What’s up everyone. Welcome back to the fit to fat, to fit experience podcast. It’s me drew Manning. I’m here in my room in Utah and, uh, just finished a great podcast with an awesome guest today. Uh, her name is Christie Akuna. She comes to us from Newport beach, California, and, um, very interesting story. She grew up with psoriasis really bad, um, condition, uh, through her teenage years until she was 19. And it was her mom. Who’s a registered nurse. Um, sorry. I started studying traditional natural path and she kind of shares her story of going from psoriasis and the types of foods she ate. Um, and all of the treatments that she tried to heal her skin of this psoriasis. Uh, for those of you who don’t know what psoriasis is, you could just Google it. Uh, but it’s red splashy, itchy skin, um, really bad.
She had a really bad, she said growing up anyways, um, at the age of 19, she changed her diet right, among among many other things, but she changed her diet, which was the big cause of, of, of her having this issue. And it was the thing that actually cured her as well. So she went on to, um, uh, get her bachelor of science degree in holistic nutrition from Clayton college of natural health in Birmingham, Alabama. And she’s been practicing holistic nutrition for over 11 years in her, a wellness center in Newport beach, California. And that’s that holistic nutrition center. Um, if and you guys were in the Newport beach area, go check her out, Christie Akuna. Um, she applies to different techniques, applied kinesiology, um, and then foundational evaluating. And she kind of gets into what all that stuff means. She’s big on nutrition. We dive into things such as, um, healthy fats, right?
Uh, what kinds of fats are good to cook with? We talk about sunblock. We talk about food that prevents bloating and gas, and also helps prevent it as well. We talked about antibiotics and probiotics, fermented foods, and all kinds of other, uh, nutritional gyms that I think anybody out there that’s listening will benefit from listening to this episode. So a great episode, a very in depth conversation with someone with a wealth of knowledge. And, um, anyways, before we jump into that episode with Kirsty though, you guys wanted to give a shout out to our, our two show sponsors of today’s podcasts. The first one is Everly well.com and now Everly well.com is a at home medical testing company where you can order your tests that you want to do. Instead of going into a doctor’s office, you can order it online. They send you the test kit to do from the convenience of your own home.
Um, and you follow the, the easy to understand instructions and it’s super easy. So for example, if you want to test your HDL LDL, triglycerides, your hemoglobin A1C, your inflammation markers, right? Uh, vitamin D you to test your hormones instead of making an appointment at your doctor’s office, check out every well.com for slash fit to fat, to fit for a discount on their services. You guys, or you can use my code fit to fit, to fit at checkout. And it’s a great way to get your blood work done without having to be inconvenienced right, going into the doctor’s office or making appointments, drawing a ton of blood. This is so much easier. The results are so easy to understand as well. That’s why I’m a huge proponent of using Everly well.com on a regular basis so that you know where your blood work’s at. So, you know, what is working, what’s not working, right?
So like, let’s say you want to try keto. For example, for three months, you order some tests through every well at the beginning, do the keto diet consistently for three months, for example, test your blood work afterwards. Or if you want to go vegan for awhile, same kind of thing. That way you can find out what diet will work out program is optimal for you based on your, your blood markers. So I’m a big proponent of it. I think you guys should be too. So look into it, at least check it out, everybody well.com forward slash fit to fat to fit. Our next show sponsor is quest nutrition.com. We’ve been fans of quest nutrition for a long time. Now, uh, everybody knows their protein bars. That’s what they’re famous for. Their protein chips. Now that protein powders, um, they make of this food tastes good.
So you actually want to eat it, right. It really does tastes like desserts. Uh, my favorite protein bar honestly, has always been coconut cashew, but I will say the blueberry muffin, their new one is actually pretty dang good. Uh, but honestly I could eat any one of them. And I like all of them to be honest with you. So, uh, but I also do like that they are getting into the keto world. So they have a ton of keto food that tastes delicious way better than their other desserts, in my opinion, uh, check it out@questkito.com. If you want to check out their line of keto products, I’m taking chocolate bars, uh, peanut butter, fudge cups, mint, fudge cups, uh, chocolate cream, fudge cups. I mean, these things are delicious, like really, really good. Um, I could eat it seriously every day. Uh, but anyways, uh, we’re super grateful for all of our show sponsors because none of this would be possible without their support. And none of this would be possible, uh, possible without you guys actually tuning in and listening each week. So thank you guys so much for all your support. Uh, if you haven’t already please go on iTunes, subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review, please, if you don’t mind. All right, let’s go hang out with Christie
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Christy. Akuno welcome to the fit to fat, to fit experience podcast. How you doing today? Good. Good. Thank you for having me. Hey, my pleasure. I love having new guests on that I haven’t met before. And so, uh, and you’re coming out of, uh, California, right? Yes. Am
Newport beach, correct. Love it down there. I used to live in Huntington beach. Um, and I traveled there probably a couple of times a year. It’s one of my favorite places, actually.
It’s the best. I love hunting to beach. I love the people, the attitudes and just kind of the culture there. It’s super mellow and good food.
