If you feel constantly “inflamed”—with stubborn belly fat, sugar cravings, afternoon energy crashes or difficulty losing weight—the underlying problem may be metabolic inflammation.

In this episode of The Natural Doctors, naturopathic physicians Dr. Jennifer Stagg and Dr. Katie DiNello explain why metabolic inflammation often develops as a response to energy overload, insulin resistance and declining metabolic flexibility. Inflammation isn’t simply the enemy—it’s a signal that can help reveal what is happening beneath the surface.

This episode is part of our inflammation series and expands upon our introductory episode covering the four major patterns of inflammation: metabolic, gut and immune, hormonal, and nervous system inflammation.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The difference between systemic inflammation and metabolic stress

• Why visceral fat is metabolically active

• Sugar cravings, energy crashes and difficulty losing weight

• Metabolic inflammation in younger adults and women with PCOS

• Why fatty liver can be an overlooked metabolic warning sign

• Important markers including hs-CRP, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C, fasting insulin, triglycerides, leptin and adiponectin

• Why supplements such as berberine and turmeric cannot replace movement, restorative sleep and metabolic recovery

• The role of meal timing, protein at breakfast, balanced meals and resistance training

• Our clinical framework for stabilizing blood sugar, building muscle and restoring metabolic flexibility

The goal isn’t simply greater restriction—it’s helping the body regain its ability to use and respond to fuel appropriately.

Follow The Natural Doctors on Spotify for the remaining episodes in our inflammation series and more physician-led conversations about metabolic health, gut health, hormones and chronic disease.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, medications, supplements, or treatment plan.

What can a continuous glucose monitor actually teach you about your health—and can it be useful if you don't have diabetes?

In this episode of The Natural Doctors, Dr. Jennifer Stagg and Dr. Katie DiNello share what happened when they wore continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and tracked their own glucose responses in real life.

In our clinical practices, we work extensively with patients struggling with insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, and weight concerns, so we approached this experiment from both a personal and clinical perspective. We wanted to see what CGM data could reveal about everyday glucose patterns—and how useful that information really is when helping people improve their metabolic health.

From meals and snacks to exercise, sleep, stress, and everyday habits, CGMs provide a unique window into how the body responds throughout the day. We share what surprised us, what we learned from our own glucose patterns, and how to interpret the information without becoming overly focused on every glucose spike.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What a continuous glucose monitor measures and what the data can—and can't—tell you
• What surprised us about our own glucose responses
• How different foods and meals affected our glucose
• Why two people can respond differently to the same food
• How movement and exercise can influence post-meal glucose
• What CGM patterns may tell us about insulin resistance and metabolic health
• How CGM data can be useful when addressing weight and metabolic concerns
• Why context matters when interpreting glucose spikes
• What we think CGMs are actually useful for after wearing them ourselves

Continuous glucose monitors can provide fascinating feedback, particularly for people trying to better understand their blood sugar, insulin resistance, or metabolic health. But more data isn't always better. We discuss how to use CGM information as a tool for learning about your individual physiology—rather than trying to achieve a perfectly flat glucose line.

The Natural Doctors brings you physician-led conversations about nutrition, metabolic health, gut health, brain health, healthy aging, and evidence-based natural approaches to health.

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to provide individual medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs.

Inflammation isn't always the problem—it's often a signal that something else is going on in the body. Simply reaching for anti-inflammatory supplements may not address what's actually driving it.

In this episode of The Natural Doctors, Dr. Jennifer Stagg and Dr. Katie DiNello explore four major drivers of chronic inflammation: metabolic dysfunction, gut and immune dysfunction, nervous system dysregulation, and hormonal imbalance. Understanding what's happening upstream can help guide a more targeted approach rather than simply trying to suppress inflammation.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why chronic inflammation can be a signal rather than the underlying problem
• Metabolic drivers: the connections between visceral fat, insulin resistance, blood sugar, cravings, and inflammation
• Gut and immune drivers: how the microbiome, digestive health, food reactions, skin conditions, and immune activation can contribute
• Nervous system drivers: how chronic stress, poor sleep, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation can influence inflammatory signaling
• Hormonal drivers: how estrogen, thyroid hormones, insulin, and cortisol interact with inflammation and metabolic health
• Nutrition, movement, stress management, sleep, and other natural strategies that can help address underlying contributors to inflammation

Rather than focusing only on suppressing inflammation, we discuss how looking upstream at why the inflammatory response is occurring can provide a more complete approach to improving long-term health.

The Natural Doctors brings you physician-led conversations about nutrition, metabolic health, gut health, brain health, healthy aging, and evidence-based natural approaches to health.

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to provide individual medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs.

Fatty liver disease—now called Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD)—is often one of the earliest warning signs of insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction. The good news? In many cases, liver fat can be significantly reduced with the right interventions.

In this episode of The Natural Doctors, Dr. Jennifer Stagg and Dr. Katie DiNello explain why fatty liver develops, what it can mean for your long-term health, and evidence-based strategies for reducing liver fat and improving metabolic health.

You'll also learn about research on the Green Mediterranean Diet, a dietary approach that produced significant reductions in liver fat in a clinical trial.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the name changed from NAFLD to MASLD—and why it matters
• How fatty liver is connected to insulin resistance and metabolic health
• The research behind the Green Mediterranean Diet, including green tea, walnuts, and Mankai
• Lab markers to consider beyond liver enzymes, including FIB-4 and uric acid
• Nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle strategies that can help reduce liver fat
• Supplements commonly used in clinical practice, including berberine, vitamin E, milk thistle, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and when they may be appropriate
• Common myths about fatty liver, alcohol, and weight loss

Fatty liver can develop silently for years before symptoms appear. Understanding the underlying metabolic drivers can be an important step toward improving liver and metabolic health and reducing long-term health risks.

The Natural Doctors brings you physician-led conversations about nutrition, metabolic health, gut health, brain health, healthy aging, and evidence-based natural approaches to health.

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to provide individual medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs.

Can you reverse insulin resistance naturally?

In this episode of The Natural Doctors, naturopathic physicians Dr. Jennifer Stagg and Dr. Katie DiNello explain the diet and lifestyle strategies that can help improve insulin sensitivity, support healthy blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and improve metabolic health.

Insulin resistance can develop years before blood sugar becomes abnormal and is associated with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, visceral fat, fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and chronic inflammation. The good news is that insulin sensitivity can be highly responsive to changes in nutrition, movement, and other daily habits.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What insulin resistance is and why it develops
• Early warning signs and helpful lab tests
• Why visceral fat contributes to inflammation and metabolic dysfunction
• Glycemic Index vs. Glycemic Load—and why the difference matters
• Foods that can help improve insulin sensitivity
• How the Mediterranean diet supports metabolic health
• Why the order in which you eat your food can influence blood sugar
• How protein, fiber, resistant starch, and movement work together to support metabolic health
• Why a simple 15-minute walk after meals can help improve blood sugar control

Whether you're interested in preventing or addressing prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, visceral fat, fatty liver, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, or other signs of metabolic dysfunction, this episode offers practical, science-backed strategies you can start putting into practice.

The Natural Doctors brings you physician-led conversations about nutrition, metabolic health, gut health, brain health, healthy aging, and evidence-based natural approaches to health.

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to provide individual medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs.