Speaker 1: 0:03

Hey there and welcome to the Hot Mess Mom Health Podcast. I'm your host, rebecca Santos, a wife, working mom of two littles, certified health coach and self-proclaimed hot mess mom. Do you find yourself on the perpetual struggle bus, trying to juggle it all and your health is the last thing on the to-do list? But you feel like crap. I can relate because I've been there. The reality is, you can get healthy and it doesn't have to be overwhelming. If you're looking for some education, inspiration, accountability, a kick in the pants or I'm not gonna lie some tough love, you're in the right place. So pull up a seat, grab a nice coffee and join me on this journey to better health. Hey, hey, happy Monday and welcome back to another episode of Hot Mess Mom Health. I'm so excited that you're here.

Speaker 1: 0:58

This week. It is the week of Thanksgiving. The holiday season is quickly approaching. I hope you guys are all getting ready for that, and I know I started my shopping extremely early this year to the fact that I think I'm almost done. So maybe I'll actually be able to enjoy this time of year and not be running around like a crazy person, but that is yet to be determined. So I hope you guys are all having a great week. I hope you guys all have an amazing Thanksgiving, and I want to get to today's episode.

Speaker 1: 1:30

Today is going to be the third installment of some health tips that may change your life. So today's are one's a little scientific and the other two I didn't really do any research about science behind it, although I believe there probably is some out there, but I know they have been game changers for me and things that I strive to and that I know others in my life are too. So I think they'll be helpful to a lot of you out there who are just looking for some easy things to do to change your life in a healthier move it to a healthier way. So let's get started. So today, my first tip is to avoid seed oils. Now, I don't even know if you know what that term means, right, so I didn't know a while ago. So you hear the term but you don't really know what it is, and like seeds I think of sunflower seeds, I don't know. So I know I've heard the term and you probably have too, but trans fats, so technically it's kind of the same thing.

Speaker 1: 2:29

So seed oils, in a nutshell, are highly processed oils, right, so they're coming from soy corn. You know canola oil, olive oil not olive oil, sorry vegetable oil and things like that. So they really haven't been in our diet that long. Really, they've only been in our diet since the early 1900s, which seems like a long, long time, but when you're looking at things from an evolutionary standpoint, that's just like a drop in the bucket. That's not that long at all.

Speaker 1: 2:56

They're marketed as healthy, but the reality of it is, if you kind of peel back the layers and you really look at how these oils are being created and made, not so much I do my best to avoid them at all costs. It is hard to avoid them. They are literally in almost every packaged food that you will eat. So it's really, really hard. And it's something that you really have to put some time and effort into is like reading labels, reading the ingredients and knowing what are the chemicals that you're putting in your body, because essentially they're a chemical. So just to give you an idea of like how they're made and why I feel so passionately that we should be avoiding them.

Speaker 1: 3:36

So let's just take a soybean oil, right? So the seeds are gathered, then they are heated super, super, super high temperatures. This causes the seeds to oxidize right. Oxidation not great. It's creating byproducts that are harmful to us, harmful to animals. Oxidation is typically not a good thing, not something that you want to be doing to something that you're putting in your body. The seeds, then, are processed with a petroleum-based solvent, usually it's hexane. So that again, not something that you want like ingested into your body and something that's like making a concoction to put into your body. Then the oils the manufacturers are using chemicals to deodorize. Again, they're adding more chemicals to what they're already creating a chemical to make and then, finally, their last step is let's just throw in some more chemicals and then, boom, we have this awesome oil. So you think, however, because it's so processed and so unnatural, it's really really toxic to our bodies.

Speaker 1: 4:41

What these oils are are they're high in omega-6. So omega-6 isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's in grass-fed beef, it's in some other things, but when you look at our diets and how we evolved, we really should have a more balanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Like omega-3s, you kind of hear tossed out a lot about salmon, some certain nuts, but the problem is, our diets today have become almost all omega-6s. Every time you're eating out, anytime you're eating anything out of a package, you are consuming some type of omega-6 fatty acid, so these are not good for our bodies. They are creating a ton of inflammation. Inflammation, as you probably know or have heard, is the root cause of a ton of chronic illnesses.

Speaker 1: 5:27

So, all in all, avoiding seed oils such as soy oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil. There's a lot of debate about peanut oil kind of being into that too. I'm not here to debate whether it's good or bad, but just be cognizant of the oils that you are putting into your body. Some really good alternatives coconut oil, butter, tallow duck fat, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil. So there are some alternatives to these. However, the industrial seed oils are made so cheaply that they are being added to all of our packaged food to extend the shelf life, to make it taste better, and unfortunately, our health is taking the toll because of it. So you can do a ton of research on this.

Speaker 1: 6:14

I'm not a doctor, I just kind of. You know I'm such a nerd that I read all this stuff. But seed oils actually started. If you research the background of it, they started being like the seed oils were initially used as part of soap making. So if you look at that backstory, it's kind of crazy that it was used to make soap and then now we're all ingesting it in our food.

Speaker 1: 6:38

So again, I'm not a doctor, but I do want to share with you kind of what I know and what I think can help you. And I look, I'm not perfect either. I'm sure I eat some of this stuff, even though I do my best to avoid it. It's in like every salad dressing. So here you are, thinking you're eating a healthy salad and you know, unknowingly you're dousing it with this stuff. So it's just something to be aware of, right. Like watch your packages, see if it, if soybean oil or canola oil or safflower oil, is like the first or second ingredient. Not great, right. So just again, something to be aware of and something that I feel passionate about. But avoid seed oils whenever you can, okay.

Speaker 1: 7:29

So number two and this one again, no scientific research to back me on this, but this is something that, as a type A personality, I kind of needed my life to keep on a really good health track, and it's something that I do over and over again. So what that is is and this may seem silly to you, but keeping my pantry and my refrigerator and freezer super clean and organized. Again, it might seem silly, but for me as a person, clutter creates anxiety. So when I start feeling out of control of my pantry, my refrigerator, number one I'm more likely to buy things at the grocery store. I don't need Number two I start feeling anxious about what am I going to eat, what do we have, what do we not have.

Speaker 1: 8:06

So, all in all, keeping those items very clean and streamlined. To eat, what do we have, what do we not have. So, all in all, keeping those items very clean and streamlined. I can easily see what we have. My kids can grab their snacks. You know whatever they're eating and know what we have easily. There's just less overall stress and knowing like, okay, these are the meats we have, these are the vegetables, the fruits, this is what I need for the week. Let me fill in the gaps.

Speaker 1: 8:27

I know for me that's been a really big help and I am kind of a crazy person with it, like I will clean out my pantry once about every two weeks because I just need to be able to see everything and it needs to be organized. So if you're someone that's like me, very type A and likes organization. I find that it helps keep me on track because I immediately know what I have available to eat, what I need to get at the grocery store, what I can kind of meal prep for the week or kind of you know create for quick dinners on the go, and it really does ease my anxiety around food, like I don't really worry or stress out about it because I know it's there, I know what my options are, my kids know, my husband knows and we kind of can all Just like look at, look at all the food options and know what we have is healthy options, without stressing or feeling we have to stop and grab food all the time. So, like I said, there's no scientific research about organization and eating healthier. However, I think it's a big tip that often is left to the wayside.

Speaker 1: 9:25

I'm not even talking like go in and throw everything that's not healthy out in your pantry, but step one would be like just cleaning it out. Right, there's probably every time I do it I find something that I swear I threw out last time that was expired, and I'm like what the hell? I was just in here, how did this get by me? So even stuff like that, like cleaning out your pantry, making sure there's no expired stuff, you know, moving stuff around to make sure you use what's kind of been pushed into the back, which is a big one too, because my kids will always like put stuff in front of another thing and I'm like yo eat this first. So, again, zero scientific backing to back me on that. I have not researched it. However, I think it's a big tip that can help you in a health goal Staying more organized with your pantry, your freezer and your fridge Okay. And number three with your pantry, your freezer and your fridge Okay. And number three and the last help tip that I'm going to give you guys in this little three-week thing that I did is and again, no scientific research to back this but I think it is super important to surround yourself with like-minded people that will support you, and I know all of us like we might have a lot of acquaintances in life and we have people that we talk to and people that we call quote unquote friends, but I'm talking about like people that you know you can go to with anything, people that support your health journey, people that value your opinion, you know surrounding yourself with people that lift you up instead of bringing you down.

Speaker 1: 10:48

So often we surround ourselves, just like we do with food very toxic foods. We surround ourselves with toxic people, and I think that there's a lot to be said about our overall health, mental health and the people that we surround ourselves with. I think that's something that you know not to do like a pantry clean out and clean out people in your lives, but it is something that we all need to look at and kind of say who is bringing me support? Who is supporting me on my journey of better health? Who is, you know, somebody that I can just talk to about certain ideas or some stresses that I'm having? Who are those people that are going to make you want to be a better person, or want to, you know, you know, encourage you to maybe go out for your walk or get on your Peloton bike or choose a healthier option when you go out?

Speaker 1: 11:34

And who are those people that make you feel bad, you know, when you go out? Are they like, oh, just eat the fried chicken or just eat the pizza or whatever the food options are, or are they going to be someone that's going to be your cheerleader and be there for you and acknowledge that you are trying to elevate yourself, because I think a lot of times we do surround ourselves with toxic people, and I know that's something I have always been. You know one of those people that I don't have a ton of friends, and I'm okay with it. I value the quality of my friendships over the quantity of them, and it is easy to get caught up, especially in social media, where it kind of feels like everyone's your friend and everyone's involved in your life and your business. But it's something to take notice of. Who are you surrounding yourself with and are they like-minded, are they supportive, are they helping you on your journey so that you can lift them up and they can lift you up? I think there's so much good in that.

Speaker 1: 12:28

So I hope that you guys have found these tips over the last couple of weeks helpful. I loved sharing them with you and I would love to hear from you guys. So if there's anything at all anybody you'd want to hear on the podcast and any topics you want me to cover, please send me an email at hotmessmomhelp at gmailcom, and I hope you guys all have an amazing Thanksgiving and I will talk to you after the holiday. Bye, thank you so much for tuning in and listening to this episode of Hot Mess Mom Health. If you love this episode, please leave me an iTunes review. It would mean the world to me and it would help me get the word out about helping other moms reclaim their health. Thank you so much.