Well Beyond 40

"Can Stress Cause Weight Gain?" asks Deana Parkins from Facebook. JJ Virgin, host of the Ask the Health Expert Podcast, weighs in on how stress affects our bodies.

Listen in to learn the subtle signs that chronic stress is taking a toll on your health.

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"Which Supplements Support Our Immune System?" asks John from Facebook. JJ Virgin, Holistic Nutritionist and host of Ask The Health Expert Podcast, brings clarity to the confusing world of supplements.

Listen to find out which supplements give the biggest bang for your buck, which ones aren’t worth it, and what else you can do to support a healthy immune system.

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"Does sugar hurt your immune system?" asks Connie from Instagram. The answer isn’t as simple as you might think.

JJ Virgin, nutritionist and bestselling author of the Sugar Impact Diet, makes her case with the latest scientific research and data. Listen in to learn how sugar affects your immune function and what simple changes to make that will dramatically improve your health.

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"How can I protect myself from getting sick?" asks Karen from Instagram. “There are a lot of things you can control to keep yourself from getting sick,” answers JJ Virgin, Certified Nutrition Specialist.

Tune in to learn how JJ optimized her immune system to stay healthy through one of the most stressful periods of her life.

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"What’s the best diet to keep your immune system strong?" John from Facebook has asked this important health question that is on everyone’s mind.

JJ Virgin, host of the Ask The Health Expert Podcast, has the answer. Listen to what she has to say and get an extra boost to your immune health.

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Listen in as JJ pulls back the curtain...

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In today’s podcast episode, JJ discusses the many ways fiber improves your health. From digestion to heart health to blood sugar balance, increasing fiber in your diet makes many body systems run better. JJ discusses the amount of fiber we should be eating and provides a list of high-fiber foods so you can increase your daily intake. Listen in to this informative episode and start upping your fiber today!

Main Points From Today’s Episode

1. Fiber is instrumental for many different functions of the body. Increasing fiber improves a varied array of body systems.
2. Most of us aren’t getting enough fiber in our diet. The secret is to increase fiber slowly to avoid discomfort.
3. It’s easy to increase the amount of fiber we eat each day. Check out the list of high-fiber foods and begin adding those in every day.

Episode Play-By-Play

[1:00] If fiber were a drug, it would be prescribed by every doctor for help with the following needs

[2:58] Fiber makes a big impact on this weight issue

[3:40] Mechanism of how fiber creates satiety

[5:30] Fiber balances blood sugar by doing this

[7:05] How fiber impacts the gut microbiome

[8:05] Fiber reduces the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes by this method

[9:45] Recommended amounts of fiber intake per day

[11:14] Ways to get to the recommended intake

[11:35] Soluble or insoluble fiber, what’s the difference?

[13:54] What’s resistant starch and what’s the benefit of eating it?

[15:40] How quickly should you increase additional fiber?

[16:35] Fiber rich foods - see below

Action Steps

1. Incorporate more fiber into your morning smoothie.
2. Increase water at the same time.

Mentioned in this episode:

Subscribe to Reignite Wellness with JJ Virgin

Become part of JJ’s community

JJ Virgin Official Facebook page

JJ Virgin on Instagram

JJ Virgin on YouTube

XX Brain and Brain Food books by Dr Lisa Mosconi

Smoothie Guide

Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse recipe

Lemon-Aid recipe

JJ Virgin Extra Fiber

High Fiber Food List

Beans and lentils (13-16 grams per cup)

Artichokes (10 grams per cup)

Berries (8 grams per cup)

Avocado (7 grams per cup)

Broccoli (5 grams per cup)

Chia seeds (5.5 grams per Tbsp)

Cooked quinoa (5 grams per cup)

Brussels sprouts (4 grams per cup)

Rolled oats (4 grams per cup)

Apples (2.6 grams per cup)

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It’s time for another Q&A! In today’s episode, JJ answers a question regarding if protein shakes are a good idea after resistance training. She’ll talk about things you should be focused on to get the best results from your workouts, and supplements that are important to include if you’re hitting it hard. Stay tuned to hear JJ’s opinion.

Episode Play-By-Play

[0:30] Adrienne Lopresti  asks, “After heavy resistance training, do you recommend a recovery protein shake?”

[1:13] Instead of the timing of your diet, these are the things you should focus on.

[2:08] These supplements are really important to anyone over the age of 35 or under any kind of stress.

[4:52] You don’t ever want to go do a hard workout in this condition.

Mentioned in this episode:

Recipes at jjvirgin.com

Reignite Wellness 365 membership

Subscribe to Reignite Wellness with JJ Virgin

Become part of JJ’s community

JJ Virgin Official Facebook page

JJ Virgin on Instagram

JJ Virgin on YouTube

Dr. Alan Christianson

Ben Greenfield

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Julie Matthews is a researcher and author specializing in complex neurological, immune, and digestive disorders. Today she and JJ discuss how a diet low in FODMAPs can help relieve digestive issues. Listen as Julie explains exactly what FODMAPs are and the best way to get started on a low-FODMAP diet while the body heals, as well as how long you should follow a low-FODMAP diet and when to start reintroducing foods. Julie also provides some sample menus to show how simple it is to swap out foods that may be triggering digestive symptoms. Join JJ and Julie for this very informative episode!

