Episode 42: Postpartum health; mental health & nutrition with nutritionist & author Madeline Given.
Episode Description
Isn’t it a breath of fresh air and a relief to hear mamma’s talk candidly about motherhood rather than trying to paint a picture of perfection? Today’s guest; nutritionist and author Madeline Given speaks candidly about REAL motherhood and how we don’t always fit into one particular persona or the other. This includes topics like anxiety, depletion, healthy marriages and personal health.
Maddie also believes it is in our best interest as as a mom community to not divide by being just ONE type of mom. I couldn’t agree with her more. It was that divisiveness of motherhood groups that was an impetus for me starting the podcast. This is why her down to earth nature is such a gift to us mamas looking to improve our health and connect with other mamas who might share similar challenges.
Madeline, mom of an adorable two year old boy, is a certified holistic nutritionist and mother born and raised in So Cal. She’s passionate about working alongside women helping them find the freedom of health in their every-changing bodies, from preconception through postpartum. She also speaks transparently about her postpartum anxiety and “depletion” and how nutrition can play a role in helping relieve stress. She even shares about her experience with panic attacks that have come on strong enough to scare the daylight out of her.
She is also the author of the Anti Inflammatory Diet Cookbook, and the Anti Inflammatory Diet Slow Cooker Cookbook. and she shares her very tactile wellness wisdom on her social media platforms and website. If you are looking for an easy “go-to” recipe on a hot summer day, like frozen yogurt bark with freeze dried fruit sprinkled on top, like I do, you’ll love Madeline’s relatable approach to nutrition for mamas.
Take-Aways:
[06:15] Even though Madeline didn’t have a nutrition centered upbringing, she still went in that direction as an adult. We can move towards health at any point in our lives.
[07:55] Many of our diseases and illness come from having inflammation in the body. This is why Maddie is passionate about writing about eating to prevent inflammation.
[13:04] Madeline believes it is actually more common than is spoken about that postpartum anxiety/depression can pop up even five years postpartum, when you least except it.
[14:20] Although it ran in her family, she though she didn’t suffer from mental health issues, yet Maddie saw anxiety/depression creep up as late as her twenties.
[21:17] Maddie recognized that panic attacks seemed to occur around her cycles.
[24:56] Maddie speaks about what things to take out of a diet to eliminate or reduce ADHD and ADD in kids and adults.
[35:12] Nutrition doesn’t have to be rigid! Listen to what your particular toddler and personality wants and needs!
[40:04] Maddie doesn’t mind “sneaking” nutrients into her toddlers food
[45:34] We don’t have to fit into ONE BOX as mamas! We can be one type of mom AND another.
Memorable Quotes:
“I love to use holistic nutrition to hopefully heal as opposed to just like helping someone lose weight.”
“I think things like gluten, can be translated as opioids in the brain because they are being digested differently”.
“I’m a huge personal fan of getting all your nutrients from real food.”
“I’m not really a full blown attachment parenting. I’m also not full blown the other direction. So that can be really isolating. And I think most women feel that way. We just don’t talk about it.”
“I give myself grace as I unapologetically go through this journey of learning how to be a mom with my first and doing it without constantly feel like I’m having to apologize to one side or the other.”
“I do feel like so many of us are kind of in this moderate middle ground (type of mom), but we just always think other people aren’t.”
