[g_podcast id="10999271"]
In this episode, I talk to my Darmglück course participant Heidi Vock. She and her partner Beat completed the course together and Heidi is now totally thrilled and also 15 kilos lighter than before the course, as she tells us in the interview.
This episode should once again give you an impression of what happens when someone - or in this case two people - take their health into their own hands. My customer and Darmglück course participant Heidi Vock comes from the healthcare sector herself. She was originally a doctor's assistant, then a paramedic and now has a company that offers emergency training. She has always cooked fresh food and already knew a lot about nutrition. She didn't actually book the course for herself, but because her partner Beat suffers from an autoimmune disease.
But in this interview she tells me that not only did he benefit enormously, but so did she. She once told me that she always thought her tiredness came from her heavy workload and the effort involved in caring for her partner and her mother. But after a short period of intestinal happiness, she suddenly had a lot of energy again - she hadn't expected that at all!
I am delighted to have the lovely Heidi Vock as my guest. Hello Heidi!
Tell me a little bit. You're a customer of mine from the Gut Happiness course and come from the healthcare sector yourself. What do you do for a living?
Heidi: I'm originally a paramedic. First I was a doctor's assistant, then a paramedic. Then I founded my own company where we offer emergency training for companies and private associations. That's why I'm always interested in a wide range of medical topics and regularly take part in further training.
How did you become interested in the topic of gut and gut health? Why were you interested in it?
Heidi: My partner has an autoimmune disease, so I've always done a lot of research on the internet. He had diarrhea on and off for years, where he would sit on the toilet for hours. He hardly ever left the house because he didn't dare.
I love cooking. He couldn't tolerate most of the food I cooked. He has a muscle disease, so I wanted to spare him a colonoscopy, which is why we were always a bit cautious at the doctor's.
I thought I could somehow manage this with alternatives and then I came across your Darmglück course. I had already looked at a lot of things before you and your course appealed to me and I thought it might help. It wasn't as coherent with others as it was with you. I showed Beat your video and then he wanted to try the course. That's how I got in touch with you.
What happened next? How did he fare at the beginning?
Heidi: I only took part out of solidarity for him. The first day, when we started, was a complete disaster for me. I got up too late, we never ate beforehand, so I missed breakfast and took it with me to the store.
I had a conversation there that lasted longer, so I didn't eat my muesli until 11 a.m. and then went to a session where there were only vending machines selling sweets. I was hungry and only had cold chicken soup with me, which I couldn't warm anywhere. On the way home, I wanted to stop at a highway service station and buy a fresh pineapple, but the station was being renovated.
When I got off the highway, I went to the next best store. I bought a sandwich there. The only thing I was allowed to eat was the lettuce leaf it contained. Then I bought a sweet and potato chips and thought I'd start the course tomorrow.
I always snacked a lot beforehand and had "Znüni" (2nd breakfast). Eating three times a day was a big change. Beat is much easier to look after than I am! It worked really well from the second day onwards! We were never hungry and after just a few days Beat was able to go to the toilet normally again. The intervals have become longer and longer. The last diarrhea was about 2 months ago. That's great for his quality of life! He goes out of the house with me again. Yesterday he went out on his own in his power wheelchair. That really is quality of life!
Because he didn't do that before, did he?
Heidi: He didn't do it anymore because he was just afraid to eat and then go out of the house. The muscle disease meant that he couldn't go to the toilet. Then every now and then it wasn't enough and it just became very awkward.
Do you notice any other changes? Is he in a different mood?
Heidi: We are both in a different mood! For me, it's a very big workload with 100% work, housework and caring for him. When I went shopping, I often wished there was a bed where I could lie down for a while and switch off.
Every now and then I felt like my legs were sinking in. I notice that I have more energy and a better rhythm. I weighed 15 kg more before the course. Thanks to the Darmglück course, I was also diagnosed with leaky gut syndrome, which means I have a permeable gut, which I am now treating with the products you recommended and the great Darmglück diet.
