1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,550 Amin: Hello and welcome back to the Be Well, Do Well podcast. 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:05,520 Today I'm excited to have a conversation with our Wiseman. 3 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:13,139 She's a leading nutritional expert and aging well specialist, and has worked with thousands of clients dealing with health challenges for over 20 years. 4 00:00:13,755 --> 00:00:24,464 Ara is based in Toronto, has written, published three books, feed Your Body, feed Your Soul, the Healing Option, and A Smoother You and Teaches Nutrition at the Transformational Arts College. 5 00:00:24,795 --> 00:00:25,814 Welcome to the show, ARA. 6 00:00:26,980 --> 00:00:27,820 Ara W: Thank you so much. 7 00:00:27,820 --> 00:00:28,600 Thanks for having me. 8 00:00:29,142 --> 00:00:32,037 Amin A: So Ara, tell us a little bit about why you got into nutrition. 9 00:00:34,242 --> 00:00:40,852 Ara: So I grew up in Winnipeg in the seventies and back then, meat and dairy were essential for growing children. 10 00:00:41,272 --> 00:00:43,102 I never liked the taste of meat. 11 00:00:43,132 --> 00:00:48,292 I never liked dairy and would just kind of eat the potatoes and fruit. 12 00:00:49,097 --> 00:00:54,047 The sides, but I never liked the taste of that, and I never really liked the way it felt in my body. 13 00:00:54,497 --> 00:00:58,937 So back then I was considered a hippie or on the fringe because I was vegan. 14 00:00:59,587 --> 00:01:02,137 I ate differently and felt differently about food. 15 00:01:02,437 --> 00:01:06,337 So my brother would often jokingly say that I should go live on a commune. 16 00:01:06,337 --> 00:01:08,617 There weren't any health food stores back then. 17 00:01:09,277 --> 00:01:19,507 So I found like a bakery that had like super healthy bread and I would have like bread with banana sandwiches, toasted bread, banana sandwiches with honey and cinnamon and everything. 18 00:01:19,837 --> 00:01:29,257 And it was really nice and I kind of was very different back then, but I always inherently knew that food was medicine. 19 00:01:29,467 --> 00:01:35,467 And I remember back then too, my uncle, my elderly uncle who used to live with us, had gout. 20 00:01:36,157 --> 00:01:41,947 And gout back then was considered the rich man's disease because people couldn't afford meat. 21 00:01:42,397 --> 00:01:45,212 And meat is so heavily subsidized now, I. 22 00:01:45,387 --> 00:02:00,777 And I was able to help him, like I took the purines out of his diet and had him soak his feet in Epson salts and changed his diet, helped him with his gout, and just had a knack and an inherent ability to help people with their nutrition. 23 00:02:01,352 --> 00:02:01,472 I. 24 00:02:01,472 --> 00:02:15,482 I also remember too, watching family members dealing with like weight related health issues and struggling through different things and I always just knew that this was what I wanted to do and it just, like I said, it was just sort of innate. 25 00:02:15,512 --> 00:02:20,072 It was just something that came to me and I always knew that I was gonna do this for a living. 26 00:02:20,127 --> 00:02:20,697 Amin: Oh, that's amazing. 27 00:02:20,697 --> 00:02:26,717 I think your timing was perfect there because as you mentioned, you know, calling it vegan or vegetarian, and now it's referred to as plant-based. 28 00:02:27,047 --> 00:02:28,217 You see this everywhere. 29 00:02:28,247 --> 00:02:30,077 You see this in fast food restaurants. 30 00:02:30,077 --> 00:02:31,217 You see this on tv. 31 00:02:31,607 --> 00:02:33,947 There's so many things that are moving towards that. 32 00:02:33,982 --> 00:02:35,092 Plant-based lifestyle. 33 00:02:35,242 --> 00:02:38,392 I've even seen, funny enough, plant-based water, which made me laugh. 34 00:02:38,752 --> 00:02:41,002 Uh, gluten-free water, which made me laugh. 35 00:02:41,002 --> 00:02:45,442 And I don't know if the marketers were just playing with that and making it funny, but it's hilarious. 36 00:02:45,902 --> 00:02:54,062 you could tell us a little bit of why you think a plant-based diet is more healthy in general compared to a meat-based diet? 37 00:02:55,602 --> 00:03:01,602 Ara: So you want to eat food that is, is giving you something, not taking something from you. 38 00:03:02,082 --> 00:03:06,822 And the problem with meat is that meat primarily is fat per calorie. 39 00:03:07,122 --> 00:03:12,402 Doesn't have any fiber, doesn't have any, vitamin C is kind of lacking in nutrients. 40 00:03:12,772 --> 00:03:14,452 and to me. 41 00:03:14,957 --> 00:03:20,507 If you're eating more dark leafy greens and complex carbohydrates, you're getting a bigger bang for your buck. 42 00:03:21,017 --> 00:03:23,987 Meat really is hard on the system as well. 43 00:03:23,987 --> 00:03:34,427 It takes a lot of energy to digest it, and a lot of people eat too much of that, and then they end up having like their cholesterol gets higher, they have other issues. 44 00:03:34,817 --> 00:03:40,487 And the problem with that too is that most people are constipated and a lot of times. 45 00:03:40,522 --> 00:03:46,882 Like meat will putrefy, which is a horrible word, but it sits in the gut and it can cause a lot of damage. 46 00:03:47,302 --> 00:03:50,212 So meat is not a health food. 47 00:03:50,302 --> 00:03:51,772 Meat is more of a. 48 00:03:52,662 --> 00:03:54,462 I guess it's a taste that people have. 49 00:03:54,462 --> 00:04:03,762 I've never had that taste, so I don't know what that's like, but it's really, really not healthy for you in the sense that it's not giving you anything. 50 00:04:03,762 --> 00:04:05,232 It's actually taking from you. 51 00:04:05,892 --> 00:04:15,312 And I find a lot of people are really tired after, and my joke for that is on Thanksgiving when people are eating a lot of Turkey and turkey's high in tryptophan, so it would make sense. 