S2 E4: A Healthy Diet with Justin Janoska

autoimmunesisterho
Jun 24
27 min read

Becky Miller: Welcome back to Autoimmune Adventures. Today we're discussing how diet can support those living with autoimmune disease and chronic conditions. As always, we're sharing personal insights, not medical advice. So, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider for guidance tailored to your specific needs. Today, we're joined by Justin Janoska, founder of the Autoimmune Revolution and a clinician who specializes in helping women heal from autoimmune and reproductive disorders. With a background in nutrition and trauma-informed approach, Justin combines physical and emotional healing to support long-term wellness. His work is deeply personal and rooted in a passion for guiding others beyond symptom management and towards true transformation.

Welcome, Justin. We're happy to have you back with us. We're glad you could join us. Can you please introduce yourself and tell our listeners a little bit more about what you do as an autoimmune alchemist?

Justin Janoska: Yes, of course. Thank you for having me. So, yeah. So, my whole story began about, uh I guess a decade ago when I just started entering graduate school to study nutrition. I actually wanted to work with terminally ill cancer patients. That's what I wanted to do and integrate the complimentary side of things to that. And then my mom got diagnosed with Hashimoto's and that kind of took me in a different direction, because I could see really quickly, uh like a lot of women have experienced where she was going and kind of hitting a dead end and just feeling really frustrated for her. And she was frustrated and just disappointed.

And uh I, I basically put her on the path to looking into on the path to naturopathic medicine and looking into alternative ways of addressing this which was really good because we're doing the things that we need to to manage this um and get into remission. But then I found I found that she was also running into a lot of the same issues that I continue to see today which is a lot of the, again the approaches that we're taking which are too, I'll say surface level, in a sense, and has the sort of quick fix mentality and that wasn't working either.

Justin Janoska: And here we are, and she's kind of spinning her wheels. Um, feeling good for a while and then not anymore. And it it was just really uh disappointing for me and I, I thought this is something that I want to help her with, but also I could see already that this is a disease. Um, the autoimmune field in general is is growing exponentially, and it still has, I mean, it's been, it's only getting worse, I think, as far as the numbers go. So, I I decided that this is the path I want to go down, and uh it's because of her. She's the one that basically got me going in that direction.

So, I didn't expect to be doing any of this, honestly. Um let alone even back in school for my doctor degree in trauma counseling. That's I didn't even think I'd be doing that ever. But, it it just, you know, life has shown me where to go, and I think that I have to just ride that and and listen. And so, yeah, it's been it's been a journey for sure, but I'm I'm grateful for um everything and, and grateful that my mom is my best teacher, really. Yeah.

Stacy Griffin: I love that. I want to remind our audience really quickly that here at Autoimmune Adventures, we believe that a healthy diet is truly the cornerstone of managing chronic and autoimmune conditions. Food is not just fuel. It can be a powerful tool for healing.

And the right nutrition can help reduce your inflammation, support your immune system, and improve your overall well-being. For those of us living with autoimmune disease, food choices can significantly impact our symptom management, energy levels, our quality of life.

Stacy Griffin: And by by prioritizing our diet, it can support our body's natural processes. And it empowers us to take an active role in our health journey, which is really important. And that is why eating... healthy eating is one of our Big Six and a key to the way to guide ourselves to better health. So let's kick off things with a big idea. Food as medicine. It's much more than just a catchy phrase. The right nutrition can really help reduce your inflammation and stabilize your energy, and of course, promote healing. So for those of us with autoimmune challenges, food is one of our most powerful tools.

Justin, from a clinical perspective, what does food as medicine really mean? And how can people use food strategically to manage flares or reduce their inflammation?

Justin Janoska: The, Yeah, it's a great question. I think the first thing that I need to say is that there is no 'insert your disease" diet. There is no Hashimoto's diet. There is no lupus diet. There is no scleroderma diet, uh and and so forth. There's only the diet that works for you. There's only the, you know, the the Stacy diet, right?

Stacy Griffin: Right.

Justin Janoska: Stacy, that's the way we have to start thinking about this because, you know, obviously there's a lot of different theories and ways of eating out there. AIP as you know, and is a big thing. And and again, those can all be useful and they have been for a lot of people, but the only way you're ever going to know what works for you and what foods you're reacting to or not reacting to is going to be through, um no one's going to really like to hear this, I guess, if they're not aware, but it's it's a lot of trial and error. And um unfortunately, we're not at that stage where we can really rely on on testing for this.

