Brilliant Ideas

#10: How One Simple eBook Solved a Huge Gap in Sourcing Gut-Friendly Ingredients

• Alyssa Bellisario • Season 1 • Episode 10

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Imagine walking into your kitchen with a plan that doesn’t just simplify your cooking, but transforms it. This week, we’re diving into the world of gut-friendly foods with the Where to Buy It? eBook that’s shaking up how we think about sourcing ingredients. Whether you’re a seasoned health enthusiast or just dipping your toes into scratch cooking, this episode promises to intrigue and inspire fellow nutritionists and health coaches.

Introducing the Where to Buy It? eBook

Today, I sit down with Jennifer Scribner, a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Founder of Body Wisdom Nutrition. She helps people restore their microbiome in mid-life to address complex digestive, skin, and autoimmune conditions. She is also the author of several books, a gut-centered food buying guide and from mac and cheese to veggies, please which helps children eat new foods and end picky eating forever.

We dive into how her Where to Buy It? eBook not only simplifies the sourcing process but also encourages cooking from scratch, promoting better health and greater control over ingredients. Whether you’re navigating specialty grocery stores or farmers' markets, this Where to Buy It? eBook is designed to be the ultimate resource for gut-friendly eating.

In this episode, we discuss: 

  • How the Where to Buy It? eBook addressed gaps in the market
  • The biggest challenges or frustrations her clients were facing when it came to sourcing ingredients
  • How her clients' experiences influenced the creation of her eBook
  • The vetted list of brands Jennifer trusts to source high-quality ingredients 
  • The dangers of misleading marketing in the health food industry
  • How to find a balance between affordability and providing a high-value digital product

Links Mentioned:
Connect with Jennifer on Instagram
Body Wisdom Nutrition

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Alyssa:

nutritionists, health coaches or even just listeners, who are listening to this, thinking that they need the when Can I Buy it ebook, and they're inspired by what you've created. Welcome to Brilliant Ideas, the podcast that takes you behind the scenes of some of the most inspiring digital products created by solopreneurs just like you. I'm your host, alyssa, a digital product strategist who helps subject matter experts grow their business with online courses, memberships, coaching programs and eBooks. If you're a solopreneur with dreams of packaging your expertise into a profitable digital product, then this is the podcast for you. Expect honest conversations of how they started, the obstacles they overcame, lessons learned the hard way and who face the same fears, doubts and challenges you're experiencing, from unexpected surprises to breakthrough moments and everything in between. Tune in, get inspired and let's spark your next big, brilliant idea.

Alyssa:

On this episode of Brilliant Ideas, jennifer is joining me today as a guest. She is a functional nutritional therapy practitioner and founder of Body Wisdom Nutrition. She helps people restore their microbiome in midlife to address complex digestive, skin and autoimmune conditions. She is also the author of several books a gut-centered food buying guide, and From Mac and Cheese to Veggies Please, which helps children eat new foods and end picky eating forever. I'm so excited to have her on the show today. Welcome, jennifer, I'm so happy you're here.

Jennifer:

Thanks. I'm so happy to be here too. Thanks for asking.

Alyssa:

Of course, and the reason I wanted you on the show today is because you've created so many incredible resources that help people make real changes to their health, and one of the tools that really stood out to me is your where can I buy an ebook or the guide? Because anyone who's going to a grocery store or a meat market finding clean, gut, healthy, friendly foods can feel so overwhelming, and you've really managed to simplify that process so that's really convenient to just grab and go. So I'd love to start there and ask you what inspired you to create this guide which, which is amazing and what gaps in the market you were trying to address for those trying to look at or just to make those healthier food choices.

Jennifer:

You know, it was really the title kind of says it all. Like every time I would recommend something to a client or on social people would always ask or message me where can I buy it? People would always ask or message me where can I buy it, and so I wanted to really just finally put that out there and say here's your all comprehensive answer for all of the types of things that you might be looking for that are gut friendly or traditionally prepared in a way that maintains nutrient density, and I just didn't see any one source. There are many companies that are specializing in one type of thing. You know, maybe they do a sourdough bread or maybe they do kimchi or something, but there wasn't any place where I could say, okay, here's the catch-all where you can find all of these type of products in one place.

