Ocean Robbins | Reclaiming Health One Bite at a Time

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Welcome to the Radical Responsibility Podcast. I'm doctor Fleet Mal
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and I'm excited to guide you on a journey of
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authentic transformation. In each episode, I'll bring you insights from
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leading experts to explore trauma recovery, mindfulness practices, positive psychology,
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and innovative breakthroughs in health, wellness and life optimization. This
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is a space for real conversations that inspire meaningful change,
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helping you find alignment with the person you are always
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meant to be. Let's get started. What if transformation isn't
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just about thinking differently, but feeling differently. Science shows us
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that true change happens when we align not just our minds,
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but also the neural networks in our hearts and guts.
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This heart mind connection is the key to deeper healing, resilience,
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and expanded awareness. That's why I created the Heart Mind
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All access, membership and community, a space designed to help
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you rewire your nervous system, cultivate heart intelligence, and live
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with greater clarity and purpose. With over one thousand hours
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of transformational teachings specifically curated to meet your needs, You'll
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learn from world renowned meditation teachers, neuroscientists, and experts in neuroplasticity,
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all sharing powerful tools to help you shift your mindset
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and heartset, regulate your emotions, and unlock your full potential.
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You'll also gain unlimited access to every summit and course
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we've ever produced, a Treasure Trouble Wisdom worth over ten
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thousand dollars in growing, plus live gatherings, and an inspiring
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global community to support your journey. If you're ready to
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step into a more heart centered, connected and conscious life,
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I invite you to join us. Clip the link to
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learn more and start your journey today. What if the
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way you think about food could transform your entire life?
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In this conversation with my friend Ocean Robbins, we explore
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powerful shift seeing food not just as comfort or entertainment,
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but as medicine for your body and nourishment for your soul.
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Ocean shares how is this change and perspective can reverse
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chronic disease, boost your energy, and create a deeper sense
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of vitality. We talk about moving beyond short term pleasure,
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reframing food as an act of self love, and creating
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a new normal rooted and mindful choices, supportive community, and
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daily reflection. If you're ready to break free, from old
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habits and experience the lasting joy of true well being.
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This episode will give you the tools and inspiration to
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start your journey. Today, let's dive in Miami's Fleet, mall
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your co hosts for this session, and the founder apartment
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in suit and I'm very happy today to welcome Ocean Robins.
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Welcome. I'm so glad to be with you fleet.
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I've been doing this work for quite a while and
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have inspired many people to rethink their relationship to food
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and examine their beliefs about diet and food and health.
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And I'm wondering if you could share up there was
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a significant turning point in your life that changed your beliefs.
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I know you grew up in your household with your
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parents who were kind of committed to this kind of life.
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So I don't know if you're rebelled at some point
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ran out to get a big max. I'm just wondering
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if there have been any kind of turning points that
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really changed your belief systems around all this.
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Yeah, and for those who don't know a little background,
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my grandpa founded an ice cream company that was fairly successful.
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It was Baskin Robbin's, and my dad, John grew up
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with an ice cream cone, jape swimming pool in the
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backyard and thirty one flavors of ice cream in the freezer,
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and he was groomed to when day joined and running
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family business, but ended up walking away from it. His uncle,
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Bert Baskin, was dying of heart disease and ended up
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passing at the age of fifty four, and my dad said,
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my gosh, ice cream cone is not going to kill anybody,
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but I don't want to spend my life selling a
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product that might contribute to more people like my uncle
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dying prematurely. So he walked away from the family company
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and any access to the family health and ended up
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moving with my mom to a little island off the
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coast of Canada, British Columbia, where they built a one
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new log cabin and grew most of their own food
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and practiced yoga and meditation for several hours a day
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and named their kid Ocean. And of course they almost
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named me Cale you may have heard, but you know,
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we did eat a lot of kale and other cabbage
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and veggies from the garden. And as I got a
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bit older, my family ended up moving to California, and
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that's when my dad wrote the book that became a
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runaway bestseller, Diet for New America, and it inspired millions
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of people to look at their food choices as a
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chance to make a difference on the planet and for
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their own health. And one of his readers ended up
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being my grandpa IRV. So I was about fifteen years
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old at the time when my grandpa IRV was suffering
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from serious diabetes, weight issues, and heart issues, and his
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doctors told him he was probably going to enjoying his
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brother in law and business partner, Burt Basket pretty soon
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if he didn't make big changes. My grandpa did. He
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read the book the doctors gave him Diet burn New America,
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my Dad's book, and ended up, you know, changing his
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diet ratically. He gave up sugar, he gave up most
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processed foods, He started eating a lot more whole plant foods.
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He cut way down on his meat consumption. He even
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gave up ice cream. And Grandpa Irv got results. He
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reversed his diabetes, reversed his heart disease, lost a bunch
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of weight. You know. His favorite part was that his
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golf game improved seven strokes. My favorite part was that
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he lived nineteen more healthy years, and for the first
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time in his life, I thought he seemed happy. And so,
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you know, I feel like a lot of people don't
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get a second chance in life, like my dad's uncle, Bert,
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who I never even knew. He was gone before I
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was born. But some people do, like my grandpa. And
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the reality is the experience of those two ice cream gurus,
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if you will, and their different stories stood out to
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me so powerfully, and witnessing my grandpa's transformation in his
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own personal life was quite profound for me. You know,
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if anybody had an investment in thinking there's no between
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diet and health, it was my grandpa Earth. He'd manufactured
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and sold more ice cream than anyone who's ever lived,
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but he had the courage to make a change because
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he wanted to survive. And we saw what happened, and
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it wasn't just him. Our family opened up a po
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box when my dad's book, Diet for New America came out,
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so people could write if they were moved by the
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message of the book. In the ensuing ten years, we
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received about thirty thousand letters from readers, handwritten, typed, physical,
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real letters, not emails, thanking him for changing their life,
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person after person saying how their life was saved, love
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would have been saved. They had their help back, they
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had their life back, they had their hope back, they
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had their dreams back, they had their family back. And
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so to me, just watching the sort of avalanche of
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goodwill and gratitude pouring in seeing my grandpa's story, it
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really kind of lit a fire in me as a
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youngster to say, what could I do to be a
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part of spreading this message and being this change in
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my own personal journey? As I think, you know, I
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started a nonprofit called Yes and working with young leaders
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in sixty five countries around the globe, focusing on youth
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leadership and youth empowerment. For a couple decades, I was
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doing that work, and over time I decided I've really
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got to focus on food directly because I saw the
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impact of our food choices all around the globe and
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I realized this is like this critical linchpin that could
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make a world of difference. I'm always asking how can
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I help? How can we build a healthier, happier, more beautiful,
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and more loving, more equitable world where freedom and dreams preveil,
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where sustainability is the fact of life and where our
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kids have hope. And when I look at food, I
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think this is a spot where I can make a
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real difference. So starting in twenty twelve, I joined with
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my dad and launching Food Revolution Network and we've grown
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to over a million members now and this is my passion.
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Yeah, it's an amazing journey. You all have been on
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such huge impact. It's really incredible. So your book thirty
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one day Food Revolution EMP Size is transforming our diet
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is really a pathway to well being and really physically
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spiritually on men. And what are some of the common
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beliefs that you hear, you run into, or you see
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that people have that kind can lead to poor health,
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cow comes or get in the way of them shifting
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their relationship to food. And you know, I grew up
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in the fifties and I got a lot of beliefs
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that made no sense ingrained in my brain before about it.
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Yeah, absolutely, So belief number one is if it's normal,
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it must be okay. We live in a toxic food
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culture and all around us junk food is normalized, it's subsidized,
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it's advertised, it's mainstreamized, and so in that context, it
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can be very difficult to cut against the grain and
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do something different. What we grew up with, what we
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are surrounded by, is te ubiquitous. You know, why do
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people eat dogs in the Philippines but would never think
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of it in the United States in most cases, right
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because of cultural norms. Why do people eat pigs in
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the United States when there are places in the world
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where that would be completely a point, or cows which
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are sacred in India. It's cultural norms, right, So we
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have adopted norms that, unfortunately in many cases, are killing us.
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And the numbers are enormous. Fleet You know, in the
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United States, we spend about four point eight trillion dollars
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a year on healthcare, which is really disease symptom management.
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It's nineteen percent of our entire gross domestic product. Ninety
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percent of that is on treating the symptoms of chronic disease.
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I'm talking three point eight trillion dollars a year in
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the United States on chronic diseases. Most of those, the
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biggest ones are heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and diabetes,
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all of which can be dramatically reduced with healthier diet
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and lifestyle. By like eighty to ninety percent in many cases.
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So what we're talking about here is the potential that
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a shift in dietary patterns could save millions of lives,
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trillions of dollars in just one country alone, and also
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help to save our planet. Because you know, animal agriculture,
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especially industrialized animal agriculture, has become one of the most,
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if not the most environmentally destructive forces on planet Earth.
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So this is normal, but it doesn't have to be,
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and it doesn't have to be our fates. And when
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we make changes, we can experience extreme, radical, profound benefits
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and be a part of the solution, helping to save economies,
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helping to save lives, and helping to save the planet.
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Second belief I would say that we face a lot
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is that unhealthy food is pleasurable. This is complicated because,
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of course it is pleasurable, and the same way that
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cocaine or heroin are probably pleasurable. I wouldn't know myself,
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but I'm sure they are. However, in the long run,
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what's the cost, right, what's the real cost? And I
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would assert that there is more pleasure in vitality, in energy,
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in a healthy sex life, and being able to do
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what you love and be able to have the energy
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to make it through the day and having a clear mind.
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Then there is in a bit of taste but experience
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that leaves you feeling sick and lethargic and drained. You know,
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there's not a lot of pleasure in cancer or chemotherapy.
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There's not a lot of pleasure. And forgetting the names
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of your loved ones because you've got dementia, or fearing
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an uncertain future, or straddling the people you love most
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with debt because of your medical costs, or them having
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to care for you in your old age. But these
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are norms that we are creating when we follow the
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standard American diet. And you know, research is clear we
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could at eight, ten, fifteen healthy years of life just
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by changing what we eat. Even after the age of sixty,
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researchers tell us we could ad eight more healthy years
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of life just by changing diet and lifestyle. So to me,
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these are profound and I like to think of it
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that food is not just supposed to be temporary pleasure.
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It's supposed to be medicine and nourishment for our bodies
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and our souls. And when you learn to treat your
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body well, you can actually make eating an act of
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self love, an act of integrity, and in the long run,
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that leads to far more pleasure and far more satisfaction
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than a moment of fleeting enjoyment.
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Well, I'm glad you really went there with. You know,
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these are really deep seated beliefs that for those of
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us who have been deeply conditioned into these beliefs, which
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is most people, can be really challenging to change, you know.
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I mean I remember many times when I would find myself,
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you know, traveling somewhere, being around urban areas, and see
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all these what looked like very yummy, attractive places. See
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I'm not talking about so much the fast food but
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maybe a little higher end but still chain restaurants, but
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you know stuff, and I just think, oh, that's all
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that great stuff I can't have anymore. And I really
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came myself to see, no, those very attractive all that
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marketing signs are just advertising poison. Thus they're just poison places,
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right in addition to believe is so wonderful and so good,
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and you're having to deprive yourself right of that. And
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I remember another time there was a kind of a
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fast food place, but where I grew up in Saint Louis,
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it's a semi regional or national chain, but got a
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little bit higher end. I have a Hamburg and Chileia
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place kind of place. And anyway, you know, childhood memories. Oh,
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you know, I remember pulling off I was on the
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way to a consulting gig. It's probably fifteen years ago,
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pulling off the ighway. Theirs want to Oh, that'd be
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so great. I'll go get a burger and a shake
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and fries, you know. And so I did it. You'd
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all full of all expectation, and within fifteen minutes after
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eating it, I felt sick. Yeah, because my body had
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learned not to You know that. It's like sort of
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like smoking cigarets. When you eat that all the time,
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you are getting sick, but you learn to tolerate it,
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or you numb it out, or you don't expect. But
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if you eat healthy for a while and then you
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go eat something like that, you immediately feel it quite
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acutely of how sick it makes you feel.
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Yeah, absolutely, yeah, And.
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It can be hard to change these bleefs. And also
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for a big one for me is not regarding food
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as reward or entertainment or pleasure, but really to dry
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shit to say no, this is fuel for my body.
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I need good fuel for my body. I need to
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get you know, my needs met for entertainment, rewards meant
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in other ways, right.
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Yeah, Learning to love foods that love you back is
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so critical, and you know, there are lots of ways
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to have entertainment and pleasure, and quite frankly, the menu
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gets a whole lot bigger when you stop making food
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the center of your life. When you eat to live
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instead of living to eat, what happens is you find
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pleasure in all kinds of other things. You know, I
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get a lot more pleasure from going for a run
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on the beach and jumping in the ocean, which I
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can do because I've got the help to do it,
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then I would sitting on the couch eating a bag
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of chips and yet and that leaves me feeling good
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all night instead of crappy and with some bit of
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self loathing.
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You know.
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So learning to create habits that nourish self love through
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nourishing food like is a sacred act, I think, and
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it reaps profound benefits. And you know, if we're eating
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drunk food what is that? What are we telling ourselves?
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At some level, we're saying, I don't trust, I don't
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respect you, don't I don't care about you. So learning
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to practice the art of self love through nourishment is
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profound and life changing, and it sends out ripples to
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every domain of your life.
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Absolutely, that age old idea of regarding our body as
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a temple and being very intentional about what we put
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in it. And fortunately I've had, you know, these days,
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a lot of positive experiences around healthy food and learn
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to really enjoy kale, among other things. My wife and
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I have a backyard garden and we rolled on kale
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back there. But there's nothing more pleasurable for me when
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my wife and I sit down to dinner and we
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have a wonderful salad and it's fresh out of the garden.
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We just literally went out and picked it, put it
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in a salable, major salad. I mean, it's just so
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it's just such a pleasurable experience on so many levels.
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It really is, especially if you have a good dressing.
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I'm into pleasure through enjoyable healthy foods, but I like
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a good salad dressing, for example, And it makes all
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the difference with vegetables or with salads. You know, for me, though,
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you can make when your taste buds evolve, you can
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find a salad undressed just with some you know, maybe
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some ground ups, some pumpkin seeds, or some crunchy things
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in the mix. Get a little beans in there. You
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learn that it doesn't take the sort of overwhelming sugars
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and salts and fats that a lot of us think
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are normal. Because your taste buds become more nuanced. They
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become capable of appreciating things that are more subtle over time.
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I have a friend who doesn't eat salt hardly ever,
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and he doesn't miss it, and when he has sort
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of what I consider a normal amount of salt, it
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tastes terrible to him because his taste buds have just
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evolved in that way. And they do. Taste buds change.
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In fact, in the matter of as little as a
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week or two, they can change, sometimes significantly, and there's
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research on this. The first time someone eats kale, it
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usually tastes bitter to them, and by the fifth or
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tenth time, their body is starting to secrete enzymes that
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make it taste sweeter.
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So it certainly does for me, I enjoy kill a lot.
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I can't even eat it right out of the garden
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raw take a leap and eat it, enjoy it. So
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that's changed over time, and we can look at changing
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our beliefs psychologically and recognizing limiting core beliefs we have
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and you know, bringing awareness to that and seeing they
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don't service and trying to replace them with more life
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affirming beliefs. And so those psychological ways we can work
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with us. And then there's the kind of neurobiological perspective
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of rewiring the brain, and the two are not separate,
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they reinforce each other. So from the neurobiological perspective, part
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of our ability to change our beliefs and literally rewire
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our brains has to do with neuroplasticity. And there are
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diet choices that support having greater neuroplasticity I believe, and
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thus make it easier for us to change our beliefs.
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So I wonder if you could talk about that a
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little bit.
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Absolutely, I would love to. So you know, neuroplasticity is
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critical for learning from memory, even the potential to rewire
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beliefs and behaviors. I'll say personally that I sometimes experience
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a state of peak presence in my mind where I
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know I'm capable of learning something new, and when I'm
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in that state, I'm also capable of creating a new
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habit at, a new pattern that will last. And that
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state is I think, quite profound and quite potent. And
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there are ways to encourage a nurture that. A whole
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foods plant based diet in particular is rich in nutrients
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that support neuroplasticity and overall brain health. And a few
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of the key nutrients to look at well, Omega three
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fatty acids are huge. They're found in flax seeds and
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gia seeds and walnuts. They're also in fish and in
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vegan algae based DHA and EPA supplements, and omega three's
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play a critical role in maintaining structure and function of
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brain cells. They're essential for cognitive function, and they've been
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shown to enhance neuroplasticity. You also want antioxidants in your diet.
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Antioxidant rich foods include berries, leafy greens, all the colorful vegetables.
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These protect your brain from oxidative stress and from inflammation,
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both of which can impair neuroplasticity. And blueberries in particular,
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are sometimes called brain berries because they have huge levels
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of flavonoids, which are linked to improve brain function and
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the growth of new neurons in the brain. You also
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want a good amount of magnesium. It supports brain health
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by enhancing synaptic plasticity, which is the ability of synapses
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to strengthen or weaken over time, and it's a fundamental
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mechanism underlying learning and memory. And some of the top
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plant based sources of magnesium are nuts and seeds in
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the legomes. You also need to get vitamin B twelve,
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which is critical for the production of neurotransmitters, and B
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twelve is typically found in animal products, so plant based
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eaters should definitely obtain it to fortified foods or supplements. However,
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there is research that even about twenty percent of omnivores
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might be deficient in BE twelve, especially as we age,
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we sometimes don't metabolize it efficiently, so taking a supplement
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is probably advisable for just about everyone. So these are
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some of the key nutrient dense foods that can help
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to keep your brain functioning in tip top shape. And
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you know when we nurture our brains with the right
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nutrients we empower ourselves to think more clearly and learn
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more effectively and keep evolving and growing. The other thing
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I want to add, though, is that you want good
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circulation to your brain. Your brain is the most vascular
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organ in your body. It consumes over twenty percent of
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your entire body's oxygen supply, so having good circulation is critical.
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And this is where cardiovascular health and brain health are
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kind of inseparable. So all the things that are good
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for your heart and your cardiovascular health are good for
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your brain. And that again comes back to we see
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so much research showing us that a whole food's plant
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based diet is really kind of the king when it
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comes to cardiovascular health. You want low saturated fats, including
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coconut oil and palm oil by the way, as well
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as other animal products. You want low on processed meats,
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and you want high in fiber. There's no fiber in
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any animal products. There is fiber in all whole plant foods,
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and you definitely want to avoid the sugar and the
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processed junct treats.
400
00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:04.759
Yeah, I have a close friend who's suffering from both
401
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type two diabetes and now from early on set dimension.
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You know, we know today that many of our most
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of our chronic illnesses that have our healthcare system and
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breakdown you've mentioned many of them already start with system
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wide inflammation of various kinds. Systemic inflammation in the body. Now,
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this have to do a trauma and stress, but it
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can also have to do a diet. And maybe you know,
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and we can't avoid stress being human beings, and many
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of us have had trauma that we couldn't avoid in
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our childhoods or what have you. But diet is still
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one way to address these issues of systemic inflammation, I believe.
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I wonder if you could talk about that. But for example,
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heart disease, the plaque formation that leads to most cardiovascular
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challenges begins like decades earlier with systemic inflammation and breakdown
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in the interior walls of our vascular system. So I
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wonder if you could talk about the relationship between diet
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and healing or avoiding systemic inflammation in the body.
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Yeah, absolutely well. Inflammation is arguably behind most of the
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major chronic ailments of our times. And you know, the
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way you bring it down is by not doing the
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things that are pro inflammatory and doing the things that
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are anti inflammatory. So what's pro inflammatory? Well, essentially, highly
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processed foods are the most pro inflammatory foods in our
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dietary pathways. So sugars, white flour, and fried foods in
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particular all tend to be very pro inflammatory in the
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human body. Processed meats are very pro inflammatory, and in general,
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animal protein appears to be pro inflammatory, as in many
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cases may be saturated fat. So what is anti inflammatory? Oh,
429
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and omega six fatty acids, by the way, are also
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pro inflammatory, especially when consumed in excess. So that's corn oil,
431
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soybean oil, cottonseed oil, really all the major processed vegetable
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oils that are popular today. What's lower in omega sixes
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in the oil world is going to be avocado oil
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and olive oil, and flox oil is actually particularly great
435
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in this regard. So those are the kind of direction
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you want to move in if you're going to consume
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bottled oils at all, like getting away from the other
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bottled oils. You want a healthy race show of omega
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six to omega three. Most people are getting sixteen to
440
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one of six to three, maybe even twenty to one.
441
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You want somewhere between one to one and four to
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one six to three so that means less omega sixes
443
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and more omega threes to bring down chronic inflammation. And
444
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then you want lots of fiber and antioxidants because antioxidants
445
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help your body to deal with all the oxidative stress
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that it faces, which brings down inflammation in the body.
447
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And fiber is critical to your microbiome. It's absolutely essential
448
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to your microbial health and your digestive tracks. It's basically
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what the bacteria eat down there to keep your body functioning,
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and those bacteria, in turn are critical to enhancing the
451
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production of neurotransmitters like serotonin that plays a key role
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in regulating your mood. You also want plenty of fol late,
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which is present in leafy greens and legomes and seeds.
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It's been linked to reduced risk of depression and is
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also involved in the production of dopamine and serotonin. So
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these are all some of the keys that can help
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to bring down inflammation and also contribute to a better mood. Essentially,
458
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in essence, it's eating more whole plaint foods, lots of
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fruits and vegetables, full grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, healthy fats,
460
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especially with omega threes, and that come from nuts and
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seeds and whole foods, and reducing your consumption of highly
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processed junk foods, most of all animal products in general.
