• March 30, 2023
• By Homework Help Global
• In The Homework Help Show, The Homework Help Show
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Biohacking Brittany who currently hosts one of the most successful biohacking podcasts and helps people on their healing journeys graces The Homework Help Show on their 34th episode. Learn how to biohack yourself, learn about ecotherapy, and how naturopathic healing might just be the answer to all your physical and mental problems.

Brittany Ford’s Early Life

Before becoming a natural health practitioner, Brittany Ford took up political science at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. Born in South Africa, Brittany and her family immigrated to Canada because of the political unrest and complications in their country.

Most students who go to college and are expected to make big decisions at such a young age rarely follow through with their chosen career paths. Brittany recalled that she didn’t know what she wanted to do initially which prompted her to continue her studies on global health. She initially thought of becoming a naturopath and that idea would eventually lead her to become a biohacking expert with her own successful podcast.

Brittany’s inclination to everything health-related started because she went through health issues at a young age. She became aware of alternative healing techniques that western medicine doesn’t necessarily subscribe to. What started out as a passion and a way to heal herself has now it has become a career for her.

The Path To Natural Healing

As becoming a nutritionist became a clearer goal for Brittany, it was now a matter of getting herself there even when her degree was in political science. It wasn’t all for nothing because as she was working remotely, she was able to study nutrition simultaneously.

Currently, Brittany Ford is popularly known as Biohacking Brittany on social media. She’s now become a registered holistic nutritionist and helps her clients with a biohacking guide to optimizing their health. For her business to grow, Brittany saw early on how imperative it would be to start an online platform to reach her target clients. She grew her Instagram account, created a website, and then started to host her own podcast that’s actually in the top 15 best biohacking podcasts from 2019 to 2022. Brittany knew that she wanted to keep working remotely but still be able to reach people through her online platforms and she has succeeded in doing so.

What Is A Biohacker and How Brittany Became One

During her high school years, Brittany started seeing a naturopath for her own health issues. Naturopaths might not get as much notoriety as regular western-medicine-practicing doctors but they too go through schooling. According to the National University of Health Sciences, naturopathic physicians and doctors of natural medicine are trained to become primary care physicians. They are also able to diagnose and treat patients with illnesses. Naturopaths practice holistic healing techniques like acupuncture but are also able to prescribe certain medication, IVs, nutritional supplements, and more body life hacks.

While Brittany isn’t a naturopath herself, she was able to explain thoroughly what they do because they’ve helped her a lot in her healing journey. On her holistic healing journey, Brittany also started practicing what is called ancestral eating. At its base, ancestral eating is to follow the way of eating humans did from the paleolithic era. However, it’s completely different from the well-known paleo diet. It’s less restrictive, doesn’t count macros, and in layman’s terms is just the most natural way of eating whole foods including animal protein. To follow ancestral eating you stray away from anything processed and choose the most natural forms of whole foods.

For students in high school or university, Brittany acknowledges the fact that it isn’t always realistic to cook food from scratch. She advises younger students to make healthier choices today because they follow you into adulthood. No matter what diet you follow, it’s all about making the conscious effort to choose better foods to ingest and better habits to follow.

To know more about the best foods to eat while studying, check out our blog on 25 brain foods for studying.

What Is Biohacking Your Body?

The human microbiome is described by Brittany as a “rainforest inside our gut”. There are all these different types of healthy bacteria that live in our gut and they are imperative to our health. A diverse microbiome with all the right microorganisms makes for stronger immune systems.

Biohacking your body means using holistic ways to practice self-care to reach optimal health. Learning how to biohack for optimal health not only looks at your nutrition but also encompasses other areas of your life like stress, relationships, your environment, sleep, supplements, and your fitness. To learn how to biohack, you need to ask the right questions about whether you’re doing all of the above in the right way for your body specifically. Biohackers take optimizing their health very seriously and Brittany specifically focuses on self-care after she was able to heal her illnesses from her younger years. It’s a way to elevate the already existing self-care routines you have. For example, instead of taking a regular hot bath, practicing how to biohack would entail putting magnesium, binary beets, and other herbs to elevate your experience and get more health benefits out of your regular routines.

Biohacking products aren’t even all that necessary because most of the additives to practice optimizing your health are found in nature. There are supplements you can take because technology and science have permitted us to elevate the practice even more. You can even learn how to biohack sleep naturally by fixing your circadian rhythm and following your natural body clock. Another way to optimize your sleep is by making sure you get rid of blue light or light emitted from phones or TV to make sure you get the best rest.

No matter where you are, there are always ways for you to be the healthiest version of yourself. Read more on how you can stay healthy as a student.

More Ways To Biohack

1. Rest

Rest is the most important factor in keeping a healthy body. One of the easiest ways to biohack your sleep is by simply turning off bright or blue lights before bedtime. If you’re the type to scroll endlessly on your phone, that’s actually damaging your sleep. Brittany advises no phones at least an hour before sleeping because it disrupts the natural production of melatonin or the sleep hormone.

2. Move Your Body

Another important factor in staying healthy and in good shape is by regularly moving the body. You don’t necessarily have to go hard in the gym to do so. Brittany values nature a lot and says walking for an hour a day will do the job. Since her whole business is online, she really takes the time to surround herself with nature and step away from her phone and computer screens. The best way she does this is by walking her dog and getting sun and fresh air each day. Not only is her daily walk good for her physically but it does wonders for her mental health as well.

3. Unplug

There are so many benefits to grounding yourself in nature. Whether it’s walking in a park, walking on grass, or the beach, being one with nature is an amazing way to unplug. Sundays for Brittany and some of her friends mean unplugging from all technological devices for at least an hour. We are constantly stimulated by work and social media and it’s really beneficial to unplug as much as we can. Unplugging from technology is now the best way to recharge.

4. Practice Ancestral Eating

If you’re a student struggling with eating right, instead of ordering fast food and eating junk, try your best to eat whole foods. Ancestral eating isn’t restrictive but it does highlight eating foods just as they are. That means more plant vegetables, animal products, and raw milk. Biohacking Brittany’s advice is to “choose all-natural as much as possible.” The easiest way to do this for example is instead of buying peanut butter with a lot of sugar, choose an all-natural and organic version. It’s better to make lifestyle changes when you’re younger and still a student so you can bring those healthy habits along with you through the years.

5. Vote With Your Dollar

All companies collect data from consumers and the consumers’ choice of products carries so much weight. Voting with your dollar means choosing healthier alternatives and therefore showing that demand to food manufacturers. By choosing healthier options, companies are more likely to create products that people gravitate towards. Today, people are more health conscious which explains why a lot of food products are labeled gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan, etc. You might not think that your personal choices make a big difference, but it does.

Need More Health Tips As A Student? Watch The Full Homework Help Show Episode!

At Homework Help UK, we care about our customers and not just regarding their academics but also their health. We have blogs on how to de-stress while in school and stress management tips.

We also understand that overwhelming responsibilities are one of the leading causes of a lack of motivation. Because of that, Homework Help UK has been offering cheap custom essay writing services. We will always advocate for a stress-free semester by telling you all you need to know health-wise, how to excel in school and most of all where to find the most reliable help whenever you need it.

Watch Brittany Ford’s full episode and see all the links on Homework Help UK’s Podcast Page. You can listen to or watch the episode on all streaming platforms today!

FULL TRANSCRIPT FROM OUR PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH BRITTANY FORD BELOW

Brittany [00:00:02] We are very much addicted to our phones. You know, people are scrolling late at night on Tik Tok, like looking at videos and that is not helping our sleep at all. So I really try and recommend no screen time for an hour before you turn off the lights and go to bed.

Patricia [00:00:30] Hi, everyone. Welcome back to The Homework Help Show. I’m your host Patricia, and this podcast is your one stop shop for advice, motivation and inspiration. So whether you’re in the journey of your educational career or have finished that season in your life, there’s always a lesson we hope to impart. Today we are joined by Miss Brittany Ford, or better known as Biohacking Brittany. She has a successful online platform and podcast where she teaches all about optimizing your health. And today we’re going to explore the many ways we can start healing using holistic nutrition, ancestral eating and more. Hi, Brittany. How are you? Thanks for coming on our show.

Brittany [00:01:11] Hey, I’m great. Thank you so much for having me.

Patricia [00:01:13] We always like to ask our guests, first and foremost, where they are born and raised. So could you tell us about that?

