Health podc

#386 - THE ONE FIX THAT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING: with Dr Libby Weaver

Hi there!

If you’ve been feeling more tired than usual - not just physically, but emotionally too - this week’s podcast episode is for you.

I’m joined by someone I deeply admire and trust when it comes to health & wellbeing: my dear friend, Dr. Libby Weaver. She’s a leading nutritional biochemist, 11-time bestselling author, and one of the most empowering voices in women’s wellness.

In this conversation, we dive into her latest book, Fix Iron First: The One Thing That Changes Everything. And yes, that title is as powerful as it sounds - because iron really can change everything.

Far too many women are living their lives depleted, being told by doctors that their blood tests look “normal,” while deep down they know something isn’t right.

Four key things you’ll take away from this episode:

✨ Why iron is central not just to your energy, but also to your mood, focus, sleep, and even motivation.
✨ The real signs of iron deficiency (beyond tiredness!) and how to recognise them.
✨ Why “normal” test results might not be enough – and how to advocate for yourself.
✨ Practical advice on boosting your iron levels naturally through diet and smart supplementation.

Dr. Libby has such a gift for making complex science feel simple - and hopeful.

This episode is soulful, practical, and potentially life-changing - especially if you’ve been struggling with low energy and want to get your zest for life back.

So, grab a cup of tea or pop on your walking shoes, and join us for this important conversation. I have a feeling it just might change the way you think about your health.

Let’s start fixing iron first, so you can feel amazing again.

As always, I’d LOVE to hear what resonates with you from this episode and what you plan to implement after listening in. So please share and let’s keep the conversation going in the Dream Life Podcast Facebook Group here.    

Have a wonderful weekend 💛

Dream Life & kikki.K Founder

SHOW NOTES:

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TRANSCRIPT:

Kristina: Hi

there, and welcome back to another episode. If you have been feeling a bit tired lately, maybe even exhausted, not just physically, but emotionally, this episode is for you. Today, I'm joined by someone I admire. deeply and who is also a great friend, Dr. Libby Weaver. She's an incredible nutritional, biochemist, 11 time bestselling author, and one of the most empowering voices in women's wellness and someone I trust when it comes to health and wellbeing.[00:02:00]

Her new book is called Fix Iron First. The one thing that changes everything, and that is exactly what we will be diving into today because here's the truth, so many women are living their lives. Utterly depleted being told that they are fine when deep down they know something is not right. In this conversation, Dr.

Libby shares why iron is the key to restoring your energy, your focus, your mood, and your cyst for life. You will learn the real signs to look out for and how to Advocate for yourself and what to do if your blood tests says normal, but you still feel anything bad.

This, this episode is practical, soulful, and full of hope, and she's just such an amazing person. So grab a tea or go for a walk, Then let's [00:03:00] dive right in.

 

[00:03:07] Kristina: Well, hello, Dr. Libby, and a very warm welcome. I am so excited to have you. It's like Christmas morning for me to have you on my podcast.

[00:03:17] Dr Libby: You are the kindest lady. Kristina, thank you so much for having me join you.

[00:03:22] Kristina: So exciting. I remember when I started my podcast many years ago, that was the hardest thing that I'd done for a long time. And I remember I wrote down a few friends, and you were one of them that I thought would be a good one to, to start with because I knew you and I had Elissa Camplin in there and a few others, but I was so nervous.

And, uh, I had a bit of a laugh this morning because I, um, went for a walk, as I always do every morning, and I, I thought about this today and then I thought it's so different compared to maybe, I don't know how many years ago we did it. [00:04:00] But, um, thank you for coming. Um, again, I'm really, I really, really appreciate it.

[00:04:05] Dr Libby: It's my pleasure. Always, always love chatting to you and appreciate the energy you bring and all your, all the curiosity you have. We first connected all those years ago about books and uh, it's, um, yeah, we both still love books very much so. Yeah, it's, always love chatting.

[00:04:21] Kristina: Yeah. And you know what, another thing that I reflected on, 'cause I do a lot of my, in my journaling, I do a lot of reflection. And I, I thought about how you meet people when you travel and you go, like, we met on Necker Island of all places. Consider we live in the same country we didn't meet here.

And then how incredible it is to meet people but then have. It's one thing to meet a person and then have all this amazingness, but then my, one of my highest values is sharing, and I think it will be higher up for you as well, since you have written 14 books. But I think it's so amazing to have a podcast, like it's one of the [00:05:00] vehicles that I think is so amazing because you can share so much wisdom in in a short amount of time.

[00:05:06] Dr Libby: Mm agree, and you do it so beautifully.

[00:05:09] Kristina: Oh, thank you. Thank you. So today we are going to talk about your 14th book, but before we do, I just wanted to read up that your your mission is to educate and inspire, enhancing people's wellbeing and wisdom, igniting a ripple effect that transforms the world. So I am curious why, why this mission?

[00:05:34] Dr Libby: Well, I could see that there were so many people who had good knowledge, but they weren't necessarily acting on that. It's not often a lack of education that leads us to make some of the lifestyle choices we make. So that was, that's sort of the, the, educate and inspire part of it because sometimes we need a little bit of inspiration to just take that extra step.

But then I also very much believe we have wisdom inside of us. We so often look [00:06:00] for everything outside of us. We look to experts for advice on everything. And I know that has relevance. Of course, we sometimes require that, but. There's so much wisdom we have inside of ourselves that can guide us. You know, there's a voice inside us that knows when it's time to go to bed.

We know we actually know what to eat for lunch, even though we might ask other people, you know, what's a nutritious lunch? So there's that wisdom inside of us. And then I think when we really step up and take just a little bit better care of ourselves, it changes how we show up, not just for ourselves, but for other people.

And that's the ripple effect I talk about. So you might be in an Uber going somewhere, and because you feel much better about yourself, you inquire with the driver about their life and you end up having a really deep and meaningful conversation about, you know, how they've come to be driving Uber. Or you might share something about your experience.

And it's often incredibly uplifting and also. Fortifying and it's, it helps other people to feel like they're cared [00:07:00] for or, or that they, you know, the, the humanity in us, I think comes out a little bit more when we feel better about ourselves. So that's the ripple effect. It's about showing up for strangers and also for the people we love the most in the world.

[00:07:12] Kristina: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And I am really curious about this, so let's have a discussion before we move into your book. Is, so, when I do my public speaking, I, I share a little bit about my journey, my ups and my downs, and then I share some tools that have helps me in very challenging times, but also in the good times.

It's things that I do daily and, you know, when I say daily, I'm not perfect, but, you know, most of the time are the things that I, you know, there, there's some habits that I practice daily that really is beneficial for my wellbeing. Not hard, but these kind of habits are really, um, simple, really, like, it's not like you need to be an athlete or you need to have knowledge.

It's really simple things, and sometimes I'm like, oh, is it too simple? But then [00:08:00] I'm like, that's actually what makes, makes me be able to do big things. So what, what do you think it is for, so many of us that knows so much, but we don't actually act on it. Is it because of the distractions in the world.

or is it because we are, lazy?

Our brain is lazy. What, what do you think it is? Or you probably know what it is.

[00:08:23] Dr Libby: Well not, I think it's probably different for everyone. I think we can get really confused about our priorities. So when a really, and I know this is something you've done and I have as well, it's one of the most helpful exercises you ever do is to work out what your values are. And I don't mean, I guess ethical preferences.

I don't mean kindness and generosity. When I say values, I mean what does your life actually demonstrate you value? Because we make time for what we prioritize. We make time for what we care about, and we actually look after what we care about. So whether that be the environment or our health or our loved ones, when we love [00:09:00] something or appreciate something, we tend to look after it.

So I think sometimes the block in acting on what we know is. There's so much happening and there's so much we could do. So we are confused about our priorities, but knowing our values helps us to prioritize that. And if health wellbeing is fairly high up on that values list, which ideally, you know, for someone like me, I want it nice and high on people's values list.

It doesn't have to be number one, but so often it's a health crisis that leads us to push or to lift, uh, to elevate health as a, as a value. We don't want it to be the crisis that wakes people up to get them to act on what they know in their hearts they need to today. So I think that sometimes gets in the way, but also I think some people have essentially beliefs or limiting beliefs.

Inaccurate beliefs about themselves, they might unconsciously believe they're not worth taking care of. So even though they have great knowledge, there's no action to follow that up. So we know you and I have read [00:10:00] some books in common, and I remember in one of our book clubs many years ago talking about things that actually link up When you notice new choices you are making, when you connect those new choices to better energy or better sleep, or improvements in the quality of relationships or improvements in confidence.

Or your skin, whatever it is that you value, whatever you care about. If you notice that you've made some changes and then there are improvements in those area, we are more likely to make them habits. We're more likely to make them stick. So I know you've got a glorious morning ritual. Your inspired, I'm sure hundreds of thousands of people with your morning rituals and I'm sure it's you, you've made them a habit.

You say they're simple, but, you've made them a habit because you get so much out of it and so much that you value out of it. And so, and that I think also has a ripple effect because you then show up as your extraordinary self. You do that anyway. But that morning ritual, I think helps you to [00:11:00] do that.

and it doesn't have to be complicated as you say.

[00:11:03] Kristina: No. And I, I often say, and I think this is really, um, relevant, like for everything that we do is like for a morning ritual, like some of my friends would think, my morning ritual is the most boring morning ritual you can have because, you know, it's, it's, uh, it's slow, it's nature. It's nothing to do with anything that goes very fast.

And, uh, what I mean with that is that you, you need to find something that you love. And I think this is you know why some people love certain exercises because they love it versus that might not be suitable for someone else. And for me, the morning ritual is just always to start with something that you love.

So it's not, if you don't love the gym, you should definitely not start with that. That could be something you can introduce later to kind of push yourself or change something. But, um. like, for me, and I tried so many different things in the morning, including gyms and things, but I always go back to nature because I think there's just nothing better [00:12:00] to have that space in the morning.

And, you know, if, if I'm very privileged to work from home, so I don't have a specific time, I need to be back. So I can perhaps, do more things that most people can. But I think going out in nature and, seeing the sunrise, I think there's just nothing better in my opinion. But for some people that will be the most boring thing.

[00:12:21] Dr Libby: I am with you with the watching. Changing light is such a gift, isn't it? Sunrise, sunset, it's.

[00:12:26] Kristina: Absolutely. Absolutely. So, let's talk about your book Fix R Fs. The one thing that changes everything, so. I read in your book that you started writing your 14th book, which I believe this one is. but you started writing about another topic and then you were 65,000 words in which I'm like, oh my gosh, you paused and you changed.

Why did you do that?

[00:12:56] Dr Libby: So, yes, I was writing a book about perimenopause and the [00:13:00] first 11,000 words were all about iron, and so I. I realized that I wanted to shine a light on iron deficiency and its role in people's health of all ages, and it needed its own story. It needed to come to life. I think there are, it is iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, globally, including in New Zealand and Australia, and it's not being talked about enough.

I think there are other nutrients that have become a bit trendier so people can get really focused on magnesium or vitamin D or creatine is having its time in the sun right now. and we are forgetting about some basic things. And I'm asked regularly about. You know, health hacks and things like that and that's fine, but we can't cold plunge our way out of iron deficiency.

If you have an iron deficiency correcting that is what is going to give you your quality of life back because iron is tied up in so many processes inside of us. So I wrote the book because iron needs a, yeah, it [00:14:00] needs to get back to the top of the pile where it belongs, because when we correct iron deficiency, so much else inside of us changes for the better.

[00:14:08] Kristina: Mm. I love that. So, can you walk us through that? Like what is it that changes exactly to, if we attend to that, what else can we expect out of that?

[00:14:20] Dr Libby: So because iron is needed for our red blood cells, the body is just so extraordinary. So we make two and a half million new red blood cells every single second, two and a half million new red blood cells every second. So there then another two and a half million. Now red blood cells out of all the cells in our blood, they last for the longest.

So red blood cells live for 120 days, but the body in its magnificence doesn't waste anything. And so when the red blood cell is at the end of its life at the end of 120 days, and the red blood cell itself is essentially dying. Don't worry 'cause you've got new ones to replace it. But inside the [00:15:00] dying red blood cell is iron that is still perfectly good.

And so the iron inside a dying red blood cell gets sent back to what's called the total iron pool and then what we eat or iron supplements, we take that all of that feeds into that total iron pool, and that's from there. The body decides where the iron needs to go. Obviously a huge amount of iron is sent to the bone marrow so that it can be popped inside those brand new baby red blood cells as they're being born.

And the reason that matters so much is because red blood cells contain hemoglobin and that requires iron. And that's literally how oxygen is transported throughout our body. So it's picked up from the lungs and then that oxygen is delivered to every cell in the body. So if listeners can imagine that their physical structure is made up of, let's say, 50 trillion cells, imagine a cell is a tiny little circle.

Someone got a pencil and draw a circle that's a cell. And inside every cell of your body is a [00:16:00] city. It just blows my mind to think about it. And inside every little city in, inside each city, there's construction happening. Or if that building isn't being used, the body will start to pull that apart and dismantle it.

Nothing gets wasted. All the, all the construction bits for that little part of the city will get used in another part of the city. so every cell has to consume food, every cell has to eliminate its own waste. Just like us as a total human being, eats food and eliminates waste. And so for the cities to actually function, oxygen is required.

So. That's why energy is one of the first things that suffers when we become iron deficient because there's just not the oxygen being delivered in a, in an efficient way. So the cities so that our cells can do their best work, which is essentially what contributes so much to how we feel and function and look.

So that energy's the first thing that we notice a big difference in when we fix iron deficiency. And I just wanna pause on that a little bit longer if that's okay. [00:17:00] Because when you think about fatigue, when we are tired, it affects everything. So it. Will impact whether we get up in the morning and go for a walk.

It will impact whether we grab takeaway on the way home from work instead of cooking a meal from scratch. It could impact our confidence in a promotion. Me what we might want to apply for it might affect whether we talk chat away to the Uber driver or stay silent. Nothing wrong with either of those, but I'm just saying how energy will affect the way we communicate with strangers and also the people we love the most in the world.

So the ripple effect of lousy energy is major. And iron deficiency is a big contributor to lousy energy. More than that, though, our thyroid gland also needs iron to be able to make its hormones. So the pituitary gland in the brain calls out to the thyroid gland in the neck and says, wake up and make your hormones.

And for the thyroid to be able to respond to that, you need. Iron and then also the [00:18:00] body. The thyroid will make T four, which is inactive thyroid hormone, and then it needs to get converted into the active thyroid hormone. T three and iron is needed for that biochemical reaction. Selenium is as well, but, we can't create those active thyroid hormones.

In an efficient manner when we're iron deficient. So over the years of working with patients, I've seen a lot of people with low iron pretty consistently, and then their thyroid stops working as well as it once did. So they don't necessarily have a thyroid disease, but it's not working as well as it once did.

And then add to that, if, if that's not enough, we literally require iron to be able to make neurotransmitters like, uh, dopamine for motivation. Gaba the lovely calming neurotransmitter, and we need it for serotonin and melatonin. So another classic sign of iron deficiency can be lousy sleep.

Now, lousy sleep is influenced by lots of factors, but iron deficiency is one of them. And restless legs, for example, tends to kick in when we're [00:19:00] iron deficient. So sleep can be terribly disrupted. So there's some of the big picture, uh, scenarios or the big picture symptoms that are corrected when we address iron deficiency.

And I feel like so much is. we can make health really complicated and sometimes it is, but at other times it's a really simple fix. And yeah, I, I wrote fix iron first to really shine a light on let's, let's sort out iron deficiency and then let's see what's left over. And if anything more needs to be addressed for someone.

[00:19:29] Kristina: Yeah. Yeah. I love that. And it was a bit ironic when we caught up last time when you were just about to release this book that I was a bit, Aaron, which, um, for the first time for a long time I was, but I wanna just say that I love, your new, uh, bio blends, iconic Aaron, uh, the Ultimate Iron Solution.

So I wanna talk about that, but that's been really helpful. So thank you for that. So you just talked about destructively, but what are the most common signs, more than energy, that we can expect when we are, because I think unless you do a blood [00:20:00] tests, you don't really know what it is, obviously.

So I'm assuming you're gonna say that we all need to take a blood test. But, but what are the common signs?

[00:20:07] Dr Libby: So our skin can tend to go pale. Whatever our normal skin color is, you notice that you look pale. and that can be a sign. Of course, the fatigue, as I said, you also notice if you really gently pull down your bottom eyelid, the lining of it is quite pale rather than a nice bright red color.

That can be another sign. Some people notice they get heart palpitations, so they start to, they'll say, I feel quite anxious. My heart is racing. Or they notice they get quite short of breath even though they can't really explain why that is. Uh, some people crave ice, want to crunch the ice. and I've noticed other women will say to me, oh, it's not so much ice, but they buy packets of nuts like almonds or cashews or Brazil nuts and or macadamia nuts.

And they put them in the freezer and it's because they want to, they want the crunch of the [00:21:00] nut. They just don't want nuts out of the cupboard or, yeah. So they, it's a real desire for the cold crunch factor. that can be another sign, as well. So it tends to show up. Sort of quite differently for everyone, but certainly the lousy energy and the, and the lousy sleep, they can be very common ones.

Some women notice that their periods become very heavy when they're iron deficient. But once you progress to, iron deficiency anemia, which is the most severe form of iron deficiency, sometimes menstruation will cease. Uh, and because your body's trying to conserve that loss of blood and, and not let any more blood go, so there can be essentially hormonal ramifications, well.

[00:21:41] Kristina: Yeah. Yeah. So, um, with a very big topic at the moment, perimenopause, which, uh, I'm sure will be a book coming out. Uh, so we can talk more in depth with that perhaps for another episode. But So how do we know that it's not perimenopause versus iron, deficiency.

[00:21:58] Dr Libby: Testing is really the only [00:22:00] way to know because iron deficiency will show up very clearly in the blood. There isn't a blood test for perimenopause. Our hormones change quite a lot. There are some markers that really experienced doctors can potentially suggest you quite like, it's quite likely that you are in perimenopause, but there's no definitive blood test.

Uh, as I said, hormones are forever changing. So, yeah, iron deficient actually getting, um, iron studies tested when we test iron studies. You measure serum iron, which is a reflection of recent dietary intake or recent supplementation you test for transferrin. Transferrin is a taxi that drives iron around, so transferrin actually goes high.