463
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Well, in referencing the healthy function of our gut or
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our biome, you are pointing already to the relationship between
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our diet and mental health. You know, one could ease say,
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not only do we have an epidemic of obesity in
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this country, an epidemic of various addictions, but we also
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have a mental health crisis, oppression, anxiety, suicidality, and so forth.
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And I got to think a lot of this is
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probably culturally diet related in terms of what's reinforced in
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our culture. I wonder if you could talk even maybe
472
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a little more about the relationship between diet and mental health.
473
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Absolutely well, So, first of all, there's this thing called
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the gut brain axis that a lot of people are
475
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talking about. Now. You know, the gut microbiome consists of
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trillions of bacteria and other micro organisms, and it communicates
477
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with the brain through the nervous system through hormones and
478
00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:42.880
two immune pathways. And a healthy gut microbiome can produce
479
00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:46.960
neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine that are crucial for mood
480
00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:50.279
regulation and for cognitive function. And so some of the
481
00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:53.119
best ways that you can harness this connection for better
482
00:25:53.160 --> 00:25:57.279
mental health and more resilience are, like I've already mentioned,
483
00:25:57.279 --> 00:25:59.640
adopting a fiber rich diet. You want a diet that
484
00:25:59.759 --> 00:26:02.839
high in fiber from fruits and vegetables and whole grains
485
00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:06.400
and legoms to promote a healthy gut microbiome because it
486
00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:09.480
acts as a prebiotic fiber does, and it feeds the
487
00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:12.720
beneficial gut bacteria and helps them to grow. You also
488
00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:16.000
want to consume some probiotic rich foods. These are foods
489
00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:19.599
that contain probiotics like yogurt and sour kraut and kimchi
490
00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:23.200
and other fermented foods that can help to maintain a
491
00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:27.079
balance got microbiome. And essentially this is the combination that's
492
00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:29.519
so powerful. You want to feed the good guys and
493
00:26:29.559 --> 00:26:31.839
you want to cultivate more good guys, so to speak,
494
00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:34.880
and so probiotics can do both. In many cases. When
495
00:26:34.920 --> 00:26:37.920
you're eating a food like sauerkraut or kimchi, you're getting
496
00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:41.640
fiber and you're getting beneficial bacteria all in one, which
497
00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:44.680
is pretty fabulous. You also want to, as I mentioned,
498
00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:47.720
reduce your processed food intake, especially things that are high
499
00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:50.680
in sugar and unhealthy fats, because that can really disrupt
500
00:26:50.920 --> 00:26:54.839
your gut microbiome and promote the growth of harmful bacteria
501
00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:57.880
that can negatively affect your mental health. You want to
502
00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:01.400
stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is critical, especially for
503
00:27:01.480 --> 00:27:05.039
your gut health, and it helps maintain the mucosal lining
504
00:27:05.119 --> 00:27:09.240
of your intestines, which also supports the balance of beneficial bacteria.
505
00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:12.880
If you want, you can drink green tea or even coffee,
506
00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:16.519
which have been linked to positive mental health and brain
507
00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:19.519
health and benefits. Or if you don't like the caffeine,
508
00:27:19.559 --> 00:27:22.680
go with the caf or drink herbal teas Hibiscus tea
509
00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:26.799
is particularly potent in antioxidants as well as being very hydrating,
510
00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:30.720
so those are some options. Stay away from sugary beverages, however,
511
00:27:30.839 --> 00:27:34.440
because as we've mentioned, sugar is no friend to your microbiome,
512
00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:37.000
and of course we hear it all the time. But
513
00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:40.680
manage stress because we know that chronic stress can negatively
514
00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:44.920
impact the gut, microbiome and mental health. So practices as
515
00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:48.200
you well know, like mindfulness and meditation as well as
516
00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:52.440
yoga and physical activity can all help manage stress levels,
517
00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:56.160
support a healthy gut and a healthy brain. And you
518
00:27:56.200 --> 00:27:58.319
can manage stress, of course from the inside out with
519
00:27:58.359 --> 00:28:01.279
how you responsor you more resilient and more resourceful, or
520
00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:03.640
from the outside in by looking at what are the
521
00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:06.240
dynamics that are creating chronic stress in your life? And
522
00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:08.720
if you're working in a job you eight, maybe it's
523
00:28:08.759 --> 00:28:11.039
time to think about a different career path. You know,
524
00:28:11.079 --> 00:28:14.599
what's the real cost of doing something that sucks the
525
00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:17.640
life out of you? And is there another alternative, a
526
00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:20.559
way to support your family or yourself that's aligned with
527
00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:23.400
your values more, or way to restructure you know, redce
528
00:28:23.480 --> 00:28:26.319
that big commute by moving closer to work, whatever it is.
529
00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:29.000
Think about the places that are chronically stressful in your
530
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:31.799
life and see if you can shift them right. And then,
531
00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:34.160
of course sleep. We hear about it all the time,
532
00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:37.079
and sometimes it just makes us feel more guilty, But
533
00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:39.799
the reality is that getting seven to nine hours of
534
00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:43.079
restorative sleep every night is critical for mental health, for
535
00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:47.000
god health, for your whole microbiome. It brings down inflammation,
536
00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:49.480
and it's good for your mood. Of course, some people
537
00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:51.559
get too much sleep when they're really depressed. That's a
538
00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:54.759
whole other dynamic. But there is a sweet spot for sleep,
539
00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:56.599
and you want to be in there. I want to
540
00:28:56.599 --> 00:28:58.200
have something to get up for in the morning. And
541
00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:00.519
there's all kinds of things that help with sleep, like
542
00:29:00.680 --> 00:29:02.960
you know, and probably some of some folks get tired
543
00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:04.599
of hearing this list, but just to say a few
544
00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:08.440
things like not doing blue light after six pm, you know,
545
00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:10.880
not eating late at night, not going to bed on
546
00:29:10.920 --> 00:29:12.519
a full stomach, going it and bet to bed on
547
00:29:12.519 --> 00:29:15.759
a slightly empty stomach, having a dark room, having a
548
00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:18.359
safe place to be, you know, if you can possibly
549
00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:22.039
create that for yourself. You know, parents like I sometimes
550
00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:24.240
like I sleep in a space a little way from
551
00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:25.799
the kids so that I'm not going to get woken
552
00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:28.720
by them. They're up late, and I just want to
553
00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:30.759
know that I'm not going to get woken because my
554
00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:33.200
nervous system does better when I have that piece, right,
555
00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:35.960
just examples, right, depending on the age of kids, of
556
00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:38.759
course that's going to vary. But prioritizing sleep and then
557
00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:42.240
in the morning, getting some circadian rhythm boost by getting
558
00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:44.799
natural light, ideally getting out in the sunshine in the
559
00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:47.799
morning first thing can really help your body to know
560
00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:50.119
when it's day and night, and having a regular routine
561
00:29:50.160 --> 00:29:53.599
and a regular bedtime just examples. These are all practical
562
00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:56.839
steps you can take that are scientifically showing to nurture
563
00:29:56.880 --> 00:30:00.920
god health, mental health, and resilience in the human body.
564
00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:04.319
So you're kind of pointing to an overall set of
565
00:30:04.680 --> 00:30:07.200
beliefs and values and really lifestyle. I want to talk
566
00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:09.319
more about that in a minute, but just going back,
567
00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:11.799
you are measuring some of the different oils and so forth.
