Why Feeding Athletes Whole Foods Makes Them Better Athletes with Aimee Gallo

In this episode of "Spirit of an Athlete," host Amanda Smith talks with Aimee Gallo, a nutritionist and endurance athlete with over 20 years of experience. They discuss the importance of nutrition for female athletes, focusing on nutrient density, the drawbacks of processed foods, and the benefits of whole foods. Aimee emphasizes the value of frozen and seasonal foods, food choices' environmental impact, and communal eating's cultural significance. She offers practical tips for incorporating more produce into diets and highlights the connection between nutrition, exercise, and mental health. The episode encourages mindful, informed eating habits.

In this Episode: 

• Importance of nutrition for female athletes
• Barriers to healthy eating and misconceptions about food preparation
• Nutritional density and the benefits of whole foods
• Impact of processed foods on health and addiction-like behaviors
• Cultural perceptions of food and communal eating practices
• Food intolerances and emotional attachments to certain foods
• Decline in nutrient density of produce due to modern agricultural practices
• Benefits of local and seasonal foods for nutrition and sustainability
• Environmental impact of food production and transportation
• The role of exercise in mental health and overall well-being

Please connect with Aimee here: 

Email: aimee@vibrancenutrition.com

Website: www.vibrancenutrition.com

Podcast: https://blasphemousnutrition.buzzsprout.com/

Instagram: @vibrancenutrition

Watch Gutsy Chick Podcast on YouTube!

Check out more from Amanda:
Website: Body Whisper Healing
Instagram: @Amanda.G.Smith
Facebook: Body Whisper Healing
Pinterest: AmandaGSmithBWH
LinkedIn: Amanda (Ritchie) Smith

Take the Gutsy Chick Quiz to find out how your athletic mindset might be holding you back from healing your chronic health issue: https://gutsychickquiz.com

Transcript

0:19

Welcome back to another episode of spirit of an athlete. I'm your host, Amanda Smith, creator of the Gutsy Chick quiz at Gutsy Chick Quiz. Com it's a fun quiz for female athletes who have a mysterious health condition that's holding them back. In this quiz, you will find out what your athletic self might be helping or holding you back from healing that mysterious health condition. On this episode of spirit of an athlete, I had Aimee Gallo, who is a double degreed nutritionist with 20 plus years of experience. We dove deep into what it is that is holding people back from eating healthy, as well as how to feed yourself as an endurance athlete. Because Amy is an endurance athlete, she loves to run and we talk about nutrition density. Listen into this episode to find out more. Aimee Gallo thank you for being on spirit of an athlete with me. Okay. I'm so excited. This is going to be. So excited to. Our pre-interview was so much fun. And now like the the warmup for this, I'm like, oh yeah, this is going to be. Gonna be great. Okay. You said something that I've already referenced in other episodes about wanting your own teen date magazine for Gen Xers. Yes. What? Or who would you have in your version of this magazine? So we all grew up with these, right? And, you know, you open it up immediately like I would get them for the posters inside. Did I read the articles? No, I was there for the visuals just so Jonathan. Taylor Thomas FTW. Oh my god. There's a flashback. Yeah, I want to open my, you know, Gen-X teen magazine and in the middle of it see a picture of for me, Ernestine Shepherd and for people who don't know who Ernestine Shepherd is, she is this she's she's freaking amazing. So she's a woman who started her athletic career in her 60s. She has a right. Right. This is not even, you know, all the conversations now are about hurry up and get fit before menopause, because then you're going to turn into like, a fragile, you know, a fragile pile of goo in a nursing home. But she she started post menopause and she's like this crazy ass bodybuilder. And she also runs and she she's a beast. I'm not saying like she looks like a beefy dude, but she's like, she's a freaking beast. And this is who I want in my 40s. This is who I want on my wall in my bedroom. Right? Yeah. I mean, that's right. I mean. When we were kids, it was who I want to date, this one or that one, or I want to sing like this one or that one. Right. And now here we are in her 40s, going, I want to be like her when I grow up. That's right. I fight like if I want. I'm. I'm evolving. I am slowly evolving into this mash up of Iris Apfel and Ernestine Shepherd. Okay, explain. Go deeper on that one, please. You. You've explain who Ernestina? Yes. Who's the other person? Iris APL just passed away. I want to say. Within the last year, she passed away. I want to say 101. And she was a fashion icon in New York for probably the last 60 years or so. If you've ever seen a picture of a lady with short, spiky white hair, big owl black glasses, and crazy ass chunky necklaces, right? That's Iris that fell. So my fashion is Iris Apfel, my physique is Ernestine Shepherd, and I'm just like. I'm just like the crazy lady. They don't know what to think of. That's my goal. That's hashtag life goals. Okay, now you've met Eddie. I mean, gosh, I love this. I, I am so here for this. I like my team. Beat magazine would definitely have some of the the women that I'm seeing in powerlifting who are in their 70s and 80s and 90s still going strong. And what I love about both of these are that the people that you've picked, the fashion icon, I know exactly who you're talking about. I didn't realize she passed and I didn't realize she was 101. Yeah. Holy crap. Uh, but they they embraced both. And I'm speaking to the athletes here because I don't know about the fashion icon, but they embraced both strength and endurance. They were doing both. And I feel like what we're what we're studying finally, and what we're discovering for for female athletes or women, period. General statement that are either in menopause or past menopause is that those two things are required. Mhm. And then of course there's the nutrition piece. Yeah. That's what everything is made out of right. You can't be strong and you can't go the distance if you don't feed yourself well. Yeah. And I mean, why we're not strong and we're not going the distance right, as a population is because, I mean, the bulk of our calories are are crab are. All right. So the bulk of our calories are crap because. Oh, honey, where do I begin? Because as a culture, we have focused so heavily on productivity. Because we were told to. Because that's the metric for success. Because in some cases it's the only choice. We have one. And we many of us don't know how to cook anymore. And there's a perception that it takes forever. And I'm not you know, I'm not I'm not Martha Stewart I'm not. Yeah. I can't do that. I don't have time to that for that. Um, and that it doesn't taste good when you do it because you don't have experience doing it right. It's a build. It is a skill to build. And then and then because because we have this value of, of productivity at all costs. And also the more bang for your buck. And our food system is set up so that the most bang for your buck you get are these extremely processed, manufactured foods that are cleverly designed to keep you hooked and going back for more. Right. And I'm not. It sounds conspiracy theory, it sounds inflammatory, it sounds it's falling. But it's true. R.J. Reynolds, the cigarette company, purchased Nestle or Nabisco. Nabisco in the 80s. Right. This is not like it's not a joke. They you know, they kept their are scientists on their marketing folks on their lawyers, their legal team on and used the successful business plan that worked so well for tobacco. You all turned it over to food because you can't hit law food. Right? Well, okay, so we we had this huge, um, shift when it came to cigarettes, tobacco, all of that. Uh, in the early 2000, late 90s, early 2000 was when it really started to take off. And it's really grabbed hold in the, you know, the last 24 years, we finally seen that there's a reduction in how many people are smoking. Vape vapes have become more popular. Yeah, but less people smoking an actual cigarette and uh, more people thinking that they can control the substances that go into what they're smoking. Even though I could talk for days about vape pens and the engineering behind those. Uh, don't do it. Just don't do it. So are we going to see the same kind of thing when it comes to the food? Do you feel like we're going to trend in that direction? Because more people are waking up to the fact that the food is addictive and it's designed to be addictive, and that that's how they get us to buy their product over and over and over. Right. Well, there is yeah, there's finally, you know, really in the last that's probably less than five years. There's more research coming out showing that there are when you take the the metrics that we use to assign addiction qualities of addiction with illicit substances, and you apply those, you know, assessments to processed food, the same percentages of those asked show up having a very high addictive response to food. So if you know and I'm just I'm this don't quote me on this number, but let's say 10% of the population has a tendency toward alcoholism or other drug abuse. You will see approximately that same percentage of the population show up with this addictive tendency towards processed food as well. What I see in private practice is that individuals that I work with that struggle the most with, um, what we colloquially call carbohydrate addiction or sugar, sugar cravings that are very difficult to control if they do not have a personal history of substance abuse. It's in their it's in their family, very close in their family. They have a parent or an uncle or someone who has struggled with substance abuse. And for some of these people, their their response to something like pasta or ice cream or candy is. virtually the same, and they feel like I can't just have a bite of this because then I, you know, either it's the slippery slope which is also common in in addicts or it's the there is no single serving size in a gallon of ice cream. A gallon is the serving. Right. And then there and then you're obsessing about it for days or even weeks afterwards. So I think there's I've come to my, my sort of armchair nutritionist hypothesis that there is a there's a common thread that links the two and that there for some people, there are certain foods which they have to treat as though it's an illicit substance that they can't, that they will, that they can't consume in moderation basically. Yeah, right. The term that I like to use when it comes to addiction is you don't have an off switch for a certain thing. There is a chemical imbalance that says, I don't see the connection in. And this is my electrical engineer brain going. The circuit doesn't complete. Right. That's the on off switch. Uh, I feel like that's that's the key factor when it comes to it, but it's it's realizing recognizing that that's what's going on. Right? We're having someone else pointed out to you have some. And I feel like food is a delicate place. Time like money. Money is a delicate thing to talk about with people. Religion can be a delicate thing to talk about with people. Absolutely. Food addiction. And I think some of that, you know, some of that by pointing it out in that framework, I think for a lot of people, it releases the the shame that they carry, because we still have largely, we still have a cultural belief that food is something that you can control if you just have enough willpower. And for some people there are some foods where that is just not the case. And sometimes, sometimes just a complicated even further. Sometimes it's actually the foods that we have a food intolerance to or food sensitivity to. Yes. Absolutely. And I see that in my practice as well. Right. Like if I have a new client and they're coming in and they're like, I'm willing to do just about anything, but don't take away my cheese. And firstly, I'm not your mom. I'm not taking anything away from you. But secondly, the more attached they are to something, the more I'm like, mom. It's an allergy. That's interesting. I'm going to put it on that. We're going to revisit that at a later time. Not today, because you're going to freak out. In my practice, what I the pin I put on that is allergy. Yeah. Your body is doing something to make it a point to notice it. Notice it, notice it. Right. And it's it's. It's the same coin. Two different sides. Addiction or allergy. When it becomes something that you're craving to the point that you cannot let it go. An interesting perspective. I haven't looked at it that way before. I could see that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I like to I like to tackle it from the allergy side first because if we tackle it from an allergy, everybody likes allergies. They're like, oh, I have to take a pill for that. A right or wrong medication. How about we eliminate it and see what happens. And that's where all the mental stuff starts to spur in. Yes. And that's where I'll go. Okay, so this isn't an allergy. This is an addiction. Yeah. And then we have to tackle it from that mental side and then from both. Yeah. Yeah. Because this weekend the body is the mind. The mind is the body. Oh yeah. Yeah. Deeply deeply intertwined. And some people would like to compartmentalize, which is entertaining to watch. It gives us the illusion of control. Amanda, we like. Oh, I can control this, and we can unfold. Um, I watched someone this weekend who, uh, very intelligent human being who has just eliminated sugar from her diet. And she came to a retreat, and she was like, you know what? I'm going to try to be really good, but I'm going to give myself some graces. And I love Fritos. Law 8020. All right. Give yourself a little grace. And immediately the first thing that she had was this cacao drink. That was amazing. Burst your heart open. Amazing. And she, immediately after she finished it, said I want like five more. Um, and I was like, oh, okay, you've just been off of sugar for two weeks. You had this? Yeah. Completely off for two weeks. And she had a date in the in the drink. It wasn't even like white, refined, processed sugar. It was a date, and she just floored one more. You know, like, oh. For some people, it is it is that that like that? As soon as that sweet taste hits the tongue, everything in the brain lights up and the body's, like, more. Yeah, more more more more more more more off switch. Yeah. What she did, she did a great job of controlling it. At that point. She was like, I recognize that more. And I'm gonna turn that switch off. And I was like, exactly. It's still an allergy in your body. Just just stay off of it a little while longer. Eventually your taste buds will shift and you'll go, oh, yeah, that doesn't hit the same way that it did before, because our taste buds will shift and change and they tend to. They tend to shift fairly quickly. Do you know how long it takes for your taste buds to regenerate? You know, I actually don't know that. I observe in as little as two weeks people starting to be like, I'm craving vegetables now, what have you done to me? It just. Wasn't me. No it wasn't. You're just getting the nutrients that your body's been asking for. And it's asking for more now. Now that it knows where you can find them, it's telling you exactly where it wants you to get them. That's what's happening. And you're not my magic. I waved my magic wand and presto! You love vegetables. And I fell for that. Easy. Oh, right. Okay, so let's talk about fruits and vegetables and food. And nutrient density is the the buzzword nutrient density. Now we're trying to get more people to eat simple foods. Yeah, but the fruits, the vegetables, the non processed things get away from the middle of the grocery store. Stay on the outside of the grocery store. Right? Yes. What are we. What are we learning? And this is not to deter people from eating the fruits and the vegetables. That is still the best foods that we can get. But what are we learning about fruits and vegetables now compared to fruits and vegetables, say, 30 years ago? Yeah. So much has changed. Right. So much has changed. Yeah. There is, I don't know, about 30 years ago, but I know when you look at the nutritional data that they took in the 1950s and you compare it to the nutritional data, you know, and this is I'm not I'm talking about, you know, like the USDA taking taking the food and analyzing it for the nutrients it contains. We have significantly less minerals and fewer vitamins in our food now than we did when our grandparents were growing up. Significantly less. And this is for a number of reasons. One, our agricultural industry has been industrialized to the point where it's like you put three minerals of fertilizer on the soil, there's no crop rotation, there's no rest. We aren't having regenerative agriculture where animals are going in and pooping on the land and fertilizing it. Right. So there's fewer minerals from our fertilizers replenishing the soil. And the soil itself is not getting the rest. We live in a world that wants, you know, everything to look a little pristine. And so we don't let the leaves that fall from the trees stay there and nourish the soil and contribute to topsoil. So we have this topsoil erosion. So our soil is not as nutrient dense as it used to be. Even the organic soil is not as nutrient dense as it used to be, unless you are farming small on land that has never been used for farming. Right then, then you got a shot there, right? Additionally, the changes in the atmosphere, the increase of in carbon in the atmosphere causes. This is so fascinating to me. I actually I will give you the link to this article that I wrote for Mother Earth Living magazine on the impact that climate change is having on on nutrient density. But the increase in carbon in the atmosphere is causing our grains to contain less minerals and more carbohydrate. And this is this is because carbohydrate is a carbon based molecule, and there's more carbon in the atmosphere. And so the grain is growing actually more carbohydrate rich, more starch rich than carbohydrate 50 and 70 years ago. And it's also because independently of the soil, because of the extra carbon in the atmosphere, there's less iron, less magnesium, um, and less zinc in our whole grains than there was before. And, I mean, this is doubly devastating because for cultures that still struggle to consume enough calories and enough, you know, trace minerals, they're even worse off because the the grains