Brittany [00:01:20] Yeah, I love that. So I was born in South Africa, actually, and lived there for quite a lot of my childhood and then immigrated to Canada and moved out to the west coast of Canada about seven years ago now. Yeah.

Patricia [00:01:37] So does are you actually from South Africa or are your family is your family originally from Canada? Because I really I thought you were Canadian. I know.

Brittany [00:01:46] You’re in. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, I’m in Canada now. I’ve been in Canada for a long time. But yeah, my whole family is from South Africa. As in, like, we were born there and my grandparents were born there as well. And a lot of people end up immigrating from South Africa due to the situation over there. So, yeah, I mean, it’s it’s been interesting.

Patricia [00:02:09] That’s really fascinating. Was the move hard for you or have you like really been like used to being in Canada now or do you still miss being in South Africa?

Brittany [00:02:18] Yeah. So it was I think it was difficult at the time, although I was a kid and it was pretty easy to kind of learn how Canadians do things differently, I guess. But I do go back every few years and it obviously is a part of who I am, and I still have family and friends there. And yeah, it’s kind of like a blended world now of South Africa and Canada.

Patricia [00:02:43] I love that. I feel I relate to a bit in that sense as well, that I didn’t grow up where I currently live right now. So I do get you in that sense. I want to ask you, did you go to college or university and if you did, where?

Brittany [00:02:59] Yeah, So I guess I went to both. So I went to university in Ontario. I went to Laurier University. I don’t know how well, you know Canada. I’m guessing you’re in the States. Actually, I don’t even know where you’re located. Are you? Where are you?

Patricia [00:03:14] Office. Our main office, Homework Help Global is actually stationed in Canada currently. I’m in the Philippines. But, yeah, our offices and our CEO and where we actually, like, started. We’re actually from Canada, so.

Brittany [00:03:28] Nice. Where. Where in Canada is it?

Patricia [00:03:30] I believe it’s in Ontario. I might be mistaken. I wouldn’t tell you because I’ve never been. I’ve been working remotely, but yeah.

Brittany [00:03:40] Yeah. So I went to university in Ontario. Like I said, like Laurier. And then a few years later, I studied online at a online college as well. So I kind of did both.

Patricia [00:03:52] Wow. And what did you take? Like what course did you take during those times?

Brittany [00:03:58] Yeah. So university, political science and global health type of idea for four years, which is great. And then I went back to school a few years after working and studied holistic nutrition at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. And I studied online.

Patricia [00:04:17] What made you, like, take that? That’s step because I feel like those are very two different like industry.

Brittany [00:04:24] Yeah, yeah, definitely. So I think that I like I went to university right out of high school at like 17 and most people do, right? Like some people take a gap year. But for me it was never really an option not to go to university. And my family, like everybody does, which obviously I’m very privileged. Mind you, I did pay my way through it, but obviously I’m still privileged to have access to university in the first place. And so I didn’t really know at that young age what I wanted to do. Like I knew I wanted to be in the health world somewhere somehow, which is why I studied global health. And I really like looking at health from this political perspective. But when I came out of university, I really considered becoming a Naturopath and studying that, which would have been another four years, another four year degree. And at the time I was burnt out from school and I just didn’t want to do it. Like I was like, No, I need to work. And I moved to Vancouver by myself at the end of university and went into the working world and needed some experience and needed really time to like kind of figure out what I wanted my career to look like and where in the health world I was going to fit. And I’m really glad that I took that time because if I had gone to college or university or post-grad or anything right after my university degree, I wouldn’t have known for sure that this is what I wanted to do. I wouldn’t have had that perspective and that experience. So after a few years of working in like not health related field at all, I really took the time to be like, okay, this is what I want to do. This is how I think this is going to help me. And then I really procrastinated making that decision for a while, as you do, because you know, you get comfortable. And anyway, I ended up pulling the plug and I was like, okay, let’s just do this. And so I went back to school.

Patricia [00:06:25] I love that. And actually, like, I hear that from a lot of people, like it’s such an overwhelming decision to make, especially when you’re at that young age, like straight out of high school, and then you’re expected to know exactly what career you want without even knowing what the working world is like. You’ve never had that experience. I actually assumed that you took nutrition, like in college, but you did say that you’ve always been curious about the health world. Like where does that come from and where do you think you like got that? Like in it, just like that calling, I would say.

Brittany [00:07:01] Yeah, yeah. So I in high school I started dealing with health issues myself. And so because of that, it made me very aware of natural health and alternative health and how we can heal the body in different ways other than what your doctor might tell you. And through those struggles, that’s like how I fell in love with healing and health in general. But I just at the time, I didn’t know how to translate that passion and that drive and ambition into a career. And and it’s different now. Like, I feel like now a lot of people don’t go to university. A lot of people make careers very differently, right? Like, it’s just so different now with social media and working online. So I don’t know. I mean, when I have kids, I don’t know if I would push them to go back or go to university in the first place. Like it would obviously be an option for them if they wanted to do that. But I think that you could have a very successful career without university or college at this point.

Patricia [00:08:02] Absolutely. And I feel the thing because you said a while ago that it wasn’t ever like an option for you not to go to university in much the same here. I feel like maybe that’s just like our generation, how we used to think before that in order to be successful and have a good job, you have to go through higher education. But it’s so different now, like the landscape and how you can earn money now is like totally insane. And I was exacerbated by the rise of social media. So there’s just so many facets now. So like success and like to get to where you want to be career wise. So with that said, like, how did you start being a health content creator?

Brittany [00:08:40] My university degree did get me work coming out of it. So like I after my university degree, I actually went to work at an architecture firm for a few years, which was like not. Health related at all. But without that degree, I actually wouldn’t have gotten a job at the time. And so it’s interesting looking back now, because I do think degrees are important for specific work and for specific jobs. But it’s like you said, if you want to be a content creator, if you want to build your own business, be an entrepreneur. Don’t really need it. Like, social media makes more millionaires now than real estate does. And that’s insane. That’s like actually insane. How many people are creating extremely profitable careers off of Instagram, YouTube, podcasts? Like the world is really blown up. And so for me, I studied nutrition in college online while traveling for a couple of years and working online as well. And then I finished it and then got my degree. And so I’m a nutritionist, registered, holistic nutritionist, and I started seeing clients and it’s good. But I at the beginning of going back to school, I started my online platform will say. So I started my Instagram account and my website, and then it moved into a podcast and also like other platforms, TikTok and different things now. But I started that right at the beginning of going back to school because I knew that one day if I want this business to be profitable, I would need an audience to sell to and I would need an audience to talk to and like a community of people. And that was the best thing I ever did. Because when I came out of school the second time, I had a platform. I wasn’t coming out of school being like, okay, day one, zero followers, zero listeners, you know, Hey guys, I’m a nutritionist. Sign up. Like, who are you talking to? I came out of school with whatever numbers they were, and so it was really easy to, like, launch a business off the ground at that point. And that’s what I recommend to everybody who talks to me about being a nutritionist, going and studying or anything similar to that. It’s like if you’re planning on seeing clients one on one, I really do recommend starting your online platform as soon as you can. If you plan on seeing people globally and internationally. And I know this did not answer your question at all, but anyway.

Patricia [00:10:58] No, it’s given me a lot of insight and that’s fascinating because so basically when you started your like online course and really got into becoming a real nutritionist. You had already starting your platform. You were already building that foundation. So that’s actually really smart because you did you planned that out or was that just like something that you felt the need to do? And then it really just like succeeded and you actually started to gain a following from that?

Brittany [00:11:26] In the beginning, it was very intentional. Like, I just knew that again, like I knew I had to have some sort of platform in order to be successful. And not everybody is like that, right? Like, you get amazing Naturopathic doctors who have like a significant clientele in an office, in a clinic, in a city. But I knew that I wanted to solely work online. I didn’t want to be tied down to one location. And if I was going to solely work online for my entire career as I could foresee it at the moment, I had to have an audience. And so I just I just knew that’s where I wanted to head. And so that’s why I started it.

Patricia [00:12:02] And that’s really fascinating. And I’ll get to more about your business later. I’m really fascinated about that and how you like get clients and all that. But you did say earlier that you were experiencing some like health issues from like when you were still younger. So did you practice any like holistic nutrition back then when you were a student, or was that like a gradual thing that you had to like, learn before you started applying it to your life?