568
00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:14.839
We hear a lot about mcts today and certain oils
569
00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:17.960
coconut has mct and so forth. I wonder if you
570
00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:21.160
could talk about the role of mcts and healthy diet and.
571
00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:25.400
Well, there is some research showing that medium chain triglycerides
572
00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:28.839
or mcts could have some benefit for brain health. It's
573
00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:33.960
complicated though, because they're still saturated fats and they're highly processed,
574
00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:38.519
and coconut oil itself is the most highly saturated fat
575
00:30:38.599 --> 00:30:42.240
out there, more than beef, you know. So, and we
576
00:30:42.279 --> 00:30:45.400
have a lot of research telling us that saturated fat
577
00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:48.720
particularly can be bad for cardiovascular health. It's linked to
578
00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:53.400
more arterial inflammation and clogging over time, and it leads
579
00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:57.759
almost consistently and statistically to higher LDL cholesterol levels and
580
00:30:57.839 --> 00:31:01.880
cholesterol levels overall. There's concern there, and we don't have
581
00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:06.319
enough research on MCT oil specifically, which is extracted from
582
00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:09.400
coconut oil generally, to know whether it's going to have
583
00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:12.400
the same concerns or not. So, you know, if you
584
00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:14.920
want to be part of the mass experiment and put
585
00:31:14.920 --> 00:31:18.880
a tablespoon of MCT oil in your coffee, feel free
586
00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:22.200
see how it goes. If your cholesterol levels aren't a problem,
587
00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:24.599
maybe it's good for you. It might be. We don't
588
00:31:24.599 --> 00:31:27.400
have overwhelming evidence one way or the other. There is
589
00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:30.279
some research showing it might be beneficial, there's some research
590
00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:32.960
showing it might not be. I would say for anybody
591
00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:36.680
who has cardiovascular disease concerns, which is a lot of us,
592
00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:40.039
go real light on the saturated fat, you know, and
593
00:31:40.119 --> 00:31:42.359
so be careful with that. I know folks who were
594
00:31:42.440 --> 00:31:46.720
vegan and we're still having high LDL cholesterol and even
595
00:31:46.799 --> 00:31:49.400
high blood pressure and then they cut out coconut oil
596
00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:51.920
from their diets and boom, it came right down. So
597
00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:55.119
at the same time it may have benefit, right, and
598
00:31:55.400 --> 00:31:58.079
maybe one of those trade offs and as researchers love
599
00:31:58.160 --> 00:31:59.640
to say more research is needed.
600
00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:02.640
Well, thank you for that balance perspective. That's really helpful.
601
00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:06.319
But back to the lifestyle issue. One of our presenters,
602
00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:09.240
doctor cam Vu from California, talks about he practiced what
603
00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:12.039
he calls lifestyle medicine and has really been able to
604
00:32:12.039 --> 00:32:15.759
help people greatly reduce the impact of, or cure altogether
605
00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:20.079
chronic illnesses. Thro're just basic changes in lifestyle, and so
606
00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:22.599
you've been kind of talking about and it's interesting how
607
00:32:22.599 --> 00:32:26.559
these things line up. I'm not saying that all meditators
608
00:32:26.720 --> 00:32:30.759
are vegans or vegetarians necessarily, but you do find a
609
00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:37.200
connectedness between people that value meditation, that value outdoor exercise,
610
00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:40.759
that value healthy eating. These all these things kind of
611
00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:43.440
sync up in a certain way and become kind of
612
00:32:43.480 --> 00:32:47.000
a lifestyle, a cultural mindset or set of values. And
613
00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:49.000
I wonder if you could talk about because you know,
614
00:32:49.160 --> 00:32:52.720
it seems like identity is so powerful and changed. Like
615
00:32:52.960 --> 00:32:55.039
I remember early in my life when I was trying
616
00:32:55.079 --> 00:32:57.880
to quit smoking, and you know, I was a smoker
617
00:32:57.880 --> 00:33:00.559
who loved the smoke, loved that cigarette after me, but
618
00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:02.440
I was trying to quit because I knew it wasn't
619
00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:05.319
good for me right, And it didn't really shift until
620
00:33:05.359 --> 00:33:08.720
I finally identified as a non smoker and really became
621
00:33:08.759 --> 00:33:11.359
clear I'm a nonsmoker. I couldn't care, have no interest.
622
00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:14.519
It's kind of a disgusting habit. And that identity shift
623
00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:17.880
is what really solidified the change. So it seems like
624
00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:21.319
one could eventually have an identity change and one almost
625
00:33:21.319 --> 00:33:23.839
has to leave because, like you said, the belief in
626
00:33:24.119 --> 00:33:26.680
what's normal, right, So you have a huge amount of
627
00:33:26.720 --> 00:33:30.079
cultural reinforcement out there in the country we live in
628
00:33:30.119 --> 00:33:34.039
in other Western countries that it's completely normal to have
629
00:33:34.079 --> 00:33:37.720
this unhealthy lifestyle and eat toxic foods, and that's what
630
00:33:37.839 --> 00:33:40.839
normal people do. So you almost have to be willing
631
00:33:40.880 --> 00:33:44.839
to change your culture, joining a different culture to get
632
00:33:44.839 --> 00:33:47.519
all the support you need. So all these lifestyle things
633
00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:49.759
look up and you start living a healthier lifestyle. What
634
00:33:49.799 --> 00:33:51.359
if you could just talk about that a bit in
635
00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:52.000
your experience?
636
00:33:52.319 --> 00:33:55.160
Absolutely, you know, I think it comes back to if
637
00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:57.039
I was to distill it for me at least, it's
638
00:33:57.079 --> 00:34:00.119
the difference between food is entertainment and food is medicine,
639
00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:03.599
or food is entertainment and food is love, like real love,
640
00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:07.200
not the cheap love that comes from a temporary kick,
641
00:34:07.799 --> 00:34:10.519
but the deeper love that comes from nourishment and self
642
00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:13.440
care and saying I'm willing to invest in my own
643
00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:16.559
well being. And when you make that pivot, then so
644
00:34:16.679 --> 00:34:20.360
much flows from that. And I think you know, meditation, mindfulness,
645
00:34:20.360 --> 00:34:22.400
so many of these things help us to become more
646
00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:26.000
aware and more present in the living moment. And when
647
00:34:26.039 --> 00:34:28.800
we're deeply present in relationship to food, we tend to
648
00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:33.559
be less drawn to temporary sensation and distraction and entertainment
649
00:34:33.639 --> 00:34:36.880
and more drawn to nourishment, to genuine well being because
650
00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:39.880
we can actually feel the effects in our bodies and
651
00:34:39.920 --> 00:34:43.119
psyches and beings. So to me, this is part of
652
00:34:43.119 --> 00:34:45.039
the pivot. And you know, if you want to change
653
00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:47.280
a habit, the best time to repair a roof is
654
00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:49.679
when the sun is shining, not when it's point rained.
