The Fed+Fit Podcast | Nurturing a Healthy Mindset for a Healthy Lifestyle
We’re back with our 52nd episode of the Fed+Fit Podcast! Remember to check back every Monday for a new episode and be sure to subscribe on iTunes!
Find us HERE on iTunes and be sure to “subscribe.”
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Episode 52 Topics:
- Paleo Crumbs
- Macy’s ebook Paleo Crumbs Fall Favorites
- Paleo Crumbs on Instagram
I would LOVE some feedback, so feel free to leave a review in iTunes, comment below, or even give us a shout on social media!
On a side note, I’m beside myself humbled right now to announce that I was nominated by YOU GUYS for 2 categories in the recent “Best of Paleo 2015” contest orchestrated by Paleo Magazine!
I’m listed in the following categories:
- Best Online Program: Fed+Fit Project
- Best New Podcast: Fed+Fit
Macy is also nominated for Health Hero of the Year so give her your vote as well!
I’d be SO grateful to receive your vote!! Voting takes exactly 30 seconds.
Here’s what you’d need to do:
- Click HERE: https://paleom.ag/pmbof15
- Type in your email at the top (they won’t spam you).
- Choose “Fed+Fit Project” under Best Online Program and “Fed+Fit” under Best New Podcast.
- Vote in the rest of the categories for the folks you love, though you can skip some if you’re unsure.
- Then press “Submit” at the bottom of the page TWICE.
Winners will be announced at a live award ceremony this coming May in Austin, TX (Paleo f(x)). I promise to let you know how it goes!
Ep. 52: Special Guest: Macy Diulus of Paleo Crumbs!
On today’s episode; Macy Diulus of Paleo Crumbs joins us to share her health journey, experience starting a food blog, and her advice for how to really just jump in to this great big paleo community.
Topics:
1. Macy’s health story [2:16]
2. Macy’s blog tips [10:08]
3. Paleo Magazine Best of 2015 nominations (Macy’s and Fed and Fit) [16:15]
Cassy Joy: Good morning everybody! Thank you for joining us on another episode of the Fed and Fit podcast. I am pretty tickled today to have a; Macy, I’m going to call you a friend of mine. {laughs} It’s just, I like to, I talk about people like they’re my best buddies all the time, and it might be news to them. But Macy is a friend of mine, a colleague in the industry. We got to know each other, I guess about a year ago. But I’m just thrilled to have her on the show today.
Her name is Macy Diulus, and she is the blogger behind PaleoCrumbs.com. She authored her first eBook this past fall called Paleo Crumbs Fall Favorites, and I’ve personally flipped through the whole thing, and it is stunning. She takes beautiful food photos, she comes up with some really amazing recipes. You can find her on social media @Paleo Crumbs. But she is just a wonderful young lady. I have always enjoyed talking with her and connecting with her, and you know, we’ve just kind of stayed in touch over the years. I thought she would be an awesome person to bring onto the show to give you her own perspective on this paleo industry, how it’s really helped her and shaped her future, whether it’s a profession or a hobby right now, time will tell, but she’s really good at it regardless of what she wants to do.
Macy, it’s an honor to have you on the show; thank you so much for joining me!
Macy Diulus: Thanks for having me, it’s such a sweet intro.
Cassy Joy: Oh yeah! Of course. It really is an honor. I love talking with you, I always walk away inspired and wanting to stay in touch because I just know you’re going to blow the worlds’ socks off, and I want to be there for it!
Macy Diulus: {laughs}
1. Macy’s health story [2:16]
Cassy Joy: Ok awesome. Well, I would love for you to tell some of our listeners a little bit about you, about your story, and really what led you to following a paleo lifestyle.
Macy Diulus: Sure. I found paleo and kind of gluten free because of my health. My health really started to decline my sophomore year in high school; I’m a senior now, so about 2 years ago. I started having a lot of stomach and GI issues, to the point where I didn’t feel well enough or have the energy to stay in a full day at school, so I became homeschooled. Getting into just specialists, doctors trying to figure out what’s going on, what’s wrong. A lot of people don’t even realize at the time, is that getting into pediatrics, for someone under 18, it takes months to get into the specialists, and you’re put on waiting lists. It’s just very stressful, because you’re having all these health issues, you don’t know what’s going on, and you can’t get into a doctor.
Cassy Joy: Totally, that sounds very stressful.
Macy Diulus: Thankfully, we were put on a waiting list, and we got in on a cancellation, so I was able to see a GI specialist in town. Then, in order to get a test, an endoscopy and colonoscopy, it took another 2 months to schedule. So in between that time, my health just continued to decline. We even had ER visits just trying to get relief, and nothing really helped.
So I went in for a test, and I ended up, they wanted to admit me into the hospital to run more tests, and it ended up being a two-week hospital stay, which was not fun. Many tests and many doctors. But, we kind of left with a lot of these foreign words; the diagnoses that we didn’t know, never heard of them before, and a feeding tube which was a whole new world on its own and kind of not really told much about all that. So my mom did a bunch of research just trying to find; because we left with a diagnosis and medicine and all this, but they didn’t really give us anything to fix. I wasn’t feeling better. They had some answers, but it wasn’t anything different.
So my mom personally has had health issues, as well. She’s had thyroid cancer, Hashimoto’s, so she was familiar a little bit with the paleo lifestyle. So she started to do more research, and then she shared blogs and cookbooks with me. I remember reading Danielle Walker, Against All Grains, her story and how she was able to heal her autoimmune disease and had such a transformation. And all these other people, as well, and the power of real food. The nutrient density; really, where my passion for real food started I guess.
From that point, I really wasn’t able to eat a lot because of gastroparesis, one of the big foreign words that I was diagnosed with. What that is delayed or slowed stomach emptying, gastric emptying. So basically food will sit in your stomach longer than it should, which causes discomfort, early fullness, and all that stuff. So my nutrition was coming from the feeding tube which they wanted to put in, which is formula, which isn’t, in my opinion, it’s not the greatest thing. It’s artificial, not real. So that was my sole form of nutrition, and then over the next few months we changed different feeding tubes, because they originally did NJ, which stands for nasojejunal, and then NG, which stands for nasogastric. So we changed a bunch of formulas and all that.
I really started getting into alternative, more holistic, I guess, and we just started looking more into that. I started following a lot of paleo bloggers, and the reason I started by blog. Or not reason, but when was we had gone to a book signing; this was probably about, I forget how many months after all this, but it was George and Juli, Paleo Kitchen, PaleOMG. I just went and that was my first book signing ever. I love hearing them talk, and the community there, and on that drive home from the book signing is really when I wanted to start a paleo food blog; I was really inspired. I started the blog the next day, like right away, well after trying to figure out a name. Because I’m pretty indecisive, so I had this long list of all these names.
Cassy Joy: That’s natural. {laughs}
Macy Diulus: {laughs} Ok. So I started a blog, and just kind of kept on reading more and more about paleo and stuff. I wasn’t able to eat a lot, but two years ago, it was right after Christmas, I was in the hospital over New Years. So two years probably around this month I wasn’t able to eat anything, really, and all nutrition from the feeding tube. But now, over the last few years, I’ve been able to decrease the formula intake and I’m able to supplement. I really find it important to make every bite or sip count. So I do a lot of smoothies and juices, and just really pack it with nutrients.
Cassy Joy: That’s great. Yeah, that’s really interesting. So what would you say, how many meals; I guess, where are you getting most of your nutrients from today? If you could give us a percentage. Is most of it coming from food that you’re able to prepare, and kind of where are you at compared to two years ago?
Macy Diulus: Yeah, 2 years ago I was pretty much 100% through the feeding tube, but today I’m able to, I’ll wake up and I’ll make a smoothie, and I think, I don’t know the exact amount, I think I had maybe 6 cans of formula and now I only have two. So I mean, really the last two years have definitely been an experience, but my health; I’m not 100% better, but it’s definitely every day I get better.
Cassy Joy: Yeah, that’s incredible progress Macy. It really is. And I’ve had the pleasure of meeting both you and your mom in person, and you’re both just such wonderful women. But you can tell that there is a dedication to just learning as much as you can and just figuring it out along the way, and that’s really what all of us have done that have found success. There’s no magic formula; you just kind of stumble your way through the water’s of information and you try to figure out what’s going to apply to you, and you test it out, and you just keep repeating the things that work.
