to deal with
it, and I was not going toaccept that.
So that's not okay.
And reflux and acne oh my gosh,Like acne forever.
I did all the things, all theantibiotics, Accutane, like the
whole nine yards.
And now that explains a lot ofthe IBS, right.
So having that conventionalmindset where I was dealing with
(02:26):
my own stuff, especially IBS,that was really just taking over
my life, making it really hardto be a physical therapist where
I was working in assistedliving facilities, independent
living facilities and having aquick run to the bathroom,
that's very, very stressful.
The stress there in theworkplace just was a lot.
Quality of life, quality ofeverything really took over.
(02:47):
So thinking back to, you know,doing all the things right where
CT, mri, all the labs,everything looks normal but you
have to just deal with thesethings and try to function
throughout your day Like there'sno way that I can function, can
function.
So I really threw away basicallythat conventional knowledge
(03:08):
that I had, especially from thenutrition side of things, and
really got down to the why.
Because that was the questionthat no one could answer for me,
and even with my own, you know,food is my life here.
This is what I do, foodnutrition, being a dietitian,
and I still couldn't get overthis.
So pivoting to that why rootcause, functional, integrative,
personalized piece of things wasreally what finally pivoted
everything and gave me my lifeback.
(03:29):
So long road to get there.
But I finally did and that'swhere I am now with the practice
that I have and really lookingto help other mostly women
really figure things out forthemselves so that they can get
through their workday.
Like brain fog, fatigue, lowenergy, all that kind of stuff.
It impacts us on a daily basisdecision-making, like all of
(03:50):
these things and it's reallythen hard to get through the day
and then you get home and youhave nothing left in the tank.
So really, looking at wholebody.
Jess K (04:00):
Kate, your journey is probably one that a lot of
people have experienced too, buthow did you know, like?
What was the thing that reallypushed you to say there, there's
something wrong here and I needto fix it?
And how did you, how'd youfigure that out?
Yeah, yeah.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (04:17):
So the thing being, you know, this is
absolutely not okay.
I cannot continue to live likethis was, honestly, with IBS,
just being in this constant fearof food, not knowing what I
could eat, and then having theexperience to, just from the you
know, outside the aesthetics,was being mistaken for being
pregnant when I wasn't.
(04:37):
It's like, oh my gosh, this isjust.
There's a lot of things herereally filling that emotional
bucket.
So that was really the thingthat needed to change when I
started looking at that.
Why, like I said, you know, thefunctional integrative, like
what's really going on here anddiscovering inflammation,
especially with the irritablebowel, migraine, acne, like all
these things, the gut being theroot of so much, and doing
(05:01):
personalized testing andactually getting to.
Okay, these are the things.
Because I was doing theelimination diets.
I was trying to figure out isit oats, is it chocolate, was it
coffee, was it apples?
I don't know Too much fiber,not enough, and I was just
wasting so much time and thenshowing up to work like I'm
tired.
I know I'm not giving it mybest and that's not the kind of
(05:22):
mentality that I have.
Right, like if there'ssomething worth doing, do it
well, and so really pivoting tothat.
Okay, now I know exactly like Ishould not be eating avocados
because they're inflammatory forme, and doing that sort of
protocol calmed everything downand I was able to completely
eradicate what I had going onLike it was amazing a complete
(05:44):
game changer.
Claude (05:50):
So once you were testing what you could eat, you must
have done that for a long time,because there is so much
different food right.
How long did it take to havethis process from?
I can have that, but this doesnot work.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (05:59):
Yeah, so the test that I did I ended up
getting certified in this toreally be able to implement this
protocol, and so it's for mepersonally.
Going through it, it was aboutfive or six weeks where I knew
exactly what foods and there wasa very strategic way to bring
things back in, like you knowwhat's going on and this is how
you're going to do it, movingforward to really calm down
(06:20):
what's going on in the gut, theimmune system, and let
everything kind of reset.
And then, when I startedlooking into that, looking at
the other piece of things likethe nervous system and how the
gut, the brain, are connected,we have all these pieces.
It's not just food that helps,but also, you know, our
perspective and all these otherthings.
So really taking thishead-to-toe approach inside out
(06:41):
was really what made thedifference, but the food piece
was huge.
Claude (06:46):
And I'm sure that because you went through that,
you can really relate to yourclients and that makes such a
big difference.
I'm sure, Absolutely.
Jess K (06:58):
So, kate, you kind of went on that it wasn't so.
Food is obviously one of thebiggest game changers, but it's
not just food, it's also themood.
Can you talk a little bit moreabout that and what you mean?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (07:09):
So when we're thinking of that gut brain
connection, right, what we havegoing on, really thinking of
inflammation being one of theseroot cause, like drivers, of all
of these different things, ifthe gut's not able to function
properly, it's inflamed.
We get these little tightjunctions that start to open up
and it allows other thingsthrough.
We get these inflammatorymediators that go throughout the
(07:33):
body.
Then that can affect how thoseneurotransmitters are working,
right.
So here's that brain piecethat's coming in, it shares that
vagus nerve and it can affectdopamine, serotonin, all of
these different things that canreally hit to that mood.
And then it can also affecthormones too.
So what's going on in the gutthere?
If there's an estrogenprogesterone imbalance, which we
(07:54):
start to see a lot, you know,women, midlife forties, we talk
about this perimenopause timewhere if progesterone is out of
balance, if there's too muchestrogen, not enough
progesterone, it can start toaffect what's going on there.
So when we add that and thenthe neurotransmitters, we can
really start to see thosechanges in mood and it can be,
(08:15):
you know, really disruptive topeople's lives, make it hard to
get through the day or theydon't feel, you know, as
productive as they should be.
That energy, that sense of calmor whatever it is?
Jess K (08:25):
So the mood element of it or even the hormone element
of it could be masked and itreally is the food Like how does
somebody figure that part out?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (08:35):
So I like to take it step by step so that we
don't feel like we have thesemuddy waters.
So, looking at the food becausethat's one of those big constant
things, right, Like we'reeating, unless you're, you know,
doing some sort of fasting orwhatever but, for most of us,
we're eating multiple timesevery day, so that's a big piece
where we can start to have thatcontrol and then see how that
(08:57):
affects, affects another insteadof.
You know, like I've had clientswhere they're trying to do all
this stuff with diet and thenthey're taking like handfuls of
supplements and they're notreally sure what's working,
trying to be just a little bitmore systematic about it so we
can say, okay, yep, like I didchange how much caffeine I'm
drinking and then that wassomething that made a difference
.
Or I took out bread or whateverit is.
(09:20):
But having these littleincremental changes that you
don't feel like, oh my gosh, nowI need to go and spend like
$350 on supplements.
Maybe that's not really what weneed to do.
Or do all this like hormonetesting, so trying to do one
thing at a time.
Claude (09:34):
How long does it take to see a difference?
Because, for example, making itup and removing coffee, you
won't see a difference the dayafter, obviously.
But so usually what is thelength that you can actually see
?
Okay, that made a difference.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (09:50):
Yeah, so when we're thinking of it first
from the inflammatoryperspective, it can take about
up to 72 hours to see a changeor a reaction there.
So when we're thinking about itand so, going through like that
protocol that I mentioned, Ilike to tell people the first 14
days because we didn't get hereovernight to where we are, so
(10:12):
it is going to take a little bitof time before thinking about
food to let everything clear out.
It's like windshield wipersright, like the first swipe on a
really dirty car, like, let'ssay, there's mud there.
One swipe isn't going to do it.
It's going to take a couplepasses before everything gets
clear so that first two weeks, Ifeel, is a good period of time
to see.
Okay, this is the magic that wecan do when we're changing up
(10:33):
the food, and then, if we'restill not seeing a whole lot of
change, then we're going to lookdeeper.
Are there other things likehistamine, that's going on
lectin?
So we start to just get intomore.
I call it the digestivedetective work, where we're then
looking for patterns, or is it?
Claude (10:48):
you know, I'm tired, I'm having a hard time focusing
because my blood sugar is allover the place, and so then
taking those extra layerslooking like that, so, as you at
one point, something thatreally made me think about the
perimenopause portion, right,like, obviously, so does it mean
(11:09):
that more or less we shouldreassess, depending on where we
are in life, reassess our guthealth and also the way we eat
health and also the way we eat?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (11:23):
Yeah, I think so.
I mean especially because weknow, like I said, what we, you
know, we didn't get to where weare overnight, right.
So the choices that we make andsay like our twenties and our
thirties are going to show up.
And I feel like my perspectiveon this has been influenced a
lot by working in the assistedliving, the independent living,
because I had so manyconversations with women who
were either you know, I had one,one resident, she was 89 and
(11:46):
she was out walking three milesa day, she was playing tennis,
she was taking flights to govisit family all over the place
and she's like, oh, I'll justcall an Uber, and she was doing
her own thing versus havingsomeone who was in a wheelchair
and really frail, having a lotof falls.
And I remember distinctly havingconversations like, oh honey,
grabbing my arm, Don't do what Idid, Take care of yourself,
(12:10):
Right, Like don't put everybodyelse first, and so those are the
kinds of things like being inthose experiences, seeing what
it's like to lift a frail ladyout of bed, you know and do on.
All those kinds of things likethat quality of life is so
important and it just I think itmeans so much, so constantly
reassessing, being aware ofthings.
You know some people are reallyinto the health aspect, others
(12:32):
aren't.
And I mean, wherever you are,whatever you're interested in,
right lights you up, go do that.
But we know that health is sucha big piece of everything.
You know, if we don't have ourhealth, then it's hard to have
other things.
Jess K (12:45):
It's almost like the practice of getting your health
I don't want to say right, butlike the practice of
understanding your reaction tothe things that you're eating
and really checking in with yourgut at an early age will only
benefit you even longer term.
So it seems there's never toolate to do it, but the earlier
probably, the more benefits.
Claude (13:04):
Yeah, that's interesting .
Jess K (13:06):
So in your whether your journey personally or in your
journey of working with otherclients what is that biggest
game changer that does help inthe healing of women, or is it
kind of different, justdepending?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (13:20):
I think.
Well, it can be both right.
I think perspective and ourmindset has so much to do with
it.
More just thinking about wherewe are, what we're doing, the
pressure that we put onourselves, I should be doing
this, I should be doing thatthat's not really serving you
right, because it just leavesthe sense of guilt, this just
mindset of you know I'm notdoing enough, when you're doing
(13:43):
the best that you can, with theknowledge that you have right.
And there's always the abilityto learn more.
We don't know what we don'tknow.
So I think, yeah, that answercould definitely go both ways,
gotcha.
Jess K (13:56):
Okay, and do you feel like because what you're in
essence saying is it's a mindshift, change, right, yeah, do
you feel there's ways to helpyour clients really stick to
this new habit?
Are there things that theyshould be thinking to do more so
?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (14:11):
One of the things most people that go
through, like my one-to-oneprogram and myself, it's that
mindset map is what I call itwhere we're really thinking of.
Let's be honest with ourselves.
If I'm looking at my situationin the third person, right, like
I'm the outside observer comingin, which can be really hard to
do because it's just thatsubtle shift to that
subconscious identity, like I'vebeen having coffee first thing
(14:35):
in the morning forever and nowmaybe that's not really working
if there's like stress andcortisol and all these things
that are coming into play.
But if you're like, let me stepback in the third person,
really see where I might havethese roadblocks during the day
and how that can come in andthen what I can do to change it.
So I like to talk about whatare these?
Either limiting beliefs or thesebarriers that we have, current
(14:58):
habits that just sink in andthis is what I do, and this is
what I do and I'm stressed orbusy or whatever, tired,
whatever it is, and really workfrom that place.
So there's more awareness.
And then the other thing thatcomes up too is, well, I can't
do this, right, and there's thatobjection to it.
But I like to say, but if yourfriend was talking like this, or
(15:20):
your daughter or your son orwhoever someone important to you
was talking like that, whatwould your need?
Oh no, I would never let themtalk like that Like I would want
to give them like thecheerleader motivation.
So why are we doing that forourselves?
Instead of being so hard onourselves, say, you know, this
is where I am, that's okay, andthen I'm going to make a plan to
move forward.
Jess K (15:40):
Okay, I'm going to ask this question, knowing that this
is going to something.
I have to look in the mirrorand challenge myself.
I'm one of those people thatdrink coffee every morning.
It's just, I think it's routineand I know it's not great for
me and I probably should atleast limit, if not cut it out
fully.
But I think I do suffer throughthat one of I can't do it
Because I've been doing it forso long, is there?
(16:02):
I guess, besides saying to theperson like third person, look
at yourself.
If you were to say this to toClaude, you would.
You would encourage her.
Is there anything else thatyou've seen that's worked?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (16:16):
So when we're thinking of getting into
the subconscious and the like,that identity that we want to
change, something really simplethat's worked for a good number
of people, myself included, isleaving a post-it note Like
drink water before coffee, likesmall changes.
So you know that old saying oflike the low-hanging fruit,
right, what's one little tweakthat you can do before making
(16:38):
this big change Like we're notgoing to go out and run a
marathon before walking and thenrunning, so Like I'm just going
to go and run a marathontomorrow.
So the post-it notes becauseyour brain likes to see things.
And then when you say it outloud like okay, I drink water
before I drink my coffee, thatcan be a really powerful thing
too, just for the brain, becausethe brain likes to function
(17:00):
really in like pictures.
So whatever we tell it, that'sthe reality that it believes.
So something as simple as thepost-it to change whatever the
habit the little habit is thatyou can get that quick win to
help build up that confidenceand keep that momentum going can
be really, really beneficial.
Claude (17:17):
And I was going to go there too.
Yeah, you have the coffeeportion, I have as people can
see the way I am.
I stress it.
People can see the way I am.
I stress it like I stillremember I was in a meeting
about two weeks ago that I wasreally it was very stressful and
I was eating those chikabum,you know popcorn, like non-stop.
(17:40):
Or suddenly I wake, I get up Isay I need chocolate.
So how do you actually changethis way of thinking that I'm
stressed, I need to eat andusually it's not like an apple,
right, it's junk food.
So how do you change thatmindset?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (18:00):
I think, first stepping back, because you
don't think about it.
You don't say, okay, I'm goingto go to the cabinet now and I'm
going to open the bag ofpopcorn and I'm going to have
this or the chocolate, right,you just do it.
So I'm going it's just, it'sthis autopilot, automatic.
That's the brain, that'ssubconscious.
Okay, in this situation, when Ifeel this way, this is what I
do.
So, as that quick behavior,just stopping before you like
(18:26):
actually open the bag, let's saydo I really need this, do I
want it or do I need it, or whatbenefit is this giving to me?