Brittany [00:12:25] Yeah. So I started making changes to my health when I was in high school and I started seeing a Naturopath. And through her I learned all about like supplements and herbs and lifestyle medicine and started reading all of these books and very much became like self educated and self taught before I officially went and studied to be a holistic nutritionist. So yeah, that, that was really helpful. And yeah, I started making changes right away and I had to because I was dealing with weird symptoms that I wanted to go away and I really wanted to take control of my health and I tested out a lot of things and I still do. So it’s funny.

Patricia [00:13:05] You were talking about like a Naturopath and how she helped you and taught you a lot of things. Would you like tell us what what that actually is like, Naturopath is?

Brittany [00:13:16] They’re Naturopathic doctors and they have a lot of schooling they have to do in order to like get that title. But essentially they actually weird describing this because I’m not one, but I’ve been to so many. They support your health and your body is through different means other than pharmaceuticals and surgeries and very drastic things that people do. So they do things like acupuncture, nutrition, lifestyle, medicine, supplements, IVs. They can also prescribed drugs if needed, and different things like that. So different Naturopaths specialize in different things. But they they’re very educated and they’re very well versed in different types of medicines that can support the body.

Patricia [00:14:07] So not just like natural or holistic health. They’re also kind of knowledgeable in like Western medicine. So they’re basically like natural doctors for like lack of a better term. Okay. So something that really interested me when I was like looking for you like a guest to have on here was like, it was one of the first times I had heard the term ancestral eating, and at the time I didn’t really know a lot about it. It wasn’t until I did research and started to find other creators who were like advocating ancestral eating in your own words, like what would you describe ancestral eating as? And how do you think young people, like students now maybe listening, how can they practice this.

Brittany [00:14:44] In social eating? The way that I describe it is it’s essentially how our ancestors used to eat, but it’s different from paleo. So a lot of people compare paleo eating with ancestral eating. So ancestral eating, let’s say we’ll look at how our ancestry is ate for a very long period of time. Whereas the paleo diet is only the Paleolithic era, which was, you know, 10,000 years ago or something. So ancestral eating is much more inclusive and it’s actually less strict than paleo eating is, so it’s very much rooted in all natural foods fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, raw dairy, meat products and and different things like that. It’s as natural as you can think, but it also includes like animal proteins. So it’s in no way like vegetarian or vegan or anything like that. And it doesn’t look at different macronutrients. So the keto diet obviously is like high fat, low carb, medium protein, which are like the three different macronutrients that we have, whereas ancestral eating doesn’t necessarily factor in specific macros like that. It’s not about counting your macronutrients like that or being in a state of ketosis or anything like that. It’s just like choosing foods that our ancestors age and choosing natural foods and choosing things that are not processed, which is obviously very difficult. So for students listening, like I’ve been there, it can be really tough to make these types of decisions, especially when you have deadlines and you’re working and you’re a student and you’re up writing papers late at night and those types of things. My biggest suggestion would be to try and choose all natural as much as possible. And it’s probably my suggestion for everybody, like instead of choosing peanut butter that has sugar and salt and icing sugar in it and it’s like super process, like choosing all natural peanut butter that’s organic that when you look at the ingredients, it literally just says like peanut, right? So even like a shift like that is going to be so much healthier for you and for yourselves than the alternatives that I just mentioned.

Patricia [00:17:01] Yeah, absolutely. I feel like now more than ever, we need to be more conscious and just like really looking at the ingredients of like the stuff we’re buying because like you said, like students especially, they’re super busy and have all these deadlines. It’s so easy to just like get fast food and like choose the most convenient thing, even though it’s like not healthy at all, even though it’s like the worst thing you could possibly put in your body. But it’s like easy, it’s convenient. And they don’t have they can’t you know, they don’t really think about it that much anymore. It’s kind of like part of our culture now with all these, like, processed foods, Like it’s so different from the way our ancestors ate before. Basically. Like for me, what I when I think of ancestral eating, it’s like going back to basics, you know, like our ancestors ate what was like available, what was there, you know. So I feel like, yeah, for our student listeners out there, just like check the labels, for example, like variations of like oatmilk available in the market. And then you can literally see like which brands have like so many of these unnecessary preservatives. So I think that’s yeah, it’s a really good, it’s a really good tip to just like be mindful. It doesn’t have to be like a huge shift to start. But those little changes can mean such a big difference.

Brittany [00:18:11] I agree with everything you said and like obviously it would be super nice if we could make everything from scratch ourselves at home. But that’s not the reality for most people. Like most people don’t have time to make their own nut milk at home, you know what I mean? Like just unrealistic. And when people suggest stuff like that, it’s just so frustrating because who has time to do that? And you would have to make new nut milk like every three days because it doesn’t even last that long anyway. So I think it is important to try and choose more natural foods and not necessarily worry about calories or macros or anything like that. The thing that I will say though, is that in university, in high school, the decisions that you’re making about your health and the decisions that you’re making about food follow you into adulthood. And it’s a lot harder to break those habits if you’ve been eating processed food for ten years or even longer. Right. Like, it’s very difficult. And there’s something to be said about being in your early twenties, late teens, and your metabolism is great, right? So maybe you could eat a bunch of junk food and it doesn’t really matter and your skin is still fine and your hormones are fine, but that doesn’t last. So even though you might not be seeing the consequences at this time, you if you continue with those habits for ten years, you definitely will be seeing them. And it’s just hard. It’s like it’s like people who start to go to the gym at the age of 40, like, yeah, it’s great and absolutely go and work out and exercise, but it’s going to be way harder to make that a habit than if you started going to the gym at 16 and you’ve already been doing it for almost 15 years or more than that, right? So I mean, it’s all about building healthy habits, I guess, at the end of the day.

Patricia [00:19:57] Absolutely. Building those little things, incorporating them to your life. I did read about that, like people who like exercise at a younger age and like, kept that healthy lifestyle were less likely to have like arthritis or like have problems with their joints and all of that because they’ve built up like it’s almost like muscle memory when you when you keep, you know, making these healthy habits, it’s just like it it’s part of your subconscious and you don’t even have to think about it. So, yeah, it’s it’s totally you’re totally right in the sense that, like, habits are way harder to break when you’re older. So if you’re smiling, like, try and make those, like, changes now while you can because you know, you’re totally right. It’ll follow you like and it’s like, what do they say? Like prevention is better than cure, right? Yeah. When it’s they’re you know, it’s going to be like maintenance that is and all that when you can like build the healthy habits now and then live a long, healthy life just like Yeah. Maintaining that right.

Brittany [00:20:54] Yeah I think it’s, it’s hard though because it’s a lot of work right. It’s a lot of effort and it’s a lot of sacrifice. And so a lot of people just don’t want to do it. A lot of people don’t want to exercise and like they don’t want to shop organic or go to the farmer’s market or learn how to cook instead of, you know, eating, Uber eats every night. And so I think that you really have to find the reason for you of like why you want to do this. Like, what is actually the driving force for you? And so for some people, it can be as simple as like weight management, you know, like they like the size that they’re at and they’re going to do X, Y, and Z to stay at this size or skin health or fertility or reproductive health. And then some people have a lot more drive because maybe they’ve seen a family member who didn’t do anything healthy and then that person has diabetes or got cancer or passed away when they were young, too young or like, etc., like all of these different things. So I think when you figure out your reason why that’s personal to you, it actually makes it a lot easier to stick to these healthy habits.

Patricia [00:22:04] Well, since we’re on the topic of like all these different ailments and diseases you can get when you’re not practicing like healthy habits, I did want to ask more about like plant medicine. From your perspective, since you did say you had like health problems in the past, what would you say were like the biggest difference from like when you were dealing with your sickness using Western medicine and then transitioning from like plant medicine?

Brittany [00:22:31] Yeah, yeah, yeah. So when I first like was dealing with health issues, when I was a teen, I was having like really weird symptoms. So like my hair was falling out and thinning and like, was getting shorter and shorter and my periods were all over the place. And so it was a lot of like hormonal issues as well as got imbalances and got health issues going on. So what I went to my doctor at the time, she did some blood tests and she was like, Oh, nothing, nothing’s wrong. All of your biomarkers are fine. But I knew something was wrong because I was dealing with these symptoms and I knew that I didn’t feel great or my hair was falling out, these types of things. So that is when I went to go and see a Naturopath and we did different tests and we looked at my gut health and we looked at my hormones more in-depth and we looked at more of them. And that was like, really? The difference was like this doctor that I had looked at very baseline things and everything was fine, but we didn’t actually look at my gut, we didn’t look at my microbiome, we didn’t look at bacteria, parasites, all of candida, like other things that I had going on. And so when I worked with the Naturopath and found out that I had these like root causes that were causing these symptoms. That was when it really changed. And that was the biggest difference between the two, was like this doctor was like, Hey, your symptoms. I don’t know why they’re happening. Your blood is fine. And this naturopathic doctor was like, Let’s find out the root cause through more in-depth testing and then solve your symptoms through that way.

Patricia [00:24:12] So could you tell me about how like, how do they do the testing? And like, I also want to know just in case for our students who don’t know, you did say the word microbiome. And my understanding, it’s like, for example, your gut or like your stomach. It has like an environment of its own right. And the things you eat, the things you put in, it has to be like in harmony with the rest of like the bacteria and all that stuff that lives in your gut, Am I correct?

Brittany [00:24:40] Yes. Yeah, that’s exactly it. So the way that I like to describe the microbiome to people is that it’s basically like a rainforest inside of our gut. So if you think of a rainforest, you think like there’s so much diversity that there’s so many different species, there’s so many different plants and animals, and they all have a different amount of population, they all do different things. And that same framework can be applied to our gut. So there’s like tons of different strains of bacteria. There’s viruses, like there’s other microorganisms that are all there. And that’s a good thing. Like we want diversity in our gut. That’s a very, very good thing that makes us stronger, that makes us have a strong immune system, a strong a stronger gut lining, all of these different things. So it’s kind of like comes down to how do we support that and how do we make sure that we continue to have a healthy, strong gut as we get older. And obviously it’s such a big discussion. There’s so many things that we can do, but it’s really important to to consider your gut in general when you’re dealing with symptoms that are unexplained.

Patricia [00:25:57] I think it is really important to just like get checked as a general, you know, like you don’t know how many underlying things you might have like because you’re like too afraid to go to the doctor. And I feel like for a lot of young students, like a lot of young people, they’re really scared of like going to the doctor and getting anything checked because they’re afraid of like finding out. So what would you, like advise those like people and like those young students, especially not even just like to go to a regular doctor to actually branch out and try finding like a naturopath, for example?

Brittany [00:26:28] Yeah. So at the time when I was going, it was it was different. It wasn’t as accessible as it as it is now. So there are tests that you can do and they just get delivered to your house now, which is fantastic. So you don’t even have to go to a doctor, you don’t have to go to a Naturopath these things where you have to show up in person. And so the one that’s really great for your gut is called Biome like B-I-O-M-E. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it, but it assesses your gut microbiome through a stool test and so they send it to your house, you give a sample, you send it back and they send you all of your results. And so it’s like there’s so many things that they look at and there’s a huge like a PDF, there’s an app, and they go through your results for you. So something like that can be super, super helpful. And that’s the type of thing that I wish that I did in high school. They weren’t around at that point, but that can be so telling of where you’re at and what you need to work on and what can be causing certain health issues that you might be having now.

Patricia [00:27:33] That’s like really fascinating, actually. I’ve never heard of that biome, but I’ll actually like try and get around to like seeing if they have that here in my country because like, I’m like curious as well. Like, you know, we get to at that age where you’re like, okay, I can’t I can’t put this off anymore. I need to know I want to optimize my health for the better and like, start living these, like, healthy habits. We don’t want to be like telling other people to, like, do this or what? You’re not actually, like, practicing it yourself. Right. And take a little break from that. First of all, congratulations, because your podcast was in the top 15 biohacking podcasts from 2019 to 2021, am I correct?

Brittany [00:28:14] Yeah. And this year too.

Patricia [00:28:18] Wow! Congratulations. What made you want to take your platform and like go to podcasting? How did you get started into that?

Brittany [00:28:26] Yeah. So. At the time, when I first launched the podcast, I was choosing between a podcast and YouTube, and I knew that I had to create a platform or avenue that was more long form content because as great as Instagram is and TikTok is and YouTube shorts are now, it’s very like bite size information, right? It’s very like a ten second video on this one little topic, this little thing. And I really wanted to create something that was longer than that and was more in depth and gave people more value and more information. And so I was choosing between YouTube and a podcast. And a podcast just seemed like easier, to be honest, like less work. I didn’t have to show up as much on camera. I just, like, felt more confident as well going into podcasting than I did for YouTube. So yeah, so I just launched it and there was definitely a learning curve with it as there is with any type of content creation. But a lot of people give up on podcasting. Like the statistic that I heard is that things like majority of podcasters give up after seven episodes because they realize how much work it takes to actually put out a podcast episode. And I’m sure, you know, like it’s so much work, like it’s way more work than people think it is. So congratulations to you. Obviously you’ve surpassed that. So yeah.

Patricia [00:29:52] You actually have like the accolades to prove that you have a successful podcast. But you’re right. Like the producing part is actually a lot of work and our podcast actually is going through a relaunch. So right now we’re going through like just like filming the episodes and then we’re going to edit them all in one go and then relaunch the show because we had a different host previously. So this is like our revamped version. You’re going to be part of like our The Homework Help Show 2.0. So yeah, it’s definitely a learning curve, but it’s, it’s enjoyable, especially if you’re like the type of person who, like, likes to talk a lot. Were you always like that? Like, did you always, like, like just being, you know, if you were given a mic, you would just, like, talk your heart out.

Brittany [00:30:34] Not necessarily. I think that I really wanted to be able to interview people that I probably wouldn’t have access to otherwise. So I think that’s something that I’ve noticed is like, as, you know, like you could interview people all over the world, and if I didn’t have a podcast, I wouldn’t be able to do that. I wouldn’t be able to talk to, like experts in our Vedic medicine in like China or whatever it is, right? Like, like that is so, so cool. Like the connection that you’ve got with people and how much you learn from other people is like by far the best thing that comes from having a podcast and it’s a network, right? Like one day I’m sure I’ll meet these people in person. I’m sure at a conference they would have been on my podcast and we’ll say hello, like it. It’s really opened a lot of doors that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. For me.

Patricia [00:31:27] That is so true. It’s just like expanding your you’re not working your platform because I mean for you this as a job, so Biohacking Brittany, what does biohacking mean to you? Because it it’s on your name. It rhymes with everything. It’s actually a nice branding thing. So what does biohacking mean to you?

Brittany [00:31:47] Yeah, so I define biohacking as holistic self-care for optimal health. And so essentially what that means is that instead of only looking at one topic or one avenue like nutrition, even though I am a nutritionist, like holistic self-care looks at everything. So it looks at your stress and your relationships and your environment and your sleep and your supplements and your fitness and everything that kind of makes you you and says, okay, this is what you’re doing, but is this the optimal way of doing it? Is this how to do those things in the best way in order for you to be the healthiest version of yourself? And so biohackers are very much into optimal health, leading a very long, healthy life, longevity, all of those types of things. And so, yeah, that’s kind of like the world that I’m in. It’s like self-care, but with a very common and specific goal, not just like take this hot bath at the end of your day, it’s like, okay, take this hot bath and put magnesium in it and put binary beets on and like candles and like, how do we. Yeah. Put herbs in the bath and like, do different things like that to really elevate it so that you can feel your best and get the most out of it. I mean, it sounds intense, but it’s not always intense.

Patricia [00:33:05] That’s really fascinating because I always will. I assume I didn’t know a lot about this. I assumed it had just a lot to do with eating and like working out and all that. But it’s like it doesn’t just optimize your health, it basically optimize your whole lifestyle and the way you live. What are like your top like biohacking, like methods that you could probably like try and prescribe to students that are like doable. Because like you, you talked about like putting herbs in your bath and like, probably a lot of students in dorms don’t have, like, a bath tub. So what do you think are like biohacking methods that students can try out that are like, good for starters, that aren’t even students? If you’re just like wanting to dip your toes and trying to optimize your whole life through biohacking, like what are like the easiest things they can do.