It elevates in iron deficiency because the body's making more taxis to try to pick up more passengers. The passengers obviously is iron, so the body will make more, more taxis to try to get more iron to go in. So that's transferent. In iron studies we also measure transferrin saturation. So how many passengers are actually in the [00:23:00] taxi, and then ferritin, which is iron storage.

So it's like, think of ferritin like your backup battery. and the normal ranges in New Zealand and Australian pathology labs for ferritin for adult women is 20 to 220 micrograms per liter. And that's a really broad, normal range. And obviously we have to have normal ranges 'cause it would be chaos without it.

But my worry is that that bottom end of the normal range is too low for women to feel good. So I prefer to see ferritin and a minimum of 50. many women will say they feel better when it's more like 80 or even a hundred, and that's partly because there's so much inside of us that requires iron.

And if we were say, to have a really heavy menstruation bleed, or for women in perimenopause, sometimes they'll be menstruating more than once a month. It might be two or three times a month. It's we're losing iron with every men every time we menstruate, so we need a decent backup battery. for a gentler perimenopausal transition, in my [00:24:00] experience, so min ferritin, minimum 50, ideally even a bit higher, 80, even a hundred transferrin.

Coming back to that, the taxis transferrin will elevate when your body is seeking more iron. So the normal range for adult women is two to 3.6 grams per liter, but once it goes above about 2.6 grams per liter, I see that as the body seeking more iron. So the body's making more taxis to try to pick up more iron.

So that's sort of, I guess more for optimum health, um, is for that to keep in mind. But certainly my worry right now is, that, it's really wonderful to see perimenopause getting so much attention. Absolutely. Because women are finally getting the support and help that they need.

They also feel like they're, part of a community. There's a lot more understanding, a lot more discussion, and that has immense and immeasurable benefits of course, that there can be real relief and treatments provided. My little worry with it is though, [00:25:00] that the next generation of women, when you speak to women who are around 30, they're terrified of perimenopause because all they're hearing about are really the women who are, who are very, very challenged by it.

So I do feel like we need to sort of create space for all experiences because there are many women who suffer very mildly, or some who don't suffer at all, and we're not really hearing their stories. So one of the things I like to consider, and it's not always the case, but one of the things I like to consider is.

What else could be going on for someone as far as their metabolic health goes? That could be leading to the perimenopausal transition being more challenging. Is there something contributing to that? So could it be insulin resistance? Could it be a thyroid that's not working as well as it once did? Liver fat accumulation.

Or is it iron deficiency? 'cause there's a phrase I use in my work, the road in is the road out. In other words, I wanna find what's created the problem so we can address that thing and see [00:26:00] then how much better the person potentially feels. So that's why I, I really love for people of all ages, right? You know, toddlers and children, teenage girls, women all across the menstruation years, especially to know and postmenopausally.

Of course, we need to know what our iron levels are because sometimes women find out once they stop menstruating, that they actually have a genetic condition called hemochromatosis. It's not that common, but that's an iron accumulation condition. So across our, my point is across our whole lifespan, it's really, really useful to know what our iron levels are.

It's can be just a yearly blood test because it's just so, so important to treat any deficiency that you find as soon as you can.

[00:26:41] Kristina: Yeah. Yeah. I love that. So, so I love how you're saying it with it. 'cause I've, I've written down all the, the thing that you said in terms of what's normal and I, I always, when I go to a doctor, I never wanna be normal because I often get like, yeah, it's your, tests are oil normal, but I don't wanna be normal because I think the average person [00:27:00] often are not so healthy. So I always wanna be as high. So how do we, for people who are listening here, how do they know how to, to have optimal health unless they go to see someone, you know, like you.

[00:27:14] Dr Libby: So You wanna base it on how you feel, and don't just think, oh, it's. My busy life or modern life or stress, I find a lot of people just blame, other things for what could be going on. And I'm not denying, of course, that you know, when we're experiencing the persistent production of stress hormones, of course it can have a lousy effect on how we feel.

And sometimes it is simply that, which is not always easy to address. I very much acknowledge that. But it's more when you don't feel like yourself, don't just think, oh, it's. Stress or, or 'cause I'm so busy, if you notice that fatigue has crept in and sleep no longer restores your tiredness, it's worth investigating.[00:28:00]

And whether it's then that there's not enough iron or the thyroid's underperforming. So that is why it is worth popping off to a GP and just asking to have some blood tests. But when, yeah, when there's, sometimes it's, I, you know, it might be, oh, the fatigue is really persistent, but it's because I'm staying up way too late and then continuing to get up really early.

I'm literally just not getting enough sleep. So when we pause for a moment and actually ask our brain a question, it'll often prompt us with a, you actually know that you need to go to bed earlier or whatever it is to, to feel better.

[00:28:35] Kristina: Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I love that. So in the book you also explained that iron isn't just about energy, it's also about the mood, motivation, focus, and even how we, uh, how we breathe and sleep. can you talk a little bit more about how low iron really affects our emotional wellbeing, not just the, the physical?

[00:28:56] Dr Libby: Hmm. Yes. With absolute pleasure. Kristina, this [00:29:00] is something I wanna shout from the rooftops, because you feel like right now well, we're understanding a lot more now about the gut brain axis. We understand that most of our neurotransmitters are produced in our gut, but beyond that, I feel like it's more of a common sense approach. You know, when we think about food, the junk that we now eat is very new. And for me, there's no such thing as junk food. There's just junk and there's food. And as a human species, we've. We're supposed to eat food. Now that doesn't mean we are to never have junk, but we mustn't base how we eat on junk.

We need to eat the food to get the nutrients going in. So that's the first thing I would speak to, and I feel we've lost sight of that really important role that food plays as the foundation for our emotional wellbeing. It's very, very hard when we are not giving our body the substances that literally requires to be able to make the things inside of us that help us to feel really good or that [00:30:00] the, the substances we need to approach the challenges we face in life with more resilience or more determination or, you know, uh, even though it might be agonizingly difficult.

there can be a voice inside of us that says, I'll find a way. And I am always curious where that comes from. And, but I have no doubt that nutrition plays a role. I'm not saying nutrition is the only thing that plays a role in that, but I think nutrition contributes. My point is when we are really depleted, it's really hard to find that inside of ourselves.

I'll find a way. It's much easier to give up or not find a way through. So I really feel that good nutritional status, including iron, does help with that resilience and that determination. But beyond that. I think too sunshine is incredibly important and it's not necessarily talked about enough.

again, our circadian rhythm responds to light and darkness and we [00:31:00] can live in a really artificial way these days. I think that's another way that, that certainly nutrition and simply sunlight can have a big impact on our emotional wellbeing. But obviously my focus over the last 18 months has been on the role of iron, particularly with emotional wellbeing and anxiety is actually a symptom of iron deficiency.

So anxiety can be a symptom of all sorts of things, but one of them is iron deficiency. And there's a tendency in our culture right now that as soon as someone feels anxious, we tend to label it as. You know, a condition and the person will often go down a psychological or a psychiatric road, and that might be the right road for them.

I'm not denying that, but I worry that what gets missed sometimes is iron deficiency. And therefore, if the thing that's creating the anxiety doesn't get treated, the person will continue to feel that way. So there was a study published in 2023 called The Psychiatric Manifestations of Iron Deficiency, and that looked at [00:32:00] anxiety, depression, even a hedonia, which is a condition that stops us from feeling pleasure.

And the authors talk about how for those who had iron deficiency and those mood sim mood related symptoms, when they corrected the iron deficiency, it either alleviated or completely resolved. The anxiety, the depression, or the ahe onia. Now, I don't want people to get me wrong, I'm not saying that iron deficiency is involved in every situation that relates to those experiences, but if it is contributing, it could take the intensity out of it and it can really help to improve someone's quality of life.

So you think about what's happening in our culture right now with, there's a tendency right now, I think with teenage girls there, it's often the first time they're exposed to social media. So there's outside influence, often from people they don't know, but they might have put, you know, a person or a group of people on a pedestal, and that [00:33:00] group of people might eat a certain way.

And so they're influenced by that and think, oh, I need to do that as well. And, it might be that they've just started to menstruate and then they embrace a purely plant-based, vegan way of eating. Now you can get enough iron if you eat in a vegan way, but you need to be very focused about it.

And you need to be well-educated about how to do it. It's not just simply you go vegan and then it's really easy to meet your iron requirements. You need really good focus on that and you can do it. But I don't think that's really happening when a teenage girl just suddenly says, oh, that's it.

I'm gonna go vegan. And she's just started to menstruate. So it'll often happen at a time where her iron requirements have increased and she's having less than ever before. And I, I really worry that for so many girls that brings on that experience in their. Physical body of, of that real an anxiety kind of feeling.

And of course they can be having challenges with friendships they might be having, uh, might [00:34:00] be really worried about their academic performance, whatever it is that's worrying them, you know, that sort of adds to that. But there's that real loss of resilience when we're iron deficient. So I feel that that's an area that needs a lot of attention and, uh, a lot of education to help girls make sure that they're going through those teenage years, not iron deficient.

We want them to have lovely, robust iron levels and then again, all across our adult life because our requirements are actually 18 milligrams per day. once we start to menstruate and we can eat enough, but it's not very easy. We need to be really good eaters. And some women eat for satiety.

They eat. Because they love food. They eat for nourishment, they eat for energy, they eat for robust health. But I don't meet very, very many women who, and certainly very few teenage girls, unless they're super sporty, but I don't meet very many women who are very focused on eating for robust health. They often eat, to try to [00:35:00] control body shape and size, or they're really busy, so they're not focused on food.

So they just have coffee for lunch. They're not gonna be getting enough iron going in when they're just having coffee for lunch. So, yeah, it's, it needs to be a big focus so that our emotional health is strong and of course, our physical health as well. So just don't, if you notice shifts with mood. I want people to think, oh, maybe something's changed with my iron status.

It'll be really sensible to have that tested and and corrected if it's dropped.

[00:35:31] Kristina: So let's just say that people are low on iron. So, uh, supplements is one thing, but let's, before we go into supplements, 'cause I wanna talk about your supplements specifically. what is a good diet? Because we hear there's, it's very confusing for, uh, for a lot of us out there that don't really know.

And that is, you know, protein, it has a big, trend at the moment. I don't know if it's a trend, but it's definitely a big focus. And then there's just So, much information. So what, [00:36:00] what, if we need 18 milligram a day, what's a good kind of diet to kind of focus on?

[00:36:07] Dr Libby: So, again, mostly whole foods. Mostly real foods because the junk, the, uh, most of the ultra processed foods don't contain any iron, so it's almost like a waste of a mouthful. You're not gonna get any bang for your buck eating that way. So, I'll list some food sources that contain a decent amount of iron.

So, red meat, obviously your beef and your lamb, contain decent amounts of iron. Awful meat. So if you have chicken liver pate or you mix liver in with, a mince, a beef mitts that you might be cooking, it'll enhance the iron content of it. Mussel and sardines. As far as the, the seafood goes, mussels and sardines contain a decent amount of iron.

Eggs have got a little bit in them. And then as far as our plant sources go, seaweed is actually the richest source. Chia seeds are also really good. Uh, you've got green leafy veggies, so particularly [00:37:00] kale, contain some and, and legumes as well. all of the, iron in our plant sauces is what's called non-heme iron and a little bit of high school chemistry right now.

So that's in a Form F FE three plus, and we can't absorb iron in the three plus form, and that's why we need to combine. Those non-heme iron sources with some kind of acid. And that's why the messaging has come through. Vitamin C is the thing to pair those non-heme iron sources with, because vitamin C is ascorbic acid.

And so that helps to change the FE three plus into FE two plus, which is the type of iron that, we can actually absorb. So we need the vitamin C with those plant-based sources, to improve, uh, improve its absorption, whereas from the animal food sources. Not all of it, but most of the iron in animal foods is, from it's heme.

It's in the form of heme iron, and there's also non-heme iron [00:38:00] in, in those animal food sources as well. So having vitamin C with our iron containing meals can also help absorption plus tea and coffee. It's the, it's not the caffeine, it's the polyphenols and the tannins in tea and coffee interfere with iron absorption.