So, just having like thatlittle internal dialogue, having
that self-talk, talking toyourself whether it's first
person or third person, howeveryou know resonates with you,
that can be something just tolike have that pause.
Okay, I know what I'm doinghere.
I have this.
(18:46):
Do I really want it or do Ineed it?
Or can I take like just acouple breaths before actually
diving in?
Or maybe it's even yeah, youknow what, I do want the
chocolate.
But instead of grabbing, say, ahandful of chocolate chips or
like a couple bars on like thechocolate bar, let me just take
one, walk away, remove yourselffrom the situation and see how
(19:08):
you feel.
So you still get that little hitof chocolate, but maybe it's
not in the quantity that you had.
If you're looking to changethat behavior because you're
concerned about, you know, sugaror the caffeine or whatever it
is, those can be some justlittle small steps to take, I
think water, yeah.
And me like take one or don'tbuy, yeah, but like sometimes
(19:37):
those things like, hey, you knowwhat like this helps me get
over, you know, it bridges thatgap from where I am, it makes me
feel better.
And then I'm going to move on.
Right, like I'm not going tostay in that place, especially
like emotional eating.
That's such a big thing, right,like stress, stress, eating,
that emotional eating.
Okay, I'm going to have this,maybe not in the same quantity,
(19:57):
because I know I want to dosomething different.
And then you move on and Ithink then, just like removing
yourself from that situation, so, like I said, you know, your
brain, seeing in symbols andjust having those associations
with this room this is what I doand then having that little bit
of a pause and then see how itfeels when you're then,
distracted with something else.
if you want to make thosechanges, and I love the way
(20:19):
you're thinking.
Claude (20:20):
It's not as drastic, because a lot of time if you
quit suddenly you're going tobinge or you'll have three
liters of coffee, right, youknow.
So I like the way you're goingsay, okay, we know you need it,
but just like slowly, slowly.
Jess K (20:41):
So, kate, I I realize that technically, I think the
right answer would be peopleshould, if they want to change,
make these changes.
They should come to somebodylike you first.
So I do want to make sure wemake that call out there and
we'll include your informationin our speaker notes.
I'm going to ask this questionbecause we are about work
besties.
Is there things that once theydo come to you or somebody like
(21:04):
you to kind of help understandways to better their own health,
are there ways that the workbestie relationship can also
assist in this?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (21:14):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think, when we keep so manythings to ourselves, like we
feel and there's this narrative,and I hear this a lot like oh,
I'm alone, there can't bepossibly anybody else who's
going through what I'm goingthrough and that's so not true.
Like I really wish that wewould be more open about, hey,
this is really what's going on,instead of you know everything
(21:35):
looking so wonderful from theoutside, like hey, I, I'm going
to be vulnerable here.
Like this is something that I'mstruggling with and maybe that
work besties.
Like, oh, my God, I am too.
I didn't realize, and you know,we just want to keep these
things to ourselves because wethink everyone else is just
doing so.
Great, but that can be a momentto say, hey, you know what?
Like now I'm connecting withyou on a deeper level.
(21:56):
Right, like this relationshipmatters to me because connection
and community is so importantfor our mental health, our
emotional health.
But then, even from theperspective of keep me
accountable, right, if you seeme going down this path and you
know that I really want to makethis change like having that
little bit of accountability canbe really helpful and I
struggle with that word too,because it's like I don't know
(22:18):
this accountability, thiswatching, like I feel like there
can be a negative associationwith it, but I think it's just
that, that awareness right, likeI have somebody who's in my
corner knowing that they'regoing to support me with the
goals and things that I want todo.
Jess K (22:32):
So it's like a supportability versus
accountability.
Claude (22:37):
I don't know if you remember I think you don't
remember but last year we werewe.
You know, we used to work sideby side, literally this close.
Jess K (22:47):
Yeah, that's how this all started side by side,
literally this close.
Claude (22:54):
Yeah, that's how this all started, and at work we used
to have like jars of candiesand that I said earlier.
This is my downfall.
Right, I'm stressed, I'm goingto take the whole thing and I
remember, and it didn't work fora while until you left,
actually to go to it.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (23:06):
It's your fault to the you know two know
two floors up, one floor up.
Claude (23:10):
I said if you see me eating a candy, I'll give you
one dollar.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (23:14):
Yes, and I'm so cheap.
Claude (23:17):
Yeah, it was a motivator and I didn't eat anything.
Jess K (23:23):
And even if you were saying it to me all the time,
you're like I'm not paying youtoday because I didn't have
candy.
I'm like, okay, you would sayit to me all the time.
Claude (23:29):
You're like I'm not paying you today, I didn't have
candy.
I'm like, okay, yeah, so that'sanother way also that you don't
have the negative right whereyou you have.
Jess K (23:39):
You came up with that.
Claude (23:40):
It wasn't like I said to you pay me a dollar so you do
need you know what I would havetold you?
Jess K (23:46):
yeah, you would I think then it goes into the negative
but that is, you know, work withyour work best.
Claude (23:53):
Yes, what work with the person?
Jess K (23:55):
and your, your ability to kind of uh yeah, respect and
bounce off of each other, right,um, so I think it's the sharing
with your work, bessie, isdefinitely something.
It's a resounding theme.
To be fair, having that otherperson just to bounce ideas off
of in a non-judgment,judgment-free way, I think is so
(24:17):
helpful and, to your point,this is kind of a topic that
most people would notnecessarily be afraid of but
just not think to share and it'sso critical, right, it can just
affect your whole day and Ithink you've given us kind of
some ideas already about this.
But when we think about thework life and the stress that
(24:38):
some of that brings on, what aresome kind of easy, gut friendly
habits that should be thoughtof at work?
Maybe one of them is don't havea big tub of chocolate near you
.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (24:55):
Yeah, I think one of the the easier
things to start with would beyou know, if the culture of the
workplace is we go out to lunchevery day, you know, is that
something that has to happen?
Like, are there a lot of thingsthat happen?
I mean, depending on thesituation, right, like if
there's a lot of lunch, meetingsand things like that, but if
it's just, hey, you know, isthat something that has to
happen?
Claude (25:09):
Like are there a lot of things that happen.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (25:09):
I mean, depending on the situation,
right, like, if there's a lot oflunch meetings and things like
that, but if it's just, hey, youknow we got to lunch, well, I'm
going to start to bring my own,and then that might be
something like being thatexample, that leader.
Maybe it inspires somebody elseto do the same thing because
it's expensive, right.
And then also, you know what isthe quality of the food and the
(25:35):
ingredients that are in there.
There's so many things.
So, having more control,awareness, looking into the
quality of the ingredients thatyou're getting, like processed
food versus whole, real food,thinking of it from you know
what are.
What am I getting out of thisfood?
Right, like, what are thenutrients that I'm getting?
Am I getting nutrition from itor is it pretty empty?
Where am I getting my protein?
Where am I getting my fat?
Where am I getting my fiber?
Especially, you know, women,midlife fiber, helping with
hormones and all these things.
And just, you know bowelmovements and the whole GI
(25:57):
system and things like that,where that can be a practical
strategy to start with.
And then all those other littlethings, right, like, okay,
maybe I'm going to make it.
We like to have a sweet treatin the afternoon.
Now, if it's, I'm crashing everyday at three o'clock and I need
that caffeine pick me up, then,yes, there's definitely like
gut health, lots of otherfactors that go into that.
(26:17):
So that's a conversation to behad.
But maybe it's just making alittle bit harder to get that
thing, like it's not withinarm's reach but it's in another
room or whatever it is, so it'sless frequent.
