The Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast

Mindful Eating and Yoga: Nourishing Body and Mind with Jessica Spackman RDN, RYT

February 21, 2024 Kerry Reller
Mindful Eating and Yoga: Nourishing Body and Mind with Jessica Spackman RDN, RYT
The Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast
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The Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast
Mindful Eating and Yoga: Nourishing Body and Mind with Jessica Spackman RDN, RYT
Feb 21, 2024
Kerry Reller

Welcome to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast with Dr. Kerry Reller! This week I am joined by Jessica Spackman to discuss about somatic healing, the detrimental effects of diet culture, and the importance of listening to one's body. 

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian and Yoga teacher specializing in Holistic Wellness and Somatic Nutrition Counseling. Virtually serving clients worldwide, she crafts personalized programs that foster improved relationships with food, alleviate anxiety around eating, and enhance overall medical outcomes. Jessica's expertise lies in guiding individuals to cultivate positive connections with food and their bodies, encouraging an intuitive approach to health decisions. She addresses nervous system dysregulation, emphasizing its impact on overall well-being. With a focus on eating disorders, mental health, food allergies/intolerances, and chronic health conditions, Jessica offers a holistic perspective that intertwines somatic healing and nutrition. Her approach provides a transformative path to lasting well-being, creating a harmonious balance between mind, body, and nourishment.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:54 Virtual Private Practice Overview
01:22 Somatic Healing and the Gut-Brain Connection
03:25 Incorporating Yoga and Mindfulness
04:05 Personal Journey to Nutrition and Mental Health 
06:47 Challenges of Dieting and Food Restriction
10:21 Approach to Food Allergies and Intolerances
11:32 Benefits of Yoga for Holistic Wellness
13:09 Navigating Misconceptions in Nutrition
14:06 Closing Remarks and Contact Information

Connect with Jessica
Email: jessica@mindfulnutritionrdn.com
Phone: 727-314-5292 
Instagram:  @the.yogi.nutritionist

Connect with Dr. Reller
My linktree: linktr.ee/kerryrellermd
Podcast website: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearwaterFamily
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearwaterfamilymedicine/
Clearwater Family Medicine and Allergy Website: https://sites.google.com/view/clearwaterallergy/home

Subscribe to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, iheartradio, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Pandora.

Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Welcome to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast with Dr. Kerry Reller! This week I am joined by Jessica Spackman to discuss about somatic healing, the detrimental effects of diet culture, and the importance of listening to one's body. 

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian and Yoga teacher specializing in Holistic Wellness and Somatic Nutrition Counseling. Virtually serving clients worldwide, she crafts personalized programs that foster improved relationships with food, alleviate anxiety around eating, and enhance overall medical outcomes. Jessica's expertise lies in guiding individuals to cultivate positive connections with food and their bodies, encouraging an intuitive approach to health decisions. She addresses nervous system dysregulation, emphasizing its impact on overall well-being. With a focus on eating disorders, mental health, food allergies/intolerances, and chronic health conditions, Jessica offers a holistic perspective that intertwines somatic healing and nutrition. Her approach provides a transformative path to lasting well-being, creating a harmonious balance between mind, body, and nourishment.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:54 Virtual Private Practice Overview
01:22 Somatic Healing and the Gut-Brain Connection
03:25 Incorporating Yoga and Mindfulness
04:05 Personal Journey to Nutrition and Mental Health 
06:47 Challenges of Dieting and Food Restriction
10:21 Approach to Food Allergies and Intolerances
11:32 Benefits of Yoga for Holistic Wellness
13:09 Navigating Misconceptions in Nutrition
14:06 Closing Remarks and Contact Information

Connect with Jessica
Email: jessica@mindfulnutritionrdn.com
Phone: 727-314-5292 
Instagram:  @the.yogi.nutritionist

Connect with Dr. Reller
My linktree: linktr.ee/kerryrellermd
Podcast website: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearwaterFamily
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearwaterfamilymedicine/
Clearwater Family Medicine and Allergy Website: https://sites.google.com/view/clearwaterallergy/home

Subscribe to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, iheartradio, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Pandora.

