Ask Me Anything: My Pregnancy, Fertility & What I Actually Do Daily | Drake Peterson

Summary

Realfoodology Podcast Episode Summary

Episode: Ask Me Anything: My Pregnancy, Fertility & What I Actually Do Daily | Drake Peterson
Host: Courtney Swan (as Jessica Haggard in the transcript)
Co-Host: Drake Peterson
Date: April 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

This special AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode dives into host Courtney Swan’s personal journey with pregnancy, fertility, wellness routines, and day-to-day real food choices. With podcast producer Drake Peterson joining as co-host, the pair field listener questions submitted via Instagram. Courtney offers candid insights about her health journey, product choices, and mindset, addressing topics like IVF, non-toxic living, supplements, and more—all with her signature warmth and transparency.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Egg Freezing, IVF, and PCOS

(03:00-04:34)

• Courtney shares her personal experience of freezing eggs at 36, expressing mixed feelings due to potential health effects from hormone injections.
• She cautions against the predatory aspects of the fertility industry:

  “The IVF industry...is incredibly predatory. We’re scaring women into feeling like they have to start freezing their eggs when they’re like 25, which I think is absolutely diabolical. And it’s a big money grab.” (03:50)

• For those with PCOS, she recommends investing in a knowledgeable doctor to address root causes and manage symptoms rather than immediately opting for egg freezing or IVF.

2. Balancing Non-Toxic Living with Mental Health

(04:34-05:44)

• Courtney discusses her journey from “Whole Foods girl” to a more balanced approach regarding toxins:

  “There was absolutely a time in my life where I was living through more anxiety than I would like...The anxiety is not healthy for me. It’s not helping me. It’s actually harming me and making it worse.” (05:44)

• Recommends doing the best you can and “giving the rest to God,” prioritizing basics like sweating, movement, and faith in the body’s detox abilities.

3. Stevia and Alternative Sweeteners

(08:57-10:38)

• Once a stevia proponent, Courtney now avoids it due to evidence on gut impact and potential fertility issues:

  “I’ve heard enough anecdotal evidence from women saying that once they cut out stevia they were able to get pregnant very easily.” (09:45)

• Prefers monk fruit and limits stevia intake, especially when trying to conceive.

4. Non-Plastic Espresso Makers & Coffee Habits

(10:38-11:45)

• Most automatic espresso makers contain unavoidable plastic; one non-plastic option is prohibitively expensive (~$1,600).
• Solutions: stove-top Italians or glass/stainless cold brew makers as practical alternatives.

5. Wearable Health Tech During Pregnancy

(11:45-12:46)

• Courtney stopped using her Oura Ring after getting pregnant:

  “It’s been really nice and stress-free not having it.” (11:49)

• Drake found his Oura Ring helpful for initially improving sleep, but found he could do without it after learning his patterns.

6. Supplements for Dogs and People

(13:06-14:05)

• Recommends Native Pet, “Wild” (pending further research), Ollie, and Sundays dog foods; highlights her own reduced supplement regimen focused on prenatal health, minerals, and mold detox.

7. Eczema: Roots & Supplements

(16:36-17:45)

• Courtney’s eczema disappeared after removing gluten, demonstrating the need to address underlying causes rather than just taking supplements:

  “No supplement in the world is going to get to the root of it. You actually have to figure out what’s causing it.” (16:38)

8. Mother’s Salad Dressing Recipe—A Touching Segment

(18:05-20:04)

• Courtney reflects on the recent loss of her mother, sharing how her mom’s salad dressing recipe is a treasured family memory:

  “We actually used to joke all the time...we would call my mom Martha Stewart without the jail time.” (19:05)

• Courtney considers sharing the recipe publicly, pending her father’s blessing.

9. Hair and Skincare During Pregnancy

(20:08-26:57)

• Uses minimal, non-toxic haircare (Act and Acre, plans to try Bur Bur).
• Pregnancy skincare: Agent Nateur and Clearstem. Avoids complexity as advised by her esthetician.
• On Botox:

  “That study...showing that it does cross the blood-brain barrier—it is not worth your brain health. So I’m face taping and trying to do everything I possibly can to avoid these damn forehead wrinkles.” (27:10)

10. Pregnancy Reflections

(28:05-30:14)

• Shares relief and gratitude that her pregnancy has been easy despite external chaos.
• Counters common narratives of pregnancy misery, noting only minor nausea and food aversions in the first trimester.
• Expresses gratitude for supportive, non-alarmist midwife care.

11. Formula Choices If Breastfeeding Is Not Possible

(30:23-32:21)

• Advocates for Serenity Kids and Sammy’s Milk (toddler labelled), due to outdated infant formula regulations favoring PUFAs.

12. Appeel Spray and Shopping Habits

(32:21-33:13)

• Recommends shopping at places like Natural Grocer or farmers markets to avoid the appeal fruit spray, as its status is uncertain.