So that can be a way to startright, like you're tapering
things off, instead of just thatcold turkey because I don't
know, just usually doesn't work,unless someone really has that
mindset of like this is it, I'mdone, never going back.
(26:38):
But for most people that's nothow you know that subconscious
works.
But from that gut perspective,to looking at quality, the
nutrients you know these are thethings that you're getting in I
think it can then get reallydependent.
You know, maybe someone canexperiment with it if they want
to, but I don't like to usuallyjust start with that as a
blanket.
I'm really big into that.
(26:59):
You know, personalized, what isgood for you might not be good
for the other.
So how do you have that balancethere?
Claude (27:05):
And I think, like quality, looking at that, Okay,
that's the importance to reallyspeak to someone that understand
right that it can be moreharmful if we don't know exactly
the whole guts.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (27:19):
Yeah, and then I think it also cuts down
on the time that can be wastedwhen you're playing those
guessing games and you know,should I try this and that?
Because it when you were downthe street she started doing
creatine and that was great forher when it can be causing
bloating in somebody else, right, all those different things.
So in the long run it canreally make the difference where
(27:40):
it's just.
Let's be more efficient withyour time, your money, your
mental energy.
All of those things really comeinto play there.
Jess K (27:48):
I was going to suggest, and then you've now completely
changed my mind on it.
I was going to suggest likemaybe one of the ways you could
leverage your work best is totalk about some of the foods
that you're eating and whatmakes you feel healthier.
But to your point what makes mehealthier is not going to make
Claude healthier, so it's goodto share, but it's not like
that's going to be a thingthat'll help her as well.
So knowing that is reallycritical too.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (28:13):
When you think about it too, like in what
I, what I do with theinflammatory stuff.
I've seen people be reallyreactive to chicken and it's
like, hey, this is a lean meat,this is really great, but it can
be really great for somebodyand for somebody else that can
be reactive and it can becontributing to migraine, ibs,
you know whatever it is.
So that's where thatdistinction comes in, and that
(28:34):
we're not cookie cutters andwhat works for one doesn't work
for another.
So, but we need some place tostart.
So quality food, nutrient densefoods, I think is a good place
to start.
Jess K (28:41):
One of the last things we wanted to ask you is kind of
something we started off with inthe beginning.
If somebody is struggling withtheir energy, whether at work or
just in life in general, andthey think it might be related
to gut issues, or maybe theythink it's just burnout at work,
what's the one thing theyshould start doing today to make
(29:02):
themselves feel better?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (29:04):
When you start to think of you know what
does my routine look like?
Where do I carve out time formyself?
You know, are you just gettingup, getting ready for work,
getting out the door and going?
So you're already.
You're just starting in thatbusy, busy, busy mode and then
you're going all day long withno break, no time for yourself.
And during the workday I mean,yeah, that's going to be hard,
(29:25):
unless you take your lunch breakand it's totally free of work,
which in my experience workingin a PT clinic, that was never,
ever the case.
You know, you're always doingsomething, working through it,
and then you know you're cominghome making dinner.
If you have kids, there's asport activity or homework or
you know all these other things,or you're taking care of, like,
an aging parent or dog,whatever it is, there's
something.
And then scroll social media atnight, watch TV and then go to
(29:48):
bed.
Right, so like there's thisstimulation that's happening all
day long.
And then what's one littlehabit that can be changed?
So is it?
I take a little bit of time formyself in the morning, like
maybe I get up 10 minutesearlier and just do some
journaling.
Gratitude.
Those kinds of practices arereally beneficial emotional
(30:09):
health, mental health, all thatkind of stuff, just that
perspective of what we're thencarrying throughout the day, or
is it.
You know what I'm going to putmy phone on like a sleep timer
or whatever it is, like thatblue light at night.
I think that's something thatis really, really beneficial.
Just where can I carve out timefor myself so that I can
actually get into this more,rest and digest part of my
(30:30):
nervous system, instead offeeling like I'm on the go and
then it's just this never endinghamster wheel?
Claude (30:38):
I love it because that's where you really see a
connection, that your body,everything connects right.
Like the way you actuallydescribed, there was no food in
that day, but, you know, reallytaking some step back, that then
is going to help you, your gutand your mind, everywhere, and I
think that is so powerful that,at the end of the day,
(30:59):
sometimes yes, of course I'm notgoing to deny the food and
everything, but it's also thatlittle step will make wonder.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (31:06):
Yeah, so that's where, like with health,
you're a whole person.
You're not just whether it's adiagnosis or your gut right Like
you have all these factorsgoing on physical, mental,
emotional, like all of it.
You're in, you know, in justthis one body, and so we have to
(31:27):
figure all of these pieces intoit, because that's what you
know.
Jess K (31:29):
All these different things affect you, right, kate?
Where can people connect withyou and learn more about you?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (31:36):
On social media Instagram and Facebook.
I'm at Digestion by Design andmy website also the same thing
Digestion by Design.
Try to keep it nice andstreamlined and easy as far as
that goes.
On my website, too, I have acouple of freebies to download.
There's an inflammation impacta 60-second health check that
(31:57):
can be really informational asfar as all the different things
from head to toe that can beaffected can be showing up from
an inflammatory response.
Jess K (32:06):
A lot of people really like that one and is there any
upcoming resources or programs,or maybe anything else that we
should be on the lookout for?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (32:14):
you for.
So I'm actually retoolingeverything.
Every spring.
I like to revamp what I've donefrom the year before.
So I'm looking to launch intosome more workshop courses, more
community-based things insteadof the one-to-one, so that
people don't feel like they arealone and there is a sense of
community.
So that's going to be somethings that are up and coming
(32:36):
for the new year.
Oh, fantastic, we'll be on thelookout for that, kate.
Jess K (32:42):
I think we'll join for sure.
We'll also make sure that, evenif it doesn't hit the timing of
this episode, that we'll stillmake sure our work-festive
community is aware of it too,when you do edit.
Claude (32:53):
Thank you so much for hanging out with us we really
loved all you had to say and forsharing your expertise and
insight and besties if you likedit, and I'm sure you all did
and are going to do.
Those little steps, you'regoing to see a big difference.
(33:14):
Don't forget to share and click,stay energized, stay connected
remember whether you're swappingsnacks in the break room,
rescuing each other from endlessmeetings or just sending that
perfectly timed meme.
Having a work bestie is likehaving your own personal hype
squad, so keep lifting eachother, laughing through through
(33:37):
the chaos and, of course,thriving.
Until next time, stay positive,stay productive and don't forget
to keep supporting each other.
Work besties.
Hello work besties.
What if the foods you love aresecretly draining your energy
and making you work harder,feeling sluggish, unmotivated or
maybe even irritable at work?
I'm sure that's not because ofyour bestie, though that's
probably because you might behaving too much caffeine no, I
am, but it also could be relatedto your gut health, and today
(00:22):
we have Kate Ricciardi here tobreak down the gut-brain
connection and how it impactsyour focus and workplace
relationships and, mostimportantly, the sneaky food
mistakes that's wrecking yourenergy.
So stay with us until the veryend, because Kate is revealing
the biggest hidden culpritbehind workplace fatigue and how
(00:44):
you can fix it.
Claude (00:46):
Hi, I'm Claude and I'm Jess.
We are corporate employees byday, entrepreneurs by night and
work besties for life.
Join us as we explore how workbesties lift each other up,
laugh through the chaos andthrive together in every
industry.
