The Habit Healers - Details, episodes & analysis

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The Habit Healers

Laurie Marbas, MD, MBA

Health & Fitness

Frequency: 1 episode/2d. Total Eps: 288

Welcome to The Habit Healers Podcast—where transformation starts with a single habit. Hosted by Dr. Laurie Marbas, this podcast is for anyone ready to break free from chronic health struggles, rewire their habits, and create lasting healing. Through powerful stories, science-backed strategies, and real-world tools, we dive deep into the micro shifts that lead to massive health transformations. You’ll learn how to heal beyond prescriptions—how to nourish your body, reprogram your mind, and build the habits that make vibrant health effortless. Whether you’re looking to reverse disease, boost energy, or finally make health a way of life, this podcast will show you how. Because true healing isn’t about willpower—it’s about design. And you’re always just one healing habit away.

drlauriemarbas.substack.com

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https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38
288 shares
https://substack.com/profile/54702846-chef-martin-oswald
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https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/
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https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about
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https://lovecomplement.com/?aff=62
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https://www.fitvegancoaching.com/
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https://www.instagram.com/tritobefunny
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https://www.instagram.com/icouldneverdothat
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https://www.instagram.com/anamariepoetry
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Can you use hibiscus tea to pickle onions and then use the juice to make a raspberry tahini dressing? Yes, you can.

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 • Duration 44:37

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

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How to Tell If a Food Is Ultra-Processed in One Look Without Reading the Nutrition Facts

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 • Duration 24:48

Can two meals with identical nutrition labels affect your insulin, blood sugar, and metabolism differently? A new study on ultra-processed foods says yes, and I think it changes how you should read every package in your kitchen.

In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk you through a fascinating experiment. Researchers built two trays, one ultra-processed and one less processed, matched on calories, carbs, fat, protein, fiber, sodium, and even glycemic index. Blood sugar came out about the same after both. But insulin ran higher after the ultra-processed meal, the body was slower to switch to burning the carbs it had just eaten, and brain scans showed people’s reward areas sizing up the two kinds of food differently. I also take you back to Wilbur Atwater, the scientist whose calorie numbers are still on your food labels 130 years later, to explain why counting calories and macros only tells part of the story. Then I give you a simple, practical way to act on all of this tonight.

What you’ll learn:

* Why ultra-processed foods can raise insulin even when blood sugar looks normal

* What metabolic flexibility is and how food processing may affect it

* Why a continuous glucose monitor alone can miss what’s happening with insulin

* How to identify ultra-processed foods with a one-look test of the ingredient list

* Easy whole food swaps for cereal, bread, chips, and other packaged foods

* Why “high protein” or “made with whole grains” on the front of the box doesn’t tell you how a food was made

Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/how-to-tell-if-a-food-is-ultra-processed

Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

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How to Take Care of Yourself Through the Holidays Without Missing the Parts You Love

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 • Duration 12:47

Healthy holiday eating gets so much easier when you decide what you’ll do before you’re hungry, tired, and sitting at someone else’s table. In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m sharing a simple four-line plan to help you handle holiday stress, travel, and family food pressure without giving up the meals and traditions you love.

Most of us plan the holiday menu, but the hardest moments usually happen around the food: the dinner that runs two hours late, the long road trip with no lunch stop, the cousin who comments on your plate. I’ll show you how professional cooks prepare before the dinner rush, and how you can borrow that same idea to get ready for the season. We’ll walk through what the research says about deciding ahead of time, then I’ll share three real-life plans from start to finish, including how to politely decline seconds and how to make room for connection when the holidays feel lonely.

I’ll also tell you about Healthy Through the Holidays and Into the New Year, a nine-week experience we’re doing together on Substack from November 9 through January 10.

What you’ll learn:

* A four-blank plan for healthy eating during the holidays that takes minutes to write

* How to eat well on a holiday road trip without packing your whole kitchen

* A simple, kind way to say no to seconds without hurting anyone’s feelings

* How to plan ahead for holiday loneliness and quiet afternoons

* Why deciding in advance helps you avoid holiday weight gain and stress more than willpower does

Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/how-to-take-care-of-yourself-through

Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

Can Years of Back Pain Be Unlearned in Four Weeks?

