My friend Dr. Will Cole is a leading functional medicine expert who specializes in clinically investigating underlying factors of chronic disease and customizing a functional medicine approach for thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and more. He is the host of the Art of Being Well podcast and the author of Ketotarian, The Inflammation Spectrum, and the New York Times bestseller, Intuitive Fasting.

His new book, Gut Feelings, demystifies the gut-brain connection and provides a framework to repair the relationship between what you eat and how you feel. In this episode, Dr. Cole and I go through all of the strategies he shares in his book to get rid of shame around food, feel your best, and heal your relationship with food and your body at the same time.

Our mental and physical health are so intertwined, and I’m grateful that Dr. Cole has taken the time to make current science accessible in his new book, and provide healing tools and resources we need to improve our overall wellness from the inside out. Grab Gut Feelings and tune into this episode to learn more!

We also cover…

00:04:58 —Being Mindful of What You’re Feeding Your Head & Your Heart

• Setting the stage for how intertwined our mental and physical health are

• Shameflammation: How shame related to eating can really have an effect on how you feel

• Food confusion in this overwhelming vortex of health and wellness information

• Finding middle ground between the toxic diet culture and anti-diet culture

• Advice for someone who is orthorexic or has disordered eating around healthy foods

• Being in a state of presence with our food choices

00:21:40 —How Unresolved Trauma Influences our Physical Health

• How unresolved traumas can manifest in our body

• How the ACE score can help provide insight into your mental and physical health

• Metaphysical meals and protocols Dr. Will has developed to fight inflammation

• Regulating your nervous system and the vagus nerve

00:28:23 —The Gut-Brain Connection & Alcohol’s Impact on Brain Function

• What the gut-brain connection is

• Brain inflammation and its connection to mental illness

• Alcohol and the gut brain connection

• Uncovering recent medical studies around alcohol and brain function

• Alternatives to alcohol if you’re interested in shifting the paradigm

00:40:26 —Sustainable Ways to Decrease Stress

• How chronic stress is the ultimate junk food

• How hustle culture normalizes the acceptance of chronic stress

• How to overcome inner resistance and make a choice to change

• Strengthening your ability to say no

• What you can expect from Gut Feelings: recipes, the 21 day plan & somatic practices

Resources:

• Website: drwillcole.com

• Instagram: @drwillcole

• Read: Gut Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel by Dr. Will Cole

• YouTube: Dr. Will Cole

• Podcast: The Art of Being Well with Dr. Will Cole

• Tik Tok: