Naturally Nourished

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 11: The HPA-axis: stress and your health

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis also known as “fight-or-flight” plays a dynamic role on the function of the body. When appropriately activated this stress response can aid in survival, but when over-activated, can lead to organ dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, metabolic disruptions, inflammation, and autoimmune reactivity. Ali will discuss each gland in this pathway and how it regulates your body’s health from body temperature to satiety, fluid retention, histamine reaction, and beyond! She will identify how this system of feedback functions and how a functional medicine practitioner addresses imbalance.

Beyond stress and survival response, you will learn how this axis when thrown off can lead to increased food sensitivities, digestive disturbances, and stubborn weight loss. All too often a client searching for a solution with ongoing health condition is picking at layers of the symptom rather than understanding that managing this axis can resolve many chronic conditions. You will learn about realistic approaches to assess and treat this axis to promote whole body health including amino acid support, dietary support, and lifestyle management.

Also covered in this episode:

• Adaptogen vs. Nervine herbs and how they work

• Tips to regulate stress response and harness reactivity

• Lab recommendations to assess adrenal fatigue and HPA-dysregulation

• The role of DHEA in hormonal balance and stress resilience

• The output hormones of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 10: Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is on the rise in America and often is deemed the primary precursor to diabetes. Learn about this important hormone and how it functions in the body as well as the role of excessive or inadequate insulin response. Ali will identify the primary causes of insulin resistance and help you navigate around them for optimal insulin and blood sugar response.

Beyond insulin, learn about the organs and hormones involved in blood sugar response including the liver, the pancreas, and the cellular response. Learn about the influence of unmanaged blood sugar levels and side effects of hyperinsulinemia which leads to hyperglycemia, and ultimately diabetic complications. Understand the role of micronutrients in your body’s insulin sensitivity and ability to use insulin in carbohydrate and glucose control. 

Also covered in this episode:

• The role of diet products and artificial sweeteners

• Ali’s take on stevia

• Dietary approaches to manage insulin resistance

• Supplement recommendations to aid in insulin response

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 09: Break up with Bacon?

The WHO (World Health Organization) recently classified processed meat, including bacon, as a class 1 carcinogen, which means that it is 100% confirmed to cause cancer. If you love bacon and do not want the love affair to end, you are in luck! Ali will discuss the study that was released and clarify what we really should take away from the findings.

Beyond bacon, Ali will explain the difference between a conventionally raised and grass fed or pasture raised protein, identifying the benefits and food-as-medicine qualities of a responsibly raised animal protein. Learn about what preservatives to avoid and how to choose the best meats available.

Also covered in this episode:
● Nitrites vs. Nitrates
● Antibiotics and hormones in the meat industry
● Food-as-medicine benefits of bacon
● Functional role of protein in the diet
● How much protein should you eat?

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 08: Get back into the Kitchen!

If you have ever struggled with cooking and don’t understand what the big fuss is all about, listen up! Episode #8 is all about making food-as-medicine a reality and getting back in control of your health via your diet.

Learn about how as a culture we have become accustomed to eating foods that are convenience based, changing our perspective of food entirely. Ali will discuss pros and cons of food preparation and challenge you to find ways to “surrender to the flow” of cooking!

Also covered in this episode:
● Ali’s favorite meals that can be made in 30 minutes or less
● Quality ingredients matter
● Grocery shopping techniques
● Simple cooking tips for restaurant quality taste!

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 07: Balanced Snacks

A lot of people have confusion about how much to eat for a snack, what to eat, and how often to eat. Many questions arise including: Is it necessary to snack? Why is snacking beneficial? In this episode Ali will be sure to answer all of your burning snack questions!

It is important to understand what happens in the body on a physiological level in order to make sense of why frequent eating is important. Ali will walk you through the chemistry of fasting and how the liver plays an integral role in maintaining blood sugar balance when we are not able to eat, like during sleep.

Also covered in this episode:
● Carb pairing for optimal metabolic response
● Appropriate calories for snacks vs meals
● Examples of balanced snacks for: pre-and post-workout, to fight stress, and to tame sugar cravings

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 06: Breast Cancer Prevention

Chances are you know at least someone close to you who has been diagnosed with breast cancer with a current rate of 5 out of every 40 women in the US. From prevention to treatment, what should women be eating? How can then heal faster or better yet, prevent the onset of cancer?

In this episode Ali will discuss lifestyle factors that drive breast cancer risk including endocrine disruptors found in cosmetics, lotions, plastics and more! Ali will discuss the dirty dozen list of produce items and how synthetic pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers can work as endocrine disruptors and drive toxicity in the body.

Ali’s expertise on this subject was utilized to develop a protocol for a National Institute of Health (NIH) five year stage 3 breast cancer research study at MD Anderson. Learn about her curriculum including the elements of didactic components and hands-on kitchen workshops and more!

Also covered in this episode:
● Estrogen receptor positive cancer
● Assessing hormonal imbalance
● Estrogen dominance
● Bioidentical vs. synthetic hormones
● How to support your immune system to fight cancer
● Detoxification

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 05: Three micronutrients you need in your diet and why!

Most people are familiar with the Macronutrients including: Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fat. But do you know about micronutrients and the millions of roles they play? In this Episode Ali will be discussing what micronutrients are and why they are important. Ali will highlight 3 specific micronutrients including Glutathione, Zinc and B12.

For each micronutrient, Ali will explain:
-The function in the body
-Common symptoms of depletion
-The best food sources

Beyond micronutrient information, Ali will elucidate how our food system has become so void in nutrients and how often we are overfed yet malnourished!

Also covered in this episode:
● How does one become deficient in micronutrients?
● How our food system has lost nutrient density through monocrops
● What supplements may be necessary to replete deficiency
● Food-as-Medicine support to enhance absorption and use

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 04: Conventional vs. Functional medicine approaches for disease treatment

Have you seen every kind of physician and specialist and still have not gotten results? Are you frustrated with medications with side effects and no ultimate resolution? If you have thought about seeing a functional medicine practitioner but do not quite understand how they differ from a conventional doctor, you must hear this podcast!

In this Episode, Ali will walk through 3 common imbalances including High Cholesterol, GERD or Reflux/Heartburn, and Depression and discusses:
-What the imbalance is on a biochemical/physiological level
-The typical treatment, shortcomings and common side effects
-The functional medicine approach to treatment including diet interventions, what labs to run, and suggested supplementation.

Also covered in this episode:
● Redefining cholesterol
● Inflammation
● Hypochlorhydria
● What is an SSRI? and how does it work
● Amino acid replacement therapy

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 03: Beyond optimal eating: A deeper look into functional foods

Once you have mastered the basic Optimal Eating tenants discussed in Episode #2, then you can start to learn the functionality of foods and how incorporating them can help ease symptoms, boost metabolism, and prevent disease!

In this episode, Ali will walk you through 3 important classes of functional foods including probiotics, sulfur-containing foods for detox, and leafy greens. For each food group Ali will identify:
– The mechanism of action in the body
– The best food sources
– How much is needed to consume to achieve beneficial outcomes

By the end of this episode, the phrase “food-as-medicine” will become much more real and food related decisions will start to have a greater purpose!

Also covered in this episode:
● The Microbiome
● Probiotics: Neurotransmitter balance and digestion
● Ali’s RRR Detox protocol and why detox is important
● Phytocompounds: what are they?

Naturally Nourished EPISODE 02: What is optimal eating?

Many people are overwhelmed with deciding what, how much, and how often to eat. With all of the mixed messages in the media, this confusion causes food related anxiety. In Episode #2 Ali and Carli discuss the foundations of a balanced diet and layout what they call the “optimal eating tenants” to help answer all of these questions.

Beyond what to eat, Ali explains WHY optimal eating is important to balance blood sugar levels and prevent sugar cravings and energy crash!

Also covered in this episode:

• What is a carbohydrate and how much should I be eating?
• What is a protein source and how much should I be eating?
• What is a fat and how much should I be eating?
• Carb pairing or “No Naked Carbs!”
• The importance of food frequency