Yeah. Is there a difference between Newport and Huntington beach as far as the culture? I think so. Yeah. I mean, Newport is obviously high end, you know, it’s kind of like it’s fancy and Huntington beach is more guests like the surfer town, right?
Yes, exactly. I like it. You know, it’s like a blend of both worlds. I get to be professional and a little bit more upscale neighborhood and area, and then I get to chill out in a sweatshirt and rainbow sandals and Huntington. It’s a nice, it’s a nice blend.
That’s awesome. So, um, well thank you so much for being here and coming on. I have a lot of topics I want to discuss with you, but first and foremost, I did want to kind of introduce you to my audience. Uh, you know, for those that don’t know who you are. Um, tell us a little bit about your background and, and, uh, what you grew up, what were your passions growing up and then kind of maybe lead that into your psoriasis story, which I think a lot of people find interesting.
Okay. All right. Definitely. So actually growing up, uh, my passion was acting, I was going to be on stage and I was going to be the actress. And so it’s so far from what I do, which is so funny because I never would have imagined being on this platform or this stage and all growing up, I wanted to be an actress, you know, always just the glamour just loved it, did some plays, did some musicals just really tried to get into it, but I always had something holding me back, which was my skin and being an actress, you have to be confident. You have to really show up and put yourself out there. And that was one thing that was really hard for me was to put myself out there because having psoriasis was really debilitating mentally. I mean, physically, it absolutely hurt and was painful and dry and flaky, but it was painfully mentally because, uh, it impaired my confidence.
So, you know, I had it all over my body when I was born. And, um, for those that don’t know, it’s righteousness is it’s where my skin cells replicated faster on the surface of the skin, the normal skin cells do. So I have dry patchy, scaly looking skin. And I had that for years and, you know, I was in college and I was doing some plays and I was loving it and doing my thing, but I really wasn’t loving how my skin was and how I was feeling because I had it wrapped, I mean, wrapped all around my legs, all around my arms and my torso. Um, the only place that really wasn’t was on my face in the middle with my cheeks, my forehead, my nose, my lips, it was around there, but it just wasn’t on the center. And I would hide with clothes and makeup and, you know, just do whatever I could just to get by and get through, you know, cause as a kid, I was teased. Kids are me, man. Right.
Imagine what you, especially during your teenage years that must’ve been really hard. I’m assuming your parents tried to help you take you to doctors to find some cures or some kind of creams, right. To help out
hundred percent. They took me to a dermatologist. They took me to medical doctors, pediatricians as well as I call them the voodoo doctors. You know, I had, when it was, you know, in the nineties when it was this homeopath, you know, she needs to stop drinking milk and start eating hummus. You know, I do whatever they said, I would be crying before I had to drink an herbal elixir because it was disgusting. And so, you know, I had to go through some mental and physical tortures, but by the time I reached the age of 19, um, you know, it’s just kind of a flip flop and in junior college and really just kind of again, doing the plays, couldn’t find my way and connect with what I was really meant to do. And my mom, who was a nurse for 27 years, she became a natural path and started practicing in, uh, in the house.
And she used me as a Guinea pig and, and was like, you know, you’re, you’re, you’ve really done well in supporting your body. You love food. Right. And I started changing my diet. And the crazy part is, is that through all the practitioners that I saw, not one asked me really what I was eating. So my diet growing up was, you know, white bread, bleached white bread with margarine on it, you know, tortillas with margarine in it, um, fried chicken, Kentucky fried chicken, taco bell. It was just, it was a lot of crappy junk that my body was screaming saying I can’t take it. And so that’s why my skin and my body’s, uh, psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. So the foods I was eating, just flared it up.
It’s so interesting because, um, you know, I was going to ask you about that. If, if you got, if any of these people, these professionals ask you about your diet, but it seems like we’re such a, a reactive society, right. So we wait until there’s a symptom, like, you know, your skin and then like, okay, well, how can we mask the symptoms by giving you drugs or creams or, you know, whatever it is instead of starting with something like food, which a lot of people are like, Oh, I didn’t even think that was causing it. So it’s interesting. How, Oh, sorry, go ahead.
Oh, no, I’m sorry. Um, you bring up such a valid point that I’m still working on in my practice with people all the time. They have no idea that the food they put in their mouth is what’s causing, you know, their body to be the way it is. You know, people today want to prove me in life, but they’re not willing to put in the premium fuel and maybe they don’t know. Yeah,
yeah, no, I’ve, I’ve tried to get that across to people, you know, when it comes to so many issues, you know, we, we look at diet as the last thing, like, ah, I’d rather just take a pill and not change my diet.
Exactly. I say, I wish that there was such a thing, but unfortunately we’re handed a little different, uh, way of life and, and how we have to handle things. So there’s no magic pill.
So, and it’s interesting cause the food that you describe as some of the, to the food that I ate when I did my fit to fat journey, when I gained 75 pounds, was your, you know, your typical, fast food, probably the processed foods, you mentioned white bread and one of your videos. I mean, that’s what I grew up on. I mean, to feed a family of 11 kids, my mom had to buy, you know, white bread and peanut butter, which was super cheap meals, but luckily I didn’t have that issue. Um, and so I can only imagine the torture, you know, mentally and emotionally, you had to go through as a teenager, especially with you, we know how mean kids can be, right?
