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This year's World Menopause Day theme is chronic pain in midlife, so I'm following up my conversation with Robyn Kievit NP RD (ep 209) on hormones and joint pain by walking you through the differences between pain and inflammation, and sharing five evidence-based tips for managing pain in midlife and menopause. I also share why I'm cautious about the collagen, turmeric and eggshell membrane supplements filling so many cupboards. If you're living with chronic pain in perimenopause or menopause, I hope this helps you spend less time worrying about every bite and more time adding in the things that work. JOIN ME Watch the hormone therapy Q&A with Robyn Kievit inside the Midlife Feast Community. The recording is available to watch anytime in The Feaster Library. Start your 7-day trial: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrial Book a connection call with me: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF FREE SUPPORT Grab my Free Menopause Nutrition Guide + 10 Recipes: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/MenopauseNutritionGuide RELATED EPISODES Episode 209 Menopause Joint Pain: Estrogen, Hormones & Food Myths Episode 204 Day 4: Add, Don't Subtract - A Better Way to Think About Menopause Nutrition Episode 200 Oatmeal, Overthinking, and Why Food Feels So Complicated in Menopause What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

For most of my life, I believed that changing my body was the answer to how I felt in it. As a teenager, after my pregnancies, and again in perimenopause, I was sure that losing weight would finally let me stop thinking about my body. It didn't, and the research tells us I'm far from alone. Today I'm joined by Dr. Charlotte Markey, body image scientist and psychology professor at Rutgers University. We dig into what body image is, why weight loss so rarely delivers the comfort it promises, and how GLP-1 medications are changing the body image landscape. We talk about: • Charlotte's simple definition of body image: how comfortable you are in your own skin • Why body dissatisfaction often moves to a new target after weight loss • Her research showing that people with more body acceptance felt less pull toward GLP-1s • Informed consent, body autonomy, and what to ask yourself before starting a medication to feel better in your body • The freedom in remembering that we don't work in Hollywood • Why acceptance needs a rebrand If you've ever believed a smaller body would finally bring you peace, this conversation is for you. CONNECT WITH CHARLOTTE Website: https://www.thebodyimagebook.com Instagram: @char_markey JOIN ME Start your 7-day trial: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrial Book a connection call with me: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF FREE SUPPORT Un-Diet Your Mindset Guide: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindset RELATED EPISODES Episode 197: Menopause and Body Image: How to Accept Your Changing Body with Alli Spotts-De-Lazzer, LMFT, CEDS-C() Episode 186: GLP-1s, Intuitive Eating & Finding Food Freedom: A Conversation with Sam Previte RD Episode 109: The Body Acceptance Mistake That’s Keeping You Stuck in the Suck What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Joint pain, stiffness and those tin man mornings are some of the most common symptoms of menopause, yet they don't get the same air time as hot flashes and mood swings. With World Menopause Day on October 18 focusing on chronic pain this year, I invited Robyn Kievit, NP, RD, CEDS, MSCP, the first dietitian to become a nurse practitioner, to help me unpack what is going on in our joints and muscles. We talk about why estrogen matters for muscles, joints and connective tissue, why the ups and downs of perimenopause can feel harder than life after menopause, and what the research says about hormone therapy and pain. We also dig into the testosterone hype versus the evidence, what to consider if you are thinking about starting hormones later, and why it is okay if hormones don't work for you. We also put on our dietitian hats, and you'll hear why no single food is inflammatory or anti-inflammatory, why your overall pattern of eating matters more than any one meal, and how to think about the supplements piling up in your cupboard. If your joints and muscles are aching, I hope this conversation helps you feel less alone and more prepared for your next appointment. CONNECT WITH ROBYN Website: https://robynkievit.com Beyond Nutrition course for dietitians and clinicians: https://robynkievit.com/course (use code JENN10) JOIN ME Join Robyn and me live in the Midlife Feast Community for a hormone therapy Q&A on October 14. The recording will be avaialble to watch anytime in The Feaster Library. Start your 7-day trial: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrial Book a connection call with me: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF FREE SUPPORT Grab my Free Menopause Nutrition Guide + 10 Recipes: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/MenopauseNutritionGuide RELATED EPISODES Episode 164 Autoimmune Disease in Midlife: Beyond Diet Culture Myths with Dr. Alison Danby ND: Episode 67  Hot Flashes 101: Can you eat to beat the heat? Episode 142 Non-Hormonal Alternatives to HRT with Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz:  What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