I am open, I pass on my recipes to everyone, I tell people about the Darmglück course. But you really have to be prepared to change something, to take your life into your own hands, to be prepared to do without. You get so much in return!
We eat very well and when someone eats with us, they don't even realize it's a diet. It tastes very good to them! We've been doing it this way for 4 months and would never have kept it up otherwise. Beat took cortisone for a long time and had a big belly as a result. In the meantime I have also read that it is a "poop belly". He still has a small tummy now, but when he lies in bed, he almost has a six-pack :-) He has lost a lot of weight, which is even more noticeable on him because he has no muscles.
You still have more or less the same workload, but you have more energy. I think it was surprising for you because you only did it because of Beat.
Heidi: For me, I have I didn't expect anything at all. I also didn't think that anything could change for me! That's what I really appreciate about the Darmglück course: that it's so wide-ranging. It's gentle, you're very well supported and you can ask questions. You don't just look at nutrition and the gut, but also at goals, stress reduction and much more!
Because of all these things, we have also noticed that our relationship has improved! At first we cooked your recipes, but now I've become more confident and make my own recipes. I don't succeed with everything. We go shopping together and look for alternative foods. We looked for goat's milk products and found what we were looking for! We spoke to the producers and made sure that the goats are outside and have a nice environment.
I think it's great how creative you are and how many things you've put together! I think one fear many people have is that cooking is too much work, or that they don't have time to take part in a program like this because it's time-consuming and complicated.
How did you manage that? You have a huge workload with work and care.
Heidi: I've always cooked fresh before. I have to add something: I had a severe vitamin B-12 deficiency. They couldn't find the cause and then I had regular injections. I never saw this in connection with my diet because I always cooked fresh and always made sure I used organic products. This deficiency has now been remedied! I cook once a day, usually in the evening. I take muesli with me to work, which doesn't make me so tired at lunchtime. Beat likes to eat warm food at lunchtime. I cook so that he can heat up something at lunchtime.
It works well. If someone doesn't like cooking at all, it's a bit difficult.
My recipes are relatively simple. Cooking takes a bit of practice, that's the way it is. At some point, it's worth starting when your body doesn't like it anymore. The way you described it, you had a certain amount of suffering. You less so now than Beat. But if the pressure of suffering is great enough, you can overcome it and realize relatively quickly that it's not so bad.
Heidi: I also had the feeling that it was worth taking the time. If you're forced to take the time and go to physiotherapy three times a week and go to university clinics - that's also very time-consuming. For me, health comes from the kitchen and not from the pharmacy. Beat was already dependent on medication. But my goal was always to reduce the medication and manage it differently. He no longer takes many tablets. That's great too.
Of course, that's also a gain in quality of life, isn't it?
Heidi: Of course, we're still hoping that we might be able to improve something with his illness too. Autoimmune diseases, or chronic diseases in general, come 80% from the gut. I've always had the feeling that because I cook really fresh food, I'm already doing enough good for our guts. That wasn't right.
You can see the difference now (compared to your previous diet)?
Heidi: Exactly. I have the feeling that your Gut Happiness course is very close to the Coimbra Protocol, which is actually recommended for people with autoimmune diseases and where there are also a lot of successes. The exchange in your Facebook group also helps! I always post foolproof recipes there that my friends have always asked for. My recipes are ones that anyone can make.
I always say: if you can read, you can cook. Most recipes have a process, you have to read the recipes once and then just follow them step by step. That's how I do it with my recipes too. I make them very simple so that everyone can do it.
Heidi: And you can really do it! I'm convinced of that! I think you just need the willingness to want to change something. I really appreciate the group and the regular live calls. I also always find it exciting with the new participants - you help each other, you suffer together, you give tips. There are active participants and less active ones.
Where we started, there was a man who was always very quiet. In the last call, he said that he had had constipation since childhood and that it was gone now. We were really happy about that! And that's what I think is great about the group. We have a colleague to whom we recommended the course and he got involved. His partner is also really helpful and cooks the bowel-happy foods for him. You can exchange ideas with each other, it's so great!
The success he's already had is incredible!
I don't think I need to ask you if you would recommend the course to others.
Heidi: Yes, I do that voluntarily! Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to do it. I think the price also plays a role for some people. I also thought about it at first. But when I saw what you were offering for the money, I had the feeling that you were selling yourself short. The money is more than worth it.
When I think that you would charge CHF 100 for each consultation, which would be reasonable, and the course cost CHF 700. If we had come to the consultation 7 times, we wouldn't have had that comfort. We would have had to make our way to you, which would have been time-consuming again. The bottom line is that it would have been more expensive. If you really want to, it's worth it!
It's also the case that the price will now go up. I put a lot of effort and knowledge into it and have realized that I can no longer continue to offer it at this price. But I want to offer something that you can benefit from in the long term. Beat and you are a good example - you're always there and the bonus calls we have are still bringing in new experts. Of course you can still take part and ask questions.
I also enjoy inviting people from other areas who can bring you added value. The aim of Darmglück is not that we only talk about nutrition for the rest of our lives, but it's actually about how we can live our lives the way we want to again. That's why I was so pleased when you said that it was good for your relationship.
There are people who also change professionally or see themselves completely differently. That's what makes me particularly happy. It's great that the diet was the beginning. But then come the really important things: am I happy in life? Do I have a job? that fulfills me? Do I have a partnership that is going well?
Heidi: As well as intestinal happiness, it could also be called life happiness. It's actually like a lifelong membership that you get for the money. I didn't realize that either! I think that's what changed me. If you want to do something good for yourself by going to the gym, you also pay your membership fee. It's a one-off investment in your happiness and your own health. And I believe that even if you don't have that much money, it's worth saving. You will be rewarded!
I'm really pleased about that! I think it's important to get involved. That you're prepared to put it into practice. I know it takes a certain amount of trust at the beginning and if you don't know me yet, of course, I understand that someone is skeptical. I think if you have the confidence and let it sink in, you will be rewarded.
Heidi: What I also find cool and very exciting is that you can watch the live calls afterwards. And I noticed that one participant looked much healthier after the 3rd/4th time, which I also wrote to her about. She then replied that she was really feeling much better. I then went back and took another look at myself - there are worlds apart!
I can really recommend taking a look at yourself in the first call and then again in the last call. The skin looks different, the facial features are tighter, the radiance is different, the shape is different (for me).
I'm really happy with myself! I like myself again when I look in the mirror, and it's not just the shape, it's also different values.
Finally, is there anything else you would like to say to people who have not yet made their decision?
Heidi: My tip is to go for it. To be prepared to do something about it yourself. I think it's also very good for losing weight, for learning to eat less sweets. I can recommend it to anyone who is chronically ill! The results are not long in coming. I think it's so nice that so much success can be achieved with so little change. It's incredibly motivating! We don't want to eat any other way. We make a small exception now and again when we are invited somewhere. Beat then no longer gets diarrhea. I can wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone!
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! I'm sure you've encouraged a lot of people and that it's not that difficult.
Heidi offered at the end of the interview that you can also contact her via Facebook if you would like to find out more about the Darmglück course, you can easily find Heidi via her Facebook profile under the name: Heidi Vock.
I have also recorded other interviews with former Darmglück course participants in my podcast, namely episode DG 018, where I spoketo JohannaPecina about her successes with Crohn's disease
and episode DG 024 with CécileKünzli Zangger, who spoke about the great effects it has had on her skin.
Of course you can always write to me if you would like more information about the Gut Happiness course!
Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because those reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
In this episode, I talk to my Darmglück course participant Heidi Vock. She and her partner Beat completed the course together and Heidi is now totally thrilled and also 15 kilos lighter than before the course, as she tells us in the interview.