Work besties.
Jess K (01:07):
So welcome Kate.
We're so excited to have you on.
Welcome, Kate, Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Would you mind giving a littlebit of a background on yourself
and how you became into thisfield of work?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (01:20):
Yeah, so I am a registered dietitian,
doctor of physical therapy and Ihave been doing that for well,
a total of about 20 years nowbetween both of them, first
dietitian and then the physicaltherapy piece came.
So I've been trained in theconventional mindset, if you
(01:43):
will right, Like you know,especially being a dietitian,
that there is a diet fordiagnosis and then that's all
that's what you do.
And with my own struggles withIBS and migraines, especially
eye migraines, where I initiallythought I was like having a
stroke because my left field ofvision was just completely gone
with this, like shiny aura here,and I was told well, you know,
(02:06):
it's an eye migraine, so you'rejust going to have to deal with
it, and I was not going toaccept that.
So that's not okay.
And reflux and acne oh my gosh,Like acne forever.
I did all the things, all theantibiotics, Accutane, like the
whole nine yards.
And now that explains a lot ofthe IBS, right.
So having that conventionalmindset where I was dealing with
(02:26):
my own stuff, especially IBS,that was really just taking over
my life, making it really hardto be a physical therapist where
I was working in assistedliving facilities, independent
living facilities and having aquick run to the bathroom,
that's very, very stressful.
The stress there in theworkplace just was a lot.
Quality of life, quality ofeverything really took over.
(02:47):
So thinking back to, you know,doing all the things right where
CT, mri, all the labs,everything looks normal but you
have to just deal with thesethings and try to function
throughout your day Like there'sno way that I can function, can
function.
So I really threw away basicallythat conventional knowledge
(03:08):
that I had, especially from thenutrition side of things, and
really got down to the why.
Because that was the questionthat no one could answer for me,
and even with my own, you know,food is my life here.
This is what I do, foodnutrition, being a dietitian,
and I still couldn't get overthis.
So pivoting to that why rootcause, functional, integrative,
personalized piece of things wasreally what finally pivoted
everything and gave me my lifeback.
(03:29):
So long road to get there.
But I finally did and that'swhere I am now with the practice
that I have and really lookingto help other mostly women
really figure things out forthemselves so that they can get
through their workday.
Like brain fog, fatigue, lowenergy, all that kind of stuff.
It impacts us on a daily basisdecision-making, like all of
(03:50):
these things and it's reallythen hard to get through the day
and then you get home and youhave nothing left in the tank.
So really, looking at wholebody.
Jess K (04:00):
Kate, your journey is probably one that a lot of
people have experienced too, buthow did you know, like?
What was the thing that reallypushed you to say there, there's
something wrong here and I needto fix it?
And how did you, how'd youfigure that out?
Yeah, yeah.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (04:17):
So the thing being, you know, this is
absolutely not okay.
I cannot continue to live likethis was, honestly, with IBS,
just being in this constant fearof food, not knowing what I
could eat, and then having theexperience to, just from the you
know, outside the aesthetics,was being mistaken for being
pregnant when I wasn't.
(04:37):
It's like, oh my gosh, this isjust.
There's a lot of things herereally filling that emotional
bucket.
So that was really the thingthat needed to change when I
started looking at that.
Why, like I said, you know, thefunctional integrative, like
what's really going on here anddiscovering inflammation,
especially with the irritablebowel, migraine, acne, like all
these things, the gut being theroot of so much, and doing
(05:01):
personalized testing andactually getting to.
Okay, these are the things.
Because I was doing theelimination diets.
I was trying to figure out isit oats, is it chocolate, was it
coffee, was it apples?
I don't know Too much fiber,not enough, and I was just
wasting so much time and thenshowing up to work like I'm
tired.
I know I'm not giving it mybest and that's not the kind of
(05:22):
mentality that I have.
Right, like if there'ssomething worth doing, do it
well, and so really pivoting tothat.
Okay, now I know exactly like Ishould not be eating avocados
because they're inflammatory forme, and doing that sort of
protocol calmed everything downand I was able to completely
eradicate what I had going onLike it was amazing a complete
(05:44):
game changer.
Claude (05:50):
So once you were testing what you could eat, you must
have done that for a long time,because there is so much
different food right.
How long did it take to havethis process from?
I can have that, but this doesnot work.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (05:59):
Yeah, so the test that I did I ended up
getting certified in this toreally be able to implement this
protocol, and so it's for mepersonally.
Going through it, it was aboutfive or six weeks where I knew
exactly what foods and there wasa very strategic way to bring
things back in, like you knowwhat's going on and this is how
you're going to do it, movingforward to really calm down
(06:20):
what's going on in the gut, theimmune system, and let
everything kind of reset.
And then, when I startedlooking into that, looking at
the other piece of things likethe nervous system and how the
gut, the brain, are connected,we have all these pieces.
It's not just food that helps,but also, you know, our
perspective and all these otherthings.
So really taking thishead-to-toe approach inside out
(06:41):
was really what made thedifference, but the food piece
was huge.
Claude (06:46):
And I'm sure that because you went through that,
you can really relate to yourclients and that makes such a
big difference.
I'm sure, Absolutely.
Jess K (06:58):
So, kate, you kind of went on that it wasn't so.
Food is obviously one of thebiggest game changers, but it's
not just food, it's also themood.
Can you talk a little bit moreabout that and what you mean?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (07:09):
So when we're thinking of that gut brain
connection, right, what we havegoing on, really thinking of
inflammation being one of theseroot cause, like drivers, of all
of these different things, ifthe gut's not able to function
properly, it's inflamed.
We get these little tightjunctions that start to open up
and it allows other thingsthrough.
We get these inflammatorymediators that go throughout the
(07:33):
body.
Then that can affect how thoseneurotransmitters are working,
right.
So here's that brain piecethat's coming in, it shares that
vagus nerve and it can affectdopamine, serotonin, all of
these different things that canreally hit to that mood.
And then it can also affecthormones too.
So what's going on in the gutthere?
If there's an estrogenprogesterone imbalance, which we
(07:54):
start to see a lot, you know,women, midlife forties, we talk
about this perimenopause timewhere if progesterone is out of
balance, if there's too muchestrogen, not enough
progesterone, it can start toaffect what's going on there.
So when we add that and thenthe neurotransmitters, we can
really start to see thosechanges in mood and it can be,
(08:15):
you know, really disruptive topeople's lives, make it hard to
get through the day or theydon't feel, you know, as
productive as they should be.
That energy, that sense of calmor whatever it is?
Jess K (08:25):
So the mood element of it or even the hormone element
of it could be masked and itreally is the food Like how does
somebody figure that part out?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (08:35):
So I like to take it step by step so that we
don't feel like we have thesemuddy waters.
So, looking at the food becausethat's one of those big constant
things, right, Like we'reeating, unless you're, you know,
doing some sort of fasting orwhatever but, for most of us,
we're eating multiple timesevery day, so that's a big piece
where we can start to have thatcontrol and then see how that
(08:57):
affects, affects another insteadof.
You know, like I've had clientswhere they're trying to do all
this stuff with diet and thenthey're taking like handfuls of
supplements and they're notreally sure what's working,
trying to be just a little bitmore systematic about it so we
can say, okay, yep, like I didchange how much caffeine I'm
drinking and then that wassomething that made a difference
.
Or I took out bread or whateverit is.
(09:20):
But having these littleincremental changes that you
don't feel like, oh my gosh, nowI need to go and spend like
$350 on supplements.
Maybe that's not really what weneed to do.
Or do all this like hormonetesting, so trying to do one
thing at a time.
Claude (09:34):
How long does it take to see a difference?
Because, for example, making itup and removing coffee, you
won't see a difference the dayafter, obviously.
But so usually what is thelength that you can actually see
?
Okay, that made a difference.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (09:50):
Yeah, so when we're thinking of it first
from the inflammatoryperspective, it can take about
up to 72 hours to see a changeor a reaction there.
So when we're thinking about itand so, going through like that
protocol that I mentioned, Ilike to tell people the first 14
days because we didn't get hereovernight to where we are, so
(10:12):
it is going to take a little bitof time before thinking about
food to let everything clear out.
It's like windshield wipersright, like the first swipe on a
really dirty car, like, let'ssay, there's mud there.
One swipe isn't going to do it.
It's going to take a couplepasses before everything gets
clear so that first two weeks, Ifeel, is a good period of time
to see.
Okay, this is the magic that wecan do when we're changing up
(10:33):
the food, and then, if we'restill not seeing a whole lot of
change, then we're going to lookdeeper.
Are there other things likehistamine, that's going on
lectin?
So we start to just get intomore.
I call it the digestivedetective work, where we're then
looking for patterns, or is it?
Claude (10:48):
you know, I'm tired, I'm having a hard time focusing
because my blood sugar is allover the place, and so then
taking those extra layerslooking like that, so, as you at
one point, something thatreally made me think about the
perimenopause portion, right,like, obviously, so does it mean
(11:09):
that more or less we shouldreassess, depending on where we
are in life, reassess our guthealth and also the way we eat
health and also the way we eat?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (11:23):
Yeah, I think so.
I mean especially because weknow, like I said, what we, you
know, we didn't get to where weare overnight, right.
So the choices that we make andsay like our twenties and our
thirties are going to show up.
And I feel like my perspectiveon this has been influenced a
lot by working in the assistedliving, the independent living,
because I had so manyconversations with women who
were either you know, I had one,one resident, she was 89 and
(11:46):
she was out walking three milesa day, she was playing tennis,
she was taking flights to govisit family all over the place
and she's like, oh, I'll justcall an Uber, and she was doing
her own thing versus havingsomeone who was in a wheelchair
and really frail, having a lotof falls.
And I remember distinctly havingconversations like, oh honey,
grabbing my arm, Don't do what Idid, Take care of yourself,
(12:10):
Right, Like don't put everybodyelse first, and so those are the
kinds of things like being inthose experiences, seeing what
it's like to lift a frail ladyout of bed, you know and do on.
All those kinds of things likethat quality of life is so
important and it just I think itmeans so much, so constantly
reassessing, being aware ofthings.
You know some people are reallyinto the health aspect, others
(12:32):
aren't.
And I mean, wherever you are,whatever you're interested in,
right lights you up, go do that.
But we know that health is sucha big piece of everything.
You know, if we don't have ourhealth, then it's hard to have
other things.
Jess K (12:45):
It's almost like the practice of getting your health
I don't want to say right, butlike the practice of
understanding your reaction tothe things that you're eating
and really checking in with yourgut at an early age will only
benefit you even longer term.
So it seems there's never toolate to do it, but the earlier
probably, the more benefits.
Claude (13:04):
Yeah, that's interesting .
Jess K (13:06):
So in your whether your journey personally or in your
journey of working with otherclients what is that biggest
game changer that does help inthe healing of women, or is it
kind of different, justdepending?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (13:20):
I think.
Well, it can be both right.
I think perspective and ourmindset has so much to do with
it.
More just thinking about wherewe are, what we're doing, the
pressure that we put onourselves, I should be doing
this, I should be doing thatthat's not really serving you
right, because it just leavesthe sense of guilt, this just
mindset of you know I'm notdoing enough, when you're doing
(13:43):
the best that you can, with theknowledge that you have right.
And there's always the abilityto learn more.
We don't know what we don'tknow.
So I think, yeah, that answercould definitely go both ways,
gotcha.
Jess K (13:56):
Okay, and do you feel like because what you're in
essence saying is it's a mindshift, change, right, yeah, do
you feel there's ways to helpyour clients really stick to
this new habit?
Are there things that theyshould be thinking to do more so
?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (14:11):
One of the things most people that go
through, like my one-to-oneprogram and myself, it's that
mindset map is what I call itwhere we're really thinking of.
Let's be honest with ourselves.
If I'm looking at my situationin the third person, right, like
I'm the outside observer comingin, which can be really hard to
do because it's just thatsubtle shift to that
subconscious identity, like I'vebeen having coffee first thing
(14:35):
in the morning forever and nowmaybe that's not really working
if there's like stress andcortisol and all these things
that are coming into play.
But if you're like, let me stepback in the third person,
really see where I might havethese roadblocks during the day
and how that can come in andthen what I can do to change it.
So I like to talk about whatare these?
Either limiting beliefs or thesebarriers that we have, current
(14:58):
habits that just sink in andthis is what I do, and this is
what I do and I'm stressed orbusy or whatever, tired,
whatever it is, and really workfrom that place.
So there's more awareness.
And then the other thing thatcomes up too is, well, I can't
do this, right, and there's thatobjection to it.
But I like to say, but if yourfriend was talking like this, or
(15:20):
your daughter or your son orwhoever someone important to you
was talking like that, whatwould your need?
Oh no, I would never let themtalk like that Like I would want
to give them like thecheerleader motivation.
So why are we doing that forourselves?
Instead of being so hard onourselves, say, you know, this
is where I am, that's okay, andthen I'm going to make a plan to
move forward.
Jess K (15:40):
Okay, I'm going to ask this question, knowing that this
is going to something.
I have to look in the mirrorand challenge myself.
I'm one of those people thatdrink coffee every morning.
It's just, I think it's routineand I know it's not great for
me and I probably should atleast limit, if not cut it out
fully.
But I think I do suffer throughthat one of I can't do it
Because I've been doing it forso long, is there?
(16:02):
I guess, besides saying to theperson like third person, look
at yourself.
If you were to say this to toClaude, you would.
You would encourage her.
Is there anything else thatyou've seen that's worked?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (16:16):
So when we're thinking of getting into
the subconscious and the like,that identity that we want to
change, something really simplethat's worked for a good number
of people, myself included, isleaving a post-it note Like
drink water before coffee, likesmall changes.
So you know that old saying oflike the low-hanging fruit,
right, what's one little tweakthat you can do before making
(16:38):
this big change Like we're notgoing to go out and run a
marathon before walking and thenrunning, so Like I'm just going
to go and run a marathontomorrow.
So the post-it notes becauseyour brain likes to see things.
And then when you say it outloud like okay, I drink water
before I drink my coffee, thatcan be a really powerful thing
too, just for the brain, becausethe brain likes to function
(17:00):
really in like pictures.
So whatever we tell it, that'sthe reality that it believes.
So something as simple as thepost-it to change whatever the
habit the little habit is thatyou can get that quick win to
help build up that confidenceand keep that momentum going can
be really, really beneficial.
Claude (17:17):
And I was going to go there too.
Yeah, you have the coffeeportion, I have as people can
see the way I am.
I stress it.
People can see the way I am.
I stress it like I stillremember I was in a meeting
about two weeks ago that I wasreally it was very stressful and
I was eating those chikabum,you know popcorn, like non-stop.
