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On today's episode of the Real Foodology.
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Podcast, there is a healthier better for you swap out there and that does not mean healthy for weight loss. It just means a healthier alternative when it comes to ingredients which could help you feel better.
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Welcome back to the Real Foodology Podcast. I am joined by my dear friend Hunter Stoller, also known as Help with Hunter on Instagram, to talk about how he went from weighing 225 pounds in college to building a lifestyle centered around real nourishing food. Food Hunter is a great example and guide for tackling non toxic living in every aspect of your life from grocery shopping tips to clean air in your home. We both love the Jasper Air Scrubber from our friend Mike who has actually been on the show before and they're offering $400 off for Black Friday. By the way, they never do sales so you're going to want to hop on this and they sell out super quickly so don't miss this deal. In this episode, Hunter and I dive into the truth about calories versus quality. The myths that that keep people stuck. Like fat makes you fat and cholesterol is bad and why sugar not healthy fats is the real driver of disease. This episode is all about ditching the diet confusion, taking ownership of your health and making real food simple again. Thanks for listening. Please take a moment to rate and review it. A five star review takes about five seconds and it really does help the show. And if you love this particular episode, please make sure to post about it on Instagram and Tag me and HealthWithHunter so that we see it and we can reshare you. Thank you so much for listening. Cold and flu season is upon us and I have something in my back pocket that I always bring out during the winter just to make sure that my immune system is really bolstered. I love Colostrum. In fact, my mom got me on colostrum about 10 years ago. Colostrum is the very first milk, known as liquid gold that babies receive from their mothers after birth. It's packed with proteins, natural growth factors and antimicrobial peptides that work in harmony to enhance your immune response and reduce inflammation while also repairing and balancing your gut lining. And it also helps with reducing bloating. Today's sponsor is Cowboy Colostrum. They offer the highest quality bovine Colostrum available in the US. It's 100% made in America from 100% American grass fed cows, which we love. It's sourced from the first milking of US grass fed cows, but they only collect the surplus colostrum after baby calves have had their fill and they don't over process or strip their colostrum like other brands do, leaving it whole, full fat and high protein for ultimate nutrient density, making it the highest quality bovine colostrum that you can buy. It's easy to to drink, made with delicious natural ingredients, no artificial flavors. You simply add a scoop of the chocolate, the Madagascar vanilla or the strawberry into your coffee or smoothie. And as an added bonus, the natural growth factors and peptides will make your hair and skin look amazing. For a limited time, our listeners get up to 25% off their entire order. Just head to cowboy colostrum.com real foodology and use Code Real Foodology I've been a member of Function Health for three years now and I chose Function because it gives you access to powerful health data that most people never get. In fact, when I went in for my very first blood draw that I ever got taken through Function Health, the nurse actually took a double take when she was seeing all of the biomarkers that were being pulled and looked and asked me who's pulling all these? She said I've never had a client come in here and pull this much data before. And she was saying it from a perspective of complete awe and saying that everybody should be testing this many biomarkers. You can test 100 plus biomarkers a year, including your hormones, toxins and inflammation. That's five times more than the average annual physical with no gatekeeping or long wait times. You can also add on an MRI and CT scans that look for signs of hundreds of conditions. Traditional healthcare can leave you with more questions than answers and that's why Function is amazing. If you want to learn more and join using my link, Function is the new standard of health and my first 1000 followers or listeners will get a $100 credit toward their membership. Visit functionhealth.com Real Foodology or use gift code Real Foodology100@signup to own your health today. Hunter, I'm so excited that you're coming on the Real Foodology podcast.
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I am so happy to be here. I mean I've been a listener for years and I was just telling you before this that I listened in long on long car rides to your lectures and your other podcasts and it's crazy to be here.
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Oh my gosh. I can't believe that meant so much to me. Thank you so much for listening. I yeah, sometimes you do the podcast and I like for not forget but it's just cool when you actually meet people before you knew them that they actually listened to your podcast. I was like, I was really touched by that. Thank you. So I want everybody to hear you have a really cool story about losing 50 pounds and you did it in a really sustainable way, in a super healthy way. Can you tell people what you did?
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Yeah, absolutely. So I used to be £225, and that was in college. And it's crazy because I never really thought it was a problem until it became a problem when my acne got out of control. I was always fatigued and I always had brain fog. And I thought that was how humans were supposed to feel. And then it wasn't until Covid when it was right before Thanksgiving. So 2019, right before we were locked down. And it wasn't until then when my mom and sister kindly nudged me at the Thanksgiving table and were like, hunter, like your plate, it was a mountain of all the carbs. There was barely any protein. Maybe like one slice of turkey. And then I'd fill up my plate with all dessert and maybe one piece of like watermelon. That, because I was trying to be balanced and that really like shook me up internally and woke me up. And then I actually started losing weight just by becoming more aware of not ingredients, but portion control. And I did Weight Watchers at the very beginning and that easily helped me shed £25 in two months. And it's crazy because when you go from being living the life that you live in a toxic or just a way where you're not aware of anything to then being aware of portions, your extra fat will melt off of you. And it's crazy. And obviously as you lose more weight, it gets not harder and harder, but it gets slower and slower and you might have to make more changes. But at the beginning, going from a lifestyle where I didn't care about nutrition or fitness or anything when it came to health, and I thought that was like the normal to the way that I lived a few years ago. And also now it's truly crazy. And then I lost my last £25 through F Factor, which is a low carb, high protein, higher fiber diet. And I've been able to sustain them because it has been something that is very sustainable. And I love the way that I eat and drink and exercise now. And it really needs to be a lifestyle. It can't just be a fad diet.
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Yeah, exactly. I mean, that's such a great point. It has to be something that you love. I tell people all the Time. You can't just force yourself to do workouts that you hate, because then over time, you won't do them anymore. You won't hold yourself accountable. You have to find things that you love. And the same thing goes for food. If you hate the things that. That you eat and you're choking down broccoli and steamed chicken every day, you're going to get sick of it and you're going to freak out and you're just going to go and binge.
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And that's why there's so many different protein sources along with vegetables and fruits. You could choose the ones that you like. Just because you see someone that you look up to and admire eating kale every day does not mean that you need to eat kale. There's many options.
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Yeah, exactly. And we actually talked about this yesterday, and I thought it was such a good point to bring up, is that a lot of people will try to emulate and do exactly what somebody else is doing that they see online. But you forget that. I mean, there's so many different factors. Right. Like, genetics does play a little bit of a role here, but also, more importantly, you don't actually know what that person's eating behind closed doors.
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Absolutely. And when it comes to genetics, that's something that I used to believe until a few years ago when I realized it myself. I know a lot of people whose families, everyone is overweight. And I'd say, oh, they must have the fat gene. The fat gene runs in their family. What I've realized, though, is so much more than that, is you adopt the same eating habits as those you surround yourself with, whether it's friends or family members. If your parents are bringing KFC, McDonald's and Chick Fil a home every single day, you're going to be eating the same food as them, unless you're an anomaly and a huge outlier where you make your own food. But that's not the case for 99% of people. And you eat the same as your family, especially when you're in middle school and high school and you still live at home and you're going to result in the same way as them unless you make a change. Because change does require change.
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Exactly. I know. I'm glad you brought that up, because I do hate. I think that we're seeing this more and more that there's such a blame on genetics. In fact, do you remember when a couple years ago, the. I forgot if she was the CEO or somebody like really high at Novo Nordics that does OIC and she went on 60 Minutes and she said, oh, it's all genetics. It has nothing to do with diet and lifestyle. It has everything to do with genetics. That could not be further from the truth.
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And as time goes on, that continues to get disproven more and more. Yeah, like, sure, genetics could play a role. However. What do they say? Genetics loads the gun and your diet and lifestyle pulls the trigger.
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Yes.
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And that cannot be more true.
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It's so true. Crazy. Something else that you brought up that I want to talk about. Because, you know, there's this, there's almost this like infighting that happens between the like fitness world. Like maybe the more like gym bros and then the more like I guess you can call them, like crunchy almond moms, where people say that ingredients only matter, quality only matters. And then people say like, calories don't matter at all. I know you and I are the same. We both live in the middle where we feel like calories do matter and they matter a lot.
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And we were just talking about this yesterday too. And it's so funny because Courtney and I both love talking about this stuff. So we could talk about it on camera and off camera and we'll love it. And that is so true. Because eating healthy does not equal eating healthy for weight loss or fat loss. You could have all of the avocado and extra virgin olive oil straight from Greece and all of the healthy foods in the world. You could eat grass fed steaks all day. But if you're eating 6,7000 calories a day, you are going to gain weight and it's not going to be muscle, it's going to be mostly body fat. And there is again finding that middle ground between being aware of your calories and your caloric intake and also ingredient quality where people could find that balance. And again, it comes down to portion control of those more calorically dense foods. And that is a place where you and I both like to live. And that's sort of just the way that we operate.
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Yeah, exactly. Like for me, and I wanna hear how you address this. So for me, I'm just aware I don't count calories. I hate living in that world. I remember being in high school and being so obsessed with like counting calories and checking every single macro. And I don't. To me, that's living in a prison. I hate it. Yes. But I'm relatively aware of how much I'm consuming on a day to day basis. Like I kind of know about how much like a tablespoon or Two of peanut butter looks like when I'm making my smoothies. So I kind of just like, eyeball it and I kind of just think about it as I go throughout the day. Or I'm like, okay, this seems like a good amount of portion. And then if I'm really hungry, I'll eat more. But I focus on more. I focus more on the nutrients of it. And I focus a lot on protein, getting healthy fats, getting fiber, getting my greens in. And then that keeps me really satiated and full. And so then I don't feel like I'm, like, chasing snacks all day and just starving all the time.
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Yes, we are the exact same. And what I will say is, as I've helped over 400 men and women lose weight and just become healthier versions of themselves. The biggest thing is a lot of people don't know where to begin. Tracking can be incredibly helpful at the very beginning for someone, including me when I was starting a few years ago. And you need to track if you're going from, I am eating perfectly and I'm eating healthy and my meals are balanced, but I'm not losing weight. That means that your portions are not right in something you might be adding. You might think you're adding 1 tablespoon of peanut butter into your smoothie, but it could be five or six. And people don't realize that, like those nut butters. If you have a clean ingredient, nut butter, where it's just organic nuts and salts, that's it. Nothing else should be in your peanut butter or almond butter. You need to still be aware of the portions. Like peanut butter is one of the most calorically dense foods, given the size, you know, and one little thumb of or tablespoon of peanut butter could have a hundred. Well, it does have 100 to 200 calories. And that doesn't mean you need to avoid it. It just means you need to be aware of how much you're putting in. So at the beginning of a weight loss journey, I recommend all my clients and followers who DM me saying they're struggling. You need to find your caloric deficit number in a sustainable way, and you need to eat around that number every single day in order to lose around half a pound to pound two a week.
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Yeah. Where do you feel like people trip up a lot? Or maybe. Where did you trip up a lot in the beginning?
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Yeah. So at the very beginning, I think weekends is a place where a lot of people slip up. And then they say, diet starts over on Monday, and it's all breaking that habit. I mean, I know cutting alcohol out is not something that a lot of people are able to do or want to do, and I think that's completely okay. Everyone has different levels. I haven't had a drink in a long time, and it's not something that I am, like, upset about. It's something that I choose to do. It doesn't have to do with my weight or health. It's just I feel like crap when I drink. And especially the morning after, I'll feel like crap. If a time comes soon where I'm like, I want a glass of high quality red or white wine, I will have it. But the days of hard liquor are over for me pretty much right now at this point in my life. But alcohol leads to a lot of overeating and munchies late at night. Same with smoking. I mean, people are obsessed with, you know, eating an entire bag of chips or two and a pint of ice cream that could be 1200 calories and 100 grams of sugar and all awful ingredients that are awful for you. And then they start over on Monday. They eat healthy Monday, Sunday through Thursday, and then Friday and Saturday. They are a monster, and they're ravenous and eat everything in sight. And at the end, it either balances each other out when you're trying to lose weight, and then you go in a caloric surplus on the weekends. And it's all about finding that middle ground. And it's all about setting up, setting yourself up for success. Maybe if, you know you're going out on Friday or Saturday night, you make sure that you have, you know, a portion snack. This is what I used to do in college when I was trying to lose weight. I remember I would have a portioned. I forgot if it was a single serve bag or I would make single serve bags, like in like a little Ziploc bag of like popcorn next to my bed. And maybe like one serving of chocolate chips. And instead of it being a 3,000 calorie dessert late at night, at 2 in the morning, it would be a 200 calorie dessert. And that is something that requires discipline and willpower. But there's no excuses. Like, you could do it if you want to.
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Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And you start finding those little tips and tricks and, and foods that you like, like the popcorn and the, the chocolate chips that you did. It's all about finding what works for you. I know another one that I love, I mean, I still do this all the time, is I'll get cocoa, June coconut Yogurt, which is my favorite.
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You love it?
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Oh, I love it. It's so good. And I add a scoop of protein to it and depending on which protein powder you use, it makes it taste like a chocolate pudding. If I add this like specific chocolate.
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Yeah. And I'm a big yogurt person. I love my Greek yogurt. And that still isn't enough for me as someone who's 175 to 180 pounds. Like 16 grams of protein is not enough for me. And like a little yogurt bowl if I'm adding like berries on top. So I mix in a scoop of a high quality protein powder and it adds 20 to 25 more grams of prote. And for everyone who says Greek yogurt tastes too tardy, I say add a scoop of your vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, whatever flavored protein powder that has good ingredients in and you just fix that problem. And if you don't like peanut butter, if you don't like protein powder, add in a scoop of peanut butter and it turns it into like a peanut buttery yogurt and you're adding a little more protein and healthy fat to help satisfy you.
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Something that has always really irked me is the medicine aisle. It's full of pills and sprays and cough drops, but none of these so called medications actually have immune supporting ingredients in there. And they're loaded with artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners, just crap additives and fillers, corn syrup. This is why I love beekeepers naturals so much. I recently took the propolis throat soother after taking a flight and having a really itchy and scratchy throat. And after two days it was gone. And what's amazing about it is that it has propolis in there which is actually immune boosting and immune supporting. I also love the propolis and vitamin C liposomal. It's great for this time of season. It has a thousand milligrams of bioavailable vitamin C. The propolis nasal spray is amazing. It doesn't have any sort of addictive properties in there. They have lollipops for kids. They have throat soothing cough drops. I love all of their products. And today Beekeepers Naturals is giving my listeners exclusive early access to their Black Friday sale. Go to beekeepersnaturals.com realfoodology or enter code real foodology to get 30% off site wide. That's beekeepersnaturals.com RealFoodology or just simply enter the code Real Foodology. This is their biggest sale of the year. Their best sellers always sell out once the Black Friday sale opens to the public. Take advantage of my code and shop the sale early. Something that I struggle with is staying focused and I found out a couple years ago that probably the reason why that is is I have lower levels of BDNF in my brain which is brain derived neurotropic fact. Now one of the things that can actually help promote and stimulate more BDNF is Lion's Mane mushroom which happens to be in my favorite coffee Everyday Dose. Something else I really struggle with is not having enough time in the morning. I'm really busy, I feel like I'm always on the go, I'm traveling and my Everyday Dose coffee is coffee plus benefits. They combine high quality coffee with powerful ingredients like lion's mane and chaga collagen, protein and nootropics to fuel your brain, boost focus and give you clean sustained energy all day long. It tastes just like coffee because it is without the downside. No crash, no jitters, just clean sustained energy. You can get 61% off your first coffee starter kit, a free A2 probiotic creamer with over a hundred dollars in free gifts by going to everydaydose.com real foodology or entering real foodology at checkout. That's everydaydose.com realfoodology for 61% off your first order. Everyday Dose is also available at your local target. You know what you can else what else you can also do. I haven't thought about this in so long, but when I was trying to lose a little bit of weight I bought the powdered peanut butter and there's organic one.