that they're depending on to give them the little bit of amount of iron or magnesium that they're getting from the diet has these even less now and then from our industrialized nations. Your rice is pricier than your grandparents rice, right? Those starches. We have so much diabetes in the US and in the UK and Australia and Mexico, and the our grains are more starch rich than they were 50, 70 years ago. And this is independent of soil. This is independent of, um, you know, the the genetic engineering and the alterations that we've done for our crops to enhance effects that we're wanting from them. It is simply due to the change in the atmosphere. So all of that means that even the whole foods that we're consuming now are not as nutrient dense as what our grandparents have. So it's a bit of it's a bit more of a struggle. And even as I say that, I can attest, and this is the hill I will die on, I can attest that when you make that transition to more vegetables, more fruits, more unprocessed, unadulterated foods. The nutrients that are still there will freaking change your life. I without without a doubt in ways that you cannot fathom and in ways that you may not even realize are happening because you wouldn't even think that eating more vegetables might reduce your anxiety and depression. That eating more vegetables might cause the chronic injuries that you've been dealing with to spontaneously go away. That the chronic constipation you've had your entire life that is part of who you are. And I say that in quotes, right, was actually a long standing magnesium deficiency that was never addressed because you weren't raised in a food supportive environment to give you sufficient magnesium, magnesium. And so you've been, you know, constipated your whole life when all you needed were some green vegetables. Babe. Oh my gosh. All right so I did my first online foray was called a summit. Mhm. And it was it was called Eat Your Dirt. And when you're talking to gardeners or farmers about soil. Yeah. Dirt is a four letter word. And it's the thing that everybody that is in the regenerative world is trying to fix, because we have depleted our soils across the globe. Right. Currently, yeah. They have. They have no life. And that's when soil becomes dirt. Mhm. When things cannot grow in them. And I love that you're highlighting this because my gardener Permaculture Green is going to. Spread that all over the world. And please please please do better. Right. This is why growing your food locally and and purchasing from small farmers and organic farmers is the light when it comes to nutrient density. You're going to get better nutrients from these sources, hopefully. But we've still got this carbon issue. We've still got issue. Yeah, but you're spot on. The closest that the food that you consume is to where you live. The higher the likelihood that it was, you know, pulled from the ground recently, which means that, you know, that produce hasn't had as much time to sit on the shelf and degrade. So that's, you know, that's sort of like the the thing that we want to aspire to. And that's not always realistic or feasible or reasonable for folks. I my, my in some circles very unpopular opinion is that when the food that you want to eat is not local to you is not in season, rather than getting it fresh from the grocery store, if you can find it frozen and that works, and the method with which you want to prepare it, go for frozen. Because frozen food is grown often because of I mean, this is actually a in a twisted way of benefit of how we produce food in our culture is that our farms are large enough, that frozen foods are typically grown on a farm, where it is plucked and blanched and frozen within 24 hours on site where it was grown or very close to it. And so it will retain more of the nutrients because it didn't get, you know, put on a truck in Mexico and carted all the way to the United States to end up wherever you are. Right. In February, don't eat fresh strawberries in February, Folks just say no. Please don't. Right. They came from far, far, far away. And if we're going to talk climate change and we're going to talk about respecting the planet, eating strawberries in February that came from Argentina or Peru or Mexico is not a sustainable choice. Our greatest greenhouse gas emissions do not come from cow burps. They come from transportation and industry. Well thank. You. I. I mean, it's not that's not that's the Environmental Protection Agency's data, not mine. If you go to the EPA website and you look at their most current data from 2020, you'll see the entire American agricultural industry, the entire industry. That's our rice, our soy, our corn, our meat, our dairy only accounts for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions for our country. If we were to give up meat entirely. There were there were actually some researchers who took a look at that question and was like, okay, let's say like, let's say America gets on board and agrees with one thing, and that thing is to go meatless. Um. We weren't designed that way less often. But let's do some statistical modeling and see how much would that reduce greenhouse gas emissions? And the answer that they came up with was 2.5% not enough. And and they I love that they said this is totally fits into my bias. But they also stated that this 2.5% benefit comes at significant risk of nutrient deficiencies due to the lack of nutrients. Otherwise, you know that are not otherwise found in as great abundance in plant based foods. So we're barking up the wrong tree. We're moving up the wrong cow. I