So, at this point, because the gold standard is still an elimination diet according to the research. So, we have to really honor that and understand that what you react to that you think might be healthy. Um, or I'm sorry, what you what you think is healthy, right? Like strawberries, for example, might be a food that your immune system does not like. So, our whole notion of what's healthy and not healthy is not for you to decide. And that's actually, I'm just saying this from a place of love, that we have to really understand that - that could be healthy for somebody who doesn't have an autoimmune condition or an illness perhaps. And naturally it is a healthy food, but not for you in this context, right? And that's what we have to understand is that we have to listen to what the body and the immune system is doing, because that's telling us if it's good for us or not. And that's got to be the the perception we need to have in um looking at this, because if we can do that, then we can modify our diet and not be attached to "good" or "bad" foods.

And that sort of, like you know, binary way of thinking has to go. There's no bad food. It's just that's not the food for you. And so if we can do this and shape our diet, you know, in accord, in accordance with the with the uh the message of the immune system, we can find what works for us. But it's um you know, everybody's got different reactions as you know, we're living with this and it's it can change for sure over time, I think, but we have to be curious and open minded about it.

Becky Miller: I agree with that 100%. I have done the elimination diet thing and I found for me personally, like a kind of a mix of AIP, but not completely AIP, with like anti-inflammatory is kind of what's best for me. But when you were saying it, it depends on the food and you have to know - I, I actually knew somebody who was doing the elimination diet who was a huge fan of blueberries and you know, everybody always talks about they're great for your memory, superfood, whatever. She would make herself a blueberry shake every morning and thought she was just doing the best thing for her body. And when she did the elimination diet, she found out that it was huge inflammation for her. Blueberries was a huge problem.

And so, just like you said, there's no one perfect fit for everybody. It's not fun to do an elimination diet, but that really is, I agree, the best way.

Alysia Thomas: Yep. It is the gold standard.

Becky Miller: Yep. Um, unfortunately, I think we're often taught outdated food models that don't always address autoimmune needs. Um, becoming our own advocates and learning what works for our body is critical. So, what are some common misconceptions that people have about healthy eating with autoimmune conditions? And how can somebody know when they found the right diet for them?

Justin Janoska: Yeah, it's a great one. So, biggest misconceptions... It's so interesting because diet was, and nutrition was, my world forever, and it's been not so much the case now. So, I my whole thing nowadays that we, obviously it matters for sure, but I, I intentionally get people away from diet um thinking all the time, because it's consuming their whole life. It's always about diet that way and I get it. But it's also like if that's taking over your mind, and it's all you're thinking about, you know, that might be again another thing that we need... that's just distracting you.

And we we have to figure that out, but also we need to move on and go down the other road to explore other things. So anyway, um I think again that could be a misconception right there is that people think diet is the be all end all, and it's it's obviously not, right? Because people change their diet all the time and they feel good for a while, and then they don't they feel good again, and it's just misleading because you talk to some people like I do, and "You know, I did, I did you know this diet, and I did oxalate free low FODMAP, I did you know all that specific carbohydrate diet," and so forth and um you know the mole diet whatever and and you know you're down you know 18 diets you've you've you've been trying 18 diets, we'll say, and we're going to change it again and hope that it's going to be the magic answer to getting us in remission, right?

And that's my frustration, because it's just this belief that taking supplements and changing your diet is going to fix all this. And it's not that. It's a complicated condition you know, it's not that simple.

Alysia Thomas: Yeah.

Justin Janoska: So, we need to just get that out of the way and understand that, yeah, diet matters, but it's a small piece of the pie if you ask me, because if that was all we needed, then you wouldn't be here, right?

Justin Janoska: Um, I also think we need to kind of understand that. Um, yeah, gluten is a is a big issue for a lot of people. It's not everybody's issue, right? Maybe it is for you personally, but I can tell you that I have I've had people I've worked with who don't react to it, you know, and it can or they can tolerate it, and it's it's they're not showing any over um negative adverse symptoms.

Um so, you know, there's this is part of the the complexity of this because there's it can go both ways. It's just about the individual and understanding that they um if somebody reacts to a certain food, it doesn't mean you will. So, um that's why we got to stop being attached I think to uh what is what is popular and what is um working for other people because that can influence what you do to try it. But we need to understand that well if that's not working we need to shift gears a little bit.

