Dr Nicki Steinberger – Wave Goodbye to Type 2 Diabetes

Content by: Dr Nicki Steinberger

Watch the full interview below or listen to the full episode on your iPhone HERE. 

Stu: This week I’m excited to welcome Dr. Nicki Steinberger. Dr. Steinberger is a holistic health educator, author, speaker and coach. She teaches people how to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes using holistic lifestyle practices.

In this episode, we discuss the early warning signs, common myths and strategies that we can adopt to change the path of the epidemic that is type 2 diabetes. Over to Dr. Steinberger…

Audio Version

downloaditunesListen to Stitcher Questions we ask in this episode:

  • What early warning signs may we experience if pre-diabetic?
  • Which foods are the worst offenders where blood sugar is concerned?
  • Does medication offer a good solution in managing the condition?

Get More of Dr. Nicki Steinberger

Enjoy this interview:

Stu

00:03 Hey, this is Stu from 180 Nutrition and welcome to another episode of the Health Sessions. It’s here that we connect with the world’s best experts in health, wellness, and human performance in an attempt to cut through the confusion around what it actually takes to achieve a long lasting health. Now, I’m sure that’s something that we all strive to have. I certainly do.

00:23 Before we get into the show today, you might not know that we make products too. That’s right. We’re into whole food nutrition and have a range of superfoods and natural supplements to help support your day. If you are curious, want to find out more, just jump over to our website, that is 180nutrition.com.au and take a look. Okay, back to the show.

00:44 This week I’m excited to welcome Dr. Nicki Steinberger. Dr. Steinberger is a holistic health educator, author, speaker and coach. She teaches people how to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes using integrative holistic lifestyle medicine. In this episode, we discuss the early warning signs, common myths and strategies that we can adopt to change the path of the epidemic that is type 2 diabetes. Over to Dr. Steinberger.

01:16 Hey guys, this is Stu from 180 Nutrition, and I am delighted to welcome Dr. Nicki Steinberger to the podcast. Dr. Nicki, how are you?

Nicki

01:25 How Stuart. I am feeling good. Thank you so much for having me here. It’s an honour.

Stu

01:28 Oh I really appreciate being able to tap into your wisdom today. So before we do so, I was just wondering if you could tell our listeners a little bit about yourself please.

Nicki

01:41 Sure. So, let’s see, if I go back to childhood for a moment, I would just say that I was an introverted, quiet child who sort of sought out the truth of things and was an observer.

Stu

01:58 Yes.

Nicki 

01:58 And I’ve been a writer my whole life. I was a song writer and played guitar an sang and did poetry and that sort of thing. I left high school early and went and followed the Grateful Dead for a couple of years, so I’ve always been sort of a non-conformist.

Stu

02:16 Yeah.

Nicki

02:17 And then I found my way back to psychology school somehow. I was actually sitting in my therapist’s office and going, “You know, I could do that. I could be sitting in the other chair. I think I can do that.” So, I ended up in a school for spiritual psychology, which was pretty life changing. And from there I transferred to do a doctorate in clinical psychology, feeling burnt out on kind of therapy and didn’t want to go down that road. So I thought, “Well, I can write and I can teach and do research.”

02:54 And then about almost ten years ago, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, so I took that next year to see what I could do on my own. What kind of program I could put together. I’d been studying nutrition and holistic health for decades and a year later when I was tested again and I had reverse type 2 and other conditions, it was my sort of “aha” moment, where I then transitioned into holistic health education and started doing community workshops in the San Francisco Bay area, working with clients and then started thinking about writing this book which I did over the last few years. And that’s me in a nutshell.

Stu

03:40 Fantastic. Oh I love the story. And I think the area of that story that people are really going to resonate with right now, want to know more, is the reversal of type 2 diabetes, which I think will probably form a lot of the conversation that we have today. And before we get into the techniques and strategies that you used to reverse your type 2 diabetes, why do you think it’s becoming so popular? It just seems now like it’s a term now that is used so commonly. Because so many people seem to becoming diabetic, which is kind of crazy. What are your thoughts?

Nicki

04:20 Yeah well you know, type 2 diabetes is a metabolic condition, particularly how we metabolize sugar.

Stu

04:28 Yeah.