(17:40):
Or suddenly I wake, I get up Isay I need chocolate.
So how do you actually changethis way of thinking that I'm
stressed, I need to eat andusually it's not like an apple,
right, it's junk food.
So how do you change thatmindset?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (18:00):
I think, first stepping back, because you
don't think about it.
You don't say, okay, I'm goingto go to the cabinet now and I'm
going to open the bag ofpopcorn and I'm going to have
this or the chocolate, right,you just do it.
So I'm going it's just, it'sthis autopilot, automatic.
That's the brain, that'ssubconscious.
Okay, in this situation, when Ifeel this way, this is what I
do.
So, as that quick behavior,just stopping before you like
(18:26):
actually open the bag, let's saydo I really need this, do I
want it or do I need it, or whatbenefit is this giving to me?
So, just having like thatlittle internal dialogue, having
that self-talk, talking toyourself whether it's first
person or third person, howeveryou know resonates with you,
that can be something just tolike have that pause.
Okay, I know what I'm doinghere.
I have this.
(18:46):
Do I really want it or do Ineed it?
Or can I take like just acouple breaths before actually
diving in?
Or maybe it's even yeah, youknow what, I do want the
chocolate.
But instead of grabbing, say, ahandful of chocolate chips or
like a couple bars on like thechocolate bar, let me just take
one, walk away, remove yourselffrom the situation and see how
(19:08):
you feel.
So you still get that little hitof chocolate, but maybe it's
not in the quantity that you had.
If you're looking to changethat behavior because you're
concerned about, you know, sugaror the caffeine or whatever it
is, those can be some justlittle small steps to take, I
think water, yeah.
And me like take one or don'tbuy, yeah, but like sometimes
(19:37):
those things like, hey, you knowwhat like this helps me get
over, you know, it bridges thatgap from where I am, it makes me
feel better.
And then I'm going to move on.
Right, like I'm not going tostay in that place, especially
like emotional eating.
That's such a big thing, right,like stress, stress, eating,
that emotional eating.
Okay, I'm going to have this,maybe not in the same quantity,
(19:57):
because I know I want to dosomething different.
And then you move on and Ithink then, just like removing
yourself from that situation, so, like I said, you know, your
brain, seeing in symbols andjust having those associations
with this room this is what I doand then having that little bit
of a pause and then see how itfeels when you're then,
distracted with something else.
if you want to make thosechanges, and I love the way
(20:19):
you're thinking.
Claude (20:20):
It's not as drastic, because a lot of time if you
quit suddenly you're going tobinge or you'll have three
liters of coffee, right, youknow.
So I like the way you're goingsay, okay, we know you need it,
but just like slowly, slowly.
Jess K (20:41):
So, kate, I I realize that technically, I think the
right answer would be peopleshould, if they want to change,
make these changes.
They should come to somebodylike you first.
So I do want to make sure wemake that call out there and
we'll include your informationin our speaker notes.
I'm going to ask this questionbecause we are about work
besties.
Is there things that once theydo come to you or somebody like
(21:04):
you to kind of help understandways to better their own health,
are there ways that the workbestie relationship can also
assist in this?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (21:14):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think, when we keep so manythings to ourselves, like we
feel and there's this narrative,and I hear this a lot like oh,
I'm alone, there can't bepossibly anybody else who's
going through what I'm goingthrough and that's so not true.
Like I really wish that wewould be more open about, hey,
this is really what's going on,instead of you know everything
(21:35):
looking so wonderful from theoutside, like hey, I, I'm going
to be vulnerable here.
Like this is something that I'mstruggling with and maybe that
work besties.
Like, oh, my God, I am too.
I didn't realize, and you know,we just want to keep these
things to ourselves because wethink everyone else is just
doing so.
Great, but that can be a momentto say, hey, you know what?
Like now I'm connecting withyou on a deeper level.
(21:56):
Right, like this relationshipmatters to me because connection
and community is so importantfor our mental health, our
emotional health.
But then, even from theperspective of keep me
accountable, right, if you seeme going down this path and you
know that I really want to makethis change like having that
little bit of accountability canbe really helpful and I
struggle with that word too,because it's like I don't know
(22:18):
this accountability, thiswatching, like I feel like there
can be a negative associationwith it, but I think it's just
that, that awareness right, likeI have somebody who's in my
corner knowing that they'regoing to support me with the
goals and things that I want todo.
Jess K (22:32):
So it's like a supportability versus
accountability.
Claude (22:37):
I don't know if you remember I think you don't
remember but last year we werewe.
You know, we used to work sideby side, literally this close.
Jess K (22:47):
Yeah, that's how this all started side by side,
literally this close.
Claude (22:54):
Yeah, that's how this all started, and at work we used
to have like jars of candiesand that I said earlier.
This is my downfall.
Right, I'm stressed, I'm goingto take the whole thing and I
remember, and it didn't work fora while until you left,
actually to go to it.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (23:06):
It's your fault to the you know two know
two floors up, one floor up.
Claude (23:10):
I said if you see me eating a candy, I'll give you
one dollar.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (23:14):
Yes, and I'm so cheap.
Claude (23:17):
Yeah, it was a motivator and I didn't eat anything.
Jess K (23:23):
And even if you were saying it to me all the time,
you're like I'm not paying youtoday because I didn't have
candy.
I'm like, okay, you would sayit to me all the time.
Claude (23:29):
You're like I'm not paying you today, I didn't have
candy.
I'm like, okay, yeah, so that'sanother way also that you don't
have the negative right whereyou you have.
Jess K (23:39):
You came up with that.
Claude (23:40):
It wasn't like I said to you pay me a dollar so you do
need you know what I would havetold you?
Jess K (23:46):
yeah, you would I think then it goes into the negative
but that is, you know, work withyour work best.
Claude (23:53):
Yes, what work with the person?
Jess K (23:55):
and your, your ability to kind of uh yeah, respect and
bounce off of each other, right,um, so I think it's the sharing
with your work, bessie, isdefinitely something.
It's a resounding theme.
To be fair, having that otherperson just to bounce ideas off
of in a non-judgment,judgment-free way, I think is so
(24:17):
helpful and, to your point,this is kind of a topic that
most people would notnecessarily be afraid of but
just not think to share and it'sso critical, right, it can just
affect your whole day and Ithink you've given us kind of
some ideas already about this.
But when we think about thework life and the stress that
(24:38):
some of that brings on, what aresome kind of easy, gut friendly
habits that should be thoughtof at work?
Maybe one of them is don't havea big tub of chocolate near you
.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (24:55):
Yeah, I think one of the the easier
things to start with would beyou know, if the culture of the
workplace is we go out to lunchevery day, you know, is that
something that has to happen?
Like, are there a lot of thingsthat happen?
I mean, depending on thesituation, right, like if
there's a lot of lunch, meetingsand things like that, but if
it's just, hey, you know, isthat something that has to
happen?
Claude (25:09):
Like are there a lot of things that happen.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (25:09):
I mean, depending on the situation,
right, like, if there's a lot oflunch meetings and things like
that, but if it's just, hey, youknow we got to lunch, well, I'm
going to start to bring my own,and then that might be
something like being thatexample, that leader.
Maybe it inspires somebody elseto do the same thing because
it's expensive, right.
And then also, you know what isthe quality of the food and the
(25:35):
ingredients that are in there.
There's so many things.
So, having more control,awareness, looking into the
quality of the ingredients thatyou're getting, like processed
food versus whole, real food,thinking of it from you know
what are.
