Interview with Paleo Comfort Foods Author

[fawn]

Just thought I'd share!

They sell the book on their site so here's the interview here:

One of the most amazing surprises at the Ancestral Health Symposium happened during the fabulous talk given by Sarah Fragoso and Chrissy Gower (the two hot ladies who run the wildly popular Paleo Talk podcasts and seminars). Someone had asked a question about grocery shopping and affordability. A woman stood up and introduced herself (her name is Misty Humphrey) and she stated that she is the Healthy Eating Specialist at Whole Foods Market (WFM), and shared with the group gathered for Sarah and Chrissy’s talk some of the pieces of advice that she gives on her weekly WFM tours.

Misty in her role at Whole Foods Market

Realizing the need to share even more of this information with the masses, I connected with Misty to share some of her insights, tips, stories and inspiration with you all. So many times people refer to WFM as “Whole Paycheck.” Here, Misty shares with us some of her experiences and tips to make the shopping experience more economical and healthy!

Tell us a bit about yourself, your background, what it is you do for Whole Foods?
As an 85lb. weight loss maintainer, I took my “Low carbohydrate diet” to a whole new level when I attended the Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition. There, I learned the value of a whole food diet and turned my diet into not only a lifestyle but a journey I gladly share with others both in my home office as well, my position here at Whole Foods Market as the Healthy Eating Specialist. As a person who suffered ADHD, constipation, weight and other cognitive issues, I share with my clients and customers the value of transitioning from a SAD diet to that of a nutrient dense, whole foods diet. There are a few plans and challenges that are encouraged at Whole Foods but I have found that with my education and experience, my customers have great success with my advice to eliminate gluten, increase their fat and protein and decrease their carbohydrate.

What inspired you to get into this line of work?
Inspiration or obsession? I frequently tell others that I was so obsessed with how great I felt, how quickly the weight fell off and the thousands of ancedotal stories I was a witness to for the past 11 years on a variety of message boards. I was astounded with the amount of maladies disappearing as well as my own with this transition that it excited me to the point of further education. I am a Certified Holistic Nutrition Educator and am currently enrolled in Reed Davis’ Functional Diagnostic Nutrition program to further my personal practice goals.

Part of what you do is give food tours of WF and how to purchase good food for the family. Let’s pretend we’re a family, and on tour with you, and our food budget for the week is $200. What kinds of things will you make sure to point out and/or stress to us?
As I tour a family or individual through the store, I point out a variety of values. We work with many manufacturers to provide a coupon book called “The Whole Deal” where the customer can locate quite a few quality coupons not necessarily devoted to packaged and processed foods. Second, I remind all customers to review the Wednesday specials which feature a nice cross section of whole foods on sale. Our 365 brand is comparable to all major leading retailers so I always encourage customers to choose the 365 brand if no coupon or sale exists at that moment on other products. Finally, we have our Friday special where one can find a product at about 50% below retail. This sale will quite often pertain to seafood and meat. Wild Salmon, Grass Fed Ground Beef, Organic Air Chilled Chicken and of course the recent sale on prawns. So frequently, we get into the rut of serving the same dishes week after week. I encourage my customers to watch ads, be aware of the Friday special and browse the coupon book while making their choices for menu planning. Look outside the box and try something new if it’s on sale and for the lowest prices, choose local, in season products.

What purchases do you advise families against?
I’d like to begin with the gluten free lecture and store tour that I provide twice weekly. So many are attracted to the gluten free products which I am quick to remind have an equal if not higher impact on blood glucose than that of the wheat. I generally recommend they experiment with squash, zucchini and root vegetables rather than that of a low quality pasta dish. I find it’s less expensive, more filling and of course, nutrient dense. I also encourage the purchase of a quality water canteen for children and the school lunch as opposed to high sugar fruit juices.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge in educating families?
I find the biggest challenge to be the resistance in home preparation of whole foods. Overcoming time objections with a busy family is difficult but I might make recommendations such as packing the picnic for a soccer game, enjoying a variety of easy to grab finger foods and of course taking one day off per month to pre-cook some animal proteins to quickly put together family meals, and we must never forget about the slow cooker. I will frequently remind the “cook of the home” that an investment of time in the human frame now will save time from illness later.

If you could name one (or two) best “bang for your buck” meat/veg/fish/nuts/staples at Whole Foods Market, what would you say?
Wild Alaskan Salmon while in season is frequently on sale for $9.99 lb., our 365 brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil is $5.99 for a one liter bottle and a bunch of Kale is $1.99. I challenge anyone to find these values at their local Safeway.

No doubt you’ve met a lot of individuals and families in your work and seen some amazing changes. Are there any particular moments or experiences with customers that most resonate with you?
I have two very special stories for you:
Barbara is a 67 year old diabetic and breast cancer survivor. Barbara has been a diagnosed type 2 diabetic for 20 years. She came in to my class room one day and during our appointment she mentioned that she had been using Dr. Barnard’s vegan diabetic plan and was finding that she was utilizing a great deal of insulin which consequently was making her sleepy and ill. I recommended she try a lower carbohydrate approach. After 3 days Barbara’s blood sugars were dropping but when she entered my office she exclaimed “My Dr. doesn’t like your diet, I’m going back to Barnard’s program”. I said “I know and I’m not surprised. Barbara, you must do what makes you feel comfortable but understand you have a glucose metabolism imbalance”. I knew at that point that Barbara’s decision was made out of fear for her cancer but 4 days later, Barbara is in my office again and almost in tears because she had once again lost control of her blood sugar and with the previous information I had shared with her regarding glucose metabolism and cancer, she was scared to death. In this short period of time Barbara had felt such dramatic differences that her trust in me escalated. From over 200ml on her glucose readings now down to 120ml and dropping, Barbara wrote on her customer comment card and is not hesitant to announce in every group class “Misty has literally saved my life”. Barbara happens to be a senior citizen who has a $200 shopping budget and with some hints and tips, she is able to shop at Whole Foods primarily.

Tina brought her 8 year old son Zach in to see me after we met at an event where I was representing Whole Foods and the Wellness Center. Tina was desperately defending her son in school with his teachers because his ADHD was so extreme. Keep in mind this child is enrolled in a special education school so you can imagine her frustration. I gave Tina some information that I had studied regarding food and ADHD including gluten, food dye elimination and reduction to elimination of sugar. 2 weeks later Tina entered my office with tears in her eyes. Zach brought home his first progress report showing “All Stars” on every level. “Misty, he’s a different child” exclaimed Tina and with this information, Tina’s entire family has not only eliminated gluten but endured testing as well and have all proven to be gluten intolerant. That day, Tina and I cried together because not only was I so sympathetic to Tina’s case, I wished I had this information when both of my children and myself suffered ADHD.

Anything else you’d like to share?
I would like to share that when I began this job, there was no information on the floor regarding a Paleo lifestyle. Currently, we are carrying Loren Cordain’s books and are working to expand on this. I have a lot of customers who are finding themselves leaner, healthier and of course happier than they’ve ever been. When I first began here almost 8 months ago, my meat dept. was skeptical. I am happy to report, their sales have increased and we have a mutually beneficial relationship. Of course when there’s a great sale, they come to me and ask “how many pounds?” now. I have also teamed up with a local boot camp and am excited to announce our 100lb. challenge sponsored by Live Fit Boot Camp and Whole Foods Market. In one year, with a collaborative effort, we will transform 10 Men and 10 Women in a kind and paleo manner.

We applaud Misty and the work she is doing to really make a difference out there for so many, and for sharing some great tips for all of us! Thank you, Misty, for what you are doing and sharing your “insider’s tips” and inspirational stories with us!

[clackley]

Brilliant!!

[jeaniem]

Beautiful Misty!

[zizi]

THANKS FOR SHARING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sweet irony]

How exciting! I would love it if Whole Foods became more conscious of more LC benefits. A few weeks ago one of the clerks was a little shocked at how many full fat products he rang up for me. If Misty's knowlege trickles all the way down here in Atlanta I'll be THRILLED.

[fawn]

Originally Posted by sweet irony

How exciting! I would love it if Whole Foods became more conscious of more LC benefits. A few weeks ago one of the clerks was a little shocked at how many full fat products he rang up for me. If Misty's knowlege trickles all the way down here in Atlanta I'll be THRILLED.

Imagine the looks I got when I purchased 5 lbs. of pork belly the other day The meat dept. was blown away.

[Emily-D]

Misty sounds great.

The salespeople at WF are usually very knowledgeable. However, when I was looking for a brown sugar version of stevia (never did find it) the employee really pushed agave nectar. I stay far away from that stuff.

[Key Tones]

Very nice interview - thank you for sharing!

[Patlaf]

Thanks for sharing this article. I wish Whole Foods would expand in Europe. As far as I know they are only in England.

Pat

[pooticus]

Yay! You're brilliant girl! I'm so thrilled for you with your success!

[fawn]

Originally Posted by Emily-D

Misty sounds great.

The salespeople at WF are usually very knowledgeable. However, when I was looking for a brown sugar version of stevia (never did find it) the employee really pushed agave nectar. I stay far away from that stuff.

Sadly, that's the sweetener recommended in Rip Essylstein's Engine 2 diet that's why they recommend it. It's funny because when I first began, my regional director whispered in my ear at a training "You know Agave isn't the Panacea they make it out to be" I whispered back "I know, thank you for recognizing that"

It will be interesting to see how William Davis' Wheat Belly affects Whole Foods and the recommended dietary plans??? McDougall is a big wheat pasta pusher......

