PCOS Unfiltered: Nourish, Heal, Thrive

Convenience Is Killing You: Reclaiming Real Nourishment in a Processed World with Dr. Anya Szigeti

Episode Summary

In this eye-opening episode of PCOS Unfiltered, I welcome back functional medicine practitioner and author Dr. Anya Szigeti to discuss her upcoming book "Convenience Is Killing You." Together, we expose how “modern convenience” has quietly reshaped women’s health—from ultra-processed foods to sedentary living and chronic stress—and what we can do to reverse it. Dr. Anya shares her personal journey from following all the “healthy” diet rules that led to autoimmune illness, to redefining convenience through small, functional, real-life habits that heal. We explore the ripple effect of women reclaiming their nourishment, the wisdom of their grandmothers’ kitchens, and lessons from European lifestyles where food is still a ritual, not a race. You will walk away inspired to make simple, doable shifts—like cooking one real meal a week, reclaiming movement, and creating true nourishment for body, mind, and hormones—without guilt or perfectionism.

Episode Notes

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Key Quote: “Convenience isn’t free—it comes at the cost of our health, energy, and hormones.”

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Episode Transcription

(0:02 - 0:23) Welcome back to PCOS Unfiltered, Nourish, Heal, Thrive. I'm your host, Lindsie, and I'm joined once again by Dr. Anya Szigeti, functional medicine practitioner, author, and speaker who brings such a powerful lens to women's health. Since she was last on the podcast, she's been busy writing a brand new book called Convenience is Killing You. 

(0:24 - 0:55) In it, she pulls back the curtain on the hidden costs of our fast-paced, ultra-processed lifestyles and what that's doing to our health, our hormones, and even our future generations. Today, we're diving into why women are especially vulnerable to the modern convenience trap, how our grandmother's kitchens differ from the way we eat today, and most importantly, what practical strategies you can start using to bring back real nourishment without feeling like you have to spend hours in the kitchen. This is going to be such an eye-opening conversation. 

(0:55 - 1:31) If you caught any of Dr. Anya's previous episodes, you know her journey started just like many of ours, dismissed, misunderstood, and told to just wait until it gets worse to do something. But instead of accepting a life of pain and limitation, she turned inward, rewrote her wellness story, and became a leader for others living with chronic illness. If you are over the quick fixes and band-aid solutions, and finally ready to rewrite your healing story, I want to personally invite you to Unwritten Healing Beyond a Diagnosis, a free, three-part virtual event I'm hosting starting October 9th. 

(1:31 - 1:51) We are bringing together real experts, including Dr. Anya, with real solutions to help you write the story your doctor never told you was possible. Be sure to click the link in the show notes for full details and to register. As a reminder, the content shared on PCOS Unfiltered is for informational and educational purposes only. 

(1:51 - 2:12) The views and opinions expressed by the host and guests are not intended to serve as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or treatment plan. The information shared is based on personal experience and expert interviews and is not a substitute for professional medical guidance. 

(2:12 - 2:26) Now let's get started with this episode. Welcome back to Dr. Anya. This is number three. 

(2:27 - 2:39) I know. I mean, unless you count like the, yeah, number three, I should say as like a series. But we've done, I've broken yours up a few different times. 

(2:40 - 2:53) But either way, yeah, you've been busy even since the last time that you joined me. So let's jump in. Can you share? You are working on a new book. 

(2:54 - 3:40) Super excited to hear more about this. So can you share what inspired you to write? The title is Convenience is Killing You. Yes. Well, Lucy, first off, thank you so much for having me back. Third time's a charm. I don't know if I'm going to use that one. But I'm so excited to share about this new project. So my book, I've titled it Convenience is Killing You. And I wrote that because unfortunately, I loved it. And I think a lot of people can relate. So when I was in my 20s and 30s, you know, I thought, just like many of us, that I was doing the right things and making the right choices for my health. I was eating the low fat yogurts and the protein bars and gluten free cereals and lean frozen meals. 

(3:40 - 4:18) But despite following all the rules and even guidance from my doctors at the time, my health collapsed and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which was my wake up call. So what had been sold to me as healthy convenience was actually making me sick. And then when I look back at it now, you know, as a holistic functional doctor, from the patients that I'm serving, it's really sad to understand the truth that more than 60% of the standard American diet comes from these ultra processed foods. 

