The Healthy Family Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Girls are having a rough go of it. A recent CDC report found 57% of teen girls felt persistently sad and hopeless in 2021, compared to 36% in 2011. Not only that, but a report last year found girls going to the ER for eating disorders nearly doubled during the pandemic.

There’s never been a more important time to help support our daughters, both emotionally and physically. Today’s guest is full of strategies to help keep our girls out of dieting and body image pitfalls that often go hand in hand with mental health issues.

Amelia Sherry is a New York-based dietitian with a master’s in public health who counsels women and families. She is founder of the NourshHer, a site providing content that helps protect girls from disordered eating. Sherry compiles her best tips and advice in her new book, Diet Proof Your Daughter.

We have a candid talk about her new book, ways to help girls, and what drives her to help parents raise girls to have a healthy relationship with food.

We’ve all seen the article or social media post declaring the “proven” benefits of intermittent fasting.

Cellular repair. Improved insulin sensitivity. A longer life with reduced risk of chronic disease. Increased metabolism and fat burning. 

Because of these strong claims, I’ve been wanting to do a deep dive on intermittent fasting for years now. So, in preparation for my latest book for midlife women, I finally did it.

And it revealed that the benefits of intermittent fasting are anything but a slam dunk.

So in this podcast episode I review all the details of my latest post about intermittent fasting.

A woman’s body changes at midlife as does her feelings about her body. Many women become unhappy with these changes while others find them freeing. Either way, how women choose to live in their bodies as they age is important to their health and well-being.

Body image is important because it lays the groundwork for both physical and emotional self-care women need at this time. If a woman fights her body, it can be harder to give it what it needs. And bodies speak up a lot during midlife demanding attention whether we women like it or not.

To help me find answers, I interviewed Hillary McBride who holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. She works as a therapist and has advanced training in trauma, eating disorders, body image, and marriage and relationship therapy. She is the author of Mothers, Daughters and Body image, Embodiment and Eating Disorders, and the upcoming book This is My Body.

We talk about her book, the many facets of body image, and what this all means at midlife.

A couple of years ago when I considered doing my first half marathon in years, I discovered Jeff Galloway’s book Running Until Your 100. In it, he advocates for people – especially those 45 years and older – to add walk breaks to their running. When done right, he claims that people of all ages can remain injury-free while obtaining the many benefits of running.

Galloway is an Olympian runner and coach that has made it his mission to improve people’s quality of life through running. He is the creator of the Galloway Run-Walk-Run Program and for 33 years he has coached over ½ million runners and answers an average of 100 emails a day.

Since the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve seen many people and families taking walks. Of course, we all keep from each other but many of us relish the time spent outside. And this got me thinking about how this is the perfect time for people to try running with a much gentler and enjoyable strategy.

As people get older, they often think they can no longer run or that running is bad for them. In episode 29 of The Healthy Family Podcast, Jeff Galloway explains how his Run-Walk-Run program can help people at midlife and beyond enjoy running without getting injured. It's also a great way for anyone at any age to start running.

Estrogen plays an important role in a woman’s body. During very early perimenopause, levels fluctuate and can often be higher than normal. But as women approach menopause (about 2 years before their final period) estrogen starts to decline. By two years after the final period, estrogen levels are depleted.

This decline in estrogen brings on many symptoms women can feel such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, and memory problems. But it also brings symptoms they cannot feel like weakening bones and increased risk of heart disease.

The problem is that there are many misconceptions and unfounded fears about taking estrogen. Not only that, most doctors are not up on the latest research and have little experience giving hormones like estrogen when it’s needed. To clear up the confusion, we have Dr. Mache Seibel.

Dr. Mache Seibel is an international health expert and leading authority on women’s wellness and menopause. He is author of The Estrogen Fix and The Estrogen Window and founder of The Hot Years: My Menopause Magazine.

Over the last two decades anxiety in children has been on the rise. According to the CDC, 7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In many ways, the modern world is the perfect storm for anxiety, so it’s important parents understand how best to respond to anxious kids.

In episode 27 of The Healthy Family Podcast, we have Dawn Huebner, Ph.D., a Clinical Psychologist, and Parent Coach specializing in anxiety. She is the author of 9 books for children including the perennial bestseller, What to Do When You Worry Too Much and more recent, Outsmarting Worry. Dr. Huebner’s newest book, Something Bad Happened provides support for children learning about ‘bad things’ happening in the world.

In this episode, Dr. Huebner explains why anxiety is on the rise, what is really going on inside an anxious child’s brain, and how parents can help support their child in overcoming anxiety.

When a woman considers her health, she doesn't automatically think about her menstrual cycle. Yet a woman's menstrual cycle can tell a great deal about her health, well being, and what stage of reproduction she in. Understanding one's menstrual cycle helps during puberty, the reproductive years, and perimenopause.

As I experienced cycle changes in my forties, I looked around and found the work by Jerilynn Prior. Jerilynn C. Prior BA, MD, FRCPC (former ABIM, ABEM) is a Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. She has spent her career studying menstrual cycles and the effects of the cycle’s changing estrogen and progesterone hormone levels on women’s health. She is the founder (2002) and Scientific Director of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR). She is coauthor of The Estrogen Errors and author of Estrogen's Storm Season. CeMCOR acknowledges -- and defines -- “very early perimenopause,” symptoms that occur when cycles are regular but hormones begin to shift.

As part of my midlife ongoing series, I wanted to ask Dr. Prior some questions. So in this podcast interview, we talk about the menstrual cycle and health starting at puberty through menopause.

Feeding advice is everywhere. Eat together. Check. Expose children to nutritious foods. Check. Live happily ever after.

No way!

Here’s what no one talks about. Feeding kids is not always fun or easy. And not all kids respond the same way to the same strategies. There is a need to get real about expectations and what it really feels like to feed a family. Not a make-believe family but a real one.

On episode 25 of the Healthy Family Podcast, we have on Sally Kuzemchak. She is a registered dietitian and creator of the popular blog Real Mom Nutrition, named Best Blog for Parents by Health magazine in 2015. Sally is the author of the new book 101 of the Healthiest Food for Kids. She is also an award-winning reporter and writer specializing in nutrition who currently blogs for Parents magazine and WebMD. Sally shares with us her stories, advice, challenges, and triumphs in the feeding realm. She also outlines best practices for introducing nutritious foods kids which is what her new book is all about.

When a couple is expecting their first child, they’re inundated with information. But then that baby turns into a toddler that has tantrums and doesn’t like the word “no.” And all of a sudden, the well of information dries up.

So where do parents turn to for advice? And how do we know what to believe? After all, expert advice is constantly changing and everyone seems to have an opinion.

Today’s guest, Jen Lumanlan, had these same questions when she started a family. This led her to get a master’s in psychology with a focus on child development and another master's in education. She shares what she’s learned (and keeps learning) through Your Parenting Mojo Podcast. It's a reference guide for parents of toddlers and preschoolers based on scientific research and the principles of respectful parenting.

In episode 24 of The Healthy Family Podcast, we tackle how to go about finding credible parenting information. Jen shares what she has learned on her science-based parenting journey.

I think most parents understand the importance of teaching their kids to cook. I believe what gets in the way are “invisible” barriers. And in order to get kids cooking, we need to tackle these barriers head-on.

That’s why on episode 23 of The Healthy Family Podcast we’re spelling out what really gets in the way of getting kids in the kitchen. Our guest Katie Kimball runs the online cooking class Kids Cook Real Food. She is the author of several cookbooks including Better Than a Box and Healthy Snacks to Go and is founding editor of Kitchen Stewardship. This mom of four and prior teacher provides insight on how to overcome common obstacles and quickly see a return on investment.