Kerry:

Alright. Hi, everybody. Welcome back to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay podcast. I'm your host, doctor Kerry Reller. And today, we have Jessica Spackman, who is a registered dietitian, nutrition, and I don't actually know what the r y what is the other

Jessica:

Registered registered yoga teacher.

Kerry:

teacher. Okay. That's what it is. R y t. Okay. Anyway now that they know a little bit about you, can you tell them a little more about who you are and what you do?

Jessica:

Yeah. So I have my own virtual private practice. I see people all over the country. And right now, I'm doing 1 on 1 consultations. I work mostly with people who struggle with their relationship with food, who maybe have, like, food allergies or intolerances, chronic diseases, wanting to just overall better their health. So that's what I do in my practice, and then I teach yoga in the community every once in awhile

Kerry:

So So the yoga is in person.

Jessica:

The yoga is in person but I use a lot of my yoga skills, the somatic skills in my work

Kerry:

Okay. Wanna just tell us a little bit about that?

Jessica:

Yeah. So have you heard about, like, somatic healing before?

Kerry:

I have, but you know, more detailed explanation is always helpful for me and listeners.

Jessica:

Yeah. So when it comes to the chronic diseases, especially with the gut and the brain, and I'm sure you probably see this all the time. Like, people come in and they're like, I have these stomach issues. No doctor can tell me what's going on. I've done all these tests. They just say it's like IBS, and just kinda leave me with, well, you're gonna wake up and have to run to the bathroom and that's just what it is. And what I find is that there's this huge connection between our nervous system and our physical health. And the way that stress impacts our physical health can cause stomach ulcers is 1 of, like, the biggest ones. I'm sure you probably see that very often. And just other chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases being turned on from a very stressful period in someone's life. When it comes to the eating disorders that fear of eating, people find that they get very nauseous when they eat. And a lot of that's related to anxiety and stress. So what I work on with my clients is I help them connect to their breath in order to regulate their nervous system. So to turn on that parasympathetic part of their brain to allow that rest and digest to happen. So some of the skills that we'll do are, like, some deep breathing, so taking a deep breath in through the nose. And then exhale, we're blowing out our breath. A lot of times, we're visualizing blowing out any of the nausea or the sickness or any stress or thoughts. So I incorporate a little bit of that into my nutrition counseling as a somatic component.

Kerry:

Yeah. I can definitely see how that is super helpful especially with your example with IBS or I guess, any anxiety provoking things. Like, I don't luckily, I don't see stress induced ulcers that often. So that is good. But it does exist. And I mean, what you know, said about like, there's a gut brain axis, which is so important. And I think that's kind of what you're saying that you're trying to heal. And I think that's a really important approach that people forget that the gut and the mind and everything, like, are really interrelated. I never heard of anyone using that in the, like, nutritional aspect. So it's a really neat and unique combination. well, how did you get into all of this in the first place?

Jessica:

Yeah. So I have my own healing journey with nutrition.

Kerry:

Okay.

Jessica:

so about 10 years ago, 16, 17 I ended up just having a lot of brain fog and stomach pains that doctors really couldn't tell me what was going on. So I started changing the way that I was eating and ended up clearing my brain fog and then also healing my stomach. And what I found was the reason why my stomach was hurting so much is I ended up having a gluten intolerance. So even though I had a celiac test and a gluten intolerance test, both of those came back negative. But once I removed gluten from my diet, it completely changed. And then I would try to introduce it back in every now and then, and I would get a really bad stomachache. So my journey started with just recognizing that food could heal the body and that a lot of the food that I was eating, especially in high school and at school, so, like, very high processed foods,

Kerry:

Yeah.

Jessica:

and just didn't wanna put that stuff in my body. So I ended up going to college for nutrition, learning more and more about it, and then ended up working in mental health facilities as 1 of my first jobs as a dietitian. So it it was like a Baker Act facility. So for those of who aren't familiar with that, it's basically like if someone is going to commit suicide or have, like, a mental health crisis or psychosis, they go to 1 of these facilities, and so I was the dietitian there. And pretty much, like, 90 percent of the people that I saw there ended up having undiagnosed eating disorders. So I became very intrigued with helping people heal from those eating disorders and decided to take a lot of those people on as clients in my own practice. So that was my own journey. And then it's interesting that we're having this meeting because once I started healing from the gluten intolerance, like, especially in America, a lot of people have this intolerance to gluten, and they say it's because there's, like, more pesticides on the foods, more processing of the wheat, and then people will go over to Europe and then not have that problem.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

something that I hear all the time from everyone that I'm around. And so after about 5 years of being very strict gluten free, I ended up being able to have gluten again. So I started introducing it back into my diet, and then I kind of overdid it. And now I'm at the point where my stomach's again reacting to it.

Kerry:

Mhmm. So you're taking it out again?

Jessica:

Yeah. Like, I I'll I take it out for, like, 2 weeks, and and I'll, like, introduce it, and I'm like, nope. I have to take it out again which isn't fun because I don't like being restrictive in anyway

Kerry:

Mhmm. Right.

Jessica:

If it helps you heal and not feel bad, then it's worth it.

Kerry:

Absolutely. So I've definitely heard like, when people go on their trip to Europe, not necessarily with the gluten intolerance comment, but they actually have weight loss even though they're eating, the same type of things that they would be eating here, like pasta and gelato or something like that. Yet I know they're probably maybe walking more because they walk more in Europe. But just because they aren't used to those and all super processed and refined grains probably in their pasta. Right? They're making it all from hand. So I find that interesting that you mentioned that as well, like, with gluten intolerance. And then did you say 90 percent of people in those psychiatric units are, like, undiagnosed with eating disorders. You say 90?

Jessica:

Yeah. From what I saw. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So many people have undiagnosed eating disorders.

Kerry:

Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, so are you referring to, like, anorexia bulimia or binge eating and night eating syndrome, or what would you

Jessica:

All the above. All the anorexia, bulimia, binge eating unspecified eating disorder,

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

ARFID.

Kerry:

ARFID. Yeah. That's what I was about to ask. Okay. Yeah. So well, ARFID is avoidant restrictive feeding disorder. Right?

Jessica:

Avoidant restrictive food intake

Kerry:

Food intake disorder. Thank you. I did wanted to make that clear in case our listeners don't know that. But so, yeah, I guess that's how you got into the a little bit more nailed down approach of helping out people with eating disorders as well. And then I'm assuming your food allergy intolerances niche came from your own experience a little bit too. Yeah.

Jessica:

Yeah.

Kerry:

Okay. Well, great. It's it's always nice to hear, like, person's journey into whatever their profession is. And it's often you know, there's a reason sometimes. So that's that's a really neat approach. So I guess, what are the so it's common misconceptions about dieting and food restriction that you kind of encounter in your practice?

Jessica:

Mhmm. Yeah. So a lot of times, I see people who when it comes to adults, when I see adults, a lot of times they have struggled with chronic dieting. So this type of yo yo dieting where they go on a diet, they lose, like, 20 pounds, it's not sustainable, and then they gain it back. And then after a couple years, they go back on another diet. And they constantly keep going back and forth, back and forth. I think this is something that a lot of people, especially a lot of adults, can relate to because it's very much our American culture. It's to go on a diet, lose weight, be good, eat the right foods, and it doesn't work. So the diet industry, the diet culture industry makes billions of dollars every single year, but it doesn't work. I don't know anyone who who has been on a diet who's like, yeah. This has worked, and I've felt happy, fulfilled, sustained, and it's lasted. I think that's 1 of the biggest misconceptions and probably, like, the biggest scam out there with nutrition is all these diet fads. And it's all to, you know, make money, prey on people's insecurities,

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

it doesn't have to be that way. So yes, that's 1 of, like, the biggest misconceptions that people think is, like, oh, I have to, like, restrict my food. I have to eat just salads in order to be healthy. And that's not the case at all.

Kerry:

Mhmm. I was listening to another podcast, and there was 1 CEO of a multimillion dollar diet company and another 1 kind of discussing what their methods were. And 1 CEO's approach is definitely not how to get people to come back. They wanted people to be healthy and heal. Whereas the other 1 was like, well, asking her, like, well, how do you how do you get people to come back? Like, what's the catch? So knowing that, you know their diet is clearly going to fail and they want to have them try again and again. So, there's totally that approach that it is really just the money making thing, and it's kind of scary. But people will pay anything, and it's sad sometimes to, you know, get the quick fix and things like that. And unfortunately, they are taken advantage of. So I agree with that. But how do you kind of overcome, like, fear and anxiety people might have over food or constant yo yo dieting or whatever approach that you how do you deal with that?

Jessica:

it's definitely a really challenging thing for people to overcome, and there's different levels to it. There's the non eating disorder where you're just kind of, like, in something that we call disordered eating, which a lot of people have or can relate to. You know, your relationship with food isn't the best. Maybe you go on diets. And then sometimes it kinda goes to that next level where it's like that eating disorder and that fear and anxiety is really ingrained in someone. And they're afraid that if they're eating consistently that they're gonna have weight gain or they're afraid that they're gonna binge. So a lot of the beginning parts of that treatment is a lot of, like, psychoeducation. So educating them on what an eating disorder is and educating that it is a mental illness. It's not a physical illness. It's very much something like anxiety or depression. And for whatever reason, the brain just like spirals down. And people feel like they lose control over their thoughts around food or they lose control with their relationship with food. So a lot of it's like educating and bringing awareness to those thoughts that are coming into the mind. Nourishing the body properly is a huge component then challenging those behaviors and thoughts through counseling. So I do a lot of, like, CBT, motivational interviewing in my practice,

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

then also having them work with a therapist who can even go deeper with that.

Kerry:

So what about how they approach, like, their food, though? Like, you're a dietitian. You're sounding like you do a lot of, like, psychiatry stuff,

Jessica:

Yeah.

Kerry:

great. I'm just, you know, pointing that out. Like, how do you approach the actual

Jessica:

The actual food. Yeah. So that would be part of the challenge. So a lot of times these people are afraid of, like, carbs or fats. So part of the food component is allowing the body to to eat the foods that it's craving.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

Right? So, for example a common thing that happens is this binge and restrict cycle where people don't eat all day, then they binge at night, or they avoid let's say they avoid pizza. And then when they have pizza, they eat, like, a whole large pizza, like a binge. And part of that is eating those foods on a consistent basis. Because if you eat pizza every single day, you're not gonna eat a whole box of pizza every single day. If you're nourishing the body with 3 meals, multiple snacks, eventually, your body is gonna say, oh, I'm not being restricted from food, so I don't need to binge as often.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

So do that. And then I also like to take into account, like, the functional components of nutrition. So recognizing that our bodies sometimes crave certain foods because we don't get enough of the vitamins and minerals that we need. And so we'll talk about, like, making sure we get dark leafy greens, fruits, veggies, whole grains your basic nutrition education to have a well balanced diet.

Kerry:

Mhmm. Can you give us an example of, like, your body craving something?

Jessica:

sometimes people will crave, like, salt and sweets. That's a pretty common thing. And sometimes it's just because you're not allowing yourself to have the the sweets and the salts, but it can also be an imbalance of not getting enough nutrients. So it's hard to say, like, what exact nutrient causes that.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

what I'd like to focus on are, like those dark leafy greens, the whole grains. Sometimes I'll toss in, like, a multivitamin. Zinc's a really popular supplement that people are using these days.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

So sometimes I'll recommend, a zinc supplement because some people are actually just deficient in that.

Kerry:

Yeah. But I don't usually test it. I did it recently on the patient. Sure enough, it was low. It's like, okay. Time to take a supplement. Yeah.

Jessica:

Yeah.

Kerry:

So I guess from that standpoint, like, the body creates something. What if you do you ever deal with anybody who kind of has an addiction to their salt or sugar?

Jessica:

Yeah. So okay. In the in the eating disorder world we're very much like there you can't be addicted to food because your body needs food. But there is a natural response of when our body gets fed, like sweets or food in general, it releases serotonin and dopamine because it's rewarding the body to because you're nourishing it. And so it's a natural response. And some people end up having a tendency to eat those foods more often. And a lot of times, whenever I see that happen and it's not that binge and restrict cycle because that restricting, there's a huge emotional component. And that emotional component is oftentimes when they were younger, they lived in, like, a chaotic family dynamic or they had trauma, and they learned to use food to cope with how they're feeling. And that carried on into their adult life, and then they come and see me, and then we have to dive through, like, 20 years of mental stuff, and then that's where we bring the therapist on as well to help with that. So a lot of times, the people who are craving those sugary foods and even after having consistency in their diet it's because of that emotional connection and that release of serotonin and dopamine and not having other coping skills.

Kerry:

Mhmm. So I will have to politely disagree with the food addiction comment because I do think there is such thing as food addiction. And with the downregulation of the you know, dopaminergic receptor like, neurons, Like there's, proven science behind that. And I don't think that the DSM criteria really include that or anything yet, but I do think it's gonna be coming down the way. So I do think I think food addiction can be real, but I totally agree with what you said, you know, kinda after that. So but I don't know where I'm going with that. But I think it's just an interesting perspective there. But yeah. So I think while it's important to pay attention of why someone is eating something and working through those emotional things because most of the people, when they're eating something, if it's not for true hunger, it's for something else. Right? It's for some emotional reason. And learning, they've had all those years of coping with eating it. Like, you know, good job on your test. Here's an ice cream cone. You know? Oh, man. You won the game. Here's an ice cream cone. Oh, here you lost the game. Here's an ice cream cone. There's always that same sense of you're using food for a reason where it's not necessarily for hunger and that we're all just used to that. So everybody gets used to enjoying and having that dopamine hit. So I do I do agree with that completely.

Jessica:

So I guess I I wanna ask you then with what you've seen with the addiction, is it the sugar being the addictive component and, like, lighting up parts of the brain?

Kerry:

Yeah. I mean, I would say sugar would be the most common that we would say that that people are get, I quote addicted to. Yeah. And, I mean, the medications even used for anti obesity like, the anti obesity medications often work on that addiction pathway, and that's why they work well is because they're literally targeting those neurons in the brain too. We can go on a whole another topic with that, but let's talk about more about, like, your kind of focusing. So you bring, like, mindfulness and yoga and create a healthier relationship with food. And how do you bring that into your practice with the breathing, but what about yoga and everything?

Jessica:

Yeah. So the yoga component is yoga's a really great way for just overall holistic wellness. So it targets our physical body. It targets our cardio, strength, balance, our breath, our mental health. So a lot of times when I'm virtual with clients, I don't get to do a lot of yoga with them, but we talk about it. We talk about how movement and exercise can be an enjoyable experience, and it doesn't have to be like a HIIT workout all the time. And a lot of the clients that I do work with, some of them struggle with, like, compulsive exercise.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

we can talk about how yoga can be a really great way to connect to the body instead of, like, trying to escape from the body. So we'll do that. And then a lot of, like, the breathing there's a couple yoga poses that I'll recommend too for, like, nausea that I've learned that they'll, yeah, they do them with, like, cancer patients who have looked at chronic nausea. So we'll talk about those, and I give them to my clients. I don't know if they help them as much because they'll be like, well, I mean, it helps in the moment, but then after it came back and I was like, well it's a practice. Like, you have to practice this all the time. In the morning, before bed, practice these breathing techniques because when we're just turning on the parasympathetic nervous system when we need it

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

helpful. But if we're constantly practicing being in that state, that's when a lot of times you're gonna see that transition

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

rest and digest mode.

