Issue #27: It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Hey Radical Health Seekers 👋 

And Merry Christmas!

We hope this year, we’ve been able to inspire and guide you back to radical health.

Thank you so much for your support throughout the year…

You mean the world to us, and we are SO grateful!

Coming up in your Radical Health Newsletter this week…

• The popular Christmas decoration created by plant defenses…
• What happens when you fall off the wagon…
• And our best advice for getting back on it!

But first…

Chad’s incredible Christmas transformation

When it comes to our health goals, we often overestimate what we can achieve in a month, but underestimate what we can achieve in a year…

And with consistency and patience, incredible things can happen from one Christmas to the next.

Chad knows:

In 12 months, Chad TRANSFORMED his health:

✅ He lost 172 lbs

✅ Prediabetes… gone

✅ Fatty liver… gone

✅ Mental health issues including post-traumatic stress… gone

✅ Prostate issues… gone

How incredible is that?! 🙌

Chad gave himself the best gift in the world – radical health…

And you can too when you sign up for our Animal-Based 30 Challenge which starts January 1st.

When you join, you will receive:

• Access to our AB30 Community where you can join the conversations and get support from our Health Guides…
• Exclusive live Webinars and Q&As
• Our Quick-Start Guide to Animal-Based Diets Ebook
• And Free Shipping on the AB30 Stack

Best of all, it’s 100% free to join… so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

You probably know holly as a symbol of Christmas, but did you ever wonder how or why it gets its classic spiky leaves?

Well like all plants, holly has many defenses against predators…

And when deer nibble its leaves, it turns on genes to make them spiky when they regrow. 

But holly isn’t the only plant that defends itself…

Because all plants have defense mechanisms to discourage predation.

Some defend with prickly leaves and thorns…

But many more defend with chemicals.

Chemicals like tannins, saponins, isothiocyanates, lectins, oxalates, and cyanogenic glycosides…

You will find these chemicals in many common plant foods, including grains, nuts, and vegetables…

And they can lead to many health problems, including triggering autoimmune disease, thyroid dysfunction, digestive troubles, and more.

This also explains why so many people’s health improves when they remove these plants from their diet. 

You can learn more about plant defense chemicals in this recent podcast from Dr. Paul.

Thinking of going off the wagon this Christmas?

It might be the most wonderful time of the year, with the kids jingle belling and much mistletoeing…

But it’s also the season for eating cookies, cakes and pies. 

And maybe you’re happy to go with the flow, and get back on track in the New Year…

But before you decide that, let’s look at what happens to our bodies when we do go off the wagon…

And spend Christmas week feasting on turkey sandwiches, tiramisu, and cookies.

We know these foods are high in processed sugars, grains, and seed oils…

And the research shows that a week of overfeeding on these foods reduces whole body insulin sensitivity, impairs endothelial function, and increases fat deposition in the liver and muscle. 

And if you continue eating this way for a couple more weeks, unsurprisingly, things continue to get worse. 

Insulin resistance skyrockets. Liver fat increases. Your body fat increases. Inflammation and oxidative stress increase. Metabolic dysfunction progresses.

Now you might not want to hear this so close to Christmas… but you probably need to hear it.

The key to getting back on the wagon

If you decide to partake in cheesecake or other festive treats, our advice is to practice intention and mindfulness during that experience.

Don’t let it be the trigger that leads to you throwing in the towel and saying “screw it” until AB30 starts on January 1st.

Because SO many people derail their health goals over the holidays, and it’s not because they had an extra scoop of ice cream.

It’s because they go off the wagon and stay off for weeks or even months.

And the key to getting back on track with your health goals is in the conversation you have with yourself.

Usually the conversation goes like this:

I’ll get back on track Monday…

I’ll get back on track the day after Christmas…

I’ll get back on track in the New Year.

The only way to break that cycle is to change the conversation toward:

I made an intentional decision to eat certain foods that I know are not ideal for my health yesterday…

And today I am making an intentional decision to eat the foods I know not only taste delicious, but will fully support me in feeling great and reaching my health goals.

There is nothing wrong with being merry and feasting over the holidays. 

It’s part of being a happy human.

But a feast no longer qualifies as a feast when it’s repeated for days on end.

Our message is this – DO enjoy the holidays, but don’t sacrifice your long term health for a few days of pleasure.

We wish you a Merry Christmas !

So grateful for your support during 2022 💛

The Heart & Soil Crew