New Year, Healthier You (Q&A)

Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss

Are you ready to take your health into your own hands in the new year? Are you ready to make nutrition and wellness a part of your everyday routine so that you can achieve your health goals and feel your best all year long without it taking over life? You’ve come to the right place!

Welcome to Salad with a Side of Fries, the podcast where balance meets results and wellness seamlessly fits into real life. In this episode, Jenn kicks off the new year by answering listener questions, debunking common nutrition myths and offering her top tips for making health and wellness a part of your everyday routine. She discusses essential supplements, the pros and cons of health-tracking apps, and why eating fresh, whole foods is key to feeling your best. Jenn also shares her approach to tackling some of the most common challenges people face when starting their wellness journey, including maintaining consistency, avoiding misinformation, and figuring out how to stay on track when life gets busy. This episode is a great place to start 2025 off strong (and stay that way).

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [4:27] Common nutrition myths to debunk
• [6:31] Five things to consider to flush out fad diets or misinformation
• [8:57] What is the difference between weight loss and fat loss
• [10:40] Is late-night eating harmful to your metabolism
• [14:49] How to start the year off right with supplements and are electrolyte drinks worth it
• [19:37] Can health-tracking apps support or hinder health
• [25:55] How can you maintain a consistent routine of physical activity all year, not just in January
• [29:49] Suggestions for enjoying sweet treats
• [31:57] Top nutritional foods to add to your diet. Hint: Fresh is best!
• [34:52] How many carbs can you have daily to lose weight
• [38:08] How much protein does one need, and from what sources
• [43:00] Jenn advises anyone working toward setting new goals: consistency is king
• [46:56] Consider joining the Healthy Vibe Tribe; it’s not too late

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Debunking Nutrition Myths for 2025: Some outdated guidelines, like the food pyramid/MyPlate and meal plans requiring fruit and grain at breakfast, are still in use but should be reconsidered. Additionally, elimination diets and medication-assisted weight loss are gaining media attention, but these are not permanent solutions. Focusing on health, not just weight or the number on the scale, is encouraged for 2025, recognizing that holistic well-being involves more than body metrics.
• How to Identify Reliable Nutrition Advice: To differentiate reliable nutrition advice from fad diets, consider the source and who benefits from the information. Look for scientifically sound studies, be aware of personal biases, use common sense, and avoid jumping to conclusions based on correlation versus causation. Additionally, avoid getting distracted by clickbait or trendy health advice and focus on understanding your body’s needs.
• Consistency is Key: To maintain a daily exercise routine beyond January, it’s essential to plan for your most challenging days, not the ideal ones. Choose realistic goals that are small and measurable, ensuring they can be completed every day, even on busy days. Focus on the process rather than just the outcome (e.g., moving your body for 10 minutes daily instead of solely focusing on weight loss).
• Mental and Physical Health Are Interconnected: Mental wellness and physical health are deeply connected, with the vagus nerve linking the gut and brain. Starting with physical activities and feeding your body nutritious foods, makes it easier to focus on mental health, creating a positive cycle where each aspect supports the other.

QUOTES:

[6:00] “I'd like to encourage everybody for 2025 to make the objective health, rather than the number on the scale. And realize that what we do for one area also impacts other areas of our health,  so we don't have to take on the world in January to improve our health.” Jenn Trepeck

[16:27] “Quality matters when it comes to supplementation. Formulas that use better ingredients, the more bioavailable ingredients, that are formulated with nutrients that help the body use the proper ingredients are all at play here. So that piece of it is called bioactivity, the body's ability to use it. Bioavailability is the body's ability to absorb it. So we need both things present when we take supplements.” Jenn Trepeck

[26:13] "Plan for your most challenging day, not your ideal day."Jenn Trepeck

[35:34] " ’How many carbs should I be eating for whatever goal?’ is sort of a mixed up question, because it's not the quantity, it's the quality. If what you're eating has tons of fiber, then you can have more  carbohydrates in a day than if the carbs you're eating are all coming from potato chips." Jenn Trepeck

[42:31] "You are what you eat, but you are also what you ate, ate.” Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Learn more about Healthy Vibe Tribe on Jan 6 at 8pm ET

Ready to jump into the Healthy Vibe Tribe? Start here:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

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