Wake up, people! It’s time to talk about America’s favorite drug: caffeine. If you’re like me, you might have a hard time imagining starting most mornings without your strong cup of coffee - don’t worry, I’m not here to tell you to give that up. What we do discuss on today’s episode, though, are three specific strategies that I think are important for helping us to consume caffeine enjoyably without falling into a dependency on it. We talk about how caffeine actually works in our bodies and minds, as well as some of the negative effects that caffeine dependence can bring about. I’ll share how getting our caffeine timing, dosing, and frequency just right can make a huge impact on several aspects of our lives, and how we can all enjoy that morning cup of coffee while still dodging those harmful downsides.

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Studies and Products Mentioned

Caffeine half-life calculator

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On today’s mini-sode, we face one of the hottest topics in the health and nutrition world today: supplements! If you’ve spent any amount of time working to improve your health during the past few years, then there’s no doubt you’ve come across some brand, influencer, or even professional clinician who suggests you take a particular supplement to help get you to where you want to be. But are any of these supplements really necessary? And how am I supposed to know which ones work and which will simply waste my money? Go ahead and dial in as I ask three big questions to help you decide if taking supplements is right for you and your wellness journey.

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Studies and Products Mentioned

Examine.com my go-to source for evidence-based supplement research and information.

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On today’s podcast we are joined by a classmate, colleague, and very good friend of mine, Dr. Grady Donohoe, who shares with us his experience of being living with Type 1 Diabetes since he was a teenager. Dr. Grady walks us through his journey from day 1 of his diagnosis, and explains some of the nuances surrounding blood sugar levels, and how it plays a huge role in our overall health. We talk about the technology available for blood glucose monitoring and how some of it can be useful for diabetics and non-diabetics alike, as well as what practices we can all implement in our everyday lives that can help us keep our blood sugar at a healthy level. Dr. Grady also shares his unique insights on living with diabetes, some of the greatest scares that he’s encountered throughout his life, and why he believes that today, it’s more important than ever to be intentional about your health in every aspect.

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Check out Dr. Grady’s podcast with fellow Type 1 Diabetic, Dr. Garrett Panno, at www.diabuddies.com, on Instagram (@diabuddiespodcast), or anywhere that you get your podcasts. 

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Want to learn about gut health and be entertained in under 5 minutes/per week? Sign up for Dr. Nick’s once-weekly Newsletter.  

You can find Dr. Nick on Instagram @dr.nickbelden or our clinic website, www.hivenaturalhealth.com.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love your 5-star review with any comments on what you like about the show and what you want to hear more of!

THANK YOU - we are incredibly grateful for your support.

So you’re out at a party/bar/get-together/hangout, etc. and you’re having a great time socializing, when all of a sudden your good friend offers you a drink. Knowing how fun it is to engage in these kinds of social activities with friends and loved ones, you’re tempted to accept. At the same time though, you know you’ve been working really hard on improving your gut health lately and you have a hunch that alcohol likely won’t do much to help that progress. You might find yourself feeling stuck - sound familiar? I know I’ve found myself in this situation many times, and so have countless patients of mine. On this week’s mini-sode, we talk about the effects drinking alcohol actually has on our guts, as well as what healthy actions we can take when we find ourselves wanting to share a drink or two with friends. Finally, we talk about hard kombucha, and I try to answer the question on everyone’s mind: is this popular drink actually a good way for me to enjoy alcohol and support my gut at the same time?

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Studies and Products Mentioned

For a more in depth understanding on the effects alcohol has on our physiology, check out Andrew Huberman’s podcast episode on alcohol.

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Want to learn about gut health and be entertained in under 5 minutes/per week? Sign up for Dr. Nick’s once-weekly Newsletter.  

You can find Dr. Nick on Instagram @dr.nickbelden or our clinic website, www.hivenaturalhealth.com.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love your 5-star review with any comments on what you like about the show and what you want to hear more of!

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We have a special treat for all the listeners of this week’s podcast! Recently, I was fortunate enough to speak to the members at my local gym about how each of us can go about healing our gut without using diets or supplements. This talk was so well-received, I realized I needed to share it with all of you amazing podcast listeners too! Throughout my spiel, I talk about my own personal gut health journey, and how the smallest decisions can truly have the biggest impact on our lives. I share several daily strategies that we can use to help regulate our nervous systems, and therefore begin to heal our guts. And all along the way, I included a couple Kahoot quizzes to test my audience's knowledge of all things gut health (these are noted in the timestamps below, so feel free to skip if you already know all the answers). Hope you enjoy!

Timestamps

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Want to learn about gut health and be entertained in under 5 minutes/per week? Sign up for Dr. Nick’s once-weekly Newsletter.  

You can find Dr. Nick on Instagram @dr.nickbelden or our clinic website, www.hivenaturalhealth.com.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love your 5-star review with any comments on what you like about the show and what you want to hear more of!

THANK YOU - we are incredibly grateful for your support.

