Brain Health x Food -- How Diet Affects Our Mental & Cognitive Health

HOW important are nutrient-dense foods for our physical and mental well-being?

Seriously, it's a game-changer!

I love talking about the benefits of mindful eating practices—it's like giving your brain a spa day. Here, we dive even deeper to unlock the power (and detriment) of certain foods for neurological health and optimal function.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Importance of nutrition for cognitive functions and mood regulation.
• Impact of nutrition on mental health: depression and anxiety.
• Studies linking diet with mental health issues.
• Junk foods and their effects on neurotransmitter signaling.
• Western diet's association with ADHD and dementia risk.
• How sugar consumption affects focus, mood, and cognitive performance.
• Dopamine disruption and mood crashes due to sugar.
• Impact of sugar on emotional regulation: irritability and aggression.
• Benefits of reducing sugar intake for mental clarity and immune function.
• Hidden sugars in common foods and their addictive properties.
• Nine foods in Western culture that negatively impact happiness and brain function.
• Discussion on the mental health effects of additives like MSG and aspartame.
• Modern food systems and their impact on mental health: hormones, antibiotics, endocrine disruptors.
• List of "happy foods" that boost mood: fermented foods, omega-3 rich foods, B vitamin-rich foods.
• Healthy Eating Habits for Mental Wellness

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COURSES --

What Your Gut Needs Right Now to Reduce Cancer and other Chronic Disease Risk with special guest expert Dr. Robynne Chutkan

We know our gut microbiome is important -- but why? And how do we level up and make it even better to secure our health and reduce chances of cancer, diabetes, obesity and more?

How do we ensure we have the best gut bugs while reducing or eliminating harmful bacteria living inside us?

Esteemed gastroenterologist and gut expert Dr. Robynne Chutkan shares all this and more -- including what to shop for at the store and the farmer's market to increase the good gut bacteria, what to watch out for and why nature plays a role in lots of it, too!

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Understanding the microbiome in ways we didn't know we needed.
• Why our microbiome is so significant.
• Differentiating between inherited factors and controllable factors.
• Microbiome's influence on overall health.
• Impact of the microbiome on health and health outcomes.
• Birth methods (vaginal vs. C-section) and early microbial colonization.
• Health outcomes based on microbiome composition.
• Influence of diet, nature exposure, and stress on the microbiome.
• Diet and microbiome health while exploring different diet methods and their effects
• Comparison of low-carb Atkins-type diet vs. plant-heavy diet.
• Rapid microbiome changes with dietary adjustments.
• Why 30 is the magic number and why you need to pay attention here
• Practical tips for increasing plant variety and emphasis on variety over quantity.
• One, two, three rule: 1 vegetable in the morning, 2 at lunch, 3 at dinner.

ABOUT DR. CHUTKAN:

Dr. Robynne Chutkan is the author of the digestive health books Gutbliss, The Microbiome Solution, The Bloat Cure, and The Anti-Viral Gut: Tackling Pathogens from the Inside Out.

Dr. Chutkan received her bachelor’s from Yale University and her medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she also did her internship and residency and served as chief resident. She completed her fellowship in gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and has been on the faculty at Georgetown University Hospital since 1997. In 2004 she founded the Digestive Center for Wellness, an integrative gastroenterology practice incorporating microbial optimization and nutritional therapy as part of the therapeutic approach to digestive disorders.

A former Board member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), Dr. Chutkan also chaired the ASGE Training Committee and Public Relations Committee. She has authored dozens of journal articles and book chapters and has been a featured lecturer throughout the United States and Europe.

Dr. Chutkan has her own PBS Special, entitled “Gutbliss”. She’s been a featured expert on The Today Show, CBS This Morning, The Dr Oz Show, The Doctors, The Megyn Kelly Show, and in numerous health publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic. She is an avid squash player, runner, and yogi, and is passionate about introducing more dirt, sweat and vegetables into people’s lives

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I've found few brands over the years that I trust, so when I do -- I love to share! Why do I share this one and these fave gut health-promoting supplements? Because they are effective and because the brand is not only transparent and 3rd-party lab tested but also clinically proven and clean!

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CGM's, BREATH & BIOLOGICAL AGE TESTING, SLEEP TRACKERS,

COOLING BED TOPPERS AND MORE!

Biohacking became a passion for me after my cancer journey in 2014 -- and I have ramped it up even more after my breast cancer recurrence in August 2024.

I've been exploring new devices flooding the market, testing them out, and giving honest feedback.

If you missed BIOHACKING: PART 1, try to catch up before diving into today's discussion on glucose monitors, sleep tracking, metabolic flexibility with breath testing (and more!).

Let's explore the transformative potential of these biohacking tools together!

