More Than Anxiety: Balance, Confidence & Calm for Ambitious Women

Ep 145 - How Doctors Are Changing the Way They Treat Anxiety with Dr. Doriana Parkin

• Megan Devito • Episode 145

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In this episode of More Than Anxiety, Megan talks with physician-turned-health-coach, Dr. Doriana Parkin, about her move from traditional medicine to holistic wellness. Dr. Doriana shares her personal experience with burnout and to creating Smply Fit Wellness. She explains how simple, daily habits focused on nutrition, fitness, and self-care can be the most effective "medicine" for your body and mind. 

If you're tired of overthinking and looking for a new perspective on managing your health without the shame spiral, this episode is for you.

• Former family physician who now coaches on nutrition, fitness, and self-care
• Started Smply Fit Wellness after experiencing burnout in the healthcare system
• Recommends tracking food intake for one week to create awareness
• Emphasizes that tracking calories is about accountability, not disorder
• Often tells clients to eat MORE food, not less, by adding protein and fiber
• Explains how certain foods can trigger anxiety symptoms
• Shares personal experience eliminating caffeine to manage anxiety
• Highlights the importance of finding foods that make YOU feel good
• Takes an evidence-based approach without restrictive diet rules
• Offers private, semi-private and group coaching programs


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Megan Devito: 0:03 - Hey there, welcome to the More Than Anxiety podcast. I'm Megan Devito and I help ambitious women break out of the anxiety spiral so they can stop overthinking and actually enjoy life. This podcast is all about real talk, simple shifts, and lightbulb moments that'll change the way you think, feel, and show up for yourself and everybody else in your life too. You'll get straight up truth, actionable steps, and the inspiration to finally break free from the stress and second-guessing. Let's get to it. Yeah, go ahead, tell everybody about you, what you do.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 0:38 - All right, yeah, so I'm Dr. Doriana Parkin. I am a family doctor in Ontario, Canada, and I actually practiced as a family physician for 15 years. So I had a family practice that predominantly was young families and women between the ages of 30 and, like, 65. But you know, I had men as well. It was just that those were the kind of patients that fell into my lap. So in 2022, I guess, you know, a little bit, due to burnout and just, you know, post-COVID and Ontario's family medical system—family medicine, you know, structure is really struggling—and I just kind of felt a little devalued as a professional, as a medical physician, and I wasn't in a happy spot. I didn't feel like I was giving my patients my 100% because I was so drained. And so I decided, you know what, I've always had, you know, a passion for—it sounds very cliché—but I always really loved fitness, nutrition, you know, just kind of healthy living. I also kind of struggled with my own, sort of, you know, demons growing up when it came to those kinds of things, and so, because a lot of my female patients struggled with the same things, I decided in 2022 to close my practice and I started my online coaching business. So I opened up or I founded my company, Simply Fit Wellness, and I started an online coaching program which is called Beautifully Raw, and that's what I do now full time.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 2:10 - I coach predominantly women, but I do have men as well. I just find that women kind of gravitate more to me, I guess just because of, you know, you kind of have a shared experience, and I help them with kind of three pillars when it comes to their health and wellness, and that is diet and nutrition, weight loss, exercise and fitness, and then self-care. And self-care is a big umbrella. But in that self-care, you know, I do a lot of teaching and coaching around, you know, self-care in terms of how you treat yourself, how you talk to yourself, and also your relationship with food and the psychology around eating and eating behaviors. That kind of comes up a lot as well. And that's what I do now virtually. I do part-time surgical assisting at a couple of the hospitals in the area, but um, but my coaching is my primary sort of um work right now.

Megan Devito: 3:07 - My work of love. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's one of the things you said that I think is really interesting is that, it being coming from the American side of the imaginary line is um, our healthcare system is a disaster, like the worst. It's so bad, and we have this thing where we're like, everyone else, it's like sunshine and daisies. But that's not true in Canada either.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 3:36 - No, no, it's not. No, it's not. I mean, I think I'm a little bit biased and, you know, I can speak for family physicians. Actually, maybe I can't even speak for all family physicians, I speak for myself.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 3:48 - But yes, I think that the population, you know, Canadians definitely are feeling it, though there's just a lack of, there's a lack of primary care physicians, there's a lack of resources for primary care physicians.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 4:03 - Yeah, you know, it's true, the grass always looks greener on the other side, but definitely, Canadians are, you know, struggling, and, speaking from, you know, the shoes of a family physician, I can tell you that, in Ontario at least, we have, you know, some significant problems. We have problems with resources, we have problems with physicians being burnt out. We have problems with access to care. It's, you know, and it's a tricky thing, right, because it's a domino effect. So there's a problem at the top and it kind of slithers all the way down and then patients feel it, but in the meantime, you know, in between the patients and that top tier are the working physicians, and so, so, yeah, there's a lot of fixing that needs to be done, um, but um, but it is what it is right now, and I just for me, it was important to be doing something that I felt valued, you know, doing, um, and that I was doing something that was still important in the realm of medicine, and so that's what I do.