Alyssa:

I know, and when I went through it I found it extremely detailed and very comprehensive, included like every food you can possibly think of, and for a lot of people, picking out that food is it's not really the hard part. It's finding and sourcing that type of food and knowing that where you live and what you're looking for may not really be available in your state or region. Like, for an example, I can't really go to a grocery store and buy raw milk in Canada, so we're kind of limited to like what foods we can buy here. So I feel like this where to buy it guide can feel it can make your search so much easier, and so my question to you is what were some of the biggest challenges or frustrations that you noticed when you were first creating this guide? What people were having, you know when they couldn't source, they couldn't find the right ingredients, they were trying to eat healthier, and you know what kind of frustrations were they facing and how did those experiences influence the way you created your ebook?

Jennifer:

The US can be a patchwork of stuff like that too, especially when it comes to raw milk, and so it's not always available in stores there, but there are places that you might be able to order online or at least higher quality. So some of it was that, just that availability. I mean you can be in a certain area, but if you're in the city you might have access to a lot of stuff, but you could live 25 minutes out in the suburbs and have a very limited selection, especially when it comes to some of the more you know, convenience package foods that you might have on occasion. So that's what I was really wanting to address, and the there's so much marketing about certain foods and that really confuses people. Like what are the differences between something that's natural or hormone free, or, you know, gluten free? Like what do all these things mean? And you know gluten free isn't necessarily really good for your gut because it can be very starchy and that can still be filled with sugar.

Jennifer:

And so from my perspective and my experience, I'm looking at what are the traditional type of sweeteners, even that were used. So in my guide you'll find things that only include honey or maple syrup or coconut sugar or maybe some organic cane sugar, but even that I'm pretty particular about. So I want things to be Less processed, more traditional, the way that people were making food for themselves before there was industry. What companies are mimicking that, and many of them might not be selling really locally and so finding them online and maybe for me I don't buy a ton of that stuff, but when I do, I want it to be that nice quality, quality, and so I will have a little bit of that kind of in my pantry, because I know that I can't just run to the store where I'm living in the suburbs and find a really good cracker, for example, that doesn't have seed oils in it, or even something like chips.

Jennifer:

You know that I don't need a lot of, but when I do I don't want it to just be totally crummy for my health, because we all get a hankering for that, and then there are folks even looking for some. You know a lot. The foundation of my guide, really the first section, is where can we get meat and poultry and fish that's sustainably sourced, that's not corn fed, that's not filled with antibiotics? And so here are the places that I have vetted that are really following these practices and that you might find something locally and I talk about that in each section Like here's what I look for when I'm looking locally at the grocery store and here are some brands you might find, but here are things that you could order online as well.

Alyssa:

I love that perspective. I love how you took what your clients were telling you and then you created a solution from things that they were trying to find or source and they couldn't find specific. You know things that they were trying to find or source and they couldn't find. You know specific ingredients and things that they were trying to. You know they're on a specific diet. They, you know you're kind of stuck to just you don't. You know you had to. You had no other um guide or instructions on where to find these ingredients, and so I find I really love that you have this detailed list of curated companies that you mentioned.

Alyssa:

I actually don't see any other person doing that where they have a list of companies that you have vetted that you know are reputable brands.

Alyssa:

I just find that people are just super weird about which companies are reputable, which people you know, what companies they can trust, even with prepared foods or you know just in general, and so I find that what I like about your ebook is it takes away the guesswork, because it takes so long for someone. If you're looking for specific ingredients for a diet, you know you're going on google, you're doing your research. That could be hundreds and hundreds of hours like just, and you can just spend your whole day doing that, and so I like that. You took the guesswork out of that equation and now you have this curated list of companies that people can just go to the ebook and click and it goes straight to the company. How did you compile such a detailed list of companies Like, were these companies you've known for a really long time, or were these companies that you're connected with personally, that you've used yourself in the past? Tell me more about that.

Jennifer:

Some of them are. It really started from my own list and that would be what I would share with clients like, oh well, here's the place where I would order a beet kvass, for example you know fermented drink and so here's this place, or here's three places that you can get that, and so it really just started out as my own research. And I am a very detailed person and a researcher, so it does kind of come natural for me to produce something like this, which I think is why I overlooked it for a long time. Because it's like this which I think is why I overlooked it for a long time, because it's like oh, obviously you just do your research and you just find these places. And so it grew from my personal list to oh, here's some things that might be regional to your area in the U S that you know I haven't had, but these would meet my criteria.