This episode should once again give you an impression of what happens when someone - or in this case two people - take their health into their own hands. My customer and Darmglück course participant Heidi Vock comes from the healthcare sector herself. She was originally a doctor's assistant, then a paramedic and now has a company that offers emergency training. She has always cooked fresh food and already knew a lot about nutrition. She didn't actually book the course for herself, but because her partner Beat suffers from an autoimmune disease.
But in this interview she tells me that not only did he benefit enormously, but so did she. She once told me that she always thought her tiredness came from her heavy workload and the effort involved in caring for her partner and her mother. But after a short period of intestinal happiness, she suddenly had a lot of energy again - she hadn't expected that at all!
From autoimmune disease to gut happiness course
I am delighted to have the lovely Heidi Vock as my guest. Hello Heidi!
Tell me a little bit. You're a customer of mine from the Gut Happiness course and come from the healthcare sector yourself. What do you do for a living?
Heidi: I'm originally a paramedic. First I was a doctor's assistant, then a paramedic. Then I founded my own company where we offer emergency training for companies and private associations. That's why I'm always interested in a wide range of medical topics and regularly take part in further training.
How did you become interested in the topic of gut and gut health? Why were you interested in it?
Heidi: My partner has an autoimmune disease, so I've always done a lot of research on the internet. He had diarrhea on and off for years, where he would sit on the toilet for hours. He hardly ever left the house because he didn't dare.
I love cooking. He couldn't tolerate most of the food I cooked. He has a muscle disease, so I wanted to spare him a colonoscopy, which is why we were always a bit cautious at the doctor's.
I thought I could somehow manage this with alternatives and then I came across your Darmglück course. I had already looked at a lot of things before you and your course appealed to me and I thought it might help. It wasn't as coherent with others as it was with you. I showed Beat your video and then he wanted to try the course. That's how I got in touch with you.
On the second day, Heidi's husband was already showing the first signs of A sense of achievement!
What happened next? How did he fare at the beginning?
Heidi: I only took part out of solidarity for him. The first day, when we started, was a complete disaster for me. I got up too late, we never ate beforehand, so I missed breakfast and took it with me to the store.
I had a conversation there that lasted longer, so I didn't eat my muesli until 11 a.m. and then went to a session where there were only vending machines selling sweets. I was hungry and only had cold chicken soup with me, which I couldn't warm anywhere. On the way home, I wanted to stop at a highway service station and buy a fresh pineapple, but the station was being renovated.
When I got off the highway, I went to the next best store. I bought a sandwich there. The only thing I was allowed to eat was the lettuce leaf it contained. Then I bought a sweet and potato chips and thought I'd start the course tomorrow.
I always snacked a lot beforehand and had "Znüni" (2nd breakfast). Eating three times a day was a big change. Beat is much easier to look after than I am! It worked really well from the second day onwards! We were never hungry and after just a few days Beat was able to go to the toilet normally again. The intervals have become longer and longer. The last diarrhea was about 2 months ago. That's great for his quality of life! He goes out of the house with me again. Yesterday he went out on his own in his power wheelchair. That really is quality of life!
Because he didn't do that before, did he?
Heidi: He didn't do it anymore because he was just afraid to eat and then go out of the house. The muscle disease meant that he couldn't go to the toilet. Then every now and then it wasn't enough and it just became very awkward.
How Heidi lost 15 kilos thanks to the Darmglück course and how she experienced improvements in her partnership
Do you notice any other changes? Is he in a different mood?
Heidi: We are both in a different mood! For me, it's a very big workload with 100% work, housework and caring for him. When I went shopping, I often wished there was a bed where I could lie down for a while and switch off.
Every now and then I felt like my legs were sinking in. I notice that I have more energy and a better rhythm. I weighed 15 kg more before the course. Thanks to the Darmglück course, I was also diagnosed with leaky gut syndrome, which means I have a permeable gut, which I am now treating with the products you recommended and the great Darmglück diet.
I am open, I pass on my recipes to everyone, I tell people about the Darmglück course. But you really have to be prepared to change something, to take your life into your own hands, to be prepared to do without. You get so much in return!
We eat very well and when someone eats with us, they don't even realize it's a diet. It tastes very good to them! We've been doing it this way for 4 months and would never have kept it up otherwise. Beat took cortisone for a long time and had a big belly as a result. In the meantime I have also read that it is a "poop belly". He still has a small tummy now, but when he lies in bed, he almost has a six-pack :-) He has lost a lot of weight, which is even more noticeable on him because he has no muscles.
You still have more or less the same workload, but you have more energy. I think it was surprising for you because you only did it because of Beat.
Heidi: For me, I have I didn't expect anything at all. I also didn't think that anything could change for me! That's what I really appreciate about the Darmglück course: that it's so wide-ranging. It's gentle, you're very well supported and you can ask questions. You don't just look at nutrition and the gut, but also at goals, stress reduction and much more!
Because of all these things, we have also noticed that our relationship has improved! At first we cooked your recipes, but now I've become more confident and make my own recipes. I don't succeed with everything. We go shopping together and look for alternative foods. We looked for goat's milk products and found what we were looking for! We spoke to the producers and made sure that the goats are outside and have a nice environment.
"For me, health comes from the kitchen and not from the pharmacy"
I think it's great how creative you are and how many things you've put together! I think one fear many people have is that cooking is too much work, or that they don't have time to take part in a program like this because it's time-consuming and complicated.
How did you manage that? You have a huge workload with work and care.
Heidi: I've always cooked fresh before. I have to add something: I had a severe vitamin B-12 deficiency. They couldn't find the cause and then I had regular injections. I never saw this in connection with my diet because I always cooked fresh and always made sure I used organic products. This deficiency has now been remedied! I cook once a day, usually in the evening. I take muesli with me to work, which doesn't make me so tired at lunchtime. Beat likes to eat warm food at lunchtime. I cook so that he can heat up something at lunchtime.
It works well. If someone doesn't like cooking at all, it's a bit difficult.
Positive side effect: improved quality of life
My recipes are relatively simple. Cooking takes a bit of practice, that's the way it is. At some point, it's worth starting when your body doesn't like it anymore. The way you described it, you had a certain amount of suffering. You less so now than Beat. But if the pressure of suffering is great enough, you can overcome it and realize relatively quickly that it's not so bad.
Heidi: I also had the feeling that it was worth taking the time. If you're forced to take the time and go to physiotherapy three times a week and go to university clinics - that's also very time-consuming. For me, health comes from the kitchen and not from the pharmacy. Beat was already dependent on medication. But my goal was always to reduce the medication and manage it differently. He no longer takes many tablets. That's great too.
Of course, that's also a gain in quality of life, isn't it?
Heidi: Of course, we're still hoping that we might be able to improve something with his illness too. Autoimmune diseases, or chronic diseases in general, come 80% from the gut. I've always had the feeling that because I cook really fresh food, I'm already doing enough good for our guts. That wasn't right.
You can see the difference now (compared to your previous diet)?
Heidi: Exactly. I have the feeling that your Gut Happiness course is very close to the Coimbra Protocol, which is actually recommended for people with autoimmune diseases and where there are also a lot of successes. The exchange in your Facebook group also helps! I always post foolproof recipes there that my friends have always asked for. My recipes are ones that anyone can make.
Why the group exchange is so valuable and promising
I always say: if you can read, you can cook. Most recipes have a process, you have to read the recipes once and then just follow them step by step. That's how I do it with my recipes too. I make them very simple so that everyone can do it.
Heidi: And you can really do it! I'm convinced of that! I think you just need the willingness to want to change something. I really appreciate the group and the regular live calls. I also always find it exciting with the new participants - you help each other, you suffer together, you give tips. There are active participants and less active ones.
Where we started, there was a man who was always very quiet. In the last call, he said that he had had constipation since childhood and that it was gone now. We were really happy about that! And that's what I think is great about the group. We have a colleague to whom we recommended the course and he got involved. His partner is also really helpful and cooks the bowel-happy foods for him. You can exchange ideas with each other, it's so great!
The success he's already had is incredible!
The aim of the gut happiness course is to enable us to live our lives the way we want to again
I don't think I need to ask you if you would recommend the course to others.
Heidi: Yes, I do that voluntarily! Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to do it. I think the price also plays a role for some people. I also thought about it at first. But when I saw what you were offering for the money, I had the feeling that you were selling yourself short. The money is more than worth it.
When I think that you would charge CHF 100 for each consultation, which would be reasonable, and the course cost CHF 700. If we had come to the consultation 7 times, we wouldn't have had that comfort. We would have had to make our way to you, which would have been time-consuming again. The bottom line is that it would have been more expensive. If you really want to, it's worth it!
A worthwhile investment in your happiness and your own health
It's also the case that the price will now go up. I put a lot of effort and knowledge into it and have realized that I can no longer continue to offer it at this price. But I want to offer something that you can benefit from in the long term. Beat and you are a good example - you're always there and the bonus calls we have are still bringing in new experts. Of course you can still take part and ask questions.
I also enjoy inviting people from other areas who can bring you added value. The aim of Darmglück is not that we only talk about nutrition for the rest of our lives, but it's actually about how we can live our lives the way we want to again. That's why I was so pleased when you said that it was good for your relationship.
There are people who also change professionally or see themselves completely differently. That's what makes me particularly happy. It's great that the diet was the beginning. But then come the really important things: am I happy in life? Do I have a job? that fulfills me? Do I have a partnership that is going well?
Heidi: As well as intestinal happiness, it could also be called life happiness. It's actually like a lifelong membership that you get for the money. I didn't realize that either! I think that's what changed me. If you want to do something good for yourself by going to the gym, you also pay your membership fee. It's a one-off investment in your happiness and your own health. And I believe that even if you don't have that much money, it's worth saving. You will be rewarded!
"I like myself again when I look in the mirror and it's not just the shape, it's other values too"
I'm really pleased about that! I think it's important to get involved. That you're prepared to put it into practice. I know it takes a certain amount of trust at the beginning and if you don't know me yet, of course, I understand that someone is skeptical. I think if you have the confidence and let it sink in, you will be rewarded.
Heidi: What I also find cool and very exciting is that you can watch the live calls afterwards. And I noticed that one participant looked much healthier after the 3rd/4th time, which I also wrote to her about. She then replied that she was really feeling much better. I then went back and took another look at myself - there are worlds apart!
I can really recommend taking a look at yourself in the first call and then again in the last call. The skin looks different, the facial features are tighter, the radiance is different, the shape is different (for me).
I'm really happy with myself! I like myself again when I look in the mirror, and it's not just the shape, it's also different values.
Finally, is there anything else you would like to say to people who have not yet made their decision?
Heidi: My tip is to go for it. To be prepared to do something about it yourself. I think it's also very good for losing weight, for learning to eat less sweets. I can recommend it to anyone who is chronically ill! The results are not long in coming. I think it's so nice that so much success can be achieved with so little change. It's incredibly motivating! We don't want to eat any other way. We make a small exception now and again when we are invited somewhere. Beat then no longer gets diarrhea. I can wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone!
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! I'm sure you've encouraged a lot of people and that it's not that difficult.
Heidi offered at the end of the interview that you can also contact her via Facebook if you would like to find out more about the Darmglück course, you can easily find Heidi via her Facebook profile under the name: Heidi Vock.
I have also recorded other interviews with former Darmglück course participants in my podcast, namely episode DG 018, where I spoketo JohannaPecina about her successes with Crohn's disease
and episode DG 024 with CécileKünzli Zangger, who spoke about the great effects it has had on her skin.
Of course you can always write to me if you would like more information about the Gut Happiness course!
Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because those reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