Visiting the grocery store may not be anyone’s favorite weekly event, but the decisions we make while there can have significant impacts on our overall health. And if we want to understand what it takes for us to eat a gut-friendly diet, then we must first learn how to shop for gut-healthy foods. In this week’s mini-sode, we talk about why grocery shopping with intention is so important, as I highlight some of the pitfalls that we may stumble into if we shop (and therefore eat) like the majority of Americans today. I share some of my favorite strategies for perusing the aisles with your gut health in mind, and how using these simple but effective strategies can really go a long way in improving our wellbeing.

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Studies and Products Mentioned

More From Dr. Nick

Want to learn about gut health and be entertained in under 5 minutes/per week? Sign up for Dr. Nick’s once-weekly Newsletter.  

You can find Dr. Nick on Instagram @dr.nickbelden or our clinic website, www.hivenaturalhealth.com.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love your 5-star review with any comments on what you like about the show and what you want to hear more of!

THANK YOU - we are incredibly grateful for your support.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - my lab test results are in! For years now, I have taken extensive thyroid tests once a year just to “look under the hood” and really see the big picture of what my health is looking like at my age. This year, I compare these tests with the data from my Oura ring and talk through what each result indicates, what might be causing some of my abnormal results, and why we never want to be quick to jump to conclusions when looking at even the most extensive of lab results. I also walk you through what I believe are the most important results to be paying attention to, and what analyzing these numbers can potentially mean for your health.

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More From Dr. Nick

Want to learn about gut health and be entertained in under 5 minutes/per week? Sign up for Dr. Nick’s once-weekly Newsletter.  

You can find Dr. Nick on Instagram @dr.nickbelden or our clinic website, www.hivenaturalhealth.com.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love your 5-star review with any comments on what you like about the show and what you want to hear more of!

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Should you avoid drinking water during meals? Maybe you’ve heard of this idea before, maybe not, but it is certainly a fair question from one of our listeners, and one that we get right into answering on today’s episode. In this episode, we address two important aspects to consider when asking yourself this question: how much water is already included in most of our whole foods, and how powerful our gut actually is when it comes to absorbing nutrients. Lastly, we look at what might be the most important takeaway from this whole topic, that it’s not just WHAT you eat and drink that affects your overall health, but also HOW you eat and drink; how you can drink your food and eat your water daily in a way that your gut will love you for.

Timestamps

Studies and Products Mentioned

More From Dr. Nick

Want to learn about gut health and be entertained in under 5 minutes/per week? Sign up for Dr. Nick’s once-weekly Newsletter.  

You can find Dr. Nick on Instagram @dr.nickbelden or our clinic website, www.hivenaturalhealth.com.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love your 5-star review with any comments on what you like about the show and what you want to hear more of!

THANK YOU - we are incredibly grateful for your support.

What’s it like to come back from an experience that your doctor’s thought you could never survive in the first place?

On this week’s episode of Gut Check Radio, I sit down with Adelaide Meadow, a female physiologist who specializes in treating, educating, and empowering women through helping them learn more about health, birth, movement, and feminism from a physiological perspective. Adelaide shares her deeply personal story of nearly encountering death and waking up from a months-long coma after a traumatic bike accident in the Rocky Mountains at age 21. Through her years-long recovery process, Adelaide sheds light on the hurdles of trying to return to a “normal” life, as well as how her recovery experience has played a significant role in the way she helps others today. She shares many of the unique insights that she has gained throughout her experiences and her education, and how the past decade has challenged her approach, her practice, and even her identity.

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Studies and Products Mentioned

Learn more about Adelaide and the work she does through her practice.

Consider joining Adelaide and other women from across the country at her Radical Pelvic Health Intensive this August

Check out some of the various materials she’s published on female physiological function and health.

More From Dr. Nick

Want to learn about gut health and be entertained in under 5 minutes/per week? Sign up for Dr. Nick’s once-weekly Newsletter.  

You can find Dr. Nick on Instagram @dr.nickbelden or our clinic website, www.hivenaturalhealth.com.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love your 5-star review with any comments on what you like about the show and what you want to hear more of!

THANK YOU - we are incredibly grateful for your support.

Welcome back to Gut Check Radio’s second-ever mid-week-minisode! (That’s not officially what we’re calling this, but maybe it should be?) This week we answer a question from a listener about a topic that I think is absolutely fascinating, not to mention extremely important to address when talking about gut health: Do I have to brush my teeth first thing in the morning in order to keep the bacteria in my mouth from harming my gut? We make sure to answer every part of this question, from discussing the role that specific bacterias play in our oral microbiome, to explaining what exactly takes place inside of our mouths overnight, as well as where this oral bacteria actually goes after living in our mouths. We talk about the important role that our stomach plays in defending our bodies, and if it’s even possible for oral bacteria to make its way into our gut. Finally, I make sure to highlight some of my recommendations for what you can do every day to make sure you’re maintaining a healthy oral microbiome.

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More From Dr. Nick

Want to learn about gut health and be entertained in under 5 minutes/per week? Sign up for Dr. Nick’s once-weekly Newsletter.  

You can find Dr. Nick on Instagram @dr.nickbelden or our clinic website, www.hivenaturalhealth.com.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love your 5-star review with any comments on what you like about the show and what you want to hear more of!

THANK YOU - we are incredibly grateful for your support.