Exam Room Nutrition: Practical Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals

Nutrition Red Flags in Young Dancers

In this episode, I'm joined by registered dietitian and former ballet dancer Maura Fowler to talk about relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and the unique pressures young dancers face around food, performance, and body image. 

You'll Learn:

• Why RED-S can affect both male and female dancers, even when they don't have an eating disorder.
• The link between low energy availability and frequent illness, fatigue, dizziness, and recurring injuries 
• Why changes in menstruation can be an important early warning sign, even when an athlete appears healthy.
• When "clean eating" becomes concerning
• How to approach dancers who are afraid that eating more will lead to unwanted changes in their bodies or performance.

Connect with Maura Fowler

• Instagram: @maura.thedancedietitian
• www.beyondthebarrenutrition.com

Related Episodes

• 166 | Think You Can Spot an Eating Disorder? with Jessica Setnick
• 158 | The Nutrition Mistake Every Injured Athlete Makes with Emily Barnhart

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Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

Tick Bites, GI Symptoms, and Hidden Triggers

A patient comes in with recurrent diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained hives. Could a tick bite be responsible?

Alpha-gal syndrome is an unusual food allergy that can develop after a tick bite, causing delayed reactions to mammalian meat and sometimes other animal-derived products. But recognizing it isn't always straightforward, especially when patients have GI symptoms without the typical signs of an allergic reaction.

In this episode, I'm joined by Jerry Simons, PA-C, a nationally recognized medical educator with more than 25 years of experience treating complex GI disorders and tick-borne diseases. Jerry walks us through the diagnostic clues clinicians should know, how he approaches testing and dietary management, and why unnecessarily restricting foods can sometimes do more harm than good.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why alpha-gal reactions can occur hours after eating
• How to interpret alpha-gal IgE testing alongside the patient's clinical history
• A stepwise approach to dietary management
• Hidden sources of mammalian ingredients in supplements, medications, and foods that clinicians should know about

Resources Mentioned

• Alpha Gal Resources PDF

Connect with Jerry 

Any Questions? Send Me a Message

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Connect with Colleen:
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Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

 Picky Eating, Food Pressure & Body Trust

“Just take one more bite.” “Finish your vegetables, then you can have dessert.” “That’s junk food.”

These comments may seem harmless, but the messages kids hear around food can shape how they eat and think about their bodies years later.

In this episode, I’m joined by registered dietitian Kerry Miller to talk about how parents and clinicians can help kids build body trust and a healthier relationship with food.

Key takeaways:

• Why pressure to eat can actually increase picky eating
• How to balance mealtime structure with hunger and fullness cues
• Why using dessert as a reward can backfire
• How childhood food and body messages can follow us into adulthood
• One simple question clinicians can ask families during a busy well visit

Resources Mentioned: 

• Website: www.violetlearns.com
• Companion resources for professionals: https://professionals.violetlearns.com/
• Instagram: @kerry.millerrd

Any Questions? Send Me a Message

Support the show

Connect with Colleen:
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Sign up for my FREE Newsletter - Nutrition hot-topics delivered to your inbox each week.

Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

 Help Patients Define They're WHY 

What does your patient actually mean when they say, “I just want to be healthy?” Because “healthy” can mean something completely different to the clinician, the patient, and the parent sitting next to them. In this episode, I’m talking with registered dietitian Allison McKeany about why defining health may be one of the most important steps in nutrition counseling. 

Key takeaways:

• Why clinicians should define what “healthy” means before giving nutrition advice
• How to uncover a patient’s deeper “why” and use it to support behavior change
• Allison’s four areas of health: physical, functional, cognitive, and emotional
• Strategies for navigating different health goals between parents and children

Resources Mentioned:

What Does it Mean to Be Healthy, Anyway?

Connect with Allison

Listen to this episode next - Helping patients change

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Connect with Colleen:
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Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

 Hunger, Habits and Sustainable Weight Care 

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Rees Checketts, an internal medicine physician specializing in metabolic and obesity medicine, to talk about what nutrition education in medical training gets right, and where it still falls short. We also dig into the conversations clinicians are having every day about weight, hunger, GLP-1 medications, cortisol, processed foods, and the latest wellness trends.

You’ll learn:

• How genetics, environment, hunger and fullness cues can influence weight
• Why Dr. Checketts uses a “thoughtful indulgence” approach with patients
• How he decides when weight loss medications and GLP-1s may, or may not, make sense
• What clinicians and patients should understand about compounded GLP-1 medications
• Whether cortisol and “hormone imbalance” are really driving weight gain
• Why he’s cautious about the growing popularity of peptides

Resources mentioned:

Peas and Hoppy Meal Guide - use EXAMROOM for 20% off.

GLP Guide by Dr Rees

Other related episodes:

160: Inside an Obesity Clinic: GLP-1 Dosing, Plateaus, and Prior Auths

Any Questions? Send Me a Message

Support the show

Connect with Colleen:
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Sign up for my FREE Newsletter - Nutrition hot-topics delivered to your inbox each week.

Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

This episode is part of our four-part Avocados in Practice mini-series, sponsored by Avocados – Love One Today®.  Today, we're exploring practical family nutrition strategies from first foods to family meals. Helping families eat well isn't about creating the perfect meal, it's about finding realistic strategies that work through every stage of childhood. In this final episode of our mini-series, Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, and I discuss common nutrition gaps, first foods, picky eating, and practical approaches to building family meals that support healthy eating without becoming short-order cooks, including simple ways versatile foods like avocados can fit across ages and stages. 

We Cover

• Nutrients children and families commonly fall short on
• What we know about maternal nutrition and infant outcomes
• Characteristics of a nutritious first food
• Practical strategies for navigating picky eating
• How to build family meals that work for every age and stage

Resources Mentioned:

Healthy Beginnings (Toolkit)

The Role of Lutein in Child Development: From Prenatal to Early Childhood

Avocado Consumption During Pregnancy Linked to Lower Child Food Allergy Risk: Prospective KuBiCo Study

How to Freeze Avocados for Smoothies

Don't miss the rest of the series:

• Episode 1: Why Feeling Full Matters for Weight Loss
• Episode 2: Rethinking Cholesterol Counseling 
• Episode 3: The Bigger Picture of Blood Sugar 

About Today's Sponsor

Avocados – Love One Today® is a leading source of the healthiest reasons and tastiest ways to enjoy fresh avocados. Backed by science, Love One Today provides turnkey solutions that make it easy for health professionals to stay on top of the latest research and confidently recommend fresh avocados to patients. Embracing the diversity of Latin flavors and traditions while promoting a healthier lifestyle, Aguacates - Love One Today® also offers culturally inspired recipes, tips, and educational handouts para Latinos. Visit LoveOneToday.com for free evidence-based resources, recipes and patient education materials.

Any Questions? Send Me a Message

Support the show

Connect with Colleen:
Instagram
LinkedIn
Sign up for my FREE Newsletter - Nutrition hot-topics delivered to your inbox each week.

Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

This episode is part of our four-part Avocados in Practice mini-series, sponsored by Avocados – Love One Today®. Today, we're asking whether we're focusing on the right things when it comes to diabetes nutrition. 

When someone is diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, nutrition conversations often become all about sugar and carbohydrates. But are we missing the bigger picture? In this episode, Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, joins me to discuss glycemic load, diet quality, and why overall eating patterns deserve just as much attention as individual nutrients when supporting healthy blood sugar management and type 2 diabetes risk reduction. 

What You’ll Learn

• How to shift the conversation from restriction toward overall diet quality
• The difference between glycemic index and glycemic load
• Nutrients to consider beyond total carbohydrates, such as unsaturated fats and fiber
• Research exploring avocados, diet quality, blood sugar management, and diabetes risk
• Practical ways patients can incorporate avocados into balanced meals

Resources Mentioned:

The Role of Avocados in Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Know the Difference: Natural Sugars vs. Added Sugars (Handout)

The Effect of Including One Avocado Daily in a Habitual Diet on the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load in Free-living Adults with Overweight/Obesity

Associations Between Avocado Intake and Measures of Glucose and Insulin Homeostasis in Hispanic Individuals With and Without Type 2 Diabetes

Associations Between Avocado Intake and Lower Rates of Incident Type 2 Diabetes in U.S. Adults with Hispanic/Latino Ancestry

Avocado Banana Dairy-Free Ice Cream (Recipe)

Don't miss the rest of the series:

• Episode 1: Why Feeling Full Matters for Weight Loss
• Episode 2: Rethinking Cholesterol Counseling

About Today's Sponsor

Avocados – Love One Today® is a leading source of the healthiest reasons and tastiest ways to enjoy fresh avocados. Backed by science, Love One Today provides turnkey solutions that make it easy for health professionals to stay on top of the latest research and confidently recommend fresh avocados to patients. Embracing the diversity of Latin flavors and traditions while promoting a healthier lifestyle, Aguacates - Love One Today® also offers culturally inspired recipes, tips, and educational handouts para Latinos. Visit LoveOneToday.com for free evidence-based resources, recipes and patient education materials.

Any Questions? Send Me a Message

Support the show

Connect with Colleen:
Instagram
LinkedIn
Sign up for my FREE Newsletter - Nutrition hot-topics delivered to your inbox each week.

Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

This episode is part of our four-part Avocados in Practice mini-series, sponsored by Avocados – Love One Today®. Today, we're tackling one of the most common nutrition conversations in practice: cholesterol. Nutrition counseling often focuses on what patients should stop eating, but what should we encourage them to eat more of? Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, joins me to discuss the types of food substitutions that can impact cholesterol, how current heart health guidelines support a food-first approach, and what the latest research tells us about improving cholesterol through practical, sustainable nutrition changes such as swapping foods with saturated fat for avocado

We Cover

• Why restriction alone often isn't enough for cholesterol counseling
• The science behind swapping saturated fat with unsaturated fats
• The types of food swaps that may improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Nutrients that support cholesterol management and overall heart health, including fiber and unsaturated fats
• Creative ways patients can incorporate avocados to get more unsaturated fats and fiber beyond avocado toast

Resources Mentioned:

Avocados and Cholesterol

Reduce Saturated Fat Intake With Fresh Avocados

Avocados and Plant Sterols

Avocados, Cholesterol and You (Handout)

Effects of Replacing Solid Fats and Added Sugars with Avocado in Adults with Elevated Cardiometabolic Risk: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Feeding, Crossover Trial

Don't miss the rest of the series:

• Episode 1: Why Feeling Full Matters for Weight Loss

About Today's Sponsor

Avocados – Love One Today® is a leading source of the healthiest reasons and tastiest ways to enjoy fresh avocados. Backed by science, Love One Today provides turnkey solutions that make it easy for health professionals to stay on top of the latest research and confidently recommend fresh avocados to patients. Embracing the diversity of Latin flavors and traditions while promoting a healthier lifestyle, Aguacates - Love One Today® also offers culturally inspired recipes, tips, and educational handouts para Latinos. Visit LoveOneToday.com for free evidence-based resources, recipes and patient education materials.

Any Questions? Send Me a Message

Support the show

Connect with Colleen:
Instagram
LinkedIn
Sign up for my FREE Newsletter - Nutrition hot-topics delivered to your inbox each week.

Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

Many patients believe that feeling hungry is simply part of losing weight, but it doesn't have to be. In this episode of our Avocados in Practice mini-series, sponsored by Avocados - Love One Today®, Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, joins me to discuss why satiety matters, what the research says about fullness and foods and nutrients that influence it, and how clinicians can help patients build meals that are both satisfying and nutrient-dense. We also explore common misconceptions about higher-fat foods, practical nutrition strategies for patients taking GLP-1 medications, and simple ways to incorporate avocados into everyday meals to support fullness and satisfaction.

What You’ll Learn

• Why hunger is one of the biggest barriers to sustainable weight loss
• The role of satiety and meal satisfaction in weight management
• What research tells us about avocados, weight, and body composition
• Why fiber and unsaturated fats  matter alongside protein, especially for patients eating less overall
• Practical ways to incorporate avocados for satisfying meals and snacks

Resources Mentioned

Avocados, GLP-1 and Weight Loss Medications: Making Every Bite Count

Avocados and Satiety: A Deep Dive Into Fullness and Weight Management

Effect of Incorporating 1 Avocado Per Day Versus Habitual Diet on Visceral Adiposity: A Randomized Trial

Using the Avocado to Test the Satiety Effects of a Fat-Fiber Combination in Place of Carbohydrate Energy in a Breakfast Meal in Overweight and Obese Men and Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

About Today's Sponsor

Avocados – Love One Today® is a leading source of the healthiest reasons and tastiest ways to enjoy fresh avocados. Backed by science, Love One Today provides turnkey solutions that make it easy for health professionals to stay on top of the latest research and confidently recommend fresh avocados to patients. Embracing the diversity of Latin flavors and traditions while promoting a healthier lifestyle, Aguacates - Love One Today® also offers culturally inspired recipes, tips, and educational handouts para Latinos. Visit LoveOneToday.com for free evidence-based resources, recipes and patient education materials.

Any Questions? Send Me a Message

Support the show

Connect with Colleen:
Instagram
LinkedIn
Sign up for my FREE Newsletter - Nutrition hot-topics delivered to your inbox each week.

Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer. 

Apricot Kernels, Amino Acid Diet & Fasting in Cancer Care. 

In this episode, I’m joined by oncology dietitian Ginger Hultin to break down some of the biggest cancer nutrition myths circulating online and explain what clinicians should actually be telling patients.

We discuss:

• Whether sugar really “feeds” cancer and what the Warburg effect actually means
• The truth about soy, phytoestrogens, and hormone-sensitive cancers
• Processed meat, red meat, and which foods are actually linked to cancer risk
• Aspartame, artificial sweeteners, and what “possibly carcinogenic” really means
• Alcohol and cancer risk—and why there seems to be some discrepancy
• Whether fasting during chemotherapy improves treatment outcomes
• Emerging research on restricting amino acids to slow cancer growth
• Apricot kernels and the serious risks behind viral “natural cancer cure” claims
• Supplements during cancer treatment, including potential interactions, over-supplementation, and when supplements may actually be helpful
• How clinicians can address cancer nutrition misinformation without dismissing or shaming patients

Nutrition absolutely matters in cancer care. But restrictive “anti-cancer diets” and viral food cures can distract patients from what may help most: adequate protein, maintaining nutrition status, eating more fiber-rich plant foods, managing treatment side effects, and getting individualized support.

Resources Mentioned:

Episode 57: Cancer Survivorship and Nutrition

Episode 75: Are Your Patients Taking Too Many Supplements?

Connect with Ginger

The Good Clean Nutrition Podcast

Any Questions? Send Me a Message

Support the show

Connect with Colleen:
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Sign up for my FREE Newsletter - Nutrition hot-topics delivered to your inbox each week.

Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer.