Hot Takes

Debunking + Discussing Controversial Health Topics: Raw Milk, Animal-Based Diet, Intermittent Fasting, Coffee & More

Hellloooo friends! I hope you are having an amazing morning. I am sitting here sipping on my coffee, and it is absolutely delicious. I know I am not the only one who goes to bed thinking about their morning coffee…. A sacred part of my morning. 

Today I am diving into some ~controversial~ internet health topics, discussing, debunking, doing it all. I asked you all for what you wanted discussed and so all of these topics are right from you! 

I want to say a couple things before we get into it. 

1. You know your own body best. Always remember that. Your feeling + intuition should always trump anything that I say from my personal experiences. Take what you are inspired by, leave what does not work for you.

2. If you disagree with what I say - that is awesome (and I am not being sarcastic). I think it’s special having two people disagree on things. That means there is room for growth and learning on both ends (as long as both parties are open to listening, learning and talking). Plus, two things can be true at the same time! Especially when it comes to health + wellness, because we are all so very different. I would love to hear from you, discuss with you, and have a nice conversation. But when it comes to negativity, hatred, and fear based commenting - that is not something I am interested in. You can disagree with someone without attacking them. 

3. I am learning and growing each and every day. I was gluten and dairy free for 7+ years and now I can’t imagine living without both. I was vegan and now animal products are essential for me. If I am not changing, learning, evolving, then what am I doing? I am and forever will be a student of holistic health. Where I am at now will be different from where I am 5 years from now, and what’s discussed today is based on my personal experiences and learnings to this point! 

4. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. None of this is medical advice. Just a fun discussion and conversation based on my personal experiences and learnings. This is what works for ME, I am not professionally recommending any of these things. Please consult your medical professional before taking anything new.

Okkkaaaayy. Let’s. Get. Into. It.

PS: If you enjoy this series let me know by tapping on the <3 button below, and leaving a comment on what you enjoyed or what you want discussed next! THANK YOU.

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TOPIC: What is the difference between raw milk vs. pasteurized milk? Why drink raw?

I cut out dairy for 7+ years. I was told from a young age that I was intolerant to dairy and it is what was causing a lot of my stomach problems, so I just stopped eating and drinking it completely! It wasn’t until recently within the past couple of years that I realized high quality dairy is actually a health food. After working through healing a lot of my gut issues, I felt comfortable enough to bring dairy back into my life. 

I started to drink (& eat) raw dairy because it is still intact with all of the enzymes that help your body to break down and better digest/process it. Not only that - but it is also intact with all the active bioavailable enzymes, probiotics, healthy fats, proteins, vitamins (rich in vitamin A), trace minerals and even immunoglobulins. In contrast, pasteurized milk destroys all of those beneficial nutrients. 

So why is pasteurized milk the norm? As modern day agriculture developed, cows were being raised differently. People started keeping them indoors, packed in with tons of cows with no space, feeding them food to fatten them up instead of their normal pasture raised diet, and shooting them up with antibiotics and hormones. This made not only the cows sick, but the humans sick who were drinking the milk. 

When cows are fed a safe and healthy diet of grass and raised on pastures as nature intended, raw milk is safe. Instead of addressing the root cause of the problem and switching cows to be raised as nature intended, cows were continued to be raised this way and the milk was heat treated and pasteurized so it could be sold on a mass scale “safely”. 

In addition, businesses make a lot more money and can scale faster and easier by using a pasteurization process, because milk has a further expiration date and can technically stay on the shelf longer according to the law. 

I highly recommend getting the books “Deep Nutrition” by Catherine Shanahan and “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon, and learning more about raw dairy and its misconceptions. But here are some highlights I took:

• ‘Starting around 40,000 years ago the world's population has largely depended on milk for nutritional sustenance, with widespread use it’s likely that to allow for optimal expression many of our genes now require it.’

• ‘It is unlikely to get “sick” from a good quality raw milk, as raw milk contains lactic acid producing bacteria that protects against pathogens. These healthy bacteria are killed in the pasteurization process, so  most salmonella outbreaks are actually from pasteurized milk.’ 