Nicki

04:29 And we have a lot of sugar going on. You know, I mean it’s rampant. Now it’s a condition, meaning that it exists in a particular environment. And when we change the environment, we can change the condition with the onslaught of the amount of processed foods we’re eating, the amount of sodas, the amount of refined carbohydrates, the amount of junk food and paired with becoming sedentary. Sitting a lot at the computer. Sitting at our jobs. This is the epidemic that we are faced with now, partially connected to the myths that were created in the ’70s about fat, and about how everybody went low fat no fat, and therefore increased carbohydrates and sugar. And now we see this epidemic in children as well.

Stu

05:27 Yeah. Frightening. That is the frightening part. And i always reference my childhood in school and the early years, and I don’t remember many kids with allergies. Like who knew what an allergy was? Kids weren’t sensitive to anything. They didn’t have any allergies. There typically was like a token chubby kid in the school. Like it wasn’t every second kid. But nowadays, and I have three daughters, and they’re all in school. And kids have weight issues. We’re talking about things like anxiety. There are allergies and sensitivities which is, just makes packing a school lunch box really, really hard. So something is clearly going wrong.

Nicki

06:17 Absolutely.

Stu

06:20 Yeah. Just insane. So you mentioned myths as well around that. And you pulled on the lowfat myth, which is gratefully getting so much light now and people are slowly starting to understand, right well, maybe consuming fat isn’t as bad as we thought. Or looking at the signs, it now supports that well eating fat is commonly quite healthy, and if we eat fat we’re not going to be consuming so many processed carbohydrates. So, other industry myths associated with type 2 diabetes, thinking along the lines of things like, “Well I’m thin. I’m metabolically thin so it’s not going to get me.” What are your thoughts around myths such as that?

Nicki

07:09 Yeah so in my new book, I actually have six myths in the book before I get into the practices and I … the number one myth is that diabetes is a disease. Okay, it’s not. It’s a condition. And a disease that can’t be reversed, or can’t be cured. You know, the myth is, you have this, you’re stuck with it. You’re going to have to go on pharmaceutical medications. Maybe down the road. And this is what your life looks like. And you will be potentially sick and not feel that well for the rest of your life. That’s the biggest myth.

Stu

07:52 Wow! Okay. So before we get in then to the … before we delve into that into a deeper level, any of us out there that think, “Well, I eat a lot of junk food. I eat a lot of processed food. I don’t really understand my diet. And I’m not feeling as best I can. I’m putting on lots of weight.” What early warning signs do you think we might experience if we’re in that pre-diabetic phase?

Nicki

08:28 Well you just named a couple. “I’m not feeling so well,” is a big red flag. And I know many of us, myself included, how many years did we go through, “Uh, not feeling so great. Not feeling so great.”

Stu

08:42 Yeah.

Nicki

08:43 Unfortunately sometimes we have to hit a bottom before we pay a lot of attention, but fatigue … you know, feeling tired is a big one.

Stu

08:53 Yeah.

Nicki

08:56 Not sleeping well. You know, just feeling off.

Stu

09:00 Yeah.

Nicki

09:00 Not feeling good. Weight gain could be, or even weight loss.

Stu

09:05 Okay.

Nicki

09:06 And tremors. Even shaking. And mood swings. So when our blood sugar is high and our blood sugar is low, we’re not steady. You know? We’re not feeling solid and grounded and steady. We’re off. And having to pee all the time. Being thirsty a lot. But you don’t have to have all these symptoms. So for the listeners, you might be saying, “Oh, I don’t have most of those. I maybe have one or two.” It’s something to pay attention to, nonetheless.

Stu

09:38 Okay. And industry would tell us that it is incurable. And I’m guessing the big pharma companies play a part in that in terms of all of these drugs and the billions and trillions of dollars behind them.

Nicki

09:52 Sure.

Stu

09:53 But of course they want us to keep consuming-

Nicki

09:55 Absolutely.

Stu

09:56 … until the day we die. So reversal. Talk to us about that. Your journey with reversal and the thoughts and discoveries that you made during that time.

Nicki

10:10 Yeah, so again, type 2 diabetes is a condition. It’s not a disease. And it exists in an environment. When we change the environment, we can change the condition. So I took a journey for a year and put my own program together. It took pieces of programs and my own wisdom and research, because I didn’t find one program that sort of worked for me. And a year later I was tested and had dramatic results. And from that point, I went on to teach it.

10:47 There’s not a one size fits all, you know, so it really depends on where you are in this moment, in your journey. And we look at different areas. So I teach holistic health and I believe that when we approach health and our own healing we must do it holistically, meaning body, mind and spirit. And even though that sounds like a cliché now, if we think about it, we can’t fully heal, we can’t live our full potential if we negate any of these significant parts of ourselves. And we are all three of these parts.

11:27 So you know, of course we’re going to look at nutrition. You know, of course we’re going to look at sugar. And when I say sugar, anytime I say sugar I’m talking about sugar and grained flours.

Stu

11:38 Yes.

Nicki

11:38 Right?

Stu

11:39 Right.

Nicki

11:39 Sugar and processed refined carbohydrates. Same thing. Same thing once it enters the body. And we’re looking at moving our bodies. Right? We can’t be stagnant. We’re looking at stress. We know now how high a role stress and particularly our stress responses play in our own health and hormones. We’re talking about the endocrine system. We’re talking about when stress happens and cortisol gets released and our blood sugar rises. So we need to practice stress reduction. We need to deal with our addictions which are often at play. Right? And we also need to look at our creative outlets. Creative self expression and how we’re using our gifts and our level of joy. So it’s a well rounded program.

Stu

12:32 Yeah, definitely. Well I’m super keen to get into the program and I’d like to start with nutrition, because I think that’s the area where many of us fall down. Tell us a little bit about how the foods we eat impact our blood sugar and also the foods perhaps that are the worst offenders, that we may be unknowingly eating time and time again, day in day out.

Nicki

13:02 So the root of type 2 diabetes is hormone resistance.

Stu

13:06 Yes.

Nicki

13:07 And we’re hearing more and more about that. So what happens, we eat food, and particularly carbohydrates turns into sugar in the blood stream. It’s okay, it’s supposed to. But then our pancreas is signaled to release this hormone  to go grab the sugar from the blood and put it into our cells where we have energy. And when that’s all working, we’re all good. But after time, when there is sugar and flour and sugar and flour, more and more hormone pumped out, the cells become resistant. The cells become weary. They’re not accepting the glucose, the sugar. So they don’t get in and they stay in the blood.

Stu

13:55 Right.

Nicki

13:56 Then they get stored in the liver and it makes fat, right?

Stu

14:00 Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Nicki

14:01 When it can’t be used for energy, it’s going to turn into fat, and not the kind of fat where we really … not what we look like so much. That’s not really what’s important. We’re talking about triglycerides. So fat in the blood which can be problematic, leading to metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, diabetes. So what we eat and drink very much too … I used to be hooked on natural sodas, fruit sweetened sodas. I thought they were healthy. I really needed them with my meal. It was like, “I’ll share my meal with you, but don’t touch my soda.” You know?

Stu

14:42 Yeah.

Nicki

14:42 I was addicted. And it was pure sugar. Pure fructose. So what we eat, what we consume, you know, is going to go in, turn to sugar and overtime we may or may not be able to metabolize that sugar well. And if we can’t, we’re going to be led down the road to hormone resistance, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes. So nutrition plays a significant role. And everything becomes sweeter. You know, the apples we eat now are sweeter. You know, there’s just such an addictive cycle going on that we need to pay a lot of attention.

Stu

15:26 It’s funny as well when you do shift your diet over time and your palate changes as well, if ever you go to revert back to the fruit juice, the sweet fruit, you’re body then does have the ability to signal the brain and say, “Well you know what, this is actually much sweeter than I remember it, because that stuff now for me is insanely sweet.” And it’s like, “Wow, how could I have ever have just drunk can after can, or tucked into any

16:00 … Given food, that you know, unknowingly just tasted normal to me, but now it’s like, boy, impossibly sweet. So it’s interesting.

Nicki

16:09 Yeah I agree, and you know, I used to say that type 2 diabetes can be cured, and now I say it can definitely be reversed.

Stu

16:21 Right.

Nicki

16:22 Because to hit on what you’re saying, when we go back to the environment that created it in the first place, it will likely resurface.

Stu

16:32 Yeah.

Nicki

16:32 And in that way, I like to look at it more as a reversal than a cure. We’re talking about a long term game, a lifetime program, and it can be great. You know, it doesn’t have to be doomsday. It can be much better than how some of your listeners may be feeling right now.

Stu

16:52 Right, okay. And medication, and typically Metformin for diabetes is used to help modulate and regulate blood sugars. Is that a good solution to manage the condition?

Nicki

17:09 When I was diagnosed, and this is in my book, I got handed the prescription for Metformin.

Stu

17:14 Right.

Nicki

17:15 I took the piece of paper knowing that I was not going to fill the prescription any time soon.

Stu

17:20 Yeah.

Nicki

17:21 And I’m not suggesting this, everybody has to find their own path, but realize, nobody is deficient in Metformin.

Stu

17:28 No.

Nicki

17:30 Right?

Stu

17:31 True.

Nicki

17:31 Nobody is deficient in Metformin, so it will never heal us.

Stu

17:37 No.

Nicki

17:37 It will never go to the source and help us reverse the condition, help us heal holistically body, mind, spirit. For a while, will it suppress the symptoms? Yes, and will it create other symptoms? Yes.

Stu

17:55 Yeah.

Nicki

17:55 Like digestive issues.

Stu

17:57 Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Nicki

17:59 So no, metformin is not a good road to go down. I know it’s frightening. I know when that doctor or practitioner, and the fear is there, “You have to do this.” It’s frightening, but you don’t have to do it. You can plug into lifestyle practices.

Stu

18:15 Yep, true, and you know, I have this picture in my mind of … I’m just imagining myself banging my head against the wall, right? And I just keep banging my head against the wall, and while I’m doing it, I might take some pills for a headache, and continue to bang my head against the wall. Yeah, like, might help a little bit-

Nicki

18:32 Not much.

Stu

18:33 But I’ve really got to stop banging my head against the wall if I want to fix things.

Nicki

18:37 That’s right, and I think it gives people the message that, “Well, I’m going to take this pill, and I don’t have to change much.”

Stu

18:46 Yeah.

Nicki

18:46 “I can keep eating, I’m just going to check those numbers,” you know? Well, we’re not a number.

Stu

18:51 Mm-hmm (affirmative), no.

Nicki

18:52 And really if we want to feel good and live well, and create a sustainable wellness, then we need to get to the source in a much more functional medicine type of way.

Stu

19:08 Yep. So with food then … And we’ll talk about your book in a sec, which I’m guessing will outline the types of foods that we’d want to gravitate to. So let’s think then for a moment that we understand food much better than we ever did, and we’ve pulled back on the processed carbohydrates, we’re eating more whole foods, pulled out the offenders that really do spike, and now we’re thinking, “Right, well then I should start thinking about movement, movement and exercise at the same time.” Would we have to go out and join a bootcamp and get up at five in the morning and just hit this regime, this grueling regime seven days a week to keep on top of this, or can it be a little bit more gentle? What are your thoughts?

Nicki

19:57 It can be absolutely gentle.

Stu

19:59 Yeah.

Nicki

20:00 It needs to be what you love, I’ve come to determine. I mean, I think so many of us, we try to do these types of exercise and regimes that we hate, and we’re forcing ourselves, and it just doesn’t work. I go out in the morning and it’s easiest for me to go right out my door, I grab my iPod, I put on a podcast, and I’m either listening to something about health, writing, or business, and I walk hills.

Stu

20:33 Okay.

Nicki

20:33 For me, hills do it. Hills or stairs, they get my heart going, I get a good workout. 30 minutes, sometimes 40, most days of the week. Sometimes if I’m just not up for it, I skip a day. So no, you know, and I’m sure you know that the old standard of “Get out there and work out for two hours, and do cardio for two hours,” and we’re learning now no, you know? Sprints, smaller amounts, shake it up a bit. Be consistent, you know? And what I like to say is find the joy in the movement. You’ve got to find something that you have fun with.

Stu

21:13 Yeah. I think that’s right, and removing the roadblocks is so important, because there can be so many barriers to even something like exercise, in terms of “Well, the gym’s five miles away, I’ve got to sit in the car and there’s traffic at that time.” Like you said, find something that you love and try and remove those barriers, and it could, like you mentioned previously, just be as simple as a walk and getting out there and finding the hills, or finding the stairs, or finding a place where you could just push the body a little, within your comfort zone, and if you can do that regularly and consistently, then I think you’re on the path to a much healthier you, which is important.

Nicki

21:58 Absolutely.

Stu

22:01 For all of our listeners then that are … They’re resonating with what you’re saying, and they are at the same time thinking, “I don’t think my diet’s as great as it could be, and certainly I don’t feel well, and I’m putting on that middle-aged spread, but my doctor isn’t as open-minded as perhaps a lot of the information that can be heard online in terms of podcast,” things like that, where could they start if they wanted to then explore alternative therapies?

Nicki

22:39 Well, the first place to start is mindset.

Stu

22:43 Right.

Nicki

22:45 Until we are pointed in the direction that we want to go, and we really take a deeper look at our pain. And that could be as simple as not feeling good day-to-day.

Stu

23:04 Yeah.

Nicki

23:04 That’s painful.

Stu

23:05 Yep.

Nicki

23:07 Until we take a deeper look at the story that we’re telling ourselves, until we take a deeper look at our own limiting beliefs, right? “I can’t do this. Doctor says I’ve got to do that. The mainstream voice says I’ve got to take this pill, or do that,” then we’re likely to self-sabotage whatever helpful program we might find. So really the first step is self-reflection. Doesn’t mean you have to do it by yourself, even better if you can surround yourself with one, or two, or three or more other supportive people who want to go down this road with you. First step is to really recognize where your mindset is at, and then to say “Okay, not gonna beat myself about it. Okay, but I’m gonna turn this around, and I can do this, and I got this.”

Stu

24:04 Great, yeah.

Nicki

24:06 Any great program starts with, “I got this.”

Stu

24:09 Yes. Yeah. And for me, and I’m going to talk for a lot of people as well, I really need to be … I need to have a structure to that. I need to have a program, something that I can reference to, which leads us into your book. So Wave Goodbye to Type 2 Diabetes, it’s going to be a very appealing title for many people who are experiencing health issues, and thinking that “You know, this could be part of my issue right now.” Why … So tell us about the book. What can we expect from it, and how might it present everything that you’ve spoken to today?

Nicki

24:54 Yeah, so this is an interesting question, and what I love about it is that I learned what to expect from the book through feedback.

Stu

25:06 Right.

Nicki

25:07 I didn’t know that was going to happen, this is my first book. I learned through some of the reviews how it was affecting people, how it was influencing people, what they were getting from it.

Stu

25:19 Yeah.

Nicki

25:20 And one of the common threads was something to the effect of, “I felt like a friend was next to me holding my hand walking me through this,” right? So that was great, and I actually … I printed out a couple reviews, would it be okay if I read them? Because-

Stu

25:40 Absolutely yeah, let’s see them.

Nicki

25:41 Because that’s not even coming from me. I thought-

Stu

25:44 No, let’s hear them, I’d love to.

Nicki

25:45 Okay, so Crystal said, “I read this book to learn about preventative measures, since some people on my mother’s side have had type 2, and all family members on both sides of my family struggle with our weight. I was surprised by the author’s personal story, and also her ability to speak both authoritatively but also conversationally. She covers many more aspects of eating and also relationship with food than most other diabetes books, so that alone makes it more valuable than other books I’ve read, which often focus on things in a more clinical manner, and for me that makes them less accessible than the content of this book. Definitely recommend, even if you don’t have type 2, or just want to avoid it and be healthier in general.”

Stu

26:28 Great, fantastic.

Nicki

26:30 John Galt says, “This book is a great resource, even if you don’t have type 2. I picked it up when we got high blood pressure. I appreciate how each chapter is packed full of information leading straight to the potential for change if you follow the advice given. Each of her 16 practices are laid out with clear instruction, and anyone can find a place where they can start down the path toward better health. I also loved the gentle style Dr. Nicki used to share both the practices and how she’d implemented them in her own life. Definitely recommend this book …”

27:05 And Keisha says, “This book explained how to reverse type 2 diabetes in an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand way. I especially liked the personal notes Dr. Nicki inserted throughout the book sharing anecdotes about her life while on this health journey. These personal stories made the book relatable and enjoyable to read.” So … And the last line, “I felt like I was being informed about the dangers of eating too much sugar by a concerned friend who genuinely cared about my wellbeing.”