(4:18 - 4:35) And they're literally hijacking our biology. Yet at the same time, our lovely modern life has engineered away daily movement. So this is a perfect storm, which is driving today's epidemic of chronic disease. 

(4:35 - 5:10) But I don't want to be all gloom and doom, because there is some hope that food can actually be our medicine. And if we redefine convenience through simple shifts, like batch cooking, smarter grocery shopping, real simple food swaps to real actual whole food, we can reclaim both of our health and our time, which is another valuable resource. So that's the heart of my book, breaking free from fake convenience and learning how to truly, truly thrive. 

(5:11 - 5:29) Yeah. So why do you think women are so vulnerable to these modern convenience traps? So that's a good one. That's what I really want to highlight in both my book and spend a little time breaking down now with you. 

(5:29 - 6:36) So women, we are especially vulnerable to convenience traps because for decades, we've been the primary target of food marketing. We've been told that we need to eat less, weigh less, snack smarter, save time and do it all, of course, with a smile on our face. So when these companies slap words on the front like low fat and gluten free or lean, it gives us this out. It gives us this feeling like they're giving us this short cut that we've been searching for. But then when we pile on top of that, that women are often the default caretaker. They're juggling careers, households, kids, aging parents. So convenience then isn't just appealing. It feels like it's a necessary step to be able to keep all the other things moving. But the tragic irony is that these solutions, just like I experienced with the protein bars, the diet shakes, the frozen, quote, healthy meals, they end up leaving you feeling depleted, inflamed and unfortunately, hormonally out of balance. 

(6:37 - 6:51) So if we look at that layer of it. With the women's biology, we are uniquely sensitive to the effects of ultra processed foods. So our hormones, our thyroid, our immune systems, finely tuned machines. 

(6:52 - 7:20) But they're the first systems to take hits when we are depleted of nutrients, when we have been consuming inflammatory oils with the blood sugar spikes and plummets. And so that's why I think we likely see this really strong link between ultra processed foods and conditions like autoimmune disease, fatigue, fertility struggles. But I want to say when I'm talking about women being vulnerable, it's not because we're weaker. 

(7:21 - 7:29) It's because we've been targeted harder. We're often carrying more of the load. And our psychology is paying the price for it faster. 

(7:30 - 8:02) So, again, the flip side is powerful, too, though, because once women are empowered and educated and equipped and begin to reclaim their food and their health, the ripple effect transforms families, communities, and then can touch future generations as well. And that's a good point, because I was just going to say this has been going on for years, years, years. I mean, decades and decades. Yeah. The low fat craze. But yeah, all that, you know, low carb, fat is bad. 

(8:03 - 8:14) I mean, all of that stuff, it's just been building and building. And I mean, I hear from so many clients and women, as I'm sure you do, they just get so lost. They get pulled in every which direction. 

(8:15 - 8:25) They're not sure what to follow anymore, because one person says carbs are bad. Another one says you should be able to eat all the carbs you want, you know. So, yeah, it can be very confusing. 

(8:27 - 8:45) What exactly are ultra processed foods and why are they harmful? Well, ultra processed foods aren't foods, quote foods by my definition anyway. So let's start there. So I believe that food should do two things. 

(8:45 - 9:07) Nourish and heal. And these ultra processed products are more engineered. They're chemical experiments. They're not grown. So some examples are things like refined starches, industrial seed oils, artificial additives that you would never cook with at home. Like we don't have these things in our pantry or our refrigerator. 

(9:08 - 9:30) Now they're harmful because they can actually hijack our biology. So they're disrupting our appetite hormones. So, you know, messing the symptoms or the signals up, saying whether we're hungry or we're full, which is kind of like terrifying to think about that, that something is that powerful to say, you need to eat more of me. 

(9:31 - 9:51) Even though your body is like, I've had enough, you know, caloric intake or what have you. They spike our blood sugars, which leads us to fueling chronic inflammation. They are so depleted of nutrients that we're consuming more calories than we should, but so much less nutrients. 

(9:51 - 10:11) So we're the term overfed and undernourished comes to mind. And then we just really exhausted. And then, you know, as I'm researching for this book, it's really scary to see the studies that are out there that show us that they can cause cancer risk. 

(10:11 - 10:22) And you and I both have cancer, unfortunately, in our families. We've lost both of our mothers to cancer. And so that's just, you know, something that's even more prevalent on, I'm sure, both of our hearts. 

(10:23 - 10:42) And eating these ultra processed foods can raise your risk of cancer and change your hunger hormones in just weeks. So there it's so powerful and terrifying. So while they look like they're convenient, they're really fueling, you know, the chronic disease epidemic we're facing. 

(10:42 - 10:55) And like I said, it definitely doesn't fit my definition of food because they're not nourishing and they're not healing. And they're doing the complete opposite. They're inflaming and they're driving disease. 

(10:55 - 11:16) Yeah, I can picture it like comes to mind, the mad scientist in the lab, because that's, I mean, that's truly what it is, because they want you to keep coming back. So they put all these things in it to make it more addictive and keep you coming back for more and think that's, you know, trick your body into thinking that's what it means. Yes. 

(11:16 - 11:21) Yeah. Your book isn't just about food. It's about lifestyle. 

(11:22 - 11:39) So how is convenience in general shaped women's health? Yes. So convenience goes way beyond just food. Food is a super foundational piece of the puzzle, but we've engineered away daily movement with delivery apps and remotes and drive-thrus. 

(11:40 - 11:54) So I was actually interviewed earlier today. And the interviewer said that she had challenged herself one day to see if she can complete all her errands without leaving her car. And she did all her errands. 

(11:54 - 11:58) Yeah. Yep. And then she joked, well, we probably could do them all from home now. (11:59 - 12:15) And I'm like, yes, it's true. And it's scary. And so, you know, it might seem helpful when we're juggling so much, but the reality is it's left us more sedentary, more inflamed, more exhausted. 

(12:15 - 12:38) And for women, especially this combination of nonstop responsibility plus ultra convenient living with the ultra processed foods and the lack of movement has really put us in a health deficit quickly. So, you know, always want to end with a hopeful part, a silver lining. You know, this doesn't require hours in the gym. 

(12:38 - 12:50) You know, I'm, I'm definitely not a gym rat myself, but just taking small shifts. So for example, when I was doing that interview, it was a 45 minute interview I was pacing. So just simple things like that. 

(12:51 - 13:03) I have a standup desk that I probably should be using right now, but I'm not. But I have it available so I can use it. And then picking one day a week to cook a simple meal at home. 

(13:03 - 13:11) These simple tasks can start to restore balance. Yeah, that's super important. And I mean, I talk about that with all of my clients. 

(13:12 - 13:22) Actually we'll be talking about that in my own book, but you know, just yeah. By the way. You can't be overwhelmed by it. 

(13:22 - 13:47) If you, if you think you're going to make this huge, Huge shift and tackle it all at once. It's not going to happen. You really have to start with. Yeah. Just that one thing, whether that's parking further away when you actually go to the store or like you said, just, you know, planning one good, nutritious, nourishing meal. You know, on a certain day of the week to start, like whatever it might be because yeah, it can be so daunting. 

(13:47 - 13:53) And I know I didn't get to where I am. I've been. You know, I've been doing this for five years and five plus years now. 

(13:54 - 14:05) You know, but it's take it a long time to get to where I am and I've had to systematically. Bring new things and change things and change my lifestyle and all that stuff. So. 

(14:07 - 14:27) You've written about your grandmother's kitchen. How does that contrast with today? So even just thinking about my grandmother's kitchen, like my heart just is so full of. Love and my stomach growls at the same time, because it just like the smells were amazing. 

(14:28 - 14:41) Cooking with real food. And it was like beautiful smells. Like she had beautiful gardens and she would, you know, bring in vegetables from her garden and the meats were fresh from the butchers and she's baking the bread herself. 

(14:41 - 15:04) And so you contrast that to the average kitchen today. Most kitchens are stocked with boxes and packages and freezers full of, you know, ready-made meals that were not prepared at home for speed and convenience. And so, yeah, that could be convenient, but it's really, honestly, again, left us sicker, more exhausted and more disconnected. 

(15:04 - 15:16) Because you know, when she's making those meals, we also sat down together to eat them. So that's also lacking. But this isn't that we need to spend all day cooking in the kitchen. 

(15:16 - 15:29) Although there's times that I would love to do that. I'm busy too. But even taking those, those simple small steps that we were talking about of like one day a week, like pick one day a week, make one simple meal. 

(15:29 - 15:53) It doesn't have to be this extravagant thing, sit down and connect with someone else. And that way we can heal not just only our body, but our soul too. Yeah. I mean, I think you've mentioned the other podcast too. That's, that starts the whole digestion process from cooking the meal to sitting down, sitting upright, you know, not in front of a TV. Oh my gosh. 

(15:53 - 16:35) Making sure your body is, you know, your body is really digesting properly and you're getting, yeah, you're getting all the nutrients from that, whatever it is. Many women can feel overwhelmed by the idea of cooking from scratch. So what are your practical strategies for functional convenience? So, well, I will just say that I completely get it because just like you shared, my journey has been well over 15 years now and to go from, you know, the packaged convenience to cooking from scratch can seem like this massive, massive Grand Canyon of like trying to bridge that. 

(16:36 - 17:07) I'm busy too. So, you know, and so it's, like I said, I'd love to have all the time in the world to just be, you know, growing my garden and cooking and maybe one day that will be my reality. But we need to figure out how to make this a reality for the day to day for the busy person. So that's why I titled it or coined it functional convenience, because we're looking at little things. So let's batch cook. Let's roast a sheet pan of veggies. 

(17:07 - 17:27) Let's cook a double or triple batch of quinoa or lentils. When you're firing up the grill to grill those steaks or burgers, throw some chicken, throw some salmon on there too. So these extra 10, 15 minutes, one day a week will set you up with all these awesome options to choose from throughout the week. 

(17:27 - 17:44) So you don't have to have this decision fatigue or overwhelm. Where do I begin or what am I having now? Because I know that when I'm stressed, tired, and hungry, I'm not making good decisions. And I know most people aren't either. 

(17:45 - 18:04) So I need to have these readily available so that when I'm in those moments, which are a factor of life, especially in our fast paced society today, let's set ourselves up for success. So I love things like the pre-wash pre-washed organic salad mixes. So I try to keep one of those in the fridge all the time. 

(18:05 - 18:13) Frozen organic veggies that you can just pull out, pop in the oven, done. Even like a rotisserie chicken. You can get just like an organic rotisserie chicken. 

(18:13 - 18:18) I think they're like 10 bucks, done. You can just open it up and eat it. Like that's super, super convenient. 

(18:19 - 18:31) They're not ultra processed. They're not from scratch, but they're a beautiful bridge to gap while we're working on, you know, taking those little steps. So, as I mentioned earlier too, it doesn't have to be perfect. 

(18:31 - 18:39) It doesn't have to be beautiful. I get overwhelmed with that too. And you know, my, my meals don't, aren't, aren't Instagram worthy. 

(18:40 - 19:09) You're not going to see a lot of my meals on Instagram. I can guarantee you that I'm terrible at staging and the lighting's always wrong and my camera making a shadow in it. So anyway, they're not, they're not beautiful, but they taste good. They're nourishing. And I know that they're healing my body and my, my soul at the same time. So just grabbing a piece of wild caught salmon from the freezers. Fine. Grabbing some organic frozen broccoli. Fine. Throw some olive oil on it. Throw an oven done. Like it's about lowering that barrier. 

(19:10 - 19:46) Removing the obstacle. And so that you are nourished rather than feeling drained and burnt out. Yeah. Yeah. You bring up the registry chicken. I, I, as you know, I travel, you know, quite a bit with my husband and stuff and we'll be gone for a couple of weeks sometimes at a time. And my newest thing though, and this is where convenience has actually been beneficial is. Because I know when I get home, I'm either tired and, or I got something to do. So I've been ordering my groceries so that when I get home, You know, everything's pretty much right behind me. 

(19:47 - 20:15) At the door. But like the other day when I did that, I did order rotisserie chicken, because not only did I have the stuff, but I was like, I just need something, you know, now. And so, yeah, so it was a great, a great bridge. It's not something that I do regularly, you know, and I don't have a rotisserie chicken regularly. I'd rather have some good, you know, organic. We're going to chicken and season it the way I want to and all that, but it's a great option as you're, as you are trying to, you know, trying to work and still kind of. 

(20:16 - 20:20) All the things. Yeah. Yep. 

(20:21 - 20:46) What role does food play in hormone balance and autoimmunity? So what is one of those things? It is a super powerful lever for both hormone balance and autoimmunity. So every bite is information. And it's either going to calm down that chronic inflammation and support our hormones, or it's going to trigger immune dysfunction and hormonal chaos. 

(20:47 - 21:20) So when we look at the ultra process foods, so we have the refined sugars, the inflammatory seed oils, the additives, again, those are going to spike blood sugar. Those stress, our adrenal glands, and they keep your body in a state of chronic inflammation. And then over time, especially when we pair it with the reduction in natural movement from our modern conveniences, again, that's the recipe for hormone imbalances like PMS, perimenopause symptoms, thyroid dysfunction. 

(21:20 - 21:40) And for many women, unfortunately, like myself, autoimmune, like Hashimoto's. So then if we look at the other side of the spectrum, the hopeful part is the opposite is also true. So when we make those choices and choose real nutrient dense foods, like the high quality proteins and organic. 

(21:41 - 21:57) Vegetables and healthy fats, and then make sure we get our trace minerals, which should be in all those foods. We're giving our bodies what it needs to stabilize the blood sugar to calm the immune system and restore hormonal balance, which is. Just amazing. 

(21:58 - 22:29) So I've seen with some of my own patients, women shift their energy, their mood and their symptoms dramatically in just a matter of weeks. Once the food starts working with their biology instead of against it. And I know you've seen the same with the clients that you work with as well. It's it's very powerful. Yeah. Yeah. And when, once you feel it, you, it's very eyeopening and motivating for sure. You spend a lot of time in Europe. Once a year, usually. 

(22:30 - 22:41) So what lessons did you take from Europe that you can apply here? Yeah. So we're very, very blessed. We typically spend about two to three months in Europe every year. 

(22:41 - 23:02) My husband's family is over there and we take that opportunity to go and explore different countries. And one of the biggest lessons I took from my time there as I was thinking of, you know, writing this book and, and you know, preparing the recipes and different things. And some I've gathered from my, my time there too. 

(23:02 - 23:16) So I'm excited for those. But food is looked at as something that is enjoyed and shared and prepared with love rather than just fuel or a product in the package. The way we look at it here in America. 

(23:16 - 23:52) So, you know, anytime we go to, you know, France or Italy, I really like to go to the outdoor markets, the farmers markets. And just, I like to observe people, but I also like to see what's. What are people thinking? See what's available. And it's just, it's, it's such a different, and I know we have farmers markets here. I'm not saying that we don't, but it's, it's one of those things there that it's almost more of ingrained in their daily life more than I think it is here. And so they they're going to the market to buy their ingredients that they're going to cook the food for like that day and that week. 

(23:52 - 24:32) And so I feel like in the, in the U S we, we are doing that more. I feel like, but I also see it as, Oh, it's more of just like a, like a one-off we'll just go and see what they have and, you know, get like a sweet treat or something while we're there versus like, this is the staple of the foundation of my food for the week. And kind of tied in with that, they're taking those simple ingredients and that's what they're cooking with. And then they're sitting down and sharing the meals together. So when we think about like a Italian restaurant, before I went to Italy in the U S portion is like massive, right? Oh yeah. Portions are so much smaller, but the food is like, it's fresh. 

(24:32 - 24:40) It's real. It's satisfying. Another piece of the puzzle there is they're not obsessed with dieting. 

(24:40 - 24:55) They're not counting calories or chasing, you know, the health labels in the front. Yeah. They have some of that, but it's not like here at all, but they are eating breads and cheese and drinking wine and you know, all those things, but their rates of obesity and chronic disease are much lower. 

(24:57 - 25:06) Because they're eating real food. And honoring mealtime, you know, and then we can get to the whole discussion about that. Yeah. 

(25:06 - 25:11) it's sad that there are, you know, ultra processed foods in Europe. Available. Like you can still buy them. 

(25:12 - 25:27) And it's sad because it's healthier ultra processed food than it is here in America. So that's a whole nother discussion. But yeah. So how do we do that? Cause you know, we can't all live in Europe. We can't all run off to Tuscany and get a little. Mountain Villa. 

(25:28 - 25:54) You know, we can start with like those small little rituals. Like we shared a couple of them, but just taking a day to source, very simple ingredients pick, you know, go to the farmer's market and grab something local and fresh. Like we're getting into fall now. So some fun squash, like I love all the different recipes with different types of squash. There's so many grab a squash, try it. Like there's so many that are out there slowing down. 

(25:54 - 26:03) And you know, there's so many things that you can do to slow down. you can sit down turning off the screens off the phone. Turn off this podcast. If you're eating right now, like. No. Doctors order. 

(26:05 - 26:13) And sit down with someone. Or even by yourself, put some music on. And then chew your food, smell your food. 

(26:13 - 26:17) Yeah. there's so many things that you can do to slow down. And these small shifts, they are going to help to heal. 

(26:17 - 26:28) You know, not only as I mentioned your body, your soul and help to bring you back into alignment with your biology. And these have ripple effects long-term. Yeah. 

(26:29 - 26:37) I was going to say probably the movement piece too, that you see. Yeah. And especially the older generations. 

(26:37 - 26:42) Yeah. Are still, you know, they're out there. They have gardens. 

(26:42 - 26:51) They're you know, pulling weeds, they're carrying their groceries home. They're riding their bicycles everywhere. Like it's just, it's so much. 

(26:51 - 26:58) So much different than the majority of America. As far as the movement piece for sure. The community piece, the movement piece. 

(26:59 - 27:06) The quality of the food. Like there's so many different pieces of the puzzle. So it's not just, you know, Just the food piece. 

(27:06 - 27:23) It's all these other bits that are tied into and connected to it that make, you know, the, the cumulative effect. Yeah. What are some hidden ways that convenience undermines our health that people may not realize? This was a fun one too. 

(27:23 - 27:33) And I'm researching is thinking about all the little sneaky things that we don't even realize anymore that has changed, not just what we eat, but how we live. So dishwashers. Dishwashers. 

(27:34 - 27:49) Robotic vacuums. Escalators. Delivery apps. I mean, you mentioned it saves time. Yes. But think about all of those thousands of little movements that our bodies were designed to make every day that we're not making now. 

(27:49 - 27:55) Yeah. So that would keep kept our metabolism up and kept our hormones, hormones balance. And those are gone. 

(27:56 - 28:03) Those are gone. And I dive more into that in the book as well, but sleep. Sleep is another hidden casualty. 

(28:04 - 28:21) This is something that full disclosure, I get on my husband about, he is a doomsday scroller. I'm like, what are you doing? Like, I don't want to watch. Did you type something in and are you searching for something specific? Because the man is incredible. 

(28:21 - 28:53) He uses YouTube for a lot of things and has built it, created some incredible things. But when you just sit there on your phone and you let those bots control what's going into your brain, that's a problem. So there's that. And that actually leaves, you know, when we get into the whole social media piece for a second, that has left us more lonely and disconnected, even though we're more quote connected than ever. We have that true. We have the ability to have calories show up at our door, any hour of the day, just hand delivered to us. 

(28:53 - 29:01) Whatever we want can just be delivered right to us. So our natural rhythms are completely disrupted. We're staying up later. 

(29:01 - 29:06) We're getting poorer quality sleep. We're more lonely. And then we wake up more stressed, more exhausted. 

(29:07 - 29:21) And then we can talk about stress. So stress has been reshaped by convenience. So I remember back when I was working at corporate America, there was this one day that I finished my to-do list. 

(29:21 - 29:27) The end. Once. I did it once. 

(29:28 - 29:57) Was that the day you quit? No, I stopped doing my to-do list before I quit. But no, it's nonstop multitasking. Emails on the phone, groceries arriving at the door, right? Meetings on Zoom. Here we are in Zoom. We never really turn off. When's the last time you just sat and did nothing for five minutes? It's very hard to do because you constantly have to reach for your phone. 