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I talk about it all the time. And that is a sneaky area too because peanuts are very susceptible to mold, especially when they're not organic. And there are peanut butter powders out there that, that might look amazing on the front. They're like double the protein, half the calories, whatever. But it still could have palm oil and it still could have cane sugar in it. So I love a brand that is just organic peanut powder. That is it. And then if you want to sweeten it, what I do all the time is sometimes when I want peanut butter but I don't want all the calories, I'll make my yogurt bowl and then in a little cup or bowl on the side I'll do one or two servings of the peanut powder because it's only like 60 calories a serving, add a, a a quarter teaspoon of monk fruit in there powder and then a Little bit of salt, and then you mix it together, it turns into like, a. And water, and it turns into, like, a thick peanut butter, a real peanut butter that is so much higher in protein, so much lower in calories, and it is just, like, the best topping.
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That sounds so good. Okay, so something I see you make all the time online, and I feel like you do this a lot for breakfast is you do the creamy, like, protein ice cream, basically. Talk about that, because I think there's this misconception that I want us to both dive into now that eating healthy is boring and doesn't taste good.
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Yeah. So that's the biggest misconception on planet Earth. If you're having steamed chicken and broccoli and a little bit of white rice, that's what I call boring every single night. But we're so lucky now that more companies and people are waking up to cleaner ingredients. And we have the most amazing sauces, condiments, marinades, whether it's teriyaki, barbecue, even, like, ketchups. And there's just so many different options now where eating healthy does not need to be boring. And so many people think you need to eat the same thing every single day. I say like. Like whether it's a protein ice cream or a yogurt bowl or ground beef, there are so many different ways to flavor it, season it, top it. You could do a different protein powder if you're doing a smoothie, you could mix up your fruit, you can mix up your milk. Go from almond to coconut to cashew milk or whole milk, whatever it is, you know. And even with coffees, there's so many different creamers that are better for you out there that every single day, as time goes on, when we go to a store, Whole Foods, Target anywhere, there are so many better for you products coming into those stores every single week. And it just shows that we're winning and that, you know, there's so many better for you brands out there that eating healthy does not need to be boring. You could change it up all the time. And when it comes to Ninja Creamies, that's a protein. You don't need to do protein ice cream, but it's an ice cream maker from Ninja Kitchen. And all I do is I do a serving of any milk. It could be whole milk, it could be almond milk, coconut milk. I love coconut because it is. It makes it thick.
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So good.
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So good. And I know you love coconut milk too, but you need to read the ingredients to make sure it doesn't have additives, which there are many that don't. And then I usually do a little bit of salt. Either Baja or Redmond salt or do, you know, Vera salt. They're really good, microplastic free and they have the best shaker, you know, like the sh. Salt grinder. Theirs is like so smooth and it's just so nice.
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Oh, I need to get that.
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Okay, you do. I forgot where I got it at a store in New York. And then I do a serving of protein powder, maybe a little cinnamon or pumpkin spice powder, depending on the flavor. And you. You freeze it overnight and then you put it in the ninja Creamy. The next day, you spin it twice and you have yourself like a basically a pint of high protein ice cream that is. It's basically a smoothie in ice cream form. So it takes longer to eat and you could top it with whatever you want. And it is incredible.
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Oh, my God. And if you use a clean protein powder and you use just really simple whole food ingredients, if you're on maybe a weight loss journey, you could do monk fruit instead of doing like honey or maple syrup, which honestly I would do anyways just to balance out blood sugar. Then you have a healthy quote unquote ice cream that's full of protein satiating and will keep you full for hours.
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I have followers and clients who do that every single night as dessert. And it is the best. You build it into your day, build it into your calorie deficit. If you're tracking calories and you can make the most delicious ice cream that's good for you and packed with protein for under 300 calories.
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Oh, my God, that's so awesome.
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Yeah.
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So we've talked a lot about calories and how they can really make a difference. But why? Also because again, like I mentioned earlier, there's this almost like, like, fight between the like gym bros and then the healthy. I hate to say, but it's like, you know, the crunchy, whatever almond moms you want to call them. So there's this infighting where people say like, oh, no, it's calories only or no, the quality really matters. And oh, I'm only worried about macros. Why does the quality of the ingredients also matter? Which is what our entire pages are based off.
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So when I was losing weight, something that I didn't realize was not normal is I had so much acne, I went on Accutane twice. And I don't even know if you knew that that in ninth grade and in my sophomore year of college when I was losing weight, and both times My acne slowly came back and I don't want to say it got worse, but it just got back to its original state where I was like uncomfortable and very uncomfortable leaving the house. And it was painful as well. And switching my ingredients, stopping, stopping cooking with soybean oil and refined vegetable oils and just being aware of what I was putting into my body, getting rid of all the artificial dyes that was in all the cereals that I was eating every single night, all of the refined added sugar. It makes such a difference for how you feel. You could have putting, putting it in to perspective. There's an influencer I follow. I forgot his name and he has his podcast and he was talking about the Twinkie diet. And if your calorie deficit is 1800 calories, let's say you're supposed to eat 1800 calories after doing your calculation to lose a pound of fat a week. And if you're eating 1800 calories of Twinkies every single day, not going over that at all, you are going to lose weight. But are you going to lose fat or are you going to lose muscle? Because Twinkies are. The macros are horrific. It's all carbs and sugar and fat and there's no protein in it. You'll lose weight, but you're going to feel awful, you're going to feel weaker and you are going to just feel like crap. Whereas obviously if you're eating 1800 calories of grass fed proteins, pasture is chicken and, and fruits and vegetables, and filling it up with a nutrient dense diet made of simple ingredients, pretty much one ingredient, foods, you are going to feel so much better on top of the world. You're going to maintain your muscle, you're going to lose body fat and you're going to look better as a result. It's not only about the number on the scale, it's also about, you know, the composition, your water weight compared to your fat compared to your muscle. And when it comes to macros, I'm not the biggest macro tracker. Like, I don't need to go that crazy, especially at this stage, and I don't think beginners do either. I think calories and protein matter so much and as long as those are in check, you don't need to stress so much about the macros. But it all comes down to how you want to feel. You could lose weight eating Skittles all day, but are you going to want to eat Skittles all day? Some people might, which is a little concerning, but you're going to feel and look awful.
A
Not only that, but you will be starving all the time. This is what I feel like people don't understand in this part of the argument is when you're eating those low nutrient dense foods, your body, your cells are quite literally starving for nutrients. And I, I just think about like, I mean, I don't even know if I've ever had a Twinkie in my life. But like, I just think about when I would eat those like ultra processed foods. I would be starving like 30 minutes later because it's really fast glucose that goes through your body really quickly and it doesn't satiate you or keep you full.
B
Yeah. And that's the restaurant trick as well, which is why restaurants give you bread as soon as you get down at the table, because bread is a straight carbohydrate. My number one tip for my clients and followers is don't go to restaurants starving. You could go hungry, of course, but don't go ravenous where you're like I something immediately because as soon as they put that bread and olive oil down, you're dumping your bread into the olive oil. And obviously olive oil, as long as it's not cut with other oils, is healthy for you. But you could be drowning and drenching your bread with olive oil. And it could be a, I'm not even joking. Depending on how many pieces you have. And 1,000 calorie pre appetizer, it's before you get your appetizers and it is pure carbohydrates in the bread. It is going to spike your blood sugar and make you even hungrier. So it's kind of like an awful thing restaurants do to kind of get you to order more. You might be thinking, oh, they're so nice. They're giving me free bread. They're giving you free bread because it's gonna make you hungrier. And that's reverse psychology that people don't realize. And I will never touch the bread basket unless I am coming back from war. And that's the first thing I see.
A
Or for me, I'll do like one piece. Like actually we just ate at the well last night and I almost ordered this because I order this almost every time before we get our meal. They have this really amazing gluten free sourdough and it comes with pasture raised butter. And I'll do like one piece of that.
