The Modern Ancestral Mamas Podcast

📍 Baja Gold Signature Minerals: use code MAM10 for 10% off – https://bajagoldminerals.com/📍 Vintage Traditions Whole-Food Skin Care: use code MAM10 for 10% off – https://www.vintagetradition.com📍 Join our Patreon Community – https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas Fertility is a team sport, and too often only half the team gets tested. In this conversation with Becca Thomas of Faithful Fertility Collective, a nurse turned functional nutritionist, we talk about why so many couples are told their labs are “normal” and still have no answers. Becca shares how she works with couples to look beyond standard lab ranges, why the male partner is so often overlooked, and what she sees most often when a mom who conceived easily the first time struggles to conceive again. We also dig into her story of leaving conventional nursing, and why she believes fertility is a body, mind, and spirit conversation. We get practical about what a couple can start doing today: eating foods closer to creation, reducing everyday plastics and personal care exposures, and giving yourselves at least three months to prepare, since that is roughly how long sperm and eggs take to develop. Becca also explains hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA), the mineral patterns she sees most often, and why depletion after pregnancy and breastfeeding can quietly affect the next conception. This episode is a conversation, not medical advice, so be sure to talk with your own provider about your situation. 📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:📍 Becca Thomas / Faithful Fertility Collective – https://www.faithfulfertility.co📍 Miracle in the Making (Becca’s six-month fertility coaching program for couples) – linked at faithfulfertility.co📍 Fertility Foundations Test (HTMA for both partners) – linked at faithfulfertility.co📍 Free monthly fertility workshop (running through the end of the year) – linked at faithfulfertility.co📍 Real Food for Fertility by Lily Nichols, RDN and Lisa Hendrickson-Jack – https://realfoodforfertility.com/📍 The Plastic Detox (documentary on Netflix)📍 Countdown by Dr. Shanna Swan (book, available on Amazon)📍 Baja Gold Sea Salt, Spice Blends, and Tidal Hydrate/Perform – https://bajagoldminerals.com/📍 Website – https://www.modernancestralmamas.com ✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:✔️ Becca’s path from dialysis nurse to functional nutritionist and fertility coach✔️ Why “normal” lab results can still leave couples with unexplained infertility✔️ The AMH test and why it speaks to IVF egg retrieval, not natural conception✔️ Why the male partner is so often overlooked, and how sperm quality affects the whole pregnancy✔️ Simple changes for men: diet, sleep, alcohol, fabrics, and personal care products✔️ Why cotton and linen beat polyester, plus affordable organic underwear and clothing tips✔️ Protein, fat, and carbs for women, and why God-made carbs matter in the childbearing years✔️ The top foods for fertility, and why organ meats go beyond just liver✔️ What HTMA is, and the four mineral patterns Becca sees most: four lows, calcium shell, copper dysregulation, and heavy metals✔️ Secondary infertility and the role of postpartum depletion✔️ Why marriage and faith belong in the fertility conversation✔️ How to prepare for pregnancy: three months of lead time, “low tox, not no tox,” and treating it like wedding planning 📲 Stay Connected:Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas@fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/@nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/@modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/YouTube | @ModernAncestralMamas

📍 Baja Gold Minerals (mineral-rich sea salt, spice blends, Tidal Hydrate and Tidal Perform): Use code MAM10 for 10% off https://bajagoldminerals.com 📍 Vintage Tradition (grass-fed tallow balm): Use code MAM10 for 10% off https://vintagetradition.com Have you ever had a "something isn't right" mom intuition moment with your child? We start this episode with that question, then sit down with Elizabeth Mae, a functional health practitioner who has been through it herself. After a postpartum health crisis with multiple autoimmune conditions, Elizabeth rebuilt her health, left a 19-year career as a wedding photographer, and now helps families dealing with chronic infections, immune dysfunction, and PANS and PANDAS. Elizabeth explains what PANS and PANDAS are, how they differ, and how the early signs, like sudden OCD, rage, tics, sleep trouble, sensory issues, and handwriting changes, are easy to write off as behavior. We talk about why so many pediatricians don't know what to do with these diagnoses, what she looks at when a child's symptoms keep coming back, and how strep, Lyme, Epstein-Barr, mold, and stress can all play a role. She also shares why she believes retraining the immune system matters more than masking symptoms, and which homeopathic remedies she keeps on hand for cold and flu season and for moms who are running on empty. 📚 Resources & Links Mentioned: 📍 Elizabeth Mae's functional health practice (book a clarity call or SOS call): https://heyhey.practicebetter.io/#/601f05602a9c240718277867/bookings?s=6025a1712a9c24070c74cf52&step=date 📍 Hey Homeopathics (homeopathy blends and kits, plus her free Simple Solutions Guide): https://www.heyheymae.com/heyheyhomeopathics 📍 Elizabeth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyheyelizabethmae/ 📍 Hey Homeopathics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyheyhomeopathics/ 📍 Join our Patreon Community: https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas 📍 Website: https://www.modernancestralmamas.com ✨ Topics Covered in This Episode: ✔️ Our "mom intuition" moments, including two broken arms and a very memorable "uterus" ✔️ Elizabeth's path from postpartum illness to functional health practitioner ✔️ What EBV, Lyme disease, PANS, and PANDAS are, explained in plain language ✔️ How PANS and PANDAS can show up: tics, OCD, bedwetting, sleep problems, sensory sensitivity, regression in handwriting and school skills, rage, and new fears ✔️ Why these diagnoses are hard to get, and what parents can do when their pediatrician is dismissive ✔️ Why Elizabeth focuses on the pattern and timeline more than the diagnosis ✔️ Common triggering events, from big stressors and RSV to repeated rounds of antibiotics ✔️ The role of the tonsils and adenoids, and why Elizabeth doesn't see removal as a cure for recurring strep ✔️ How strep can show up in the gut, skin, and brain, including connections to SIBO, eczema, and anxiety ✔️ Her alpha-gal, Lyme, and Bartonella experience, and what it taught her about PANS and PANDAS ✔️ Ancestral eating, lowering sugar, and why she pauses dairy for a season ✔️ Lymph drainage and simple ways to support a child's body while it clears infection ✔️ Why symptoms can seem to disappear and then return, including the effects of mold, stress, and toxin load ✔️ How homeopathy fits into retraining the immune system ✔️ Homeopathic remedies for fever, colds, tummy troubles, and worn-out moms ✔️ Why big changes often start with moms noticing a pattern, from the discovery of Lyme to today 📲 Stay Connected: Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas @fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/ @nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/ @modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/ YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ModernAncestralMamas

📍 Unsifted Freshly Milled Flour: Enjoy $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more (Code: MAM10) https://unsifted.com In this conversation with Dr. Ben Edwards, a conventionally trained family physician from Texas, we hear a healing story that changed the course of his career. Dr. Ben grew up the grandson of two small-town country doctors and was on top of the world running a rural clinic in West Texas. Then his nurse practitioner, who had lived with celiac disease for years, came to work one day and ate gluten right in front of him. That moment led Dr. Ben to a doctor who challenged everything he had been taught, and eventually to leaving the insurance model behind and building a clinic focused on getting to the root cause of illness. This is the third episode in our grain series, where we look at the health benefits of freshly milled flour. Dr. Ben shares why he believes the modern American gut struggles with refined flour, how stomach acid, the microbiome, and leaky gut all play a role in gluten reactions, and why freshly milled whole grain behaves so differently in the body than white flour. We also dig into phytic acid, the fermenting and soaking debate, when to introduce grains to babies, and why he encourages his patients to bring these decisions to prayer and not just protocols. 📚 Resources & Links Mentioned: 📍 Unsifted (freshly milled flour): $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more https://unsifted.com 📍 Dr. Ben Edwards’ clinic and wellness membership: https://veritaswellnessmember.com/plans-join-veritas-wellness 📍 Dr. Ben Edwards on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbenedwards/ 📍 Dr. Ben’s podcast, You’re the Cure: @Dr.BenEdwards⁩ on YouTube 📍 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price 📍 Our first Unsifted episode (Ep. 79, Grain Revival, Fresh Milling, Grain Mills, and the Unsifted Mission): https://youtu.be/EwJi-l2cVjo 📍 Our interview with Sue Becker: https://youtu.be/XL_S34wi2OQ 📍 Join our Patreon Community (extended episode with more of this conversation): https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas 📍 Website: https://www.modernancestralmamas.com ✨ Topics Covered in This Episode: ✔️ How long we each believed grains were bad for us, and what changed our minds ✔️ Dr. Ben’s path from small-town country doctor to functional and nutrition-focused medicine ✔️ The story of the nurse who “cured” his celiac, and what he was taught about stomach acid and the microbiome ✔️ Why stress, sugar, and processed food can shut down stomach acid and affect digestion ✔️ Leaky gut, tight junctions, and how undigested proteins can trigger the immune system ✔️ Modern wheat, glyphosate, and hybridization: what may be part of the problem ✔️ Refined flour vs. whole grain vs. freshly milled vs. fermented grains ✔️ Why freshly milled flour may affect blood sugar differently than white flour ✔️ Why Dr. Ben thinks of grain as a “multi-B complex,” and what happened when the nutrients were stripped out ✔️ Phytic acid: anti-nutrient, nutrient, or both? ✔️ Soaking, sourdough, and fermenting vs. going straight to fresh milled ✔️ Introducing grains to babies, and why the answer may depend on the mother’s microbiome ✔️ His five foundational food groups and the nutrition, hydration, movement, and peace pillars ✔️ Why he encourages listening to the Holy Spirit and your own family’s needs, not just rules and protocols 📲 Stay Connected: Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas @fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/ @nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/ @modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/ https://www.youtube.com/@ModernAncestralMamas

📍 Unsifted Freshly Milled Flour: Enjoy $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more (Code: MAM10) https://unsifted.com In this conversation with Bob Quinn, a plant biochemist, organic farmer, and founder of the Quinn Institute in Big Sandy, Montana, we get the farmer’s side of the grain story. Bob grew up on a wheat and cattle ranch, earned his PhD at UC Davis, and came home to turn his farm into a laboratory. After a trade show visitor thanked him for growing food for her family, he stopped growing commodities and started growing food. That shift led him to Kamut, the ancient grain he brought to market and spent decades researching. This is the “farmer” episode in our new grain series, where we look at wheat through the eyes of the farmers, the millers, and the bakers. Bob shares why so many people struggle with modern wheat, how breeding for yield changed the grain, what the difference is between ancient, heirloom, and modern grains, and why he believes the whole system, from seed to soil to processing to the bread aisle, shapes what ends up in our bodies. We also talk about sourdough, glyphosate, fresh milling, the true cost of cheap food, and what it takes for farmers to transition to regenerative organic practices. 📚 Resources & Links Mentioned: 📍 Unsifted (freshly milled flour): $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more https://unsifted.com 📍 The Quinn Institute: https://quinninstitute.org/ 📍 Bob’s book, Grain by Grain (co-authored with Liz Carlisle): available at bookstores and online 📍 Kamut brand grain, pasta, cereal, and flour: Bob’s Red Mill https://www.bobsredmill.com 📍 The Food Nanny (Kamut flour and grain): https://thefoodnanny.com 📍 Montana Flour & Grains (bulk orders): Fort Benton, Montana 📍 Our first grain series: episodes with Unsifted, Sue Becker of Bread Beckers, Courtney Queen of Butter for All, and Bill Schindler of the Modern Stone Age Kitchen 📍 Join our Patreon Community (extended episode with more of this conversation): https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas 📍 Website: https://www.modernancestralmamas.com ✨ Topics Covered in This Episode: ✔️ Bob’s path from Montana wheat ranch to PhD scientist to organic farmer ✔️ The “rainbow trail” to good health: seed, soil, harvest timing, minimal processing, and honest labeling ✔️ The story of Kamut, from a county fair handful