We strip away the noise and focus on ten steady, science-informed ways to make menopause feel manageable and within reach. Food, movement, hormones, sleep, and community form a practical framework you can start using today without fear or extremes.

• Food as a foundation with regular meals and protein spaced through the day
• Fiber from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes to stabilize energy
• Movement with purpose, prioritizing strength training and walking
• Nuanced conversation about hormone therapy with an up-to-date clinician
• Phytoestrogens from soy, flax, and legumes as supportive foods
• Supportive nutrients: protein, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, iron, omega-3s
• Alcohol honesty and its impact on sleep, mood, flashes and recovery
• Hydration as a daily nonnegotiable for energy and resilience
• Protecting sleep as infrastructure, not a luxury
• Mindfulness to calm the nervous system during stress
• Community to reduce isolation, shame and self-doubt

Join the Well-Nourished Community, click HERE!

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Let's Be Friends
Hang out with Heather on IG @greenpalettekitchen or on FB HERE.

Let's Talk!
Whether you are looking for 1-1 nutrition coaching or kitchen coaching let's have a chat. Click HERE to reach out to Heather.

Did You Love This Episode?
"I love Heather and the Real Food Stories Podcast!" If this is you, please do not hesitate to leave a five-star review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Happy New Year and welcome back!

Today I am exploring why so many women feel overloaded by wellness noise and how to find steadiness through community, clarity, and the simple act of real food. I am sharing my candid update story about my surgery and hormone experience shows why nuance and self-advocacy matter more than one-size-fits-all rules.

I am also talking about:

• re-entry to 2026 with a focus on orientation rather than resolutions
• the case for community as an antidote to isolation and confusion
• why I will never create an AI version of myself
• the pitfalls of certainty, urgency and extreme wellness claims
• the hip surgery hormone debate, my withdrawal experience and what I learned from it
• how to ask better questions and advocate with your clinicians
• redefining goals around sustainability, sleep, and real food
• the practice of wintering and giving yourself permission to rest right now rather than charge out of the gate

Join the Well-Nourished Woman community—real women, real questions, real context. I’ll leave all the info in the show notes, and reach me by email with questions

WANT IN ON THE COMMUNITY? The Well Nourished Woman Community is where I am brining together women over 50+ who are navigating the messy reality of midlife changes, to nourish ourselves simply, talk honestly about our bodies and health, and take gentle steps forward together, so that we can feel more content, at peace, and even find moments of joy and humor along the way. Come gather, cook, learn the real deal on hormones, food and not being afraid to talk out loud about all of it. JOIN HERE.

I would love to hear from you! What did you think of the episode? Share it with me :)

Support the show

Let's Be Friends
Hang out with Heather on IG @greenpalettekitchen or on FB HERE.

Let's Talk!
Whether you are looking for 1-1 nutrition coaching or kitchen coaching let's have a chat. Click HERE to reach out to Heather.

Did You Love This Episode?
"I love Heather and the Real Food Stories Podcast!" If this is you, please do not hesitate to leave a five-star review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.

What if “always hungry” wasn’t about food at all? Heather sits down with author and registered clinical counselor Jane McGuinness to explore how she lost over 100 pounds and kept it off by healing emotional eating, listening to her body, and replacing rules with honest moderation. No magic diet, no all-or-nothing plan, no Ozempic—just time, self-compassion, and daily habits that fit a real life.

Jane takes us back to the early roots of comfort eating, through motherhood, anxiety, and the moments that turned the pantry into a refuge. A chance encounter with Janine Roth’s work reframed everything, helping her name feelings, pause before autopilot snacking, and build a practice of mindful eating that still guides her today. We get practical about what actually worked: walking and biking for consistent movement, meals anchored by protein and fiber, seasonal foods, and light-touch tracking that focuses on monthly trends instead of daily judgment. She shares how yoga and meditation deepened her connection to hunger and fullness cues, especially through perimenopause, and how choosing joy outside the kitchen—hobbies, nature, learning—quieted food obsession.

Beyond the plate, we confront "thin privilege" and weight bias head-on. Jane explains how losing weight changed how the world treated her and why that fueled her memoir, Always Hungry, a funny, raw, and compassionate account of emotional eating, identity, and real change. Expect candid insights on alcohol and sugar, “moderation” as a practice of honesty, and why quick fixes rarely teach the skills that make health sustainable.

If you’ve ever felt stuck between diets and despair, this conversation offers a clear path forward: trust your signals, move in ways you enjoy, build meals that satisfy, and meet yourself with kindness. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a gentler path, and leave a review to tell us what resonated most.

I would love to hear from you! What did you think of the episode? Share it with me :)

Support the show

Let's Be Friends
Hang out with Heather on IG @greenpalettekitchen or on FB HERE.

Let's Talk!
Whether you are looking for 1-1 nutrition coaching or kitchen coaching let's have a chat. Click HERE to reach out to Heather.

Did You Love This Episode?
"I love Heather and the Real Food Stories Podcast!" If this is you, please do not hesitate to leave a five-star review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.