Pooti, thank you for supporting me from the very beginning my dear friend.

[pooticus]

Fawn, what do you think of Dr. Davis' book and diet? He really pushes low fat like Dr. Agatston. What do you think?

[fawn]

Poot, I haven't been able to get into it much....just the first chapter so far. I'm so scattered. I'm doing Reed Davis' Functional Diagnostic Nutrition program, Dr. Tom O'Bryan's Gluten Free Coach certification and working full time. why do I do this to myself?

[cleochatra]

You rock it, girl!

[drjlocarb]

Good work Fawn!

Can they clone Fawns for all the other stores?

[Emmaline]

Great Job!

Wish there was a whole foods in NY!

[CJ:)]

I wish all Whole Foods had a Fawn!!!!!

You Rock!!! I'm so glad that you're around!

And thank you for all of your advice

[Kerry]

Originally Posted by Emmaline

Great Job!

Wish there was a whole foods in NY!

Where in NY? We have them here in nyc


and way to go Fawn!

[juliekaboolie]

Woohoo! Yay Misty!! You ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mobear]

Awesome Misty . A Whole Foods will be opening soon about 8 miles from my house! I'm saving this info on sales and "how to bargain" shop" for when I visit the store. Thanks for all the info and wonderful help with recipes and such to improve our woe and health. You rock

[2bflawless]

I must admit I steer clear of Whole Foods because of how expensive I thought it was for my family, I will check it out more thoroughly and try giving their specials a shot.

Thanks!

[mrsadm]

Originally Posted by 2bflawless

I must admit I steer clear of Whole Foods because of how expensive I thought it was for my family, I will check it out more thoroughly and try giving their specials a shot.

Thanks!

I used to hear some folks call Whole Foods "whole paycheck". Perhaps buy special things there and stick with low-cost retailers for the regular stuff.

[dawnyama]

How fabulous Fawn!! Thanks for sharing!!

[Portia]

This post makes me want to go to Whole Foods! Congratulations, Fawn!

[fawn]

One thing you can all count on, you will never find HFCS, Trans Fats or artificial flavors or colorings. That's another difference. (It's not perfect believe me with the GMO)

Other than meat, I've comped out Whole Foods and I don't know how anyone affords stores like Safeway.

Just today the news reported that with the drought in TX, the corn has taken a hit so prices will be going up.

Funny thing girls, if you go to see your healthy eating specialist in any other Whole Foods, they don't do the same things I do.......they all encourage Engine 2 and Eat Right America. My Team Leader and I have discussed my demographic and my customer comment cards are dictating what I teach.

I base it on the customers needs, wants and ultimate goals. I do advise Vegetarians and Vegans both. I don't try to convert rather I just try to make sure they're caring for their essential supplement needs and support their food decisions.

I have one little girl who is 24 and she is lethargic, has cold hands and feet but would never even consider giving up her raw vegan lifestyle......though I am convincing her to at least increase her fat and maybe consider adding some cooked foods like buckwheat this winter.

[moonmirror]

Originally Posted by fawn

One thing you can all count on, you will never find HFCS, Trans Fats or artificial flavors or colorings. That's another difference. (It's not perfect believe me with the GMO)

Other than meat, I've comped out Whole Foods and I don't know how anyone affords stores like Safeway.

Just today the news reported that with the drought in TX, the corn has taken a hit so prices will be going up.

Funny thing girls, if you go to see your healthy eating specialist in any other Whole Foods, they don't do the same things I do.......they all encourage Engine 2 and Eat Right America. My Team Leader and I have discussed my demographic and my customer comment cards are dictating what I teach.

I base it on the customers needs, wants and ultimate goals. I do advise Vegetarians and Vegans both. I don't try to convert rather I just try to make sure they're caring for their essential supplement needs and support their food decisions.

I have one little girl who is 24 and she is lethargic, has cold hands and feet but would never even consider giving up her raw vegan lifestyle......though I am convincing her to at least increase her fat and maybe consider adding some cooked foods like buckwheat this winter.

Interesting, Fawn! I too wish you were at my Whole Foods! You could show me the best way to increase my omega 3's and eat cleaner meats/fish without breaking my budget...

So glad you still check in here from time to time.

[fawn]

So glad you still check in here from time to time.

ahh moon, this is home.....I just don't have much time anymore to commit to posting daily.

[Eliza_Jazz]

Rock on, Misty!

[laffin]

I think every grocery store in the country could use a "Misty", not just Whole Foods.

[Kerry]

Originally Posted by laffin

I think every grocery store in the country could use a "Misty", not just Whole Foods.