Stu

27:34 Fantastic.

Nicki

27:34 And yeah, those types of sentiments just ran through the reviews, and certainly that was my intention, but not so consciously as it did come through. And if I can share one more thing that I was head-over-heels to receive, an endorsement by Dr. Christiane Northrup-

Stu

27:54 Fantastic.

Nicki

27:55 Who is a pioneer in women’s health, and she said “Contrary to what conventional medicine generally believes, type 2 diabetes is reversible, even preventable. All the secrets for how to do this are right here in this engaging book. Dr. Christiane Northrup, New York Times best-selling author of Goddesses Never Age.” So the book, “Easy to read,” “A friend is holding your hand,” my story is woven through it, and I start with myths and go into 16 practices to support you on your wellness holistic journey.

Stu

28:31 Great. So shed a little bit of light then, without giving too much away, on the practices? So I’m guessing nutrition, mindset, movement, exercise? What else would be on the list there?

Nicki

28:48 Stress-reduction.

Stu

28:49 Yes.

Nicki

28:49 So meditation. You know, however you find your stress reduction practices, or practice, you know, whether it is meditation, whether it’s walking in nature, whether it’s deep breathing, you know? Really training ourselves to tap into our parasympathetic nervous system and really, really come down, you know? So that when those stressors do arise, we don’t go into a full-on panic and have our blood sugar raised every time that happens. Veggie juicing is another practice I love. Of course you need to learn your dosage, learn how that affects your blood sugar.

Stu

29:33 Yeah.

Nicki

29:34 Increasing healthy fats, right? Increasing healthy fat is very important. Learning your supplements is another practice, you know? And again, there’s no one-size-fits-all, but the beauty is that through the 16 practices readers can go in and choose what they want, start anywhere, and see which ones speak to them. Before we know it, we’re doing 10 practices and it’s not taking 10 hours.

Stu

30:02 Yeah.

Nicki

30:02 It’s integrated into our day.

Stu

30:05 Got it. So you spoke about meditation, and I’m guessing that many people would think, “Well, you know, type 2 diabetes, I’ve just got to cut out the sugar and move a little bit more.”

Nicki

30:18 Yeah.

Stu

30:18 “That’s kind of it.” And there will be a curiosity then, linking meditation with practices and strategies to reduce and reverse type 2 diabetes. So let’s just talk a little bit then about the importance of mindset, stress-reduction techniques like meditation, as part of a toolkit to do this?

Nicki

30:40 You know in truth, I believe that setting out on a journey to, let’s say, reverse type 2 diabetes, great. And we see those numbers change, great. What we really want is a full-bodied life.

Stu

31:05 Yes.

Nicki

31:05 You know, what we really want is to thrive in all aspects of our life. So, much like going on a diet, it’s not sustainable. We’re not going to see the long-term effects if we just tackle one area, i.e. food, right? We might see some gains. In our body we might see some gains, in blood sugar numbers, but unless we also incorporate mind and spirit, spirit being connection, connection to nature, connection to others, ourselves, then we’re not going to really tap into our full potential. So when I work with folks, it’s not really just about, “How can we drop those numbers?” You know?

Stu

31:54 Yeah.

Nicki

31:55 And that’s why I find other practices significant,

32:00 And a life well lived.

Stu

32:06 Yeah, there’s so much more to it, isn’t there because unless you really dial into your mood, your life’s purpose, then it might be that you just feel like you’re aimlessly wandering around anyway. And that’s when you do start to gravitate into things that perhaps aren’t the best for our health in terms of lifestyle patterns, food choices, things like that. But when you really planted and you understand, right, this is why I’m getting up every day, this is what I want to do, and I’m feeling excited about it. And I want to feel as best I can to be able to fulfill that purpose, then I think perhaps, ultimately, you’ll make healthier choices across the board irrespective of food movement any of the others. Yeah, super important sort of things, often I overlook to.