Yes. I was seized.
Did you? Okay, so this is kind of an interesting question.
You have a boyfriend at that time? Uh, yes I did. In like more like high school, junior high, junior high, a little bit more high school is when it kinda got out there a little bit more. Um, when I hit about 12, 13, and I did go through puberty, it lessened a little, but I still was hiding. You know what I mean? Like with clothes, like summertime I’d be wearing turtlenecks as a kid. Um, winter time I couldn’t put enough Nivea or use syringe or, you know, creams as if I had a lotion deficiency. And so before I would go and hang out or on a date or hang out with a boyfriend, I would always make sure that I would try and hydrate those areas. Right. So that they wouldn’t notice, um, or scrub it to death with, you know, your, uh, exfoliating shower scrubs. So, you know, you, you just, when you get to a point where it’s like not another day, not another moment, am I going to feel like this? And I think that’s when I reached it when I was about 19 and my mom kind of helped me find my passion a bit.
So what was your diet like? What did you go from taco bell and process food? What did it go? What did you start eating in your diet? Like what were the types of foods you started? You started to eat
types of foods? Well, the first thing I did is I did a cleanse, right? So this cleanse is standard process 21 day cleanse and standard process as a whole food supplement company. And so my mom was working with them at the time when she just started her practice and this cleanse is all about eating. So you’re eating the first 10, it’s a 21 day. So the first 10 days I was some protein shakes, right. And I was eating some salad, some green, some vegetables, some seeds. So you’re good fats. Um, and pretty, pretty much that was about it. And water of course, pretty much that was about it. And then days 10, or excuse me, 11 through 21, I was started adding in chicken and fish. So you’re just broadening the cleanse a bit. And that’s where it began to change for me is when I did something drastic like that in a real drastic, healthy path. And so my lifestyle began to like sustain, be sustainable around that. So I would never call myself paleo because I am such a fan of like full fat, raw dairy. Um, so I, I do, I just, I, I tend to be most people now that’s the big trending thing is paleo. I tend to be a little towards paleo minded, but, um, you know, protein, some vegetables, but making sure my fats are in place is like number one.
Interesting. So I’m a big fan of fat.
Wow.
Um, so when you see clients that come into your office, especially women, you know, I don’t know what your, the average age group is, but do you still find resistance to thinking eating fat is going to make them fat or that eating fat is bad for you?
Yes. My, uh, demographics that I generally will see is 35 to 55, but I also have kids and younger ones in the practice, but a lot of women in that age, like 30 to 60. And so, um, yes, I mean, one of the things that I have told, um, a couple of people is they need to start eating lard. Lard is essential. It’s one of the preferably best fats to cook it. And they absolutely look at me like I’m a Coover. They’re like, wait, I’m sorry, what? I’m worried about my cholesterol, I’m trying to lose weight Christie. Like I don’t get you, you know, but I have such, I have such a long standing relationship with them. So by the time I tell them this, they’re like, fine, whatever you say, Christie are such a nut, but it’s worth this bar. So, you know, cause I just they’re radical ideas, but I’m very traditional.
Well, it’s so interesting. I was, um, I have some, you know, people, some good friends that are in the Quito, uh, industry. And it’s so interesting to think that, you know, just over the past maybe hundred or know the past few decades is when we really started to get away from eating fat and to see what it’s done to our society. But if you go back, you know, most, uh, you know, hundreds of years ago, you’ll see, most societies would eat a lot of fat and it wasn’t until, you know, uh, you know, I’m not going to get into it too much, but the government came in and made these standards. And, you know, we thought we decided fat the enemy. And, um, even, um, there was a leak document, I think just recently that, uh, NPR just showed that these, um, food corporations would pay scientists to show that fat was the enemy back in the sixties and seventies. And that’s where the whole, you know, uh, food pyramid kind of came about to kind of lead us down this path of staying away from fat. So it’s just interesting how set in our ways we can get,
we think conditioned to think that we need certain fats, but they really are the toxic oils and the toxic fats. Right? So there’s so many, like we were conditioned that we need to start cooking with vegetable oil, soybean oil, canola oil, you know, Chris SCO took over that. There were one of the vendors that paid the scientists of that to tell us the stray away, stray away from lard, but,
Oh, sorry, go ahead. Sorry. I’m a real talker. We got two talkers talking to each other, see who’s going to win.
So these are, this is what I’m really have been primarily doing is educating and really trying to get people to and kids. I just spoke at a school yesterday to fourth and sixth graders to really get them because these kids, I don’t think we give them enough credit. They know what high fructose corn syrup is. They were asking me about cholesterol. They were, they want to know what should I be eating? I play soccer, I play sports. So when I tell them, look for things in your breads, like soybean oil or canola oil or vegetable oil, they’re interested and they want to know, you know, so yeah.
So what are some healthy oils we should be cooking with it. You recommend to your clients,
top three, cooking oils, coconut oil, butter, and lard,
any specific kind of lard or where do you buy your lard from?
