What if a gestational diabetes diagnosis wasn’t something to fear — but the most important health information your body has ever given you?

Dr. Amy Valent, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist and co-director of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Program at Oregon Health & Science University, joins Dr. Remi Olukoya for a conversation that reframes everything most pregnant women are told about high-risk pregnancy.

In this episode:
→ What gestational diabetes actually is — and why the glucose drink exists
→ Why Dr. Valent calls pregnancy “a crystal ball into your future health”
→ The medication questions every pregnant patient should be asking (but most aren’t)
→ Symptoms that feel like normal pregnancy discomfort — but aren’t
→ The one difference between a regular headache and a preeclampsia headache
→ Why multicultural food safety in pregnancy care is still being overlooked

Whether you’re navigating a high-risk pregnancy, supporting someone who is, or a clinician looking for better ways to have these conversations — this episode is for you.

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 — Introduction: Who is Dr. Amy Valent?
03:00 — What is gestational diabetes — really?
08:00 — The glucose test explained: what your body is actually doing
13:00 — Pregnancy as a crystal ball: GD and future Type 2 diabetes risk
19:00 — Medication safety during pregnancy: the conversation most patients aren’t having
25:00 — Symptoms you should never normalize
30:00 — Preeclampsia: how to tell the difference
36:00 — Multicultural food safety and closing the gap in pregnancy care
42:00 — Final thoughts from Dr. Valent

What if the foods your family has eaten for generations are now on your "do not eat" list because of kidney disease — and no one explained why?

Areli Gutierrez, RD is a bilingual Latina renal dietitian, founder of Latina Kidney Dietitian, and host of the Food Culture Curious podcast. She joins Dr. Remi Olukoya, PharmD to have the conversation most CKD patients never get from their care team: how to protect your kidneys without abandoning your cultural food identity.

They cover:

- Why the standard renal diet feels like an attack on cultural foods — and the nuance that changes everything

- How phosphate binders work (the magnet analogy that finally makes it click) and why timing with meals matters

- The double boiling method for beans that reduces phosphorus, so your favorites stay on the table

- ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and the potassium connection your prescriber may not have mentioned

- Star fruit toxicity in CKD patients — and why this one comes up fast in rapid fire

- How to ask better questions so you're actually a partner in your own care

This episode is for anyone living with or caring for someone with CKD who has felt lost between their prescription pad and their dinner plate.

Connect with Areli: latinakidneydietitian.com | @Latina Kidney Dietitian on TikTok & Instagram

📖 Foods That Clash with Your Meds — available now

💊 MediMeal Safe — free food-drug interaction checks at pharmaplansystems.com

Dr. Anna Pleet, MD trained in Italy for 6 years before becoming a board-certified internal medicine and lifestyle medicine physician. She's the creator of the Mediterranean Code and hosts "Ask Dr. Anna: Weight Loss After 50 Made Simple."

Today's conversation is the one that should happen in every exam room but doesn't: what really happens when the Mediterranean diet — full of olive oil, healthy fats, and fish — meets a GLP1 medication that already slows your stomach?

Dr. Remi and Dr. Anna cover the double gastric emptying effect, why calorie density becomes a clinical tool (not a warning) when appetite disappears, the insulin + GLP1 blood sugar danger, and a patient story that took months to solve.

Rapid fire: wine on Ozempic? Best protein for nausea? The Mediterranean myth she's retiring? All in this episode.

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Check food-drug interactions free at pharmaplansystems.com.