If you've ever wondered whether your "healthy eating" has started to feel more like anxiety, this episode is for you. This week I'm joined by Jessica Thiefels, host of Nope, That's Not Normal, to talk about disordered eating. That's the wide, often invisible space between a relaxed relationship with food and eating disorders. Jess shares how a restrictive healing protocol in her twenties slowly turned into a decade of rigid eating, and the moment she said out loud, "I think I'm straddling the line." I open up about my own story too, including the food lists I once handed out to my patients. Together we talk about some of the signs to watch for like rigidity, anxiety, and a "cleaner" standard you can never reach. We also get into why midlife is such a vulnerable time: a lifetime of body dissatisfaction meets intense menopause nutrition messaging, and women are praised for the very behaviours that are wearing them down. Jess is hosting the first Disordered Eating Awareness Week, October 19 to 23. I'm on the midlife panel on October 20, and it's free to join. If this conversation stirs something up, please be gentle with yourself. You don't have to figure it out alone. Join Disordered Eating Awareness Week (free): https://disorderedeatingawarenessweek.com Want support? Book a no-strings connection call (virtual coffee with me): https://f.mtr.cool/HNVSNHTOCUTry the Midlife Feast Community free for 7 days: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrialFree support to get you started: Un-Diet Your Mindset: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindsetFood Guilt Decoder: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/FoodGuiltDecoderRelated episodes: #113 Clean Eating Pitfalls in Midlife & Menopause with Dr. Morgan Francis: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/15069896#55 Raising the Red Flag About Eating Disorders in Midlife with Val Schonberg, RD: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/12276579#94 How to Trade Wellness Culture for Well-being in Midlife with Christy Harrison, RD: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/14177909What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Most of us can still remember the diet ads from our youth. We can't remember why we walked into the kitchen, but we can remember the jingle. My guest this week is Lu Chekowsky, an Emmy Award winning creative director who spent her career inside the industry, spending time at MTV and Facebook, all while quietly struggling with her own body. Her memoir, Don't Buy What I'm Selling, traces the origin of how those messages shaped her, and how she found her way back out. We talk about the ads that shaped Gen X, what really happens in the room when a campaign gets built, and why Lu says we are outnumbered. She means that as a kindness. If you have ever wondered why the food noise is so loud, and why diet culture is everwhere, this one will explain a lot. Learn more about Lu and where to buy her book at https://www.lchekowsky.com/ Related episodes: Menopause and Body Image: How to Accept Your Changing Body with Alli Spotts-De-LazzerWhy You Don't Trust Yourself Around Food (and How to Rebuild It) with Fiona SutherlandDay 1: How to Un-Diet in Midlife and MenopauseNeed help un-dieting your way out from diet culture?  Book a 20-minute Midlife & Strategy Session Call: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SFExlore the Feaster community and find food freedom and body confidence: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/themidlifefeastcommunityWhat did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Welcome to a new season of The Midlife Feast! I'm kicking off this season by naming the mindset that might be making things harder: treating your body, midlife, and menopause like an ongoing project to manage.  I walk through what that costs, how it shows up in real life, and how we can shift from obsessive optimization to a steadier partnership with our bodies, including: • the core question that changes everything: what if your body wasn’t a project to solve? • the moving finish line and why “enough” never arrives • the audit mode where meals and movement become performance metrics • how tracking, wearables, and nonstop data can disrupt body attunement • the betrayal narrative  and my own reminder that these thoughts can show up even after years of intuitive eating • shifting from project manager to partner and the questions that create ease   Related Episodes The One Thing Menopause Dietitians Want You to Know About Nutrition with Laura Clark, RDWhy You Don't Trust Yourself Around Food (and How to Rebuild It) with Fiona SutherlandHow to Appreciate Your Changing Menopause Body with Dr. Charlotte OrdWant more support? Free Un-Diet Your Mindset Guide→ https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindsetJoin my Group Coaching Community free for 7 days → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrialBook a no-strings connection call (virtual coffee with me) → https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SFAnd if you've loved today's conversation and found it helpful, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts.  