Brittany [00:33:50] I think a big thing for students is sleep. How do we sleep really well? How do you sleep really well so that you can show up better in class, so that you can show up better for exams and stuff like that. So when I was in school, I took sleep really seriously. Even back then I would go to bed, I think at like ten, you know, obviously, like I, I definitely partied a lot at that point in my life. But when I wasn’t out partying, I was definitely in bed really early. And so there’s a lot we can actually do for sleep. I think something that’s really important is turning off blue light and turning off bright lights early in the night. And this is really hard for people, right? Like we are very much addicted to our phones. You know, people are scrolling late at night on TikTok, like looking at videos, and that is not helping our sleep at all. So I really try and recommend no screen time for an hour before you turn off the lights and go to bed, turn the lights down low, whether you dim your lights or whether you light candles or wear blue blocking glasses or turn your lights red, there’s a bunch of different things you can do, but try and make it as dark and cozy as possible for an hour before you go to bed, at least an hour, so that you’re really like triggering that nighttime response biologically. Right? Obviously, everyone knows what melatonin is. Basically by now it’s the sleep hormone. And so blue light and bright light suppresses melatonin. So when we’re scrolling on our phones, when we have bright lights above us in our dorms like that is suppressing melatonin and making it harder for us to fall asleep. So it’s like, okay, how do we reduce that light so that we can fall asleep, sleep longer and wake up feeling refreshed and better the next morning?

Patricia [00:35:37] Well, that is like really fascinating because, like, you know, like students, like the lifestyle is like staying up really late at night, like studying and just like to the point of sleeping because of exhaustion. And that’s not really like healthy. We have this like, I forgot the term, maybe you can help me out. There’s like, like you’re biologically wired, like to wake up at a certain time. Like, there’s naturally, like, wants you to wake up early in the morning and you’re supposed to sleep late at night. Do you know what that’s called?

Brittany [00:36:06] Yeah, yeah, yeah. You talk about your circadian rhythm.

Patricia [00:36:09] Yeah, Circadian rhythm? Yeah. That’s like it really helps. I did read about, like, not having blue light thirty to an hour before bedtime to really, like, get that going because like, I feel like a lot of people, like circadian rhythm, it’s just like really like off the charts are just like not where it’s like supposed to be. So you heard it here, guys. Sleep is super important. So let’s talk about you. What are your favorite self-care rituals that you personally like love to practice?

Brittany [00:36:40] Practice? Yeah, um, it varies, like it varies by day, it varies by season, varies on what my goals are as well. So I think that right now I definitely value nature and getting outdoors. So I do a lot of walking outside every day. I do an hour walk outside. I also like exercise on top of that as well. But I think that is something that I’ve really come to love. And obviously having a dog makes that much more of a priority, but it’s really, really good for stress. Like the movement itself is great, the like the quietness from it, the fresh air, the just like getting away from looking at screens, right? So my whole business is online, like I’m on my computer, I’m on my phone all day. So when I take time to get outside, look at the sun, look at the environment around me, it’s like a fresh start. And especially if you do it in the morning, it feels amazing. Take a coffee with you. It’s like, that’s probably my favorite thing right now is like a morning walk with my dog and coffee, like, makes me feel so grounded and zen. And then I come home and I’m like, okay, I can get into my day now. I’ve done this morning routine kind of, and this is what makes me feel good. Like physically and mentally.

Patricia [00:38:00] That’s really great. You’re like, really lucky that you’re able to, you know, have that like access to like nature and be able to walk and all of that. But what would you say for like people who don’t have access to that? How how can they, like, be closer to nature? Because there is a lot of benefits and it is so grounding when you just like get rid of all the devices and just like I remember like, like being like one with the earth, like it’s like a different it just it feels different. I know exactly what you’re talking about. How refreshing it can be. But like, you know, life in the city and like with life, everyone’s like, so connected online, it can be hard to find that balance and have that relationship with nature. So what are a little ways that we can get around that?

Brittany [00:38:46] Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty tough if you don’t live close to nature. I would say I’m sure almost everybody can go outside and put your feet on the earth, even though it might not be like an ocean or trail and just get grounded in that way, I think is really important. I would also say that there are other ways that we can unplug, and that looks like turning our computers off and turning our phones off and spending time meditating or taking a nap or taking a bath or taking a hot shower if you don’t have a bath and just really spending time away from our devices in general. I have some friends who, you know, every Sunday they will turn off their phones and they’ll just like unplug for the entire day because they’re so plugged in all of the time. They’re so stimulated all of the time that now they really need a full day every single week to recharge and remember how to feel good without those types of things. And so, yeah, I mean, even reading a book like I know that’s typical. Like I remember when I was in university, I hated reading because I had to read so much in school that I would never read outside of school because why would I bother? But there’s something really nice about reading a fiction book, and I’d like a physical book, right? Like not a Kindle, not looking at a screen and just like, again, like getting rid of technology. As much as I love technology, I think it’s overused and it really, really can destroy our health if we if we let it. Yeah.

Patricia [00:40:16] I feel like his life right now, obviously, like we’re in the information age and we’re just like, that’s like so much technology. It’s made our lives infinitely easier and it’s made it more convenient. But at the same time, it’s taken us away from like the basics, which is pretty much like what like ancestral eating is. It’s just like going back to basics, like taking it, you know, finding our roots and like, centering ourselves away from like all these, like New Age devices that we’ve like, had over these past few years that weren’t around when our ancestors lived. Like, they survived. They were helped. They lived healthy lives without like the Internet. So that’s like such a huge part of like just our DNA and like, what really makes us healthy. If you look, there’s just like, this unspoken relationship with, like us being like part of the earth as well. And that’s why I can feel really grounding. I read as well, like just walking bare feet on grass can like really help you. Like, I’m not entirely sure, like the science science behind it or what it actually does are just like getting sun right. It’s like all those like little things that just like, remind you like you’re in this. Like there’s, like a world outside of, like, you know, being when you’re, like, plugged in. That’s why it’s important to unplug every once in a while. I wanted to ask more about, like, your business, the business side of, like, Biohacking Britney You have clients like in Canada, and it’s like purely online. So how does that work? Tell us a little bit more about that.

Brittany [00:41:48] Yeah. So I sometimes have clients as a nutritionist where I work with people one on one and it will be done over zoom over some sort of like platform hosting service like that. So that’s kind of like how that works. And yeah, I’ve had clients all over, like in the States, in Europe, in all sorts of places in Canada as well. And yeah, it’s been, it’s been great. I also have a lot of brands that I work with in terms of content creation and again, like they are all over the place as well. And so I mean it’s pretty easy now to run an online business, right? Like you email people, there’s software, there’s different software platforms for basically everything that you want to do client management, payment management, all sorts of stuff like that. So it really takes a while to kind of figure out your flow and how to manage everything that kind of comes at you every week. And then, yeah, you’re management systems and your processes in general, but when you kind of have like the world as your market, it’s pretty easy to, to create a lucrative business in content creation. So yeah, it’s pretty interesting.

Patricia [00:42:59] And when your clients like seek out your help, do they like usually have like health issues or they just or is it like a variation like some some people just want to optimize their lives and their health? What kind of clients do you usually get? Like who are the people that really seek out advice from you most of the time?

Brittany [00:43:20] So it’s a lot of kind of varies actually. So a lot of people have got health issues for sure, like a lot of people who are dealing. With bloating indigestion, weird bowel movement situations. IBS, things like that. A lot of that. And then there’s a lot of women who come to me for their hormones. So maybe they’re cycles irregular, maybe they’re trying to get pregnant, maybe they have PCOS or things like that. And so it’s kind of it ends up being like one of the two with those. But it’s usually like people who have tried everything and then they kind of find biohacking, you know, like they find like lifestyle medicine and they’re like, okay, like maybe I need to actually do a whole, like overhaul of my life and change these things and not just take some sort of medication to help this one symptom that I’m dealing with. And so it’s a lot of like going through their health history and looking at what they’ve tried and what’s worked and what hasn’t worked, and sending me their blood results and their test results so I can analyze them and help them understand what’s going on. That’s the other thing as well as like a lot of people who do these health tests that get sent to your house like biome or a Dutch test or there’s all these different ones that you can do testing different things. It is really helpful. But for the average person, they actually don’t understand what the results mean. Like, okay, you get this result, this PDF, and it says all of these different scores and numbers and different bacteria and you’re, you’re kind of like, okay, what do I do with this now? And so I help a lot of people with that of like analyzing their health tests and being like, okay, in summary, in general, this is what this is saying. Focus on these three things and let’s leave everything else for another time. So I get a lot of questions about that type of thing. When people are overwhelmed with how much data and information they’ve received.

Patricia [00:45:19] I love that. And that’s like so amazing that you’re around and there are a lot of like alternatives to just like we’re, we’re so used to, which is like Western medicine and there’s actually like better, healthier ways and more natural ways to deal with all these like issues that we have in our body. So it’s so amazing that you actually do that because you’re like literally helping people for a living, which must be like really like empowering as well, right?