Megan Devito: 5:07 - Yeah, and I think it's refreshing to know that there are doctors that are stepping back because we're so, at least in the States, we're so focused on, could you fix this like yesterday? Give me something to make this stop. Whether it's like something hurts here, take some painkillers, or this is wrong here, take this medicine. But I love it that you are taking coaching and saying, yes, but this is medicine, this, this, all of the things that you're doing, whether it's with food or exercise or talking about nutrition, and we do have, I mean, we do have more holistic practitioners or people that are going into that here.

Megan Devito: 5:45 - But I just know that in my own life, with my own struggle with anxiety and having energy and going through perimenopause and everything else, like food and working out, that's it. Guys, like that is the ticket and I think that what you're bringing to people is so important. So what is like, if you had somebody that came to you, that was in this place, where they're like, but I don't even know where to start. Where's the starting point for that? It's so all-encompassing, especially with the garbage that we eat.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 6:19 - Yeah, you know, it's really interesting, Megan, that you bring this up, because it's so funny, since I've been on social media, people think, and when I tell my story they say, oh, so, you know, I'm it's. I'm glad that you've kind of, you know, left medicine and you're doing this instead, and I'm like, I've never left medicine, like I am a traditional Western trained medical doctor and I believe in Western medicine a thousand percent, a thousand percent. But what I also believe in is, you know, also addressing the things that we can control when it comes to our health. And so, you know, and as a physician, we are so limited in terms of time with our patients and resources, you know, I would love to sit down with all of my patients and do an hour long consult with each of them, addressing their nutrition and their exercise and their self-care at every visit. That's impossible, you know, if I have somebody coming in with chest pain that they've had for the last month, I cannot address their self-care. So it really is a matter of, you know, just kind of shifting what I do with still doing it, though, through an evidence-based medical lens, I guess is kind of what I'm doing now. And so I would say this.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 7:26 - When you're kind of overwhelmed and you're like, I don't know where to start, I think the first thing is really to have a really honest look at what your daily habits and daily life look like, because so many people, right, are looking for that quick fix, that, like you know, I've tried every diet but this one is going to work this time, and what they're not doing is they're not looking and sort of analyzing their own behaviors and saying, okay, hold on a minute, am I doing the basics? Right? Because we want to just skip over that stuff. We want answers and we want results now, and that's just not the way it works. And I know it's not sexy, right. I would love to be able to go on social media and be like, hey, I have this new product and it's going to do all the things that you want it to do. I would be like overnight superstar, but that's just not the way it works. Unfortunately, we have to do the work, you know.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 8:26 - So, yeah, so doing a really honest assessment with what you're actually doing, having a conversation with your physician, but specifically around this stuff, and then I think it also comes down to looking for, honestly, I think it's looking for the person that can help you. I think you know it is very overwhelming, right? Especially when you're like, everything's a mess, my diet's a mess, my exercise, I'm not doing any, I have, you know, I have no time for myself. Where do I start? That's where it helps to have a coach and say, okay, this is where we can start. Let's just start by making this one little tiny shift or one little change, and then we'll work from there, and having that coach that, you know, is in your corner helping you and guiding you, can make a world of difference.

Megan Devito: 10:26 - Yeah, and part of the reason it's so overwhelming is that people come in and they're like, well, we need to look at what you're eating and how much you're moving, or, you know, what are you taking in? I mean, even social media, which is the concentration of, I'm like, how much are you on there? Just stop it. But when we talk about that, it's all the things that make us feel good. Yeah, right. So telling people that, like, yeah, you know what, you might not want to drink wine when you're stressed out, maybe you go for a walk, and they're like, wait, what? Or, hey, I know that, like, cookies are amazing—me too—and maybe less. So we're taking away the things that make them feel good. They're not getting the dopamine from social media, they're not getting the like all of that, like those feel good things from their food. And suddenly it's like, well, I'm going to die. Yeah, everything's going to fall apart. What do you want me to do?