52 00:04:15,732 --> 00:04:19,272 But I always picture somebody lying on the sofa with their pants undone, you know? 53 00:04:19,617 --> 00:04:31,677 Falling asleep and just being really fatigued from that meal because it's so much energy that your body needs to produce in order to metabolize, assimilate, and eliminate, you know that food? 54 00:04:31,962 --> 00:04:37,202 Amin: And I can definitely resonate with that because I'm vegetarian and I've been for more than 10 years now, probably about 15 years now. 55 00:04:37,472 --> 00:04:41,552 But I, I wasn't, before growing up, I used to eat meat every day. 56 00:04:41,612 --> 00:04:46,832 All three meals of my day consisted of some kind of meat, and majority of my plate was meat. 57 00:04:47,372 --> 00:04:51,002 Our kids have never had meat before, so they've been vegetarian since they were 58 00:04:51,007 --> 00:04:51,227 Ara W: Wow. 59 00:04:51,752 --> 00:04:52,472 Amin: not vegan. 60 00:04:52,487 --> 00:04:53,187 Ara: That's amazing. 61 00:04:53,292 --> 00:04:53,712 Amin: Yeah, 62 00:04:53,742 --> 00:04:55,302 and they don't have a taste for it. 63 00:04:55,302 --> 00:05:01,602 So sometimes we get, you know, a Beyond burger or something that simulated meat and they're like, nah, you know, doesn't do anything for me. 64 00:05:01,932 --> 00:05:09,882 But the question we get asked often, especially because it's not common amongst our circle for us to have kids that are vegetarian. 65 00:05:09,882 --> 00:05:12,942 I think we're the only ones that are vegetarian within our community. 66 00:05:13,512 --> 00:05:16,452 And people always say, well, why are you depriving them of protein? 67 00:05:16,967 --> 00:05:26,807 And that question makes me laugh and I, you know, I've done a little bit of research on that and I understand why, but what would you say to that when somebody says, well, where do you get your protein from as a, as somebody that has a primarily pet based diet? 68 00:05:28,382 --> 00:05:30,632 Ara: So I would say, where do you get your fiber from? 69 00:05:31,002 --> 00:05:44,382 To be quite honest with you and, and if you took a hundred calories of broccoli and you took a hundred calories of beef, chicken, or fish, the protein has more protein per calorie, whereas the beef, chicken, or fish has more fat per calorie. 70 00:05:44,712 --> 00:05:46,302 So even though meat has. 71 00:05:46,317 --> 00:05:47,007 Protein in it. 72 00:05:47,007 --> 00:05:56,217 The animals are getting the protein because they're eating the grass, hopefully, and not the grain, but they're eating grass and if they're grass fed and that's where they're getting their protein from. 73 00:05:56,217 --> 00:06:00,567 So it's a big misnomer that we need as much protein as we do. 74 00:06:00,567 --> 00:06:07,807 And when we think about aging well, which is something that I've, highly focused on, it's important to not. 75 00:06:07,807 --> 00:06:19,802 Put a lot of things in our body that cause a lot of stress, and to me, the meat causes a lot of stress, as I said earlier, but protein, you can get so much protein from so many foods, right? 76 00:06:19,802 --> 00:06:26,672 If you added up how much protein you're taking in during the day, as long as you're eating well, you're getting a lot of protein in everything. 77 00:06:26,672 --> 00:06:29,012 I mean, you could even get protein from the grass outside. 78 00:06:29,012 --> 00:06:32,642 Not that you would eat that, but you're getting a lot of protein in food. 79 00:06:32,642 --> 00:06:33,962 Protein isn't an issue. 80 00:06:34,382 --> 00:06:35,402 It's more. 81 00:06:35,717 --> 00:06:40,487 fiber, and it's more just eating well for your body in the stage that you're in. 82 00:06:40,947 --> 00:06:54,837 but that's, you know, your kids are much healthier as a result of the way that you're raising them because I really don't see any benefit to eating meat at all, you know, but I don't try and make my clients or the patients at the clinic. 83 00:06:55,182 --> 00:06:58,752 Vegan or plant-based, because I wouldn't have a practice if I did that. 84 00:06:59,082 --> 00:07:05,022 So what I do is I reduce the amount of animal protein that they're having to help them get healthier. 85 00:07:05,142 --> 00:07:06,852 And it's like an evolution, right? 86 00:07:07,152 --> 00:07:09,582 You know, we evolve into our food consciousness. 87 00:07:09,582 --> 00:07:15,672 We can't, you know, we can't just all of a sudden stop what we're doing because then we're unsure of what to have. 88 00:07:16,092 --> 00:07:20,952 So I do it very slowly with people, but I think that's wonderful that you're doing that. 89 00:07:21,182 --> 00:07:21,422 Amin: Yeah. 90 00:07:21,427 --> 00:07:21,842 Thank you. 91 00:07:21,847 --> 00:07:22,292 Thank you. 92 00:07:22,742 --> 00:07:26,882 watched a Netflix documentary, I think it was called Something Like You Are What You Eat. 93 00:07:27,597 --> 00:07:28,017 They took 94 00:07:28,117 --> 00:07:28,407 Ara: Yeah. 95 00:07:28,637 --> 00:07:28,927 Yeah. 96 00:07:29,127 --> 00:07:31,527 Amin: and they did a over, I don't know how long it was. 97 00:07:31,527 --> 00:07:43,977 There was 20 sets of twins and one twin would have a meat-based diet and one would have a vegetarian diet or vegan diet actually, and in the end they showed the difference and it was, I, I won't give it away, but it was actually stunning to see the end result of that. 98 00:07:44,457 --> 00:07:46,527 Something that I hear often is that. 99 00:07:46,977 --> 00:07:54,577 people say that they just don't like the taste of eating, you know, salads all day or having, you know, a, a breakfast shake in the morning or the green smoothies. 100 00:07:54,577 --> 00:08:01,347 Now, I know you have an interest in green smoothies, so tell us a little bit about the one that you developed, and how that came about. 101 00:08:01,347 --> 00:08:01,377 I. 102 00:08:02,637 --> 00:08:16,437 Ara: So I love healthy food and way back like, I guess it was in 2016, I got really ill from overworking and I was teaching at two colleges. 103 00:08:16,437 --> 00:08:18,027 I was working at a medical clinics. 