Natural Moms Talk Radio » Podcast

Our guest this week is John Roulac, the CEO & Founder of Nutiva, who since 1999 has operated as a values-driven company dedicated to nourishing people and planet. We’re talking today about the wonders of coconut oil, its many benefits and uses. John has offered to giveaway a jar of coconut oil to a listener! Please leave a comment below to qualify. Tell us your favorite way to use coconut oil. A winner will be chosen on Friday, September 18th at noon Eastern time. You can also buy Nutiva products online.

My guest this week is professional dancer and fitness instructor Jennifer Jimenez of Prenatal Dance Fitness. After a difficult and protracted labor with her first child, Jennifer was left feeling disappointed and depressed. And she wanted answers. Her search led to the creation of her Prenatal Dance Fitness program. Jennifer’s DVD helps  women connect with their bodies,  relax and be more comfortable during pregnancy, stay in shape and prepare for an easier (and shorter!) delivery. “Women have danced to prepare for labor and celebrate birth for centuries,” says Jennifer. What’s more, many women naturally dance during labor to ease their pain and help bring baby into the world. Jennifer is giving away a DVD to one NMTR listener! I would like to limit this giveaway to just the pregnant ladies. If you’re expecting a baby and would like to win the DVD, leave a comment below (with a valid email address so I can contact you if you win), and your due date. The winner will randomly be chosen on September 2 at NOON Eastern time. Leave your comment before then! Follow Jennifer on Twitter

My guest this week is Shoshana Bennett PhD, author of the newly released Pregnant on Prozac: The Essential Guide to Making the Best Decision for You and Your Baby as well as Postpartum Depression For Dummies Clinical depression affects 15-20% of pregnant women, sometimes becoming so severe that the moms-to-be attempt suicide. Mothers of multiples are at even higher risk with more than 25% suffering during pregnancy and postpartum. Many moms want to avoid taking prescription medication to manage their depression during pregnancy and nursing, so are there viable alternatives? “Dr. Shosh” discusses some of the various natural treatment options available for pregnant women today.

My guest this week is Wendy Priesnitz of Life Learning and Natural Life magazine. (Now defunct, Life Learning magazine is currently integrated into Natural Life magazine.) Natural Life is the brainchild of Wendy and her husband Rolf and has been in publication since 1976, allowing them to “unschool” their children at home while they ran their business. It is a refreshing publication that families who endeavor to life simply, respect the earth, and educate their children at home will love. Wendy also talked about her newest book called Life Learning: Lessons from the Educational Frontier. It’s a collection of essays on unschooling. You can see Wendy’s other books on Amazon here

My guest this week is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. She is the author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome. The GAPS diet has proven helpful in treating autism, ADD/ADHD dyslexia, depression and even schizoprenia. In this interview, Dr. Natasha talks about how gut health impacts emotional and psychological health, how the GAPS diet came about and the science behind it, and helpful tips for implementing the diet. Natural Moms Talk Radio listeners have been offered a discount code (enter NMTR at checkout).  Any new customer who uses this code will receive 10% off all products on their first order. Get more info on the diet and order the book:  http://www.gapsdiet.com/

My guest this week is Dr. Richard Selznick of Shut Down Learner. He is  a psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist and author of The Shut-Down Learner:  Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child. Our topic today is the “high spatial learner”, children who thrive with visual-spatial learning (the so called “Lego kid”) but who may struggle with learning in a traditional classroom setting. Within the first few pages of the book, I recognized my 8 year old son, who can build anything and pick out songs by ear on the piano, but who has difficulty reading and following instructions. If you have a child with this learning style, the book will help you appreciate your child’s unique strengths and point you to resources to assist them so they don’t become discouraged. Follow Dr. Selznick on Twitter!

What if everything you thought you knew about postpartum fitness was wrong? This week my guest is Helene Byrne. She is a nationally recognized prenatal and postpartum fitness expert and founder of BeFit-Mom. Helene is the author of the award winning DVD “Bounce Back Fast! Post Natal Core Conditioning” and the acclaimed book “Exercise After Pregnancy: How to Look and Feel Your Best“. Helene is on a mission to educate moms about some of the common misconceptions regarding pospartum exercise, including the fact that so many moms are doing ab work totally wrong! Many fitness routines, including the ever popular Pilates, are simply not designed for the postpartum body, and some exercises can do more harm than good. Helene’s DVD and book offer an effective exercise routine that a postpartum mom can begin at anytime  – even hours after her birth, or years after – to help her recover from childbirth and the effects of pregnancy. Note to moms: If you’re doing endless crunches to get your abs back in shape with little results, you MUST listen to this show!

My guest this week is Bill Osmunson DDS, MPH, and Fluoride Action Network Spokesperson. Dr. Bill is a Dentist with 30 years experience. Though an early promoter of fluoride, he has become an outspoken opponent of the overuse of fluoride and urges parents to inform themselves of the risks. There are several problems with fluoride. For one, it has not been proven to be effective in preventing tooth decay. Second, there are health risks associated with the use (and overuse, which is the current situation with fluoridated water in most U.S. cities) of fluoride. These include: lowered IQ, endocrine disorders such as thyroid disease, weakened bone, severe enamel fluorosis, rheumatoid or arthritic-like pain, and others. Interesting facts on the risks of fluoride: – Researchers reporting in the Oct 6 2007 British Medical Journal indicate that fluoridation was never was proven safe or effective and may be unethical. — The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada’s leading voice on environmental health issues, released a statement opposing fluoridation. – The National Kidney Foundation dropped its fluoridation support replacing it with this caution: “Individuals with CKD [Chronic Kidney Disease] should be notified of the potential risk of fluoride exposure.” – Scientific American editors wrote in January 2008, “Some recent studies suggest that over-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland” For more reading, visit the Fluoride Action Network website. This is an hour long show. Please be sure to listen to it in its entirety! Below is a video of Dr. Bill talking about some of the concerns with fluoridation. Please spread the word about this show – it’s too important for us not to be informed.

My guest this week is Jo Robinson of EatWild and author of Pasture Perfect: The Far-Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products from Grass-Fed Animals. Eating animal products and meat from grass fed animals is the environmentally friendly choice. Animals raised in confinement are unhealthy and not eating their natural diet. Therefore they require antibiotics and hormones in order to turn a profit for their owners. Their meat and milk is also much more likely to be contaminated with e.coli, salmonella and other pathogens. When you buy meat and milk from a local, small farmer, you are supporting healthy green eating! Not to mention that grass fed meat is tastier and much healthier. One reason for this is because of the higher amounts of certain nutrients, such as Omega 3 fatty acids and CLA in grass fed.

My guest this week is Patrice London. Patrice is a Christian unschooling mom of 3 and a doula in training. In her book Empowered to Birth Naturally, she shares the story of her 3 births. The first took place in a hospital, the second at a birthing center, and the third at home. I loved Patrice’s book because in a straightforward, nonjudgmental way, she illustrates from personal experience how much our attitudes affect our birthing experiences, and how interfering with the natural childbirth process really does become a “slippery slope” leading to more interventions. You can find her book at Amazon.com EMPOWERED TO BIRTH NATURALLY: One Woman’s Journey to Homebirth

My guest this week is Christy Funk of Belly Sprout. Christy owns a retail shop in Orange County, California that sells products like cloth diapers and baby slings that support natural mothering. She shares how she ended up with a “real” brick and mortar store and some of the challenges she has experienced running the business while being mom to her 3 and 5 year old children (you’ll hear her little ones playing in the background during this interview!). She also runs Bloom, a non profit organization that supports and educates moms in all aspects of mothering. Did you see our special series last week on natural beauty treatments? Amazon.com is currently offering special deals on organic foods. Annie’s Homegrown is up to 45% off regular price. Other brands on sale includes Seventh Generation, Newman’s, Bob’s Red Mill, Tastybaby, and more.