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 11:14 - You want me to do, yeah?

Megan Devito: 11:20 - Taking all the joy out of my life.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 11:22 - Right, you're horrible, but that's hard. Yeah, and it is hard, and this is what I tell people. Look at, you know, just looking at weight loss, for example. Weight loss is very simple. Weight loss is literally an equation.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 11:32 - Right, it is an equation, it's math, it's how many calories am I eating and how many calories am I burning. But it's not easy, because there's a multitude of reasons why and how you're getting those calories in, right? But this is the other thing. It's also, it also comes down to your mindset. And when I say that, what I mean is you can look at it like, well, I have to give up everything I love, right. Or, you know, what I try and coach my clients to do is we're not giving anything up 100% unless you're allergic to it or you absolutely hate it, right. Like if the sight of broccoli makes you vomit, I'm not going to make you eat broccoli. Like, it's fine, we can find something else.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 12:12 - But the idea is we don't necessarily have to, you know, make your life miserable. What we need to do is figure out where that balance is, where you can start to see improvements, and then, at the end of the day, the other question is, well, it might suck for a little while, or these decisions might be difficult, but what's more difficult, you know, if you don't make change now, in 20 years from now, what is your life going to look like? And and this is the hard, I think this is the hardest part, see, because when you are, when you have a decision to make and the results are instant, like it's either A or B, it's easy to make that decision, right. You're like, well, if I'm going to step in front of that car, I'm going to get hit, so I'm not going to step in front of that car. That's an easy decision.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 12:53 - But when you actually are in a situation where you're like, well, maybe I'm carrying an extra 40 pounds and right now I'm actually managing fine, it's harder to make a decision or to make daily decisions for something that's going to improve your health down the road. Right, you don't get that instant result, you don't get that instant gratification. So I think that's why sometimes it is harder to do that. But having your why top of mind, why do I want this? What is my goal? And it's not just like, oh, I want to look better. You have like it's digging deep, right, I want to. I want longevity, I want to be able to move when I'm older, I want to be able to travel, you know, without assistive devices and without getting short of breath and blah, blah, blah. And if people have those whys, you know, kind of front and center that can help them to sort of stick to those goals and stick to the behaviors to get them there.

Megan Devito: 13:47 - Yeah, and I love that you brought it up that when it's so often what comes up when I'm talking to people is like, I really struggle to make these decisions, like I'm exhausted, and when we get exhausted we make usually terrible decisions anyways. So people are exhausted, they, whether they're anxious or they're stressed or they're just overwhelmed with like my body feels awful. I mean, whatever the reason is that they're coming to you and they're trying to make these decisions. You're right. I mean, I had this conversation just yesterday with someone who she said, I'm terrible at making decisions, and I was like, yeah, what kind of decisions? She goes, you know, all of the decisions I have to make. There's so many. And she said, so I was.