I buy my lard, it’s leaf lard at the fermentation farm. And that’s here in Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa, California. It’s right there on the border of Huntington beach. Um, so I buy mine there where it’s all organic and the best lard, but you can also buy the best lard it’s sprouts or whole foods. And I would, yeah. And it’s in the butter section and the fridge.
Yeah, no, I have cooked with it before and it’s delicious. And if it feels wrong, you’re like, Oh my gosh, this is, so this tastes so good. But yes, Chrissy knows what she’s talking about.
Trust me.
So let’s talk a little bit about, um, uh, bloating, obviously, you know, digestion and bloating is a huge issue with a lot of people when it comes to their food, what are some foods that you use to help prevent or ease bloating,
but to prevent it and to handle it in, I guess you’d call it acute, whether it’s chronic or acute or to try and prevent it. One of the things I recommend is one to get your fats. Right? Right. So we’ve mentioned changing your oils could get rid of canola, get rid of soybean and get rid of vegetable oils and corn oil. I forgot about that. One. The things that I do recommend to help put back into the system is probiotic. Now foods, fermented foods contain so much probiotic. So sauerkraut one, tablespoon has more probiotic in it that a bottle of probiotic pills. So these foods, these fermented foods, fermented pickles, fermented, you know, beet kraut, fermented, sauerkraut, fermented yogurt, um, all these things kombucha that’s, you know, a lot of people know about kombucha, which is a fermented tea are a fantastic way to recolonize the gut and to really help you to digest and absorb and frankly, to feel better because your gut is your second brain. And I feel like it’s your first brain, even though they say it’s your second. Cause I feel like we think with our gut, but, um, yeah. You know, it, you just gotta take care of it.
Yeah, no, I’m a big fan of kimchi and a lot of people think I’m weird eating kimchi, but I love it. Uh, it is. And sauerkraut, two’s another easy one. Um, I do have a tough time getting my kids to eat it though. Um, uh, but you did recommend, uh, some fermented, uh, yogurts kind of I’m guessing kefir.
Yes. Kefir would be great. And you know what, I’m spoiled being over here by the fermentation farm because they make, they make all their stuff. So they have this raw milk and rock cream yogurt with vanilla and honey, and they ferment it with villi bacteria. It’s amazing. But regular stores. Yes. Um, my advice is to do some Kiefer, um, and whole milk, whole milk yogurts.
Interesting. Okay. So that’s, that’s the thing is like, you know, bloating seems to be an issue for so many people, especially here in America. So we just, you know, people buy Beano or GasX or whatever, but they’ll still Activia, but they’ll still eat the same food. So, um, those are some things that we can implement into our diet. And so maybe, hopefully people that are listening will go out and buy, start buying these foods or find interesting ways to cook with them. For me, I just eat it. I eat it, you know, sauerkraut or kimchi rod. I don’t really cook it or fancy it up, even though it doesn’t taste the best. It’s super healthy. I know it’s good for my gut.
Good for you. I mean, honestly, that’s what I do. People say, what do you put it on? I go my spoon. I don’t put it on.
Exactly. Um, so would you consider yourself full since it sounds like you had a lot of fat, but do you really, um, or do you not really measure that at all? You still eat a lot of protein, a lot of carbs. Good carbs.
I do a lot,
I guess I’m I stray towards keto, paleo. Yeah. More on that side. I mean, I’m a high animal protein eater, high, um, animal fats and some, you know, other nut fats, nut butters, your oils and so forth. But yeah, I’m protein, some vegetables, the carbohydrates because of my autoimmune disease and the way the grains are processed. I mean, I don’t know if we want to talk about all the grains and stuff, but grains and the gluten there’s always been gluten and breads. It’s just that we have so much more, I mean, an obscene amount of gluten and the crossbreeding that’s been done with the wheat, that grains are just a real tough area for a lot of people. So for me, my carbohydrates are mostly, you know, we’re talking about like starchy carbohydrates are like sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips. Those are where I go for that. So I really, yes, I don’t, I don’t really do a ton of, I have to be very careful with grains for me and autoimmune disease. Okay, gotcha. Um, another topic I wanted to discuss with you, um, because I have kids and, uh, sunblock is, uh, you know, you can just go to Walmart and buy any old sunblock that’s there. Or I know that there’s, you know, you go to whole foods, there’s a whole different type of sunblock there. What, what is the best things to look for as far as safety for sunblock,
you know, with my experience with sunblock, um, I would suggest to look for mineral oil and look for para bands. Um, those are two major things that I would look for that I would not put a topically on the skin.
Okay. So don’t put those things on your skin. Don’t look for mineral oil and put it on your skin or a pair of bins. So you’re looking if they’re in the sunscreens, I would move on. Okay. So look for ones that are labeled paraben-free and make sure there’s no mineral oil in the
yes. Yes. And I’m sure that there’s some other chemicals as well, but I would, honestly, my knowledge in the sunscreen area is not as deep as I would like it to be, but when it comes to lotions or anything, topically, I always stick to the less ingredients and ones that I know what they are and can understand, and that they’re not para bands. There’s no mineral oil, no chemicals, no dyes, none of that. So like, like brands, you know, not to throw them under the bus, but yes, to throw him under the bus, like Neutrogena, right. That’s a big one. I would never buy or put on my son or myself. Um, I’m trying to think of another major name brand when I could see the label, but I can’t think of the brand, but Neutrogena banana boat. Yes. Yes. Thank you. The one that smells so good. Yes. The ones that smelled good. Usually probably fragrance. Yes. So they carry more chemicals and metals in them. Yeah.