Freebies From Today’s Episode

Get Julie’s free guide by going to jjvirgin.com/fodmaps.

Main Points From Today’s Episode

1. FODMAPs in an acronym that stands for different fermentable carbohydrates. By following a diet that’s low in FODMAPs for a period of time, digestive symptoms can be improved in many folks.
2. Once someone has followed a low-FODMAP diet for a period of time, the different categories of FODMAPs can be added back in, one at a time. When reintroducing foods, you’ll want to track your symptoms to see how you feel.
3. The intention of a therapeutic diet is not permanent. The foods that can cause a reaction need to stay out of the diet while the body heals.

Episode Play-By-Play

[4:24] Introducing Julie and how she got into FODMAPS with a focus on autism

[5:38] What are FODMAPS and how can you tell if you have an issue with them?

[6:25] Some effects on the digestive system if you eat foods high in these fermentable carbs

[7:08] Examples of foods in each of the FODMAP categories.

[8:23] JJ asks if someone will react to all categories, or just one, or a few?

[9:00] How to determine which of the FODMAP categories you are sensitive to

[11:25] A walk through of a low-FODMAP diet, what you might eat

[12:27] After removing foods, how to start gradually reintroducing foods

[13:57] If you have a small reaction, do you keep eating that food?

[15:00] Can you condition your gut by eating small amounts of food every day?

[16:15]  If you discover a sensitivity, is it forever? Or is it possible to reintroduce after healing for a while?

[16:50] The intention of a therapeutic diet is not permanent, it’s to give the body a break and provide it time to heal.

[18:20] These things may have an effect on the body’s ability to tolerate a type of food.

[19:05] A couple of sample low-FODMAP meals

Action Step: Do the JJ Virgin 7-Day Challenge and after, if you’re still having problems, consider a low FODMAPS diet.

Mentioned in this episode:

Subscribe to Reignite Wellness with JJ Virgin

Become part of JJ’s community

JJ Virgin Official Facebook page

JJ Virgin on Instagram

JJ Virgin on YouTube

Nourishing Hope for Autism

7 Day Challenge

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JJ has been drinking protein shakes for over 25 years. She gives the rundown on the trifecta of fat, fiber and protein you should always have in your shakes, and talks about the absolute no-nos. She’ll talk about the size of your smoothies and give some great examples of the ingredients and sources that are vital to keeping your body well-fed so you can go 4-6 hours between meals. Listen today as JJ “shakes things up!”

Freebies From Today’s Episode

Get JJ’s free recipes and ideas by going to jjvirgin.com/perfectsmoothie.

Main Points From Today’s Episode

1. Protein shakes are a great way to start your day. But there are a lot of misleading ideas about what is good to put into one.
2. As a meal replacement, you need to make sure you’ve got the trifecta of healthy fats, fiber and protein.
3. Another easy misunderstanding is how much smoothie you should drink to be considered a meal. Most people make their drinks way too small.

Episode Play-By-Play

[0:40] What to do and what not to do when making protein shakes

[1:37] The link between starting your day with a meal replacement shake and weight loss

[2:20] Benefits of starting your day with a protein shake

[5:00] First, don’t use these ingredients in any smoothie or shake

[6:45] These are the best ingredients to add

[7:45] Use these liquids instead of juice, dairy or water

[9:10] Smoothies are meal replacements, make sure yours are big enough.

[10:10] Don’t use these sources of protein powder

[11:35] Bulk up on this ingredient in your smoothies, however, increase to 35-50 grams slowly

[13:05] You really need to make sure the healthy version of this ingredient gets into every smoothie.

[15:00] List of protein ingredients, including vegan or plant-based

[16:20] Watch out for these ingredients when buying protein powder

[16:50] List of some fiber ingredients - cacao nibs, avocado, fruits, chia seeds, flax seeds, leafy greens, JJ Virgin Extra Fiber

Action Step:

1. Make your shakes with clean, lean protein, healthy fats and fiber.
2. Make sure your shake is at least 20 oz.

Mentioned in this episode:

Subscribe to Reignite Wellness with JJ Virgin

Become part of JJ’s community

JJ Virgin Official Facebook page

JJ Virgin on Instagram

JJ Virgin on YouTube

Dr. David Perlmutter

JJ Virgin Three-in-One Sprinkles

Sugar Impact Diet

JJ Virgin Paleo-Inspired All-In-One Shake

JJ Virgin Plant-Based All-In-One Shake

Smoothie Guide

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