This week we are joined by Cynthia Lair of Cookus Interruptus, an online cooking show that helps us learn how to cook fresh local organic whole foods “despite life’s interruptions”. Cynthia is also the author of Feeding the Whole Family, a wonderful primer for anyone who wants to eat foods closer to their natural state, but especially helpful for moms who are cooking for people of different ages. You can put a meal on the table that puts a smile on the hubby’s face as well as small kids and an infant – without spending all day in the kitchen. You can read my review of the cookbook here: Feeding the Whole Family cookbook review Cynthia gave me permission to post a sample recipe so I offer you: Three Sisters Stew 1 cup dried Christmas lima beans*, soaked 6-8 hours 4 cups stock or water 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or ghee (note from Carrie: ghee is clarified butter and it belongs in every kitchen!) 1 medium onion, chopped 2 teaspoons sea salt 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dry oregano ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon chili powder 2-3 cups delicatta winter squash, cut in chunks 1 14 -ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn Optional garnish: ½ cup grated cheese Drain soaking water off beans. Place beans, 2 cups of stock or water and 1 teaspoon of cumin in a pot; bring to boil. Cover and simmer until beans are tender (50-60 minutes) or pressure-cook (45 minutes). Heat a 4-quart pot, add oil. Add onion, salt and garlic; sauté until onion is soft (5 minutes). Add cumin, oregano, and cinnamon and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds. Add squash and tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook until squash is soft, (about 20 minutes). Add ½-1 cup stock or water if mixture is dry. Add cooked beans and corn; simmer until corn is tender. Adjust seasoning to your taste. Serve hot with grated cheese garnish if desired. Preparation time: 1 hour and 10 minutes Makes 6-8 servings FOR BABIES 6 MONTHS & OLDER: Reserve some peeled squash cubes, steam well and puree. FOR BABIES 10 MONTHS & OLDER: Puree some cooked Christmas limas before adding to stew and puree with steamed squash cubes. Serve beans in small amounts to babies. * kidney, pink or pinto beans can also be used.

My guest this week is KerryAnn Foster. She runs a weeky menu mailer for those following a traditional foods diet. (I’m also a big fan of this way of eating, as promoted by groups like the Weston A. Price and Price-Pottenger foundations.) KerryAnn has been eating a traditional foods diet for years and has some great advice for moms who want their kids to eat real food. She answers such questions as: What are “nutrient dense” foods? Feeding children nutrient dense traditional foods. How do I get my kids to take cod liver oil? How to tweak your food preparation methods for maximum nutrition. Dealing with picky kids or husbands. Tips for using alternative grains. KerryAnn also shares some information on having success with a gluten free diet and the health issues she faced before going GF. Her traditional foods forum has lots of resources and members so you can learn more. If you need more assistance, KerryAnn offers consulting and custom designed, specialty menu mailers. More related resources you might enjoy: Green smoothies for kids Cooking with Coconut Flour (see Carrie’s post about coconut flour pancakes!) Buy coconut flour in bulk online

I apologize for this week’s “lo fi” show. I’m sick and also have a vomiting 6 year old, so we’re couching out for a few days. I didn’t want this week’s show to be any later so I decided to publish the interview as is. My guest this week is Lafe Larson of Lafe’s Natural Bodycare. While some skin care companies are concerned about BPA in their products, Lafe has gone a step further. His company recently released the first-of-its-kind organic certified baby line packaged in “baby-safe” plastic, free of estrogenic chemicals. Listen to find out what Carrie’s favorite product was and how she put it to the ultimate test! In addition to safe skin care for babies and mothers, Lafe’s offers deodorants and intimate products, free of questionable ingredients such as parabens, glycol, PEGs, and sodium laureth. Lafe also helps clear up some of the confusion around plastics and their affects on the body. You can also read more information at EAFREE.com

Lara Fishman is here to talk about creating study friendly spaces for kids. Whether it’s for doing schoolwork or just relaxing and reading, kids need a space to “chill”. Lara shares tips on how to create these spaces even if your home is small or siblings are sharing a room. On her site Designers Call you can learn more about her interior design services for budget conscious families. We’re also hearing from new mom Jill Fehrenbacher of Inhabitots. She is a green design consultant and blogger. Inhabitots is all about sustainable design and green products for the next generation. Jill helps women keep their sense of style even after becoming a busy mom. Mentioned on the show: Elimination Communication – reducing the need for diapers gDiapers – the cloth/disposable hybrid diaper