Alysia Thomas: I, just to play devil's advocate...

Justin Janoska: Please.

Alysia Thomas: I have personally done a whole lot of random diets and most of them not to lose weight, but to just feel better, right? And I agree that diet culture is is really harmful and toxic. Um, but I have learned a lot of things from doing all those different diets. I've learned things that don't work for me. I've learned foods that don't work for me, and lifestyles that don't work for me. And I have found some things that do.

Um, so it is, it's, it's tricky because you do have to learn from personal experience, but it can actually be quite harmful to your health to yo-yo diet, right? So, um, moving on from that though, I think that's fascinating. I've always been interested in nutrition. So, um, moving on to talk about some some like gut health and we do know that this is a piece of the puzzle, gut health, right? With autoimmunity, it influences our immunity, it influences nutrient absorption. Uh, but it also can have an effect on our mood and our mental health, right? Which is why sometimes the gut is referred to as the second brain. So, can you explain the gut - autoimmunity connection and and maybe some things that some foods or habits that might help support a healthier gut?

Justin Janoska: Yeah, of course. Uh yeah, so about I think, what 70 to 80% of your immune system lives in your gut and so this is why it's so important as you said uh to make sure we have the right environment there to support the healthy immune cell communication and trafficking.

Justin Janoska: A lot of that largely has to do with the microbiome. And so, um, if we have dispiosis and we have candida overgrowth and a parasite or H. pylori and and whatnot, that these are real issues that are really common, um, with all kinds of conditions. And that's going to aggravate the, it's going to basically initiate and and offset or uh set off the immune system and and that's how you you can really have a snowball effect going on. And so, um, yeah, I mean, the gut's everything because of not just that, but also because of the vagus nerve, and how if you have organisms that are secretreting lipopolysaccharides, mostly bacteria that are doing this, these are endotoxins that can cause a lot of flare- ups and a lot of joint pain and malaise and all sorts of symptoms, and they can transllocate and move up to the brain. And we know this can be part of the reason why people have mood issues and anxiety and OCD and depression, and um even even just like migraines and headaches and things like that.

So that's another way. Um this can also affect liver function and gallbladder and detoxification. Um uh it can affect fertility as well. I mean there's a lot of research around all this. So it it's kind of like the this the hub it seems for a lot of things to go wrong if we don't have kind of some um maintenance there, or um don't have it intact. And so diet does of course matter there to help feed the good bugs. But it's tricky because as we're talking here about diet and how good foods could, or supposedly healthy foods are XYZ, but a classic example is somebody who is um got small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and they're eating all the fiber rich foods and vegetables and all these sort of things. But I can, as you might know those are the worst thing for you when you're dealing with that condition. So, it's a temporary thing, but that's just proving the point of it's all about context and we have to honor that because no, that's not going to work for you now. Maybe later when you deal with it, but that, you know, that's not the thing for you.

Those foods though in a in a stable gut environment are gonna be really great because really when we think about diet and gut health, um you know, pro uh or I guess gut flora in general and how to achieve that it's not probiotics it's actually prebiotics. It's actually diversity in different plants that's actually what the research shows about how to create the most diverse gut, um because the more diverse it is and the more robust it is and that's going to have a multitude of benefits to your health. So we think about these things and the reason why is because uh mainly because of of butyrate the short-chain fatty acid that gets made by the gut bugs and that has a huge uh well a lot of important effects but mostly for upregulating T- regulatory cells which is basically the immune, uh the break on the immune system.

So you think about all these ways we can try to up you know support T-Rike cells as we call it and butyrate is just one of the things. So that's why that's that's one of the ways and mechanisms or connections between diet and gut health and immune, and immunity.

Stacy Griffin: So, we know that we need to take care of our gut and give it pro, prebiotics and make sure that we're getting a lot of good whole foods in our life to help with that. But modern convenience foods are so convenient and so great and all that refined sugar and all those additives and those modified grains, they can be convenient, I'm sure, but they can wreck a lot of problems in our body. So, why are processed foods and additives especially problematic for people with autoimmunity? And can you think of any sneaky ingredients or food labels that we should be watching for?

