Unlocking the Secrets of Gut Health and Well-being with Bia Fernandes

Welcome back to the real life mom's podcast, where we empower moms to break free from feeling stuck and take actionable steps towards what's next. I'm Lisa Foster, your host. And today I'm here with Bia Fernandez. She is a busy mom of two teens and a health and wellness entrepreneur. And she has her own podcast called the radiance podcast.

So it's so nice to have you on the show today, Bia. Hi, Lisa. I'm so excited to be here as well. Thank you. I think this is just a timely chat because health and wellness is on everybody's mind, right? As we enter this new year. I think you're the perfect guest to have today. But before we jump into all that, I would love to learn a little bit about your story and your, what you call your midlife awakening. So if you don't mind sharing that with us, we'd love to hear it. Absolutely. And you're, you're right. It is so top of mind.

And most of us are forgetting about anything health related and everything goes out the window during the holiday. So I can absolutely relate to this [00:01:00] moment and we're all going to be freaking out in January. I just know it. So we'll pause for that now. We'll talk more about that later. But I love what you're doing.

I love the connection with women, with moms, and I, I laughed when I had this feeling of, this is not a midlife crisis, and I wanted to relabel that for, for all of us, because midlife crisis I feel like had such a bad connotation. And I was like, no, it's a midlife awakening. A lot of us. I wish I had awakened earlier in my lifetime.

I'm already 45. So why didn't this happen sooner?

So, busy mom of two. Yes. And I have an eight year old, I have a 12 year old. So teenager and, and boy, the two extremes midlife awakening happened 2020, which was such a pivotal year. For so many of us, every mom, every woman who I speak with, there is that positive tweak into that [00:02:00] 2020, you know, so I, I like to highlight the positive of that because it was, it was dark.

It was gray in 2020. It was challenging. I was, Not in the same headspace. I was just in the trenches of it, of motherhood. I think our house flooded in 2020. My dad had passed away. 

I got furloughed from my job. I was definitely in the trenches and I did not see much of the positive and I needed to snap out of it. And I think that's what really triggered me. How do I snap out of this? I just felt in this like dark, like place and. I was, you know, eating with my emotions, you know, I'm focusing on health and wellness.

So that's where I look back and what was I eating? I was absolutely eating leftover from my kid's plates. I wasn't nurturing my body. I wasn't eating the right foods that were going to give me energy. I was doing completely the opposite, whining down every night with a glass of wine. So that [00:03:00] that is common.

That is very normal in our society. Everybody has a glass of wine to wind down and it's there's no excuses. It was just common and normal. And having chocolate for me was my, you know, my comfort, my blanket, wanting to give myself a reward for working so hard. For having to deal with so many things with schedules with kids with work, we reward ourselves and our society has been so focused on emotional eating and being able to provide that Oh, I deserve that cookie today.

 Yes, yes, yes, yes. You must know me. I am this person. I don't know what it is. I'm like, oh, I did something good. I'm like out to go to Starbucks to get a little treat or. Forget about it. My fridge, I'm all about the leftovers. I am the leftover queen. Like I eat and I don't even like it, but I need to eat and finish these leftovers.

So I'm eating all [00:04:00] sorts of stuff that I should not be eating. So yes, I totally get it. And we need help. Yes, that, that was me. I promise you now I can look at the fridge and not.

Even though there are still sweets, you know, my kids are eight and 12. I still can look at the fridge and just realize, even if there's nothing else I could eat, I could just close it and walk away.

So the mindset was not there yet three years ago. And I realized I had to do something and it's almost like. A cold plunge. You have to really shock your system. And there's so many books written about in order to truly see a change, you have to shock your system.

But I am not a radical person. I don't love cold plunges, but I am open to new things. And I realized I had to change my nutrition. And that's when I realized that I have never been. a person to truly diet. I don't like to follow programs. I don't like to be told what to eat, but I realized I wasn't doing me any service of just, you're [00:05:00] right, like looking at the fridge and eating whatever was left over from the kids.