Megan Devito: 14:26 - She started talking then about the decision she was making and the big decisions. She's like, oh, those are easy. I'm like, yeah, because it was very similar to the question you asked. Yeah, because if somebody asks you, do you want to like fall off the cliff or step back? It's not, it's, it's easy. It's all of those little micro-decisions and so many of the things that we do are mindless and like mindless habits and we don't even notice. And when I'm thinking about eating or changing our eating habits, if we walk by, if there's a bowl of M&Ms on the counter and you're like, no, it's okay, I only grabbed two M&Ms. But I walked by the bowl 30 times a day, that's 60 M&Ms, man. And suddenly it's like, but I only eat two at a time, that's right. That's right, yeah, so when do you start with that? Because there is so much.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 15:16 - Yeah, so I think. So. You know, when I'm coaching my clients, in particular in my program, we look at three specific pillars. So there's your nutrition and diet, there's your exercise and then there's your self-care. So the first thing we do when it comes to nutrition and diet is I have my clients track for one week everything they eat or drink, and I mean everything. So we call them all your BLTs, your bites, licks, and tastes.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 15:40 - 'Cause it's important, yeah, yeah, 'cause most of the time, that's where people are, are making these little mindless mistakes, right, and they're not even aware of them. So this is awareness, once you start recording that stuff in an, in an app which I know is tedious, and it is one of those things. But, again, do you want the results, because this is how you get them and this is how you learn, right? So instead of me saying to somebody, like, just eat this meal plan and you'll be fine, I want them to actually have the insight and the awareness so that then they learn from that and they don't need, you know, to be taught or to or to be just kind of micromanaged by somebody all the time. They have the information, they have the knowledge. So they track their food for a full week and then inevitably they come back for the, you know, our next meeting and they'll say, oh, my goodness, I didn't know olive oil had so many calories and but it's healthy.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 16:33 - It is healthy, yes, but how much are you using? Or, like you said, said, the M&Ms, or the handful of nuts which are healthy, sure, but they're calorie dense. So for nutrition, that's the big one, that's the tracking for a week is is really eye-opening for people. And then from there we just start to make little tweaks and little changes. Um, same thing with exercise. Right, it's like, okay, why don't we just start you, you know, wearing a step counter? Are you at 2000 steps or are you at 7000 steps? Right, again, it's just awareness and education.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 17:03 - And then a big part for me and my, especially my female clients, is getting them to start strength training. Yeah, so you know where do? Where do I begin? I've never, I've never been in a gym. I've never, I've never been in a gym, I've never lifted a weight. We start with body weight stuff. We start with squatting to your chair or to your sofa or to your toilet, like it can be super basic, but it's effective and it's a starting. It's a starting point, right, and it, and again, with self-care, it always comes down to that awareness initially, if you're not aware, aware of what's keeping, of what your roadblocks are, then you can't go past them.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 17:42 - So with self-care, it's the same thing. What are you saying when you look in the mirror every morning, right? Is your first, is your first comment in your head negative? And then, can you rationalize that? Can you, you know, kind of rephrase it? Are you? Are you, in this journey, only focused on your goal, or are you in this journey, trying to actually change your identity, right? So, instead of saying something like, well, I'm trying to lose weight, right, we're going to shift that, and be like, no, no, no, I'm somebody now who eats. Well, I eat good, I eat healthy food, I eat food that's going to get me to my goal and that's what I am now. Right, I'm not. I'm not somebody who's just trying, which gives me that kind of wiggle room to, you know, not really comply. All those little things, but I think becoming aware of your habits is the first place to start.

Megan Devito: 18:31 - Yeah, and I love that you mentioned that. I have, like, I will shamelessly admit that I have used the Lose It app since, oh gosh, for the longest time ever, and I've been on maintenance for 10 years, I mean, really, for 10 years. I don't use the Lose It app to lose weight and people will say that's an eating disorder. I'm like, hundred percent. It's not because I'm tracking protein and fiber and all of those things. And the reason that I've maintained my weight for since my youngest—my youngest daughter is going to be 17 in September—since, since she was born, was because of that app. Because if I don't, I love snacks, guys, and cookies are my jam.

Megan Devito: 19:15 - Like I started the, I tell point blank, the reason I got out of an anxiety disorder was because I decided to take walks so I could eat more cookies. Like I know I can eat them because I keep track of what I'm eating. So there's a fine line there. But some people, I know we're in this really weird portion of history where everybody's like, well, you shouldn't be hypercritical of your body, you shouldn't do this. Yes, and there's more than that, because we do know there's a direct correlation between what you eat and your mental health and what you eat, and cancer, and what you eat, and have you, you have to have your knee replaced when you're in your forties? It's a thing.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 19:50 - Yes, yes, yes and yes and yes to all of that, and I'm so glad you said that. I actually had this conversation last night with one of my groups. You know, people will say, well, like you said, tracking your calories is a version of an eating disorder. Well, let me ask you something then, do you keep track of your finances or do you just say, you know what? I don't really know how much money I have in the bank, but I'm going to buy this Prada purse because I would love to buy a Prada purse. It's, it's fine, right? If we approached every aspect of our life like that, we would be in big trouble. And so it's not disordered eating.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 20:33 - If you are trying to keep, you know, um, if you're trying to keep in line with goals that keep you healthy, then that's just monitoring, right, and that's being aware. It's the same thing if I, if I record what my weights are at the gym, right, it's just a map. That's how you are accountable. It's an accountability, you know, strategy. So, and I do the same, I track my protein, my fiber and my overall calories. Not all the time, right, go in and out of tracking, right. So I know that there's times when I need to kind of, you know, have my little reminder and accountability, and then I'm okay for a while because you kind of learn visually. Yeah, and I've been doing that same for years. Yeah, and that's okay because, you know, again, what do I track? I'm tracking my protein, I'm tracking my fiber.

