Dishing Up Nutrition

Menopause usually occurs when women are between the ages of 45 – 55 and it is estimated that 1.3 billion women worldwide will be in menopause by the year 2025. One of the most common complaints we hear in clinic is the sudden weight gain, as if a switch was flipped overnight. The tried and true ways of losing weight in the past don’t work the same way and, for these women, it feels like a different kind of struggle with weight in their 40s, 50s, 60s. In this show, we’ll talk more about what the main causes are for this weight gain and what lifestyle changes can be done to reverse a slow metabolism.

When you are making food choices, do you ever consider: what foods support or help me keep healthy gums and what foods breakdown my gums? Your mouth and the health of your gums can affect your whole body, including influencing some very serious health issues. Today we will discuss what foods are good for oral health and how poor gum health can affect metabolism and other inflammatory conditions. The bottom line is that food matters when it comes to gum and teeth health, so tune in to learn more about what you can do to keep your mouth and teeth happy and healthy!

Today we will share the reasons why almost two billion people worldwide have a condition known as fatty liver disease. We’ll talk about the two main types of fatty liver disease, discuss how what you eat and drink affects your liver, cover the health problems related to fatty liver disease, and, most importantly, share how you can reverse a fatty liver with a real food plan.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the US with hypertension or high blood pressure implicated as the primary cause. Controlling hypertension is and has been a major focus of public health initiatives. Often the advice for blood pressure issues is to reduce your salt intake. How does salt cause high levels of blood pressure? What does sugar have to do with hypertension? What are you eating that may be containing too much sodium or sugar and negatively effecting your blood pressure? As nutritionists and dietitians, we’ll be talking about this food connection to your blood pressure and what you can do about it.

After considerable sleep research, sleep has been shown to be one of the most important and perhaps one of the least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity. Our show topic this week is how lack of sleep slows your metabolism. The ideal amount of sleep for weight loss is between 7 ½ to 9 hours most nights, so if you aren’t getting adequate sleep, tune in! We are offering steps for getting better quality sleep by covering what foods and drinks cause us to wake up, sleep supplements many find helpful, research findings, and actions steps you can try right away.

It is estimated that 15 to 20 million Americans struggle with osteoporosis and 80% of those are women. 1 in 2 women by the age of 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis. With that staggering statistic, what can we do right now to maintain strong and healthy bones? What food should we eat, whether we are 70 years old or 50 or 30 or 20 or even a teen, to start changing those numbers for the better? We need strong but flexible bones - not hard and brittle bones. In today’s show, we’ll discuss what substances rob our bones of nutrients and what foods to incorporate to create those strong, flexible bones.

When many of us hear the word “menopause”, we might automatically think hot flashes, and yes, about 80% of menopausal women experience hot flashes. In addition to hot flashes, menopausal women can also experience insomnia, anxiety, mood swings, and depression, which are less likely to be talked about. During perimenopause when there is a fluctuation of hormones, mood swings can often occur and, usually, we can find a nutritional answer to alleviate symptoms. Today we will be discussing the hormone connection to depression and anxiety plus offer some nutritional solutions to consider.

In a recent Dishing Up Nutrition episode, we talked about how and why sugar has a hold on us. Today, we want to cover all the places sugar may show up in the foods around us. Some might be obvious sources of sugar and some might surprise you! Once you know what to look for, you’ll know what to avoid and what to eat instead to reach those health goals and reduce the hold sugar has on you.

It may surprise you that your body is well-equipped to rid your body of toxins and you don’t have to buy expensive detox formulas. When people want to make a quick change or shed those extra pounds, they look to a fast detox scheme. Sounds good, but in reality, it doesn’t work that way. To detox, our bodies need a high-quality, real food plan that will support our liver. In this show, we’ll talk about everyday foods available right in your kitchen that you can use to support the 3-step process of detoxing and what quick, simple, and delicious recipes you can start incorporating into your meals.

Does sugar have you hooked? Do you feel you are addicted to sugar, and you just have to have some to feel normal? Do you have a sweet tooth that always has you thinking about where to get your next treat? Maybe you have said to yourself, I could just ____ (insert your health goal), if I could just stop eating sugar. Why is something that tastes so good also be so bad for us? Today we want to explore some of the reasons sugar has a hold over many of us with two special hosts who share their personal connection to the sugar habit.