B
That different.
A
Exactly.
B
That's going in with an intention that you're going to eat that. And also it's, you know, you're getting a gluten free sourdough and high quality butter. And like I'm talking about when you know those Italian restaurants just dump the bread basket at you and you know they are awful for you.
A
Oh yeah, you know that it's like not good grains, it's probably glyphosate soaked and all the things awful. Oh, okay. So I want to talk about some of the new biggest nutrition myths that people fall for. So what are some of them that you think that people fall for?
B
The biggest one that I have seen is that, you know, fat makes you fat and that carbs make you fat and like there's no need like you should be eating a low fat diet just because the word fat is so, you know, it's so bad. In today's society, eating dietary fat is different from gaining body fat. And that's something that a lot of people need to understand and wrap their head around. Because if you're eating an avocado and say an Avocado just has 16 grams of fat in it, depending on the size, whatever that is, I consider avocados a superfood because I think it's one of those foods that falls under every diet category. Whether you're vegan, you're, you're animal based. The only thing it doesn't really fall under is like I guess carnivore, but yeah, that's true. But it's still like, it's. Some of them are like a keto friendly fruit and it's full of fiber, protein and healthy fats. When there's a food that has high protein, fiber and healthy fat contents, I consider that to check off all the boxes and as long as it has clean ingredients and that's amazing. Another one that I love is flackers. You know those crackers? Crackers?
A
Oh yeah.
B
They're like seeded crackers and they are one, they're nine grams of fiber. They have protein and healthy fats in them and they're like three ingredients. They're incredible too. And that's like another way to get more fiber and nutrients in micronutrients in to, you know, help you just feel good and satisfied all day because it has the fat content and everything. But dietary fat does not make you fat. And that's something that I see way too often.
A
Did you know that all chips and fries used to be cooked in tallow up until the 90s when big corporations switched to cheap processed seed oil? Boo. I know. Cue the boos. Today's seed oils make up 20% of the average American's daily calories. And recent studies have linked seed oils to metabolic health issues and inflammation in the body. Masa decided to do something about it. They created a tasty and delicious tortilla chip with just three ingredients and no seed oils. Organic Nix Demolicized corn, sea salt and 100% grass fed beef tallow. That's it. These chips not only avoid all the bad stuff, they taste incredible and they are so crunchy and sturdy. Unlike the other chips, these don't break in your guac, which is a total game changer. Snacking on Masa chips is nothing like eating regular chips. With Masa you feel satisfied, you feel light and you feel energetic with no crash, bloat or gross sluggish feeling afterwards. And an added bonus is that the beef tallow makes the chips much more satiating so you will not find yourself uncontrollably binging and still feeling hungry afterwards afterwards. Personally, my favorite is the Cobanero. They taste like Doritos to me. I also really love the lime so it's hard for me to pick favorites. If you're ready to give Masa a try, go to masachips.com real foodology and use code real foodology for 25 off your first order. That's masachips.com real foodiology and use code real foodology for25 off your order. If you don't feel like ordering online, you can also go to your local sprouts, stop by and pick up a bag before they're gone. I started taking something last year that was really helping me out with my workouts. So if you guys have been listening for a while, you know that one of the things that I have really been working on is doing more strength training, doing more heavy lifting and resistance training because it's so good for your health. And what I started taking is something called Mitopure and it actually helps me feel stronger in my workouts. I feel like I recover quicker, I don't get as sore. And Mitopure is the only Urolithin, a supplement on the market clinically proven to target the effects of age related cellular decline. With regular use you'll see and feel the difference in the form of improved energy levels, better workouts, faster recovery and more endurance. Mitopure is shown to deliver double digit increases in muscle strength and endurance without a change in exercise. That's crazy. This is your year to be your best, most energized and most revitalized you. It promotes cellular renewal and mitochondri to address common signs of aging at the root timeline is offering 10% off of Mitopur. This is Hands down my favorite supplement that I've found in the last couple years. So make sure you go to timeline.com realfoodology that's T I M E L I N E.com realfoodology are you looking for something delicious and simple to add to your wellness routine? I started adding Manuka honey, specifically Manukora honey, into my coffee in the morning. And this honey puts all other honey to shame. It's ethically produced by Manukora's master beekeepers in remote forests of New Zealand. It's rich, it's creamy, and it's the most delicious honey you've ever had. Manukora honey contains powerful nutrients to support immunity and gut health. The bees collect the nectar from the manuka tree in New Zealand. The nectar is packed with bioactives and the honey that is produced has three times more antioxidants and prebiotics than your average honey. A special antibacterial compound called MGO also comes from the nectar of the tree. Manukora Third Party tests every single harvest for MGO and makes these results available through their QR system. It's a game changer and all you need is one teaspoon each morning to get the most out of the amazing bioactives. And Manuka, now is the best time to try Manukora honey. They're running their biggest sale of the year from now until December 2nd. Head to manucora.com real foodology to get 150 off your first order with their Black Friday starter kit, which comes with an MGO850 plus plus Manuka honey jar, 35 honey travel sticks and a wooden spoon and a guidebook that's M A n U K O R-A.com Real Foodology for $150 off your first starter kit. I know, and it's crazy to me that a lot of people still are scared of fats to this day. Yeah, well, the thing that drives me so nuts about this, I. I think you know about this. We've never actually talked about it. So there was a study in the 1970s by Harvard scientists, and it was a bunch of Harvard scientists that were on this, studying the sugar effects on the body and then also fat. And what they found was that it was actually sugar that was causing heart disease. But the sugar industry. And by the way, this sounds like a conspiracy.
B
That's crazy. But it's not.
A
But it's not. There was literally a piece who posted about it. I Think it was NPR that actually broke the study a couple years ago because they found all the paperwork, they found the letters and everything that was, was like, it just. Yeah, it basically revealed it.
B
Sugar was like paying the big.
A
Yeah, exactly. The sugar industry was paying. They paid these Harvard scientists off for. Now today is like equivalent of like $50,000, which is like nothing when you think about the ramifications of it. But they paid them to say that what they found was that it was actually fat that was driving heart disease.
B
And that's just the beginning of all the misinformation. And I mean, I'm just so grateful and glad that people like you and I have, have looked right through this BS and are able to help through our both of our own health journeys. And whereas yours might not have been a weight loss journey, it's just like eating healthy and feeling your best. And I will say like, Courtney has been someone who like when I was coming here to do this podcast, I love being around Courtney because she's one of those people that make me healthier and make me want to make healthier decisions all around with her lifestyle and also her nutrition and food choices. Like, I know that if I'm going to Courtney's house or anywhere, like I know that I'm going to be set. I brought a carry on here and I didn't bring my skincare because I knew Courtney was going to have every non toxic skincare company under the sun and obviously she did. So just a little disclaimer about Courtney.
A
Oh, thank you. I know, it's so fun and I think this is actually something that, that people don't talk about enough. The importance of the friends that you keep around you in maintaining this kind of lifestyle. And I don't mean this in a way of like drop your friends that aren't like super healthy or anything like that, but it really does make a difference and it, you know, the more that I have started living this lifestyle just kind of naturally happens. We just all kind of magnetize to each other. I mean, think about all of our friends. You know, all of our friends eat super well and healthy and it's so much fun when we all get together because, because we know that we're gonna go to the healthy restaurants, we know that our fridge is gonna be stocked with really healthy, clean ingredients. And you're the sum of the five people that you spend the most time with. And if you're with people that are eating ultra processed foods all the time.
B
You'Re gonna be doing the same a hundred percent. And even when I started getting healthy and swapping ingredients, my family even thought I was crazy. But looking at the way they eat now, I mean, my mom's lost weight, my dad's lost weight, my sister has lost weight. And my sister did it while she was in college, which a lot of people think is impossible. And my dad and mom did it in such healthy, sustainable ways, and they've been able to manage their weight, and now they're doing, you know, they work out, they do everything the way that they should. And I truly do believe that it came as a result of seeing me and how I basically have transformed in every aspect of my life because of it.