What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Welcome to Day 5, the final episode of the Midlife & Menopause Un-Dieting Mini-Series! Over the last four days, we've explored four pillars that can help you build a more trusting, flexible relationship with food: understanding, self-compassion, attunement, and gentle nutrition. But what happens when you put them all together? In this episode, we're looking at the fear that stops many people from letting go of food rules: If I stop dieting, does that mean I stop caring about my health? The answer is no! You'll learn how to use nutrition knowledge without turning it into another set of rules, and how to care for your health without making food a full-time job. Because the alternative to dieting isn't giving up. It's finding a way of eating that actually works for real life. Free support to get you started: Un-Diet Your Mindset → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindsetFood Guilt Decoder → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/FoodGuiltDecoderWant more support? Try the Midlife Feast Community free for 7 days → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrialBook a no-strings connection call (virtual coffee with me) → https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SFRelated episodes: Day 1 → https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19715276Day 2 → https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19720938Day 3 →https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19721372Day 4 →https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19728345What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Welcome back to Day 4 of my Midlife and Menopause Un-Dieting series. Yesterday I asked you to sit with one question: what do I want?  It's sometimes easier to outsource "what should I eat?" than to honestly ask what you want. Today we add the other half: what do I need? And that's where gentle nutrition comes in. Un-dieting doesn't mean throwing nutrition out the window. It means bringing it in as information, not another set of rules. The trap is that diet culture has made weight loss a proxy for everything, and I firmly believe that your health should not become a full-time job! So we come back to the question of this series: what would taking care of myself look like if I didn't require my body to get smaller in return? That widens the lens.  That's what I love about gentle nutrition: instead of asking what to cut out, you get to ask what you can add.  Your practice for today: ask what do I want, then add what do I need, and see what happens when you let both into the conversation. Tomorrow is Day 5, where we bring all four pillars together so food and eating  feel easier. Because menopause is hard enough. Food shouldn't be! Free support to get you started: Un-Diet Your Mindset → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindsetFood Guilt Decoder → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/FoodGuiltDecoderWant more support? Try the Midlife Feast Community free for 7 days → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrialBook a no-strings connection call (virtual coffee with me) → https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SFRelated episodes: Day 1 → https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19715276Day 2 → https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19720938Day 3 →https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19721372What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Welcome to day 3 of the Midlife & Menopause Un-Dieting Series. If you’ve spent years following food rules, tracking what you eat, or being told you can’t trust yourself around food, “just listen to your body” can feel like a foreign language. In today’s episode, we’re talking about attunement - what it actually means, why your hunger and satisfaction cues may feel hard to hear, and how to start reconnecting with them. I also share a very real-life reminder that capability and capacity are not the same thing, plus a simple 10-second practice to try before your next meal. Free support to get you started: Un-Diet Your Mindset → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindsetFood Guilt Decoder → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/FoodGuiltDecoderWant more support? Try the Midlife Feast Community free for 7 days → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrialBook a no-strings connection call (virtual coffee with me) → https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SFRelated episodes: Day 1 — How to Un-Diet in Midlife and Menopause → https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19715276Day 2 → https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19720938What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Welcome back to Day 2 of my Midlife and Menopause Un-Dieting series. Yesterday we talked about the diet cycle - the plan, the tracking, the promise that this time you'll have more discipline… until life gets lifey and it all falls apart. Today I want to gently blow up the story we tell ourselves next: that we failed because we don't have enough willpower. Here's what I hear all the time: "I know what to do, I just don't do it." And I get it! You do know that protein matters and that eating nothing all day leaves you eating crackers out of the box at 9pm. The problem was never that you don't care enough. The real question is: what are you actually asking yourself to do? In this episode I redefine self-compassion (hint: it's not about being nice to yourself), unpack why all-or-nothing thinking keeps the cycle spinning, and remind you that health does not require perfect eating.  Tomorrow: attunement, and how to listen to your body without turning intuitive eating into another set of rules. Free support to get you started: Un-Diet Your Mindset → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindsetFood Guilt Decoder → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/FoodGuiltDecoderWant more support? Try the Midlife Feast Community free for 7 days → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrialBook a no-strings connection call (virtual coffee with me) → https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SFRelated episodes: Day 1 — How to Un-Diet in Midlife and Menopause → https://themidlifefeast.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19715276-day-1-how-to-un-diet-in-midlife-and-menopauseWhat did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Half a million downloads. I'm still a little speechless! To celebrate, I'm doing a five-day un-dieting mini-series, and Day 1 starts with the one question I want you to carry into every episode: What would taking care of myself look like if I didn't require my body to get smaller in return? In this short episode I explain why un-dieting isn't the same as "not dieting." Un-dieting is unlearning, letting go of the default programming that says your body has to shrink in exchange for eating a vegetable, moving your body, or adding more protein to your plate. I walk you through the diet cycle I see so many of us stuck in, why it stops working, and how even "weight-neutral" goals can quietly pull you right back in. No download or signup required, just a few minutes  a day for the next 5 days. Free support to get you started: Un-Diet Your Mindset → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindsetFood Guilt Decoder → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/FoodGuiltDecoderIf you need some support: Try the Midlife Feast Community free for 7 days → https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrialBook a no-strings connection call (virtual coffee with me) → https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

This is the 200th episode and the season finale, and I'm closing out the season by defending the most controversial breakfast on the internet: oatmeal. I'm only half joking. Yes, I answer all of your oatmeal questions in this episode. Steel cut versus rolled, how to add protein, cooked versus overnight, and whether it deserves its reputation as a heart-healthy food. But the real conversation is about something bigger. If a humble bowl of oatmeal can make us anxious, then we have some food noise to untangle. I share why so many of us are overcomplicating food and what information overload does to our confidence. My hope is that you finish this one feeling calmer, more confident, and ready to spend less time thinking about food and more time living your life. Grab my 5 easy Build-A-Bowl Oatmeal recipes Related episodes you'll love: #105 Dear Diet Culture Diary: What the 80s Taught Us About Food: https://themidlifefeast.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/14680165-105-dear-diet-culture-diary-what-the-80s-taught-us-about-food#147 How to Stop the Cycle of "Starting Over" Every Monday: https://themidlifefeast.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/16816700-147-how-to-stop-the-cycle-of-starting-over-every-monday#199 Why you Don't Trust Yourself Around Food with Fiona Sutherland: https://themidlifefeast.