Megan Devito: 21:21 - I will forget. I don't forget to eat, like it isn't my thing. But there are days where I understand people who say that. I know I'm like, I forgot to eat. I'm like, really, 'cause I only do a 12 hour fast and I'm like, my God, it's like 10 hours. I'm never going to make it, like I'm hungry a lot, so it's not that. But there are days where I will look down and be like, no wonder I'm so tired, like I just the things that I've eaten didn't have enough calories in them. Like because I do.

Megan Devito: 21:52 - I do think there's another benefit of those tracking what you eat is that you start noticing how you can get the most bang for your buck, right, like I know there are certain foods where I'm going to get a ton of fiber, a ton of protein and I'm going to stay full, and then I get really mad when I eat something that I'm like but that didn't get me what I wanted. I'm hungry again. I just ate a ton of junk calories. It happened to me yesterday where I was dying. All I wanted was like a Starbucks sandwich, their bacon and gouda sandwich, and I was so disappointed by the end of the day. I'm like, what a waste, like it was so good.

Megan Devito: 22:19 - But I do think it's very helpful to see the foods that keep you full, that give you energy, and everybody's different with that. Like I know, if I eat protein first thing in the morning, I will be starving in two hours, whereas if I go in with a little bit more carbs in the morning, I stay full a lot longer. My protein is all afternoon and evening. Um, but my husband is the exact opposite. Like I think knowing your body is a good thing and I it would be kind of like if you took the gas gauge out of your car. You'd be like, man, I hope I don't run out of gas.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 22:51 - Exactly, that's exactly what it's like. Absolutely, that's exactly. That's a perfect analogy. And you're right. You know, um, you know what you were saying about your protein and your fiber, and just you know, making sure that you know you have enough of those to feel good.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 23:07 - The other thing I think people think is like, well, if I have to lose weight, then that automatically means I have to eat so much less food, and that's that's not true and that's a big misconception. And so people, they, they're amazed when we start working together all of a sudden, I'm saying, well, I'm not, I don't even want you to take away food. In fact, I want you to start adding. I want you to add some protein to your meals, I want you to add some fiber. So actually, I'm going to ask you to eat more veggies, more fruit and more protein.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 23:36 - So you were not. I'm not taking away any of your food volume and reducing your calories, but I'm not reducing your food volume and there's a difference. And once they understand that and they start to feel the difference, they're like, oh, my goodness, I've never felt so satisfied and satiated in a calorie deficit, right? And that's where, like you said, all the confusion on social media can be really, really frustrating, because people go in these little circles where they're chasing their tail trying to lose weight, because they're not doing it in a way that feels good.

Megan Devito: 24:09 - Yeah, and it's just a constant shame spiral for people, right, like, well, I feel shameful because I want to get healthy, I want to lose weight, I want to feel better in my body, but then, if I do, I feel shameful because now, all of a sudden, I'm in this diet culture thing and I'm like, you know, there's it doesn't have to be all or nothing, it's not.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 24:26 - And to your point. So yesterday, you know, you had the bacon, gouda, or whatever sandwich it was from Starbucks and part of the growth, part of growing and and undoing and sort of unraveling these diet, you know, culture, toxic ideas that we've been ingrained with over the last years is having a day like that and saying, okay, you know what, that's, that's what it was today, and no big deal, because tomorrow I get to start over again. So, as opposed to like, I'm, I'm a failure, I can't do this. See, I'm not good at this, I can't stick to a diet. That's not true. We just need to understand, how do you just kind of start again? The next meal, the next, right, every meal is a new opportunity to make a different decision. Right, and that's the beauty of this, it's it's never all or nothing, right, unless you completely quit.