Jennifer:

And people do get kind of funny about brands, and part of it is when you're in, especially, you know, the marketing space. A lot of people promote things that they're affiliates of and I do that too, but I don't only do that and so you know, especially smaller brands, they may not have affiliates or they're really great things, that that just might not be how they're marketing, and I, if I'm an affiliate of something, I'm definitely going to use the affiliate link and, you know, get a little thank you cash for that. But that's not my only criteria for promoting something like this. So there was my kind of core list and then, as this idea developed, I sat down and I did the research and I looked through the brands and I got on the web and all of that and found additional brands that would meet my criteria, and my team and I will actually update this every six months we go back and we look through okay, do all these products links still work? Are these brands still in the integrity that we're looking at?

Jennifer:

Because things get sold to to other brands and they may actually change their formulations or things could go out of business, and so can we locate those things? And then, as I come across new additions, you know I was at the Weston Price Conference in October in Orlando and I came across a different brand of sprouted nuts that I was like, oh my gosh, these are amazing. I absolutely want to include these in the guide, and so I'll add little additions like that as I find things on my own or as my clients and customers might share something really amazing that they've found. So it's just kind of that now. It's a bit of a collaborative effort where there may be a handful of new things that get added and there might be things that drop out as well, as it continues to evolve.

Alyssa:

That's amazing and so interesting and there's so many. I know, as you've mentioned, there's so many conflicting standards of what's considered high quality because of the marketing out there and I love that your team updates every six months. So do they get access? So the people who purchase the guide, do they they just get an update of the book, or how does that work?

Jennifer:

Yeah. So I send out an email and I'll say hey, there's been some updates or some new additions. Would you like the updated copy? So right now we're just kind of doing that manually and as people respond we're replying back. I don't know a way to like quite do a download link on that, but I think we'll figure that out as it grows. But so far it hasn't been unmanageable to just kind of reattach the PDF when we get a reply. And then I feel like that's a nice, just bonus for people, because how often does that happen, where you get a digital product and they're like oh hey, we added more to it and here's another you know, updated version and it's free for you. So to me that just feels like a little nice added touch. It is, yeah, connection to people too.

Alyssa:

It is, and I don't like that when you buy this product and then it gets outdated and then they forget to update or they don't update at all and it just it devalues the whole point of having you know something that's so valuable that people can use on an ongoing basis and not just at a one time they purchase something and then they never use again. This is something that they can continue to use for months and months, so that's so good, and when you're thinking I think that people will also kind of forget about some of this.

Jennifer:

You know, it's really common you buy the thing and you use the thing right away and then you're like what was that thing thing? Oh, where did I put it? Oh, now I'm looking for something else. So it kind of brings it back to their radar as well. So they're like oh yes, thank you for reminding. Maybe I misplaced my copy and now I have a new one and I can look for the latest thing that's on my mind. So that's, that's one of the things I don't know, maybe that's just my own brain and like wanting to kind of have that extra layer of service and connection with people and just be like hey, hope you're still on this path. Here's another reminder.

Alyssa:

Yeah, no, I think people love that. They want to purchase something and then also just hear from you as well. So you know everything that you know about sourcing food, everything that you have researched about these companies and these foods you know. Are there any things? Is there anything that someone should know?

Jennifer:

if you know any kind of surprising trends that you're seeing right now, challenges and finding foods either online or in stores that you think people should be aware of when they're at the grocery store or at the meat market or, you know, trying to find those ingredients, yeah, and I actually volunteered at our local food co-op for 10 years too, so I really saw this evolve, because I was a grocery stocker for three hours a week and there's this big trend where people will put the highlighted best ingredients on the front of the package and they'll say contains these three wonderful things, or you know this handful of things that make it sound really great. And when you actually flip it over and read the ingredient label, there are additional ingredients, and so it's very clever and it's highlighting like oh, this just is, you know, these wonderful, it just has almonds and it just has dates, for example. And then you flip it over and there's actually three other kinds of sugar and other types of things, and so it's very misleading because it's not the ingredient label but the way that it's printed makes you think that it is very, very slick. So that's one thing I always caution people about. And then, when it comes to the ins and outs, especially of purchasing things like meats and eggs and dairy, there's a lot of confusing terms, and so that was actually an appendix that I added into the guide about sourcing your own food, because ultimately, I want people to buy those things locally if possible, so they can support their local farmers and their regional agriculture.

Jennifer:

And so I break down here's what it means when something's grass fed. Here's what it means when something is organic. Here's what natural means. Here is what you would look for as the diet that a chicken naturally eats, and so when these animals are fed certain things, they can be healthier for you than when they are on an unnatural diet.

Jennifer:

So I also wanted to break down the nitty gritty of that so people really can read through. Because, just like the big brands, the farmer's market and the smaller producers also highlight their best features, and that's and most of them are, you know, head and shoulders above the major brands and all the traditional, you know, kind of conventional foods that we're eating. But if you're on a particular diet, if you have real sensitivities, real food allergies, really more intense health needs, you have to be more particular about sourcing and about what all these details can mean to your own body. So I want people to be armed with that information as well, so they can just make the best choices and actually have questions to ask these producers Like here are the questions that I lay out when I'm interviewing somebody that I want to buy milk or meat from.

Alyssa:

I hand that to people as well, that is such a good point and it's clear so many factors that people have to consider. It's like and you, I love how this breaks it down, because there is a lot of misleading information out there. You don't know who to trust, you don't know, you know what brands are actually being truthful in their marketing, and I'm just so. It's unbelievable how some people get away with this kind of stuff. I mean that's shocking. And then you know, at the same time, people are trying to just get wholesome, wholesome food ingredients that they need, you know, for a specific diet, and they, you know it can be very, very overwhelming for someone who is new to this, who is trying to find and source local ingredients without the additives that are, you know, into our food and things like that, and so you know just figuring out what's available to them in their region. And then you know another big piece of the whole puzzle. You know, as you know, everything that we've talked about so far.

Alyssa:

But another big piece is accessibility, and not everyone has access to specialty stores. I know here, like in Canada we are, we have, like, the big box stores. I actually do like the smaller markets, but, again, like, not everyone has access to specialty stores or the budget for high-end products. I know, like I find, the healthier you are, the more the products cost, especially like in Canada. Things are very, very expensive, are very, very expensive, and you know, in saying that, it makes it so that if they are high-end products that we're using a lot of, it can be out of reach for a lot of people. And so how did you approach this challenge in your ebook to make sure that it's helpful and then also realistic for people with different needs and circumstances, budget circumstances.

Jennifer:

Yeah, I tried to list the brands that you would kind of find commonly locally, because that does tend to be more affordable or things will go on sale. So if it is a milk brand, for example, the ones that are actually pasture raised, that are pasteurized but they're low temperature pasteurized, like that's a huge problem when it comes to organic milk, at least in the US. I'm not sure what it's like in Canada, but in the US the majority of organic milk is ultra pasteurized and that food is really a dead food. That food is very inflammatory and so raw milk is the ideal. That may not be accessible to people or that may not be affordable or the choice that they want to make, but can they find something that is that pasteurized or low temperature pasteurized, for example? Like that's something that there are actually more brands becoming available that are national or at least regional that people can find.

Jennifer:

I will say the biggest place that you're going to spend a lot of money when you want organic food or you want high quality food, it's the processed kind of junky food. You know when I want to buy a bag of chips or even a chocolate bar and it's $4 and I can buy, you know a massive, you know big brand, not organic, full of you know additive type of thing for a dollar. That's painful, you know. It's like that seems really unfair. But I'll also say, when I walk through the supermarket and I was living in a inner city area with a ton of organic food, just as the norm, and I've moved and now I live in the suburbs where that is not the norm it's really interesting to me actually how I mean it is cheaper to buy mainstream processed food. But the fact that you're not getting any nutritional density in all those middle aisles where you're getting boxes of stuff and bottles of dressing and stuff like that, the price you're paying for the complete lack of nutritional value, is astonishing to me. So I really encourage people to focus on basic ingredients and to cook from scratch. It's so much easier than most of us were led to believe.

Jennifer:

I did not grow up knowing how to cook. I didn't learn until my early to mid thirties, and so I was using the packaged foods and the bottles of this and that and when I really was able to switch to making even something like plain rice from scratch that you can buy in bulk at a good price and pairing that with something like eggs and you know a couple of eggs as a serving, and so that's always going to be more of a bargain than buying something like steak. And so part of what I'm laying out in the guide is like here's where you can get ingredients, not just packaged foods, but here's where you can get a high quality flour, here's where you can get a high quality rice In addition to buying things that are. You know, a whole chicken. Buy a whole chicken and learn how to cut it up. It's easier than you think. So that's the things that I encourage people when it comes to saving money make your own dressing out of just some olive oil and some lemon or some mustard shaken together in a jar Like the.

Jennifer:

If you look at not just the bottom line on the receipt, but what you're getting nutritionally for that, that's where I find so many people feel like, oh, when I switched to a gut friendly diet or a specific protocol, it's going to cost me so much more. But if those people are doing a lot of eating out or they're buying a lot of pre-made foods, it honestly isn't really that much more expensive. So it's a matter of just shifting where you're purchasing. But I will say it is say there is a gap between especially if you're going cut by cut for meat at the grocery store and you're wanting to buy organic versus standard that can be a lot more expensive. So some of it is.

Jennifer:

Can we buy from local producers? Can we buy in bulk? Can we develop relationships, especially maybe with someone at the farmer's market, where you go at the end of the day and you're like I'll buy whatever you haven't sold today and they'll give it to you at a discount, like those are some of the strategies that we can also utilize to eat the healthiest possible, but find a way to make it work for our budget.

Alyssa:

That's such an important perspective I love. I love that your ebook just really bridges the gap between accessibility and finding those high quality options that we might not even know that really exists. And cooking, yeah, cooking from scratch, I mean I can relate. I didn't start cooking and like I was doing packaged meals right up until like mid 20s and then I realized, wait a second, I can't get away with this, like I need to be start cooking because it was expensive to eat out and doing all of those things, and so I was like there was no way that I could keep up with that lifestyle. And so, um, like you now I I mean I cook from scratch now and I use only high source, you know, high, highly non-processed ingredients. Everything's organic and um, and a lot. I feel so much better just in general, and so I don't think I could ever go back. You know, once you start seeing those, those, those quality ingredients that you're using, it's like you can't go back to the pre-packaged stuff that's. You know that's just, that's just garbage, um, and so I love that your, I love that your ebook just really breaks that down and just gives you so many different things that you could purchase Prepared foods also again, but very healthy, not the other stuff. So it clearly makes a difference there.

Alyssa:

And now we've come to my favorite parts of the show. This is the brilliant bite of the week and this is where we leave our listeners with some actionable takeaway, a mantra or a piece of wisdom to spark their own brilliant ideas. So, jennifer, what is one piece of advice that you can share with other nutritionists, health coaches or even just listeners who are listening to this, thinking that they need the where can I buy it? Ebook and they're inspired by what you've created and want to make you know, want to do something. Um, if they're nutritionists, they want to make an impact with their own clients, but if they're reading this, they're like, wow, I want this too. Is there any actionable takeaway that you can share?

Jennifer:

yeah, I would say start with the simplest question. So if you're a practitioner and you're wanting to create a product I've been practicing. I changed my diet 15 years ago, I changed my or I started my business 13 years ago and I just made this guide in the past year. So it took me forever to answer this most basic question because I overlooked it. And so what are people asking you that you think is too basic or that is so obvious to you? Like that's really where so many people need to be met.

Jennifer:

It's just with the very first step and similarly with people you know, just the consumer, what is the most basic thing that you can buy that you use a lot? Maybe you don't overhaul everything all at once, but can you start including a fermented food, for example? Or can you start making a meat stock and sourcing just one type of animal in a higher quality way and stair step your way there? It doesn't need to be all or nothing. Both nutrition and business are all additive. So what can you do? That's just one step in that direction and know that you can take another step later. Like that's how both health and business are built.

Alyssa:

That's amazing. That's so helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your brilliant bite of the week. I know our listeners are going to find, or want to want to find, you online, and especially this work, and I buy ebooks so what is the best place for them to connect with you?

Jennifer:

My website is bodywisdomnutritioncom and I would love to. If people want to buy the where can I buy a guide? I would love to offer a discount to your audience as well. I will make a discount code that will be brilliant just all one word brilliant for $5 off, and you can find the guide on bodywisdomnutritioncom slash resources. That lists all of my different offerings and you'll find a direct link there.

Alyssa:

Amazing and I will make sure to put that in the show notes for anyone who wants to access the where to buy a guide to use the code as well. So thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your where to buy a guide with us. I'm confident our listeners learned a lot from this conversation and while you're looking at Body Wisdom Nutrition on Instagram, you'll also find me on Instagram where I help you create courses, memberships and ebooks that don't just look pretty. They're digital products that create real transformation. Thank you for listening and I'll catch you next time on another brilliant idea. Thanks for tuning into this episode of Brilliant Ideas. If you love the show, be sure to leave a review and follow me on Instagram for even more insider tips and inspiration. Ready to bring your next big, brilliant idea to life? Visit AlyssaVelsercom for resources, guidance and everything you need to start creating something amazing.