Brittany [00:45:46] Yeah, Yeah. It’s definitely it’s awesome to give back. It’s awesome to see clients have results as well, right? Like whether it’s reducing a symptom that they’re dealing with or retesting and their test comes back better, whatever that test is. It’s really cool to help people along their health journey and just educate people in general on a different way of doing things like the Eastern approach to medicine and health is so much more holistic and softer and more gentle and very intentional about supporting the body and helping people kind of understand, that is really cool.

Patricia [00:46:27] Yeah, that’s so amazing. And that’s why I really wanted to just like have you on here as well, because it’s like giving awareness like that. You have other choices. There are other options out there that you might have not even thought about. But I did want to ask like, what do you think are the biggest challenges that people face and why they’re able to, like, keep this healthy lifestyle?

Brittany [00:46:47] I think it’s really difficult now with how much content is thrown in our face every day. And like I included myself in this, like between managing a job and like everything that comes with that, and then after you’re done work or after you’re done school, to then go to the gym and then cook a healthy dinner, like it’s just asking a lot of people and it’s really easy to turn on Netflix and order Uber Eats. It’s so much easier. You don’t even have to leave your couch. The food will come to your door. You can eat and be entertained at the same time every single night. And so obviously that is the easier approach and obviously that releases a bunch of dopamine and all of these feel good hormones for us, but long term it’s very detrimental to our health. And so I think the biggest issue that we’re facing is, I don’t know, like is that unplugging from technology? Is that a lack of being in tune with our bodies to understand what we need? Probably, yeah, but how are we supposed to be in-tune with our bodies if we don’t give ourselves the chance to listen? Because we’re just bombarded with work and school and then the phone and then Netflix, and then you go to bed and then you wake up and you do it again the next day, right? Or like, you’re out partying or you’re always with friends and like, there’s no chance to really tune into yourself, you know? So I think it’s tough. I think we’re up against a lot. There’s a lot of different things that we’re very comfortable now. Right. And not everybody, of course, like, I guess just privileged people in general are just very comfortable. And that makes it very difficult to go against that and do the harder thing. You know, so.

Patricia [00:48:34] That makes a lot of sense. It’s like a lot of different factors that go into it because like you said, there’s information overload. And right now we’re like probably the generation with the most choices. But like, the funny thing is, if anything, it’s like we have all these choices, but they’re not actually even the best choices. And it’s like so much easier to get like McDonald’s than to prepare like a healthy meal. Like for some, for some odd reason, there’s like that disconnect. Like, I wish it was like more easier for us to be able to have access to organic foods and all of that and have more choices on that. But, you know, I feel like it’s like so weird that we have more choices to do the wrong thing than the bad things that make sense.

Brittany [00:49:21] Yeah, well, there is responsibility that is on the individual for this, but it’s also a society issue, right? Like the fact that McDonald’s is cheaper than buying organic produce is a societal issue. And it’s. What that means is that one person can’t necessarily change that because it’s a multifaceted societal issue with a lot of investors and a lot of shadiness that happens that we don’t know about. Right. So you have to you have to remember, like the pharmaceutical world is a business. They’re there to make a ton of money off of you. Same with birth control. Birth control is a business. Is it what? Million dollar, Billion dollar business industry. Now it’s all of that, right? So it’s like we’re fighting against a lot of money and a lot of people who very much intentionally made the marketing of these things so palatable to us and so intriguing to us. And they just done a great job. Great like they’ve done a great job because it’s so we all want it. We all want fast food at Netflix all the time. And so how do we how do we fight against that? And I think when it’s a society issue like this, I really like when people talk about voting with our dollars. And that means that when you go to the grocery store and you actually buy the organic almonds versus the non organic almonds, you are telling that grocery store and that brand and that company, that larger company that owns that, that it’s more important for you to buy organic than not organic. And that means that they are going to eventually and obviously we’ve seen this over the last five, ten years, we are seeing more and more organic options coming into the stores now because you’re voting with your dollars and you’re saying, hey, this is important to me. So I think at the end of the day, like making those decisions is really important. Obviously, sometimes there’s a cost difference and you have to be able to afford it. Again, this is a conversation about privilege as well. So it’s tough. Like it it’s multifaceted and it’s tough to make these decisions and it’s tough all around. I don’t know.

Patricia [00:51:35] And it is such a challenge. Like, it’s it’s a whole different conversation, like what you said a while ago with, like pharmaceutical industry, like making money off of like sick people. And if you like, if there are healthy people, like there’s no one else to heal, like how they’re going to make money. And like, I like what you said to like voting with our dollar because like, I’m vegetarian and I started this journey about eight years ago and I remember how difficult it was to eat out, how difficult it was to find all of these like options that I could eat. And now, eight years later, I realized how much more convenient it has become, probably because of all these people, because you don’t think as one person, you don’t think you’re making a difference. Right. But I really feel like you can vote with your dollar in the sense that when you choose like something that not a lot of people really choose, they start to make that easier because they see, oh, there are actually people who who want to be more healthy. They want to be more conscious with what they eat. They want to be you know, they want the organic option, they want the vegetarian option. So let’s give that to them. So I definitely believe that because I’ve seen it, I’ve actually like witnessed the change within like the past decade of how easier it is now for me, for example, like to eat out as a vegetarian. So everyone, please, that lunch is what you purchase. Like we have, you know, we do have like purchasing power. We do have the power to change. It doesn’t feel like you’re making a difference as one person, but you know, yeah, you definitely are. So don’t be discouraged.

Brittany [00:53:06] Yes, exactly. I think I remember like ten years ago or eight years ago or similar, like when I wanted to buy almond milk because I can’t drink dairy unless it’s raw and I had to go to like special health grocery stores to buy almond milk. And now it’s like almond milk is everywhere it’s in Starbucks, it’s at Tim Hortons, that all of these places and it was not like that ten years ago and same with gluten free. Gluten free ten years ago. I remember talking to people about it. People looking at me like I was crazy. I was like. Gluten causes inflammation and is telling all these people and now it’s like you go to a restaurant and there’s like a gluten free menu. There’s gluten free icons that say, Hey, you can eat this. And so, yeah, voting with your dollar totally works. And so you can actually really learn. And obviously we’ve seen it. We’re all persuading the industry on which way we want to go. Yeah, it goes both ways. Whether you buy something, helping you buy something unhealthy. That is all data that people are collecting and deciding what products to create and also deciding how expensive or how cheap those products are. Right? The more people who are buying it, obviously the price typically goes down, which is really nice. And so, yeah, I mean, it does take time, but we’ve definitely seen healthy changes in the last ten years. So I think we’ll continue to see options becoming more accessible for more people.

Patricia [00:54:36] Yeah, I really hope so. And you mentioned earlier about not being able to drink milk unless it’s raw milk. And I did see that on your socials and on your website. And I was really curious, could you talk to us more about like the benefits of like drinking raw milk and what it entails and all that good stuff?

Brittany [00:54:55] Yeah. So raw milk basically means that it comes directly from the animal. It’s not processed, it’s not heated, it’s not pasteurized. Right? So it’s raw and it’s like.

Patricia [00:55:05] As it is.

Brittany [00:55:06] As it is, as it is. Yes. And that’s how our ancestors have milk, right? So when we drink milk like this, it’s a whole food, meaning that it has all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, macronutrients fats, everything in it, that it needs to be a whole food. And because of that, it’s actually a lot easier to digest than buying skim milk from the store. And so for me, like, I don’t do well with lactose, like I’ve had my DNA tested, I have like I think two out of three variations that have to do with being lactose intolerant. So I don’t do well with lactose, but when I drink raw milk or eat raw cheese, which is actually much easier to find than raw milk in Canada, it has the enzyme lactase in it which digests lactose so I can eat it without any negative side effects because it’s a whole food. So when we look at it like that, it makes sense that again, like people who are lactose intolerant or people who have eczema start drinking raw milk and suddenly they can digest it and their skin gets better because it’s reducing inflammation and it’s a whole food and it’s got a ton of healthy benefits to it. Now, raw milk is illegal in Canada, so it’s difficult to find it. There are ways around it, though, because I think the main reason is people are worried that bacteria from the raw milk will make you sick, things like E.coli and stuff like that. But there are ways around it. And I like if people listening are interested in buying raw milk and you’re in Canada, like send me a message on Instagram and I can tell you how to get it. It’s just you have to like kind of go through some different ways to do it. And in the States, it’s I think it’s about 5050 like some of the states are. It’s legal and some of it it’s illegal. So you just kind of have to find a way around it, essentially.

Patricia [00:57:10] That’s really crazy because I’ve never really like heard of raw milk in that sense because like, I hear a lot of like, like people who are lactose intolerant and just like overall saying that dairy and milk isn’t exactly healthy for you because it can cause like, acne can cause like all these different, like things. But like, it’s so fascinating to know that raw milk actually just like, is so much better. So I wonder, like, what it is that makes like pasteurized milk or like the usual milk people can get and grocery stores and how that differs from like raw milk. Like is it the process you think or like, yeah.

Brittany [00:57:44] So when like when the milk is processed and heated, it’s like stripped of a ton of its nutrients, really. So the heat and the processing mechanisms like break down the enzymes breaks down a lot of the vitamins. And so that’s why like when you look on the back of a milk container, it’ll say like fortified with vitamin D, that means that they took the milk from the cow and it’s a raw state. They process it, heated it and got rid of any vitamin D in it, and then they added synthetic vitamin D to it afterwards. And that’s what fortified with this. That’s what that means. So again, you’re not getting a natural food, You’re not getting a whole food you’re getting a processed food with vitamins added to it. And the education around this is pretty crappy. Like a lot of people don’t know about that. A lot of people just assume that it’s fine and assume that they’re getting a good level of vitamin D, but it doesn’t work like that. Like that’s too simple of an approach to assume that this, like fortification with this vitamin D is suddenly going to help your vitamin D levels. Like when you get the vitamin D from raw milk, it’s in its whole form. That means that all of the co-factors and the co-enzymes and all of the other micronutrients that help you absorb that vitamin D are in it. So you absorb more of it, right? Like it’s a whole food compared to just taking this like one molecule of vitamin D that’s synthetic and trying to absorb it.

Patricia [00:59:14] That’s really amazing. And you’re right, not a lot of people actually know about that. And I feel like your platform was like one of the first places I’ve ever heard about raw milk and its benefits. So that’s really amazing, too. What about today? Something else that picked my interest that I saw on your website and on your socials as well was microdosing on mushrooms?

Brittany [00:59:34] Yeah.

Patricia [00:59:35] I’ve heard of like microdosing mushrooms before, but not really in depth. So obviously want to learn that for me. So could you tell me tell us like what are the benefits and how people can practice that safely? Obviously, we’re not condoning, you know, the use of like illicit drugs. This is purely natural and like for the sake of like learning. So.

Brittany [00:59:57] Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So Microdosing in general is using a substance in a very small amount for specific benefits. So when we look at microdosing mushrooms, it’s taking psilocybin, which is like the active compound in mushrooms that makes us feel a certain way and it’s taking a very small amount of that and then using it for focus, creativity and a bunch of different things, a bunch of a bunch of different things. So I get very similar questions every time I talk about microdosing you, you don’t hallucinate, you don’t trip, right? Like you don’t do anything like that. Because typically when you microdosing, it’s like about a 10th of the amount that you would if you were going to do mushrooms on a weekend in the woods with your friends type of idea, you know what I mean? So it’s a very, very small amount and there’s a lot of research behind it. There’s a lot of research behind plant medicine, like psilocybin, LSD, things like that that have really helped people with mental health issues and struggles. So a lot of people with PTSD, anxiety, depression, a lot of that, there’s a lot of research coming out that says, hey, look like these psychoactive ingredients can be very helpful for healing these different things. Same with ayahuasca, and it’s cool to see. I think like obviously cannabis is legal in Canada now, and I think psilocybin is the next thing, the next substance to become legalized. There’s multiple states in the US that it’s legal right now in Vancouver. There are like Microdosing stories that you can go into and buy microdosing supplements that say, I get mine through a company that I work with online. It’s really easy to ship internationally and they they ship LSD as well. And so I think we’re moving away from this rhetoric of, oh, these these are drugs, they’re bad, don’t do them. Oh, no. Like it’s going to make you trip and see things and you can’t control yourself to being like, okay, like in a very small amount. This is actually very healing for the body and this is very helpful for the body. So it’s been very cool in the last few months to experiment and try different things. In terms of Microdosing.

Patricia [01:02:27] That’s really amazing. And yeah, you’re right, I feel like because like they, they’ve found a way for like cannabis to be like beneficial health wise by taking out what makes you high. And just like it’s in the form of CBD, which is like truly all of the benefits. And so I feel like that’s really fascinating that you’re able to do that as well with like mushrooms. Well, you learn something new every day like that is fascinating and it’s like it makes a lot of sense because these substances do come from the earth, like it’s not like this, something they’ve just created in the lab. And I mean, we’ve we’ve ingested a lot of things that come from the lab, like from the pharmaceutical industry and like Western medicine and all these things. So it makes sense if we’re talking about like going back to basics and like ancestral eating and just like really trying to find what will heal us from the earth. And so, yeah, I mean, it’s very raw form, you know, that’s like, that’s like really amazing. I feel like everything we could ever need is provided by the earth. We just need to, like, utilize that.

Brittany [01:03:26] Yeah. I mean, that’s such a beautiful way to put it. And I totally agree. Whether it’s mushrooms with psilocybin in them or like raw milk like we talked about or walking in nature and everything yourself, like it’s really all in front of us. It’s all there. It doesn’t need to be something that’s manmade. And like this product that you’re buying, this like synthetic thing, like we do have access to healing from the earth if we if we really wanted it.

Patricia [01:03:53] So amazing. You’re so right. One thing I wanted to ask is, like a lot of students, I deal with this like really low motivation. There’s like a correlation with, like, health that goes into that. So would you have any advice for, like, students who are like, low motivation or are there like biohacks they can try? So, like regain that motivation? Maybe there’s like activities or like foods they can try that can help boost their motivation. Would you have any advice regarding that?

Brittany [01:04:20] Yeah, I think there’s a lot to say about this. I think something that’s important to keep in mind is that motivation wanes. It ebbs and flows, right? Like, not every single day you’re not going to wake up and feel the same amount of motivation as you did the day before. And that’s true for going to work, going to school, going to the gym, anything like that, that holds true. So this idea that we need to be like super motivated for our life every single day is just not realistic. And I think it’s important to remember that. And so in addition to remembering that and keeping that in mind, yeah, there’s a lot you can do. Like obviously, again, eating nutrient rich foods, like when you eat nutrient rich foods and you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals and fats and protein, you’re nourishing your body and your mind, which means that you’re going to be able to show up better every single day because your body has all of the little parts that it needs in order to function optimally and as well, like reducing processed foods, reducing alcohol intake, reduces the heavy burden on our bodies and allows us to show up better. I mean, there’s like so many different things in terms of motivation, but I would start with nutrition. I think it’s probably the easiest one of the easiest ways to start sleep as well. Like everybody knows that if you got 8 hours of sleep, you feel great the next day or more, right? When I was in university hour sleeping more than I do now, which I think is pretty typical in terms of like with sleep in longer. And if you’re on 4 hours of sleep, like how do you expect yourself to wake up and go to class and be able to listen and then go work out and then, you know, I think we sleep a third of our entire life? Yeah. So when you realize that like one third of your entire life, you are passed out. That’s how important sleep is. That’s how important it is. And it’s really easy to disregard it when you’re 19 and you’re in university. And I’ve been there. So I think if you can make it sleep, more of a priority would go a long way.

Patricia [01:06:25] You heard it here, guys. So another thing I wanted to ask you, what is your favorite meal? And if you can share some recipes like easy recipes, because like you said, nutrition is really important for students to focus on if they want to, like, gain more motivation, just like feel healthier to be able to go to class and all that. So what kind of do you have any, like recipes or foods you’d like to share? Yeah.

