Anita: 0:00

Hey there, sunshine. Welcome to the Power On Plants podcast. We're your host, Jarrod and Anita Roussel, and we're absolutely head over heels for whole plant foods and helping you navigate this incredible plant based journey. That's because our lives have been completely changed by plant based goodness. We used to struggle every day with excess pounds and low energy, vascular disease, joint pain and lack of sleep, just to name a few, and even though we're medical professionals, we still weren't getting practical answers that actually worked. So we dug into the research, we started living what we learned, and now we both have our lives back, and that's what we want for you, too. The truth is, you can do this, and it's not hard. You just need a way that will bring real and lasting change, and that path. It has to be simple and enjoyable, and it's got to be delicious too. So are you ready to live your life to the fullest? Then you're in the right place, because living without limits that's what Power On Plants is all about. So pull up your chair, grab a matcha latte and let's get started.

Jarrod: 1:07

Welcome to Power On Plants podcast, where we mix whole food plant based inspiration with information and sprinkle in a little bit of fun.

Anita: 1:15

Ooh, I like that.

Jarrod: 1:18

Just came up with that little inspiration of my own.

Anita: 1:21

I love that, and today that is just what I needed to get me energized. And today we're talking about how do you stop feeling so sluggish? You know, years ago that's a huge part of my story. I was so tired all the time. In our home we had a flight of stairs that led to our children's bedrooms and I could not even climb up one flight of stairs at night without great difficulty. I got to where I really couldn't even do it.

Jarrod: 1:46

I mean you just would tuck them down stairs and you'd go upstairs and tuck them in, or sometimes it would be, tuck the kids in, give them a hug for me, and that went on for what a good year and a half.

Anita: 1:55

And it was one flight of stairs. It was not a hard flight.

Jarrod: 1:58

It was one simple flight of stairs, but in that state it could have been the Empire State Building.

Anita: 2:03

But you know what makes me so sad, as I know that a lot of you are in a similar situation. You spend your days barely surviving. You're exhausted. You'd do anything if you could just crash and take a nap midday, and I'll tell you a lot of it is the food. You may think it's your genetics, you may think you're just getting older, but I'm telling you, sister, when you get the wrong food out and the right food back in, you will be amazed at how pain will start to fade into the distance. It's the great news of eating this way, how you'll start gaining energy and walking up a flight of stairs won't be a problem, sister. You might even be running up a flight of stairs that's all I'm saying. Like tonight, we went on a walk and I was power running, just hitting little bursts of energy and running with our 11 year old. I mean, it's so much fun to be able to get out and run and swing your kids around and do all the fun things that you want to do as a family. Go to the places you love to go and you just dream about because you can barely survive the day. Right, that is no way to live and we want you to know that that does not have to be your story.

Anita: 3:11

So today we' re talking about how can you naturally heal your body so you can get to the root cause of the problem and get over the low energy, the fatigue that's holding you back from fully living your calling. Now the first thing that we're going to talk about is what can you get rid of? What do you need to get rid of that is sabotaging you? Because this is two-fold right, there are things you're getting on a regular basis that are holding you back, and there are things that you're not getting on a regular basis that your body is crying out for, and that's why it's aching and that's why you can't move. It's this double whammy effect is what I call it. So it's just this vicious cycle that keeps going and going. So you can't just focus on well, I can't eat this, I can't eat that. What are you going to put back in its place that you're going to love just as much or more that's actually going to love you back? Okay, so we've got to look at things that we know make you sluggish, make your blood sluggish, make your digestion sluggish, and that right.

Anita: 4:10

There is the animal foods. Okay, animal foods number one meat, dairy eggs. Now, as a dairy queen, if you've been around here any length of time, you know all about that. If you don't know, just keep listening to the podcast. You're going to learn how much I loved, and still love, cheesy, creamy things, but I just have it in a different way now. It's not that I can't have the things I love. I just found a new way to have them that loves me back, and it is the game changer. This is key. So don't say, oh well, those are my favorite things, that I can't have them. You can still have those same meals, and Jared and I were talking today about how it's not that meat tastes great. I mean, really, it's all the stuff you put on it, it's how you cook it and what you put on it All the spices, the sauces, the flavorings.

Anita: 4:57

Exactly. You would never eat a piece of plain chicken Very rarely do I know anyone, unless they're dieting on Weight Watchers and they're trying to hold their points down or something. You're not going to eat a plain chicken breast and if you do, you're going to have to push through because it tastes nasty. There's no flavor there, it's just not good.