• ‘Pasteurized milk contains rancid unsaturated fatty acids and altered amino acids. There are no minerals and enzymes. Synthetic vitamin D is sometimes added, which can be toxic and difficult to absorb. In addition, without the enzymes, it can cause an enormous strain on the digestive system.’ 

I love raw dairy because it supports a healthy gut microbiome, helps fight pathogens, improves digestion & nutrient absorption, supports healthy immunity and is incredibly hydrating. I have felt a true difference in my health incorporating it into my life. 

If you don’t feel comfortable incorporating raw dairy, then don’t do it! The stress + fear of something will outweigh the benefits. Mindset and intention is equally as important. If you are curious about raw dairy, make sure you are getting it from a quality trusted source and start slow! See how it makes you feel. 

I drink Raw Farm USA, but you can also look up realmilk.com to find raw dairy near you. If you can’t find it near you, go to the farmers market and ask your local farmers.

Talk to your farmers. Visit the farm, see where it comes from! Connecting to the source of your food is so important. The next best option is organic low-pasteurized non homogenized A2 dairy, and then next would be organic grass-fed whole milk. All you can do is your best, and if you are doing your best that is all that matters. 

TOPIC: Are veggies not good for you? Confused seeing (insert popular carnivore account) saying they’re bad?

I might seem like I am going on a ramble here…but trust me it all connects lol. True health comes from listening to your body and trusting your intuition. There are millions of touch points throughout our days that will try and distract us from our intuition. Will try and make you think you need something you don’t. Will tell you that something will change your life. Will sell you a “band-aid one-size fits all” solution. Will tell you that something is horrible for you. 

What all of these things have in common is that they are telling YOU to do something, based on not knowing you or your body at all. It is noise. If you want to begin trusting in your own body, you need to tune out that noise and tune into your body. 

A lot of the information out there is based in fear mongering. This fear turns into stress in our bodies and can manifest into inflammation, digestive issues, and much more. Fear and stress is going to be worse for your body than any food, especially one that grows from the ground. 

My belief? No, I do not think vegetables are bad. For me, eating mostly organic, seasonal local produce has made me feel wonderful. But If I eat a plate full of broccoli and cauliflower every night …. my digestive system is going to have a hard time with that. So two things can be true at once. I have a good balance of seasonal produce, animal products and then carbs and fun stuff. 

When I was vegan, I had really bad digestive issues. I was overloading on nuts, seeds, legumes and vegetables and that didn’t work in my body. When I was most sick, I had an extreme histamine intolerance that prevented me from eating a lot of veggies, I no longer have this now. A friend of mine has oxalate toxicity, so she has to reduce her oxalate intake. Each person is different. You need to listen to what feels good for you. Seasonal eating has been perfect because I sprinkle in different types of produce and food throughout my meals. I don’t overdo it on one thing, and that works for me. 

Whole real foods that are grown in sustainable ways (without pesticides + herbicides) are the ones that you want to eat. If organic food is not as accessible to you, I recommend checking out the EWG Clean 15 + Dirty Dozen list, which tells you which produce is typically safe to buy non-organic and vis versa.

I also recommend going to local farmers markets, becoming friendly with the farmers and asking them questions about their products and/or farm and growing practices. Check out CSA’s in your area. Cook more meals at home (spend one free day meal prepping for the week if you do not have time!). Ask more questions about the SOURCE of your food, I love transparent companies that have traceable ingredients and use sustainable practices, vote with your dollar to support those companies.

Your body knows you best. You know your body best. So listen to it. Figure out what makes YOU feel good, and honor that. 

TOPIC: Is meat unhealthy? Thoughts on animal based diet?

I will start out by saying if you are on an animal based-diet and feel good, power to you. If you feel good, I think that is amazing. I cannot emphasize this enough: bio-individuality is a real thing. Each and every one of us is different, our environments are different, our bodies are different, and what works for you may be opposite to what works for me. How YOU feel is all that matters. 

For me personally, an extreme of anything does not work. I have been 100% plant based in the past, didn’t work. I have tried eating primarily animal-based, it doesn’t work for me. I need a good balance of both. Ever since I have re-integrated animal foods back into my life though, it has truly made the biggest impact on my health. My energy, hormones, recovery, lean muscle, skin, hair and nails, digestion, I mean everything. 

I think meat is one of the most bioavailable nutrients out there. It is nature’s multivitamin. However, that is if you are choosing high quality meat. The quality of animals you consume is extremely important. Ethically and nutritionally. When animals are raised right, they are good for the environment. When I can, I choose regeneratively raised animals. I always make sure I choose animals that live as nature intended (pasture-raised, wild, grass-fed and finished, free to roam). Raised without synthetics, antibiotics and hormones. Raised on farms with families that truly love and care for the animals. This makes a huge difference on the environment, and in the nutritional quality. From a nutritional standpoint and even an energy standpoint. 

Animals that are raised against nature and unethically (without care, in cages, confined, shot up with antibiotics and hormones, fed GMO soy, wheat and processed foods) are living in an EXTREMELY stressed state. You are what you eat, eats. So not only are you getting all of those antibiotics, hormones, and processed junk transferred to you, you are also getting that stressed toxic energy. Bad for you, bad for the environment, and horrible for the animals themselves :(

I try to be very intentional about the source of my food, and it has made a big difference in my life. Ask more questions about where your food comes from. The more we can get closer to the source of what we are eating, the better! 

TOPIC: Should I eat a quality high protein breakfast or should I skip breakfast and intermittently fast?

This conversation differs for men and women. And then it differs even more on a per person basis, so I will speak from personal experience. 

When I was in college, I would intermittent fast daily. I was super strict with myself, and wouldn't let myself eat until noon even if I was hungry. I also had extremely high cortisol, poor gut health, and imbalanced hormones. For me, the stress of fasting on my body outweighed the potential benefits. 

Going back to the importance of intuition and listening to my body, I completely lost the trust within myself through intermittent fasting. Instead of eating when my body was signaling hunger, I ignored that, which caused distrust in my body, because I was not listening. 

Something that changed my life was learning about circadian eating. Circadian eating is loosely based on eating with the sun. Eating a high quality breakfast shortly after I wake up, which signals to my body that my day has begun. It wakes up all the proper organs and systems in the body to function at their most optimal level. 

At night, eating my last meal at least 2-3 hours before I go to bed. Your last meal, like your first, is a signal to your body to begin winding down. Giving those couple of hours before sleeping helps our body properly digest so that during sleep we can focus on restorative rest. Ever notice when you eat a big meal right before bed you wake up feeling kind of hungover and not very rested? 

Of course, I am not strict with myself. I no longer enforce rules in my daily life. I go with the flow. I listen to my body. I do what I feel. If I am really hungry at night, I will eat. But typically when I eat satiating meals throughout the day, I feel good and satisfied when bedtime rolls around. Restricting myself did the opposite. 

TOPIC: Is coffee bad for you or good for you?

I cut out coffee for over two years. When I was at the worst of my issues, something that I struggled with was high cortisol and my body always being in fight or flight. I also had extreme digestive distress. Cutting out coffee was really beneficial for me at that time in my life as I was healing. Fast forward to now, I drink coffee almost daily. 

How you drink coffee and the quality of your coffee is a huge factor in determining if coffee is “good” or “bad” for you. 

Let’s talk about the how first. These are a few things I do that significantly decrease any negative detriments of coffee:

• Wait at least 90 minutes after waking up to have coffee 

  • I do this because when you wake up is when your brain starts the release of specific hormones that set you up for your day and your sleep at night. It begins the release of adenosine which is a neurotransmitter that promotes tiredness. Caffeine is an adenosine inhibitor. When you drink caffeine, it binds to adenosine receptors so later in the day when the caffeine wears off all the adenosine floods in causing that “caffeine crash”. This is much less likely to happen if you wait 90 minutes as adenosine will properly distribute in that waiting time. In addition, cortisol is released in the morning, if you drink coffee right as cortisol is peaking, this will cause an even larger spike in fight or flight and cortisol. (learn more about this through Andrew Huberman!) 