And I was, I had a lot of brain fog. I was tired. I do have hypothyroid so that my body would naturally shut down and I would have to take an awesome, like I would just hibernate like a bear for 20 minutes daily. But it wasn't conducive to being a professional, to working, to being a mom. And I realized, this is not me.

I can be so much better. Like. I can truly have an impact, and I wasn't. I wasn't having an impact that I wanted it. Okay, gut health. We're talking about gut health. And this is a hot, hot topic, I feel like. Everyone's talking about gut health. And gut health, I feel like, I think Hippocrates back when said disease starts in the gut, right?

I mean, so true. It's our second brain. It's so important. And it's the thing I think we listen to the least. gut reactions. We just kind of, you know, poo poo them. So going into this new year, [00:06:00] what should we be prioritizing and what habits should we be taking into the new year? I love that question.

changing more to organics, you know, all grass fed, um, free range eggs because of this focus on better food for you.

But there's still most of us are not able to shop in grocery store for all these Organics and healthier foods, but there are so many impacts of that in your health. And that's when it starts to impact your gut health because we are consuming just gluten tends to be.

Unfortunately, the [00:09:00] evil, if you're consuming gluten here in the US, gluten is the one of the number one inflammatory in our bodies and it can cause, I mean, I'm not a doctor, but I know there's so many links to, you know, Alzheimer's and other diseases and inflammation in general, we'll just put it that way. 

Inflammation. can be caused or induced or heightened could be another word by gluten. So eliminating gluten, even if you give your body a break for 30 days, it's almost like a car oil change.

But eliminating, for an example, gluten will give your body a way to reset. It's like eliminating this toxin that has been in your body on a daily basis. The other common allergens, as you can probably, um, guess I mentioned is also soy dairy is a big one for inflammation. I eliminated cow milk from my kid's diet.

So at an early age, they, I [00:10:00] switched them to almond milk because there's so much inflammation. If I have any dairy, sometimes people hate switching their cheese, but I could feel the inflammation. In my sinuses, I get so puffy. I get just a lot more brain fog. I get more tired and I don't know what it was.

And then I go back. Oh, did I eat cheese? Did I, you know, most of the times we're not drinking a glass of milk anymore for that, but in our Starbucks there's sometimes there's, you know, milk.

So it's making sometimes that simple change and I, I hate the word elimination because that triggers that fear. Like I am not going to cut this out, right? So when I do and help other women change habits, it's providing alternative. So what's a good alternative for gluten? Do you need to cut out gluten a hundred percent?

If you're wanting to see results and changing your microbiome, I think you'll see great results by cutting out, but can you [00:11:00] still have those carbohydrates? Can you still find alternatives for maybe if you love bread, sourdough would be a great option. If it's homemade sourdough, even better. 

 So finding alternatives because we want to eat. We don't want to feel that we can't go out to dinner anymore. We can't enjoy us, you know, a roll. Um, we cannot enjoy a Starbucks latte anymore, but choosing almond milk, choosing oat milk, coconut milk, all these other options that you can cut out your, your dairy.

Yeah, and those are small changes. I mean, that's easy to order. I love almond milk too. And my son actually, when he was younger, so he does not have an allergy to milk. However, he did not walk right away. He was a late walker. He was like 16 months and still not walking. He had blue under his eyes.

Now, I'm a pediatric physical therapist. Like, I do this for a living. I'm like, why is Megan not walking? And it turned out his ears were always clogged, [00:12:00] so we had to go get tubes. And before I did that, I had read something that if they have an allergy to dairy, that, the procedure isn't going to work because they'll just keep getting reclogged.

So I took him off for two weeks. He started walking next day. Wow. And blueness of his eyes gone. So we kept him off of milk and she switched him to things like almond milk. Um, they had goat milk at one point too, probably. And it was just so amazing. So eventually we got him tested and now he does have dairy, but limited dairy, you know, he has it more in yogurt and cheese than milk.