Interesting. What about a cold medicine? What’s your take on Colma, especially for kids.
Yes.
W w you know, suggestions there of things to look for and not to look for in medicine
in medicines. I typically, I mean, you want more whole food and herbs components. So like DayQuil and NyQuil, I don’t remember which one it is, but I think they have like red, 40 FD and C blue, one yellow. I can’t even remember the number for yellow, but those are such toxic harsh chemicals. And honestly, I don’t, I understand getting relief. And I understand when the kid isn’t feeling well, but it’s so hard on this side of the fence, because as a holistic nutritionist, I would just be pulling from my cabinet, which is my whole food supplements and herbs to help build up the immunity, not suppress a symptom just to get them to calm down. So I would look more like I’m at whole foods. Um, I think it’s called bumblebee. Yes. Yup. Yup. They’re pretty good with their cough syrups. Um, you know, I wouldn’t be afraid at all. I’d be more afraid of doing constant antibiotics on my kids and constant cough syrups with the toxic chemicals and dyes. That’s where my fear is. I’m not afraid what to do any herbs or whole food, because all it’s going to do is to build up and support and allow the body to heal it in its time.
Yeah, that’s interesting. Um, because I think my, my generation, our generation was, you know, we were loaded up on antibiotics if we were sick, boom, antibiotics, you know? And, um, so let’s say for instance, though, something is serious. They do have to take antibiotics. What are some things they can do maybe to help, um, repopulate that bacteria is just take probiotics at the same time they’re taking the antibiotics or maybe take the probiotics after they have to take antibiotics. What’s your experience with that? If, if any, at all,
you know, I have experience with both. I used to have, I used to have clients take the antibiotic and take the probiotic. I mean, I didn’t prescribe the antibiotic, but when they were on it, I would have them take a probiotic at the same time. And then I would have them. Then I would, I would end that and say, okay, now this time I want you to wait, do finish the course, do your three day 10 day antibiotic and then start probiotic. So I think the best thing to do is if you’re going to take an actual probiotic supplement, wait until the antibiotic is done, because it’s antibiotic is going to wipe you have good, bad bacteria, but while you’re doing the antibiotic eat probiotic foods, that’s, that’s what I do recommend more fermented foods. And then, and then start your probiotic pills after you’re done on that round.
Gotcha. That’s great advice. Um, I like that actually. Um, so yeah, so, um, shifting gears here a little bit, I want to kind of want to talk to you about your practice and what services you guys provide for people there. I mean, obviously not everybody listening is lives in Newport beach is going to travel out there to see you. Um, but what kind of services do you guys provide there, um, at, at your, uh, wellness center?
So what we do here is we do something called a nutritional exam. We also do nutrition response testing, and I also have a heart rate variability. So what I do is I, I find the root cause to what is causing the health challenge in that person’s body. So people come from all walks, right, and all different cultures. And a lot of they’re all dealing with the same things. I’ve got tumors developing, I’ve got cysts, I’ve got cancer, I’ve got autoimmune, I’ve got arthritis, I’ve got pain. I just don’t feel good. I’m going through the change. My daughter doesn’t get a cycle. Just help me. I have. So there’s so there’s so many. And so what I do is I use the heart rate variability, which is a machine where I put a strap around their chest over the heart. So I can see and measure how their organs are functioning as well as their adaptability, which tells me how their nervous system is lining up and how well they’re coping with the current stress in their life.
Right? So that’s one. Then another thing we do is called a nutritional exam. The nutritional exam is a great way for me to find inflammation happening in the body. Sometimes my clients don’t even know what a, that they have inflammation. They just know that they’re, you know, gassy and 2d and, and bloaty and uncomfortable and tired of, you know, run into the bathroom and not much to show forth is happening. You know? So, you know, when I’m the nutritional exam is a great exam, that allows me to palpitate on different areas, looking for blood sugar issues, looking for inflammatory problems, looking for deficiencies in enzymes or hydrochloric stomach acid. So that’s, that’s also, um, something that we do on the initial exam. And then the last thing, which really is the primary of what I do is nutrition, response testing. So I, uh, what I do is it’s kind of hard to describe over the phone, but we use it.
It’s a, it’s a form of applied kinesiology and it’s just a real summed up version of it where I use and press on your arm. So we find a locked muscle in the, and then I’m palpating the Oregon systems looking to see which organ isn’t functioning, optimal level. Then once we do that, we find, well, what is the root cause to causing the liver? The kidneys, the lungs, the, you know, the pituitary, the thyroid, whatever is showing up for them, what’s causing these organs to malfunction or not function, optimal level. And we’ll find, is it bacteria? Is it yeast? Is it parasites is a viruses, is a chemicals. Is it metals? Is it a food they’re eating a common food, sugar, wheats, fruit, you know, what, what is it? And so that’s, you know, I’m basically a nutritional detective really trying to locate at what’s causing it. And then we deal with it right then and there. And then we do a lot, I do a lot of nutritional consulting, so I’m constantly making sure they’re doing their food diaries. I’m always at get me your food diary. So they need to write down their foods, breakfast, lunch, dinner, their sleep, their bowel movements. I mean, that’s everything. So I do a lot of that and I have, you know, poop charts in my, my treatment. Right.
So, so yeah, so, uh, the listeners are probably like, Oh boy,
no, I remember, you know, being on dr. I’s, he’s known for talking about poop a lot as well. So a very important stuff, even though, you know, people don’t like to discuss poop, but it is, you know, it is something that needs to be looked at because if for you, for example, you can assess it. And for example, know something’s wrong with the digestive digestive system. Right?
Exactly. I mean, I just want them to write it down. They don’t have to send me a picture. I don’t have to see it. Just write it down.
That’s that’s an extra, that’s an extra level up, you know?
Yes. Oh yeah. That’s actually charged for sure.
No, that’s super interesting stuff. So do you put them on a similar nutritional protocol that you eat or is it kind of customized per person based on their situation?
That’s a great question. I can have two diabetics or two auto-immune challenges that are going through and having the same systems and they will leave with different programs. So each program is designed and built to be just for that person. So their program will consist of whole food supplementation to assist in their bodies, you know, metabolism breakdown, and really helping to support that person’s body going through the diet diabetes or the autoimmune disease. And they’ll leave with different programs. As far as the food goes, the food can be similar, but I have, you know, clients where it’s like, you know what, let’s less this, and let’s add more of this for you. So the main things, you know, that I refrain from are a lot like sugar. I am a sugar Terminator, like a pretty big sugar Terminator. And I really work on the caffeine too. I think I, I think I just lost 75% of your audience to sound. They’re like, yeah, like she sucks.
No, that’s interesting. So you eliminate caffeine completely, or does it depend on the source of caffeine or getting rid of, you know, sugary soda that has caffeine in it? Or what do you mean by the caffeine thing?
That’s an, also a great question. So depending if they’re going to do the 21 day cleanse with me, if they’re doing 21 day cleanse no caffeine, cause there’s no caffeine during it. Although you can do green tea, which does carry some caffeine and it just substantially less. So when it comes to a lot of what I see, I see a lot of wired, but tired. So what, right. So, and that’s, that’s all across the world, but it’s a lot of wired, but tired. I I’m all keyed up. I’ve got anxiety and I just, I’m having a hard time calming down and even falling asleep and staying asleep. So caffeine having, you know, one cup of coffee a day. And then you imagine what you’d look at seven days a week, and then you’re doing it 30. You know that that’s 30 cups of coffee a month.
I mean, your body never gets arrest. And that’s for the person who does one cup. So measurable, by the way, measurable eight ounces is a cup. So, you know, caffeine, it’s, it’s not something where they come in and it’s a bootcamp. Okay. You automatically have to cut your caffeine, see you next week. It’s not like that at all. Um, sometimes in fact, you mentioned soda. So when we’re weaning people off soda, diet, soda, regular soda, um, there’s a company out there called Zevia Z E V I a, right. I love them. They’re a great company. I wish they would change their, um, I don’t like it being in a tin can. Right. Cause the, the metals, but, uh, whatever we’ll deal with it. So the, the Zevia is it does have caffeine, right? So the Cola alternative still has a little caffeine in it, but it’s a great way to start shifting the habit and the taste buds off of being so addicted to the Coke.
Gotcha. And then what about alcohol? What’s your stance on alcohol? I’m assuming during the 21 day cleanse there’s no alcohol. What about in general? Oh boy. Here’s the other 25% of followers that are waiting to leave this conversation. No, just kidding.
Right? I know exactly. I’m so sorry, drew. You’re going to be so sorry. You had me on your show. It’s all good. So alcohol, you know, here’s the thing is we all have events. We have bachelor parties, we have bachelorette parties. We have shows concerts. We have a life to live and alcohol is not the only one enemy. It’s just the, it’s the quantity and what we’re doing. So my advice to my clients, exactly when you’re doing the 21 day cleanse, you got to tighten the belt and really clamped down on your discipline and do what the cleanse is about to get the benefit. So no alcohol, but in regular programs, meaning without the cleanse. I mean, if they’re drinking a glass of wine a night and we’re dealing with an overgrowth of fungal yeast in the body and bloating, yeah. We absolutely need to take that back.
It’s too much. It’s too much sugar and too much acidity. It’s it’s too much going on when going out for liquor, usually for my, um, you know, my female clients, they’re going to a bachelorette, they’re going to Vegas, Palm Springs, they’re going Christie. I’m going to drink. Okay. And I’m like, okay, thanks for the heads up. But what I suggest you order is some potato vodka and do it with soda, water, and lemon or lime. It’s the lesser of the evils because it’s less sugar. You don’t deal with any high fructose corn syrup or any sugars in them. And it’s just, it’s lighter on the body and it’s a potato vodka. So it’s alcohol is alcohol, but
exactly alcohol is still a toxin at the end of the day, right?
Yes. I’m just, I’m an enabling nutritionist in Newport at the end of the day.
Most people, you know, for example, was sugar. Most people aren’t going to totally never eat sugar again. Right. I mean, it just, it just doesn’t seem realistic in today’s society and culture that we’re just going to make. All right. We’re never eating sugar again. Same thing with alcohol. You know, I think most people can go without it for a period of time. I feel great, but you know, if it’s part of their culture or society or, you know, traditions, it’s, you know, they’re going to enjoy it every once in a while, but it’s just being smarter about it and upgrading maybe your versions of it. So instead of eating things that are full of high fructose corn syrup, you’re maybe buying something that is, you know, maybe gluten free flour with a, you know, organic coconut sugar or something that’s maybe a tiny bit healthier, but it’s still sugar at the end of the day. But, um, you know, just being smarter about it, I think is, is what people need to be aware of.
Absolutely. There’s going to be a different glycaemic breakdown at the end of the day, right? So you’re going to have a sweet potato versus a regular russet Brown potato. You’re going to have a way different response. It’s not going to be as stressful, um, between, you know, if you have arrested that is going to address it. A Brown potato is going to is very starching and a break into sugar quick, and it’s going to stress your insulin and glucose. So as compared to the sweet potato, that’s a little more lower glycaemic and friendlier to the body, it’s not going to be as stressful. So yeah. You know, one thing that you brought up that I thought was really interesting is when I, um, I’ve been doing this for 12 years and in practice on my own for eight and in, throughout practicing, the funny thing is when you mentioned about culture and, and, and maybe it’s in your culture. So one of the cultures that I have absolutely helped with my clients is the Asian culture and a very dominant, prominent food in their culture is rice, right? It’s, it’s a main one. And the funny thing is, is that most of my Asian clients, rice shows up as a sensitivity and part of what’s causing some challenges for them. Isn’t that interesting? Yeah. So I found that interesting too. So when you said in your culture, I was like, you know what, not only alcohol, but rice, you know, the food.
Yeah, no, that is very interesting. I’m glad you brought that up because I think, uh, you know, we, we look at rice and, and say, well, you know, people have been eating it for generations and generations, so it must be optimal. It must be healthy. Um, whereas we know now, nowadays we’re kind of told to steer clear of most rice, like if you go to a sushi restaurant, I think it’s okay. Every once in a while, but to have as a staple, you know, with all your meals, maybe not be the healthiest thing for you.
Right? Absolutely. And I think that, you know, with as, how can I say this nicely Americans, we, we, we see something, we see a culture that is naturally thin and has some soy in their diet and rice. And then we maximize it, market it and sell it. And bam, it’s the new super food or the new healthy way to eat. And I think that we do that with a lot of cultures looking for the right answer, the right diet, the Mediterranean diet, the Atkins diet, the paleo way. I think that we’re, we’re, we’re confused and, um, don’t really understand the full scope. I mean, even being in the culture that, uh, with Asians, that they ferment a lot of their foods and they don’t consume as much as we do over here. So portion is, is, is key and, and culture is key. You know, they’re breeding on different cultural foods than we are. And I, I think we’re desperate. We’re so sick and tired that we’re desperate and trying to get better.
Yeah, no, that’s super interesting. Cause I was just talking to some the other day about, you know, as trying to mimic the look of somebody else, for example, and say, Oh, you look like I, how I want to look. So I’m going to do exactly what you do, which, you know, maybe for your body, you may not be the optimal thing. Um, you know, eating the same way that bodybuilder eats or you are working out the same way that bodybuilder works out or, you know, vice versa, a girl might see this, you know, swimsuit model that skinny, or like you mentioned a whole culture of skinny or people thinking, Oh, well then that must work for us, but that’s not always the case. We’ve got to find what’s optimal for us. And that’s why I’m such a big fan of, um, you know, getting your blood work done on a regular basis, testing your hormones so that you realize and understand, okay, what diet, what lifestyle is optimal for you. And unless you do that, you don’t really know because you can’t just go off of looks. You can’t just go off of weight. Right. There’s so much more health than what our physical body looks like. And so until you get those tests done, you’re never really gonna know what is optimal for you. And so that’s what I tell people all the time. And I’m sure you are along those same lines, right?
Absolutely. I have saliva hormone kits in my office that I hand out a lot to look at the pedestrian, estrogen, even gut panels. You can see yeast parasites, you can do all that kind of stuff. But I agree with you. You have to know where you’re at or at least you have a professional that understands how the body works before you just go out to sprouts or whole foods and buys a supplement or, you know, start reading about what’s the next diet I have to do. Okay. Now I’m gluten free. Now, paleo, now I’m Atkins. It’s like, let’s just slow down and let’s see where you’re at and we can go from there. Okay.
Exactly. Um, well, cool. Well, we’re running up on time here, Christie, but I just wanted to thank you for coming on before we go. I want you to kind of let people know where they can find you on social media, your website, things like that.