104 00:08:18,567 --> 00:08:20,667 I was caring for my father in Vancouver. 105 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:22,167 I was flying back and forth. 106 00:08:22,592 --> 00:08:25,862 Looking after him and he since passed away. 107 00:08:25,862 --> 00:08:27,602 I was moving my mother to Toronto. 108 00:08:27,602 --> 00:08:36,872 She fell, broke her arm, like my schedule was insane and there was so much going on and I ended up in bed like for quite a while after that, just recovering. 109 00:08:37,262 --> 00:08:43,292 And I just remember lying in bed thinking, okay, I need to put something really healthy in my body. 110 00:08:43,772 --> 00:08:48,992 And I am a researcher and I'm kind of like a bit of a fanatic. 111 00:08:48,992 --> 00:08:50,342 When I look at ingredients. 112 00:08:50,342 --> 00:08:55,082 I always tell my clients that I'm the bear of bad news because I will find something wrong with things. 113 00:08:55,412 --> 00:08:57,932 It's just what I do because I research everything. 114 00:08:58,322 --> 00:09:01,652 So I developed daily greens, daily greens. 115 00:09:02,507 --> 00:09:06,587 Is a product that is high in like fruit. 116 00:09:06,587 --> 00:09:08,357 It has like fruit powders in it. 117 00:09:08,477 --> 00:09:13,907 Um, it has spirulina, it has barley grass juice powder, it has spinach powder. 118 00:09:14,237 --> 00:09:25,977 I even put amla in it because amla is very nourishing and high in nutrients and antioxidants, such as allergic acid and it has a lot of nutrients and everything, and. 119 00:09:26,487 --> 00:09:39,507 What I needed and what I found is that I needed something to go really deep within my cells and to replenish what I lost through like the stress and like just everything that I was going through at that time. 120 00:09:39,507 --> 00:09:41,757 You know, I felt overwhelmed and exhausted. 121 00:09:42,177 --> 00:09:48,507 So I started formulating it and then once I kind of had samples of it, I started drinking it. 122 00:09:48,537 --> 00:09:53,727 And I have to say, and it's not just because it's my product, but I feel really good on it. 123 00:09:54,097 --> 00:09:55,507 I feel really healthy. 124 00:09:55,597 --> 00:09:58,327 I have really good responses from people as well. 125 00:09:58,667 --> 00:10:02,507 it tastes like Kool-Aid, and I know that sounds crazy 'cause Kool-Aid is not healthy, 126 00:10:02,957 --> 00:10:04,757 It has no stevia in it. 127 00:10:04,762 --> 00:10:11,687 It's just like a pure product of just literally fruit, papaya, wild blueberry and things like that. 128 00:10:11,687 --> 00:10:13,067 And some greens. 129 00:10:13,502 --> 00:10:15,392 So I'm actually drinking it right now. 130 00:10:15,392 --> 00:10:17,222 I tend to drink out of a mason jar. 131 00:10:17,822 --> 00:10:25,262 I, I hydrate a lot because I do find it really helps and, I'm always drinking my greens and I really feel healthy on 132 00:10:25,312 --> 00:10:25,972 Amin: That's amazing. 133 00:10:26,012 --> 00:10:27,812 Ara: I, I know it's a clean product. 134 00:10:28,052 --> 00:10:40,442 Amin: I've had it and it definitely does taste sweet and it's almost a bit of a shock to the system because you have a sip of it and you're expecting it to have like an algae taste or broccoli taste or something like that, but it has this very pleasant, sweet taste. 135 00:10:40,447 --> 00:10:42,092 Amin A: So definitely like that about it. 136 00:10:42,962 --> 00:10:46,232 When it comes to burnout, how does the body mind connection work? 137 00:10:46,232 --> 00:10:49,172 How does what you eat affect how you feel? 138 00:10:49,322 --> 00:10:51,302 Because some people will say, well, burnout is just tired. 139 00:10:51,302 --> 00:10:51,782 Get over it. 140 00:10:51,787 --> 00:10:52,562 Have a coffee. 141 00:10:52,802 --> 00:10:53,972 You know, do, do that. 142 00:10:54,002 --> 00:10:58,682 But can you talk a little bit about the, the body mind connection from a nutrition standpoint? 143 00:10:59,635 --> 00:11:07,435 Ara W: So I look at it as we need to weather the storms that come our way and replenish what's lost through daily living. 144 00:11:07,495 --> 00:11:09,835 You know, I've noticed that with myself as I've aged. 145 00:11:10,090 --> 00:11:12,010 storms are gonna come our way, our parents. 146 00:11:12,290 --> 00:11:18,140 are gonna pass at certain points and things are gonna happen, but we need to replenish what's lost through daily living. 147 00:11:18,190 --> 00:11:26,950 And so for me it's about making sure that I've got all the nutrients that my body needs in order for my body to function really well. 148 00:11:27,370 --> 00:11:30,640 a nutrient deficiency in itself is a stress, right? 149 00:11:31,060 --> 00:11:41,590 So if you're low in B three or B six, or even folate, or even the mineral magnesium, what's gonna happen is that you're gonna feel maybe more depressed. 150 00:11:41,620 --> 00:11:48,730 You're gonna, your mood is gonna be affected by that, and it's really important that we nourish ourselves with what we're doing. 151 00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:52,190 We nourish ourselves with our self-care, self-care habits. 152 00:11:52,190 --> 00:11:58,640 We nourish ourselves with all the things that we're doing by eating really well and looking after ourselves. 153 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:05,180 And there is a gut brain connection, and they say that your gut is like your second brain. 154 00:12:05,865 --> 00:12:10,220 Because it's really important that we nourish ourselves and we keep our gut really healthy. 155 00:12:10,550 --> 00:12:14,360 There's something called dysbiosis and auto detoxification. 156 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:19,490 So as I was saying, a lot of people are constipated because they're dehydrated. 157 00:12:19,850 --> 00:12:22,580 They're eating foods that maybe aren't so good for them. 158 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,840 Anxiety can cause a lot of constipation as well, because when we're anxious. 