Justin Janoska: Yeah, there's a lot, right? There's so many things to look for and screen for. But I think for, for women or people with autoimmune conditions, processed foods um it come to me it it comes down to more of a quality issue more -than quantity, obviously matters and it's easy to have a high caloric um intake when you're consuming these foods because a highly palatable and they got you know they're laden with sugar and sodium and fat the perfect trio right there.

Alysia Thomas: Yeah.

Justin Janoska: And so, so yeah, but it mostly comes down to, I think, uh, the fact that there's flour in a lot of these sort of foods. Gluten is obviously a big one. Even if you're eating gluten-free foods, it doesn't really change the fact that these are still processed foods. A gluten-free cookie that's in a bag is still processed food, right?

And so um so I think from the the most obvious reason for why these are issues is because of the added you the added sugars and the carbohydrates that are in there. Um, so not even really picking on any particular ingredients, like they're there, but I think if we're going to look at the the most important reason, it's got to do with the the sugars and the amount of carbs we're eating because that is, you know, for somebody who's insulin resistant, doesn't even know it, and they're pre-diabetic, which happens a lot, and their doctor doesn't tell them this because they don't see it that way, and so forth. Like, that's the problem because then you see people like I do, where they're they're flirting with pre-diabetes or they are and then you're wondering why they're having flare-ups, they can't lose weight and they have brain fog and and all this stuff and you know even just from a cardiovascular health standpoint that's a problem obviously, right?

Justin Janoska: So that is the reason why processed foods are because it's an easy way to get that amount of calories and carbs and carbs are - the it's not they're not bad. It's just they if again if it's too much for the person that can't handle it, they're not insulin sensitive, they're not metabolically flexible, that is going to be an issue, and you're going to have unwanted fat gain and weight gain and you know that even if you're even even if you're in a caloric deficit, even if you're eating close to your body weight and your maintenance levels, that can still be an issue. And this is why um it's it's a very nuanced thing. Um processed foods, I mean, even just like store-bought things, fast food and and drive drive-throughs and all that is is a whole other discussion, but I think we could agree that's, you know, no one's eating perfectly, but those are real things that um simple, again, simple lifestyle things that have to be worked on, because I'm not of the belief that we need to go from zero to 100 or vice versa.

Justin Janoska: It's more about how do we just make a intentional shift to decrease exposure a little bit, right?

Becky Miller: Yeah. And we talk about that too sometimes about the importance of if if you have a hard time getting rid of things at first, at least start bringing the good things in. Like bring the whole foods in and the, you know the fruits, the veggies, the lean proteins.

So kind of along those lines though, um a lot of talk about anti-inflammatory spices goes on, particularly turmeric and cinnamon. Um are these spices really as effective as people claim they are? And can you share some other examples of anti-inflammatory foods that you recommend?

Justin Janoska: Yeah. I mean, turmeric is is actually really great, but more so in the supplement form, because it's it's extracted - the proper quantity to have to exert the the best effects um as anti-inflammatory and and so forth.

So, cinnamon. Yeah, cinnamon is great, too. Um, I think of that for blood sugar, for sure. I mean, there are a lot of supplements that use cinnamon for um disglycemia and unstable blood sugar levels, which is again really common for women. And I think there's got to be a I think we need to look in that direction and to use things like cinnamon, and um berberine, and things like that to help work with uh blood sugar and because if we're not if we're if we're struggling with weight for example a lot of times it's because of insulin resistance and the rule of thumb here is that you can diet your way into insulin insulin resistance or you can stress your way there.

Justin Janoska: And most women have, in my experience, have both. So, this is one of the reasons why mental health and emotions and trauma and all this stuff can be literally the reason why you can't lose weight. Um, just because of what it's doing to stress hormones and cortisol is part of that mechanism and driving blood sugar levels up. And if you don't, you know, if you're just constantly cranking out insulin all the time, eventually it's going to uh say, "Nope, no more," you know, and it just becomes a domino effect of of of issues.

So, not to get um sidetracked, but um yeah, and it's tough when you when you think about anti-inflammatory foods, like it's really hard actually for me because again, I could be like, "Yeah, well, peppers are anti-inflammatory, but well, if you have nightshade issues, then no." So, it's it's really tricky. I think um, gosh I mean just from a research standpoint, like the Mediterranean diet is the most like that has the most robust data around it um just for longevity and cardiovascular disease prevention and things like that and that's basically founded on a lot of fruits and vegetables and fish and olive oil and minimal grains.

Justin Janoska: I again it's hard to it's hard to answer this question but I think just from a um a general view here something that is more plant-based for sure u because obviously plants are needed we need like we said for for gut bug diversity, and I don't think people are are even people who are super restrictive like my mom was who was on AIP for a long time, she had to, you know, she could still tolerate some vegetables like you need you need to have we need to be you know protein forward in our diet. We need to make sure we're getting enough because we're not a lot of times. And it's about where does that come from? Is it come from poultry or fish or beef, you know, or or animal um beef and and and uh game like that. So, and this is tricky because if we're if we have a certain diet um bias like you're a vegan, it's and you want to do keto or something like that, and your body's saying no and no. and no and you do it anyway. That's going to be conflicting.

And that's the issue I find for some people because I know you, you might be, you might prefer that, but it's not if you want to, you know, be healthy and live. I'm I'm sorry to say this, but you're going to have to adjust and sacrifice that a little bit. Um because otherwise, you're malnourished, and if you're nutrient depleted, um it's not a good look. And this is most people are are deficient in nutrients because of an because of a diet that's not uh conducive for them. And so, yeah, I think, you know, in a nutshell, it's going to be a diet that's heavy, heavily focused on plants.

Some fruits, again, looking at what is appropriate for you because sugar is still sugar. Berries and melons and honeydew are probably the safest bet because they're the lowest in sugar. That's how I look at it. And you know integrating carbohydrates through complex car carbs and using um and and trying to get resistant starch right cooked in cooled potatoes and rice, and um th, those are really great things also for the gut microbiome. So I think about those kinds of things, and if we're just kind of eliminating the whole discussion around like am I reacting to this or not? You start with something like that and you can modify it along the way and say,"Okay, well, yeah, maybe I'm reacting to this, you know, potato and, you know, you didn't know, but you thought it was healthy, right, for you or it is healthy, but it's not working for you at the moment. That's kind of how I would look at it. Um, but yeah, I mean, what what is actually like the safe food list for all people? It's really hard to figure that out, right?

Alysia Thomas: There's not one. There's really not one, right?

Justin Janoska: You know, it's even thinking about it right now for as long as I have been, I'm still not really sure because I'm very hesitant with saying anything because you could be, you know, the body will tell you, and a lot of people just surprised me with the reactions and I think it's just really tough. Um, but there is a food that, there are foods that you can tolerate and and still um have a stable and nutritious diet. You just got to be mindful of it and you have to supplement where needed because if you don't you're going to be deficient and you know it might be anemic and you don't even realize it. So these are easy ways to get into those sort of traps.

Becky Miller: Yeah.

Alysia Thomas: Yeah.

Becky Miller: Well, I know when I was doing the AIP diet, they often have you replace like gelatin or different things like that for egg. I actually didn't do very well with the gelatin, but we live on a farm and I get farm fresh eggs. And so for me, I don't have a problem with the eggs. The eggs are wonderful. And so, just like you said, it's you can kind of take a guideline, but it's going to be definitely individualized.

Alysia Thomas: Yeah, it has to be, right? Like like you said, if you've got SIBO going on these things and I had that experience myself and I'm eating all these good fruits and vegetables and I'm like I feel miserable. This is crazy! And you know, it's not going to be good for me right then. I'll handle that. It'll be good for me later. And so it's tricky. I think you have to be flexible and you really do have to experiment. Elimination diet is going to be very revealing to you. I think if you if you can get yourself to do it. It's hard. It's not an easy thing to do. But kind of backtracking, you had mentioned like you can't do it all at once, right? You can't make all these changes all at once.

And I feel like for um us that that have so many food intolerances, or sensitivities, or you know issues like that, um I know with myself I have developed a pretty unhealthy relationship with food. Whether it's I'm scared to eat something because I think I might it might make me sick or I am cutting myself off from something because I, I I've labeled it as a "bad food," you know. And so I'm really trying to change my personal um dialogue around food and and you know food is fuel and food is a necessity and trying to detach emotion from it and and all of these things. But that is a that's a long process. It's not something you do overnight.

