876. There's no vitamin F or G. After E, we jump straight to K, and that quirk is a hint that this nutrient is more complicated than it looks. Vitamin K isn't one thing. It's a whole family of compounds -- K1, K2, MK-4, MK-7 -- that come from different sources and do completely different jobs, from blood clotting to steering calcium into your bones instead of your artery walls.

In this episode, Monica untangles the confusing terminology and gets to the question listeners keep asking: does a vitamin K2 supplement actually protect your bones? She digs into what the research really shows, including a widely cited meta-analysis that lumped together two very different kinds of studies, why the prescription-strength results don't tell you much about the low-dose supplement in your cabinet, and whether the food and gut bacteria you already have might be doing the job on their own. Plus, the truth about taking vitamin K with your vitamin D.

New to Nutrition Diva? Check out our special Spotify playlist for a collection of the best episodes curated by our team and Monica herself! 

We've also curated some great playlists on specific episode topics including Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts and Gut Health! Also, find a playlist of our bone health series, Stronger Bones at Every Age. 

Have a nutrition question? Send an email to [email protected].

Follow Nutrition Diva on Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter for more diet and nutrition tips. 

Find out about Monica's keynotes and other programs at WellnessWorksHere.com

Nutrition Diva is a part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. 

Related episode

713 - Can vitamin K2 prevent osteoporosis?

References

Efficacy of vitamin K2 in the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - PubMed 

Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study - PubMed 

Vitamin K2 and D in Patients With Aortic Valve Calcification: A Randomized Double-Blinded Clinical Trial | Circulation 

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On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in November 2025.

838. Are manufacturers using a regulatory loophole to sneak untested chemicals into our food? In this episode, we break down what GRAS really means, why it exists, and how the process works. 

Resources:

GRAS database

Database of substances added to foods

New to Nutrition Diva? Check out our special Spotify playlist for a collection of the best episodes curated by our team and Monica herself! 

We've also curated some great playlists on specific episode topics including Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts and Gut Health! Also, find a playlist of our bone health series, Stronger Bones at Every Age. 

Have a nutrition question? Send an email to [email protected].

Follow Nutrition Diva on Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter for more diet and nutrition tips. 

Find out about Monica's keynotes and other programs at WellnessWorksHere.com

Nutrition Diva is a part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

874. If you're prone to kidney stones, you've probably been told to cut back on calcium. If you're worried about your bones, you've been told to get more. So which is it?

Turns out it's a false choice. The old advice to restrict dietary calcium doesn't lower your risk of calcium stones -- it can raise it, while leaving your bones more vulnerable to loss. In this episode, Monica breaks down why the calcium in your food behaves so differently from the calcium in a pill, when timing it with a meal actually makes a difference, and how much calcium and vitamin D you really need if you're filling a gap.

She also looks at how sodium, animal protein, and fluid intake each shape your kidney stone risk, and why the same evidence-based eating habits that guard against osteopenia and protect bone health as you age are also the ones that protect your kidneys.

Related episodes

130 - Are you getting enough calcium? Could you be getting too much?

131 - What are the best sources of calcium?

427 - Does a high protein diet weaken your bones?

470 - Do calcium supplements raise your risk of colon cancer?

699 - Are we eating too much protein or not enough?

Bone Series

Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast, hosted by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN, founder of Wellness Works Here.

New to Nutrition Diva? Start here: New to Nutrition Diva, Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts, Stronger Bones at Every Age, Gut Health 

Join the community: Facebook, LinkedIn, Newsletter, Transcripts

Question for Nutrition Diva? Email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in November 2024.

California recently enacted legislation to ban certain food dyes in public schools. What’s the scientific case to support this?

Nutrition Diva is hosted by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN. Transcripts are available at Simplecast.

New to Nutrition Diva? Check out our special Spotify playlist for a collection of the best episodes curated by our team and Monica herself! 

We've also curated some great playlists on specific episode topics including Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts and Gut Health! Also, find a playlist of our bone health series, Stronger Bones at Every Age. 

Have a nutrition question? Send an email to [email protected].

Follow Nutrition Diva on Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter for more diet and nutrition tips. 

Find out about Monica's keynotes and other programs at WellnessWorksHere.com

Nutrition Diva is a part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

874. Some wellness articles promise that certain foods can flush plastics and forever chemicals out of your body. In this episode, Monica tracked down the actual studies behind those claims, looking at what the research on fiber, probiotics, and antioxidants really shows about clearing PFAS. She also unpacks why PFAS and microplastics keep getting lumped together even though they behave nothing alike, and covers the practical steps that do the most to limit your exposure. 

References

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in circulation in a Canadian population: their association with serum-liver enzyme biomarkers and piloting a novel method to reduce serum-PFAS - PMC 

Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances - PMC

Related episodes

871: Can you eat your way off your cholesterol medication?

756: Can you absorb nutrients through the skin?

Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast, hosted by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN, founder of Wellness Works Here.

New to Nutrition Diva? Start here: New to Nutrition Diva, Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts, Stronger Bones at Every Age, Gut Health 

Join the community: Facebook, LinkedIn, Newsletter, Transcripts

Question for Nutrition Diva? Email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in August 2024.

Examining whether vitamins and nutrients can really be absorbed through the skin using products like patches and creams. 

New to Nutrition Diva? Check out our special Spotify playlist for a collection of the best episodes curated by our team and Monica herself! 

We've also curated some great playlists on specific episode topics including Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts and Gut Health! Also, find a playlist of our bone health series, Stronger Bones at Every Age. 

Have a nutrition question? Send an email to [email protected].

Follow Nutrition Diva on Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter for more diet and nutrition tips. 

Find out about Monica's keynotes and other programs at WellnessWorksHere.com

Nutrition Diva is a part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

873. Colonoscopy prep flushes everything out of your large intestine, including the trillions of bacteria that make up your gut microbiome. So once it's over, is that a chance to rebuild your intestinal flora better than before? A listener named Fred wondered the same thing, and when he asked his gastroenterologist, the idea got pooh-poohed. 

In this episode, Monica digs into what colonoscopy prep actually does to your gut bacteria, how quickly a healthy microbiome bounces back, and whether that reshuffling opens a real window to influence which species take hold. She shares her common-sense approach to restoring gut flora afterward, from the fiber-rich foods that feed beneficial bacteria to the fermented foods linked with greater microbiome diversity, plus the two things worth easing off while your gut recovers. And she weighs in on whether probiotic supplements are worth your money or just wishful thinking.

Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast, hosted by Monica Reinagel.

New to Nutrition Diva? Check out our special Spotify playlist for a collection of the best episodes curated by our team and Monica herself! 

We've also curated some great playlists on specific episode topics including Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts and Gut Health! Also, find a playlist of our bone health series, Stronger Bones at Every Age. 

Have a question for Nutrition Diva? Email: [email protected]

Find Monica at wellnessworkshere.com

Discover more from Nutrition Diva:

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Transcripts available at QuickandDirtyTips.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in September 2023.

Traveling doesn't mean your healthy eating habits have to take a vacation too. Nutrition Diva shares practical, no-hype strategies for finding good options in convenience stores, airports, fast food joints, and unfamiliar cities — so you can stay on track wherever the road takes you.

Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast, hosted by Monica Reinagel.

New to Nutrition Diva? Check out our special Spotify playlist for a collection of the best episodes curated by our team and Monica herself! 

We've also curated some great playlists on specific episode topics including Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts and Gut Health! Also, find a playlist of our bone health series, Stronger Bones at Every Age. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

787. How do we balance the need to protect our skin from UV rays with our body’s need for vitamin D?

Mentioned in this episode:

DMinder (iOS/Android) - http://dminder.ontometrics.com/

Vitamin D and UV Tracker (Android) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uv.vitamindtracker

SunDay Vitamin D and UV Tracker (iOS) - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sunday-vitamin-d-uv-tracker/id1133953409

Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast, hosted by Monica Reinagel.

New to Nutrition Diva? Check out our special Spotify playlist for a collection of the best episodes curated by our team and Monica herself! 

We've also curated some great playlists on specific episode topics including Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts and Gut Health! Also, find a playlist of our bone health series, Stronger Bones at Every Age. 

Have a question for Nutrition Diva? Email: [email protected]

Find Monica at wellnessworkshere.com

Discover more from Nutrition Diva:

Facebook 

LinkedIn

Newsletter

Transcripts available at QuickandDirtyTips.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer Saturdays: Best of QDT

Encore Episode: This episode originally aired May 2024.

706. Bloggers recommend everything from bleach to baking soda. Food safety experts insist that tap water is all you need. What’s the best way to kill germs on fresh produce?

New to Nutrition Diva? Check out our special Spotify playlist for a collection of the best episodes curated by our team and Monica herself! 

Research references:

Antibacterial action of vinegar against food-borne pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli | National Library of Medicine | 1998 Aug (nih.gov)

We've also curated some great playlists on specific episode topics including Staying Strong as We Age, Diabetes, Weight Loss That Lasts and Gut Health!

Also, find a playlist of our bone health series, Stronger Bones at Every Age. 

Have a nutrition question? Send an email to [email protected].

Follow Nutrition Diva on Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter for more diet and nutrition tips. 

Find out about Monica's keynotes and other programs at WellnessWorksHere.com

Nutrition Diva is a part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.