Oh, awesome. Yes. Okay. You can find me at holistically Christie and my name is spelled K R I S T I and that’s holistically christy.com and you’ll find me holistically, Christy on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter. I haven’t tweeted a much, but mostly on Instagram and Facebook. And then you’ll find my practice is holistic nutrition center.com.
Okay. Gotcha. We’ll make sure to put those in the show notes so people can find you and I’m sure people have questions after, after listening to this podcast. Um, really quick, Chris, before I let you go, a couple of quick fire, rapid fire type questions for you. One is what’s your favorite cheat meal
pizza.
Oh, okay. I think I had someone on the podcast last week and that was, uh, that was his as well. And that’s mine too. If I eat pizza or sushi, it depends on the,
Oh, that’s a tough one. I forgot about that. But come on bread, cheese meats. Come on. Can’t beat it.
It’s delicious. Okay. And you mentioned you did have one, one son? I do the river. Okay. And how much weight did you gain during your pregnancy?
19 pounds. Oh my gosh. People are going to roll their eyes. Okay. But honestly, his dad and me, we’re small people. We’re little I’m five one. His dad is like five, six, five, seven. So he was tiny. It was a little five pound, a 5.9 ounce baby. Okay. Okay. Then
I guess that’s the least, I know I am my ex wife. She gained, I think, 18 pounds with corporate policy. So the same kind of thing. People, women I know are so mad. They’re like I gained 70 pounds and my baby was, you know, you know, six pounds, seven pounds. It’s like, it’s so unfair. Right. But diet is key lifestyle. So, um, the, that kind of leads into the other question is, okay. Other than pregnancy, have you ever been overweight?
You know, I’ve never been obese or overweight, but I would say when I was in high school, the right before I started the whole journey, I was probably a good 12 pounds over like, so pudgy, maybe actually 15, I would say. So like, like, like not like chunky, but yeah.
Well you’d say she could stand to lose at least in our society. Um, so okay. I ask all my, all my followers, this, would you ever intentionally gain weight on purpose to see if you could take it off as a challenge? Would you ever do a fit to fat to fit journey? Similar to what I did?
Oh, good God. On the spot. Would I ever do that? Um, Hmm.
I would say no, I don’t. Yeah. I don’t blame you. That’s what most people say, to be honest with you, you’re like, I don’t know if I want to go through that stress. Yeah, no, it is. It is stressful. But for, you know, for me, that’s the thing is it did drive empathy. Like for me to better understand where people are coming from, who struggle with being overweight because before never having been overweight my entire life, I didn’t understand why it was so hard just to change your diet exercise, and then boom, you’ll see results. But I understood that it was simple in theory, but to practice and apply, it was super hard. I can get that. Why it was so hard just to change those things until I did it, it was humbled. It was way harder than I thought it would be. And I realized just how powerful, the emotional connection to food that people have.
Right. Um, and, and, and food cravings are way more powerful than I give them credit to before I did this journey. So it was a very humbling experience for me. It was eye opening and gave me a different perspective. And at the end of the day, it helped me have more empathy, more respect, and a better understanding for those who struggle with, you know, a transformation in general. So, um, for me, I’ve never regretted doing it other than it was really hard. The food tasted good for a minute, but then you can only eat so much pizza and cookies before you are sick of them. So,
yeah, but that’s amazing. I mean, look at you, you not only empowered yourself, but now you’re empowering so many people. I mean, you’re very inspiring. So the fact that you did that and had that journey, you inspired me, even though I said, no,
no,
it’s all good. I don’t expect everybody to do it, but, um, keep doing what you’re doing. Christie, thank you so much for coming on today. I really enjoyed having you on and talking about the topics we discussed. Cause I really do feel, you know, people can benefit from these topics that you discussed. And it’s just the whole mission of this is to get these things that me and you talk about in the fitness industry, right? We live in this bubble to get these things to the mainstream, right? To your average person that really doesn’t understand these kinds of concepts. So it’s about taking baby steps with people and getting these things that are common to you and I right. And getting it out there and to the masses. Absolutely. Education is key. Thank you so much for having me. I had so much fun. Yes. And the next time I mountain. So Cal, which will be pretty soon off, reach out to you and stop by your place.
Please. Please do. That would be fun. All right, Christie. Thank you, drew. Thank you. Have a good day.
Bye bye.
All right, everyone. Hopefully enjoy today’s episode with Christie. Akuna let us know what you guys think, uh, or what you guys thought of this episode with Christie Akuna, um, and let us know your thoughts. So we’d love hearing from you guys. Please feel free to reach out to me on social media, with suggestions, comments, concerns, complaints, anything you guys want to talk about, or, you know, future guests or suggestions that you have for us. I’m all ears re you can reach out to me at fit to fat to fit. Just like my book, just like my website. Um, I’m on all social media handles, I believe. Um, let me think about that. I believe I am at fit, fit, fit, um, and uh, if you haven’t done so yet you guys please sign up for my newsletter on my website. Um, just scroll down. It’s like the second section and enter in your email and be updated with news events, upcoming things, promotions, giveaways.
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