Jarrod: 5:13

I honestly can't remember a time that we ever did do that no.

Anita: 5:17

Because it doesn't taste good and we like good tasting food. So we love chicken. Back in the day we loved it, but we would put all kinds of stuff on it. So was it that we loved the chicken? Or do we love the flavors that we got right? And so you just learn how to get those chickeny flavors and get that texture and bam, you're set for life. I mean, this is how you do it.

Anita: 5:39

You've got to stop thinking the dieting mentality, though I don't want you to think. Oh well, she's telling me, I can't have animal products and I love meat and dairy. I never could do this. Click and then you're off and you've missed the whole point of how you can actually feel great and love the food you eat. And I'll tell you, this is the easiest way to cook. So if you're a busy woman, this is it. You've learned it all. It doesn't get any easier than this. It doesn't. And it tastes amazing.

Anita: 6:05

So we want to get rid of those animal products. They're filled with cholesterol. It's gumming up your blood, okay, I just. I mean we could go into all the science of it, but let's just get down to the basics. It's gumming up the blood, so your blood's slow, it's sluggish, it can't remove the waste as quickly and as accurately, it can't get the nutrients to your cells. That's what blood does, and it delivers blood where in your body, everywhere? And so it affects your brain, your mental capacity, your ability to think clearly. It affects your joints, your elbows, your knees, your ankles. Why do they hurt? This is why they're getting all these things that are stirring them up and causing inflammation and causing the blood to not be able to flow properly to all these areas your spine. Why do we have back problems? Why do our discs break down as we age? Well, we're finding in research that it's because the discs are not getting the nutrients from the blood that they need and so they are disintegrating.

Jarrod: 6:57

Basically, but that doesn't start in your 40s. That actually starts way earlier and they've done studies and found that men in their early 20s are already showing reduced blood flow to their disc and their back. Now they don't have symptoms right. Then they start hitting late 30s, 40s. That process has been going on for 20 years. So don't wait until you hurt to make a change Now it's never too late to make a change. But if you hear me now and you think I'm not hurting in my back, my energy is okay, I don't feel bad. Well, you don't want to feel bad.

Anita: 7:26

You don't want to get there, you don't want to have back pain.

Jarrod: 7:28

You don't want to have surgery.

Anita: 7:29

Take it from those who are 52 and have gone through years of struggles trying to figure out all these things which, if you're already there, don't worry, because we can lead you so much faster to success than what we had to do. We had to dig into the research and figure these things out on our own, trial and error, read the research, saw what it said and we tried it. It worked or it didn't, and then we moved on, and so we've learned all these things and we can take you by the hand and show you much more quickly. But if you're not experiencing these things, you don't want to. So now is the time. And listen, sister. If you have children, start them early, because what we know is this-v essels start clogging in elementary school-age children.

Jarrod: 8:11

They can find fatty streaks in children as young as four years old.

Anita: 8:15

That's pitiful. That's even before school starts.

Jarrod: 8:17

Exactly so think about that.

Anita: 8:18

And it's because of the animal foods and the highly processed foods and the sugary foods and the oils and the sodas. All of these things make you feel sluggish. Think about oil. Think about the consistency of it, the viscosity. Think about how you feel when you swallow something that's oily and you've eaten an oily meal. Jarrod talks about how he used to just crash and burn. You fall asleep after a meal like Thanksgiving. Think about that.

Jarrod: 8:41

And for years I thought that was a sign of a good meal, because I had to rest and digest. I mean, that's just the natural order of things. But come to find out, no, it's basically the red light on your dash panel in your car. If you hit the gas pedal and it went brrr, would you think. Oh, my race car man.

Anita: 9:02

Sweet, that's kicking in, this is awesome.

Jarrod: 9:04

No, you'd think what's going on with my car? I just I've got this sports car, this high precision, high performance engine, and then it burr, Just right.

Anita: 9:16

And then you drink the sodas, you get the sugary foods and you crash and burn. You get this big sugar spike and then you crash and burn and you wonder what's going on. Right, there are other delicious drinks out there that you have not discovered yet, but I promise you they're happy drinks, and so don't worry about the fact that I'm not gonna be able to have drinks that I love. It's not true. It's absolutely not true. We've got to get beyond the lies that the enemy tells us to keep us stuck, and so Well, I'm gonna throw in a little science here.

Jarrod: 9:44

So when you eat a very high sugar, high processed sugary food, your sugar level spikes super high. Well, what's gonna happen? The insulin's gonna respond because the body likes balance and so the insulin shoots way up. Then that tells the cells in your body the fat cells, the muscle cells hey, bring the sugar in. But it does so quickly. So then what happens there? After your sugar bottoms out, you feel terrible, oh yeah. And then you do this roller coaster again and again, but there's a better way.

Anita: 10:13

Oh, absolutely, and the better way is the five power foods. These are where you get your power on plants right. You get your energy back so you can get your life back. That's where the name of our podcast comes from you get power on plants. These are the foods that fuel your body well, literally. So what are the five power foods? We're talking about fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and legumes and I always throw in the six bonus category because I like bonuses herbs and spices. They are powerhouses of nutrition.

Jarrod: 10:48

They make everything delicious, but have tons of health benefits in them, too.

Anita: 10:52

Oh, do not miss out on them. But the thing about whole plant foods is they have no cholesterol in them. They're not gonna gum up your system. Animal products are the only things that have cholesterol. So you get a lot of that with animal products and you get zero cholesterol with plant foods. And with plant foods you get all the fiber, and animal foods have zero fiber. And so what does that do to the process of your digestive tract? Is it gonna make things more sluggish? Is it gonna make you feel tired because the food is gummed up and jammed up your whole digestive tract?

Jarrod: 11:26

Or is it gonna keep moving through?

Anita: 11:27

It's not passing through like it should, Right, and so it's gonna keep moving through with the plant foods, because not only do you have more fiber, they're naturally more hydrating because they have a much higher water content. So, yes, you need to keep drinking your water, Absolutely. Get a cup you love, that brings you joy, that you're gonna pick up more often and keep that by your side with hydrating liquids in it. Water is great. Water with lemon, Water with fruit infused into it Just real pieces of fruit. You know you can buy those water bottles. That's really cool. There are some other drinks teas and things like that that are highly beneficial, but these foods naturally hydrate you. Animal products do not. They do the opposite.

Jarrod: 12:10

Now, a key element with the fiber there is that when you're eating foods that are sweet but have fiber in them, that sugar is absorbed more slowly, so you don't get the peaks, you don't get the insulin spikes and it elongates that time window of when that sugar is absorbed. So it becomes, instead of just a quick burst of energy, it becomes a long sustained source of energy that's going to fuel you well all day long.

Anita: 12:34

Absolutely. And let's just touch on a couple of the five power food categories. I want to talk about leafy greens. Now you need them and I want you to think about how often do I eat leafy greens? Think about that for yourself. How many leafy greens do I eat in a day? Because if you're not getting your greens your spinach, your kale, your bok choy, your cabbage, your arugula so many great leafy greens okay, I'm just scratching the tip of the iceberg here.

Anita: 13:01

Get them. And if you haven't gotten leafy green secrets, our free guide, go download that. Actually, we'll put the link here for you to download that. Absolutely, get it, because I give you a lot of very simple ways to get these into your life. It's not a time- consuming guide, girl, we don't have time for that. Okay, it's pictures and an idea, because that's what you need. I need ideas. I need things that are quick and simple to get that food into my life and find new ways to make these that you love, and don't just cook them to death. Eat more raw, because you know what else you get when you eat more raw? More water. You're not cooking the water out of your food. You're getting more nutrients that aren't denatured because the heat hasn't hit it.

Jarrod: 13:40

So more living enzymes, living food.

Anita: 13:43

Yeah, you need that and think about if you put an apple seed in the ground, it's going to grow an apple tree. If you cook it, if you saute that apple seed or you bake it, it's going to denature the enzymes in it. The apple seed will be rendered ineffective. Now, I'm not saying you won't be getting any nutrients if you eat cooked food. We definitely eat some cooked food. We teach you how to do that as well. And just make the shift over to cooked whole food plant based, but start adding more raw. You need more raw every day. I promise you, if you will eat more raw food, more whole raw plant foods, for 30 days, you're going to see a huge change, even over just eating whole food plant base. You will not believe the amount of energy you're going to get, the amount of inflammation that's going to go down.

Anita: 14:25

If you don't know how to do that, start getting green smoothies into your life. I know it may sound bad because you may have had an experience with a green chunky in your life. Nobody likes a green chunky, okay, so just get those into your life. If you're a member, inside our membership, we have a guide for that. Go and download your guide and get into that guide, because it shows you step by step how to make a green smoothie. But it's not hard. Just as Jarrod says, punch the greens down in there.

Jarrod: 14:51

Get as many as you can.

Anita: 14:53

He's all about punching the greens down.

Jarrod: 14:55

Oh, that video keeps coming back. It does. It's hilarious.

Anita: 14:59

Punch it. So punch those greens down in there. Think about Jarrod when you're making your smoothie and up the greens. If you don't like the greens as much, eat less of those in the beginning and get more of the fruits. Definitely, add those berries in there. They are great energy boosters. The blueberries Think purples and stuff and blues, so you want to get the blueberries.

Jarrod: 15:18

Deep reds like raspberries, absolutely get those in there. A lot of flavor, too.

Anita: 15:22

So these are foods that are going to give you energy. Greens are high in iron. They're high in antioxidants. They build the nitric oxide in your blood, so that opens up your blood vessels. It gets the blood where it needs to go.

Jarrod: 15:36

Exactly improves the blood flow. It's like opening up the fuel line in your beautiful high precision sports car.

Anita: 15:43

Of course it's a car.

Jarrod: 15:45

It has to be, because I'm not a car guy, but I love car analogies. It's so hilarious.

Anita: 15:50

It's about as good as you, given a golf analogy. You're not a golf guy either, but I could see no he's got the wheel.

Jarrod: 15:56

I see he's spinning. No, I don't have one. I don't have one, but maybe that could be a challenge for me.

Anita: 16:00

Yeah, you need to come up with a golf analogy. I like that challenge. Okay, so we've talked about greens, leafy greens now legumes. Okay, these are your beans, your lentils, your chickpeas, your black beans. Okay, these are packed with protein and fiber, complex carbohydrates that keep you running and give you sustained energy. Okay, and I want to talk about this when you're making a salad, please don't make just a regular side salad. Okay, a lot of people hit low energy even after they go whole food plant-based, only because they're not getting enough calories, because these are the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet and the lowest calorie by nature. Okay, so you start making yourself a salad.

Anita: 16:42

I made myself this nice salad today. I'm having lettuce and cucumber and tomatoes and carrots and it's like what is going to stick to your ribs there? Give me some kind of dressing on there that has some nuts in it or something that's going to stick to your ribs. Or put some sunflower seeds on it, or get a little avocado on there. These are not the devil foods. You can eat some of them even if you're trying to lose weight. Studies have shown that adding some nuts in can still cause you to lose more pounds over those who don't eat the nuts and seeds. So I'm not saying, eat two cups of nuts and seeds a day, but sprinkle a few on there and vary it up. Don't just eat cashews. Eat different kinds, get beans, get lentils onto your salad. They are, stick to your ribs, delicious and will sustain your energy long-term.

Anita: 17:30

Another thing that we recommend you avoid is caffeine and energy drinks. Okay, hyping yourself up on caffeine is not the best way to combat fatigue. Okay, but a glass of green tea. Now let's start talking about some matcha latte. Learn how to do that. Whole-food plant-based Sister. It is a game changer. Okay, green tea contains L-theanine, which can help improve your focus, your mood, your energy. Okay, I want you to remember food is the foundation. Once your body gets the nutrients it's craving and you take out those things that are sabotaging your health, your body is naturally going to feel more energized. Then you're going to be able to start moving more. Please, don't start worrying about going to the gym and working out five days a week to try to lose weight. Focus on getting the food right so that you actually feel like going to the gym. Then, when you start going and exercising, I don't even necessarily recommend the gym.

Jarrod: 18:24

I mean, get outside for a nice walk, go to the beach, go for a good brisk walk for it. And if all you can do is 10 minutes, start there and then work your way up, because as you do it the body is going to adjust to what you demand of it. So if all you do is sit around, then that's what it gets used to and then, if you try to exert yourself, it's going to rebel.