A
That's so awesome. Well, there was also this notion for a long time that we've kind of talked about that eating healthy has to be boring and gross and bland. We live in such an amazing time where we have access to. To so many recipes and healthier for you food products and. Yeah, it's just, we live in a great time. Like, you can go on YouTube and say, like, I want to make a cheesy gordita crunch from Taco Bell and then find a way to make it healthy.
B
Or you could ask AI and it'll give you the simplest recipe in the world.
A
Yes. So what are your. What's your framework for when you're going through the grocery store? Because you're known for going through the grocery store and showing people healthier for you products. So what's your kind of.
B
Of.
A
Yeah, what's your framework as far as, like, what you deem healthy and not.
B
So something that I think is eating healthy? I mean, we just discussed it 50 times. But eating healthy is not boring. I'll repeat it. Eating healthy is not boring. Whether you want ice cream, chips, protein sources, fruits, anything, waffles, there are healthy swaps for every product under the sun. And by that I mean products that don't have enriched ingredients, products that aren't loaded with microplastics forever chemicals, artificial flavors, artificial dyes, which is in so many products, which is so damaging.
A
We found them in protein bars yesterday. I was like, why are these dyed?
B
It's so upsetting.
A
So mad.
B
I didn't. I actually didn't even believe it. And then Courtney's like, look at this. And it's like, red 40 yellow, yellow lake. And I'm like, what's going on? And it's. It's something that shouldn't even have color in it. It's so backwards. And. And even if you're going for cookies, or cookie dough. Like there's better swaps for everything. So what I like to say is, and Courtney definitely could agree with this, is the perimeter of every grocery store is where you want to start. That's where all of the, you know, whether it's the seafood counter, the butcher counter, all of the proteins and the produces, and then you just have to dive in the middle section, which is where the aisles usually are in every grocery store to pick out your better for you cereal. And the way that I do it is I look for ones with no vegetable or seed oils. There's never a product. And I have a lot of products in my apartment. And you have a lot in your home. Home where none of them have vegetable or seed oils in them. That's like my non negotiable. And the so many people might think that the way that you or I live is so unrealistic and unsustainable. Whereas I could speak for myself. And when I go out to dinner with friends, I try to choose healthier restaurants. I am not so psychotic where I freak out if one of my friends chooses a restaurant that might cook with a certain oil. I still try to do my best to ask for a swap. I could always ask if they could cook it in butter, olive oil. But that's just part of life for me in New York. And I'm not able to control all of those, so I control those controllables. So what I do is I make sure that when I'm grocery shopping, if I want chips, I know the brands to go for and I know what ingredients to look for. And you just want to look for things with simple ingredients. It's not rocket science. And you want to look for things without seed oils, vegetable oils, maltodextrin, msg, refined added sugars to the point where it's, you know, more than five or six grams per serving, which is crazy. And just anything that doesn't belong in the food, like when things say, contains a bioengineered. Bioengineered food ingredient on the bottom, that should signal that it's a red flag to you, you know, and that's not necessary because whatever product it is, there is a healthier, better for you swap out there. And that does not mean healthy for weight loss. It just means a healthier alternative when it comes to ingredients which could help you feel better.
A
Exactly, yeah. So when we were talking about food myths, I actually wanted to bring up cholesterol because we were talking about how someone messaged you the other day and they were like, I Can't buy your cookies because they have cholesterol in them. So we started talking about cholesterol. What are your thoughts on. And also I have a couple notes here that we can talk about, too.
B
When it comes to cholesterol, I'm not the most well versed on it, but what I can say is, and we've discussed this, that someone out there is lowering the normal range of cholesterol for Americans. I don't know if it's year after year, but as time goes on, where someone who would have been considered in the normal cholesterol range in 2000 and their cholesterol might be the exact same number might be considered extremely high cholesterol now. And that could definitely. That's a result of many things. But what I will say is it is a little strange how that range continues to fall lower and lower because it means more and more Americans and people around the world are going to have higher cholesterol numbers and, you know, be more susceptible to being put on medication for it.
A
Well, it's the pharmaceutical company, so they keep lowering the numbers. And they actually just lowered it like a year or two ago. I should look this up before. But I remember it was kind of recently. They keep lowering it so that when you go to your doctor, then your doctor will go, oh, you're considered to be in the high range now, so let's put you on a statin. And more and more. I forgot the percentage. But there is a massive percentage of Americans that are on statins, which is incredibly concerning because what we do know, cholesterol is really good for your brain. It's really good for cognitive function. It's also really good for healthy hormones. And sometimes when your cholesterol is going up, it doesn't necessarily mean that this is a bad thing and that you're gonna be at a higher risk for heart disease. It's a really complicated conversation, and I actually had a conversation with Johnny Bowden, and I recommend people going back and listening to that episode because he wrote a book called the Cholesterol Myth. And there's another thing that's a huge misconception, is that people think that dietary cholesterol is. Equals serum cholesterol. What I mean by that is, like, people think that if you eat cholesterol in your food, that it's going to raise your cholesterol in your blood. And it's actually not true. It's more of a metabolic thing, and it has more. More to do with eating more sugar. Yeah.
B
And I also think it's so concerning that some people look at a nutrition label which everyone should be looking at. The labels read the back of your, you know, your packages and everything. But what's concerning is that people look at the cholesterol number and if it's higher than then 5 milligrams per serving, they immediately put it back and say oh no, this is going to kill me. It's going to give me a heart attack. This is not good. Whereas so many people aren't reading everything else on the label and it's making people very scared of some of the most nutrient dense foods in the world like red meat or even better for you options like a healthy seed oil, grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free cookie. And then they'll be like eff it, I'll just go for the chips Ahoy. And I'm like no, that's not what you want to do.
A
Which is so crazy because rising cholesterol can actually reflect improved hormonal and metabolic function. So it could mean that you have better hormone production, improved cell membrane health, lower inflammation long term and that you're eating more real food fats instead of processed carbs.
B
Yeah, knowledge is power and that's something that a lot of people I hope take away from this because it's not something that I fear if you. And also quality matters so much when you are buying things. Remember your health is your wealth and this doesn't have to do with cookies, but I'm talking about a grass fed steak, grass finished steak versus a grain Fred steak. Obviously I would much rather you and you would definitely agree with this. I'd much rather people, you know, buy what you could afford. But also remember where you are putting your money aside from at the grocery store. If you are going out for dinner multiple nights a week or you are spending money on lottery tickets, hoping you win one day or you are, you know, buying so much clothing for yourself and that you don't need extra clothing and you're, you're sparing the money and you're not able to you know, afford regular traditional foods at the grocery store. Like it might be time to budget and look at where you are allocating your money. And another thing is I'd much rather you buy a grain fed burger patty or grain fed steak or even a farm raised salmon over the genetically modified bioengineered beyond meat and all of the fake red meat and the, you know, I've even seen like plant based salmon or plant based tuna in cans and I'm like this is horrifying and it's stuff that should not exist. And it should. I mean, the stock price of Beyond Meat speaks for itself and I hope it continues going in that direction because if you want to be vegan or plant based for whatever reason, do it. But do not go for these alternatives that are full of seed oils, additives, preservatives, gums and disgusting things that are in these products. And it really upsets me. And there's better few options out there like Abbott's Kitchen. It makes an amazing. And I personally wouldn't eat it because I would much rather go for, you know, ground beef and I know you would too, but they use pea protein and all clean ingredients and seasonings and there's better options out there. But I, it upsets me when I see people say that and this isn't for everyone. I can't afford, you know, the types of groceries that I can't afford to buy steak or chicken or turkey every single week. But I see them personally, friends and everyone going and buying three drinks at the bar on the weekends and buying all these new clothes that they don't need. And I know everyone gets like, you know, entertainment and has fun and likes spending their money in different ways, but food is a priority and it really should be for everyone.