Monday, October 26, 2026 • Duration 19:18

Chronic back pain that has lasted for years, plus an MRI that says disc degeneration or a disc bulge, can make it feel like your spine is simply wearing out. In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk you through a clinical trial of pain reprocessing therapy that tells a very different story about chronic low back pain relief.

I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and here’s what I want you to know: the findings on your scan are very common in backs that don’t hurt at all. By age 50, eight in ten adults without back pain show disc degeneration, and six in ten show disc bulges. In the trial, people who had lived with back pain for about ten years spent four weeks learning to treat their pain as safe, and two out of three finished pain free or nearly pain free without anyone treating a disc. A year later, they were still doing far better than the groups that didn’t get the therapy.

I’ll also share a surprising traffic experiment that explains how pain can keep going with nothing wrong underneath it, and a practical, doctor-guided way to try this approach yourself. This is back pain relief without surgery, rooted in how your brain and nervous system process pain.

What you’ll learn:

* Why disc degeneration and disc bulges on an MRI often don’t explain chronic back pain

* How pain reprocessing therapy works and what the trial actually found

* How fear of movement and the belief that pain means damage can keep pain going

* Which warning signs need a doctor, or emergency care, first

* How to find a clinician trained in pain reprocessing therapy and check your progress at four weeks

* Why another scan or the same routine rarely brings lasting relief

Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/can-years-of-back-pain-be-unlearned

Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about

Get full access to The Habit Healers at

Are the Lectins in Beans Dangerous? One of Them Is.

Friday, October 23, 2026 • Duration 14:25

Are lectins in beans dangerous? Can you cook dried kidney beans in a slow cooker? Here’s the truth: your beans were never the problem. The problem is a pot that never boiled long enough.

In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk you through a file of kidney bean poisonings that public health investigators collected over nearly thirteen years, most of them in ordinary home kitchens, including one where the beans had been cooked for two full hours. You’ll learn what phytohemagglutinin is, why raw kidney beans carry so much more lectin activity than cooked ones, and why temperature matters far more than minutes when it comes to destroying it. I also share what potters learned about trusting heat, and why a soft bean can fool you into thinking it’s done. If you love a plant-forward diet and want to cook dried beans with confidence, this one is for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

* Why cooking kidney beans in a slow cooker on low isn’t enough to break down the lectin

* How to soak and boil dried beans so the lectin is gone

* Why a rolling boil, held long enough, is your kitchen’s safety check

* How pressure cookers and canned beans fit into safe bean cooking

* How to cook beans at high altitude, where water boils at a lower temperature

* The signs of bean lectin poisoning and when to see a doctor

Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/are-the-lectins-in-beans-dangerous

Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

Should We All Be Taking a GLP-1?

Thursday, October 22, 2026 • Duration 19:40

Should you take a GLP-1 like semaglutide (Wegovy)? Before you ask whether these weight loss drugs work, I want you to ask a better question: how much risk did the people in the studies actually have, and do you have that same risk?

In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk you through the big semaglutide heart study, what it really showed about preventing heart attack and stroke, and why the benefit didn’t track with the number on the scale. Then I take you back to 1959, when insect scientists taught farmers to count before they sprayed, and show you why that same idea applies to any preventive medication, including the GLP-1 drugs everyone is talking about. We look at what happened with daily aspirin, what these drugs can cost you in muscle and bone, and why so many people stop within a year. I’m not here to tell you yes or no. I’m here to help you walk into your doctor’s office with your own numbers.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

* Who semaglutide is proven to help, including people with heart disease, obesity, and fatty liver disease with scarring

* What “independent of weight loss” really means for heart protection

* How to tell a big benefit from a small one using simple numbers

* The GLP-1 side effects that matter most: nausea, muscle loss, and hip and pelvis fractures

* Why using a GLP-1 as a short term reset leads to weight regain

* The 8-step GLP-1 Threshold Check, starting with your A1c, eGFR, and BMI

Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/should-we-all-be-taking-a-glp-1

Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

Did someone say healthy chocolate cookie? Yes, they did!