Just like you can't change your you shouldn't change your diet just all at once all overnight. Um, so those small sustainable steps that you can you create a lifestyle of this. It's not and when we I mean I think at least when, on our podcast when we say "diet," we're not talking about a certain diet. We're literally talking about the the food you eat, the context of like the the dictionary definition of diet, you know, what you're eating, not oh, you've got to do the keto or autoimmune or whatever. all the there's so many different ones, you know, so it it does have to be very personalized, but we know like grocery prices are crazy right now. All-time high for grocery prices. So, if you were trying to make these small and sustainable changes and you happen to be somebody who's on a tight budget or you were or you're maybe in a in a location that has limited access to good whole food options, like what would you like what what kind of advice could you give somebody? What are the best kind of choices you could make in a situation like that for yourself?

Justin Janoska: Yes. So, I would say that, well let me throw this out there. Um organic is uh something that a lot of health conscious people will prefer, right? I happen to be, be I happen to be one of them. But I will tell you that I'm far less attached to that like it used to be like I was in school because at one point I was like everything has to be organic, pasture raised, otherwise I'm not eating it. And I'm I'm so lo I'm I'm far like so far away from that belief system now because we know that um there there is I mean there are obvious there obviously there are like differences in organic versus non-organic but it's not as great as you would think. Um and the research shows us especially with pesticide residues. They're both, they're on both by the way. you know, the the nutrient quality, and and and you know, phytonutrients and all that stuff in organic is just a little bit more than conventional, right? So there's there's small differences, but I'll tell you every single time I'll tell anybody every single time that eating um again, assuming you can tolerate it, eating bananas, eating strawberries, eating um kale that's conventional is a lot better than not eating it at all. Right?

So worrying about the quality is to me not the top priority, right? It's about how do I how can I eat in a way that's going to support my body and is going to keep me, you know, nutri, I'm gonna get the nut, the nutrients that I need. Um, and you can do it on a budget. You can I' I've done this with a lot of people, but I think you got to be really careful and just to note that um there's there's no shame in eating conventional poultry or, you know, nonorganic eggs. And so if that's what makes sense for you, then do that right.

So when you buy like rice for example or um grains you know you get it in bulk. I mean there's that's and that to me would be one thing to consider because you can buy again we talk about processed foods but buying you know rice in boxes and um and grains and and nuts that are just you know in big quantities. Yeah. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, but I think that's what you you have to start thinking about. Um, because the expenses really come from a lot of the higher end, you know, higher quality stuff. And you you can still eat a healthy diet on a budget, especially if you're also choosing um and being mindful of what's on sale, of course, but even with conventional foods. And and to me, it's really about looking at the the fruit section and the vegetable section, the perimeter of the store. Those are the things that you're going to want to do.

Justin Janoska: But I think if you if you really focus on on that and and protein sources from animal, if you if you choose to do that, um the fruits and vegetables and um again legumes and nuts and seeds, those are obviously tricky for people maybe, but that's got to be the focus, um you know, you just get into danger when you're kind of walking, walking through the aisles and looking at all the commercial all the all the products you see on commercials. So um I'm not sure what else I could say to that...

Alysia Thomas: Well, I was going to say, I guess a follow-up question to that would be or a follow-up maybe insight, as I was listening to that, is um we got to maybe shy away from convenience foods and lean more towards whole foods, the the protein sources and the fruits and the vegetables. And I'm just thinking realistically um that that's just so much easier said than done. I I am a mom with a bunch of kids and I'm a busy mom and sometimes those convenience foods save me, you know.

Alysia Thomas: So I think that has to be part of your little mindset, mindset shift we have to do is okay I can spend the time um I can either spend time now preparing healthy food or food that is going, to be good for me in the long run or I can spend the time later trying to fix my health, um when I haven't been taking care of myself, um because I was trying to just always be do with convenience something of convenience. So yeah, because I mean the reality is getting that fruit, getting the fruits and the vegetables, it does take a little more work. But you're I mean the new the nutrient difference between that and a bag of chips, there's no comparison. I mean you got to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to that. I think.

Justin Janoska: Yeah. And that's, that's it is and then and I'm glad you brought that up because you know that is the reality of it and sometimes we have to just do that. Um go to the frozen aisle section and see what stands out and there's no shame in that. I think we got to just kind of point that out as well. Like um, we're not we're doing the best that we can and we just got to do uh what makes sense in the moment. I think it's more about routine and habit and how often we're doing that. That probably is the discussion that needs...

Alysia Thomas: Yeah

.Justin Janoska: ...to be had if we....