Nicki

32:56 Absolutely. Absolutely. And that’s why I look at creative self expression. And I know that when we’re not tapping into our hearts purpose, our life purpose how everyone want to look at it, our spirits calling, there’s a tendency to teeter totter between chronic stress and addiction. So what you’re saying is, to me the Queen pin. We have gifts all of us. And when we are sort of floundering around, you’re right, there’s a tendency to grab something, to cope with those emotions, to cope with the dissatisfaction and the easiest thing to grab is some type of refined carbohydrate.

Stu

33:47 That’s right. It gives that immediate dopamine response. That pleasure, boy that kind of cherry soda never tasted so good. Makes me feel immediately wonderful. Let’s talk about maybe your nutrition. What does your plate look like now? Maybe for breakfast or lunch or dinner as opposed to how it used to look back in the day.

Nicki

34:24 That is a very interesting question because my plate looks quite different now than it did even last year. And this is because when I was 15, I became a vegetarian for animal reasons, right I love animals didn’t want to kill them. Sure. So the vegetarian for over three decades. I did eat seafood occasionally and some dairy.

34:57 I did not realize even after reverse Type Two Diabetes twice I did not realize that I was consuming a high carbohydrate meal plan for the most part. Back in the day it looked like veggie burgers and fries and you know some soda or whatever and pastries from Starbucks, things like that but even when I got healthier and it’s like okay, now we’re doing organic, and now we’re doing more raw foods and now we’re doing juicing, wow, I’m really healthy now. It worked for a while, but I was still consuming a high carbohydrate, percentage wise if I looked at the macronutrients carbs to protein to fat ratios there’s definitely more carbs. And I got sick I really did not feel well, even up to last year at the beginning of last year and after 38 years, I considered not being a vegetarian.

36:05 I considered introducing animal proteins. I had talked to a friend who felt that way I talked to a chef people who knew me and my intuition was there as well. And I just said, you know, God, I gotta put my health right now, over ethics, something’s not right with what I’m consuming, I don’t feel good even though I’m eating “healthy food.”

36:36 And that’s why when we look at healthy food, no, it’s what’s healthy for you and what’s healthy for me, it’s so individual. So I would say relatively high fat diet, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate,

36:56 Very low carbs and my carbs mainly come from vegetables and a small amount of fruit. And that fruit mainly is berries and some great fruit. So, my day could look like some whole sheet milk yogurt with some berries, pecans, walnuts, some counted and cinnamon or it could look like eggs which are grass fed, pastured and I’m going to make sure to get in some sauerkraut for that probiotic from my belly to get in some olives, avocado, grass fed butter.

37:45 Lunch and dinner or combination of salads with some either grass fed beef or organic chicken that’s been pastured chicken and almond butter, things like that. Lots of water, apple cider vinegar, lots of hydration and no processed foods anymore.

Stu

38:22 It sounds delicious, really interesting as well where it came from as well because typically the vegetarian or vegan diet can be easily labeled as the healthy choice but I feel that unless you are really smart with your supplementation it can be very, very difficult to dial into something that is more of a spread of your macronutrients and it does tend to be more carbohydrate and lighten because finding healthy fat choices and protein sources. Waffling a vegetarian can often be challenging.

Nicki

39:02 It’s true. And the notion of carbohydrate intolerance. I am carbohydrate intolerant, meaning I can’t handle that heavy load. And even if it’s not junk food, even if it’s not pretzels and crackers and cookies, I didn’t realize, let’s say, I would go get a salad at one of these supermarkets that have like a salad bar, and it’s even organic, and I get this salad, but because it’s not quite satisfying enough I would put garbanzo beans on the salad. Well, garbanzo beans, we could think oh, they’re pretty healthy but they’re also starchy and carbohydrate. And that’s not enough that I’m going to stick my hand in the bin and throw some peanuts on it. Okay, peanuts have their own issues. But the point is, you know, they’re actually not nuts they’re lagoons again carbohydrate heavy and being a vegetarian, it just didn’t click for the longest time that I was eating a lot of carbohydrates. Not enough healthy fats and not quite enough protein.

Stu

40:16 If you’ve made that shift to a planned based diet from say, a standard American diet, standard Australian diet, then sure you’re going to feel great for a while because-

Nicki

40:28 That’s right.

Stu

40:29 You’ve eliminated a lot of that crap.

Nicki

40:30 That’s right.

Stu

40:31 And you certainly start feel wonderful but then who knows in six months time when a lot of these perhaps a lot of these issues just start to come to the surface because you’re got a few deficiencies here and there and different minerals and perhaps it’s time just to reset and have a rethink.

40:56 Well, how am I feeling now? How’s this diet working for me now? And possibly go and get some tests as well, what’s happening with my bloods? How does-

Nicki

41:05 That’s right.

Stu

41:06 How does that work? A lot of people are going to be super excited to hear this information as well. So we’re slowly coming up on time. So a question then that I ask every guest on the show, Given your extensive knowledge in health and wellness, what three tips do you think will make the biggest impact on our overall health? And they don’t have to be nutritionally related or any of that stuff? What are the big three game changers for you that you might like to share?

Nicki

41:44 Okay, three tips. Number one, mindset. You gotta check in. You got to take that reflective time for yourself, look at your stories, question your fears and ask yourself how you want to feel?? What you need to change? Who you need to spend your time with, who you need to not spend your time with and are you ready to transform. If you need to, are you ready to take on a holistic lifestyle? And if you need to get support.

Stu

42:23 Right, that’s number one.

Nicki

42:23 Okay, yeah. Tip number two is you gotta release the processed food like products. You just gotta let them go. Cookies, crackers, grain breads, grain flours, for that matter whether they’re gluten free or not, it doesn’t matter, especially if you’re looking at blood sugar, if you’re looking at addiction, if we’re caring about inflammation you have to replace it with Whole Foods.

42:59 Shop on the outside of the supermarket. And it’s tough at first, but there’s always great alternative replacements. Yeah, good advice.

43:14 Tip number three, we have to move our body. It’s not optional. We’re not meant to be sedentary, and like we spoke about it doesn’t have to be grueling. It doesn’t have to be a gym. It doesn’t have to be an hour. You don’t have to gear up with everything.

43:34 Many of us can walk outside our door or park or wherever, grab a buddy if you need to, but make it a point to get in 20, 30 minutes a day, find the joy.

Stu

43:48 Great. And I think if you dial in number one, you get your mindset right. And then you’re nourishing your body in the right way with number two, you’re going to want to do number three because it makes you feel so good.

Nicki

44:02 Its true.

Stu

44:03 They’re great tips. Thank you. What is next? What’s next for Dr. Nicki? What’s on the horizon?

Nicki

44:14 So the books been out a couple of months. So I’m doing these fantastic podcast interviews like yours, thank you so much.

Stu

44:23 You’re welcome.

Nicki

44:24 I’m going to be doing an audio version of the book over the next couple of months. So I’m excited about that. I’m going to be doing a course as an extension of the book, kind of a self paced self study course. I’m considering doing a group coaching program and I would do that as a co leader with a chef, so that person can come in and focus on meals, and that sort of thing. I have a second book Outline when the time comes, and then I’m really headed toward speaking engagements. I’m very interested in speaking at different conferences, health events, workshops. So, all of that one step at a time.

Stu

45:15 Fantastic. So how can we get more of Dr. Nicki? Where can we go to find out so much more about what we spoken about today? Where can we buy the book? What address?

Nicki

45:27 Where do we?

Stu

45:28 Where do we go?

Nicki

45:29 So a couple of things? I have a free checklist for your listeners, and it’s 12 lifestyle practices to blast out type two diabetes, they’re really fun. They’re out of the box. They’re not exactly what you think they might be. And you can get that at drnickisteinberger.com/blast. The book is available on Amazon if you just look up Wave Goodbye to Type Two Diabetes or Dr. Nicki Steinberger. And I’m very visible on social media just put in my name and you will find me.

Stu

46:05 Alright. Good stuff. Well look, we’ll share all of the links and the info that we’ve spoken about today in the show notes for the podcast, and I’m very, very grateful to dial into your wisdom today. So thank you so much for offering some of your time really looking forward to sharing with this audience and hopefully, will be to catch up some stage in the future too.

Nicki

46:26 Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much Stu, it’s been my honor. Appreciate it.

Stu

46:31 Fantastic. Thank you.

Dr Nicki Steinberger

This podcast features Dr. Steinberger who is a holistic health educator, author, speaker and coach. She teaches people how to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes using holistic lifestyle practices.
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