We spoke with the newly wedded (and always awesome) Meghan Telpner, nutritionista extraordinaire, and Josh Gitalis, evidence based clinical nutritionist. This super powered couple is making it easy and exciting to live optimally, and heal and prevent disease through nutrition. We found out why they want you to break the rules, their fave tools for healthy living, and where they go to get “medicine.”
An UnDiet sounds easier than a Diet. Is it?
Meghan: Yes! UnDiet living is about breaking rules and creating a lifestyle that actually works for you. It’s a fact that 85% of all diets fail, and yet people who believe they have too much junk in the trunk keep trying them. Once you embrace UnDiet living– which is about keeping diet and lifestyle simple, clean, easy, sustainable and maintainable- the extra jiggle in the wiggle, and many health challenges just take care of themselves. It doesn’t get any easier! (Pre-order your copy of Meghan’s new book UnDiet: Eat Your Way to Vibrant Health and learn how to break the rules to better health)
Do you believe in an UnDiet too, Josh?
Josh: Absolutely! (Smart man to agree with your wife!) The only diet anyone should be on is the one that works for them. It is best to learn the basic concepts of healthy eating and then make a diet that supports your specific goals and physiology.
Many people believe medicine is found in the drugstore. Where do you find medicine?
Josh: Medicine can be found anywhere and everywhere. Medicine is defined as “something used for the treatment or prevention of disease”. This means that food, herbs, clean air, clean water, sunshine, exercise, music, friends and meditation can all be forms of medicine. In fact, just by meditating you can release chemicals that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars taken in a drug form.
Meghan: The name itself is funny- a store of drugs. It’s also a store full of junk food that makes you need the drugs. I find my medicine in the forest and on the farm. Green juice, garlic, and raw honey are my everyday medicines. Medicinal mushrooms like reishi and chaga, which Josh and I wild-harvest from the woods, form the bases of our herbal teas- which we use iced in all our smoothies.
Josh, You say it’s just as important to ‘work-out’ as it is to ‘work-in’. What does that mean?
Josh: When most people work out, they are focusing on the exterior so they can look good. I know many personal trainers who exercise regularly but often eat processed foods and drink alcohol. Even worse, they do it with their clients.
We must realize that it is just as important to work-in. All of our organs, glands, and tissues, communicate with each other and work together like a symphony. If one instrument is out of tune, the whole system sounds terrible. What we eat, think, and drink will determine the health of our bodies on the inside, while looking good on the outside will be a much welcomed side-effect.
What are three of your favourite tools to help you live healthier?
Meghan: My blender, my bed and my yoga mat. Eat well, sleep well and , and nothing can get you!
Josh: Morning meditation – This sets up the entire day for me. A high-powered blender – It’s amazing how many ingredients you can blend together to make an elixir. And exercise – Moving my body makes me feel like “a million bucks”. I love to do a variety of activities such as yoga, biking, squash, skiing, functional weight lifting, kettlebells, running, walking, and more.
What’s your favourite product to sell?
Meghan: I LOVE selling our online courses. My love stems from two awesome sides. The first is that I cartwheel and back handspring when we have people register as it shows they are taking an active role in their health education and well-being for themselves and their families. The second part that we love is that I’ve been chosen as the guide, or teacher for these individuals to help them along their health journey. With so much out there to choose from, they picked me as their teacher is an absolute honour and really, the best part of my job.
Josh: My Digestive Bitters, which are great to strengthen digestive capacity. Bitters have been an important herbal remedy for thousands of years to aid digestion, and help achieve vibrant health.
I’m also excited about my new Elixir that will be available soon. An Elixir is the perfect way to get the daily nutrition that is needed in a highly absorbable liquid form. It is a beverage that not only contains the macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats) but also features an array of phytonutrients and medicinal constituents that support both optimal health and longevity.
We know that you share a like-minded lack of tolerance for healthwashing. How do you choose to deal with it?
Meghan: I try to see the bright side to most situations, and believe people do things with the best of intentions… until it comes to healthwashers. Healthwashing is pervasive in the media and the supermarket- where a claim is made that something is good/healthy/ethical when the truth is that it’s not at all. The worst part of healthwashing is that the biggest victims are those that are trying to do the right think. My approach with healthwashers is simple, I ask questions– lots of questions based on facts and evidence and do my best to get honest answers. My goal is to get consumers to start asking the same kinds of questions so they can know for themselves what’s real and what’s been healthwashed.
Where’s your favourite getaway?
Meghan: I am a sucker for beaches, fresh picked local food, sunshine, and waterfalls. I have a soft spot for the Caribbean islands, love Hawaii, slept under the stars in Fiji and rode horses along the coast of Mozambique. The furthest away from the all-inclusive resort and heat lamp buffets the better. (Nourish your soul with Meghan and friends in 2013)
Josh: Anywhere in the mountains…preferably with snow so I can ski.
Meghan can only wear one colour for the rest of her life. Which one and why?
Josh: Pink, because it’s her favorite color and reflects her bright lively personality.
Meghan: Can polka dots count as a colour? If not I’ll go with lime green. Or pink. Orange? Sorry. I can’t choose one colour, it’s sacrilege.
What would your theme song be?
Meghan: Brett Denen is one of my all-time favourite musicians. His song Blessed is in my top. “Blessed is this life and I’m going to celebrate being alive”… or Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. Or Donavon Frankenreiter’s Rainbow Tree. Can I have three theme songs?
Josh: My theme song varies from moment to moment. In fact, I often sing my own theme songs in my head (or sometimes out loud). But if I had to choose one I would also go with Blessed, by Brett Dennen and/or Live In The Moment by Jason Mraz. Both great songs that make me feel fantastic!
For more information on Meghan Telpner visit her and her team at meghantelpner.com. Follow updates and tweets @MeghanTelpner and @MeghanInc, and give her a like on Facebook!
For more information on Josh Gitalis, visit him online at joshgitalis.com. Tweet with him @JoshGitalis, and Like him on Facebook too!