13. Nitrates/Nitrites in Processed Meats

(33:13-35:38)

• Cites a major French study linking nitrates/nitrites to colon cancer.
• Distinguishes between lab-made and naturally occurring (celery powder) nitrates in organic deli meats:

  “I live in the middle of this...I would never touch conventional bacon, hot dogs, deli meat, anything like that because of the lab made nitrates.” (34:55)

• Eats organic/“naturally-cured” meats in moderation, awaiting more research on health effects.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On fertility markets:
  “We’re scaring women into feeling like they have to start freezing their eggs when they’re like 25...And it’s a big money grab.” (03:50)

• On non-toxic anxiety:
  “What really does help is doing the absolute best you can, recognizing that you’re doing a lot, and then giving the rest to God.” (05:44)

• On stevia and fertility:
  “Some tribes have actually used it as a contraceptive. And so that was really concerning to me.” (09:15)

• On eczema:
  “No supplement in the world is going to get to the root of it. You actually have to figure out what’s causing it.” (16:38)

• On her mother:
  “We would call my mom Martha Stewart without the jail time.” (19:05)

• On Botox:
  “That study...showing that it does cross the blood-brain barrier—it is not worth your brain health.” (27:10)

• On processed meats:
  “I would never touch conventional bacon, hot dogs, deli meat, anything like that because of the lab made nitrates and nitrites.” (34:55)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Egg Freezing & PCOS: 03:00–04:34
• Non-Toxic Anxiety & Coping: 04:34–05:44
• Stevia & Sweeteners: 08:57–10:38
• Espresso Makers & Coffee: 10:38–11:45
• Wearables During Pregnancy: 11:45–12:46
• Dog Supplements & Personal Supplements: 13:06–14:05
• Eczema Approaches: 16:36–17:45
• Mother’s Salad Dressing Reflection: 18:05–20:04
• Hair/Skin Care in Pregnancy: 20:08–26:57
• Pregnancy Reflections: 28:05–30:14
• Formula Recommendations: 30:23–32:21
• Appeel Spray & Grocery Shopping: 32:21–33:13
• Nitrates Discussion: 33:13–35:38

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Episode Tone & Style

• Down-to-earth, honest, and supportive.
• Prioritizes context and nuance over black-or-white answers, especially regarding controversial wellness topics.
• Empathetic, especially around challenges like fertility, pregnancy, and grief.
• Encourages self-acceptance and self-education, rather than rigid rule-following.

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This episode delivers a blend of practical advice, personal story, and heartfelt moments, offering listeners both concrete tips and inspiration for their own wellness journey.

Transcript

[Jessica Haggard]

What really does help is doing the absolute best you can, recognizing that you're doing a lot, and then giving the rest to God. I had a personal experience with eczema, and in my experience, no supplement in the world is going to get to the root of it. You actually have to figure out what's causing. It's essentially an autoimmune disorder. What's causing the immune trigger in your body for me was gluten. So when I cut out gluten, my eczema went away almost immediately. I would never touch conventional bacon, hot dogs, deli meat, anything like that because of the lab made nitrates and nitrites.

[Drake Peterson]

Love me some hot dogs.

[Jessica Haggard]

I know, me too. I buy the force of nature hot dogs. I think it's fine in moderation. Just don't eat a hot dog every day.

[Drake Peterson]

All right, last question.

[Jessica Haggard]

Hello, friends. Welcome back to another episode of the Real Foodology Podcast. Today is a Ask me anything. I love doing these periodically. And I brought my podcast producer, Drake.

[Drake Peterson]

Hey, friends.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yay. Welcome, Drake. We love Drake. I love to do this periodically where I just put up a little question box on my Instagram stories and I let y' all ask questions and I try to answer as many as I can. So. So this is going to be a short episode. We only have about 30 minutes, so I'm going to try really hard to keep these quick and fast and easy. Okay. Somebody asked about my mold and my mold experience. Hector and I just recorded an episode. We spent over an hour explaining in full detail where we're at with it right now. And it's a crazy story, so you're not going to want to miss it.

[Drake Peterson]

Do you want me to read the questions for you to you?

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah, I just feel like some of them. I'm not going to.

[Drake Peterson]

Yeah, that's fine. If something's not good, just tell me.

[Jessica Haggard]

Deny. Okay, we'll just cut it out.

[Drake Peterson]

How big are your boobs? Wow. I'm just. We'll cut that out.

[Jessica Haggard]

No, you can keep that. It's funny, they've gotten way bigger in pregnancy.

[Drake Peterson]

Your husband's probably very happy than that.

[Jessica Haggard]

He's not complaining.

[Drake Peterson]

Okay. Do you think it's a scam to freeze your eggs if you have pcos.

[Jessica Haggard]

Oh. Oh. If you have pcos. So that's. That adds a whole different thing. Well, let me be clear. I don't think it's a scam. What I don't love is I think that that whole industry is incredibly predatory. It's what, a 50 billion dollar industry? Now, the IVF industry. We're scaring women into feeling like they have to start freezing their eggs when they're like 25, which I think is absolutely diabolical. And it's a big money grab. Freezing your eggs is incredibly expensive. We also don't know what the health implications are down the line of taking those hormones. Now, admittedly, I froze my eggs at 36 and I will tell you, I don't believe in regrets, but there is a part of me that kind of wishes that I hadn't because I dealt with some health things afterwards. And I cannot help but wonder if maybe it was connected with injecting myself with hormones. So I, I very much, I live, I live in the middle with this conversation. I think it should be done on a case by case situation. I'm very empathetic to women that are waiting later to have kids because I'm 41 and pregnant with my first child because did not find my man until later in life. And I'm very happy and grateful that I finally did find him, but it took me a long time and so I, that's why I froze my egg. So I'm incredibly empathetic to women that are in that position. Regarding pcos, I think that your money would be more well spent in finding a really amazing doctor that really understands PCOS and they can work with you on trying to mitigate the symptoms and hopefully getting to the root cause. We know that PCOS is very intricately linked to your blood sugar. So if you can find a really good doctor that can help you either manage symptoms or really, for the most part, we, we have seen cases where PCOS is either almost entirely mitigated or the symptoms are very well managed. And I think that your money would be more well spent in that way and it's going to serve you much greater in the long term because then you're actually going to have health benefits from it as well. And then hopefully we'll be able to get pregnant on your own without having to use IVF and egg freezing. And again, I want to be very clear. I support every woman's decision to do whatever they want to do with their body. Obviously, I froze my eggs. I shared my story. I just want there to be a big conversation around the health effects and how much it is, how hard it is on women's bodies. And if we can avoid. My thing is, if we can avoid doing egg freezing, we can avoid doing ivf. I think it's better for your health. It's also probably better for your mental Health. But if you have to do it, thank God we have it.

[Drake Peterson]

How do you manage prioritizing non toxic options while not feeding anxiety?

[Jessica Haggard]

Ooh, I like this. Okay, so how do I prioritize that, you know? Okay, so I'll say it took me a little bit to get here. There was absolutely a time in my life where I was living through more anxiety than I would like. It was actually when I was on tour. When I started touring with bands, I would go to Whole Foods. In fact, I literally. Funny, I have a Whole Foods tattoo. I was just sharing the story the other day because everyone knew me on the road as like the Whole Foods girl. It like became this inside joke because any time we were in any city where there was a Whole Foods, I was, I would always go there because I was so scared of eating out and not eating and eating, eating things that weren't organic that it became a little bit of an obsession. I think most people, when they first start getting into all of this and they start learning about all the toxins that we're being exposed to, I think it's kind of the natural progression. I remember you, Drake, had a little freak out in the beginning. We first started working together, you were

[Drake Peterson]

like, like throwing away the Branch basics episode was like, wait, what? It was crazy. I threw everything away.

[Jessica Haggard]

And I think it's, you know, I think there's. As long as you don't let it get out of control, I think there can be a little bit of a healthy, like, ah. And you kind of, you know, rethink everything. You throw away things. You don't re buy some of the toxic stuff, but you don't want it to rule your life, right? So it ruled my life for a little bit. And then I kind of had this come, come to Jesus moment where I was like, you know what? This is actually. This anxiety is not healthy for me. It's not helping me. It's actually harming me and making it worse. What really does help is doing the absolute best you can, recognizing that you're doing a lot and recognizing that you are doing the best that you can, and then giving the rest to God. There's only so much we can do. I believe, and I trust in our body's inherent ability to detox and do what it needs to do. And your bodies are, our bodies are really good at doing that. So do things that prioritize sweating, exercising, that also gets your lymphatic system moving. Do a sauna if you can. If you don't have access to a sauna do a hot Epsom salt bath. Just get your body sweating and moving every day so that you can get some toxins out. And just trust that you're doing the best that you can. Okay, let's talk about dogs and allergies. I noticed something with my dog's turkey and Butters paw licking, ear scratching, and then I realized that those aren't just quirky dog habits. Those can actually be signs of allergies. A lot of these allergy symptoms in dogs can start in the gut. When their gut is out of balance, it can show up in their skin, their ears, their digestion, even their energy levels. As someone who's really intentional about my own health, it kind of hit me. I need to be thinking about my dog's health the same way too. Just like us, they need good bacteria to support their gut and help keep their immune system balanced. That's what led me to Better Wild Allergy Relief Soft Chews. They're designed to support your dog's allergy defenses by strengthening digestion and helping restore balance from the inside out. They use natural ingredients like Ancestral Advantage Wolf probiotics, plus ingredients that sports support gut, immune and skin health. I've been giving them to turkey and butters daily and they think they're treats. I've been more consistent now that we're heading into spring because allergies tend to flare up. Right now, Better Wild is offering my listeners up to 40% off your [e-mail] Real Foodology One thing that I find myself reaching for every single morning is my Manukora honey. Instead of using processed sweeteners, I do a heaped teaspoon into my coffee and it's become such an easy ritual that supports my health. And honey being one of the most functional foods, Manuka honey is truly in a category of its own. Manukora is rich, creamy, and the best tasting honey I've ever had. It's ethically produced in the remote forests of New Zealand, where bees gather nectar from the Manuka tea tree, which is naturally packed with bioactives. That's what gives it three times more antioxidants and prebiotics than regular honey, helping support your gut and your cells, where so much of your immune system actually lives. It also contains mgo, which is a rare antibacterial compound that really sets it apart from other honeys. It's a total game changer and all you need is one heap teaspoon in the morning to get the benefits. Now it's easier ever to try Manukura honey. Head to manakora.com real foodology to save up to 31% plus $25 worth of free gifts with the starter kit which comes with an MGO850 plus Manuka honey jar, five honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon and a guide book.