What am I getting out of thisfood?
Right, like, what are thenutrients that I'm getting?
Am I getting nutrition from itor is it pretty empty?
Where am I getting my protein?
Where am I getting my fat?
Where am I getting my fiber?
Especially, you know, women,midlife fiber, helping with
hormones and all these things.
And just, you know bowelmovements and the whole GI
(25:57):
system and things like that,where that can be a practical
strategy to start with.
And then all those other littlethings, right, like, okay,
maybe I'm going to make it.
We like to have a sweet treatin the afternoon.
Now, if it's, I'm crashing everyday at three o'clock and I need
that caffeine pick me up, then,yes, there's definitely like
gut health, lots of otherfactors that go into that.
(26:17):
So that's a conversation to behad.
But maybe it's just making alittle bit harder to get that
thing, like it's not withinarm's reach but it's in another
room or whatever it is, so it'sless frequent.
So that can be a way to startright, like you're tapering
things off, instead of just thatcold turkey because I don't
know, just usually doesn't work,unless someone really has that
mindset of like this is it, I'mdone, never going back.
(26:38):
But for most people that's nothow you know that subconscious
works.
But from that gut perspective,to looking at quality, the
nutrients you know these are thethings that you're getting in I
think it can then get reallydependent.
You know, maybe someone canexperiment with it if they want
to, but I don't like to usuallyjust start with that as a
blanket.
I'm really big into that.
(26:59):
You know, personalized, what isgood for you might not be good
for the other.
So how do you have that balancethere?
Claude (27:05):
And I think, like quality, looking at that, Okay,
that's the importance to reallyspeak to someone that understand
right that it can be moreharmful if we don't know exactly
the whole guts.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (27:19):
Yeah, and then I think it also cuts down
on the time that can be wastedwhen you're playing those
guessing games and you know,should I try this and that?
Because it when you were downthe street she started doing
creatine and that was great forher when it can be causing
bloating in somebody else, right, all those different things.
So in the long run it canreally make the difference where
(27:40):
it's just.
Let's be more efficient withyour time, your money, your
mental energy.
All of those things really comeinto play there.
Jess K (27:48):
I was going to suggest, and then you've now completely
changed my mind on it.
I was going to suggest likemaybe one of the ways you could
leverage your work best is totalk about some of the foods
that you're eating and whatmakes you feel healthier.
But to your point what makes mehealthier is not going to make
Claude healthier, so it's goodto share, but it's not like
that's going to be a thingthat'll help her as well.
So knowing that is reallycritical too.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (28:13):
When you think about it too, like in what
I, what I do with theinflammatory stuff.
I've seen people be reallyreactive to chicken and it's
like, hey, this is a lean meat,this is really great, but it can
be really great for somebodyand for somebody else that can
be reactive and it can becontributing to migraine, ibs,
you know whatever it is.
So that's where thatdistinction comes in, and that
(28:34):
we're not cookie cutters andwhat works for one doesn't work
for another.
So, but we need some place tostart.
So quality food, nutrient densefoods, I think is a good place
to start.
Jess K (28:41):
One of the last things we wanted to ask you is kind of
something we started off with inthe beginning.
If somebody is struggling withtheir energy, whether at work or
just in life in general, andthey think it might be related
to gut issues, or maybe theythink it's just burnout at work,
what's the one thing theyshould start doing today to make
(29:02):
themselves feel better?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (29:04):
When you start to think of you know what
does my routine look like?
Where do I carve out time formyself?
You know, are you just gettingup, getting ready for work,
getting out the door and going?
So you're already.
You're just starting in thatbusy, busy, busy mode and then
you're going all day long withno break, no time for yourself.
And during the workday I mean,yeah, that's going to be hard,
(29:25):
unless you take your lunch breakand it's totally free of work,
which in my experience workingin a PT clinic, that was never,
ever the case.
You know, you're always doingsomething, working through it,
and then you know you're cominghome making dinner.
If you have kids, there's asport activity or homework or
you know all these other things,or you're taking care of, like,
an aging parent or dog,whatever it is, there's
something.
And then scroll social media atnight, watch TV and then go to
(29:48):
bed.
Right, so like there's thisstimulation that's happening all
day long.
And then what's one littlehabit that can be changed?
So is it?
I take a little bit of time formyself in the morning, like
maybe I get up 10 minutesearlier and just do some
journaling.
Gratitude.
Those kinds of practices arereally beneficial emotional
(30:09):
health, mental health, all thatkind of stuff, just that
perspective of what we're thencarrying throughout the day, or
is it.
You know what I'm going to putmy phone on like a sleep timer
or whatever it is, like thatblue light at night.
I think that's something thatis really, really beneficial.
Just where can I carve out timefor myself so that I can
actually get into this more,rest and digest part of my
(30:30):
nervous system, instead offeeling like I'm on the go and
then it's just this never endinghamster wheel?
Claude (30:38):
I love it because that's where you really see a
connection, that your body,everything connects right.
Like the way you actuallydescribed, there was no food in
that day, but, you know, reallytaking some step back, that then
is going to help you, your gutand your mind, everywhere, and I
think that is so powerful that,at the end of the day,
(30:59):
sometimes yes, of course I'm notgoing to deny the food and
everything, but it's also thatlittle step will make wonder.
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (31:06):
Yeah, so that's where, like with health,
you're a whole person.
You're not just whether it's adiagnosis or your gut right Like
you have all these factorsgoing on physical, mental,
emotional, like all of it.
You're in, you know, in justthis one body, and so we have to
(31:27):
figure all of these pieces intoit, because that's what you
know.
Jess K (31:29):
All these different things affect you, right, kate?
Where can people connect withyou and learn more about you?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (31:36):
On social media Instagram and Facebook.
I'm at Digestion by Design andmy website also the same thing
Digestion by Design.
Try to keep it nice andstreamlined and easy as far as
that goes.
On my website, too, I have acouple of freebies to download.
There's an inflammation impacta 60-second health check that
(31:57):
can be really informational asfar as all the different things
from head to toe that can beaffected can be showing up from
an inflammatory response.
Jess K (32:06):
A lot of people really like that one and is there any
upcoming resources or programs,or maybe anything else that we
should be on the lookout for?
Dr. Kate Ricciardi (32:14):
you for.
So I'm actually retoolingeverything.
Every spring.
I like to revamp what I've donefrom the year before.
So I'm looking to launch intosome more workshop courses, more
community-based things insteadof the one-to-one, so that
people don't feel like they arealone and there is a sense of
community.
So that's going to be somethings that are up and coming
(32:36):
for the new year.
Oh, fantastic, we'll be on thelookout for that, kate.
Jess K (32:42):
I think we'll join for sure.
We'll also make sure that, evenif it doesn't hit the timing of
this episode, that we'll stillmake sure our work-festive
community is aware of it too,when you do edit.
Claude (32:53):
Thank you so much for hanging out with us we really
loved all you had to say and forsharing your expertise and
insight and besties if you likedit, and I'm sure you all did
and are going to do.
Those little steps, you'regoing to see a big difference.
(33:14):
Don't forget to share and click,stay energized, stay connected
remember whether you're swappingsnacks in the break room,
rescuing each other from endlessmeetings or just sending that
perfectly timed meme.
Having a work bestie is likehaving your own personal hype
squad, so keep lifting eachother, laughing through through
(33:37):
the chaos and, of course,thriving.
Until next time, stay positive,stay productive and don't forget
to keep supporting each other.
Work besties.
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