Alysia Thomas: Yep.

Stacy Griffin: I think we'd all agree that finding what works can really take a lot of time. But whether it's something like an elimination diet, working with a dietician, um observing how your body responds to things, I think it's just a journey, and every step that we take matters. Whether we're trying out new recipes, um cutting out those trigger foods we've been talking about, once we figure out what those are, we're laying this groundwork for better health, one choice at a time, and that is what we try to do.

Stacy Griffin: So with that in mind, another one of those fun questions. If there was one thing you would like to leave with our audience today about why diet is important, what would that one thing be?

Justin Janoska: Well, I think what I would say to that is anti-aging. Um, I think people care about aging, right? And aging gracefully, and in a healthy way. And uh, I mean, you're we're all aging, but I think as far delaying it, that's what I'm talking about. And so, I'm really interested in that myself right now and and taking um, action on that, and it's something I'm always thinking about.

So there are neutrauticals and things you can do to help with that. But I think just from a diet standpoint like you're asking, you have to really I think I think the hardest thing to me and for people is is getting enough um vegetables and fruits. I mean that's really because that's where you're going to get all your phytonutrients and all the vitamins and minerals you need and all the antioxidants. Like that's that's the thing that that is probably missed and um we're not doing enough of, and that's and that's challenging because like you said it's easy to get processed foods and to find what's convenient. So, it's not easy to do as far as like, well, you need to try to strive for three to five servings of vegetables a day and and two to three of fruit, but set intention to at least do one, right?

Justin Janoska: I think that's what we start we need to start thinking about because it's going to affect everything. I mean, the microbiome and and preventing cancer, all these kinds of things that we don't want to have, but it's, it's a big deal, especially over the years when you're doing and eating a certain way over time. So to me that is, and again it falls in line with the Mediterranean diet which is why it's the most studied um diet out there, and has been associated with longevity and these kinds of things that we want, because it's just a diet rich in in nutrients, and that's what we need, especially in a stressful life that we that that we're living in. So, um, you can to my my whole perspective is you can eat like the not so great foods out there and fast food if you'd like once, you know, whatever you do that. But you got to bal, balance is more of an interest in in for me than than black or white. Like you need to do all this and all that.

There's room for all these things and all all foods. It's just about how where is the balance there? Because if you eat those kinds of foods, you also need to think about getting more of these plants in your diet because that's going to, it's all about plants if you ask me. That's got to be the the the focus if we're going to um, delay aging in a sense and have the health that we want and preventing a lot of issues. That's really what it is.

Alysia Thomas: And the science is pretty clear behind that now, I think.

Justin J: Yeah. Yeah. Definitely.

Alysia Thomas: So, well, we're going to wrap up. Justin, thank you so much for joining us today. We have enjoyed our discussion with you. You have some really great insights that I think are going to be helpful for our audience to hear. Um, so, thank you for that. And if you guys haven't heard his um, episode that he did with us last week, check it out. He he shares some of his work that he's doing um around trauma and healing and hormones and it was it was a fascinating conversation. I loved that.

So that brings us to the end of another episode of Autoimmune Adventures. We want to take a minute and sincerely thank our audience, and uh you guys for tuning in and supporting our podcast. It means the world to us and that you chose to spend that time with us today. And if you want, if you enjoyed what you heard today, if you learned something, we would be incredibly grateful if you would Like, Subscribe, Share it with somebody, um that really helps us get this information out to the people that need it. And that kind of support from you guys, excuse me, our audience makes a big difference. So, don't forget to check us out at autoimmuneadventures.com. You can find the full transcript. Plus, we're going to have links to Justin's books and his website and contact information.

So, please remember guys, you are worthy of joy. Your disease does not define your life, you do.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Contact info for JUSTIN JANOSKA:

Email: Justin@theautoimmunerevolution.com

Website: theautoimmunerevolution.com

Instagram: @justinjanoska

Autoimmune Breakthrough Journal: https://tinyurl.com/bdeupk5p

The Post Dieting Comeback: https://tinyurl.com/2sac7kuf

Video on how to correctly wash produce, so that it has less contaminates and stores longer:

https://youtu.be/VmRtK4CVQ20?si=cO4TrQpo8LI2i-CS

Sites that discuss foods that cause inflammation, and food that help cure/prevent inflammation:

https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/g42554501/food-for-inflammation/