[Drake Peterson]

What are your thoughts on stevia sweeteners?

[Jessica Haggard]

So I actually did a post about this. I did a deep dive on this a couple months ago. I was a huge proponent for stevia for a long time. I started using it like 14 years ago. But mind you, back then when I was using it, the only I was having exposure to stevia was I would put it in my morning coffee and then I was putting it in like baked good that goods that I was making. And I think we're at a point now where there's, we're being infiltrated by so much stevia that I actually do think it's starting to have an impact on our health. I know our mutual friend Bethany hates it because there's studies showing that it impacts the gut microbiome. There's also some studies showing that it can have an effect on fertility. And so this is actually why I ended up cutting stevia out was because we've been seeing there's some studies connecting that it has issues with blocking the mechanisms of fertility. We also know some tribes have actually used it as a contraceptive. And so that was really concerning to me. And then looking at every single freaking product that I had is like protein powders, my amino powder, my electrolytes, like every treats that I was buying, everything had stevia in it. And I've heard enough anecdotal evidence from women saying that once they cut out stevia they were able to get pregnant very easily. I got, I very intentionally got my husband off myself and my husband off stevia. Probably starting in like June before we wanted to conceive because I was really concerned about it. I like monk fruit and I do monk fruit more. I'll have an ollie pop or something like here and there that has Stevie in there but for the most part I really try to avoid it. I do electrolytes and protein powder that use monk fruit instead.

[Drake Peterson]

Is there a non plastic containing automatic espresso maker on the market?

[Jessica Haggard]

There is, but I can't remember the name of it. It's so absurdly expensive that I haven't even bought it. It's like $1,600. It's so crazy.

[Drake Peterson]

That's crazy.

[Jessica Haggard]

I know. There's a thing with Breville where I guess you can Pull the plastic part out of the. That handle. I don't know what the thing is called because I'm not a barista.

[Drake Peterson]

Yeah.

[Jessica Haggard]

But it still goes through plastic tubing in the Breville. So from what I have found, so so far, thus far, I have not been able to find an espresso machine that doesn't use plastic. Except for this one and it's like sixteen hundred dollars. I'll leave you guys a link, but I mean, I'm. It's. That's even. That's too much for me. So do what you will with that information.

[Drake Peterson]

I just use one of those stovetop espresso makers.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah.

[Drake Peterson]

All metal. It's Italian. It's like, it looks nice.

[Jessica Haggard]

Do you know what I do? I just make cold brew. I have a little like cold brew maker, which is. I mean, it was like 30 bucks on Amazon. It has a little stainless steel reservoir and it's in a glass jar. And if I want it hot, I'll heat it up and make a latte with that. Or if I want it cold, I just drink it, like cold brew. And I. I mean, it's great. I love it. And it makes it so easy because you can make a huge batch and it's in the fridge all week.

[Drake Peterson]

Do you wear a tracker or a ring? Apple watch. Whoop. Do you love it?

[Jessica Haggard]

I do, but not during pregnancy. So I don't have anything on right now. I was wearing an aura ring for a while. I got to say, it's been kind of nice and stress free not having it. Yeah, it's been really nice. Um, I stopped immediately when I found out I was pregnant. I was like, oh, I'm not even going to look at this anymore. My body's going to be like all over the place. And it's been really nice. So we'll see. Tbd. If I actually go back to it because the stress of it. I don't know if I need that because it's. I don't know. I know you wore an O ring for a while and I wonder if you had a similar experience.

[Drake Peterson]

I loved it. It helped me learn how to sleep better and optimize my sleep, but I don't need it anymore.

[Jessica Haggard]

Oh, okay. That's good.

[Drake Peterson]

I mean, I think it's good if you're like trying to not get pregnant. If you have like natural, natural cycles or something like that. Or it tells you when you're sick before you even know. But if you, if you watch TV or do a lot of things that you shouldn't Be doing it kind of knows and you can follow your score, but once you train yourself, you don't really need it as much anymore. So I don't, I don't really use it.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah, that's a great point, actually. And I think that's the best way to do it. And I forgot. I. You know what, I may go back to it because of the Natural cycles thing was really you can link it to your Natural cycles app and then it essentially becomes your birth control and it was epic. So I did really love it for that and it did help me learn my, my sleep patterns better. So. Yeah, I agree, actually.

[Drake Peterson]

What are your favorite dog supplements and food?

[Jessica Haggard]

You know what? I don't really know how to answer that. Look, admittedly I've had so much going on in my life, I haven't had enough time to research. I know that there's that brand, Native Pet. Oh, you know what, there's that new brand that we just got sent. What was it called? Wild.

[Drake Peterson]

Oh, yeah.

[Jessica Haggard]

What are they called?

[Drake Peterson]

No, I can, I can look it up.

[Jessica Haggard]

It's in our, our group chat. So there's another brand. I will say I haven't had time to fully look into this brand yet, but on the surface they look really good and I think Native Pet is great also.

[Drake Peterson]

It's also like Ollie and Sundays. Do you like, like those?