655
00:34:50.079 --> 00:34:52.719
And so if you want to change a habit around food,
656
00:34:52.800 --> 00:34:54.960
the best time to do it isn't when you're late
657
00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:57.440
at night, exhausted after a long day at work and
658
00:34:57.480 --> 00:35:00.760
you're having a craving for doritos. It's when you've got
659
00:35:00.760 --> 00:35:04.000
some space and time, maybe on the weekend, make friends
660
00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:07.599
with healthy recipes, shop from a list, and get your
661
00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:10.360
kitchen stocked with healthy food, get rid of all the
662
00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:13.519
drunk foods so you're not tempted. Come up with strategies
663
00:35:13.559 --> 00:35:16.239
for those late nights or whatever your moments of weakness are,
664
00:35:16.360 --> 00:35:19.519
so you have a clear pathway laid out for yourself,
665
00:35:19.559 --> 00:35:21.159
so you know what to do, so you don't have
666
00:35:21.199 --> 00:35:26.000
to use willpower to fight against habit or against compulsion
667
00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:28.880
or addiction. Instead, you want bright lines. You want to
668
00:35:28.880 --> 00:35:30.679
know what your boundaries are. You want to know what
669
00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:32.239
your yes is it nos are. You want to create
670
00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:35.719
accountability loops so that you have friends you can count on.
671
00:35:35.800 --> 00:35:39.079
A lot of us are addicted to unhealthy foods, and
672
00:35:39.400 --> 00:35:42.159
so if you are, you may not really be fully
673
00:35:42.239 --> 00:35:44.679
the author of your own food life. This is not
674
00:35:44.840 --> 00:35:48.360
cause for shame or guilt. This is cause for getting help.
675
00:35:48.840 --> 00:35:52.880
Like with any addiction, you need to practice right lines.
676
00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:55.760
Because an alcoholic can't have just one drink, a food
677
00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:59.559
addict can't have just one dorito or just one cookie. Right,
678
00:36:00.119 --> 00:36:02.599
you will finish the bag most likely if this is
679
00:36:02.639 --> 00:36:04.840
your pattern. So you got to not have the bag
680
00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:08.360
in the house right. You've got to create some boundaries.
681
00:36:08.679 --> 00:36:10.719
You've got to create accountability loops and know how you're
682
00:36:10.719 --> 00:36:12.559
going to get back on the horse if you fall off,
683
00:36:12.960 --> 00:36:15.119
get back on the wagon if you fall off. And
684
00:36:15.159 --> 00:36:19.239
then you also want to really find positive alternatives. When
685
00:36:19.239 --> 00:36:21.000
I was first learning to ride a bike, I was
686
00:36:21.039 --> 00:36:23.880
heading towards a pothole, and I'm looking at the powthole thinking,
687
00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:25.960
don't hit the pothole, don't hit the pothole. And guess where.
688
00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:28.280
I went straight into the pothole and I spilled on
689
00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:30.920
the concrete. And so the next time I was riding
690
00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:32.480
on that road, I looked at the other side of
691
00:36:32.480 --> 00:36:34.840
the road and I rode there. You know, we tend
692
00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:37.480
to go where we put our attention, right, and so
693
00:36:37.599 --> 00:36:39.679
put your attention on what you're going towards, not what
694
00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:42.800
you're going against. Have enough awareness of what you don't
695
00:36:42.800 --> 00:36:45.960
want in order to create different choices, but put most
696
00:36:45.960 --> 00:36:48.360
of your energy. Ninety percent of your attention should be
697
00:36:48.360 --> 00:36:50.360
on the foods you're choosing to eat, not on the
698
00:36:50.360 --> 00:36:52.920
foods you're choosing not to eat. That will help set
699
00:36:52.920 --> 00:36:56.360
you up for success with diet. You know other strategies
700
00:36:56.360 --> 00:36:59.000
that can help with lasting change. One is daily reflection.
701
00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:01.679
So take a few moments every day reflecting on your
702
00:37:01.679 --> 00:37:03.800
food choices and how they make you feel. Maybe even
703
00:37:03.800 --> 00:37:07.880
write a journal capturing your experience today. I this, Here's
704
00:37:07.920 --> 00:37:09.559
how it felt in my belly, Here's how it felt
705
00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:13.480
in my mind. And this awareness practice can create positive
706
00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:17.400
feedback loops. Setting small, achievable goals can help. So you
707
00:37:17.480 --> 00:37:20.039
may want to add one new vegetable each week to
708
00:37:20.079 --> 00:37:24.360
your meals. Shop from a different spot, you know, go
709
00:37:24.480 --> 00:37:28.719
to a farmer's market. Celebrate specific, bite sized, measurable chunks.
710
00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:31.000
Things you say, Okay, I'm going to do this this week,
711
00:37:31.039 --> 00:37:34.280
and then tell somebody and then because you're sixty percent
712
00:37:34.320 --> 00:37:36.039
more likely to do something if you tell someone else
713
00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:37.599
you're going to do it, then if you don't, and
714
00:37:37.639 --> 00:37:41.639
then get a feedback loop. I keep learning, stay informed
715
00:37:41.639 --> 00:37:46.400
about nutrition and health, read books, attended workshops, webinars, follow
716
00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:49.719
reputable organizations, get on email lists like food revolution dot
717
00:37:49.840 --> 00:37:51.719
org so you can keep the learning cycle going and
718
00:37:51.760 --> 00:37:55.079
keep getting reinforced because knowledge will keep empowering you and
719
00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:59.039
remembering why you're doing this, And get supportive community. You know,
720
00:37:59.119 --> 00:38:03.079
joining a group, community or network that shares your goals.
721
00:38:03.519 --> 00:38:06.840
It helps to normalize positive behavior feedback loops, whether it's
722
00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:09.119
a local cooking clocks or a fitness group or an
723
00:38:09.119 --> 00:38:11.840
online forum. Support can make a real difference.
724
00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:14.719
Well, I'm glad you pointed a community, and that's one
725
00:38:14.719 --> 00:38:17.320
of the wonderful things about the movement you created really
726
00:38:17.360 --> 00:38:20.960
with Food Revolution Network, because we need to have positive reinforcement.
727
00:38:21.119 --> 00:38:24.079
And I'm also happy you really named you know, the
728
00:38:24.199 --> 00:38:27.440
addiction that's there with toxic foods and unhealthy foods. And
729
00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:29.760
there's a lot more coming out today about how people
730
00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:33.800
are really suffering from addiction to ultra processed foods. And
731
00:38:33.840 --> 00:38:37.519
it's actually named addiction now and it's like any other addiction.
732
00:38:37.960 --> 00:38:40.679
And sadly, we begin to start looking at some of
733
00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:45.920
the unhealthy food manufacturers and distributors, you might start looking
734
00:38:45.920 --> 00:38:48.239
at them in the same light as your local drug dealer.
735
00:38:48.280 --> 00:38:50.920
You know, is a sad state of affairs. They're still
736
00:38:51.000 --> 00:38:55.079
you know, it's highly legal and highly culturally reinforced, unfortunately.
737
00:38:55.119 --> 00:38:56.880
But so we may need help. The point is we
738
00:38:56.960 --> 00:38:59.360
need we're social beings that we may need support. We
739
00:38:59.440 --> 00:39:02.320
need help if we know we're really suffering from addiction
740
00:39:02.480 --> 00:39:05.360
and we have you know, hidden we're hiding away food
741
00:39:05.480 --> 00:39:07.400
or we're hiding away our food habits. We have a
742
00:39:07.440 --> 00:39:10.480
secret life around food, we probably need to reach out
743
00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:13.599
and get directly involved with clinical help or a twelve
744
00:39:13.639 --> 00:39:15.639
step group or that kind of help. But all of
745
00:39:15.679 --> 00:39:18.119
us need support. There's a lot of evidence that shows
746
00:39:18.519 --> 00:39:23.320
people who live with or socialize with other overweight people
747
00:39:23.480 --> 00:39:27.320
are highly likely to become overweight themselves. So I think
748
00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:29.679
it is really important this part of community that you
749
00:39:29.760 --> 00:39:31.960
bring up, that we need to seek healthy community we
750
00:39:32.039 --> 00:39:33.920
can connect with and be supported by.