A
Well, I say this all the time. We live in a time where if you do not make time for your wellness, you'll be forced to make time for your illness. You just will. You just will. So it's either you pay the farmer now or you pay the pharmacist later. Would you rather put maybe a little bit more money into eating better, feeling better and so that your brain works better? Or would you rather be sick and then on 10 medications and going to the doctor every week?
B
And that's the other thing I say shop these sales. It does not need to be for proteins. Whether you are going for cereal, crackers, oatmeal, buy high quality ingredients when they go on sale because they go on sale very often, especially at stores. And also Thrive market is like a godsend. Thrive market, if anyone doesn't know know you order frozen or fresh or pantry staples or bathroom staples online, it gets sent to your door in two days and they price match. So if you find something online at say target for $5, but on Thrive it says $7, you shoot them an email or contact their customer service through their form, they will price match it for you and change the price after you order it, which is insane. So I always like to say so many people are like, I'M too busy. I can't go to the grocery store. You could spend five minutes browsing Thrive Market at night once a month and doing a huge bulk order, and it's free shipping, and it comes right to your doorstep. So there really are no excuses. And that's something I like to say for college students, too, and those who work very long hours and want to fit in the gym and everything and don't have time to go to the grocery store. Thrive is at your disposal, and it's something that I recommend, and it's changed people's lives.
A
Yeah, I love Thrive Market. Thrive Market is the best. I've been a member forever because, like you said, it just makes it so much easier. And Thrive Market is great, too, for those people that maybe don't live super close to, like, a Whole Foods or like, you know, sprouts or whatever. That's so easy.
B
And it's also a great way to discover new fun products that are healthy for you.
A
Yeah. And I love their. They have a feature. It's so funny. We're just, like, praising Thrive Market right now. But they have a feature that's my favorite where you can shop, like, through the aisles, essentially.
B
Oh, yeah.
A
Which is kind of like you're shopping through the grocery store. Because that always helps me remember, because going through the grocery store, I'll be like, oh, yeah, I needed this.
B
I needed that dietary restriction. If you're gluten free, soy free, whatever it is. I mean, this sounds like an ad.
A
I know. It's not an ad. We just want.
B
You can sponsor us if you want.
A
Yeah, exactly. That's so funny.
B
It's amazing.
A
So what would your advice be? Because I. I know a lot of people are struggling with their health right now. I mean, in America, we know that 74% of Americans are metabolically or. No, actually, it's 93% of Americans are metabolically unwell. But 74% of Americans have at least one chronic disease. So somebody maybe that's really struggling with their health right now. What do you tell your clients that you find really helpful helps people that are struggling with their health?
B
I think making one simple swap at a time and not going from 0 to 100 with anything is really important. Whether it's swapping out the oils that you're using, swapping out your pots and pans, swapping out your plastic Tupperware for glass Tupperware. One swap at a time. Focus on making one swap a day or a week or a month, because it will gradually add up over time. You do not need to go from 0 to 100 overnight. And. And I also will say, for those of you who are on more of a budget or a tighter with your money, don't think that you need to immediately throw out everything in your pantry, finish what you currently have, and then go for the better option. So many people think that they need to stop immediately. And while that might work for some people, it definitely won't for others. And also, I really think looking at where you are allocating your budget matters so much. Also, plan ahead. Think about what you. If you have a family, think about what you guys want to eat for the coming week and make a big grocery list, and you could again, get it delivered, or you could go and pick it up. But going into the store with a plan, don't go to the grocery store hungry. You and I experienced that yesterday. Courtney and I downed an entire bag of chips because they were really good and they were starving. Yeah, they didn't really taste like Mac and cheese, but they just tasted like Fritos. But whatever. Again, like, there's a simple swap for everything. And that's why there's accounts like Courtney's and mine, where we show you for free the best swaps, the best alternatives for everything, supplements, home products, kitchen essentials, foods, drinks, everything. And it's all at your disposal for free online.
A
Yeah, that's what's so cool about this, is there really is a swap for everything. Now, I remember when I first started. I mean, I started on my journey, like, 20 years ago, and I was making most of my things from scratch because there wasn't that many healthy options. I remember there was, like, one healthy Oreo. Like, I would buy, like, Numinos, and I don't even buy that kind of stuff really anymore.
B
Yes.
A
Yeah.
B
Really Newman now.
A
Yes.
B
I never heard of it in my life.
A
That's so funny. There was a God. I'm gonna forget what his name is. Oh, Paul Newman. Started his own, like, healthier, like, food line. And it's so funny because now I look at his salad dressings, and I'm like, oh, these aren't even good. They have canola oil.
B
I know what you're talking about.
A
And he used to have Numinos. And he also used to make these, like, Reese's Peanut Butter cup dupes that were, like, a healthier Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I don't even think any of those exist anymore. And by the way, I'm not even saying that those are, like, healthy, but I'm just saying that that, you know, when, especially when I was first on my journey, when I was trying to get away from eating Oreos, I was kind of like meeting myself in the middle where I was finding these like, you know, things that didn't have all the additives in there and I was eating these like healthier Oreos and stuff. But now, I mean, oh my God, there's such amazing options. The swaps are crazy. So I want to know what are some of the most common questions you get in the DMs? Like, what are people really struggling with right now?
B
A lot of people I think are, are trying to major in the minors and they're not focusing on the main issues at hand. They're asking me, they're like, it is impossible for us to find a fruit snack. And I'm like, well, sometimes I ask them well and they might be repeating questions like in, I might have had previous conversations with this follower. So let's just say Mary, for example, follower. She'll write me and be like, I'm struggling to find a fruit snack for my 3 year old daughter that is, you know, die free and doesn't have any editing. But I know that in the past they've told, she's told me that she struggled with, you know, so many other things. Like I would focus on the bigger issues, things that you're using every single day, whereas so many people like to focus on the very small things. Like I think that obviously, and we discussed this yesterday too, like clothing and activewear. When you're sweating, you don't want to, you know, have clothes that are made out of polyester because it's just not good for you and it'll leach into your body and all the stuff. But when you focus on those before you focus on your food and your laundry detergent and things like that, it's not as impactful. You want to focus on, you know, the majors, you want to like focus on the things that matter the most. And so many people also, they don't focus on things like their sleep and they don't realize unfiltered water and having an air filter. Whereas those are things that I think are essentials if you want to live a very healthy, happy life.
A
Life, yeah, they make a huge difference. What I find a lot is I'll get a ton of messages from people all the time. And I assume you probably do too, because we do similar things online is people will write me very specific, what yogurt should I buy? Or like, what cereal should I buy? And I always try to I write them back and I say, you know, the reason I make these videos is because I want people to learn for themselves how to navigate the grocery store so they're not having to rely on people like you or me to give them every single brand. Like I want them to learn that famous quote that I use all the time. It's like you give someone a fish, they eat for a day, you teach them how to fish and they feed themselves for a lifetime.
B
The exact same thing in this scenario.
A
Yeah. So you probably, I bet you get a lot of questions of like, which yogurt do you eat?
B
I try to make it so simple. I'll do a yogurt swap graphic where I'll show 10 of the most popular yogurts at the grocery store that are full of refined sugar dyes, believe it or not, so many gums. And then the next slide will be 10 and both dairy and plant based yogurts to choose from. And you would think that would be enough. And then in the caption I'll write what you want to look for in yogurts. Don't look like, try to avoid these things. And I'll list out like five or six things. And some people just want the information given to them. And especially in today's society where people, and I'm not, I'm. I fall victim to this too. Could be glued to their phones. They don't really absorb the material and they just look for the answer right away. And, and there's some like, we both provide so many ways where you can navigate the grocery store on your own. But I understand that's stressful and that's why both of us try to share products and brands that are accessible around the entire US and world pretty much so people could easily identify them.
A
Exactly what are some of the worst offenders that we find in the grocery store? Like where do people slip up? You think that they think that they're eating healthy, healthy.