159 00:12:27,325 --> 00:12:29,695 We're contracting and we're holding onto something. 160 00:12:30,205 --> 00:12:37,915 So it's really important to hydrate really well and to make sure that we're having like really good bowel movements every single day. 161 00:12:38,185 --> 00:12:43,795 Because if we can keep our gut really healthy, there's reflex points inside your gut as well. 162 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:50,515 So if you're impacted on one side, it can affect another part of your body, right? 163 00:12:50,925 --> 00:12:56,565 So it's really important that we look at what are we eating, what are we thinking? 164 00:12:56,775 --> 00:12:57,975 What are we doing? 165 00:12:58,305 --> 00:13:00,105 Are we in a good state? 166 00:13:00,110 --> 00:13:02,265 Are we in a negative mindset? 167 00:13:02,725 --> 00:13:04,370 And stress depletes us. 168 00:13:04,670 --> 00:13:17,630 So stress is gonna kind of deplete us more of our nutrients because we're using more things to deal with that saber-tooth tiger that we're supposed to go fight or whatever is going on in your life. 169 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:22,210 So it's really important that we get enough nutrient density in our food. 170 00:13:22,210 --> 00:13:32,620 Remember, our food is our medicine, and we need to make sure that what we're eating is chock full of nutrients and giving us something rather than taking something from us. 171 00:13:33,450 --> 00:13:34,080 Amin A: That's wonderful. 172 00:13:34,260 --> 00:13:35,495 There's, great advice there. 173 00:13:35,825 --> 00:13:38,255 We have a lot of listeners that are entrepreneurs. 174 00:13:38,255 --> 00:13:41,205 parents, they have kids, they have, parents of their own. 175 00:13:41,475 --> 00:13:43,700 And they're in that sandwich generation where they're just really busy 176 00:13:43,905 --> 00:13:45,525 and they feel like they're stretched thin. 177 00:13:46,185 --> 00:13:49,375 Now, what advice would you give for something. 178 00:13:49,865 --> 00:13:51,305 Simple and easy. 179 00:13:51,365 --> 00:14:00,425 Simple is not always easy, but something simple and easy that, that they can do to get started in this journey towards more wellness within their body and their mind. 180 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:06,040 Ara W: So, I mean, I know it sounds really simple, but I will give you simple ideas. 181 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:14,680 Like you could hydrate better, you know, you could focus on proper hydration and adding, you know, not to, just, not, not just my product. 182 00:14:14,685 --> 00:14:18,585 But adding some greens to it to get that extra bang for your buck. 183 00:14:18,645 --> 00:14:20,715 You know, grasses are really good for us. 184 00:14:21,165 --> 00:14:28,545 Um, I would also say eating lots of dark leafy greens, and I know that I'm kind of known for that, but it's eating like dark leafy greens. 185 00:14:28,545 --> 00:14:29,265 They're so good for you. 186 00:14:29,265 --> 00:14:30,315 They're high in folate. 187 00:14:30,885 --> 00:14:32,685 Folate comes from the word foliage. 188 00:14:32,685 --> 00:14:39,765 So when we're eating a lot of dark leafy greens, we're getting all that foliage, you know, that's really important, not overeating. 189 00:14:40,180 --> 00:14:45,940 And you know, when you're at a meal and making sure that you're eating well and eating the right amount for your body. 190 00:14:46,390 --> 00:14:53,440 But also the reason we tend to overeat is because the food that we're overeating is so calorie dense. 191 00:14:53,830 --> 00:15:07,450 So I look at it as like, look at more nutrient dense foods, foods that have fiber and nutrients and, you know, a lot of really health nutrients inside our body that are gonna really help our body feel better 192 00:15:07,790 --> 00:15:08,540 So it's making. 193 00:15:09,545 --> 00:15:14,915 That energy count, like I always think if my body's gonna produce energy, I want it to count. 194 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:16,745 I wanna get something from that. 195 00:15:17,165 --> 00:15:20,015 So sleeping really well is a big one too. 196 00:15:20,015 --> 00:15:24,245 And I know that a lot of entrepreneurs and people in general have trouble sleeping. 197 00:15:25,065 --> 00:15:31,935 So it's watching caffeine too, because a lot of times caffeine can have a 10 hour shelf life in your body. 198 00:15:32,385 --> 00:15:39,255 So if you're drinking coffee late in the afternoon, you're a dehydrating yourself, and B, you're keeping yourself awake at night. 199 00:15:39,705 --> 00:15:40,005 So. 200 00:15:41,235 --> 00:15:42,345 I look at it like this. 201 00:15:42,345 --> 00:15:47,535 So we have hormones that are in our body and we have cortisol that comes out of our adrenal glands. 202 00:15:47,985 --> 00:15:52,275 And cortisol is like always the one that gets the most blame for things. 203 00:15:52,275 --> 00:16:03,570 But we do need cortisol because cortisol gives us that get up and go in the morning where we're bounding outta bed, excited about our day, Supposedly, and then it's supposed to decline by three to five. 204 00:16:03,570 --> 00:16:17,685 It kind of goes down and I always say I would like to instill that siesta that they have in Europe because it's a good time to kind of rest a little bit, hydrate really well, and then it's supposed to go down by 90% when we enter through the door at the end of our day. 205 00:16:18,145 --> 00:16:25,825 The problem is though we've got emails, we've got work to do, we've got a lot going on, and as you said, families and sandwich generation. 206 00:16:26,125 --> 00:16:28,705 I think the secret to success is nourishing. 207 00:16:28,945 --> 00:16:30,865 Nourishing yourself while you're going through things. 208 00:16:32,365 --> 00:16:36,535 And looking after yourself so that you don't come out the other end of it. 209 00:16:36,985 --> 00:16:39,775 Worse for, you know, like in a, in a bad place. 210 00:16:39,775 --> 00:16:47,815 And I remember when I was writing Feed Your Body, I remember going to like Montreal with my daughter because she was, she ended up at McGill, when she was a lot younger. 211 00:16:47,820 --> 00:16:54,955 But I remember going there, we went to someone's house for dinner and the woman was in a really bad situation and I felt really bad for her. 212 00:16:55,255 --> 00:16:58,825 But she was sitting at the end of the table drinking Coca-Cola and smoking cigarettes. 213 00:16:59,585 --> 00:17:04,535 And I'm kind of like, you know, you're just digging yourself in deeper, like easier said than done. 214 00:17:04,535 --> 00:17:07,715 I'm not in her shoes, I'm not going through what she went through. 215 00:17:08,135 --> 00:17:11,255 But when my father was in the hospital, I took the stairs. 216 00:17:11,955 --> 00:17:16,035 I had eye cream with me because every time I cried I'd want to not have wrinkles. 217 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:17,475 So I put eye cream on and I. 218 00:17:17,865 --> 00:17:21,135 Ate really healthfully and I went and did things for myself. 219 00:17:21,135 --> 00:17:22,455 I went to a yoga class. 220 00:17:22,455 --> 00:17:23,865 I went shopping. 221 00:17:23,865 --> 00:17:26,175 I went and got really healthy smoothies. 222 00:17:26,475 --> 00:17:35,085 I did things to nourish myself, and I went and had acupuncture while I was going through all of that, so that I still came out the other end and I still had residue from it. 223 00:17:35,145 --> 00:17:45,225 We're always gonna have that, but I was able to get back on track really easily because I didn't fall for so far off of it that I dug myself in deeper and. 224 00:17:45,660 --> 00:17:49,800 You know, was, was worse for where afterwards, so to speak. 225 00:17:49,855 --> 00:17:50,185 Amin A: Yeah. 226 00:17:50,245 --> 00:17:50,455 Yeah. 227 00:17:50,485 --> 00:17:55,315 So I'm hearing, you know, a lot of small changes, small steps, you know, literally taking the stairs, right? 228 00:17:55,315 --> 00:17:56,215 Small steps there. 229 00:17:56,515 --> 00:17:57,745 Keeping a water bottle nearby. 230 00:17:57,745 --> 00:17:58,645 So you're hydrated 231 00:17:59,305 --> 00:17:59,575 now. 232 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:00,510 Ara W: absolutely. 233 00:18:00,665 --> 00:18:05,655 Amin A: food is something that, you're passionate about as well with all the delicious looking recipes on your website. 234 00:18:06,285 --> 00:18:14,415 do you think it makes sense to have a bigger breakfast and kind of taper down towards the end of the day, or do you have a smaller breakfast and have a bigger meal at the end of your day? 235 00:18:14,445 --> 00:18:16,665 Which, which is your preference? 236 00:18:17,940 --> 00:18:21,880 Ara W: So I find like I see so many people, everyone's different. 237 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:28,420 Some people wake up in the morning and they're not hungry, and it could very well be, they're just not morning people and they're not hungry in the morning. 238 00:18:28,420 --> 00:18:29,710 They like having their coffee. 239 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:36,110 I think that having a big glass of water with some greens in it, or just water with lemon is really a good way to start your day. 240 00:18:36,420 --> 00:18:46,230 but some people don't eat breakfast and it could be that they're constipated and they've eaten so much the day before and they haven't had a proper bowel movement and therefore they're not hungry in the morning. 241 00:18:46,570 --> 00:18:50,890 I would say, to answer your question, that I think lunch should be your bigger meal. 242 00:18:51,575 --> 00:19:04,415 If you can, but then having that said as well, you know, if you're at work and you need energy and your food's a bit heavy, it may cause a bit of fatigue depending on your digestive system, depending on how much fat is in the meal. 243 00:19:04,865 --> 00:19:11,155 So I think the answer to that would be going with who you are and what works best for you, 244 00:19:11,635 --> 00:19:21,895 Consistency is really the key as well, because if people are skipping breakfast, they may, you know, be having more food later in the day just to kind of get the caloric intake that they need. 245 00:19:22,355 --> 00:19:36,515 I really think it's more personal, but I do think that stopping to eat and letting your body fast from whether that's seven or eight or nine o'clock at night, depending on your schedule until the next day, is a really good opportunity. 246 00:19:36,785 --> 00:19:42,365 To kind of fast a little bit, let your body process it will be better for your sleep. 247 00:19:42,365 --> 00:19:48,275 You'll sleep more soundly, you'll have a better, it's, it's just so much healthier for you, but hydrating at the same time. 248 00:19:48,290 --> 00:19:49,045 Amin A: Okay, awesome. 249 00:19:49,045 --> 00:19:49,855 I was gonna ask about, 250 00:19:49,855 --> 00:19:50,965 uh, intermittent fasting. 251 00:19:50,965 --> 00:19:52,105 What, what are your thoughts on that? 252 00:19:53,395 --> 00:20:00,535 Ara W: So I think intermittent fasting is good if you are not stressed, because when you're stressed, your body's gonna pump out adrenaline. 253 00:20:00,985 --> 00:20:05,155 And adrenaline is really harsh and cor, like it's corrosive in your body, right? 254 00:20:05,545 --> 00:20:08,305 So I think it depends again on your stress level. 255 00:20:08,305 --> 00:20:17,725 I think it depends on your toxicity level because if you have a lot of toxins stored in your fatty tissue and your fasting, they could come out and cause a headache. 256 00:20:18,085 --> 00:20:22,030 I also don't agree with having coffee and I. 257 00:20:22,510 --> 00:20:29,560 Sort of intermittent fasting, but as I tell my students, don't take away someone's coffee experience because they're never gonna come back. 258 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:37,270 So I think having your coffee in the morning, if that's your thing and it, you really look forward to it and it's part of your day. 259 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:40,940 Fine, but, make sure you hydrate as well. 260 00:20:40,940 --> 00:20:43,390 But I think intermittent fasting can be very helpful. 261 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:45,320 and there's different ways to do it, right? 262 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:52,580 You could start off by maybe having that fast from like seven or eight o'clock at night until the next day, you know, whatever works for you. 263 00:20:52,580 --> 00:20:54,140 You could also maybe have two meals a day. 264 00:20:54,955 --> 00:21:07,745 But again, if you're really stressed and you're in a high stress situation or you're going through something, I think smaller meals more often is helpful, to keep the adrenaline from coursing through your body and causing damage. 265 00:21:07,745 --> 00:21:08,195 Right. 266 00:21:08,375 --> 00:21:10,767 We're gonna run on something I'd rather run on nutrients. 267 00:21:11,097 --> 00:21:11,457 Yeah. 268 00:21:11,507 --> 00:21:17,987 it's just from my experience, right, because like I said, I see so many people and everyone has a unique way of. 269 00:21:18,767 --> 00:21:20,387 You know, their lifestyle. 270 00:21:20,417 --> 00:21:26,297 Um, you know, just there's so many factors that, you know, are really real for people. 271 00:21:27,257 --> 00:21:28,457 So, yeah. 272 00:21:28,532 --> 00:21:28,772 Amin A: great. 273 00:21:28,772 --> 00:21:29,072 That's great. 274 00:21:29,072 --> 00:21:31,012 I like your approach because it's flexible. 275 00:21:31,072 --> 00:21:31,822 It's not rigid. 276 00:21:31,827 --> 00:21:36,412 It's not fixed in one way where you have to have a big breakfast and no dinner or intermittent fasting. 277 00:21:36,412 --> 00:21:42,172 So speaking of dinner, do you have a favorite recipe or a favorite dish that you like to have for dinner? 278 00:21:43,687 --> 00:21:46,777 Ara W: So I've been obsessing over steamed broccoli right now. 279 00:21:46,777 --> 00:21:49,297 I don't know why, like, my body's just craving it. 280 00:21:49,597 --> 00:21:54,817 I made a really healthy vegetable soup yesterday, like with, I'm really into celery root too. 281 00:21:55,342 --> 00:21:59,572 I buy celery root and it, it has such a nice flavor, so I put that into my soup. 282 00:21:59,572 --> 00:22:01,852 I made a delicious vegetable soup yesterday. 283 00:22:02,302 --> 00:22:05,632 Um, I would say I like buckwheat SOA noodles. 284 00:22:05,632 --> 00:22:12,442 I like, um, I like having like a lot of dark leafy greens and I know I say that often, I really feel good on that. 285 00:22:12,532 --> 00:22:14,302 And salad may not be the only way. 286 00:22:14,302 --> 00:22:17,602 Like another way to do that is to make your dinner. 287 00:22:18,077 --> 00:22:19,157 Whatever that is. 288 00:22:19,157 --> 00:22:28,067 And throw a handful of organic baby spinach washed at the bottom of your bowl and then throw your dinner on top of it, and then at least you're getting some greens in it. 289 00:22:28,072 --> 00:22:33,077 Or add some dark leafy greens to your meal, like if you're making a stew or something like that. 290 00:22:33,537 --> 00:22:36,747 but I love, like I'm obsessing over broccoli right now. 291 00:22:36,807 --> 00:22:38,187 I have no idea why. 292 00:22:38,987 --> 00:22:40,607 But I've just been eating a lot of that. 293 00:22:40,707 --> 00:22:49,167 but again, like tonight, for instance, I'm gonna make buckwheat soa noodles with, you know, some steamed broccoli and some peas, and a really nice sauce with it. 294 00:22:49,217 --> 00:22:53,477 it's become one of our favorites, so I'm probably gonna have that tonight. 295 00:22:53,527 --> 00:22:59,107 and then I also love having, you know, lots of water and I make really healthy teas in the evening as 296 00:22:59,317 --> 00:22:59,887 Amin A: Okay. 297 00:22:59,947 --> 00:23:00,157 Okay. 298 00:23:00,157 --> 00:23:00,937 That sounds wonderful. 299 00:23:00,942 --> 00:23:02,587 Funny thing about broccoli is, 300 00:23:02,917 --> 00:23:18,122 I remember when I was starting the journey into becoming vegetarian or having a plant-based diet, and I would mostly eat, Vegetarian food and then occasionally, like once a week, once every other week, once a month I would just go and have a burger or something. 301 00:23:18,302 --> 00:23:18,962 Something meat. 302 00:23:20,132 --> 00:23:21,212 I remember this specifically. 303 00:23:21,212 --> 00:23:26,332 I was at a wedding, and at a wedding they had this long line of, a buffet where they have the roast beef at the very end. 304 00:23:26,932 --> 00:23:29,392 And right before the roast beef, they had all the vegetarian stuff. 305 00:23:29,782 --> 00:23:33,922 And so I was going through and I could see the roast beef, I could smell it, and I was like, oh, that smells really good. 306 00:23:34,162 --> 00:23:38,992 But then they had this big, you know, container of steamed broccoli and it looked really good. 307 00:23:39,232 --> 00:23:45,772 And I remember looking back and forth between the broccoli and the, and the roast beef and thinking, I actually prefer to have the broccoli today. 308 00:23:45,952 --> 00:23:47,482 And that was the point at which it. 309 00:23:47,677 --> 00:23:49,207 There was really no turning back after that. 310 00:23:49,207 --> 00:23:53,137 I was like, okay, you know, I don't really need the roast beef even though it looks delicious. 311 00:23:53,137 --> 00:23:54,037 It smells delicious. 312 00:23:54,307 --> 00:23:58,612 I don't really need it, but the broccoli just looks so good and I remember, thinking, okay, this is it. 313 00:23:58,642 --> 00:23:59,362 I'm vegetarian now. 314 00:24:01,312 --> 00:24:01,612 Yeah. 315 00:24:01,747 --> 00:24:15,187 Ara W: wonderful to hear that though, because it does take people quite a while to, you know, especially if you're used to that smell, like if that smell appeals to you, like I don't have that taste or smell for it because I never liked it. 316 00:24:15,187 --> 00:24:24,247 So I get it though, and I feel like that's a really good pivotal point for you where you just realized at that point you don't need to have the roast beef. 317 00:24:25,012 --> 00:24:28,612 You are gonna feel so much healthier from the broccoli and it's gonna be lighter for you too. 318 00:24:28,612 --> 00:24:35,662 Like you're gonna walk away from that meal without that heaviness and yeah, 'cause meat is quite heavy, right? 319 00:24:35,662 --> 00:24:41,782 And unfortunately, you know, meat, like the way that they produce it now is very unhealthy. 320 00:24:42,352 --> 00:24:45,952 For the animals specifically, but also what they're injecting them with. 321 00:24:45,952 --> 00:24:47,182 Like, it's a horrible thing. 322 00:24:47,182 --> 00:24:56,262 So I kind of feel like if less people ate it, then those poor animals could, you know, 'cause they're sentient beings and they feel pain. 323 00:24:56,267 --> 00:24:58,602 Like they know when their friends are being slaughtered. 324 00:24:58,602 --> 00:25:04,272 And I don't know, I just, I'm very empathic so I can actually feel the pain. 325 00:25:04,332 --> 00:25:06,672 And, and that's, I find it very difficult, 326 00:25:06,807 --> 00:25:07,227 Amin A: Right. 327 00:25:07,317 --> 00:25:07,497 Yeah. 328 00:25:07,497 --> 00:25:07,707 that. 329 00:25:07,707 --> 00:25:12,207 Netflix show, the Netflix show I mentioned earlier, they definitely talk a lot about that. 330 00:25:12,567 --> 00:25:23,637 And just getting back to your comment about feeling better when I'm, I remember when I did have a week or two or three or four of just plant-based diet, no meat at all, and that that was the beginning of entirely no meat. 331 00:25:23,967 --> 00:25:24,987 I remember I was sleeping. 332 00:25:25,307 --> 00:25:27,317 Less, but I felt more rested. 333 00:25:27,767 --> 00:25:28,187 I had more 334 00:25:28,187 --> 00:25:28,967 mental clarity. 335 00:25:28,967 --> 00:25:31,667 And those were the two things that surprised me a little bit. 336 00:25:31,667 --> 00:25:34,577 I knew that that was a side effect, but just not how much I would feel it. 337 00:25:34,877 --> 00:25:39,827 I remember getting up in the morning and being wide awake and not feeling groggy, not having to like pull myself outta bed. 338 00:25:39,977 --> 00:25:43,007 And I also remember being able to think a lot more clearly. 339 00:25:43,587 --> 00:25:46,257 and that was the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey as well. 340 00:25:46,287 --> 00:25:52,167 And so having those two connected together where I had more time, more energy was, it was almost like a magic pill. 341 00:25:52,227 --> 00:25:52,557 Right? 342 00:25:53,247 --> 00:25:53,877 That was great. 343 00:25:54,022 --> 00:26:04,692 Ara W: Yeah, and I do believe too, and I don't know, there's no scientific proof for this, so I don't mention this to too many people, but I feel like we pick up the adrenaline that the animal feels before they're slaughtered. 344 00:26:04,697 --> 00:26:07,182 Like again, I have no scientific proof. 345 00:26:07,182 --> 00:26:08,117 I'm not gonna, I. 346 00:26:08,117 --> 00:26:09,762 Put that in a book or something like that. 347 00:26:09,762 --> 00:26:16,692 But I just really feel that, you know, we're taking on like I feel like animal protein makes you very aggressive. 348 00:26:16,692 --> 00:26:27,372 And I remember when I was teaching one of my courses, and I tell all the patients at the clinic this, that animals revenge from the grave is cholesterol because they leave a little bit of themselves inside you every time. 349 00:26:27,372 --> 00:26:28,332 And it's very true, like. 350 00:26:28,862 --> 00:26:31,082 People get really sick from eating that. 351 00:26:31,142 --> 00:26:41,102 And I think it's because, again, there's no fiber, there's no vitamin C, there's no nutrients, there's growth hormone, there's, you know, it's not a healthy approach. 352 00:26:41,102 --> 00:26:42,837 Like it's not giving you anything. 353 00:26:42,842 --> 00:26:47,697 It's taking from you and it's taking a lot of energy and I feel like. 354 00:26:48,337 --> 00:26:56,287 Oftentimes what happens to some patients, not all of them, but most of them, is that once they kind of, I always say it's the point of no return. 355 00:26:56,767 --> 00:26:59,497 They will all of a sudden think, okay, I feel like a burger. 356 00:26:59,527 --> 00:27:06,187 And they eat a burger and they feel awful after, and they come back to see me and they're like, you know, I thought I really wanted it. 357 00:27:06,187 --> 00:27:06,907 I had it. 358 00:27:07,147 --> 00:27:08,707 I felt horrible afterwards. 359 00:27:08,707 --> 00:27:10,387 And I'm like, congratulations. 360 00:27:10,717 --> 00:27:14,467 'cause now you're at that point of no return where you know it's not good for you and. 361 00:27:14,972 --> 00:27:15,782 You could feel it. 362 00:27:15,782 --> 00:27:19,052 Your body's kind of basically saying that it's, it's not healthy. 363 00:27:19,712 --> 00:27:28,232 You do have more clarity though, like I do find fasting, but you can fast with food, like you can do different cleanses and things like that, 364 00:27:28,652 --> 00:27:36,032 It increases your spiritual awareness and it does give you a lot more clarity and it does give you a calm, like a sense of calm. 365 00:27:36,122 --> 00:27:46,112 I can't explain it, but it is really nice when you kind of lighten your load a little bit and eat right for your body, but allow your body those times where. 366 00:27:46,512 --> 00:27:56,502 It doesn't have to focus on digestion all the time, but again, fasting or cleansing with food for where you're at, not, it's not for everybody. 367 00:27:56,502 --> 00:28:00,942 And it's, it doesn't have to be like an aggressive approach. 368 00:28:00,947 --> 00:28:11,832 It can be a very gentle approach where you just kind of have one day per week where maybe you're having fruit in the morning for the morning, and then maybe at lunchtime you have like a really healthy vegetable soup. 369 00:28:12,322 --> 00:28:14,117 and that's like a good way to start, you know? 370 00:28:14,117 --> 00:28:19,522 And then you're not really Eating things that are causing your body to have a lot of stress, energy wise. 371 00:28:19,522 --> 00:28:33,212 And you can kind of just start doing it that way so that if you do get a headache or if you do start to feel unwell, you could always go back to eating something healthfully that will kind of stop that process from happening, that catabolic process in your body. 372 00:28:33,767 --> 00:28:38,927 Because oftentimes people have so many toxins in their fatty tissue, and you have to do things properly. 373 00:28:38,927 --> 00:28:45,707 Like you can't just all of a sudden suggest to somebody that they fast, because that may not be right for them at the stage that they're in. 374 00:28:45,707 --> 00:28:51,532 And it's just learning how to, navigate your body and understand what your body's trying to tell you. 375 00:28:51,532 --> 00:28:53,512 And when you clear away all that clutter. 376 00:28:54,457 --> 00:28:54,937 You. 377 00:28:54,937 --> 00:28:56,557 You can hear what your body's saying 378 00:28:57,007 --> 00:28:58,477 and it kind of gives you messages. 379 00:28:58,477 --> 00:28:58,927 Right. 380 00:28:58,957 --> 00:29:02,797 But it's hard to get to that point when you're always stuffing something in it. 381 00:29:03,262 --> 00:29:03,652 Amin A: that's right. 382 00:29:04,192 --> 00:29:09,332 So, one question I like to end this conversation with is what's got you excited right now? 383 00:29:09,332 --> 00:29:12,312 What are you working on that just has you fired up and excited? 384 00:29:12,312 --> 00:29:13,782 Like you said, you jump outta bed, right? 385 00:29:13,782 --> 00:29:16,362 So what, what is it that gets you out of bed? 386 00:29:16,362 --> 00:29:16,422 I. 387 00:29:17,502 --> 00:29:19,932 Ara W: So I feel really blessed to be doing what I'm doing. 388 00:29:19,982 --> 00:29:28,562 I feel like I've always wanted to be in the helping profession and I feel that I'm able to help people, which makes me feel really good and, obviously them as well. 389 00:29:29,412 --> 00:29:31,662 I'm rewriting Feed Your Body, feed Your Soul. 390 00:29:31,662 --> 00:29:37,152 It's gonna be a 10th anniversary edition and I'm actually looking for a literary agent right now. 391 00:29:37,857 --> 00:29:39,207 I wanna get this one published. 392 00:29:39,207 --> 00:29:41,127 I self-published my other books. 393 00:29:41,557 --> 00:29:43,147 that's really exciting for me. 394 00:29:43,147 --> 00:29:45,907 I also have four more products that I'm formulating. 395 00:29:46,477 --> 00:29:49,347 One of them is already At the lab and I have three more. 396 00:29:49,347 --> 00:29:53,822 So by the end of this year, I hope to have, another four products. 397 00:29:54,637 --> 00:29:56,437 On my, our essentials. 398 00:29:56,857 --> 00:29:58,597 So I'm really excited about that. 399 00:29:58,597 --> 00:29:59,497 I love doing it. 400 00:29:59,497 --> 00:30:02,797 It's my way to be creative and, and writing too. 401 00:30:02,857 --> 00:30:04,057 Writing is my passion. 402 00:30:04,057 --> 00:30:13,922 So I think having the opportunity to rewrite my book, like, and just expanding certain chapters on it, especially aging well and you know, and just. 403 00:30:15,312 --> 00:30:16,662 Focusing on things like that. 404 00:30:16,662 --> 00:30:21,552 I am getting up in my age as well, which is a real blessing and I see it as a privilege. 405 00:30:21,972 --> 00:30:36,012 I'm definitely close to the end of my fifties, so aging well is something that I'm very focused on from the inside out and looking after ourselves and, and yeah, and it's, it's all, you know, really amazing. 406 00:30:36,012 --> 00:30:37,332 And I just wanna say one thing. 407 00:30:37,332 --> 00:30:41,952 I was thinking about my uncle when I was thinking about the gout and my uncle said something really. 408 00:30:42,647 --> 00:30:52,877 Wise when I was younger and he said if we put all of our problems in the middle of the table, we'd end up taking ours back because our problems are there to teach us something, right? 409 00:30:52,877 --> 00:30:55,487 We need to learn from the things that we're struggling through. 410 00:30:55,937 --> 00:31:06,827 And it's just something that's always kind of resonated with me because I always think that, you know, we always think that our problems are the worst but they're ours for a reason. 411 00:31:06,917 --> 00:31:07,997 You know, there's something very. 412 00:31:08,392 --> 00:31:10,102 Powerful that we need to learn from 413 00:31:10,407 --> 00:31:10,977 Amin A: Absolutely. 414 00:31:11,242 --> 00:31:11,932 Ara W: So 415 00:31:12,147 --> 00:31:16,717 Amin A: Well, we'll definitely put the links to your website and to the Daily Greens website as well in the show notes. 416 00:31:17,107 --> 00:31:20,527 But if somebody wanted to get ahold of you and connect with you, how can they do that? 417 00:31:21,847 --> 00:31:37,047 Ara W: So they can go onto my website or they can send me an email at info@rwiseman.com, I'm always getting back to people quickly because I know that oftentimes there's an urgency with health and, and I wanna be there to help people. 418 00:31:37,052 --> 00:31:41,447 So, yeah, so I'm, I'm, that's the best way and, and my website of course. 419 00:31:41,647 --> 00:31:42,002 Amin A: Awesome. 420 00:31:42,002 --> 00:31:42,902 Well, thank you so much, Ari. 421 00:31:42,902 --> 00:31:45,602 I really appreciate your time today and your energy, and your wisdom. 422 00:31:45,842 --> 00:31:51,332 It's been really nice chatting with you and I'm really looking forward to, seeing the other three products that you have on the go. 423 00:31:52,592 --> 00:31:53,312 Ara W: Thank you so much. 424 00:31:53,312 --> 00:31:54,542 Yeah, I'm excited about that too, 425 00:31:55,142 --> 00:31:55,652 Amin A: Thanks again. 426 00:31:55,742 --> 00:31:56,222 Ara W: so thank you.