The Refined Hippie podcast is a show all about holistic lifestyle, nutrition, and plant-based veganism, with a mind-body-spirit approach to living healthfully and happily, for ourselves and our planet.
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 05, 2019
Tuesday Nov 05, 2019
Ep 24: Dealing with health problems at any age is not pleasant, but when they affect small children it's even more disheartening. Today's guest, Lucy Hermiston, has had her share of health issues and from a very young age. She dealt with eczema, inflamed sinuses, chronic tonsillitis, and juvenile arthritis all before the age of 15. Little relief was found until experimenting with the removal of certain foods from her diet, the first being dairy. To her parents delight, and hers as well of course, the symptoms vanished. Most recently as an adult, Lucy’s dealt with digestive issues, prompting her to study holistic nutrition in order to learn all she could about her body, nutrition, and healing.
We talk about when she realized the powerful impact food has on the body, the moment she decided to stop eating animals, and the disassociation of loving animals and eating them. We also get into the energetics of food, food storage, nightshades, and eating in context to nourish the body and soul. Other subjects include conscious living, recycling, NYC versus LA, Diwali, CBD, social media, and the influence of what we internalize through our eyes and ears has on us physically. Lucy, who's lived all over the world, now resides in Los Angeles with her husband TJ and puppy Loki.
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Ep 23: The Blue Zones have been getting a lot of attention lately and for good reason. These very special regions are home to some of the healthiest and longest living people on the planet. But what about all those who don't live in these distinct areas? How can we incorporate their lifestyles to live long and healthy too? On this episode we dive into the Blue Zones, where they are, and what behaviors they all share. The Power 9 are the nine habits and outlooks in which all Blue Zones have in common and attribute to their longevity and well-being. I offer up some different ideas to incorporate these into our daily lives so we too can enjoy a life full of vitality and happiness!
Tuesday Oct 22, 2019
Tuesday Oct 22, 2019
Ep 22: The word deficiency comes up a lot from outside sources when someone goes plant-based or vegan. But I’m here to break it all down for you! Deficiencies are common among ALL Americans, meat eaters and vegans alike. On this episode we go over what those deficiencies are, how we can avoid them, and what foods we can consume to make sure we're balanced. The most prevalent issues in America come from inadequate levels of zinc, calcium, iron, b12, and omega 3’s. We also chat about the difference between being whole food plant-based and vegan.
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
Ep 21: What is lifestyle medicine? What and where are the Blue Zones? How can lifestyle choices effect our health? We get to all these questions and more with Dr. Renae Thomas, a senior resident and lifestyle representative in Loma Linda, California's Family and Preventative medicine residency combined program. Renae's interest in nutrition and medicine started at a young age after her dad was diagnosed with cancer in the early 90's. Upon the recommendation of his doctor, Renae's dad began looking into the emerging research showing the link between cancer and animal products. He deep dived into learning all he could on diet and lifestyle. What he found prompted their family to adopt a whole food plant-based diet and they never looked back. This also sparked a passion in Renae to pursue a career in the medical field.
Renae and I chat about her upbringing, her dad's diagnosis, why she moved from her home country of Australia to Loma Linda, and the Blue Zones. We get into the Adventist Health Studies, whole person care, Lifestyle Medicine, different diets, and empowering patients through lifestyle choices to optimize their health using an evidence-based medical approach.
Renae's IG: @drrenaethomas
Tuesday Oct 08, 2019
Tuesday Oct 08, 2019
Ep 20: Making a lifestyle change can be difficult. It can take us some time to get adjusted and get it right! Going plant-based is definitely one of those lifestyle changes that can prove to be challenging at first in our current culture. Charleston artist, John Duckworth, was not exempt from this feeling when he first went plant-based. Before fully committing John did try some different diets. However, once he really began doing the research, watching the videos, and educating himself on the industry, his decision to go plant-based was solidified. He also had to do some tweaking before discovering what foods truly made him thrive.
John, an avid cyclist, has cycled the Great Pyrenees and the Swiss Alps. Naturally, because he’s so active and athletic the P word comes up, protein! We chat about protein, amino acids, plant-based athletes, improved recovery time for those on a WFPB, and the misconceptions revolving around protein, meat, and athletics. We also get into his art career, upbringing, moving to Charleston, how and why he transitioned to a plant-based vegan diet, and the reason he initially failed at it. Other topics we cover include kombucha, sugar, gluten, animal agriculture marketing, Ayurveda doshas, and mediation, including his installation performance art piece in which he meditated for 3-4 hours a day for 4-5 weeks.