 But yeah, so interesting how big of a change to even just like a gross motor skill was behind because. A sensitivity to a food. That is, I mean, that's eye opening. I agree with you. And it's, it's about 70 to 80 percent of your immune system is in your gut. So that's why we say it's either the second or third most important organ in our bodies.

So really, truly focusing on what we're doing for our gut, you know, and, and most [00:13:00] of us can even be more vain and more of a sense of aesthetic, right? We feel bloated as moms, right? We do feel just puffy. Uh, we want our 

skin to glow. So all a little bit more on the aesthetic side of things, it eliminating some of these foods can help you get rid of bloating.

Right. I know a lot of us struggle. Like I want to diet. I want to lose weight. I want to fit in that bathing suit. 

 And that goes back to more having that mindset too, when we eat food that makes us feel good, but just knowing what are some of the foods that are going to help us to not feel bloated or just eliminate that bloating. It's just common. Things that we can change.

So, you know, on my, on my groups on, I have a Facebook group that I have always listed. What are some of the top five common allergens that people can stop? But here's the alternative. Here's what, what else you can, to your point order, [00:14:00] instead of feeling deprived, we, we enjoy food. We love eating. And so I think it's just, it's just knowledge, knowledge and having the tools because we're too busy.

 We want the checklists just because our society is we are on a high demand, um, being moms and working. So those are quick tips, uh, switching some of the foods, but then so eliminating is important, but also nourishing your body is also important.

So I think we, we do the system of we take out, but also what are we putting in? And that's where it becomes very important to think about our nutrition. What are some of the nutrients that we're consuming? What does our body need to have the energy to not have the brain fog to. Feel like at the top of your game.

And that's what we experienced as we get a little bit older in our forties and 45, we start to have a lot of changes. I know that what we ate when we were [00:15:00] 30, no longer serves us at this age. So knowing how to eat different was also another part of my aha moment. And so we coach women to, in terms of changing their daily habits. 

So most of us are not getting enough grains. And I have clients who say, no, no, I eat a salad every day. And I said, yes, that's, that's great. I'm sure you have some dark leafy greens in your salad. Kudos, you know, nobody's shaming anybody, but that's just not enough. And we don't, we don't know that because we haven't had the opportunity to look into further.

So I generally do a green shot every morning. I've been doing it for three years. And I, even when I travel, and that's usually when I need the most, I need to just rebalance my gut. So migraines, I also add a pre and probiotics. So the prebiotics is very good because you also want to nourish your, gut bacteria.

So this is all taking care of [00:16:00] your microbiome. So just having pre and probiotics within your daily routine. And I, I add a digestive enzyme. So that's my golden, I love to call it my golden morning routine. I wake up, I take a green shot every day. It sets the tone. And honestly, if that's all you did for that whole day, You got all your fruits and vegetables.

You have your pre and probiotic. Your gut is, is, is good. And you can, I mean, I'm not suggesting we do this, but we could screw the whole rest of the day. But at least you did something so good that morning that can literally set your, your day and your routine. Yeah. And you're starting off. Well, 

 Now for people who are listening or like, where is this green shot? I want this green shot. It's on your website, yes, it's on my website. I'm pretty sure I have it on my Instagram link as well. 

 Okay. And then I just want to clarify one thing, because when you said elimination, the gluten and the [00:17:00] dairy. Is that at the same time? Are you eliminating them at the same time or do you look to eliminate one, try it out, see how you feel, and then, you know, eliminate something else?

How do you? That's a great question. Yeah. And there, you know, there's so many different methods out there, Lisa. I have done the whole 30 before and it's, It was very difficult because I felt like I had to read a book and I had to follow so many different instructions that I failed. And that's, that's what it's hard sometimes with us when we try to do something that can be so complex.

So within my group coaching, what we do is we eliminate the five common allergens. There's just been a lot of research and studies about the five common allergens. And what we do is just cut out some of the, you know, so it's soy, corn, gluten dairy and we don't eliminate 100 percent of sugar. However, we do.