• Stop drinking coffee / caffeine after 12PM

  • The way that everyone metabolizes caffeine is different. For me personally, the half life of caffeine is double what it is for the normal person. I metabolize caffeine much slower, so I am more sensitive to it and it stays in my body longer. If I drink caffeine past 12PM, it is more likely to mess with my sleep. If you metabolize it faster, maybe consider stopping drinking it past 2PM instead! 

• Don’t overdo it with the coffee 

  • For me, one cup of coffee makes me feel great. Two or more cups of coffee I begin to feel sick. I am very sensitive to caffeine and my cortisol also leans imbalanced to the higher side. This is something I am extremely aware of which is why I try to do things that bring my body back to its rest and digest state. I have found what makes me feel good and that is not overdoing it (which I sometimes still make the mistake of to this day lol)

• Eat breakfast prior to drinking coffee OR add fats and proteins in coffee 

  • This is very important for circadian rhythm and hormones. Eating a quality breakfast signals to your body that it is time to wake up and start the day, and operate efficiently. It starts your body’s internal clock. When you drink coffee before starting that clock, it can mess with your body’s natural cortisol release and time clock. If you are not hungry in the mornings but want your coffee, I recommend adding some good stuff to it. I personally will add a good fat (butter, ghee, olive oil), raw cream or raw milk, raw honey or maple, and then egg yolk!

• Hydrate prior to drinking coffee

  • Coffee is a diuretic, so it will flush your body quicker. I usually will have warm water with lemon and shilajit or a good quality mineral salt prior. Sometimes a cup of bone broth or tea. Make sure I have a couple hydrating bevs that replenish my minerals and electrolytes right when I wake up before diving into that delish cup of coffee. 

Now let’s get into the quality of coffee. Coffee. Quality. Matters. I cannot stress this enough. Me in college drinking a trenta Starbucks cold brew is completely different from me now drinking a cup of homemade freshly brewed coffee at home. Why? Conventional coffee is one of the most highly pesticide sprayed crops. It is often sprayed with glyphosate, herbicides or pesticides. A lot of conventional coffees also can be riddled with mycotoxins and mold. The way in which they are grown can be unethical and contain little to no nutritional value. 

Like all food, knowing where your coffee comes from is very important. After cutting out coffee and then switching to a good quality coffee, if I drink a conventional coffee I immediately know. I feel sick, nauseas, I have a headache and brain fog, digestive distress, I break out. Pure quality coffee doesn’t give me any of those negative effects. Every once in a while is okay, but the problem occurs when you are drinking that poor quality coffee on the daily. 

I personally drink Purity Coffee (my discount is ELLA20). ‘Purity is committed to producing regeneratively-farmed, certified organic coffees. They choose the highest quality, ethically-sourced, specialty-grade coffee from fully traceable, sustainable, environmentally friendly farms. They do rigorous testing to ensure coffee is free of pesticides, mold, mycotoxins, and other contaminants. Purity Coffee is also the only coffee brand that is actively testing for and maximizing the retention of antioxidants and micronutrients. They design roasting profile to maximize the levels of coffee’s most beneficial compounds and antioxidants.’

If you are unsure on where your body stands with coffee, I recommend that you cut out coffee for at least a week, just to see how you feel. Track your symptoms once you begin to reincorporate it. I like doing this every once in a while because your body builds a tolerance to caffeine, and it is important to reset. Coffee isn’t for everyone. I switch back and forth between it and matcha, which is another one of my favs. Matcha is much easier on my body than coffee. I like Pique Tea Matcha - as it is organic, ceremonial grade, high antioxidant + l-theanine & quadruple tested for toxins.

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I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into some ~controversial~ online health topics. If you take anything from this, it should be that you know your own body best. Building that trust + intuition within your body is the most important thing you can do for your health. Listen + Tune in!!!! + If you like this series let me know if I should continue!

Also, if you have not yet - join the conversation in the Gut Feelings Group Chat!

Happy February, I am so grateful for you all. I hope you have a beautiful rest of your week and weekend. I will talk to you sooooon. Xo - Ella