"Quirky Cooking", Food Intolerances, Gut-Brain Health & Healing Foods with Jo Whitton

Welcome to another enriching episode of "The Ending Body Burnout Show," where Filipa Bellette sits down with Jo Whitton from Quirky Cooking to explore the transformative power of food in healing body burnout. This episode is packed with insights into holistic health, integrative medicine, and natural healing, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in wellness journeys and healthy living.

About Jo Whitton

Jo Whitton, based in Far North Queensland, is the heart and soul behind Quirky Cooking. Her journey began out of necessity, dealing with food intolerances in her family, including herself and her four children. Her quest for better health through diet led her to start a blog in 2008, sharing recipes and insights as she learned. In 2014, when her son Isaac was diagnosed with severe OCD and anxiety, Jo delved deeper into gut health and the concept of food as medicine. This journey not only stabilized Isaac's mental health but also significantly improved the overall health of her entire family.

Jo's passion for sharing her knowledge has led her to conduct health seminars, cooking workshops, retreats, and other events both in Australia and internationally. She is the author of three best-selling cookbooks: “Quirky Cooking,” “Life-Changing Food,” and “Simple Healing Food.” Through her work, Jo has helped thousands of families embrace healing with food, offering a sustainable and doable approach to transitioning to a whole food diet.

Jo's Journey to Healing

In this episode, Jo shares her personal struggles with "body burnout," which began in her youth with issues like difficulty gaining weight, frequent illnesses, food intolerances, and later, hormonal imbalances and fatigue. These challenges intensified after having children, as she juggled multiple responsibilities. Despite seeking help from doctors and dietitians, Jo found their advice around food insufficient. It wasn't until she consulted with a naturopath and chiropractor that she was introduced to wholefood eating and healing foods, marking the beginning of her Quirky Cooking journey.

Jo's health improved significantly with dietary changes, but she sensed she was merely managing underlying issues. The turning point came in 2014 when her son Isaac developed severe anxiety and OCD. This led Jo to explore the GAPS diet and gut health, resulting in remarkable healing for Isaac and the entire family. Within weeks, Isaac transformed from severe OCD and anxiety to returning to a "normal kid."

Exploring Deeper Root Causes

Filly and Jo delve into the deeper root causes of Jo's food intolerances and poor gut health. Jo discusses her genetic mutation, which complicates her body's detoxification process, and her early chronic exposure to mould and farming pesticides. They also explore Jo's emotional sensitivity as a child, body image issues during her teenage and adult years, and her tendencies toward over-doing and people pleasing as a young mother and business owner. Jo shares how she has navigated these challenges to become a healthy, confident, and balanced 50-year-old woman.

Jo's 8-Week Gut Health Program

Jo introduces her 8-Week Gut Health Program, designed to help individuals heal their guts with wholefoods and healthy living. The program provides a supportive and nourishing space for participants to reconnect with healing foods and community. Jo also discusses her upcoming health retreats in Italy and Far North Queensland, offering immersive experiences in wellness and healing.

Listener Questions

Filly hand-picked three listener questions for Jo, bringing a personal touch to the episode:

1. “Do you ever get sick of cooking? What do you do to give yourself a break from it occasionally? Or do you just enjoy it so much that you never stop?” – Sarah Scrimegeur Jo shares her love for cooking and how she occasionally takes breaks to recharge, emphasizing the importance of balance.
2. “Do you have any tricks to get my 7-year-old to try food that isn’t pasta or rice? If so, you are my new hero.” – Andrew Wheatley Jo offers practical tips for introducing new foods to children, highlighting the role of creativity and patience in expanding a child's palate.
3. “Time-poor mum with special needs kids. What first steps should I take to help my exhausted body?” – @Natural.learning.life Jo advises starting with small, manageable changes in diet and lifestyle, focusing on nutrient-dense foods and self-care practices to support energy and well-being.

Join the Ending Body Burnout Method

Chris and Filly Functional Medicine is dedicated to supporting your journey to whole body health. Our Ending Body Burnout Method offers tools and guidance for preventative health, functional nutrition, and holistic wellness, empowering you to heal from within.

Ready to transform your health with the power of food? Join our Ending Body Burnout Method to support your healing journey.

Chris & Filipa Bellette are the Founders of multi award-winning health practice Chris & Filly Functional Medicine, which is best known for ending body burnout (for good!) in “busy” people with energy, mood and gut issues. They are the authors of Ending Body Burnout, and have worked with over 2,000+ burned-out clients in the past combined 25+ years, with their own passion for ending body burnout coming from their own personal experience of body, mind, family & business breakdown, after a prolonged period of physical and mental stress. Filipa is an accredited Clinical Nutritionist, Functional Medicine Practitioner, Coach & Trauma Therapist. She is also a Ph.D. Scholar, author & regularly featured the media, such as Forbes, Body+Soul and The Daily Telegraph. Chris is a Burnout Recovery Coach & an accredited Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner, with a Bachelor of Human Movement Science. He has existed in high-performance realms of the sporting (think national athlete) & business industries and knows what it takes to get out of hustle-and-grind culture to thriving. They were recently awarded as the Tasmanian State Winner & National Finalist for the Telstra Best of Business Awards 2022, and Winner of the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards 2022.