Kerry:

Yeah. I actually think yoga is 1 of the best recommendations for if someone is, like, not doing any exercise at all. Sure. Get out and walk and move more. But I think the next thing I go to, like, for recommendation is yoga. And, usually, I'm just thinking of, like, if you're not doing any weightlifting, you can at least get body weight, you know, strengthening in core with those kind of movements. But sometimes I forget that the whole other point of it is the stress and practicing mindfulness while you're doing the breathing exercises as well that come along with yoga. So those are really good points. I think it's a good way to also kind of incorporate it with with the things that you're doing, especially for the the gut healing, which we kinda talked about earlier. But can you just tell me a little bit how you approach patients with food allergies as well? I'm sure we have a lot of allergy listeners. That's why.

Jessica:

Definitely. So allergies or intolerances or both. Do you you want me to touch on both of those?

Kerry:

you you can touch on both.

Jessica:

Okay. So when it comes to food allergies normally, that's something that someone already knows that they have because you can do some testing and determine that they have a food allergy. So when it comes to those, we just take the allergies out of the diet. Because, again, I mostly work with adults. Like, kids are a little bit different where their bodies are still changing. A lot of times, they can outgrow their allergies.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

But you can also grow into allergies too.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

So we we'll just take it out. So if it's nuts, you know, we'll remove nuts or soy. And I do a lot of education on, like, okay. Well, what products are gonna have, like, soy or nuts in them, how to check it out what alternative brands or products can we use in order to make it feel like you're not being restricted. Because I think that's 1 of the biggest things with allergies is being is having that feeling of being restricted.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

And I don't think that, especially in today's world, we don't need to have that sense of restriction because there's a substitute for everything out there.

Kerry:

So let me just bring up. We do a lot of allergy testing in our office, and people come in, you know, oh, I think I'm allergic to something. If they have something in particular, we will only do those things that they think they're allergic to by blood and skin test usually because the skin neither are good test. The best test is eating it. So we put those 2 together and then decide, you know, if it's safe to do a challenge or not. But the other thing is when they have no idea, we have to do a whole food panel. Right? So the whole food panel can just lead to more problems. Like so we try not to do that because then people, they may have a positive test, so they think they're allergic to it, and then they get anxious about it. And then they start doing more food restriction,

Jessica:

Mhmm.

Kerry:

which was completely unnecessary. So they're taking out, like, you know, shrimp and scallops and all of the crustacean foods when they didn't have to do that because the different proteins that there's only certain ones that they're actually allergic to. So it's really important, 1, to have proper testing. 2, if you didn't have a reaction when you ate it, you probably aren't allergic to it. But it could have been a mixture of things if there was a reaction. It could have been multiple things in 1 meal or setting. So always keeping that in mind. But then, having the ability to go to nutritionist or dietitian was really helpful as well to kind of fees out if someone had to remove all of these things from their diet, what can we bring back in? Right? So making sure they can get enough of whatever. Like, if soy is a pretty big 1 to have have to remove too, so that's important. So I think that's really helpful to make sure they can get, like, all the, you know, balanced diet still if they have to remove quite a few things from their diet. It can be hard, especially with kids

Jessica:

Right. Exactly. And like you said, those tests aren't very accurate at all. And I have had clients, like, come and they send me their blood work, and they're like, well, I'm allergic to this, this, this, and this. I'm like, well, you know, you probably aren't. And really the only way to find out is if if you're having symptoms. So if you're having bloating, stomach pain, you know, if you're getting hives, that's more like the allergy reaction, and it's

Kerry:

Right. So that's allergy. And when you're talking about the other ones, that's more of intolerances. So what you wanna talk about intolerances?

Jessica:

Yeah. So when you're having, like, those stomach issues and those intolerances when clients come to me, we talk about, like, yeah. They're very much could be something that you're eating that your body doesn't like. And there are a couple main things that we can target, like wheat, soy, sometimes nuts people can be intolerant to. Wheat's, like, 1 of the biggest ones that I see or, like, gluten. So we talk about those things, and I look at what they're eating in their day to day diet, and I oftentimes, will have them start to bring awareness to okay. Are you having any reaction? Dairy's, like, actually the number 1 in topics that I see. I've

Kerry:

Of course. Yeah. Lactose intolerance. I mean, most of the, I think, Caucasian population does not have the enzyme lactase to break down lactose. Right?

Jessica:

Yeah. 75 percent of the world is lactose intolerant. So, of course. We do, like, some education, and we talk of and I look at what they're eating. And then I can kind of, like, narrow it down to a couple of things that I think it might be. And the thing is with intolerances is if you eat a food you might not have a reaction right away. You might have that inflammation going on in your stomach that lasts, like, multiple days, and you think it's something else that's causing it. You think it's 5 different things because you're still in a state of bloating and inflammation in your stomach. But in reality, it could just be 1 thing that's causing that inflammation to last.

Kerry:

Mhmm.

Jessica:

So I don't like doing very restrictive diets. Normally, I kinda narrow it down to, like, a couple of things and say, okay. Let's let's try to remove this from the diet. See how you do for 6 weeks. Be super strict about it, and everything else, though, is fair game, and let's see how you do. And oftentimes, that way we don't have to go through this crazy, like, elimination diet. It's not very restrictive. And then you don't have that tendency or that chance of the brain switching into becoming like a disordered eating or eating disorder.

Kerry:

Yeah. Yeah. Definitely lots of anxiety and stress around intolerances and allergies. As for the listeners, the the allergy part is like an IgE reaction to the protein in the food, whereas the intolerances doesn't have that positive test on a lab work or anything. But just an important distinction. Any other comments on that allergy and tolerances or anything like that?

Jessica:

I think the other big thing would be just listening to your intuition. That's a huge thing, and that's my journey with it was I had multiple negative tests. People say that nothing was wrong with me and then ended up listening to my intuition and healing myself from it.

Kerry:

Yeah. I mean, we have a lot of new testing, like, with the gut microbiome and things like that. So it's interesting as that becomes a little more mainstream, though it's not right now and not always covered by insurance. But those things might help diagnose things easier too. But as far as what you're describing, I think, you know, some sort of elimination method is kind of needed and then bringing it back in to see what happens. Not for not for food allergy really, but for food intolerances. Yeah. Like, I mean, you don't wanna bring food allergy back in until you, you know, not till you know you don't have it. So, typically, we would do, repeat testing, food challenge, and stuff because kids definitely grow out of egg allergy, peanut allergy. They can grow out of these things, whereas, you know, adults typically don't. So and like you mentioned, you can have late onset allergy stuff too and develop new ones as as you are exposed to things.

Jessica:

Mhmm. And it can go away too. So if you have an intolerance and you remove it for a couple of years, try to bring it back into the diet, and you might be fine.

Kerry:

Mhmm. Yeah. I mean, I definitely think that's you know, a possibility, and certainly from your case, it worked out.

Jessica:

Yes. It worked out, but only a little bit. Yeah. Mhmm.

Kerry:

Oh, anything else you like to share with our audience, Jessica?

Jessica:

Nothing nothing that I can think of right now.

Kerry:

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming on. And how can people find you?

Jessica:

Yeah. So you can follow me on Instagram, the dot yogi dot nutritionist. That would be a really great way. It has links to my website, and then you can always DM me. And then my website is mindful nutrition r d n dot com.

Kerry:

Perfect. Okay. We'll put all that in the show notes, and thank you so much for coming on. This was a fun conversation. And everybody tune in next week. And if you need, you know, primary care, allergy or asthma, and obesity medicine you can call my office at 7 2 7 4 4 6 10 97. Alright. See you next week.

Jessica:

Yeah.

Introduction and Guest Background
Virtual Private Practice Overview
Somatic Healing and the Gut-Brain Connection
Incorporating Yoga and Mindfulness
Personal Journey to Nutrition and Mental Health
Challenges of Dieting and Food Restriction
Approach to Food Allergies and Intolerances
Benefits of Yoga for Holistic Wellness
Navigating Misconceptions in Nutrition
Closing Remarks and Contact Information