Megan Devito: 25:16 - That's the only time you're going to fail. Right, and I can't think of anything that I'm willing to completely quit. You know what I mean? Like, I'm money, like, Sunday is for pie at my house, like, every Sunday we eat dessert and I'm like, hot dog. Let's do it, like, let's go, and I look forward to that. So, yeah, I do think that. Just, I love what you said about more food and fewer calories and more nutrient-dense foods. So I've talked a lot with people about foods that will make them feel anxious, like that tend to make people feel more anxious, and why but maybe you have a better medical explanation for that. I just, I think that I even had this conversation the other, like, with someone, I don't remember who, about like, I don't think we understand how important it is that we eat foods that are good for our guts, like our gut biome, where that gets skipped. Like we think we're trying to feed our brains and we just can't calculate how, if we eat something, it would make our brain better.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 26:14 - Yeah, and I mean, you know, I'm not an expert in sort of, you know, I'm not, I'm not a registered dietitian, I'm not a gastroenterologist, you know, but is there, is there a connection between the foods that we eat and the energy that we derive from those foods? Are there foods that make our guts feel better? As somebody who has IBS and diagnosed anxiety, diagnosed OCD that I am treated for, the answers are resounding yes, there's definitely going to be foods that make you feel better and there's going to be foods that make you feel worse. So the big one, obviously, is alcohol, right, so alcohol can be a really significant driver for mood disorders. Anxiety or depression can make people feel amotivated, you know so. So, yeah, in the moment it might make you feel better, but you know it can have a really negative impact when it comes to your mood. So if you're struggling with a mood disorder, to begin with that would be one thing that I would say, maybe we want to consider eliminating. Interestingly, coffee is known to have a lot of good benefits, right, like coffee is very beneficial for cardiovascular health. Hallelujah, right, I know. And here, but on social media you would, you could be convinced otherwise, right, right, but if, again, if you're struggling with an anxiety disorder, it may not be the most friendly thing for you.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 27:38 - So, interestingly, when I was in medical school, probably the most, you know, in terms of like meeting, you know, having to like meet goals and deadlines and you know, sort of perform at school, it was the most stressful time of my life and that's when I got hit with the worst anxiety. So panic attacks on a regular basis, OCD, really like, really strong, and I had to take caffeine out because you know, it was, I knew it was one of the potential sources. That wasn't going to make things any better anyways. So I went through all of med school and residency without caffeine and now I'm like, how did I do that? But at the time it was like, look, I will do anything to make these symptoms better and if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. So you know, once, obviously, once I did a lot of therapy and I started medication and all that kind of stuff, I was able to introduce caffeine back in my life.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 28:41 - Thank, obviously, you know, I think just in terms of, you know, the gut microbiome it's. You know there's a lot of information coming out now about fermented foods being really healthy for you, but fiber is a big one, right, making you feel good and full and satiated. You know, I don't know, again, the evidence behind dark chocolate. I think you know it's pretty safe to say that it probably has some, some potential. You know, health benefits as well, and, again, I tell my clients I am a chocoholic, I eat chocolate every single day in some form, me too, right? Yeah, and it makes me happy, yeah, and I'm hoping it's doing some good in my cardiovascular system.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 29:21 - But sure, but is there a direct effect between what you eat going up to your brain? No, it's not that simplistic, right, but yes, what you eat and how you fuel your body, right, can definitely have impacts on your mood as well, 'cause if you're constantly eating ultra-processed food, your energy is going to be terrible. You know you're going to be. You know it's much easier to gain weight. Your exercise will suffer and then your mood suffers.

Megan Devito: 29:50 - So it's all like a package. They all go together, right, yeah, and there are. I think it's always fun to hear. I'm sure you get this question. I know I get this question. What do you do? Right, like what, what, what, what should I, what should I be eating? And when people ask me that, I'm like, you want to know the foods that make me feel good, I can tell you exactly what makes me feel good. Sweet potatoes. I know that's weird. Sweet potatoes make me feel amazing. Um, if I I buy peanut butter, it doesn't have any sugar in it, it's just like natural peanut butter. Put that on a sweet potato and throw some like pumpkin pie spice and chia seeds on it.

Megan Devito: 30:19 - Oh, it's basically pie for lunch. It's peanut butter sweet potato pie for lunch. It is so good. It is so good for you. Oh Lord, I haven't tried that. That sounds delicious. When I was teaching, I would do a sweet potato, I would make a sweet potato and I would just throw it in a bowl and that's what I ate probably three days a week for lunch. I felt so good, yeah, like that. Those are the foods. I know that's going to make me feel good. It tastes like pie. It's delicious. You can put some honey on top. That is amazing. I love salmon. There are certain foods, and foods that made me feel bad, like yours was caffeine. I've always been a coffee drinker since I was a little kid, because my grandparents always had it out and they let me drink it. Coffee was never my problem. Mine was aspartame. Isn't that crazy. I went through the whole 90s low fat thing, right, when I was in college.

Megan Devito: 31:10 - It was, don't eat fat. So I survived on the blue Yoplait cups and Diet Coke and Minute Rice. But it gave me all of these feelings that my fingers were numb, my tongue would feel numb, like I had all kinds of really, and I had terrible health anxiety. I know that we've talked about that before, but but for me it gave me so many symptoms that my brain couldn't handle that. I always thought I was dying and I directly, like my mom, brought me this article on whether you call it a NutraSweet or aspartame poisoning or whatever it was, and I hit every single symptom, like down the line and they were talking about all of these things. We don't talk about it so much anymore, I guess, but it was a big deal for me and that was one of the things that did help me feel a little bit better. It did not, I mean, let me straight up, it did not get me out of an anxiety disorder, but it did help bring that level down a lot.

Megan Devito: 32:10 - For me, um, getting out of the anxiety disorder was a hundred percent mindset stuff and figuring out how to feel my body differently. But yeah, that was the thing for me, where for some people it's the caffeine and it's, you know, I feel jittery, I feel shaky, I had all these weird neurological things and it was all from.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 32:30 - Yeah. Well, that's wild. So, and there you go, right, you just don't tolerate it.

Megan Devito: 32:34 - You, you know, it's on my health record in all of the my chart things. I'm like, don't go to that no-transcript with you, how they can find you.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 33:18 - Yeah, so I'm on pretty much most every social platform. Well, maybe not all of them, but I'm on LinkedIn and Instagram and Facebook and TikTok At Dr. Doriana is my handle, d-r, and then my name, Doriana. I have a website, www.simplyfitwellness.com, and Simply does not have an I, which throws a lot of people off, I know. But yes, I do actually private coaching, I do semi-private coaching and I do group coaching. So private and semi-private coaching, basically, you know, it's just reach out to me, email me or DM me. I reply to all my own DMs and we, you know, we usually, I offer a 15-minute consult over the phone or on Zoom where we can just kind of see if it's a good idea to work together, and then my group coaching.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 34:10 - I start a new group about every four to six weeks and we meet once a week on Zoom. All of my sessions are done, virtually so, and the group meets once a week on Zoom. So again, starting a new group June the 30th. June the 30th is my next cohort and all of my coaching programs are three months long. So whether you're doing a private or a group session, we work together for a minimum of three months. And, yeah, it's all about making good, healthy habits and without any of the dietary restrictions or fad diets, it's just good wholesome nutritional knowledge.

Megan Devito: 34:50 - So we don't have to talk about whether you should do keto or paleo or any whatever other things that you would be doing, and good for you if that works for you. I mean, I have friends that it works for them. It does not work for me, I will be eating carbohydrates. Thank you very much. I mean, I have friends that it works for them. It does not work for me, I will be eating carbohydrates. Don't tell me otherwise. You do not want to be around me if I do not eat carbohydrates.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 35:10 - Yes, yeah.

Megan Devito: 35:14 - Like I don't know how people do it, but for this body, that's right. I'm mean this is so good. I think it's so helpful for people just to hear that, real, real people who are like, I mean, I'm not going to be a fitness model, I'm never going to be that girl, right, but I feel pretty good for my age and my body and I think it's just good for people to hear that you can. You can be a normal human and do do these things. You don't have to be like one or the other.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 35:47 - Yeah, no, no, and you can want change. You know, and despite all, you know, all the messaging you get you have out there, you can want change, you can want to feel better. You're allowed to do that and you can do it in a way, honestly, that, you know, is not somebody forcing habits down your throat that are not conducive to having a healthy, lovely life. You know. Yeah, we've created a lot of health panic out there.

Megan Devito: 36:10 - There's a lot of um, yeah, sometimes I, sometimes I'm not exactly sure what to believe anymore. There's just so much, it's tough. There's a lot of crunchy granola and I like granola and I'm into all of that too, but there's a lot of things out there that I'm like, I'm not sure. So, yeah, thank you for making it easy and normal, like, so it doesn't have to be so complicated, terrifying and complicated.

Dr. Doriana Parkin: 36:34 - Yeah, yeah, it's not. It can be pretty simple actually. So, yeah, thank you, thank you. Oh, thank you. What a lovely conversation. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it so much.

Megan Devito: 36:45 - Hey, before you go, I just want to say thanks for hanging out with me on More Than Anxiety. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review so more people can find it too, and if you're ready to see what's going well so you can celebrate more, what's not working or what's keeping you stuck, and have a focused, intentional step forward, join me for a boundaries and balance audit. You'll learn all about the audit and choose a time that works best for you at megandevito.com. Just head to the show notes, click the link and let's talk. I can't wait to connect with you soon.