Um, is some of the fruits that can be [00:18:00] really high in sugar, so we recommend what fruits are good for you because fruits are still great, right? So in sugar is still okay. Our brain actually needs a little bit of sugar, right? To be able to process and stay alert, uh, so it's almost just a low glycemic.

So we do cut out these foods within the 30 day process, um, all together. And what happens is, is that compounding effect. So it's almost that I don't want to say we accelerate the process, but when you unplug the bathtub, the water drains, right? That's a visual. Thank you. Thank you. So it's almost like let's get rid of all that crap without lack of better word and let's just detox, get rid of toxins from our bodies and let's put all goodness in your body.

So how amazing is your body going to feel if you do this for 30 days? Because if you're already doing one, it might as well. It's like a mindset change. And when we do [00:19:00] it, I do it with a, we have accountability group. Most people, when they do something new, when they do it on their own, it's very easy to find excuses and give yourself a reason why I'm not doing it today.

And when you say I'm not doing it today, You're not going to do it tomorrow. And then it's just a domino effect. So we found that doing it together with a group of women, mostly women, sorry, we love, we love the having that sisterhood is so supportive. And when one person does it, when one person's doing their green shot, Then the other ones are going to be like, Oh, I should do mine today too.

So it's more of a motivation. So yes, we eliminate together. We provide alternatives so that you're not feeling like you're missing out. And most people start to notice a change within their first. I would say within [00:20:00] their first 10 days. Yeah. Yes, that together thing is huge.

 Now you're talking also about mindset a lot of here the word mindset mindset So what is this mindset that we can?

Kind of wrap our heads around that we can really take and help us get into new habits in this new year I love that question. And if you had asked me three years ago, I would have nothing to tell you about that because I would just tell you I am so tired. I have no time for for that. However, I feel like when we take care of our bodies and we nourishing and we have all these side effects, right?

Our brain starts to functioning better. We just feel more on top of things and things just get more clear. So the whole brain fog Is real. And when you can really diminish that brain fog, feeling like you, you can take on today, then that's, I think that transition of being able to develop and culture [00:21:00] that mindset.

And I love to connect the analogy with the mindset and exercise. . It's the same thing. You can't just do mindset one day for the week and expect results. So you can't just do 20 squats on Monday and expect to have a firm, but by the 

end of the week, it's a continuous. Consistent practice and mindset can be so many different things for so many people.

I am not a guru on establishing mindsets, but I have seen what I have done for me and my groups. It's just being able to do small things that allow us to get into it every day a little more. So what I started with is just meditating. I I know people either struggle with meditating, they can never close their eyes and be in a quiet moment for more than 10 minutes.

And, or they just fall asleep. So I've been through all that and I [00:22:00] have done guided meditation and I have done quiet meditation. I think you have to practice. Try both. And even if you just start with five minutes of quiet time, and some people love to pray. Some people love to just be quiet or listen to a guided meditation.

Either, either works. It's just having that quiet time. But what you'll start to notice is that shift in mindset. When things are more clear, you feel more on top of your game and practicing the meditation, practicing journaling, gratitude. I have not been journaling the last Maybe three months and I noticed I noticed that I have not been feeling gratitude and literally the last this last few days I picked up my gratitude journal again, and not did I read I read the last few months and I felt so happy and I realized I need to get back onto the gratitude journaling, it really made a difference and for the small things.

 The more you think [00:23:00] about being grateful for the little things in your life, the more of those experiences you're going to have. And so I have been a firm believer of promoting that more of that.

Call it positive mindset or positive attitude. We, we're not positive 100 percent of the time. Nobody can be positive 100 percent of the time. I am not. I go through the roller coaster of mom emotions every day, but it's almost being able to reset. It's being able to take, how can I take five minutes to reset right now?

 Yeah, and I, I'm going to say you can't do meditation wrong. You really can't, even if your mind is racing.

I mean, we're alive. Of course it's racing. God, like I don't want it to shut off, right? Like it's important for our minds to work, but you can't do it wrong. And I look at meditation as the time to listen to me. For me, I'm very in tune to myself, but I don't give myself the time to do that. So I [00:24:00] like to like sit and just scan my body a little bit and just see what feels like it needs something, you know, and listen, like half the time we're moms, we're working, we're doing all this stuff.

No one's listening to us, right? So why can't we listen to us? And that's, that's during my meditation time. So I enjoy that. And that does really ground me for the day. That's very important. And then I want to add to your gratitude because what I realized about gratitude is also, and I love the little things because We don't see what we have.

We're so always chasing what we want, what we need, what we should, what we have to. But when sometimes you just look what's in front of you and what you have, you're like, Oh my God, I already have everything I need. And I didn't even know because I never took the chance to stop.

I love that so much. It's, it's so true. So I feel like when we are around other people, other women who are, that's another thing, just having that community. Because you want people to push you in that [00:25:00] direction. You need somebody to lead you, uh, and, and share what's possible with, you know, the, the health and wellness change with the mindset change and fitness.

We haven't talked too much about fitness, but I am not a. a huge workout person, but I work out every day, almost every day. I do cut myself some slack, but even if it is just jumping on the, I ride a Peloton. So for me, if even if it's jumping on a Peloton for 10, 15 minutes, maybe 15, 20, that will do wonders for my whole day.

So when I started the whole routine of health and mindset and fitness, I had to do it early in the morning. So that's why I call it the golden morning routine because most of us, our day can get taken away by kids, by family, by all the other tasks, by work that we have. So I realized that I had to wake up before my kids.[00:26:00] 

And they were a little younger back then. And I wanted that time for myself. And I realized how much happier by having an hour to myself every day. And what do I want to do in the hour? So that's when I do my nourishing.

I do my green shot, right? I get my exercise and I'll do a peloton ride. Now I will be honest, I won't always do the meditation and the exercise because then I start to creep in into breakfast time. But sometimes it's one or the other. Sometimes I'll exercise and sometimes I'll do, I'll go outside and be with nature and.

There's amazing sunrises. Luckily we get to, we get to see sunrise by our house and I just love the beautiful sunrises we're having lately and just be there for 10 minutes. So it's, it's that golden morning routine that to your point, it sets the tone for the day and you feel at least you took care of yourself.

But if you have a routine that you can do for yourself and focusing on your [00:27:00] health, your mind and fitness for maybe it's 45 minutes, maybe it's 20, whatever you can get. 

I think you're going to start to feel amazing and just things are going to start to change. It's that domino compounding effect. And I love that you're pointing out like these 20 minutes, 15 minutes, because I think that's where we lose it. It's like all of a sudden, you know, you think you need the hour or the 45 minutes and.

I, you know, I'll look at the clock. I'm like, Oh my God, I have 15 minutes or 20 minutes. And I'm like, I'm going to go down to my treadmill and I'm just going to walk for 15 minutes because I can do that. And it does, it, it keeps up the habit of just showing up. Even if it's five minutes, I showed up, I'm moving.

My joints are getting lubricated. It is important at my age. Cause I'm 50. Okay. So like I'm actually over 50. So yeah, it is important at my age to be moving. And I love that. Yes, it could be 20 minutes. We don't have to have an hour if [00:28:00] we're consistent going back to your consistent and showing up. So yeah, just keep being consistent and do what you can during that time.

Absolutely. Absolutely. I think it's as busy moms, we just want small bite size and just creating that consistency for that 15, 20 minutes. And it's incredible how much can truly. Change over time and I, as we look now, just even thinking most of us right now are sitting in the, the holiday mode and we're thinking, let's just get through this.