In this episode, you will learn:

• Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs): Introduction, benefits, and comparison with traditional blood glucose monitoring methods.
• Tracking and Interpreting Data: How CGMs and other tools track health markers and analyze trends over time.
• Biohacking Tools: Description and comparison of CGM devices, including micro-needle function and wireless data transmission.
• Biohacking Subscriptions: Overview of CGM subscription services like Levels, NutriSense, Signos, and Zoe, including costs and features.
• Personal Experience -- sharing about pros/cons for different brands of CGMs and experiences with these different biohacking tools.
• Zoe and Personalized Nutrition: Use of Zoe for tracking blood sugar, fat, and gut microbiome, and its personalized scoring system.
• Health Measurement and Biological Age: Breaking down Tally Health, InsideTracker, and GlycanAge for measuring biological age and health biomarkers.
• Metabolic Flexibility: Why this matters, what the tools test and how to interpret the findings, and how it can benefit our longevity.
• Lifestyle Changes for Longevity: Effective ways to potentially reverse biological age and improve health, including diet, sleep, and exercise.
• Sleep Trackers: The benefits and challenges of using them, what they monitor and how we can utilize the insights to our best benefit.

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Get your own

with these two favorites:

NUTRISENSE -- Visit: https://bit.ly/NutrisenseCGM-SH25 -- for $25 off your CGM (or you can also use code: SAMANTHAHARRIS25)

ZOE -- Visit https://joinzoe.com/ and use code: SAMANTHA10 for 10% off!

What we eat matters and shapes the thousands of chemical reactions that impact everything from our metabolism to weight, energy, immune responses, and long-term health.

When you sign up for ZOE, you’re sent a kit that has everything you need to measure your body’s response to food. They identify the “good” and “bad” microbes in your gut, measure how fast your body processes fat, and if you join their study, you have the option to monitor how your blood sugar changes in real time.

You will then be provided with a database of thousands of foods and how they score for YOUR unique biology as well as with recipes and guidance on how to combine foods so you can achieve your goals....

In August 2024, after 10 years being deemed cancer-free, a breast cancer recurrence hit me like a sledgehammer. Sharing on social media each step in these first few weeks from recurrence diagnosis through the first of two new surgeries, many of you reached out with questions.

In this special BONUS EPISODE -- taken directly from the Instagram/Facebook LIVE (with my friend and special guest expert, integrative oncologist Dr. Jenn Simmons here to answer even more of your questions) -- I share my honest, very personal experiences from my primary cancer diagnosis in 2014 to how I found a lump myself for the second time around in 2024 that led to this latest shocking news.

In this episode, Dr. Jenn Simmons and I will cover:

• Personal Journey with Recurrence: Raw insights into managing breast cancer recurrence through regular self-monitoring, along with the need to sometimes push your doctors for screening as well as the importance of truly listening to your body.
• Our Inner Terrain and How it Can Breed Recurrence: What to pay attention to with regard to the environment our body is creating that can allow cancer to grow and what to do to tamper it.
• Mircoscopic Cells Left Behind After Surgery: When should recurrence be a worry and how can we manage our fears?
• H. Pylori and Our Overall Gut Health: Why it matters in the cancer game.
• The Surprising Reality About Mammography: Dr. Simmons discusses the over-treatment of most women due to mammogram results, and she offers a new option that will become more readily available without the potential downsides, such as radiation, that currently exist.
• PET/CT Scans & MRIs for Detection: What is useful and what is too much or too risky? And when should we actually use these tools.
• Functional Tests that Conventional Oncos Don't Do: Other lab and diagnostic tests to investigate.
• HRT and Breast Cancer: Can we actually use it?
• Thermography and other modalities: How effective are they to diagnose cancer early or find it at all?
• Endocrine Therapy: Dr. Jenn's thoughts on Tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors and other options for hormone blocking after diagnosis.
• Prevention Tips from Dr. Simmons: Practical advice on essential lifestyle changes to reduce recurrence risk and boost overall health, including some of her nutritional must-haves.
• + SO Much More!

ABOUT our expert guest:

JENN SIMMONS, MD

Integrative Oncologist | Author | Podcast Host | founder of PerfeQTion Imaging

Dr. Jenn became Philadelphia's first fellowship-trained breast surgeon and spent 17 years leading the field. This personal journey led her to create Real Health MD in 2019, a practice dedicated to holistic healing for breast cancer. It integrates conventional wisdom with root cause medicine and the drivers of health: nutrition, lifestyle changes, detoxification, and stress management. Dr. Jenn's innovative approach doesn't stop there. As the founder of PerfeQTion Imaging, she is establishing safe imaging centers across the nation, armed with revolutionary technology that promises to redefine breast cancer screening. This technology is not only fast and safe but also comfortable, affordable, radiation-free, and boasts 40 times the resolution of MRI. It has received FDA clearance, signaling a new era in breast health and breast...

Our Brains, Cancer and Why Uric Acid Matters with guest expert David Perlmutter, MD.

Board-Certified Neurologist | NY Times bestselling author of the

Grain Brain book series

You may not realize this -- but uric acid (something I knew nothing about before my conversations with Dr. Perlmutter) is a something we should know about and care about. Yep, it actually plays a huge role in our health. Beyond that, uric acid is a major player when it comes to metabolic diseases and so much more.

Wondered how it affects us?

TUNE IN and let's uncover that together!

In this episode, you will learn:

• Role of uric acid in metabolic diseases
• Health consequences of elevated uric acid levels (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc.)
• Five key supplements recommended for health
• Benefits of using a continual glucose monitor
• Health benefits of time-restricted eating
• Impact of uric acid on chronic diseases like Alzheimer's
• Uric acid as an overlooked metabolic waste product
• Importance of lowering uric acid levels for health improvement
• Sources of uric acid -- we delve into fructose, alcohol, purines
• Historical increase in uric acid levels and sugar consumption
• Uric acid's link to death rates and obesity
• Lifestyle-related chronic degenerative conditions
• Effects of dietary sodium on uric acid levels and weight gain
• Natural methods to lower uric acid (tart cherries, vitamin C, quercetin, coffee)
• Home testing for uric acid levels and its significance

About our guest expert: DR. DAVID PERLMUTTER, MD, FACN, ABIHM

Board-Certified Neurologist | NY Times bestselling author of the Grain Brain series of books

Dr. Perlmutter is a Board-Certified Neurologist and six-time New York Times bestselling author.

He serves on the Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition.

Dr. Perlmutter received his M.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine where he was awarded the Leonard G. Rowntree Research Award. He serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and has published extensively in peer- reviewed scientific journals including Archives of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and The Journal of Applied Nutrition.

In addition, he is a frequent lecturer at symposia sponsored by institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, Columbia University, Scripps Institute, New York University, and Harvard University and serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Dr. Perlmutter’s books have been published in 32 languages and include the #1 New York Times bestseller Grain Brain, The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs and Sugar, with over 1 million copies in print.

Other New York Times bestsellers include Brain Maker, The Grain Brain

Cookbook, The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, and Brain Wash, co-written with Austin Perlmutter, M.D.

He is the editor of The Microbiome and the Brain authored by top experts in the field and published in December 2019 by CRC Press.

His latest New York Times bestselling book, Drop Acid, focuses on the pivotal role of uric acid in metabolic diseases.

Links:

Where to buy DROP ACID: https://www.drperlmutter.com/books/drop-acid/

Facebook:

Squashing Your Stress Eating and Tools to Succeed

Time to tackle stress eating and come out stronger with healthier habits to overcome this often frustrating habit.

We will get raw -- this is an episode that will challenge you to dig a little deeper than you may be used to, face the action steps from a place of power, learn practical tips, and discover fun ways to lead a healthier lifestyle. I am here to support and guide you along the way!

In this episode, you will learn:

• The significance of addressing stress eating
• Common challenges and frustrations related to stress eating
• Tools and tips to prevent stress eating
• Methods to overcome habits and limiting beliefs
• Strategies to avoid spiraling into stress eating
• Tips to achieving a healthy lifestyle with your eating habits
• Steps to live optimally
• Ways to analyze the origins of your stress eating habits
• Why the role of learned behaviors in eating habits is important to dissect
• Why to examine the formation of food relationships
• Why reflecting on caregivers' relationship with food impacted you and how to unpack that to tackle this from a place of strength and knowledge
• Hacks to cope with emotions without food
• Developing simple cooking skills as a healthy habit
• Ways to create a nourishing eating environment

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I'm super picky about what I recommend. But guess what?

I stumbled upon something seriously awesome. Algae tablets!

I didn't realize how much nutrition is packed into these little pieces of food. Actual, pure food. NOT a supplement. Yet these little guys will NOT break your fast, and they WILL help curb the hunger while giving you a good dose of nutrition!

I use both the spirulina and the chlorella (evening for detoxing! But you can use them all day long, too).

So, if you're up for leveling up your nutrition game every day, give 'em a shot. It's like a little health secret that's too good not to share!

And hey, I'm excited to help you save some money on it too! Just use code SAMANTHA for 20% off

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Get my favorite, clean supplements, protein powders, and EWG-Verified clinically proven anti-aging skincare HERE

or visit: https://us.shaklee.com/site/samanthaharris

And my vetted #1 best toxin-free makeup HERE or go visit: https://crunchi.com/samanthaharris

Want more support, check out YOUR HEALTHIEST...

BEAT BREAST CANCER: THE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE APPROACH

with guest expert Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD

Whether you're focused on cancer prevention, reducing risk of breast cancer recurrence, maintaining balanced blood sugar to mitigate chronic disease risk, or just looking to improve your overall health, there's something valuable here for everyone!

I absolutely love when I get to chat with Dr. Boham -- brilliantly trained at esteemed universities in both medicine and nutrition, and then she furthered her education with her specialty in functional medicine -- who is also the medical director at Mark Hyman, MD's UltraWellness Center.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Essential nutritional methods for proactive breast cancer prevention.
• Strategies for reducing the risk of recurrence for breast cancer survivors.
• Functional medicine approach: Definition and explanation of the functional medicine approach to health.
• Importance of addressing the root cause of health issues and focusing on personalized care.
• Balancing blood sugar: Importance of maintaining stable blood sugar levels to reduce cancer risk.
• Tips on dietary choices that help balance blood sugar, such as what kinds of and how much protein, fat, and fiber to incorporate into meals.
• The Benefits of cruciferous vegetables you may not yet know and how they support detoxification and reduction for cancer risk.
• Recommendations on incorporating certain important vegetables into the diet.
• Detoxification and reducing toxin exposure: Explanation of the body’s natural detoxification processes.
• Importance of reducing exposure to environmental toxins (e.g., BPA, pesticides, plastics).
• Tips for supporting detoxification through diet and lifestyle choices.
• Managing alcohol intake: Impact of alcohol consumption on breast cancer risk.
• Importance of and tips for stress management for overall health and cancer prevention.
• Personal reflections on the need to change how one interacts with stress and the world.

Let's dive in!!!

GUEST EXPERT:

DR. ELIZABETH BOHAM

Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD is a physician and nutritionist who practices functional medicine at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA.

After being diagnosed with aggressive triple negative breast cancer at the age of 30, she learned how difficult it can be to navigate through the health-care system.

Dr. Boham joined Dr. Mark Hyman and The UltraWellness Center team in 2007. Prior to that she practiced integrative medicine at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA and was a partner with Albany Clinical Nutrition Specialists.

In addition, she has her undergraduate degree in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University and her graduate degree and Registered Dietitian from Columbia University.

Through her practice and lecturing, she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnesses the power of nutrition every day in her practice and is committed to training other physicians to utilize nutrition in healing.

Dr. Boham has contributed to many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on multiple podcasts and in a variety of publications and media including Mind Body Green, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life.

Her DVD, Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer, explores the functional medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well.

Learn more about Dr. Boham at

Hormone Balance Breakdown!

Duh! We know that hormonal health is super important for women, especially during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause -- but what do we do about all the changes and how do we gain better control?

These changes can really shake things up physically and mentally - so managing them is key to feeling your best.

In this episode, you will learn:

• About our hormonal shifts during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause, with a focus on cortisol and its role.
• Impact of cortisol levels on health, including weight gain, blood pressure, and mood disorders.
• Effects of prolonged stress on the body during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.
• Tips for balancing hormones, including diet, exercise, and stress management.
• Hormonal imbalances and their causes, including stress, low testosterone, and under-eating.
• Chronic stress and its potential to cause disease through hormonal imbalances.
• Hormonal imbalance and its causes, including fad diets, stress, and toxic overload.
• Importance of addressing hormone imbalances through lifestyle changes.
• Foods for hormonal balance, including flaxseed, cruciferous vegetables, and lentils.
• Role of healthy fats, probiotics, and supplements like magnesium, vitamins B & D, and exercise in hormone balance.
• Why we need to pay even closer attention to consistent exercise now more than ever -- and what types are optimal.

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As a breast cancer thriver, I'm always on the lookout for wellness products that genuinely make a difference. For me, Therasage's Personal Infrared Sauna is a game-changer.

They've stayed true to their mission of creating high-quality, truly healing products at prices that won't break the bank. This pop-up like tent, portable sauna has become a crucial part of my wellness journey, and I can't recommend it enough.

If you're serious about your health and well-being, you need to check this out! 💖✨

Benefits:

☀ Detoxification

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☀ Relieve Pain

☀ Burn Calories

☀ Sleep Better

☀ Immune Enhancement & Promote Overall Health and Wellness

☀ Mitochondria Support and Enhanced Energy

☀ Increased Natural Nitric Oxide and Redox Molecule Production

☀ Anti-Aging Benefits: Collagen Production, Cellulite Reduction

Plus, the Red Light Therapy benefits are incredible. It's like a skin rejuvenator! By emitting specific light wavelengths, it energizes your skin cells, stimulates collagen production, and aids in reducing inflammation and discomfort.

Where can you snag these goodies for yourself? Drumroll, please... The Therasage Collection Catalogue! It's like a treasure trove of wellness wonders, and they've got everything you need to turn your self-care routine into a spa party.

Catch you on the wellness side!

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