don't know how to zoom. What's the best way to say it here? I don't don't get rid of the cows. They're needed. The chicken, the the Eat More chicken sign from chick fil A where the cows were eating is. Yeah. I don't listen to that. Aside from our vegetables, our most nutrient dense sources of food are our animal proteins, specifically seafood and organ meats, which, again, I'm like. A lot of people go. Oh, what do you do now? Who is this woman you've brought on here? Amanda Berry, intelligent and nutrient dense woman. Let me look at, you know, when we look at for those of us who are of a certain age, right, those who are Gen X, young boomers. We remember our grandparents doing crazy stuff like taking cod liver oil or eating liver once a week with onions, or chewing on the gristle and the bone of chickens. Right. They were getting nutrients from they were getting nutrients, were not getting now because they were eating the way that we have always eaten, that we have forgotten about in more recent generations. And so we have this compounding effect, you know, that, yes, our food is very processed and nasty, but we also have this compounding effect of moving so far, running towards science, the shininess and the newness and the glamour of science, and so far away from our history and remembering our history, that there are multiple different things at play that have made us physiologically weaker and more susceptible to disease than our grandparents and great grandparents were. And this, this, this is why people are developing diabetes now at even younger ages, and why my son's generation is not expected to outlive my generation, because we have this compounding impact of nutrient depletion from generation to generation. But still, eating healthy means eating fruits, vegetables and meats. And again, staying on the perimeter of your grocery store and don't go to the center. It's the key. And there are ways to do it that are affordable. And I don't want I definitely don't want anyone to listen to this podcast and take away the idea that it has to be local and organic to count. Yes, that is optimal, but Honestly, I just want people to eat a vegetable. I don't at this point with where we are at nationally, I don't care if it's frozen. I don't care if it's, you know, a deep fried Brussels sprout. God bless you. You know, if that's how you want to eat your green veggies. I am standing at the side of your table applauding because you're eating a green vegetable. And it just won't. Happen anymore. Oh, it's not horrible. And your body will take what it needs from a deep fried Brussels sprout. It's amazing that way. We cannot let perfection be the enemy of good enough. And sometimes good enough has to be where we start. I completely agree, I also, I also think that people should be going to grocery stores where they label their food with what country it came from, right? So that they can educate themselves like, oh, this particular apple came from Peru. So I really want to go there. So I really want to support that. Um, same for meat where you get your meat come from. Was it fresh water? Was it on a farm? Knowing those kinds of things when it comes to your meat is also important. And and learning more about the foods that you're putting in your body, whether it's the processed foods or the foods that are on the perimeter of the grocery store. This is. Yes. And this is part of the reason also why I think we are in the situation we are in nutritionally is because we are not food educated. Food is treated as an afterthought. My body is making this uncomfortable sensation. I need to take care of it so I can go on and be productive. Right. Food is a means to an end, and when you go to other cultures and you see their perspective of food is so radically different. I have a friend who has moved this year. She's just moved to Paris and her husband is studying at Le Cordon Blue. And they will. Yeah, I know it's it's pretty exciting. Yes, exactly. And she she told me how like they'll go to, they'll go to a cheese shop or something like this and be like, um. I'd, I'd like I'd like this. Oh. Are you are you going to have this tonight? Are you going to or how are you going to prepare this? And she'll, you know, say something in French and they will they will say, no, you can't do that. Not with this. This cheese needs to be served in this way. This meat needs to be prepared in this way. And and if you like, they will make sure you know how to respect the food and prepare it in a way that makes it the most enjoyable for you, and reflects highly upon them as the one who provided it to you, right? Of course, they have a very, very different, different relationship. And then in Latin countries and in the Mediterranean. Right. Well, we have this thing called in sobre messa in Spanish, which is literally means around the table. And this can happen, you know, after coffee, after a meal, you sit because they eat communally. Still, they don't generally by themselves, they eat with coworkers at lunchtime, and lunch is like an hour and a half long. They eat with families regularly. And then there's this time, after the meal is done, where you are conversing around the table, or in Italy and in Spain as well. And in the evening meal, you get up and you walk around with your family just kind of meander through the town talking and, you know, chatting. And in there, it's it's all part of food is not a means to an end. Food is an opportunity for community and nourishment. And that's something that we're so far removed from in the United States. And we suffer so deeply because