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh my gosh. My dogs love Sunday's dog food. They are obsessed. Obsessed. And to see turkey obsessed with the dog food is wild because he hates. All he wants to eat is steak. I also just, I'm trying to lower the amount of supplements my husband and I take. And I'm. While I'm doing that, I'm like, oh my God, supplements for my dog.

[Drake Peterson]

How many supplements are you taking right now?

[Jessica Haggard]

You'd be proud of me. I'm not taking very many right now. So I'm taking a prenatal. I take the one everybody always asks me, the optimal prenatal MF from seeking health because it's the non methylated vitamins. I'm taking choline from ritual glutathione because I was exposed to toxic black mold and we're trying to get out of my body. And then I'm taking a powder that's nac and glycine and then L Glutamine to get the mold out and that's it. So it's pretty like. Oh. And I'm doing minerals and chill every day to help with my anxiety and cortisol from healthily, which is a Great brand. Oh, sorry. One more that I'm taking that I love and I'm just a huge fan of this company is Body Biopc. I will always and forever take that. Where does resilience actually come from? A lot of us assume it's just discipline or how hard we train, but really it comes down to what's happening at the cellular level. Because every single thing your body does, movement, strength, recovery, depends on energy. And that energy is produced by mitochondria. Those mitochondria can become less efficient and that's when you start to notice dips in energy, strength and recovery, even if you're doing all the right things. That's why I've been interested in Mito Pure from Timeline. It contains lithium A which supports something called mitophagy, helping your body clear out damaged mitochondria and support more efficient energy production. For me, it's about protecting strength and resilience long term. Mitopure now starts at get 79 when you go to timeline.com real foodology something really awesome about clearsim skincare is that you don't have to choose between anti aging and anti acne. If you're acne prone and you're also concerned about aging, clearsim is the perfect line for you. You can also use it just like me if you're not acne prone. I love it just for the anti aging benefits. And I'll tell you that my favorite products are probably their Gentle Gel cleanser. It doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped and dried. I also love their Hydro Berry moisturizer. I love the Under Eye gel and I love the skin spray all day spray. I use the skin spray multiple times a day. I have it in my carry on bag, purse in my car. I keep them everywhere because they're really good at keeping your skin super hydrated. When I think of clearsim, I think of skincare that protects me from acne and aging at the same time. Discover the ClearSim difference because clear skin changes everything. Go to ClearSim.com Real Foodology and use code Real Foodology at checkout for free. 15% off your first order

[Drake Peterson]

best supplements for eczema.

[Jessica Haggard]

You know what? This is tough. Oh well. Okay. So we did a podcast recently with what is the name of that company? Wonderfield. They have a N M in supplement that's very similar to NAD and they're actually working on some research right now because they're seeing that people taking the supplement are it's helping them with their eczema. I'll tell you That I had a personal experience with eczema. And in my experience, no supplement in the world is going to get to the root of it. You actually have to figure out what's causing. It's essentially an autoimmune disorder. What's causing the. The immune trigger in your body for me was gluten. So when I cut out gluten, my eczema went away almost immediately. And a couple years ago, I tested to see if I could still. If I could do gluten or if I still had an issue with it. And after eating it for about a week, my eczema came back in full force. So for me personally, my trigger is eating wheat or gluten. Um, so sometimes you just have to figure out what your trigger is. For some people, it's dairy. Other people it's gluten. Um, so I would recommend getting a stool test and a gut test done and working with a functional medicine doctor and figuring out what is actually triggering your immune system.

[Drake Peterson]

There's nothing more fun than doing a stool test.

[Jessica Haggard]

I know when you send that package into FedEx, it says, like, you're like, poop on it. Basically, you're like, here's my poop. Sorry.

[Drake Peterson]

You have to start in your refrigerator. And, like, it's. It's mortifying.

[Jessica Haggard]

It is, really. Especially if you have a partner and you're like, just don't look in the corner over there.

[Drake Peterson]

Oh, this one's really cute. A lot of people are asking this. They want to know about your mom's salad dressing recipe.

[Jessica Haggard]

Oh, that's gonna make me cry. I'm still trying to decide if I'm gonna. I. I need to ask my dad if I'm gonna share it. I probably will. I'm not trying. I'm not trying to gatekeep it. I just. I'm trying to restore. Expect what my mom would want. And I think that she probably would love for me to share it, so I probably will. I just need. I need to think about it. But I got so many DMS from people about that, and I was really, really touched. So thank you. Because I. When I shared about that, if you don't know what I'm talking about, my mom passed away, like, three weeks ago, and it's been really hard. And she was an amazing. She was an amaz cook. We actually used to joke all the time. We would call my mom Martha Stewart without the jail time. Literally, it's what we called her.

[Drake Peterson]

It's really funny.

