Well hello, hello…Katy here, and back to Rebuilding Trust With Your Body, and Happy New Year! I don’t know about you, but for me it feels good to be in January, with some fresh energy, and cozy winter vibes. Every year after Christmas, my husband Trevor and I take down our Christmas decor, and we set up our hygge which includes our softest blankets, a bunch of battery powered candles, and a string nice soft glowy lights in the living room to get us through the winter until spring arrives. There’s something about the candles and lights that warms my soul.
Anyway…
With it being the New Year, I know that health and wellness might be on your mind. Heck, it’s all around us with the New Year’s propaganda, everyone seemingly being on a new diet or weight loss journey, people doing Whole30, 75 Hard, or Dry January…and this overall vibe that we need to pay penance for the holidays. I don’t like that vibe. I don’t think that we should feel guilty for celebrating or enjoying the holidays. I don’t believe that we should feel the need to punish ourselves or make up for eating the things that bring us joy during December. And I certainly don’t think that we need to be detoxing or cleansing ourselves in the New Year (this is your friendly reminder that your body already does all the detoxifying you need if your liver and kidneys work properly – and if they don’t you need to see a doctor, not do a cleanse that you bought off the internet or at the local GNC).
As you can tell from the title of this episode, we’re going to be talking about knowing your numbers that actually matter for your health – and I’m not talking about weight. Let’s remember that your weight does not determine your health. It’s much more complex than that. The numbers I’m referring to are your labs – the numbers that tell us how your actual organs are functioning (this is how you’d know if your liver or kidneys were failing).
And in particular we’re going to talk through the labs that are most important if you’re in or near perimenopause or menopause – and there’s one thing I’m going to tell you about a set of labs you DON’T need checked that I think is going to shock you.
Now, if you’re under 35 and you’re not really in or super close to perimenopause/menopause yet, don’t discount this episode. Most of the things we cover are still going to apply to you, and the part that’s more about menopause stuff is good for you to hear because you’ll get there eventually, and it’s good to know this ahead of time. This is the stuff that never used to get talked about, and so many women suffered through it like it was something to be ashamed of, just like talking about our periods and our monthly cycle used to be taboo. News flash – it’s part of female biology, and 50% of the humans on planet earth have a menstrual cycle and will go through menopause. So it’s worth talking about.
Before we dive into our main topic for today, you know what time it is…We’ve got some Wellness Woo to talk about.
Wellness Woo is the stuff that diet and wellness culture tells us we should do in the name of health, but it’s really based on pseudoscience, exaggerated claims, or just nonsense.
Today’s Wellness Woo is: Sauerkraut to cure depression
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMinQ9kN0Jm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
And then a person in the comments claiming that they cured their mental health with keto and carnivore dieting.
Sure, our overall dietary patterns can impact how we feel – but is a single food or a specific diet going to cure your depression? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
You know what we have really strong evidence for? Antidepressant medications.
Especially for people who have depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts that are interfering with their life, or even putting their life at risk. Let me be clear: antidepressants save lives. Sauerkraut does not.
This is the type of dangerous propaganda that is so incredibly harmful.
If you have an example of Wellness Woo that you want to share, send it to me at rebuildingtrustwithyourbody@gmail.com.
Ok, that’s enough of that. Moving on to today’s main topic…The numbers you need to know from your bloodwork that ACTUALLY matter for your health (more than your weight ever will) if you’re in or near perimenopause or menopause.
Now, let me preface this by saying a couple things:
- I’m not a doctor, and I don’t pretend to be one
- Your doctor might recommend different tests than this, and you should listen to YOUR doctor who you trust. (If you don’t trust your doctor, you should find one you do.)
These are simply the labs that I, as a dietitian, recommend that my clients are aware of, and that I want to see when I’m working with someone in order to gauge where their health is at and what we need to focus our energy on with gentle nutrition.
What might surprise you is that very few of these labs are actual nutrients. I don’t care that much about individual nutrients in your bloodwork – with a couple of exceptions – unless there’s a reason that individual nutrients need to be checked for deficiencies.
I care more about the labs that tell us how your organs and your metabolic health is functioning. And I know that might be a little confusing right now – but don’t worry, I’m going to break it all down for you in really easy to understand terms here. (I also have a lab guide that goes with this episode that you can grab for free – I’ll tell you how to grab it at the end, so stay tuned for that.)
- CBC
- Anemia
- CMP
- Hydration
- Kidney function
- Liver function
- Snapshot of blood sugar
- Lipid panel
- Cholesterol
- TGs
- A1c (possibly insulin)
- Thyroid panel
- Vit D
- Possibly B12 if you’re vegetarian or don’t eat much meat
Honorable mention: BP
Don’t need hormone levels
CTA = Lab guide
In case nobody has told you today – you are worthy just as you are. We’ll talk again soon.
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