Anita: 18:42

And I'm going to throw this out there too, because this is a little bit off topic, but I've got to say we think we've got to go on these 30 minutes, 45 minute walks, that's great and all. But look at the kids in your life. How do they exercise and how do they stay so trim and healthy, right? Well, there are some other things they play, but one thing that they do is they do something more like hit training, where you go real hard for a certain amount of time and you run and you play and you have this burst of energy and then you like kind of play around, but it's not as hard hitting energy, right. You exercise a little bit and then you have a slower movement time and then you exercise all out and you have another slower time and so you kind of pace yourself. I hope that makes sense, but you need those bursts of exercise, okay. So you've got to get your energy there so that you feel like doing that and then you can run and play with your kids in the park. And I know that may seem so far-fetched right now to you if you're in a place like I was, like if I had heard somebody talk about that when I was at my lowest of low. I'd think I will never be there again, you know. But don't have that feeling.

Anita: 19:44

We want you to walk away from this episode with hope, because there is hope. There is something you can do. Just take one or two things that we've talked about today. Put them into practice, okay, and see if you don't start getting changes. I promise you, if you will just do one or two things that we've talked about here, you are going to get huge improvements. Now, the other things that we wanted to just briefly mention it's not directly related to food is B12. If you're not taking a B12 supplement, whether or not you're eating whole food plant based at 100%, look at getting a B12 supplement, because most people are low on it because it's destroyed today, with our waters treated and how the soil has been treated, and it just gets destroyed.

Jarrod: 20:29

It comes from bacteria, so we won't go into all that I wanted to touch on that. It comes from bacteria. You can find it in meat, but the animals you're eating get it from bacteria. Anything that destroys that is actually going to destroy our source of B12.

Anita: 20:42

Even if you're eating some meat and you think, oh, my B12 is okay, oh, that's just a plant-based problem. No, most everybody is low on it.

Jarrod: 20:48

Today, one in three adults is low, including meat eaters.

Anita: 20:54

Dr Greger has a recommendation for B12 dosage. He says 50 micrograms per day or 2,000 micrograms per week, once per week if you're over age 11. If you're over age 65, he recommends 1,000 micrograms per day. Those are his current recommendations for B12 and we agree with those recommendations.

Jarrod: 21:13

Really, you can find B12, high quality B12 supplements very inexpensively. Absolutely you can't afford not to. It's an insurance policy that will pay off, because even if you don't feel like you're low, how would you know?

Anita: 21:26

Right, you really wouldn't know. Look at getting a B12 supplement and see if that doesn't make a difference as well. What I don't want you to do is walk away and that's your one takeaway and all you do is add B12 and not do anything else we've said because I don't want you thinking about this as a take a pill and fix it problem. If you have low energy, your body is crying out to you that there are some things going on under the surface. It's like Jared says. You know, we don't want to just think about taking medicines and putting out a fire. Let's stop flicking the matches that are starting the fire. And we love you and we speak these things in love because we know that things can get better. But we have to just learn. We want to learn and that's why we're here on the podcast sharing with you week after week.

Anita: 22:10

We want you to know, first of all, there is something you can do. Second of all, what can you do right? And third of all, then we have our community. You can come into the membership and we'll take you by the hand and show you, step by step, what to do, but we just want you to first see there's hope. I can do something. Secondly, what can I do? And you start taking the steps now. You have the information you need, right here in this episode, to start feeling better. There's no excuse to wait. You are the only one that's able to help you get this change that you're after. And so, sister, listen, do this for yourself. You are worth it. You have a calling on your life. God has a plan for you, and we want to be with you and celebrate with you as you start feeling better and you can start living out that calling, living out your mission in this life, and that is what this is all about. We are so excited for you to start feeling better.

Anita: 23:08

Drop me an email at Anita@poweronplantscom when you start getting results, when you start putting these into practice. Actually, I'll tell you what. After you've listened to this, I want you to send me an email and let me know what you're going to do. Which of the steps are you planning to take and put into practice from this? And then I want you to send me a follow up, because I read every one.

Anita: 23:28

I want you to send me a follow up and let me know how it went after you tried these things, because I promise you, you are going to get results when you take small, simple actions one and then another, and then another, and before long listen, this won't be a new thing or something that's foreign. It's just going to be the way you live, but you're going to be living. You're going to be living, think about that, doing all the things that you could only dream about doing before and now, you're making the memories that you want and you're planting the seeds that you want, because you have the energy that you need to do it, and that is what it's all about. So we are thrilled for you. I cannot wait to hear what you're going to put into practice. Don't forget to email me, or, if you're making the changes and you're on Instagram, just snap a quick picture of what you're trying and tag us on Instagram at power on plants official, and we'll see you again in the next episode of Power on p lants.