The Body Wisdom Podcast

Back to the basics: what macros actually are, how to count them, and how to fine-tune them for your bio-individual needs. Most people can recite wellness rules - hit your macros, eat the rainbow, cut carbs, eat more protein - and still cannot tell you what a macronutrient is, how it differs from a micronutrient, or how to sort a bag of groceries by protein, fat, and carbohydrate. This Body Wisdom Podcast episode with Jamie Belz, Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Master Health Coach with the Nutritional Therapy Association, rebuilds the language of food from the ground up. Jamie walks through nutrients vs. macronutrients vs. micronutrients, then breaks down the three macros in usable terms: Protein and amino acids, complete vs. incomplete proteins, digestion, absorption, and why a gram on a label is not the same as what your body can use Dietary fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, satiety, and why flax ALA is not the same as EPA and DHA from seafood Carbohydrates as sugars, starches, and fiber, gluconeogenesis, carefully selected whole-food carbs, resistant starch, and why carbs are not the enemy You will also get a practical method for tracking macros without turning food into a lifelong spreadsheet: how to use Cronometer for a 5–7 day baseline, what 4 / 4 / 9 calories per gram actually means, a 40/30/30 starting frame versus average American intake, and how to adjust protein, fat, or carbs from your body's feedback — hunger, energy, sleep, digestion, recovery — instead of the latest diet trend. This is a Foundations episode for anyone lost in carnivore vs. vegan arguments, protein powder debates, and influencer buzzwords who still wants to be the steward of their own health. Future Body Wisdom Basics episodes will build on this with micronutrients, vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients, zoonutrients, and bioavailability. If you have been nodding along in nutrition conversations, start here. In this episode: What "nutrient," "macronutrient," and "micronutrient" actually mean Protein, amino acids, and complete proteins from real food Fats, fatty acids, omega-3s (ALA, EPA, DHA), cholesterol, and real vs. industrial fats Carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, starches, blood sugar, and whole-food carb selection Why hydration can mimic "I need to change my macros" symptoms How to establish a baseline, track food intake, and make small adjustments using hunger, energy, digestion, sleep, and workout recovery as feedback. Why eating enough deserves attention before chasing a different macro split. Whether macro tracking is brand new or already part of a daily routine, this episode offers a clearer understanding of what those numbers represent and how to use them thoughtfully in your bio-individual pursuit of health. The foundations of health deserve attention before the expensive gizmos, gadgets, lotions, potions, and biohacks. Understanding food is one of those foundations. Every body is a case study of ONE, and better nutrition knowledge makes it easier to become an informed steward of your own health.  SUBSCRIBE! Leave a review. Write comments. Check out these additional resources: S1E74: Dehydration Nation (WATCH FIRST 2 MINUTES WITH VIDEO!!!) * Download the free CRONOMETER app * Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitionert: ⁠NTA Health ⁠⁠⁠  ⁠Get Your Free Health Assessment⁠ Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP)⁠ in Private Practice⁠⁠⁠ * Interested in becoming an NTP? Check out the ⁠⁠Nutritional Therapy Association ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Join a webinar to see if the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Program is right for you!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Connect with Jamie on Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamiebelzfntp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stories/thebodywisdompodcast/⁠⁠⁠

Many people live with symptoms that quietly erode their quality of life, never realizing they may be responding adversely to foods they eat every day. What is considered a "superfood" to most of the world may be the trigger for tremendous suffering in a bio-individual whose body does not tolerate that food.   Symptoms of food intolerances and sensitivities can include bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, migraines, joint pain, skin problems, brain fog, fatigue, and other forms of digestive or systemic distress. Because some food reactions may be delayed, connecting a symptom to a specific food can be incredibly difficult.   In this episode of the Body Wisdom Podcast, Jamie Belz talks with James White, CEO and owner of KBMO Diagnostics, about food sensitivities, food intolerances, food allergies, inflammation, leaky gut/intestinal permeability, elimination diets, and bio-individual nutrition.   James explains the difference between an immediate IgE food allergy and a delayed food sensitivity, why delayed reactions can be so difficult to pinpoint, and how the FIT, or Food Inflammation Test, can be used by Nutritional Therapy Practitioners as one tool within a larger assessment.   Jamie also shares her family's experience with food sensitivity testing, including her father's dramatic health transformation and her own difficult discovery that eggs were causing digestive problems.   This conversation explores: • Food allergies vs. food sensitivities vs. food intolerances • Immediate IgE reactions and delayed immune responses • Common symptoms associated with problematic foods • Digestive distress, migraines, skin issues, joint pain, fatigue, and brain fog • The relationship between inflammation, intestinal permeability (leaky gut) Food sensitivity testing and the KBMO FIT Test • Elimination diets and structured food reintroduction   There is no universally perfect diet. A food can be nutrient-dense and still not work well for your body at this particular time. The goal is not to fear food or permanently eliminate everything that produces a reaction. The goal is to gather useful information, reduce your total inflammatory burden, support healing, and make informed choices based on your individual body.   A test can provide information, but the work begins when the results arrive. You still have to decide what you are willing to do with that information.   RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE   Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner: ⁠⁠NTA Health ⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠Get Your Free Health Assessment⁠⁠ * Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP)⁠⁠ in Private Practice⁠⁠⁠⁠ * ⁠Whole30 ⁠elimination and reintroduction program * ⁠Coca Pulse Test⁠ * KBMO Diagnostics and the FIT Test:⁠⁠https://kbmodiagnostics.com/⁠⁠ * Interested in becoming an NTP? Check out the ⁠⁠⁠Nutritional Therapy Association ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠SIGN UP for a webinar to see if the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Program is right for you!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Connect with Jamie on Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamiebelzfntp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stories/thebodywisdompodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Your thyroid affects nearly every system in your body, yet thyroid dysfunction can be missed for years when symptoms are dismissed or testing stops at TSH. In this episode of the Body Wisdom Podcast, Jamie sits down with fellow Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Alison Marras for a foundational conversation about thyroid health, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's disease, Graves' disease, and the thyroid-gut connection. After years of digestive issues, painful periods, exhaustion, hair loss, blood sugar instability, PCOS symptoms, and being told her lab results were "normal," Alison was eventually diagnosed with Hashimoto's autoimmune disease. That experience led her back to school, through the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program, and into a career helping other women uncover the root causes behind chronic symptoms. Jamie and Alison discuss common signs of thyroid dysfunction, including unexplained weight changes, fatigue, constipation, loose stools, hair loss, dry hair, thinning outer eyebrows, temperature intolerance, poor sleep, hormonal imbalances, anxiety, inflammation, and the frustrating feeling that something is wrong even when standard testing says otherwise. They also break down: • The difference between hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's, and Graves' disease • Why TSH alone may not provide a complete picture of thyroid function • T4, T3, reverse T3, TPO antibodies, and thyroglobulin antibodies • The three-legged stool of autoimmunity: genetic susceptibility, intestinal permeability, and a trigger • How digestion and gut health influence thyroid function • The relationship between blood sugar, adrenal stress, cortisol, and thyroid hormones • Why birth control, perimenopause, menopause, chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, and total toxic load can become tipping points • Iodine, selenium, nutrient status, and why supplementation must be bio-individual • The role thyroid medication can play alongside foundational support • How to advocate for comprehensive testing and find a practitioner who will listen • Where to start your healing journey Alison is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Restorative Wellness Practitioner, Holistic Health Coach, Certified Yoga Instructor, passionate home chef, and the founder of Food by Mars. She turned her own Hashimoto's healing journey into a functional nutrition practice that has supported more than 500 women struggling with autoimmune conditions, IBS, food sensitivities, hormonal imbalances, inflammation, and a damaged relationship with food. This conversation is a reminder that your body is not broken. Symptoms are communication, lab ranges are not the same as optimal function, and your thyroid cannot be separated from the health of the rest of your body. Supporting the foundations gives every other tool, treatment, medication, or protocol a stronger place to work. FREE RESOURCE: Download Alison's Hashimoto's Healing Cheat Sheet, including thyroid labs, conventional and functional ranges, and foundational support for blood sugar, adrenals, and digestion:⁠https://foodbymars.com/hashi-cheatsheet/⁠ Find Alison online:⁠https://foodbymars.com/⁠   If this episode helps you connect symptoms you have been struggling to understand, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to the Body Wisdom Podcast for more honest conversations about functional nutrition, bio-individuality, root-cause wellness, and the foundations that help the body heal. * Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitionert: ⁠⁠NTA Health ⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠Get Your Free Health Assessment⁠⁠ Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP)⁠⁠ in Private Practice⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Interested in becoming an NTP? Check out the ⁠⁠⁠Nutritional Therapy Association ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Join a webinar to see if the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Program is right for you!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Connect with Jamie on Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamiebelzfntp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stories/thebodywisdompodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠

"Science" deserves air quotes when vested interests, institutional pride, and powerful financial incentives begin protecting conclusions instead of testing them. History gives us plenty of reasons to stay curious. Heroin was marketed as a cough remedy. Thalidomide was prescribed during pregnancy. DDT was widely sprayed. Asbestos filled homes. Mercury compounds were widely used. Doctors appeared in cigarette ads. Lead paint, shoe-fitting X-rays, and radium "health" products were once accepted. Vioxx was prescribed to millions before cardiovascular concerns led to its withdrawal. The list is lengthy and will someday include things we consider "safe and effective" today.  In this hard-hitting episode of The Body Wisdom Podcast, Jamie Belz examines medical history, Big Pharma, Big Food, agency capture, industry-funded research, informed consent, health freedom, and the foundational assumptions hiding beneath modern healthcare. We follow the "turtles all the way down" from Cartesian mind-body separation to symptom suppression, birth control prescribed to young girls before later hormonal chaos and fertility struggles, the low-fat campaign, cholesterol fear, gallbladder removal, antidepressant marketing, vaccine placebo controls, and one-size-fits-all medicine. This is not an argument against science, medication, surgery, or every modern treatment. It is an argument for honest science: testing, challenging, replicating, correcting, following the money, and changing course when better evidence emerges. Science is a method, not an authority. "Experts once recommended it" is not a substitute for evidence, informed consent, bio-individuality, and your responsibility to become your own personal health advocate. RESOURCES ⁠Children's Health Defense⁠ ⁠Turtles All the Way Down⁠ ⁠Molecules of Emotion⁠ ⁠Documenting Hope⁠ ⁠S2E10: ⁠Dare We Talk About Vaccines? with Zoe O'Toole⁠⁠ ⁠Ep. 37 with Beth Lambert⁠ ⁠Ep 45: Circumcision (WATCH IT!!)⁠ ⁠Ep 79 Rapid Replays, Optimal Digestion⁠ ⁠Ep 80 Rapid Replays, Digestive Hell⁠ ⁠Ep 53 Dr. Lindsey Berkson⁠ ⁠Weston A. Price Foundation⁠ ⁠Ep 69 Dr. Weston A. Price⁠ ⁠Ep 32 Gallbladders Matter:⁠ ⁠BOOK: Lost Connections by Johann Hari⁠ ⁠Ep 73 Depression and Chemical Imbalance⁠ * Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner: ⁠⁠NTA Health ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Get Your Free Health Assessment⁠⁠ Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP)⁠⁠ in Private Practice⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Interested in becoming an NTP? Check out the ⁠⁠⁠Nutritional Therapy Association ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Join a webinar to see if the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Program is right for you!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Connect with Jamie on Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamiebelzfntp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stories/thebodywisdompodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please give The Body Wisdom Podcast a five-star review and share this episode with a friend. THANK YOU!

You read the label. You paid more for the healthier option. You chose the chips, mayonnaise, or salad dressing made with avocado oil because you were intentionally avoiding cheaper, highly processed oils. But what if what's listed on the package is not actually what is in the food? A recent UC Davis study published in Applied Food Research tested processed foods that listed avocado oil as their only edible oil. Researchers analyzed 54 samples representing two production lots of 27 products purchased from California stores and online retailers during 2025 and 2026. They found that 48 of the 54 samples, or 89%, had an oil composition inconsistent with authentic avocado oil. The results included: 93% of the avocado oil chips tested 71% of the avocado oil mayonnaises tested 100% of the avocado oil salad dressings tested The results raise serious questions about ingredient sourcing, label accuracy, supply-chain accountability, and whether consumers are receiving what they paid for. Read the UC Davis report. In this episode of The Body Wisdom Podcast, Jamie Belz is joined by fellow FNTP, Heather McDonough, to talk about navigating a food system filled with misleading health claims, lengthy ingredient lists, questionable oils, hidden sugar, artificial colors, and products designed to appear healthier than they are. Heather also takes listeners behind the scenes of Eat Gangster, the food company she co-founded to create baking mixes for people following therapeutic or restorative diets. She explains the time, expense, and responsibility involved in sourcing high-quality ingredients, testing raw materials for contaminants such as lead, managing supply-chain disruptions, and holding products to standards that may be more stringent than the minimum required by regulators. Jamie and Heather also discuss: Why "healthy," "natural," "keto-friendly," and "gluten-free" do not automatically mean nutrient-dense Which fats to cook with How to recognize heavily processed food-like products Why responsible food manufacturers rely on testing instead of simply trusting suppliers How to translate grams of sugar into teaspoons Which packaged foods can still provide convenient, nutrient-dense options How farmers markets and local producers can bring us closer to the source of our food Simple ways to make real food more convenient How to prioritize protein, fiber, and traditional fats when planning meals How the EWG's Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen can help guide produce purchases This is not a call to become afraid of food or to believe that health requires perfection. It is a call to become an educated consumer. We cannot personally test every product in the grocery store, but we can learn to question marketing claims, read ingredient lists, support trustworthy producers, make more food at home, and move closer to real, nutrient-dense food whenever possible. * Resources mentioned: Eat Gangster (Heather's Company) EWG's Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 Nourishing Traditions Book Weston A Price Foundation * S1E69 on Dr. Weston A Price S1E49 on Seed Oils S1E41 with Sally Fallon Morell S1E6 on Dr. Pottenger's Cat Study S2E2 AI in the Kitchen * Work with Heather at ⁠NTA Health ⁠⁠⁠  ⁠Get Your Free Health Assessment⁠ Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP)⁠ in Private Practice⁠⁠⁠ * Interested in becoming an NTP? Check out the ⁠⁠Nutritional Therapy Association ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Join a webinar to see if the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Program is right for you!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Connect with Jamie on Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamiebelzfntp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stories/thebodywisdompodcast/⁠⁠⁠ Please give The Body Wisdom Podcast a five-star review and share this episode with a friend. THANK YOU!