Opening with a few breaths together and moments of gratitude. Before diving into the meat and potatoes of the episode, Bre tells us about her hair stylist, [shout out to Claire Bowler] and the eggs she left with after her hair appointment #onlyinWYoming. We briefly talk about GMOs and food “buzzwords.” Alan brings up that we are simply sharing our view and relationship with food. Reminds everyone that eating disorders are serious and to seek the appropriate help if you have an eating disorder. Bre reminds us to do what is best for you, make sure you have awareness around your relationship with food, understand how food makes you feel and listen to what your body is telling you about the food you are consuming or NOT consuming.
Alan’s hunting story is epic! First he gives perspective about growing up in NYC and what he was taught about guns. Alan shares elk hunting success rates in Colorado - 14% with a bow and 24% with a rifle. In his story, he was so excited with his elk hunting success that in the moment he threw his rifle, while funny, this is a HUGE safety concern and is not something anyone should do.
Bre mentions she used to be vegetarian and talks about how her perspective changed; all living things have a soul, killing a plant is like killing an animal. Food relationships can be very cultural and vegetarianism can be considered a privilege. Back in the day, you would never turn down eating meat from a kill, it’s survival. We talk about regenerative farming, more buzz words “Organic” and “grass-fed’ and the importance of local.
Food’s correlation to socio-economic levels and that it is more about education than access- time & money play factor. Counter argument is that you are going to pay for it no matter what, food and medication/health problems later. Alan talks exercise and getting off the couch, important to not use exercise for punishment. We need to take ownership of what we eat and drink. Bre references her dad’s statement “that it is our generation’s job to fix the problems from the prior generation.” This goes for food- not knowing previously what is bad. Alan and Bre discuss the link to big pharma, food and the government. Alan believes healthcare is not what we think it is and mentions his wife Jessica started seeing a Functional Medicine doctor which is a great mixture of eastern and western medicine. Alan’s dog makes a cameo appearance.
If you get anything from this episode, HAVE COMPASSION FOR YOURSELF, especially regarding food, exercise and health. If you are struggling please reach out for help. Friends, Family, Help Lines, Doctor/Professionals, just reach out. You are worthy of help and you matter.
Alan does not want to end the episode but knows it is inevitable, but breaches the topic of food and culture. He talks about Ahimsa (non-violence/non-harming) in the yoga community and his thoughts.
Bre and Alan plan to do a Part 2 about Hunting and Our Relationship with Food, next time they want to include listeners to share their thoughts and perspectives. JOURNAL PROMPT: Write about your thoughts from the episode. Write about your relationship with food. Write this “show yourself empathy.
HUGE THANK YOU to the Allyson Band https://allysonband.com for the podcast’s music and Brianna Cote https://briannacote.com for photography and cover design.
Documentary, Book, & References: Being conscious about what we consume, how we consume and where we consume, please support your local bookstore, they can typically order most books for you if they don’t have it in the store. Food Bullying: How to avoid buying B.S. by Michele Payn. Kiss the Ground on Netflix. Some potassium/sodium heart health numbers for wild game: https://highpotassiumfoods.org/high-potassium-foods/high-potassium-foods-wild-game-table. Temple Grandin & humane livestock slaughtering: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin.