Don't give me anything else to add to my plate, but you will be a happier person. You will be more productive. If you do take that 15 minutes for yourself, I, we Lisa and I promise you will promise. Yes, totally. So tell us, Bia, where can the listeners find you? Oh, awesome. I, I feel like Instagram has been my easy way to find me at RadianceBia.

And I'm [00:29:00] there in the morning showing you my workouts. Sometimes I'm in my pajamas doing my growing shot. Sometimes my, I'm all done and I'm getting out the door. So at Radiancebia, and then I also have my podcast. So you can find podcasts on Spotify and also Apple podcasts. And I do have an exclusive VIP group on Facebook.

Lisa, I would love for you to join. And it's basically sharing more about tips. tips on how to eat healthier, how to avoid the holiday struggle, how to make through the holidays, but also we're going to be really focusing on our January reset. And what are some of the steps that you can even start now?

Because I know in the next 10 days, we're going to be heads down with the holidays, but there's little things that you can just commit yourself for a January. Yes, January, we're all going to be right. It's normal. We're all signing up for goals and I wanted to say don't write 10 goals for [00:30:00] January. Just write two.

And there is a saying in terms of, instead of the word goals, because I know a lot of us will look back in 23, And just say, Oh, gosh, I barely completed any, any of my goals and that feels kind of deflating. Nobody wants to feel that way. So it's almost just like targets. What are some, and maybe it's a journey, right?

By January, I want to, I don't know, for me, it's going to be, I want to exercise my legs a little bit more. I want to be able to do 50 squats a day, you know, small tasks that you can feel like you can accomplish and check that box. Maybe for other people would be like, I want to do a green shot every day, small tasks that can have that compounding effect, right?

That over time, yes, you want to lose 10 pounds. So with these small tasks, you can lose 10 pounds, whatever, let's just say in two months, right, whatever that timeline is. So I think it's just [00:31:00] completing small tasks for us and focusing in January, just really focusing on that, those consistent healthy habits can make a significant impact.

I love that that to target thing, because yes, exactly. My whole, Goal or target for the new year is to simplify and not have so many Things so I love the two i'm going to stick with that So what would you like the listeners to do? So I'd love you to tell them an actionable step that they can take today So they can start off this new year I'm going to talk a little bit about how to move your body.

On the right foot. Oh, my gosh. Let's move our bodies. Honestly. Like one thing that you can do today is. To your point, get on the treadmill, go outside. If it's good weather, go for a walk with the family. Jump on a bike. Or do a workout online or go to your favorite studio. I think when you start to move your body.

I feel like you start to really just. All the endorphins. Right. And we didn't [00:32:00] talk much, much about that, but you, when you feel good. You can do so many things. And then think about one healthy habit that you want to change. And for some people it could be like drop the diet coke, or maybe don't have a Starbucks every day.

And then maybe add your green shot. That's it. Man, I do not have Starbucks every day. I want it, but I don't have it. Okay. A little footnote on that. So I gave up coffee three years ago because of all the acidity in coffee and I have changed my whole, my whole gut because of also giving up coffee. And we didn't talk much about coffee, but I do love a chai tea latte and Starbucks makes the best that's gluten free and dairy free.

However, I was looking on the app and I noticed how much sugar a chai tea latte has. Do you want No, I don't. I don't even think I want to know how much is it? 44 grams of sugar. I think it was a [00:33:00] grande, whatever that is, 16 ounces. Oh my goodness. They are very good. Yes. Yes, that is awful. So I literally was, I'm done. 

I'm done with Starbucks. You no longer get my money and I no longer want your sugar. Okay. Well, things to think about little small changes, little by little, right? Yes. Oh, well, thank you being so much for coming on the show. This has been so much fun and you had so much great information to share. I really appreciate that.

Well, I appreciate you, Lisa. It was amazing getting to know you. And I'm so grateful for women like you creating the space for other women and for us to link arms and just create this community of knowledge and power and just feeling amazing every day. So thank you and happy holidays and happy new year.

And I hope to see some of your faces in my VIP group.