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/19377509What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Whenever I talk about intuitive eating, women tell me the same thing: "I love the idea, but I don't trust myself around food." And when I talk to dietitians who help people shift from a weight-centric to weight-neutral or inclusive practice, they find it hard to communicate the idea of self-trust. If you can relate to either of these,  this conversation is exactly what you need! This week I'm joined by Fiona Sutherland, an accredited practicing dietitian, author, and mentor from Melbourne, and one of the most thoughtful  and experienced voices in the world of nutrition. Together we explore why self-trust feels so hard in midlife, especially when your body, hunger, and energy seem to be changing overnight. Fiona and I unpack how years of dieting can chip away at your confidence, why outsourcing your food decisions to a plan feels safer (and what it costs you), and what gently rebuilding trust actually looks like, starting with curiosity instead of control. We also talk about why reaching for support is a sign of courage, and the surprising ingredient Fiona believes most of us are missing in midlife. If you've ever wondered whether you can trust yourself again, I think you'll leave this one feeling a little more hopeful. Listen now. Connect with Fiona: Website: https://www.themindfuldietitian.com.au/ Instagram: @the.mindfuldietitian If this episode resonated with you, come join us inside The Midlife Feast Community. It's where women in midlife come for evidence-based menopause nutrition, intuitive eating support, live coaching, and a community that understands what this season of life is really like. I'd love to welcome you there. Learn more: The Midlife Feast Community: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/themidlifefeastcommunity Related Episodes: #197 Menopause and Body Image: How to Accept Your Changing Body with Alli Spotts-De-Lazzer, LMFT, CEDS-C #147 How to Stop the Cycle of "Starting Over" Every Monday  #154 How to Appreciate Your Changing Menopause Body with Dr. Charlotte Ord  What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Is it perimenopause, or are you just finally fed up with the world? Honestly, it might be both. In this listener Q&A, I'm answering the questions so many of you have been sending me, and they're the kind that probably sound familiar. We start with mood, because so many of us feel more irritable, less patient, and a lot less willing to tolerate things we used to put up with. I'll walk you through what's happening with your hormones and neurotransmitters, and why your reasons for feeling done are still valid even when biology is part of the picture. From there, I tackle the big one: the belief that decades of dieting have "broken" your metabolism. I talk about what's really driving the lose-it-gain-it cycle, why intermittent fasting leaves so many women feeling awful, and the food guilt that shows up over something as ordinary as two slices of bread. I also answer a question that pulled at my heart, from a parent who overheard their daughter say she needed to "walk off" her dessert. If you've ever heard your own voice come out of someone you love, this one is for you. If any of this lands, I'd love to keep the conversation going. You'll find a link in the show notes to send me your questions for the next Q&A, and if you're ready for support: Book a call Become a Feaster  Send me your question for a future Q&A episode!  Related episodes you'll love: #132: Why You Need to Put Capacity, Self-Compassion & Self-Care on the Menu#147: Why You Keep Starting Over Every Monday#136: Health vs. Weight: Debunking the Biggest Wellness Myth with Val Schonberg, RDWhat did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

What is acceptance is the requirement for growht? What would life look like if you just stopped trying to fix yourself?  That's the question at the heart of this conversation with returning guest Alli Spotts-De Lazzer, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist who has spent nearly 20 years working with people around eating, body image, and the experience of living in a body. We dig into why self-esteem is a shaky foundation in midlife, when opinions of ourselves rise and fall with every hormonal shift and identity change. Alli's working definition of self-acceptance cuts deeper: choosing to stay with yourself even when shame, judgment, ego, or fear try to pull you away. It's knowing yourself, plus self-compassion, plus the willingness to face reality. The biggest misunderstanding we tackle: acceptance is not resignation. Resignation says "it is what it is, there's nothing I can do." Acceptance says "it is what it is. What's next?" One keeps you stuck. The other creates the conditions for growth. We also do a live, unscripted experiment using my own belly and body image history, which turned into one of the most unexpectedly moving moments I've had on this podcast.  Alli also shares news about her new book, My Child Has an Eating Disorder: An Essential Guide for Parents of Kids, Teens, and Adults (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026). Connect with Alli: Website: allispottsdelazzer.com Instagram: @allispottsdelazzer Related episodes: #57 - Story Session: What this therapist wants you to know about making midlife meaningFULL with Alli Spotts-De Lazzer#141 - Trusting Your Body: Finding Peace Through Grief with Nina Manolson#92 - From Body Grief to Body Acceptance: The Way Forward with Amanda Mittman, RD #109 - The Body Acceptance Mistake That's Keeping You Stuck in the Suck What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.