[Jessica Haggard]

In high school, all my friends would call my mom Martha Stewart because she was baking and making literally everything from scratch. Like she just. And she creates such a beautiful home and like, just does a great, just an amazing job with aesthetics and all of that. And like, three days after she passed, I found like just a very small amount of her salad dressing in the back of the fridge. And I had this freak out because I realized that I didn't know what the recipe was. And I posted about on Instagram and I know that some of her friends follow me. And I was like, oh my God. I just realized that I don't know what my mom's salad dressing recipe is. And just the smell of it, the taste of it, everything reminds me of her. And it made me so sad. I ended up finding it. One of her friends sent me a message and said, I have it, I have it. I was like, like, oh, thank God. So at tbd, if I will share it, I will definitely share it on my Instagram. I just want to talk to my dad and just make sure. Yeah, so I'm not trying to gatekeep it. It's just, you know.

[Drake Peterson]

Oh, no, I really want to know

[Jessica Haggard]

send it to you.

[Drake Peterson]

What hair care products are you using during your pregnancy?

[Jessica Haggard]

Oh, the answer is pretty much almost nothing. I'm very minimal right now. What am I using? So I'm using Act and Acre right now for shampoo and conditioner, which I kind of like I'm having. Everybody always asks me for non toxic shampoo and conditioner wrecks. And I personally have been on a journey where I've not been able to find anything that I absolutely love. I think act and Acre is the best one I've found so far. I've been hearing about Burr Burr. It's like B U R, B U R. And I'm gonna buy that next because apparently everyone's raving about it right now. So I will report back. And then I'm just using act and Acre. They're like frizz anti frizz serum before I blow dry my hair. And that's it. I'm being. I'm real low maintenance right now, y'.

[Drake Peterson]

All. All right. Do you want to get like deep People want to know about thoughts on chemo and cancer treatments.

[Jessica Haggard]

Okay. So, you know, I live kind of in the middle of this. I think it's. I think it's very dependent on the case by case, this situation. I have a friend who had a cancer diagnosis and we got him in contact with a integrative doctor that I know, a friend of mine. And this doctor Actually told us that with the type of cancer that he had, the only viable treatment that actually really does get rid of it is chemo. And I was like, wow, that actually him telling me that. And this is an integrative doctor that uses hyperbaric chamber, ambers, high vitamin C drips, ivermectin, like, he does all of the natural stuff. And hearing him say that actually changed my perspective on chemo. I think that if there's a way that you can avoid it, at least for me personally. Again, this is. This is not medical advice. This is just my personal opinion. Please do not take any advice from me. I'm obviously not a doctor. It's just how I think. If I was in that type of situation and there were other things that I could try first before trying chemo, I think I would do that. I think in the cancer situation, many times it's. You get a diagnosis and you get put in an assembly line, and it's just like, do this, do this. And you don't even have time to think or process or digest. And, yeah, if it's stage four and it's like you have weeks left, then, yeah, you have to move pretty quickly. But if you get like a stage one, stage two. If I was in a situation, I would take a deep breath, I would look at all my options, and I would probably go to one of the centers either in, like, Germany or Switzerland or Mexico, where they're utilizing other treatments that they're not utilizing in the United States yet, and they're utilizing them with great efficacy. I would also look into ivermectin and fenbendazole. Again, none of this is medical advice. This is just, if I was in that situation, that's what I would do. And I think in some situations, that you absolutely have to do it. And I think in some situations, doing a combination of chemo or radiation or, you know, both, and then also doing ivermectin and fenbend is all. People have been having amazing results. So I think it's not. Be willing to look outside of the box and then also be willing to do whatever is absolutely necessary to get rid of it. I mean, I just lost my mom to cancer, and I would. I would do absolutely anything to. To change that. So, yeah, this spring, if you're trying to see results, better gut health, clearer skin, stronger hair, more stable energy. It all starts in the gut. That's something that I've been paying more attention to lately, because once your gut is supported, everything else tends to fall into place. One thing I've added into my routine is colostrum. I really love Cowboy Colostrum. What stood out to me is the quality. It's 100 made in America from grass fed cows and it's true. First day whole colostrum which means it's rich in bioactives like a immunoglobulins and growth factors and they collect the surplus after the calves have had what they need. It's also not stripped down or over processed. It's whole full fat, high in protein so you're getting something really nutrient dense. I've been adding a scoop into my coffee or smoothies and it's such an easy habit. They have flavors like chocolate, vanilla, matcha and strawberry made with real ingredients. When your gut is supported you may notice changes in your skin energy, even bloating. For a limited time, our listeners get up to 25 off their entire order. Just head to cowboycolostrum.com Real Foodology and use code REAL FOODOLOGY at checkout. That's 25 off when you use code REAL [e-mail] REAL FOODOLOGY if you care about what's in your food, you also need to pay attention and care about what you're cooking it in. This is a gift that my mom gave me years ago. She got me to get rid of all of my traditional nonstick cookware because a lot of it still contains forever chemicals that are linked to environmental and health concerns. Studies have found that the majority of nonstick pans still contain these coatings and even a small scratch can release thousands of plastic particles into your food. That's why I've been loving our place. They make beautiful high performance kitchenware that's completely toxin free so you can cook without worrying about what might be leaching into your food. One of my favorites is their four piece cookware set which basically upgrades your entire kitchen and one move. It includes their iconic always pan and Perfect pot which I use in both mini and full sizes and together they replace a whole stack of bulky cookware and the non stick performance is incredible but without the toxic coatings. And if you love air fryers, their Wonder oven is amazing. It makes cooking at home so easy and it's gorgeous on your countertop. Our Place is actually having their biggest sale of the season right now. Save up to 40% site wide through April 12th. Head to from our place.com real foodology to see why more than a million people have made the switch to our place kitchenware and with their 100 day risk free trial and free returns. You can shop with total confidence. Shop. Our place's best sale of the season right now.