751
00:39:34.360 --> 00:39:37.880
Yeah. Absolutely, And you know, we're very social creatures. So
752
00:39:38.440 --> 00:39:40.719
you know, there was research done where, you know, two
753
00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:43.400
people were put into a room and one of them
754
00:39:43.639 --> 00:39:45.480
was in on to study and the other one wasn't.
755
00:39:45.519 --> 00:39:47.639
So the one who was in on the studies, his
756
00:39:47.760 --> 00:39:50.239
task was to what there were cookies in the room.
757
00:39:50.280 --> 00:39:52.599
They went in together. He was supposed to eat some
758
00:39:52.679 --> 00:39:54.679
out of the cookie jar, and the other guy did.
759
00:39:55.239 --> 00:39:57.559
Then he went in with another person didn't need the
760
00:39:57.559 --> 00:39:59.440
cookies out of the cookie jar, and the other person didn't.
761
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:02.039
So what's interesting is that then that person who went
762
00:40:02.079 --> 00:40:04.519
in each case went into another room without their companion,
763
00:40:04.920 --> 00:40:07.920
and they proceeded to repeat the same behavior. Cookies and
764
00:40:07.960 --> 00:40:10.119
the cookie jar. The one who had been eating them
765
00:40:10.280 --> 00:40:12.599
ate them again. The one who hadn't didn't you know,
766
00:40:12.679 --> 00:40:15.679
small study, but the principle I think is pretty clear.
767
00:40:16.199 --> 00:40:19.280
We tend to do what's normalized around us and not
768
00:40:19.400 --> 00:40:21.800
do what isn't normalized around us, and then to repeat
769
00:40:21.800 --> 00:40:24.800
those patterns as we go forward in our lives. This
770
00:40:24.880 --> 00:40:26.880
can cut both ways, though, Fleet and I think that's
771
00:40:26.920 --> 00:40:30.440
what's really empowering. Actually, when you or I choose to
772
00:40:30.480 --> 00:40:35.039
model healthy behaviors, we're actually supporting everyone else around us
773
00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:38.079
by normalizing a new culture. And so humans are very
774
00:40:38.079 --> 00:40:40.599
social creatures. And what I want to invite everybody watching
775
00:40:40.639 --> 00:40:43.199
to consider is that your food choices are not for
776
00:40:43.280 --> 00:40:47.360
you alone. You're actually shifting culture. You're modeling for your friends,
777
00:40:47.360 --> 00:40:49.639
for your family, for your community, for those close to you.
778
00:40:49.719 --> 00:40:52.719
What's possible when you care for yourself, and you're helping
779
00:40:52.719 --> 00:40:55.159
to normalize that and inspire that and making it easier
780
00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:58.079
for them. They may not all follow along, but some
781
00:40:58.159 --> 00:41:00.760
of them will in big ways and in subtle ways
782
00:41:01.119 --> 00:41:03.880
now or at some point in the future. And you're
783
00:41:03.920 --> 00:41:06.800
also helping shift the food system because when we stop
784
00:41:06.840 --> 00:41:10.079
giving our money to corporations whose practices we don't believe in,
785
00:41:10.519 --> 00:41:13.519
when we start investing in local farms and farmers and companies,
786
00:41:13.559 --> 00:41:16.159
that use whole foods and that aren't in the junk
787
00:41:16.159 --> 00:41:19.480
food business, then we're actually shifting economy, you know, just
788
00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:22.199
as surely as if you're a drug user, you are
789
00:41:22.239 --> 00:41:25.440
creating a world of drug dealers, you know, well, if
790
00:41:25.440 --> 00:41:27.760
you are a whole foods consumer, you are creating a
791
00:41:27.800 --> 00:41:30.519
world with more whole foods, which means you're helping our
792
00:41:30.519 --> 00:41:33.760
society to shift away from processed gen food and away
793
00:41:33.760 --> 00:41:38.400
perhaps from industrialized animal products, and towards more sustainable, regenerative,
794
00:41:39.079 --> 00:41:43.440
healthy economy, culture and food systems. And to me, that's powerful,
795
00:41:43.480 --> 00:41:46.880
and that's why we started Food Revolution Network because we
796
00:41:46.920 --> 00:41:49.920
want to shift culture. We want to help individual eaters
797
00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:52.159
do better, but we also want to change the landscape
798
00:41:52.159 --> 00:41:55.519
and the society. And I think when you identify as
799
00:41:55.519 --> 00:41:59.039
an everyday revolutionary, when you look at your food choices
800
00:41:59.079 --> 00:42:01.320
as a chance to take a stand for integrity, your
801
00:42:01.320 --> 00:42:03.280
life has a sense of greater meaning and purpose and
802
00:42:03.320 --> 00:42:06.039
even hope. You know, we live in a world where
803
00:42:06.159 --> 00:42:09.320
there's some pretty big and overwhelming problems on this planet,
804
00:42:09.559 --> 00:42:13.719
our politics, our climate crisis. Every day on this planet,
805
00:42:13.719 --> 00:42:16.159
it seems we have more guns and bombs, we have
806
00:42:16.239 --> 00:42:18.440
less ancient forests, we have less top soil, we have
807
00:42:18.519 --> 00:42:21.960
less biodiversity, we have more carbon in the atmosphere. It's
808
00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:25.920
easy to feel sad, even terrified for our future. But
809
00:42:26.039 --> 00:42:29.079
when it comes to food every day, we can make
810
00:42:29.119 --> 00:42:32.239
a difference. We can reduce our ecological footprint. We can
811
00:42:32.480 --> 00:42:35.239
contribute to a more healthy and a more beautiful future
812
00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:38.400
for ourselves, yes, but also for humanity, And to me
813
00:42:38.840 --> 00:42:41.480
that feels really good. It doesn't solve all the problems
814
00:42:41.559 --> 00:42:43.760
of our world, but it's nice to do something that helps.
815
00:42:44.239 --> 00:42:47.639
So there's an incredible empowering message Ocean, and especially in
816
00:42:47.679 --> 00:42:49.760
these times when there's a tendency for us all that
817
00:42:49.800 --> 00:42:52.559
feel pretty helpless and face all some of the really
818
00:42:52.960 --> 00:42:56.599
even existential issues we're facing as human beings on this planet.