B
So I think that there's different, like there's a hierarchy. So I think there's things like beyond meat and then there's the grain fed conventional meat, then there's grass fed meat, and then there's grass finished meat. Obviously if you have the funds, I would try to go for the highest quality proteins, whether it's wild caught fish, wild caught salmon, shrimp, organic pasture raised eggs. But that doesn't mean you need to beat yourself up over getting traditional free range eggs or regular meat. Like people sometimes get very stressed because they can't do the most and it's not somewhere where I would freak out over. I think that a lot of people think that when they want more of like a fun food like a cereal or a granola, every option is going to be crap where there still are better for you options. When it comes to granola, you always know purely Elizabeth is going to be there ready for you. You always know there's grain free brands like Paleo granola that are incredible and when it comes to cereal, we love our lovebirds seven sundaes and there's the real cereal company and so many other brands that are doing it right. And some. So many people just get stressed in the grocery store and that's what we want to try to alleviate. And then obviously like the things that are a big no to me are anything with the seed oils or hydrogenated oils. And it's very easy to find products that don't have these once you know what to look for. And I have very good like brand recognition where I can, could I realize that where like I'll be able to be in the grocery store and I could realize where in the grocery store products you could just tell like you could always look at the gluten free section because those tend to be a little bit healthier. But so many people just stress themselves out, stress themselves out so much and they're like I don't know what to buy and they just panic and buy whatever they see. Whereas if you go in with the plan, you could either do screenshots of people's Instagram posts or guides online or. Or like use a scanner or you could use this food scanning app. It alleviates so much stress for you.
A
Oh yeah. So I would say where I see people trip up quite frequently would be yogurt and creamers.
B
Creamers is the bit. Creamers. And bread.
A
Oh yeah. Oh and bread. Bread's a big one.
B
And you and I, well, we're not like the biggest bread people.
A
No.
B
And I, I physically cannot remember the last time I have ever bought bread in the grocery store. Store.
A
Oh no, me neither. I usually get bread either from. There's a local place now that we get it from that does a gluten free sourdough bread or I'll order from a awg bakery. Have you ever had them?
B
Incredible. Grain free, delicious. But the creamers and the bread, the bread laundry list ingredients might be the longest ingredients list. What do you think is like the product or brand or food type with the longest ingredients list? Not crumble cookies.
A
Oh God.
B
Oh God.
A
We went to Crumbl yesterday And it was really fun.
B
We didn't eat it. Do not worry. Worry. Don't worry. But what do you think is, like, a brand?
A
I would say, like, baked goods in general. So when you go to, like. Like, I was just thinking. I was just picturing Costco. You know, when you go to Costco, the birthday cakes. Dude.
B
Even the whole foods, the cookies.
A
That too. Or even if you go to just a standard. Like, I don't know what you guys have in New York, but, like, Kroger. Like, we have Heb here. If you just go into any of those. And the bakery items, the cookies, the cakes. Oh, my God. When I was in high school, I loved those sugar cookies that have the, like. Oh, the frosting, like, mound on. On top. And I don't remember what those are called, but.
B
Oh, my God, I know what you're talking about.
A
And the ingredient list is, like, 30 ingredients.
B
They, like, melt in your mouth like cotton candy.
A
Yes. Oh, my.
B
Moment of silence for those.
A
Rip.
B
Yeah. Like, but that's something that Courtney and I would both love. And they. They. We love them. But neither Courtney and I, we would not be caught dead eating those right now because we know how we feel now, and we know how awful those ingredients are in those foods. And even though they might been so freaking delicious however many years ago, like, it's something where I am completely fine avoiding it now. And there's better cookie and brownie alternatives now where we don't even need to go near it.
A
Yeah. And I don't even miss them. And honestly, I would be curious to see if they even taste good to us anymore. Like, Crumbl is a great example. We walked into Crumbl last night, and when we left, all three of us had, like, migraines, and I felt nauseous to my stomach. Like, the smell didn't even smell good.
B
It smells like you were spraying yourself with perfume. Human. It stayed on our bodies after we left.
A
Yeah. Like, it was like a bath and body works.
B
Like candle shop.
A
Yes, exactly. And to me, like, those kind of things. And I think that's what people don't. People that have not fully switched over or maybe people that are still eating standard American diets don't fully understand is that once you let that grip of addiction go, you no longer crave or even really like those foods anymore.
B
Also, we didn't even mention kitchen crumble is expensive for what you're getting. It's $4.50 a cookie. And there are many better for you cookies even if you go to the store. And get siete or simple mills cookies. You could get an entire bag box.
A
For like five or six dollars. Yeah.
B
And I'm like, what are you nuts? Like how that's not normal. Like that is not okay considering the ingredient list is like a CVS receipt. It's like to the floor.
A
It is so bad.
B
Crazy.
A
Yeah, it's so bad. But I would argue that if we were even to try one of those cookies now, I don't even think that they would taste good.
B
Yeah. And then right after I it on my story, people were like, hunter, I had a corner of one of those cookies a week ago at a birthday party and I did not feel well. I had to lay down for hours. And I'm like, this might sound so crazy to people listening to this, but when you stop eating those addictive, poisonous foods and ingredients and then you revert back to it once or twice, you realize how awful you felt on it. And people think that is the normal. And that's something I really want to stress.
A
Stress. Yes. It's so true. Again, once you let that grip go of those addictive foods, they just don't taste the same to you anymore. Okay, I have some kind of rapid fire questions that I want to ask you about. What are your favorite snacks? Your go to snacks.
B
So I try not to snack a lot because I would much rather have a breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will make this rapid fire though, something that I love and it is my kryptonite. I'm obsessed with ice cream and I know that it might be bad, but there are times when you could catch me eating, eating a few scoops of ice cream out of a pint in the middle of the day. But going for ice cream for bears and froin. Those are my two go to's that I am obsessed with. And we were talking about this yesterday. Alex culture cups. I'm all about portion control because I am someone who could eat a lot of any food. And having an 120 calorie ice cream with the cleanest ingredients and a hard chocolate shell on top of it is perfect.
A
Those are so good.
B
I'm not like a chip or popcorn person. I'm an ice cream person. Like that's my, my thing.
A
I love that. Well, then you just make them in the creamy and they're, you know, exactly.
B
Protein.
A
Let's see, we already talked about bread. What is, what's the healthiest creamer and what's the worst creamer?
B
Healthiest creamer if you want plain is grass fed, half and half. I Think that is my go to if you want a flavor if you like dairy free. I think Malk makes incredible vanilla and caramel creamers. I think the unhealthiest creamer is what we saw yesterday. It is the coffee mate Harry Potter Dracula creamers with which the cleanest ingredient is that in that one is probably acesulfate potassium which is an artificial sweetener like every single guys it is so mind blowing. You look at the back of a mild creamer it is water, organic almonds, organic vanilla extract, organic coconut sugar, sea salt. And then you look at the back of a coffee mate creamer and it is actually it might have water which it might have a drop. It might have water, water, artificial flavors. Carrageenan mono and diglycerides are trans fats by the way which that could be another topic.
A
Emulsifier and Ace K Splenda.
B
Oh and then a lot of them have sugar and artificial sweeteners in them. Why do they need both?
A
You know what's really concerning about those specifically is that how that's how most people are starting their day. So it's maybe something sometimes the first thing they put in their body first thing in the morning and they're doing it every day because it's a daily habit.
B
Oh not only every day. Some people including me if you're a coffee junkie you could have it three or four times a day and they do multiple servings multiple times a day. So if you're one serving and I'm not even talking about the calories in this case, if you saw what is in these creamers that is the number one product that I would focus on. If you were worried about your kids. Welsh's fruit snacks. But you are still dumping coffee Mate International Delight Creamer or even the Starbucks one was horrific.
A
Oh yeah, they're on.
B
And you're dumping those into your coffee every single day, multiple times a day. Do not worry about your kids fruit snacks. Worry about that coffee creamer because that is one of the biggest toxins that I think you could find.
A
It's a heart attack waiting to happen. It really is. It's a heart attack waiting to happen.
B
That is the. I think that's the unhealthiest food at the grocery store. Like yeah, a baked good. I don't think that people are going to be having Costco's baked cookies, you know, the bakery cookies, everything every single day, three times a day. But people are having their coffee three or four times a day and that's reminding me we need to go get that coffee after this we do.
A
We're gonna go do that after. Speaking of, what's your coffee order?
B
Okay, so I am a big cold brew person at heart and I love making mine at home. Another way you save so much money. Money guys, if you are not if you like iced coffee or hot coffee. I make cold brew at home. I bought a 20 cold brew maker on Amazon. It's a glass pitcher with a stainless steel filter and I fill it up with high quality mold. Free coffee, ground coffee. You could add cinnamon, you could add pumpkin spice to the ground coffee to make it flavored. If you want a flavor and then you fill it up with water, you leave it in your fridge overnight. 24 hours later you take the filter out. And I have my own cold brew. It's an enormous pitcher, probably like 60 ounces. I don't even know 60 flu ounces.
A
Need to buy that.
B
You need to if because you like cold brew or like.
A
Yeah, we love cold brew. That's like all we drink.
B
It's incredible. And there's so many better for you coffee brands out there when it comes to grounds. Coffee or whole bean. And that entire picture probably costs at most two $3. Whereas you go to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, you are getting a coffee that could be this big few inches. And not only is it filled with mold because people don't realize coffee is one of the most coffee beans and like at the actual farms, that's one of the most sprayed crops coffee. And people don't realize that you could be drinking mold every day and you were blowing your bank account, put that money towards your next grocery store visit and you were set. So I do I, I went on a coffee tangent. But it's very important because that's a topic I'm very passionate about.
A
Love it.
B
And then if I want a flavored coffee, what I do and this is a trick. I recently posted about 1 tablespoon of half and half for the color. It makes it very bright, you know, like that color people want. And a tablespoon or a serving of either the organic Calafea Farms creamers or the milk creamers and you mix that together and you have a flavored coffee that is 30 to 40 calories and it tastes delicious.
A
Oh yum. The milk creamers are awesome. And I find I don't need that much of it because they're super flavorful.
B
Yeah, they're not. They don't make it light which is why I think adding a little bit of milk or half and half is perfect. If you care about the color, that.
A
Sounds so I do. I like it when it's a little bit, like, whiter. What's the most shocking ingredient you found.
B
On a label contains a bioengineered ingredient?
A
Yeah, that's.
B
I've been at Whole Foods and I've seen corn. Corn that looks like it's corn on the cob. That's from the farm and it says from a bioengineered farm at Whole Foods. Whole Foods has gone down the hill. And it's really sad. Target's taking over.
A
I know. It makes me so sad. What's the most underrated clean bread brand?
B
Underrated clean brand. That's fantastic. I think truly free when it comes to home cleaning products. People don't think it's clean, but it also smells incredible too. Like, yes, we know brand basics. We know molly suds. We know these better for you brands that. But no one, I, I think they're changing the game.
A
I'm obsessed with their laundry detergent. It smells so good. It's so good. What's one meal you could eat every day and never get sick of a health.
B
A punch of yogurt ball every single day.
A
Yeah.
B
It's just so delicious. Delicious.
A
Oh, I love that.
B
And if I didn't have to cook and it was cooked for me, grass fed steak, sweet potato and like roasted broccoli with mushrooms. I'd have that every day.
A
I mean, we pretty much got through all my rapid fire questions. Is there anything else you want to share? And then please share, everyone, please share with everyone where they can find you.
B
Yes. I think it's just focus on slow changes. If weight loss is your goal, remember that that goes in tangent and it goes with feeling better every single day. So many people think that, you know, they follow the people who say premier protein shakes and the bare bells protein bars and the gym bros and all those. And that is not the way to go if you want sustainable, healthy change. And that's something that might come with time. But that's why people like Courtney and I, I'm so happy that you guys have people like us. We're like, I'm like patting us on the back. No, I'm so happy that you guys have free information online where we show you healthy swaps that also taste delicious or are effective and they truly work. So I think making one swap at a time and not focusing on the very small things and focus on the big things. And filtered water, I think is like the biggest thing.
A
Yep. Filtered water, super important.
B
Stock up Black Friday New Year sales, whatever it is, and health with Hunter on all platforms on Instagram, Facebook and Tick Tock.
A
Yes. And we will definitely tag him in the show notes so you guys will be able to find him. If you don't already follow him, make sure you follow him. But I feel like a lot of my listeners probably already do because they're on it.
B
Yeah.
A
But thank you so much Hunter.
B
This was awesome having me. This was amazing.
A
This was so much fun. Thank you. 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 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. Foreign Are you ready to rock middle age? I'm Dr. Tina Moore, Gen X truth teller and holistic physician on the Dr. Tina show, one of Apple Podcasts top alternative health shows, I share what actually works for metabolic health, hormones and strength backed by decades of clinical results, not trends. From loving the gym and hitting your protein goals to peptides and microdosing GLP1s, it's all done the right way, not the hype way. Because menopause doesn't have to suck if you're fit. New episodes every Thursday, produced by Drake Peterson and Wellness Loud.
Host: Courtney Swan
Guest: Hunter Stoller (“Health With Hunter” on IG)
Original Air Date: November 18, 2025
This episode features an energetic conversation between food activist and podcast host Courtney Swan and nutrition educator/social media personality Hunter Stoller (“Health With Hunter”). The focus is on debunking weight loss myths, explaining the importance of ingredient quality and calorie awareness, and sharing actionable grocery shopping hacks for those seeking a sustainable, real-food-based healthy lifestyle. Hunter shares his personal 50-pound weight loss journey, plus tips for swap-friendly eating, avoiding toxic food habits, and navigating a food environment full of misleading products and marketing.
“Change does require change.” – Hunter ([07:36])
“Genetics loads the gun and your diet and lifestyle pull the trigger.” – Hunter ([08:43])
“Eating healthy does not equal eating healthy for weight loss or fat loss.” – Hunter ([09:25]) “At the beginning, tracking can be incredibly helpful.” – Hunter ([11:07])
“It is all about setting yourself up for success.” – Hunter ([13:30])
“There are healthy swaps for every product under the sun.” – Hunter ([36:56])
“Eating healthy is not boring.” – Courtney & Hunter (multiple)
“You could lose weight eating Skittles all day, but are you going to want to eat Skittles all day?” – Hunter ([24:35])
“Eating dietary fat is different from gaining body fat.” – Hunter ([27:16]) “The sugar industry paid Harvard scientists to say fat was to blame for heart disease.” – Courtney ([33:41])
“Knowledge is power.” – Hunter ([42:33]) “It’s either you pay the farmer now, or you pay the pharmacist later.” – Courtney ([44:59])
“It’s not rocket science ... there is a healthier, better-for-you swap out there for every product.” – Hunter ([37:31])
“Food is a priority and it really should be for everyone.” – Hunter ([44:59])
“If you do not make time for your wellness, you'll be forced to make time for your illness.” – Courtney ([44:59])
“You give someone a fish, they eat for a day. You teach someone how to fish, they eat for a lifetime.” – Courtney ([52:24])
“You're the sum of the five people that you spend the most time with.” – Courtney ([35:38])
“Restaurants give you bread because it’s going to make you hungrier.” – Hunter ([25:31])
“Beyond Meat ... full of seed oils, additives, preservatives, gums and disgusting things ... The stock price of Beyond Meat speaks for itself.” – Hunter ([42:33])
“There is a swap for everything now.” – Hunter ([49:12])
“When you stop eating those addictive, poisonous ingredients ... you realize how awful you felt on them. People think that is the normal.” – Hunter ([58:45])
“Coffee creamer is the number one product I would focus on ... that is one of the biggest toxins you can find.” – Hunter ([62:10])
Find Hunter on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: @healthwithhunter
Courtney Swan: @realfoodology
This summary captures key discussion topics, major insights, and actionable tips from the episode, with clock times to help you locate specific content. The episode is a goldmine for anyone seeking evidence-driven yet practical advice for transforming their health via real food and ingredient awareness.