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 • Duration 42:46

Thank you Sloane, Catherine Wyatt-Morley, Heather in 🇬🇷, MB Parker, David Hawkins, and many others for tuning into my live video with Chef Martin Oswald! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

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Menopause Brain and the 8 Steps That Could Improve It

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 • Duration 24:44

Menopause brain fog can feel like early dementia, but the research tells a much more hopeful story. I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and in this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m breaking down what’s really behind perimenopause brain fog, forgetfulness, and memory lapses in midlife, and which causes you can start treating now.

If you’ve been losing words, rereading emails, or quietly worrying about Alzheimer’s, I want you to hear this. In a large study of women in their 40s and 50s, learning slowed during the menopause transition and then recovered after menopause. And the symptoms most tied to lower memory scores weren’t the ones most of us would guess. Anxiety and low mood stood out, and night sweats that wake you still matter. We talk about menopause insomnia and why sleep therapy can work even while hot flashes continue, the common sleep aids and medications that can cloud your thinking, and what the trials actually show about hormone therapy and memory. Then I walk you through a simple 8-step protocol so you can find your own causes, one at a time.

What you’ll learn:

* Why menopause brain fog is not a sign of early dementia, and the warning signs that do need a doctor

* How anxiety, low mood, and night sweats connect to memory problems in perimenopause

* Why CBT for insomnia helps menopause sleep problems even with ongoing hot flashes

* Which over-the-counter sleep aids and medications can make brain fog worse

* What hormone therapy, fezolinetant, and elinzanetant can and can’t do for your memory

* How to use a two-week sleep and fog log to choose your first step

Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/menopause-brain-and-the-8-steps-that

Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

Get Stronger in About an Hour a Week With Six Lifts Without Complicated Routines

Friday, October 16, 2026 • Duration 25:50

Strength training for beginners doesn’t have to mean rows of machines and hours at the gym. In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk you through a simple full-body workout you do twice a week: six lifts that work every major muscle group in about an hour a week.

If you’ve put off lifting weights because it seemed like more time than you have, this one is for you. We talk about why a single compound exercise like the squat can train several muscles at once, what a “hard set” really is, and why light weights can build muscle too when you take each set close to your last good rep. I also share what the research shows about strength training after 50, including women past menopause with thin bones whose spines got denser on just two 30-minute sessions a week, and frail adults around 90 whose thigh strength nearly tripled. And I cover how to lift safely if you have osteoporosis, a past spine fracture, or heart disease, so you can start with confidence.

What you’ll learn:

* The six lifts, and the six directions of movement that cover every major muscle group

* How to recognize a hard set, and why you don’t need to train to failure to build muscle

* Why two short full-body workouts a week are enough for muscle and strength

* What the research says about strength training, longevity, and lower death rates

* How to adjust for osteoporosis, bone density concerns, and knee or shoulder pain

* A simple wall drill you can do tonight to learn the hip hinge

Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/get-stronger-in-about-an-hour-a-week

Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

Does Your Social Life Accidentally Increase Your Risks of Catching a Cold?

Thursday, October 15, 2026 • Duration 14:23

Why do some people catch every cold that goes around while others never seem to get sick? On this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m sharing research that changed how I think about your immune system and the common cold, and it has nothing to do with vitamin C.

When healthy volunteers were given a cold virus on purpose, the people with more kinds of relationships got sick far less often. Not more friends, more kinds of connection: family, neighbors, coworkers, a club, a faith community. The virus still got in. Their bodies just handled it better. I’ll walk you through how this study worked, why the total number of people in your life didn’t seem to matter, and what a banana crop wiped out by a soil fungus has to do with your social health.

We’ll also talk about what hugs did and didn’t do for cold protection, why life changes like retirement or an empty nest can quietly shrink your social circle, and the simplest way to start rebuilding it before cold and flu season hits.

What you’ll learn:

* Why social connection may matter as much as sleep for avoiding the common cold

* The difference between having many people and many kinds of relationships

* How hugs and feeling supported related to infection when stress was high

* Why loneliness and social isolation can creep in even when your calendar is full

* A two-minute self-check to score your own social diversity

* One phone call you can make tonight to support your immune system naturally

Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/does-your-social-life-accidentally

Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about

Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

The Habit Healers - Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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The Habit Healers - Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Substack99+

Other41

Instagram5

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Substack99+

Other41

Instagram5