So if you're having, tea or coffee, do it between meals rather than with meals to make sure you get most of the, as much iron as you can out of what you are actually eating. And calcium and zinc also compete with iron for absorption. So you don't wanna have a calcium rich, lots of calcium rich foods at the same meal as iron rich foods because the calcium will win out over the iron absorption.

Uh, so yeah, there, there's some ideas about how to really enhance it from the food that we're eating.

[00:38:46] Kristina: Yeah. Fantastic. So let's talk about supplements. So I think, uh, most people don't wanna take iron supplements because you get constipated. So I think you have come up with a bit of a solution on that. So maybe you can talk about [00:39:00] that.

[00:39:00] Dr Libby: Thank you so much. Yes, I've, for eight years I've been researching how to find an iron or, or to, to provide an iron supplement that actually improves blood levels and, uh, also is not constipating and doesn't have those gut side effects. So for my, I have a supplement company called Bio Blends and everything is made from food and from herbs.

There's nothing synthetic. they're not made up nutrients in a lab. So everything has to come from food with, the bio blends philosophy. And so we've actually obtained a really groundbreaking form of iron called ferritin iron, and it's been sourced, we've sourced it from organic peas.

So the, if you can imagine that when a little pea is growing. It needs iron as well. Just like animals need iron, including humans, and the way that peas and animals, including humans, the way we store iron inside is inside a cage, a protein cage, and it's called ferritin. So you can have ferritin that [00:40:00] doesn't contain iron, and that's called apoferritin.

But when the ferritin contains. it can contain thousands of molecules, thousands of atoms of iron. And so when the ferritin's got all of those little atoms of iron in it, we can swallow that in, we can concentrate that and pop it into, uh, a supplement form and then we swallow it. And when that iron, ferritin iron hits our stomach acid, most of it is not degraded by our stomach acid.

And so it's then delivered to the cells that line our small intestine. And ferritin iron has a very unique mechanism of absorption. So if you can imagine that a, a little gut cell, a little circle, it reaches out and grabs the whole thing. It grabs the ferritin with all those little units of iron inside of it and takes it inside of itself.

Now, the beautiful thing with that is that the gut cell is not exposed to free iron and free iron, and that's what happens with conventional supplements. Free [00:41:00] iron is very inflammatory and it can drive oxidative stress. Which is part of why with conventional iron supplements, a lot of people have gut related symptoms like constipation.

But with the ferritin iron from the organic peas, uh, the gut cells are never exposed to that free iron because they're kept inside that ferritin cage and then it's delivered to the, uh, iron pool and it can be distributed in the body where it needs to go. So the ferritin iron overcomes all of the usual iron absorption hurdles.

It doesn't need vitamin C to be absorbed. It doesn't compete with calcium for absorption. So it's really groundbreaking and it's based on decades of research, uh, have gone into actually working all of this out. So whereas with conventional supplements, it's usually iron bound to a salt or a chelate. And when we swallow that and it hits our stomach acid.

The acid in our stomach pulls it apart and it separates the iron from whatever it's bound to. And then when that iron reaches the, the [00:42:00] gut cell, the imagine there's a, a little truck on the surface of the gut cell. It has a silly, abbreviated name that no one needs to remember, but it's called DMT one and the iron needs to get on the back of that truck to be taken inside the cell.

So iron absorption from those conventional supplements, uh, relies on us having enough trucks available, but it also then floods, uh, the gut cell. It's exposed to that free iron, which as I said, can drive inflammation, uh, and oxidative stress and cause those gut symptoms plus inflammation blocks iron absorption.

So if it does initiate that inflammatory response, it can actually interfere with the iron supplement doing its job. Also too, and sorry, I get on a bit of a rant about this 'cause I care so much about it when, when we use those old school supplements. and there's all that free iron inside the gut cell.

It's still gotta get out of the gut cell and be delivered to the blood so that the iron can then go and do what it needs to [00:43:00] do. And for the iron to get out of the gut cell, you need it an enzyme. And it's relate, it's reliant on copper. So for some people, they're actually not iron deficient, they're copper.

Insufficient. vitamin A is also very important for really healthy iron metabolism as well. So whereas with the ferritin iron, you don't need any of that because it's delivered straight to the iron pool. It's not dependent on copper. But because copper and vitamin A are so needed for healthy iron metabolism inside of us, so that iron can go into storage, come outta storage, be delivered to the bone marrow, be delivered to the thyroid, and all the other places it needs to go.

The bio blends product, I've actually incorporated it with food sourced, cofactor nutrients. So there's copper from sesame. Uh, there's betacarotene, which your body can convert to vitamin A from carrot. There's also ac Rola to give us some vitamin C. Not that you need that for the absorption of the ferritin iron, but it's just such a beautiful antioxidant and I think everyone benefits [00:44:00] from a little bit more vitamin C.

And then there's kiwi fruit for its lovely anti-inflammatory and prebiotic effects. So it's sort of the ultimate iron solution. And um, we are getting extraordinary feedback from people who feel so good. And when people are also, I love it 'cause I'm geeky. They have blood tests done before they take it and then they are using the bio blends product for a month or two months and then retesting blood and sending those results.

So it's really, really amazing to see it and the changes it's making.

[00:44:29] Kristina: Fantastic. We'll link to that. That sounds amazing. And you are so knowledgeable and I love how you are, uh, are using like truck drivers and taxis and things for us dummies, uh, that, might need a little bit of, uh, explanation. So thank you so much for that.

[00:44:46] Dr Libby: It's a pleasure. I could talk about it underwater. It's, I can't bear unnecessary suffering, Kristina. And I feel that there are so many people who just, they, it's great that they don't have a disease, but they just don't feel terrific. And it [00:45:00] has such a lousy impact on quality of life when we just don't feel like ourselves.

And, yeah. I'm not saying iron deficiencies at the heart of everyone feeling like that, but I think it's, well, it is the most common nutritional deficiency, so I wanna help, help with the unnecessary suffering. If, if we can.

[00:45:15] Kristina: Yeah. So before we, I wanna, uh, talk a little bit about the, uh, your rituals, et cetera, to kind of help us all and before we finish, but I wanted to, I just wanna ask one, what's what's the biggest myth out there right now that you would like to, to clear up? Because I feel, I feel the more I read and the more I learn, I'm very interested in the kind of longevity.

The more I learn, I'm like, oh my gosh, there's so, so much conflicting, uh, advice out there, but also from people who. you know, might not have just picked it up from somewhere. It's just, it's just really confusing. So what's one thing that you would love to kind of get cleared up for our listeners?

[00:45:53] Dr Libby: Uh, you don't need to hop into icy cold water to have great health. I think [00:46:00] that the idea, it was really proposed that we all needed to be cold plunging to have great health. And there are some people who feel fantastic when they do that. They thrive, that energize, they're uplifted, they feel emotionally more robust.

So it really suits some people. It doesn't suit everyone. And I've met a lot of people over the years who, they're essentially what I would describe as really quite depleted. So their energy's really low, nutritionally, they're not strong. Their immune system might not be in the best place right now, but they, they're already freezing cold.

So they, they put on layers of clothes before anyone else has even put a jumper on. I don't feel like a really depleted person is, I don't feel like cold therapy is the right thing for them, and it's way better for people who are already fairly strong. So I feel if we think about, I'm not trained in traditional Chinese medicine, but I've read a [00:47:00] lot about it.

It's all focused on warmth and the restoration of warmth. So I think that for really depleted people, particularly depleted women, I think anything warming. So sauna, a hot water bottle on your tummy or a hot water bottle on your lower back. I feel that that is way more restorative and relaxing for our nervous system, than coal plunges.

So, but like anything, Kristina, I sort of feel like, this thing's saying, do this over here, and then this thing over here is saying do the opposite. There'll be some people who that works for and some people who that works for. So it's back to that old thing that there's just no one size fits all, nor is there a one size fits all for us across our whole lifetime.

What we need also can change. and it's where the wisdom part of my mission statement comes in. It's about tuning into. What actually makes you feel good and what's uplifting, what's restorative? What helps you have better focus, better [00:48:00] clarity. it's noticing that and then doing more of that.

Not necessarily listening to someone outside you saying, oh, you must do this to have great health, when that might not be quite right for you. So there's a little saying, and I think it's been attributed to Buddha. I have no idea if, if that's where it actually has come from or not, but it's goes, it's, I won't be able to say it perfectly, but it's along the lines of, it doesn't matter who said it, but if it doesn't resonate with your own soul, it's not for you.

So if you just think, oh, I couldn't think of anything worse than getting into freezing cold water, then it's okay to not hop in the freezing cold water.

[00:48:38] Kristina: I love that because I am one of those people and, uh, everyone, because I, not everyone, but a lot of people assume that I will be into it being Swedish. 'cause it's very much a tradition in Sweden in winter to go and jump in, but never been my thing. And even when I was in Antarctica, everyone was like, are you jumping in?

I'm like, oh, I don't know. I don't think so because I don't do it in Sweden, [00:49:00] so why would I do it here? But then in the end, I did it for the novelty to, to do it. But I, uh, I'm the same. I'm just, I, I feel the cold And for me, just, I drink warm water.

I, I, everything that is cold, like I hate air condition unless it's like you.

50 degrees outside and you feel like you need to cool down, but I've just never resonated with me and I've never gone with it because it's never really felt right. so I think just having that kind of inner listening to ourselves, I think we often know what we need and, um, I like to test, I like to do it every now and then for challenging myself to see if I've, if it's just my head, So I think that's a, that's a really good thing. So I'd love to talk a little bit about your ritual. So when I look at you, you, the picture of health and, uh, I'm, privileged to know you, so I know that everything that you talk about you do. So can you just share some of your rituals or share some rituals that you think that.

If we did that, things will, I, I think like simple foundations [00:50:00] is what we need more of, uh, than, than, you know, the ice cold lunches and the, all the craziness that, uh, you know, might be, something we get to eventually, but the basics. So, just gives us some ideas of your daily rituals or something that you think everyone should practice.

[00:50:16] Dr Libby: So, well, I know I can get really caught in my head and I can get very, I've gotta do this, do this, do this. And I, when I do that, I have a little practice that I, make myself pause and notice the light. So, just like you with sunrise, I'm obsessed with light and I feel very privileged to get this turn on earth.

And it just amazes me that we get to see this, the sun comes up in the morning. I'm in awe of that. But I also love the color. I love what light does through trees. So I notice those changes in the light across the day. So sunrise, or it might be, whatever room I'm in, and the sunlight shifts the way it's coming through the window and I pause and notice that, and then [00:51:00] at sunset and.

What that does is brings me back to my body and being, you know, way more present, um, gets me out of my head and it also gets me into a state of awe and wonder and deep appreciation, and that's very soothing and calming that moment. I can't imagine that I'm continuing to, you know, make stress hormones, for example.

So it's, that's a ritual I have and it's almost a, an automatic thing that I, I do now. I also, I did this many years ago now, but. I, again, feel very privileged that I have access to clean drinking water because there are still too many people in the world who don't. So when I have a glass of water, I imagine it's filled with sunshine, almost.

Uh, it's like a little sunshine with a smile on its face. And when I drink a glass of water, that's the image I get. But I've, I've taught myself to imagine that. So it's more than just water and hydration that our physical structure needs to survive. I [00:52:00] imagine it that I'm almost swallowing sunshine, so I sound like a nutter.

But they're, they are. It's, but they're too really simple rituals I have, that I think bring more than just, you know, the light that. We need to survive on earth. It, it does more 'cause I'm observing it and feeling appreciative of it. And the same with the water. So, yeah, they're two of my things I do almost now without thinking I've, I've just trained myself to

[00:52:28] Kristina: Yeah.

[00:52:28] Dr Libby: or to do that.

[00:52:30] Kristina: Yeah, I love that. I mean, there's quite a lot of research around water and, and how you talk to water and how it forms and it's like, it's, it's fascinating and, and also being grateful that.

we have water and when we go out in nature. I don't know, I just think it's just, It, just gets you back to kind of, to the basics.

And, uh, I'm the light since I moved to Sydney. I appreciate it even more because I have wanted to live here for so long. And, the walks that we have access to where I live, it's just so [00:53:00] amazing. And, uh, like I, I text the same kind of photos all the time, but obviously they're always different with the lights, but it's like, I just can't get enough of it.

And I think sometimes the simple stuff It's easy to do, but it's also easy not to do. It's easy to just go to our, you know, dopamine cravings for, new Instagram post or whatever it is. But I think that's such a shame 'cause I think nature, especially for kids, I think that's gone, you know, far. I always look at the airports 'cause I'm always at the airport And I always look and I'm guilty of this as well, but I always see these people and sometimes, you know, people use the time to work at the airports, which is great, but like it's just so rare to see someone who just sits and looks these days.

[00:53:44] Dr Libby: It, it is. And I had the ridiculous privilege of walking and also cycling through, a forest in Sweden with you, and I will never get over that light. It was light like else. and the twilight [00:54:00] and yeah, that's a long lasting memory for me. I'll never, I'll never, ever forget it.

It was so special. And the color of the greenery of the trees there and yeah, so just to notice, to notice that wherever we are, and if you're in the city and surrounded by concrete, find the sky and see what the sky's doing, that we can always find, we are part of nature, but we can always find, those moments with nature.

if

[00:54:24] Kristina: yeah.

there, even in cities, like I, I love when, because I love cities as well, I love the finding the best coffee shop, and I love, uh, the going into to parks because there's always so much often after things in, um, in, uh, parks as well, so, absolutely. My last question to you, actually, I'm gonna ask two quick ones.

One is, is there a favorite book that you have at the moment or that you find fascinating that you might wanna share apart from your own books? Obviously.

[00:54:53] Dr Libby: Yes. So it's called On Our Best Behavior by Elise Lowen. And I first [00:55:00] learned about Elise, uh, she's to work at Goop. And, anyway, she's out on her own and has been for a while now. And she's a, she's a terrific author, a terrific writer. And on our best behavior is her exploration of the way.

As women, we unknowingly restrain ourselves or restrict ourselves or don't fully believe in ourselves because of really old patterns of behavior within the culture. And it really helps us, I think, to, to go for it. It really helps for us to. Pursue our dreams and to pursue what we know in our hearts we are capable of that.

The world might say, Hmm, you know, you need to have doubt about that. But it, it sort of takes all of that away and, but it gives you a really deep understanding of where some of the doubt might have come from. So, I, I personally found it, yeah, really helpful and really insightful. So

[00:55:55] Kristina: Now I haven't, uh, I haven't heard of that book and I haven't read that book, so I'm definitely gonna add that to my [00:56:00] list. So thank you so much for sharing. The last question I have for you, knowing what you know now, what kind of advice would you give to our listeners out there?

[00:56:09] Dr Libby: Kristina, I, well check your iron, know your iron levels and correct any type of, any degree of deficiency that you find because it can make all the difference. I would also encourage people to live. More in touch with how extraordinary they are. So even just little moments of, I feel really privileged to get my turn on earth, or to notice something in your surroundings, or it might be child, your child's laughter or something new that you've mastered and something new that you've learned.

Or just to have moments of awe and wonder. I would encourage us to live just a little bit more with a little bit more awareness of that. I think it changes so much about our health and our, the way we show up in the world and our appreciation. And then the final thing I would say, and uh, many years [00:57:00] ago now, I read Bronny Ware's book, the Top Five Regrets of the Dying.

And out of that, one of the things that became very clear to me is when you talk to people who are dying and you ask them what they're gonna miss the most in the world. They'll tell you that they're gonna miss the most ordinary things. They'll miss the night sky or lemon, the smell of lemon, whatever it is.

And we have those things now. So, I think a big part of joy is letting ourselves have what we already have because we can spend a lot of, time pursuing things and trying to achieve things, and that's great as well. And yet there's so much that's extraordinary right here, right now for us to experience and, and appreciate and soak up.

And I think that's so good for our health as well. And it's great for our energy to, to really connect to the joy that those things bring.

[00:57:51] Kristina: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I absolutely love that. And something that I practice actually in our Daily Wins journal, which is a journal that I love, I [00:58:00] added one beautiful moment to, to capture each day because I feel like we often look at the wins as, you know, achievements or the gratitudes for the, the normal things perhaps that we, we think of.

But one beautiful moment. There's so many of them each day, especially when you start being aware of those, because I think, you know, we are, everyone lives a very full life and every full, every moment that we have free is often taken by, devices or, things that perhaps are not, as useful as it is to be present and really acknowledge it.

And I think also with, We take health for granted when we have it, but it's like oxygen when you don't have it, like life is hard. So it's really about, um, enjoying while we have it and, uh, and if we don't have it, fix it obviously. So thank you so much for, writing the book and create supplements that we all going to, uh, be better for and also for taking your time.

I know you, I have a very, full [00:59:00] schedule with your new book, so thank you so much for taking the time. I really, really loved our conversation and I love everything that you do. In fact, I have created a, AI bot for me, just for me personally about longevity, and I put all your wisdom in there so I can, uh, I can draw from that.

because I, there's so much out there and there's, there's only really a handful of people that I trust and follow, and you are one of them.

[00:59:27] Dr Libby: Oh, I'm so grateful. It's a joy to know you as you shared, we've known each other for many years now, and yeah, it's such a joy to know you and thank you for all that you share and all the ways you care, and the way you inspire others to, to dream and find their dreams, and then live those dreams and bring them to life.

And I know it's, yeah, a big part of your mission is to do that. So thank you for all you contribute, Kristina.

[00:59:50] Kristina: Thank you. Thank you. Ah, that was so inspiring. I hope that conversation with Dr. Libby gave you as much clarity, [01:00:00] inspiration, and relief as it gave me.

If you've been feeling a bit flat, foggy, or not quite yourself, please know you're not alone and you are not imagining it. Your energy matters. Your wellbeing matters. You matter. Dr. Libby's message is so powerful that by fixing R first, we can often unlock so many other parts of ourselves from how we sleep and think, and how we show up for our dreams.

You can find the link to her book, fix Your Iron First in the show notes. And if this episode resonated, please share it with a friend. Maybe leave a review if you haven't already, and tag me on Instagram, Kristina Dream Live, or let me know in the private Facebook group. Your Dream Live podcast.

I absolutely love hearing from you and what resonates with you. Until next time, keep dreaming big. Take care of you, [01:01:00] and remember, progress, not perfection is what brings your dream life to life. As always, I'll be back on Monday with another Monday morning Motivation episode. I'll see you then.

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