(29:58 - 30:21) And you're like, oh crap, I gotta do this. I gotta do that. I have this coming up. I have that coming up. So convenience was supposed to give us more time and space, but it's actually left us stressed out, sedentary, lonely, overstimulated and depleted, which is the complete opposite of what it's supposed to do. Exactly. 

(30:24 - 30:46) Last question. So if listeners could take away one thing from this conversation, or maybe you want them to remember one message from your upcoming book, what would that be? So if there's one thing that I want the listener to take away, it's this. Convenience isn't free. 

(30:47 - 30:58) There's a very high cost. So the foods, the habits that feel the easiest in the moments are often the ones that are the worst culprits. They're draining our energy. 

(30:58 - 31:16) They're causing our hormones to go out of balance and they are detrimental to our longterm health. So there is hope. If we redefine convenience for ourselves with real food, simple daily shifts, then your body will respond accordingly. 

(31:16 - 31:28) And this, like we had talked about, this is not about perfection. This is about awareness, number one, and then consistency. So picking a small choice because every choice matters. 

(31:29 - 31:51) One small shift, like we talked about cooking one real meal a week, walking instead of just sitting doomsday scrolling on your phone and sitting down to eat a meal together, have that community piece of the puzzle that moves you from depletion to towards vitality. Because you have to remember food, isn't just fuel. It's information.

(31:52 - 32:12) And every time we take one of these packaged shortcuts, it chips away at our health while real food is building resilience. And so our bodies were designed to heal and thrive. We just need to give it the right tools, the right building blocks, and oftentimes get them out of the way. 

(32:16 - 32:26) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You have to break the cycle. I mean, all that stuff that you talked about creates this vicious cycle. And so just doing that one little thing can break that cycle. 

(32:27 - 32:42) And then you can just keep moving forward from there. And it's worth it. Your health is worth it. You are worth it. And it doesn't have to be like we talked about. It doesn't have to be this entire makeover overnight. 

(32:43 - 32:56) Like we don't need to go clear out your pantry and throw everything away. Let's start with one small shift. What's one thing we can add to our life, our daily life to make it more nourishing, more healing, more balancing. 

(32:57 - 33:35) Yeah, for sure. Well, that's all we have for the questions, but I do just want to add throw in there that Dr. Anya will be speaking at our event. So there are six speakers in total, including myself, and it is taking place. So depending on when you're listening, October 9th, October 16th, and October 23rd from six to seven 30 PM Eastern time, each of those nights. So even if you miss the first night and you're maybe just catching this in the middle, which Dr. Anya will be speaking the second night, which is October 16th, but you can still sign up. It is free to register. 

(33:36 - 33:59) So I'll be sure to, in addition to posting all of her information, of course, so you can connect with her. I'll post the link for the event as well. I think that's all we have. I mean, that was amazing. I'm super, super excited for this. Book launch date times, hopefully for early 2026. 

(33:59 - 34:22) We'll just keep it general for now because I'm trying to get out of my own way with my own perfectionism. Yes. Yes. And yeah. And when it gets closer, depending again on when somebody listens, I can always update the notes too. So super happy, super thankful that you were able to come on and talk about this. 

(34:22 - 34:27) This is really good stuff. I'm super excited for this book. So thank you. 

(34:27 - 35:47) Thank you. Thank you so much for the opportunity to have me on again. Lindsie is always, always amazing having these conversations and thank you for sharing them with, with the masses. Appreciate you. Thank you. I hope this conversation with Dr. Anya has given you a new perspective on the true cost of convenience and how deeply it affects not just our bodies, but our hormones, energy and long-term health. If there's one takeaway, it's this small intentional changes like choosing whole foods more often, slowing down and creating your own version of functional convenience can have a huge impact. So I hope this conversation with Dr. Anya has given you a new perspective on the true cost of convenience and how deeply it affects not just our bodies, but our hormones, energy and long-term health. If there's one takeaway, it's this small intentional changes like choosing whole foods more often, slowing down and creating your own version of functional convenience can have a huge impact. If there's one takeaway, and let's keep spreading the message of healing beyond the quick fixes until next time, keep nourishing, healing, and thriving. And remember you are the author of your healing story.