What do spit, jet lag, chewing your food, and resilience have in common?
More than you think.
In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and colleague Patti Milligan — dietitian, neuroscience-of-taste researcher, and now PhD — to talk about something most of us never think about… saliva.
Yep. Spit.
Turns out it might be one of the most underrated keys to digestion, immunity, stress management, and even how well you age.
We first worked together decades ago creating fresh, actually-healthy fast food (back when that was revolutionary).
Since then, Patti’s career has taken her from hospital nutrition to executive performance coaching to studying the neuroscience of taste at the Sorbonne in Paris — and eventually into researching what really happens to our bodies when we travel.
Spoiler: your saliva drops 30–50%.
And that one shift affects everything.
This conversation is geeky in the most fun way, but also wildly practical. You’ll walk away with simple tools you can use today.
You can also listen to the audio here. Also available on Spotify and Apple
Prefer reading? Get the episode transcript here:
What We Talk About
- How Patti went from dietitian to PhD studying the neuroscience of taste
- Why saliva is far more important than we ever realized
- The connection between saliva, stress, and your nervous system
- Why travel (even short flights) throws your body into fight-or-flight
- How that stress response messes with digestion, immunity, and energy
- The real reason chewing your food matters (your grandma was right)
- Why humming or slow breathing can calm your body instantly
- The surprising link between saliva and early disease detection
- Lymphatic drainage, movement, and why sitting all day makes you ache
- Hydration myths — and why plain water isn’t always enough
- Simple electrolyte tricks (salt + citrus = magic)
- Jet lag, resilience, and bouncing back faster
- Why Patti prefers “resilience” over biohacking or anti-aging
- And yes… how a jet lag remedy we once wrote about over raspberry beer turned into an actual product. It’s called Goal Time.
Tiny Practices You Can Try Today
- Belly breathing to shift out of stress mode
- Move your tongue (up/down/left/right) to stimulate saliva
- Chew your food thoroughly
- Hum or sing before meals to relax your nervous system
- Add minerals or citrus to your water
- Get up and move to support lymphatic drainage
- Focus on resilience, not perfection
- Small inputs → big physiological wins.
My Favorite Takeaway
We don’t need complicated protocols or expensive hacks. We need awareness.
Your nervous system, your breath, your digestion — these are levers you can actually control.
That’s agency.
And that’s rebellious wellness.
About the Host
I, Greg Cox, have been working in the wellness space for 20+ years and was a chef for 25 before that, often creating health meals for restaurants and as a private chef. I created the Rebellious Wellness Lifestyle Podcast to empower women to challenge the limitations society places on them as they age.
I believe in science without outsourcing intuition. In prevention over treatment. And in the radical act of remaining visible, engaged, and fully expressed at every age.
Connect with Me
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Keep the Rebellion Going
Sometimes the most rebellious thing you can do is stop accepting limits that were never yours to begin with. Your future self will thank you for refusing to settle for “this is just how it is.”
If you’re ready to take your health to the next level and want support that actually fits your body and life, book a free discovery call and let’s talk it through.
Have a question, a topic you want explored, or a belief about aging you’re ready to challenge? Email Greg at gregory@rebelliouswellnesslifestyle.com
Got a health win or transformation story to share? I want to hear it. Connect with me on social media and let’s celebrate your rebellious progress.
This episode is part of the Rebellious Wellness Lifestyle movement about questioning conventional wisdom and refusing to live by limitations that don’t actually have to exist.
For more paradigm-shifting conversations, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and explore past episodes at RebelliousWellnessOver50.com/podcast
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Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment plan.