[Drake Peterson]

All right. Skin care routine during pregnancy.

[Jessica Haggard]

Okay, again, I'm very low maintenance right now. My, my girl, Jamie McGuire, shout out to her Jamie aesthetics on Instagram, told me very early, early on in pregnancy, she said, just don't overcomplicate it because your skin is probably going to be haywire and crazy and sensitive during pregnancy. Which actually, by the way, it really. My skin has not changed at all during pregnancy. I've just been getting more wrinkles and I'm like, oh, I hate it. But besides that, my skin has actually been pretty awesome. I'm almost exclusively using Agent tour right now and Clear stem and it really hasn't changed. I use pretty much the whole line of agent A tour and I use clear stem face wash and that's it right now, actually. Oh, and I've been using. I just got some ogee. It's O G E E that I've been testing out, which I will report back on if I like it or not. But I've been trying their makeup and some of their skincare.

[Drake Peterson]

One of the things I like is that you and Celeste, who's been on the show, used to, you guys would talk about Botox. You would be very open about getting it. And now you both have decided that, that, you know, the science has come out and you, you don't do it anymore.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah, yeah, I don't. I just don't think it's worth the risk. My original stance was. And I, I got this from my mom, who I trust very much was my mom. My mom said, you know, we've actually been using Botox medically since the early 1900s. They started using it for migraines. And I was like, okay, that actually makes me feel better because we have long term results of this using it for a long time. But I just, I've been seeing too many side effects from people online. And also that study that came out showing that it does cross the blood brain barrier. It is not worth your brain health. So I'm face taping and trying to do everything I possibly can to avoid these damn forehead wrinkles.

[Drake Peterson]

Celeste has like 50 things on her face. I'm like, this is psychotic.

[Jessica Haggard]

Poor Hector. I go to bed every night just like my forehead's taped and like, I look like an alien. But anything to, to keep those wrinkles at bay, you know?

[Drake Peterson]

How has your pregnancy been going? Tell us all the things.

[Jessica Haggard]

So I have really been pleasantly surprised. I Actually just told Hector this two days ago. I really. I was very fearful that I was going to be one of those women that was going to hate pregnancy, because actually, majority of my girlfriends hated pregnancy. I have had. I. I don't know. There's been so much other stuff going on in my life that part of me wonders if I didn't have so much chaos going in my life that maybe I would be feeling and having a different experience. But I think there's been so much going on outside of my pregnancy that. Thank you, God. I'm so grateful that my pregnancy is the one thing that has been, like, so easy. My first trimester, I had some nausea. I had crazy food aversion. Oh, my God, I couldn't even open the refrigerator. And there was one time that Hector brought these, like, steak tacos or something. Do you remember this, Hector? I brought. You brought these tacos in. And I was like. Like, I could not. It was the grossest smell and it would not go away. And so I was very sensitive to, like, food smells. And I had food aversions. And if I didn't eat every two hours, I would get nauseous. Never threw up. And then when I got the mold poisoning, I was having some symptoms from the mold poisoning, but the same. The second we got out of the house. I really feel like I've had a pretty easy pregnancy and I don't have any anxiety about him or like, if he's doing okay. Everything so far looks great. I'm so grateful that we have a midwife and that we're not going the traditional route because she's not scaring us in anything. She's also not scaring me because of my age. She's just like, we're going to do all the tests, and if something comes up, then we'll address it. But otherwise, like, smooth sailing. And so far, it's been smooth sailing, and I've, for the most part, had a pretty great experience. And I was just telling Hector the other day that I'm grateful that I. I don't mind pregnancy. I've actually been, for the most part, having a pretty good, good time with it. So outside of the little things, like, I don't know, like, sometimes fatigue and stuff like that, but I mostly have been having an easy pregnancy, so it's been good.

[Drake Peterson]

How many babies are you guys gonna have?

[Jessica Haggard]

I hope two. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully we'll have a girl next. I want to do Irish twins. I'm like, get this baby out and let's have another one.

[Drake Peterson]

And Then be done clean baby formulas to have on hand in case breastfeeding doesn't work out as planned.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah. So the only two that I recommend are actually quote unquote, toddler formulas. I'll try to explain this as quickly as I possibly can. I have several videos about this online. The infant formula regulations have not been reevaluated since 1984. It's actually something that Bobby Kennedy said he's going to do, Operation Stork Speed, which is reevaluate those regulations. Because as of right now, they actually have. Part of the standard for an infant formula is that it needs to have more PUFAs, which are known as polyunsaturated fatty acids. And if you look at the natural makeup of breast milk, you actually have a higher amount of saturated fat and a lower amount of PUFAs. But with these regulations around that time, think 1984, we were very much. We still are, but we were very much villainizing saturated fats and saying that PUFAs are healthier for us. So the regulations for formula was it needs to be higher in PUFAs and lower in saturated fat, and those should be swapped. And it's why all. Every single infant formula on the market, in order to be labeled as infant form formula by the fda, it has to have canola oil, soybean oil, safflower oil. What are some of the other ones that we see? Sunflower oil. It has to have one of those because you need to have a high PFA ratio, which you actually don't want for your baby. You actually don't want a higher amount of PUFAs. You want a decent amount, but you don't want them to be higher than the saturated fat. So I like Serenity Kids and I like Sammy's Milk. Every single one of my girlfriends that needed to use formula in infancy used either Serenity Kids or Sammy's Milk. Even though they say toddler on it, they actually are infant formulas they just could not buy. The FDA regulations call them infant formula

[Drake Peterson]

Thoughts on Appeal spray. Is it something to try and avoid?

[Jessica Haggard]

You know, appeal is like this really big thing and then I don't, I don't really know what happened to it. Recently, I, I try to buy a lot of our groceries from Natural Grocer because they came out early saying that they will not carry anything that has appeal. I actually, to be honest, I don't know what's going on with appeal right now. I don't even know if it's on store shelves. So something that I actually needed to look into further. But for the most part, I've just been shopping at grocery stores that say that they won't carry appeal, and that's if you can't avoid it. I think that it's smart too.

[Drake Peterson]

Yeah, let's buy from the farmers market.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah, the farmers market too. Exactly. Just buy directly from your farmers.

[Drake Peterson]

It does go bad very quickly, so you have to just shop every few days, but whatever.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah, it's fine. And one, if you make a habit of going once a week, that usually is good for me. And then you can get little things, you know, in between from like natural grocers or something. But I love going to the farmer's market.

[Drake Peterson]

All right, last question. Natural nitrites, like celery powder, should we avoid entirely?

[Jessica Haggard]

Oh, okay. So this has been. Okay, I'm gonna try this. Try to keep this very concise because I know, I know we need to go. Okay. So there was a really big study that came out of France a couple years ago showing that nitrates and nitrites are directly linked to colon cancer. Nitrates and nitrates are found in deli meat, so processed meats like hot dogs, salami, charcuterie board deli meats. And there's been this resurgence of healthier for you brands, organic meats that are. That say they're nitrate and nitrate free, but they're using celery juice instead. Now what we found is that celery juice does convert to. We need to look it up. It's either nitrate or nitrite. I don't remember exactly which one.

[Drake Peterson]

Nitrate.

[Jessica Haggard]

Okay. So there is a concern that it will have the same effect. Um, I live in the middle of this where I think, I'm not eating deli meats every single day. I'm not eating charcuterie boards every single day. When I do buy deli meats, I buy the organic one. I love True story. Actually, I think true story might not even use celery juice. So, yes, apparently the mechanism is the same. However, now this is just my personal opinion. Um, it. I will be very curious to see. I hope that somebody does actual research on this. But my thinking is the chemically altered and lab made nitrates and nitrites that we're using to preserve things like boar heads bores, boar's head meat, and all of the conventional ones that are using conventional lab made nitrates and nitrites, I would think would act differently in the body versus celery juice, which is something that's naturally occurring in nature. And yes, it's turning into nitrates and nitrites. But I would be curious to see research to see if it has the same effect as the lab made ones. Now, again, my opinion, there's no research on it yet. Would love to see it. So I eat those in moderation and I don't freak out about them, but I would never touch conventional bacon. I would never touch conventional bacon, hot dogs, deli meat, anything like that because of the lab made nitrates and nitrites.

[Drake Peterson]

Love me some hot dogs.

[Jessica Haggard]

I know me too well. That's why I buy the force of nature hot dogs or the T Han or whatever that brand is, whatever from Costco. And I think it. I think it's fine in moderation. Just don't eat a hot dog every day, you know? So that's my opinion on that.

[Drake Peterson]

All right, well, that's that.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yeah, this was a fun episode. We need to do more of these.

[Drake Peterson]

We should be doing these all the time.

[Jessica Haggard]

Yes. Yes. Okay. Well, thank you guys for listening and hopefully we'll do another one soon. Thank you so much for listening to the Real Foodology podcast. This is a Wellness Loud production produced by Drake Peterson. Theme song is by Georgie. You can watch the full video version of this podcast inside the Spotify app or on YouTube. As always, you can leave us a voicemail by clicking the link in our bio. And if you like this episode, please rate and review on your podcast app. For more shows by my team, go to wellnessloud.com See you next time. The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a subject substitute for individual medical and mental health advice and doesn't constitute a provider patient relationship. I am a nutritionist, but I am not your nutritionist. As always, talk to your doctor or your health team first.

[Alison Dubois]

How are our lost loved ones involved in our lives? Where do we go when we die? And what happens to our pets once they pass? Tune into the Dead Life podcast to have questions like these answered and call in with your own questions. The Dead Life takes a look into all things paranormal. I'm Alison dubois. I inspired the hit television show Medium. I'm a New York Times best selling author who's written six books on life after death. And I spent 20 years collaborating with the police on cold cases. I've talked to the dead my whole life. I'm an expert on what they see, hear, feel, where they go and who they're with. Tune in every Tuesday for a fresh episode of the Dead Life. It will change how you live your life.