Macy Diulus: Yeah.
2. Macy’s blog tips [10:08]
Cassy Joy: And I think yours is an awesome success story of that. So that’s pretty incredible. Ok, so I’d love to talk a little bit about your blog Paleo Crumbs. I’m curious; is there more meaning behind the name now? Now you’ve got my curiosity piqued. {laughs}
Macy Diulus: Not a whole; I guess, like I said I had a whole list, and a lot of them were long for a URL. I guess I kind of just decided on Paleo Crumbs because I like art, and doodling, and I always liked drawing cupcakes, and I’ve always loved baking and cookies, and I always like to sign a card with a cookie with a bite taken out and crumbs.
Cassy Joy: That’s so cute! {laughs}
Macy Diulus: So I guess that’s kind of; I don’t know, I just thought Paleo Crumbs was kind of cute.
Cassy Joy: Yeah! That’s really cute. I can just see it right now; one day, when you are autographing your first cookbook…
Macy Diulus: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: You’re going to sign all of them with a cute little cookie. {laughs} Oh man, that’s great. Ok, so talking about your blog, your photography is great, it just seems like you’re one of those people that inspires me to keep improving and keep honing my craft, because it’s really obvious that you’re dedicated to just keep improving and working along, just kind of seeing where the road takes you. I’d love to know, what have been some of your biggest learning curves in starting a blog and what do you think; oh gosh, how to phrase this question. There are a lot of folks who listen to the podcast and either want to start a blog and they just haven’t done it yet, or they’ve got one and they just don’t really know how to take it to the next level. So what would you say are some of the things that you employed that have really helped you make it what it is today? Some of the tricks and things that you have learned.
Macy Diulus: I would say probably a lot like when I started, I remember emailing Caroline Potter for photography, because I just think her photography is so beautiful. I remember just kind of really; I would say community is such a big thing. I would say that’s probably my favorite part about blogging is no doubt the community and all the amazing people I’ve met through this. Really I would say to other people who want to start a blog or maybe do have a blog is to not be afraid of reaching out. I’m super shy and probably introverted, but it’s like the simplest thing; it’s like a comment on Instagram or Facebook or emailing somebody, you know, “do you have any tips?” Just kind of reaching out. There’s guest posting and really; don’t be scared. I don’t think anyone is going to be rude; I would hope not. But everyone is so kind-hearted and sweet.
Cassy Joy: That’s great advice. I’m sorry, go ahead I cut you off.
Macy Diulus: No, it’s fine. I think I was just going to say I really do love the whole community in the paleosphere I guess. {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Yeah, you’re right. I mean people are very welcoming, very sweet, very eager to help. And that’s something that I guess we don’t really talk about a whole lot; all of us bloggers, we kind of all kindred spirits with each other.
Macy Diulus: Yeah.
Cassy Joy: And it’s almost like we’re just colleagues all working in the same office space, all working towards the same goal, and anything we can do to help each other out, we’re definitely happy to do it. So like Macy said, don’t be afraid to email folks. If you’ve got one; of the business guys that I follow, Gary Vaynerchuk, he is constantly recommending to not be afraid to email people, and to reach out to them, and to ask them questions. It can be really scary sometimes. I emailed; oh goodness. I emailed Ree Drummond this morning, the Pioneer Woman for Pete’s sake! {laughs}
Macy Diulus: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: I don’t expect her to email me back, but I emailed her just like I thought she would. But you never know; shoot for the moon. You never know who’s going to have time to reply. And that can really go a long way. You just can’t be tied to the outcome or be afraid that people are going to shoot you down, and just try to talk to everybody. Just tap into that community. Because it’s really ready to help you out. Well that’s wonderful; I’m scrolling through your blog right now, and it really is beautiful. I want to make that chocolate mug cake right now. But that’s really great.
So what are some of your favorite recipes on the blog that you find yourself making over and over again?
Macy Diulus: My favorite recipes probably; well one of my favorite recipes is the sun butter chocolate grahams. That was inspired by a treat I used to get at Disney World with peanut butter and graham cracker covered in chocolate. But probably some of the recipes I make a lot would probably be more of my smoothies. I have a Green-a-licious smoothie recipe; I guest posted that on my friend, Heather, Cook It Up Paleo’s blog. And then my PB&J smoothie is one of my favorites lately.
Cassy Joy: Mmm, that sounds good.
Macy Diulus: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: I’m hungry right now so all of this sounds great. {laughs}
Macy Diulus: Yeah, I think I probably have more than one favorite. My family always jokes; I’m definitely indecisive. I’m always like, and this, and that.
Cassy Joy: {laughs}
Macy Diulus: It’s like a kid walking into a candy store or bakery; it’s like, we don’t want just one thing, we want it all.
Cassy Joy: Absolutely. That’s natural too. {laughs} You’re not alone there. Everybody listening is nodding their head. Well that’s great. You guys, I really encourage you to check it out. She’s got a beautiful Instagram account. Macy does a really good job of keeping things fresh and appetizing, and I think that’s really great advice for aspiring bloggers.
3. Paleo Magazine Best of 2015 nominations (Macy’s and Fed and Fit) [16:15]
Cassy Joy: I want to touch on, before I let you go, Macy; I’m sure I wasn’t the only one, but I did nominate Macy for Health Hero of the Year. If you haven’t seen the Paleo Magazine Best from 2015 nominations that have recently come out, you should definitely check that out. And we’ll link it up to the show notes here. But after meeting Macy, hearing her story, and seeing how Macy and her mom, they don’t by any means; how do I put this, in no way are they victims. They are out there to work on their craft and just make the most of the healing opportunities present, which is something that we’ve all done. We’ve all had our own health transformations, and we got through them because we really dedicated ourselves to finding a solution. And I think that’s so inspiring, and I really want to get your story out there to more people.
Anyway, I nominated Macy among a bunch of other people, I’m sure, for Health Hero of the Year, so I encourage you to go to the Paleo Magazine voting right now, scroll through, vote for your favorites, and definitely make sure you give Macy a shout out under that category. It’s so well deserved, and I just can’t wait to see where you go with your blog and just everything in general, because it seems like you’ve really got something special and I’m excited to see what you do in life.
And beyond that, if you guys feel so inclined, {laughs} Fed and Fit was also nominated for a couple of categories and I would just be so grateful to receive your vote. We’re nominated for best paleo program, so the Fed and Fit Project, which is pretty humbling because it was actually only open for participants in 4 months for 2015, and then we closed the doors so we could do some major rebuilding, and I have not announced what the rebuilding is just yet but you will learn all about that mid-February when we open up the doors again for the spring of 2016. So I would love your votes there.
Also, under podcast, if you’re a podcast listener and you nominated the Fed and Fit podcast, thank you so much! That really means a lot. We are under the best new podcast category. So I just gave you three folks you could definitely vote for if you don’t know any other names on there. I’m excited; are you going to be at PaleoFx this year, Macy?
Macy Diulus: I think we might go for a day. My friend’s graduate then, but I’m really hoping to go for a day.
Cassy Joy: Ok, awesome. Well I hope to see you there; there’s going to be a live awards ceremony for these awards, so that is pretty exciting. And if you’re able to be there, let me know. If not, I’m happy to be your proxy when you win. {laughs}
Macy Diulus: {laughs} Thank you so much for having me. You’re just so sweet. I love your blog, and I’m exciting for all your projects. And thanks for nominating me, and everyone else. It really does mean the world to me.
Cassy Joy: Oh, good. It is so incredibly well deserved. Keep up the great work; you’re an inspiration even though we don’t always hear from the people that we are inspiring and the lives that we’re touching, it’s pretty rare that people actually reach back out and let you know what an awesome job you’re doing. Please know that they’re out there. You’re doing a great job, and I know that you’re touching more lives than you probably realize. So thanks so much for everything.
You guys can find Macy online, like I said, she’s the blogger behind PaleoCrumbs.com. She’s got her awesome eBook, Paleo Crumbs fall favorites with some really great goodies in there. You can also find her on social media @PaleoCrumbs; and we’ll link up to all of this in the show notes. Macy, it was such an honor to have you on the show. I just can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you, and what you’re going to make of it. So thanks so much, and I know we’ll be in touch.
Macy Diulus: Thanks.
Cassy Joy: Of course girl, talk to you soon. Bye-bye.
Macy Diulus: Bye.