Brittany [01:06:52] Yeah. So in university, I used to eat for dinner. I used to make, oh my gosh, what with it roasted sweet potato with, like a cooked eggs. I think they were scrambled with, like, goat cheese. And I think I would add in, like, tomato pasta sauce. And it would, it would be this bowl of, like, vegetables, goat cheese, egg and essentially pasta sauce. And I would make that so often because it had a lot of protein in it from the eggs, had a lot of fat in it from the eggs as well. Had a lot of veggies in it, which was great because it was filling and there were carbs and gave me all the vitamins and minerals that I would need. And so I would kind of like make different alterations of that because it was super easy and it was fun and it would actually like fuel me. Right. I did that for a long time. Also make just like different salads and stuff. Like I’m I’m definitely not the type of person who would ever put out a cookbook. My, my cooking is very basic because I want it to be healthy and I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, like half an hour. Okay, fine. That’s like, that’s where I’m at. And also now there’s so many recipes online, but there’s so many you can even like typing your ingredients into Google or whatever you use and say like, make a recipe out of these four things that are in your fridge and it’ll spit out a recipe for you. So it’s just about like researching and really being resourceful like that and figuring out what you can make from the things that you do have.

Patricia [01:08:21] That’s like really smart. I never actually thought of that. That’s like a really good tip if you don’t know what to make and you have. Like a lot of, like, random stuff at home, too, just like you can. And that’s actually really so smart, too. Like, I feel like what I can take away from, like, your eating habits is that you really focus on, like, Whole Foods and just like, sweet potatoes. And like, if you think about it, it sounds like, like such a fancy meal, but it’s actually so easy because you can just, like, get the potatoes right and get the tomatoes right and get good cheese raw. I mean, it’s like all about putting everything together and like one balanced meal. That’s really amazing. And such a good tip for all our listeners out there. Something else that I wanted to ask you, or where you personally like find the motivation to keep up with this lifestyle because like we discussed, it’s so easy to say, Oh, you just need to see this, need to eat better and all that. But it’s like really conscious, like actions that, you know, build up over time and it’s not necessarily the easiest thing. Like you said, like you don’t just wake up with the same motivational like percentage every single day. Like, it varies. So since you do this for a living and you help people, like how do you stay on top of it? Yeah.

Brittany [01:09:31] Yeah. I think for me, you know, when I had the health issues when I was a teen like it really, it just really sparked a passion. But it was really rooted in like, insecurities. Like when you’re 16 and you’re female and your hair’s falling out and thinning like that makes you so self-conscious, because obviously at that age, that should not be happening. And so it’s almost like through insecurities, I was like, okay, I’m going to go actually go through this alternative method and then fall in love with it, because then I ended up healing those issues that I was dealing with. So and that’s the truth. Like for a lot of people who are practitioners, naturopaths, health influencers, whatever, they actually went through their struggles and it made them feel a certain way, whether it was like being self-conscious, insecure, shame, guilt, whatever it was, and it was so like deep rooted that they ended up healing it and working on it, and then they created a business from it. And that’s exactly what happened with me. The other motivation that I have, like outside of myself and like the things that I’ve personally been through, is like seeing my family members go through really difficult things. Like my dad has really struggled with mental health for quite a long time. And so seeing that, I’m like, okay, like how do I what can I do today? So that when I’m 50, when I’m 60, I’m actually not going to be experiencing those things. And same with my mom. My mom has dealt with hormonal issues, weight gain issues. Again, it’s the same thing of like, okay, these are my parents. These are the decisions that they’ve made. And there’s no blame, right? Like, there’s no I’m better than them is none of that. It’s more of like, how do I take this knowledge and take what I can see in the future through my parents and make better decisions for myself and obviously harder decisions and creates a lot of work and time and money. And you need all of these resources to do them. But for me that’s like a very big motivation is like preventative. I want to prevent disease come in like so many people in their fifties and sixties, maybe even younger, are really struggling with significant health issues, significant things like not things that are like bloating. And I’m not like putting out bloating, but I’m just saying like things like diabetes and cancer and depression and PTSD and like very, very heavy things. And it’s like, okay, how do I make decisions today so that I can be healthier tomorrow? And it’s so cheesy, but like when you seen it happen to people in your family, when you’ve seen it happen to friends or people like that, like it becomes reality, Right? And so it’s a big motivator. It’s a big motivator for sure.

Patricia [01:12:18] That’s like really fascinating, like how you were able I feel like a theme in this whole podcast is like going against the grain and going against what we know and like not accepting that, okay, maybe we’re just like preconditioned to have these sort of illnesses and just like accepting that, like it’s all about like finding the alternatives. And like when you do start that like process of like trying to find out what else you can do, all of these, like, amazing things start popping up like all of these, like new things I’ve learned from you, like raw milk and like microdosing mushrooms, like all these, like, fascinating things that you never could have thought about if you hadn’t, like, taken that leap. And I think that’s, like, so amazing that you have created such a successful business doing this. And it started with you personally and like with your family and yourself and wanting to heal that. And now you’re able to like help other people heal themselves. And I feel like that’s like a really amazing thing that you’re doing. And we’re so glad to have you on the podcast. I feel like our viewers can really, like, learn a lot from you. Like on your podcast, you have all these like amazing guests on and all these like professionals. And on our side we have you. So that’s like really amazing. And we’re so happy to have you. Thank you.

Brittany [01:13:29] Well, thank you so much. It’s so sweet of you to say.

Patricia [01:13:31] Just so happy I came across your platform. Really? So that in itself means that you’ve really created such a successful platform and you’re able to reach all these people. So I really hope a lot more people, like, find you and start that research and start living consciously and making all these efforts to optimize their health. So just before we end, I do have some little ending questions for you if and these are a bit cheesy maybe, but if you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

Brittany [01:14:03] Oh my gosh. I was actually just thinking about this. I think I would say that the difficult times that I went through as a kid, like being bullied at school and moving countries and stuff like that, like, I think as difficult as that was, it’s actually made me the person I am now and has been instrumental in making me resilient against hard times and difficult things and having grit in life. And I guess I don’t know, I don’t I said not a lot of people have that anymore because that makes me sound like I think I’m better than everyone, which I don’t. But I yeah, I, I’m grateful for those difficult times as a kid because now I feel much more equipped to handle difficult times as an adult.

Patricia [01:14:48] I love that everything does happen for a reason and I feel like if you’re younger, self could see you now. They would be like, so amazing. So, so.

Brittany [01:14:57] So cool.

Patricia [01:14:59] I feel. I feel like she would be. She would be. I can’t believe we did that. Like we really did that. You do deserve that. And so do you have any, like, health parting advice that you would like to share to our audience just before we end?

Brittany [01:15:12] Yeah. Yeah. So I think the biggest takeaway that I would want somebody to hear and to know listening to this is that every single health decision that you make matters and means something. So every time that you choose to fast or micro dose or try raw milk or buy salad or not drink alcohol or go to bed early, or all of these different things that we’ve talked about, it does add up and it does mean something. And even if you only do it once, like that is a drop in the bucket for you and that it does make a difference. Like it does mean something. And I know it’s easy to get caught up in like, I have to do this thing every single day to see substantial change and like, yeah, that might be true, but taking it one day at a time and making a single healthy choice every day matters. And congratulate yourself on doing that because it’s the first step, you know!

Patricia [01:16:08] Like really great advice. And yeah, actually, even if it’s like small steps, really, like take the time to be grateful that you even have this opportunity, right? To have the choice and make all these decisions, because not a lot of people have that and be proud of yourself for like the small steps that you take. So that’s like really amazing. I feel like you and I could like keep this conversation going, but obviously to like, take too much of your time. If you guys want to learn more about Brittney, you can listen to a lot of her episodes on her podcast. We will be linking those and the description. This episode is going to come out on YouTube and a lot of podcasting platforms. So we’re going to be linking Brittney socials so you can find her and learn more about her. And Brittney. Thank you so much again for taking the time to be on our podcast. I know we went a little overboard with the time, but I do appreciate everything that you’ve taught us today. I def my eyes are definitely like way more open now with regards to like alternative health things that we can try to optimize our lives. So thank you so much for being here and thank you again to our listeners. Don’t forget to follow her on Instagram and her podcast. Do you want to like plug in your socials?

Brittany [01:17:14] Yeah, so I’m at Biohacking Brittany on Instagram and my podcast is called Biohacking with Brittany, essentially Biohacking Brittany everywhere you’ll find me. I’m sure I’m there and thank you so much for having me. This is great and I really appreciate it and I appreciate this opportunity to talk to your audience for sure.

Patricia [01:17:33] Thank you. This was an amazing week. I had an amazing time talking to you, so I hope you guys learned a lot. Don’t forget to follow us, too. We’re on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok at Homework Help Global. Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe to our YouTube channel and Britney for more podcast episodes. Student So have a great Friday ahead, Britney, and hopefully we get to talk to you soon. Thank you so much for being here again.

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