Going Crunchy Not Crazy

Megan Whitaker

I'm Megan Whitaker and I'm a Health Coach and Holistic Living Expert I left my job as a registered nurse in 2015 to empower and educate woman on their wellness journey. This podcast is all about the REAL Crunchy things I do and know inside and out. I want tell you what works, what doesn't and the science behind it so YOU can go crunchy WITHOUT going crazy. After years of ongoing illnesses and chronic pain, I turned my health around with lifestyle and diet changes. Now as a mom of 2 young children, I am even more passionate about living holistically, organically and being totally non-toxic for the betterment of my family.

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Prepping for an Emergency or Quarantine - Coronavirus Ready

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

02/29/20 • 33 min

Are you prepared for an emergency? Do you have 2 weeks of food and supplies? Where do you even start? Let's talk about it.

With concerns over Coronavirus around the world, this seemed like a perfect time go over how to prep for this and other emergencies, step-by-step.

I'll also go over some basics of this specific illness. How do researchers think it's transmitted and why does it matter? What about masks?

New Prepper Shopping List May be affiliate links

Organic Bulk Rice

Emergency Food Kit

Total First Aid Kit (Conventional)

Emergency Radio

Powdered Eggs Berkey Water Filter (my favorite tabletop filter)

Links about things discussed on this episode

Coronavirus Believed to Be Mostly Mild

Bathroom Hand Dryer Bacteria

Mask Shortage & Use Issues

02/29/20 • 33 min

Health Insurance While Crunchy: How to Deal With Medical Costs & Alternative Treatments

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

01/14/20 • 35 min

Health Insurance While Crunchy: How to Deal With Medical Costs & Alternative Treatments

Tips & tricks of medical insurance (from a former nurse who has seen it all)

Get my insider secrets for everything from traditional insurance, cost-share networks, prescription costs, blood work & alternative / complementary treatments.

Did you know - even doctors in an in-network hospital might not covered? Individual doctors are sometimes out-of-network and there's almost no way to know. -66% of American bankruptcies list medical costs as a major factor - your insurance likely offers a 24/7 nurse line that can save you unnecessary trips to the doctor (and unnecessary co-pays) - you can get free (or crazy cheap) care by going to schools or co-op treatment centers -therapy apps are no joke and seriously helped me after a traumatic event several years ago

New Crunchy Thing I Did This Week

I grabbed my ticket to PaleoFX for April 24-26 in Austin TX. (Not sponsored but it is an affiliate link) Check it out and maybe meet me for a juice in Austin!

01/14/20 • 35 min

EMF Protection - How I Deal with WiFi & Cell Phones

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

01/11/20 • 19 min

Now that you know the science of EMF radiation & learned the known health effects from our previous episode - let's dive in & talk about how I deal with everyday cell phone, computer & WiFi exposure.

Did you know - you can plug your smart phone in with an ethernet cable & go without WiFi - most shielding reflects signals, which can also be dangerous if you're pointing in the wrong direction - the best way to reduce exposure is FREE

My favorite protection gear *may be affiliate links DefenderShield Airtubes EarBuds DefenderShield Cell Phone Case Belly Armor Belly Band Belly Armor Blanket Dyson Hair Dryer (Warning - Crazy Expensive) Shield Life Hair Dryer

01/11/20 • 19 min

Science of EMFs, WiFi, & Cell Phone Radiation with Author & CEO Daniel Debaun

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

12/20/19 • 46 min

To help unravel the research and really understand the science of electromagnetic frequency radiation, WiFi signals, and cell phone health effects, I brought on Daniel DeBaun, CEO and co-founder of DefenderShield and author of Radiation Nation: The Fallout of Modern Technology.

We dig into everything from the history of radio waves and cell phone signals to the medical research on short and long term exposure to high and low frequencies. Not sure what that means? We will explain.

Daniel has over 30 years of engineering experience in the telecommunications industry, as a leader and executive at corporations including Telcordia, AT&T and Bell Labs. He created requirements for large telecommunication systems, led technical divisions responsible for establishing industry standards and formed analysis adherence testing for next-generation digital transmission systems. He oversaw laboratories which analyzed digital signals and EMF - or electromagnetic radiation - interference. Now he helps to educate the world on the proven health risks of EMF radiation and creates innovative protects to protect your family.

Visit www.defendershield.com for more info

12/20/19 • 46 min

Real & Fake Trees Are Actually BOTH Gross. Nasty Christmas Decorations.

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

12/09/19 • 21 min

Is there mold on your Christmas Tree?

Are bugs hitching a ride into your house?

Is your fake tree off-gassing toxic stuff into your air?

Probably.

This episode I'm the Crunchy Grinch Who Grosses You Out About Christmas!

Learn about what the science says might be in your decorations (including your lights and ornaments) and what to do to lessen your exposure.

Studies have shown real trees may be teaming with mold! Also bugs. Many MANY kids of bugs, bug eggs and aphids. Ewwww.

Fake trees have problems too. I break down some issues including VOCs and lead.

Think the pretty lights are, at least, safe. Nope. Sorry.

From the New Crunchy Thing I Did This Week Like being cold? Maybe you should! Check out the study.

My Toddlers Eat Everything & Yours Can Too

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

04/01/19 • 46 min

I was a terrible eater. My kids eat everything

Our food preferences are influenced by genes, senses, repeated exposure & modeling. You can avoid and even start to correct picky eating.