UP-36547109-1
Tuesday Oct 01, 2019
Tuesday Oct 01, 2019
Ep 19: Microbiome. Gut Health. These are hot topics these days and for good reason. The health of our gut dictates the well-being of our entire bodies. But this is fairly new information. The term microbiome wasn't even coined until 2006. Up until that point scientists didn't give the bacteria in out GI tracts much more thought. Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, AKA Dr. B, is a board certified gastroenterologist in Charleston, SC spreading the word about just how important our gut health truly is and the role plants play in keeping it balanced. He's setting himself apart by focusing his practice on nutrition, gut microbiome, and lifestyle medicine, advocating lifestyle changes in order to create lasting effects on our health. His information is all based on the latest in gut health science which shows that our bodies thrive on the consumption of plants! We talk about his upbringing, how he got to where he is today, and when he started connecting the dots. We get into the microbiome, the science behind it, and why eating a diversity of plants is so beneficial in creating health. We also talk about the current medical system, dysbiosis, the paleo diet, Blue Zones, and even the Amazon rainforest!
UP-36547109-1
Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
Ep 18: Keeping our bodies happy and healthy is a multifaceted approach. We can't just eat a bunch of greens and call it a day. There can sometimes be factors effecting our well being that we've overlooked, particularly that of our nervous system. The nerves in our spine are connected to different organs and when they are under pressure can cause not only pain but organ disfunction. Everything from our digestion to our heart be impacted. I sat down with Dr. Carrie Stone, a chiropractor of 16 years, to chat all about it! Dr. Carrie specializes in a specific technique called the Blair Upper Cervical, a technique focusing on relieving pressures from the delicate brain stem area that controls many major functions of the body. We chat about her story and why she became a chiropractor, the history of chiropractic care, and the medical world. We also get into gluten, dairy, why taking pressure off of the nervous system allows the body to heal itself, and about making conscious, educated choices to take care of our minds and bodies.
UP-36547109-1
Tuesday Sep 17, 2019
Tuesday Sep 17, 2019
Ep 17: How many of us ladies have taken birth control pills? How many of us have had hormone concerns? I took BC for years trying to clear up my acne and relieve some of my PMS symptoms. Little did I know that they were actually causing my body harm and just covering up a deeper issue. On this episode of the podcast I chat with Gene Blake, a nurse practitioner at Rhett Women's Center. We talk about her transition from the Western medical mindset of prescribing pills to get rid of symptoms to her more functional and lifestyle medicine approach of getting to the root cause. We chat everything birth control, hormones, and general women's health. We touch on PCOS, bioidentical hormones, and the impact we have on ourselves and those around us when we really take control of our lives and health.
Tuesday Sep 10, 2019
Tuesday Sep 10, 2019
Ep 16: Eating healthy should be important to all of us, but when we're ill it should become first priority! Amor Healing Kitchen is there for people facing serious health challenges, preparing delicious, nutritious, and healthy meals delivered right to their door. Who makes these wonderful meals? Volunteer teen chefs. The founder, Maria Kelly, had been a high school teacher for 15 years. After learning about a similar program out in California she set out to form her own version in Charleston, SC! Amor Healing Kitchen teaches volunteer teens how to cook nourishing plant-based meals, supports local organic farms, and showcases the power of food as medicine to help aid recovery for those going through cancer. We chat about surfing, traveling, and why and when Maria stopped eating animals. We get into the power of eating seasonally, community, CSA's, farmer's markets, and more!
Tuesday Sep 03, 2019
Tuesday Sep 03, 2019
Ep 15: On this episode I sit down with my good friend and fellow Holistic Health Coach, Elizabeth Kuntz. After taking a nutrition course in college, Elizabeth found a new passion. She went on to study with IIN, Institute of Integrative Nutrition and now works with clients to help them form healthy habits, encouraging them through diet change, exercise, and being supportive in guiding them to reach their goals. But Elizabeth has had her on health struggles. For years she dealt with debilitating pain and issues with no answers. She soon figured out the puzzle herself, she had PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). We chat about Elizabeth's story, how she got into holistic health and nutrition, her struggles with PCOS, hormones and anxiety. We also get into CBD, what it is, how it can be beneficial, the hemp plant itself, and it's history.