819
00:42:56.920 --> 00:42:59.159
But I love that you emphasize from the very beginning
820
00:42:59.159 --> 00:43:01.599
of our comps idea of what's normal, what we believe
821
00:43:01.639 --> 00:43:05.079
is normal and normalization because and now we can help
822
00:43:05.119 --> 00:43:07.239
create that for each other and for the world, but
823
00:43:07.360 --> 00:43:10.119
really creating that for ourselves, because other words, we're constantly
824
00:43:10.159 --> 00:43:13.079
fighting against you know, for some reason, I know I
825
00:43:13.119 --> 00:43:14.639
don't want to do that. It's probably bad for me,
826
00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:17.639
but it's that's the normal and I'm fighting it until
827
00:43:17.639 --> 00:43:20.840
I really embrace and developed community around on a lifestyle
828
00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:23.880
and somehow the where then I'm making it easy for myself,
829
00:43:23.960 --> 00:43:27.639
right because then healthy choices become the path of least resistance,
830
00:43:27.679 --> 00:43:30.559
because it's become my new normal. That's what we're really
831
00:43:30.599 --> 00:43:35.599
talking about, is that profound mindset change. It becomes lifestyle change,
832
00:43:35.599 --> 00:43:38.280
it becomes culture change, and as you're saying, it could
833
00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:39.559
become world change.
834
00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:43.639
Yeah. Absolutely, And we get to be everyday revolutionaries or
835
00:43:43.679 --> 00:43:46.719
evolutionaries if you prefer, and to be a part of
836
00:43:46.719 --> 00:43:50.320
the solution, you know, with our choices, with how we
837
00:43:50.360 --> 00:43:53.559
treat each other, and with how we treat ourselves. And
838
00:43:54.280 --> 00:43:57.880
you know, it does help me cope, you know, like
839
00:43:58.639 --> 00:44:01.000
you and I were talking earlier about the pain in
840
00:44:01.039 --> 00:44:03.880
the world around us, and how in some senses it
841
00:44:03.920 --> 00:44:06.599
can be overwhelming to face, and a lot of us
842
00:44:06.599 --> 00:44:08.880
shrink our hearts and our dreams and even our prayers
843
00:44:09.360 --> 00:44:12.199
to become more selfish and narrow in the face of
844
00:44:12.280 --> 00:44:15.239
pain that we can't solve. They can feel overwhelming. You know,
845
00:44:15.280 --> 00:44:17.199
when I think about the world my kids are going
846
00:44:17.239 --> 00:44:20.079
to inherit, when I think about what future generations are
847
00:44:20.159 --> 00:44:22.960
up against it, it can be painful, But you know,
848
00:44:23.039 --> 00:44:25.360
at the same time, I believe part of our task,
849
00:44:25.480 --> 00:44:29.039
our sacred opportunity as humans, is to love with as
850
00:44:29.079 --> 00:44:31.800
big a heart as we can, which means being willing
851
00:44:31.840 --> 00:44:35.079
to feel the pain and keep on loving, and perhaps
852
00:44:35.079 --> 00:44:37.679
in some way that pain will activate the immune response,
853
00:44:38.199 --> 00:44:42.000
the evolutionary imperative that was seated in our DNA when
854
00:44:42.000 --> 00:44:45.159
we took birth. Because I can tell you this, if
855
00:44:45.159 --> 00:44:48.360
we don't face and feel the totality of what is,
856
00:44:48.920 --> 00:44:52.400
we will not be able to respond effectively, incoherently, and
857
00:44:52.440 --> 00:44:54.840
that response may not look like any one of us
858
00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:58.039
is going to save the world. But maybe when we're
859
00:44:58.039 --> 00:45:00.519
in touch with the world, we can help to be
860
00:45:00.639 --> 00:45:04.280
agents of healing, and that won't solve it, but at
861
00:45:04.360 --> 00:45:07.119
least will be more human and at least will feel
862
00:45:07.320 --> 00:45:09.559
like we can look in the mirror and say, I'm
863
00:45:09.559 --> 00:45:12.679
doing what I can. I have some integrity, I'm trying
864
00:45:12.679 --> 00:45:14.719
to live my love as best I can, and that
865
00:45:14.800 --> 00:45:18.000
I think is sacred and beautiful. And at least with food,
866
00:45:18.599 --> 00:45:20.639
we have that opportunity in a way that doesn't just
867
00:45:20.679 --> 00:45:22.599
give to others but also gets to ourselves.
868
00:45:23.159 --> 00:45:26.599
I think that's a wonderful place to bring our conversation
869
00:45:26.719 --> 00:45:29.000
to a close, and it's so empowering. And I also
870
00:45:29.159 --> 00:45:31.320
think keeping in mind the power of the collective that
871
00:45:31.400 --> 00:45:34.639
our individual it may seem small to us, you know,
872
00:45:34.719 --> 00:45:37.360
but we're putting seeds into a collective because we're not
873
00:45:37.400 --> 00:45:40.119
the only ones doing that, And the power of the
874
00:45:40.199 --> 00:45:43.280
positive is incredibly positive. I personally have a firm belief
875
00:45:43.280 --> 00:45:47.000
that even though we see how negative things culturally on
876
00:45:47.039 --> 00:45:50.199
so many levels can be kind of viral in their effect,
877
00:45:50.599 --> 00:45:52.920
but positive things are viral in their effect too, And
878
00:45:53.000 --> 00:45:56.400
I feel ultimately the positive has a stronger DNA than
879
00:45:56.440 --> 00:45:58.880
a negative. So I'm hopeful in that regard.
880
00:45:59.079 --> 00:46:01.760
Me too, Me too. Yeah, you know, they say pain
881
00:46:01.800 --> 00:46:05.039
pushes and vision pulls. Some of us are motivated by
882
00:46:05.039 --> 00:46:07.119
trying to get out of pain and suffering. We're hurting,
883
00:46:07.159 --> 00:46:09.280
we're sick of being sick, we're tired of being tired,
884
00:46:09.599 --> 00:46:12.599
and we're desperate, and that's a powerful motivating force. But
885
00:46:13.119 --> 00:46:15.000
what I find is that when people are just motivated
886
00:46:15.039 --> 00:46:16.639
by pain, then once they get out of pain, they
887
00:46:16.719 --> 00:46:19.480
lose their motivation. So we also need a vision. What
888
00:46:19.559 --> 00:46:21.880
are we going towards? What do we want for our lives?
889
00:46:21.920 --> 00:46:24.000
And ultimately for our world. And if we can keep
890
00:46:24.360 --> 00:46:26.519
holding that even when it hurts, when we don't get it,
891
00:46:26.840 --> 00:46:29.920
we keep holding that vision, then we're far more likely
892
00:46:29.960 --> 00:46:32.079
to get where we want to go when we can
893
00:46:32.079 --> 00:46:34.440
see it and feel it. Please, thank you so much
894
00:46:34.519 --> 00:46:37.119
for your beautiful work, and everyone for being a part
895
00:46:37.159 --> 00:46:38.480
of this profound conversation.
896
00:46:39.000 --> 00:46:42.280
Thank you, Ocean copounder and CEO of Food Revolution Network.
897
00:46:42.360 --> 00:46:45.199
Always a joy to have these conversations with you exactly.
898
00:46:46.199 --> 00:46:50.039
Thank you for joining me on the Radical Responsibility Podcast. Remember,
899
00:46:50.159 --> 00:46:52.840
real change happens when we commit to our growth, face
900
00:46:52.880 --> 00:46:56.440
our challenges with compassion, and stay open to transformation. If
901
00:46:56.480 --> 00:46:59.719
you found this episode helpful, I encourage you to subscribe
902
00:46:59.719 --> 00:47:03.119
and help us spread the message of healing and personal empowerment.
903
00:47:03.199 --> 00:47:06.400
Stay grounded, stay present, and stay true to you. Take
904
00:47:06.440 --> 00:47:06.599
care