I had severe food aversions including texture issues. I still struggle with a lot of foods and my diet is probably more limited than your average holistic wellness professional. You'll never catch me eating an avocado but getting nutrient dense, mineral rich food is still a huge priority for me. I eat far more foods than I used to and I've been able to introduce many many more foods to my children and avoided picky eating in them.

My biggest secret? I’m the mom and I get to choose what and when they try things. No one pressured me into giving them foods.

This episode goes over:

How I started introducing flavor before they were eating
Why you should skip baby cereal and teething foods
Why we don't make separate "kid" food
How I get them to try everything
When to let them assert some food independence

Links to the cool stuff talk about in the episode

Naked Whey Powder

Want healthy snack & travel food ideas? Check out THIS POST from my blog!

Dehydrating foods

Thanks to Lactation Labs - this season's sponsor. Use code Goingcrunchy10 for 10% off your purchase.

04/01/19 • 46 min

How Viruses Work & How to Naturally Fight Them

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

03/14/19 • 31 min

Virus and bacteria are very different things. Viruses aren't even really alive! A virus is basically just a piece of (nasty) DNA wrapped in protein shell. They can't replicate without YOUR cells. They dig into a cell and highjack it, convincing it to make copies of virus with your own cell material.

That makes them super hard to kill.

This episode dives into the biology of virus, how they work and what we need to fight them off.

I talk about how the immune system is essential in fighting viruses and the ways we can help boost it.

Products that I use & mention in this episode

Links may be affiliate*

Silver spray - antimicrobial and disinfectant for any surface

Bee propolis - natural immune support throat spray

Mushroom powder - mushrooms have immune boosting properties

Vit C Supplement - immune support

This week's New Crunchy Thing I Did

Protein powder! Because 24/7 breastfeeding for years on end makes me feel like I'm wasting away.

After a lot of research I picked this one. Love it so far

Thank you to this season's sponsor Lactation Lab

Want to know what's in your breastmilk? Find out the nutritional contents, vitamin levels and even heavy metal content! Use code Goingcrunchy10 for 10% off any test kit!

Science I cite that you should check out

https://pulmccm.org/randomized-controlled-trials/oral-steroids-dont-improve-cough-due-colds-prescribed-anyway/

https://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2013/03/prednisone_works_well_for_rang.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15080016

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4848651/

03/14/19 • 31 min

How Blue Light is Ruining Your Sleep

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

03/02/19 • 23 min

This episode is all about how light from phones, screens and even indicator lights is seriously screwing with melatonin and ruining your sleep

Blue wavelengths activate special receptors in the retina, telling your brain what time it is. Specifically, blue says it's midday and you should be staying awake. LED lights in screens, phones and even little indicator lights have huge amounts of blue because it makes the light look white. Researches shows that this can impact your melatonin levels, making it harder to sleep and altering your circadian rhythm.

Here's some awesome science to check out

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627884/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side

https://goingcrunchynotcrazy.com/2018/03/29/blue-light-is-wrecking-your-sleep/

What can I do to fix it!?! *links may be affiliate links

F.lux is FREE Download this for your desktop.

Glasses Here's the TrueDarks I have for night time viewing And the daytime TrueDarks that I'm lusting after

LED indicator and small screen covers

This week's New Crunchy Thing I Did

Bentonite clay mask did not go well for me. I'm too sensitive.

But Mushrooms are AMAZING Check out these cool products that I'm using (& LOVING).

Four Sigmatic This company is incredible. The founder seriously knows his stuff, is committed to quality and education, and his stuff is freaking delicious. Try the Mushroom Hot Chocolate.

03/02/19 • 23 min

Icky Beauty - Fragrance, Chemical Dyes & Why I Henna My Hair

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

12/23/18 • 16 min

I've been dying my hair red for a decade. Unfortunately hair dye is a giant toxic chemical soup that I want to avoid. So now I use henna - which looks incredible btw.

This episode digs into why you should investigate what's in YOUR products and how to do it with resources like Skin Deep Cosmetics Database from EWG.org.

Have you heard of the fragrance loophole? Companies DO NOT have to list ANY ingredient that is considered a "trade secret."

That means ANYTHING could be in your product. And no. They have not all been tested for safety. Less than 20% of all chemicals used today have been extensively studied. Read this from the EWG. Seriously.

Henna and natural hair dyes

Lush (this is what I use in Rouge) Blonde Henna (affiliate link)

My Youtube video of henna

12/23/18 • 16 min

Probiotics - Helpful, Hurtful or Useless?

Going Crunchy Not Crazy

09/16/18 • 22 min

We have 30+ TRILLION bacteria in our gut. And probiotics claiming to "fix" our guts and support our digestion are everywhere. But do we need them? Are they really helpful?

Let's dive into what we can really do to support our good bacteria.

Things I talk about in this episode

Research has shown that GBS in pregnant women can be potentially treated or reduced by L. reuteri and L. rhamnosus
B. infantis is disappearing in infants. Serval companies including Evivo have a B. infantis probiotic.
B. infantis prefers breastmilk to any other food
Probiotics may be helpful for adults with IBS or when taking antibiotics
Healthy adults get limited benefits from probiotics
Eating fermented foods and prebiotic foods (fiber) can help support the bacteria you already have
Filtering your water can help keep your gut bacteria alive

What's in your water? Find out free here

Fermented food basics

Research I mention

Infant bacteria https://msphere.asm.org/content/3/2/e00041-18

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5450358/

Probiotics for Autism

https://www.newswise.com/articles/study-launched-on-probiotics-to-help-treat-gi-issues-and-improve-aberrant-behavior-in-autistic-children

Probiotics for IBS

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5879520/

09/16/18 • 22 min