of it. And we don't realize the degree to which we suffer because of it. We have to have rules around things like your family should eat at the table together once a week at least, or optimally at dinnertime. And it's like, wow, that that was a staple 50, 70 years ago. It was. I know it feels like a chore to put on the to do list. Exactly. Which defeats like, the heart and the soul of it. Right? It isn't. And and you know, to be fair, it may feel like that at first, And that's very understandable because it's going to require some adjustments if you decide to make that commitment for you and your family. But over time, it stops feeling that way. Just when you start your training season, it feels like crap and you wonder like, oh my gosh, am I ever going to actually be fit again? Or if you're coming back from an injury, right. Yes. And then your whole body is just like, I'm going to slog through this. I know I'll get through this. I've been here before. Right? Right. But you still have to tell yourself that I'm going to get through this. I've been here before because it doesn't. If you just went on how it felt in that moment when you're just starting, you'd never get anywhere. The same for the dinner table. Exactly for the dinner. And cooking. And cooking. It. Backing up. Everybody takes like, crap when they first starts. Okay. Yes. Yeah. It's like sports. It's a skill you got to build. It's not like it's just gonna happen. Yeah. And bam! Now you're a pro athlete. That's not how it works. Does not get passed down through genetics most of the time. Thank God because my mom was horrible cook. What if it skips generations? That would be nice. No, no, no. I want my daughter to be able to cook. There we go. No skipping there. Skipping. Amy, you were an endurance sport athlete. We haven't even touched on this yet. I know, I want to touch on it briefly. What do you do? What sport? I am a runner. I'm an endurance runner. Um, I came to I came to running as a teenager because it was actually very impulsive. I had horrific seasonal affective disorder in the state of Alaska, where I grew up, okay. And had a very strong compulsion to run. And so I did it to shake the agitation in my body to get rid of it. Mhm. And, uh, you know, it was my Prozac before Prozac was a thing. And it worked better than Prozac when Prozac was a thing. It still does and it still does. And you know now as an adult it's my it's my meditation. It's my quiet time. It's my time where I get to be me. Um, you know, without anybody, any other demands, any other obligations. Right. It's my need time. And it's it's really still one of the only things that takes the all of the different layers of thoughts going on in my head at one time and drops it down to just 2 or 3. Yeah. Well, I love that. That's. Yeah, that's sport. All sports that I play are power sports and they do that for me too. Now, I think all I've got to think about is what I'm doing. And then maybe 1 or 2 other things. Yeah, yeah. So nice. Oh. All right, Amy, where can people find you? On the interwebs. On the interwebs? I can be found in a couple of places. I am at vibrance nutrition, nutrition, dot com. That's vibrancy. And, uh, you can also find me on Instagram by that handle as well as Facebook. And I have my own podcast as well called Blasphemous Nutrition. Um, I don't discuss sports nutrition very much there. It's more mindset, metabolic health, um, chronic disease and nutrient density, which I absolutely love. But I can also be found there. And I plan on having me back because we did not talk about everything we plan. We ate all the fun, chronic conditions that the endurance athletes can go through. So you're coming back for that one. So we can talk about that as well as nutrition on how it supports the body to get through those chronic conditions. So you guys look for Amy again on spirit of an athlete next year. So excited to have her back. I'm back. Thanks for the invitation Amanda. Absolutely. Thank you for coming today and sharing with us all of the great information that we talked about from sit at the table and eat your dinner with your family. Make it a communal thing to nutrient density and how we can do better by better foods to, you know, just eat the damn vegetables. And whatever way you can get them in. Exactly. Do you wanna fry and fry them? Actually, on that note, I'll also include for your listeners, I'll also include a, um, a free handout or free guide on how to get five servings of produce a day in 15 minutes or less. No smoothies, no salads, no smoothies or salads. Those are everywhere. You all already know how to do that. No different ways. Five ways to five a day and 15 minutes or less. So I'll I'll make sure to get that to you so you can throw it in the show notes. Thank you. Absolutely. Yes, I'm looking forward to that because my brain immediately, immediately said shakes and salads and soup. Soup was the other one. Yeah. Okay. Amy, thank you again. My pleasure. Amanda. Thank you. Thanks for listening. To spirit of an athlete podcast. If you're struggling with your own gut issues and want more direction, you can get an initial body scan from Amanda at Body Whisper Healing Comm. In 20 minutes, you can find out what's wrong. You get clarity, map the path forward. You get on track to get back in your game. If this episode hits the spot, please let us know by rating, reviewing, and sharing it with a friend. Subscribe now to hear more inspiring stories from other female college athletes who overcame their health issues. Want more Amanda? Get inspired by finding more at Body Whisper healing.com.