of giant grain to a 100,000 acre crop ✔️ Ancient grains vs. heirloom grains vs. modern wheat ✔️ What changed in modern wheat after World War II, and why nutrition was never part of the breeding goal ✔️ Why flavor and aroma are clues to nutrient density ✔️ Why Kamut contains gluten but is often tolerated better, and the role of glyphosate, processing, and fast-rise yeast ✔️ How long fermentation with sourdough breaks down gluten ✔️ What Bob’s research found, including the rat study on inflammation and the human clinical trials ✔️ Fresh milling and how quickly flour loses nutrients after grinding ✔️ The high price of cheap food for farmers, rural communities, the environment, and our health ✔️ Whether regenerative organic farming can feed America ✔️ Advice for new and transitioning farmers ✔️ How a large bread manufacturer could make better bread, from hard white wheat to golden whole grain flour ✔️ The Noah’s Ark legend behind “the prophet wheat” 📲 Stay Connected: Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas @fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/ @nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/ @modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/ YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ModernAncestralMamas

📍 Unsifted Freshly Milled Flour: Enjoy $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more (Code: MAM10) – https://unsifted.com In this conversation with Jen, a registered nurse of nearly 40 years, we hear her story of chronic illness and how she came back to bread. After years of microscopic colitis, psoriasis, and a long list of autoimmune diagnoses, Jen tried nearly every protocol out there, including carnivore, GAPS, and low FODMAP, and stayed gluten-free for close to a decade. Then she felt led to eat bread again, and what happened next surprised her, her doctors, and her family. This is the "healed" episode in our new series on grains, where we look at wheat through the eyes of the farmer, the miller, the baker, and the healed. Jen shares why sourdough made with store-bought flour didn't work for her, what changed when she started milling her own grain, how her labs and digestion responded, and what she experienced in the first few weeks. We also talk about choosing a grain mill, how she bakes six loaves a week, and why she believes the real issue is not gluten but what has been stripped from our flour. 📚 Resources & Links Mentioned: 📍 Unsifted (freshly milled flour): $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more – https://unsifted.com 📍 Jen Mama Hen – ⁨@Jenmamahen⁩ "Jen Mama Hen" on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok 📍 Bread Beckers (Sue Becker) – https://breadbeckers.com/ 📍 Sue Becker's Essential Homegrown Flour cookbook – available on Amazon 📍 Alex Clark's Culture Apothecary podcast, episode with Sue Becker: "What If Gluten Isn't the Enemy?" – search on your podcast app 📍 NutriMill grain mills – https://nutrimill.com/ 📍 WonderMill grain mills – https://wondermill.com/ 📍 Join our Patreon Community – https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas 📍 Website – https://www.modernancestralmamas.com ✨ Topics Covered in This Episode: ✔️ Jen's health journey, from a root canal and a colitis diagnosis to a head-to-toe psoriasis flare ✔️ Why she tried carnivore, GAPS, low FODMAP, and herbal protocols, and what each one taught her ✔️ How she came to eat bread again after nearly a decade without it ✔️ Why sourdough, einkorn, and spelt didn't work for her, and what did ✔️ Discovering freshly milled flour through Sue Becker and the Culture Apothecary podcast ✔️ What she experienced in the first weeks of eating freshly milled bread, including the detox-like reaction she pushed through ✔️ Changes she saw in her digestion and her lab work, including her cholesterol ✔️ How freshly milled bread has affected blood sugar for people in her family with type 1 diabetes ✔️ Her take on gluten, food fear, and why the wellness world is still skeptical of bread ✔️ Choosing a grain mill, why she skipped the cheap options, and why she warns against using a KitchenAid attachment ✔️ How she bakes six loaves a week, and how she freezes and stores them ✔️ The role of peace and quiet time in her healing 📲 Stay Connected: Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas @fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/ @nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/ @modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/ YouTube | ⁨https://www.youtube.com/@ModernAncestralMamas