The Midlife Feast

When Deb Benfield joined me last December, so many listeners told me they had never heard the term internalized ageism. And once they had, they couldn't unsee it. So I invited Deb back to go deeper.

Deb and I talk about how the stories we absorbed about aging (hello, Mrs. Roper's muumuu) shape how we feel about our own changing bodies in perimenopause and menopause. We get into the aging hierarchy and how it piles on top of the body hierarchy, why menopause weight gain gets read as "letting yourself go," and why so many pro-aging influencers still look like the same old ideal, just with silver hair.

We also talk about what helps: moving your body in ways you enjoy, rest, connection, and making health choices from your values instead of from fear. And Deb offers a beautiful reframe on independence that makes room for interdependence and asking for help.

If this conversation stirs something up for you, that's a good sign. Noticing the default programming is where change starts.

CONNECT WITH DEB
Website: https://www.debrabenfield.com
Unapologetic Aging (Deb's book): https://www.debrabenfield.com/book
Instagram: @agingbodyliberation

JOIN ME
Join Deb and me live in the Midlife Feast Community on November 18 for a deeper conversation about internalized ageism and longevity culture. The recording will be available to watch anytime in The Feaster Library.
Join us here:https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/themidlifefeastcommunity
Book a connection call with me: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF

FREE SUPPORT
Free Guide - Your Doctor Said Lose Weight - Now What? https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/now-what

RELATED EPISODES
Episode 173 How To Age Without Apology with Deb Benfield RDN
Episode 97 The Impact of Ageism on Body Image in Midlife with Deb Benfield, MEd, RDN

What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know!
🖥️ Join me on November 22nd for a free masterclass: How to Eat for Your Health in Menopause without letting the scale run the show 
Save your spot here ➡️ https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/howtoeat
📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

October is a full month around here, and I didn't want World Osteoporosis Day to slip by without bringing Rebekah Rotstein back to the table. Rebekah is the founder of Buff Bones, and she has been living with osteoporosis since her diagnosis at 28, so she knows this topic from both sides.

Bone health finally has a seat at the table in midlife conversations, which I love. It also means a lot more noise. In this episode we clear some of it up:

• What bone density means and what a DEXA scan measures (and why full-body DEXA centres aren't the same thing)
• Why the years around your final period matter so much for your bones
• How hard strength training needs to feel to stimulate bone, and whether you have to lift heavy
• Where jumping and impact fit, and why they aren't right for every body
• Weighted vests, vibration plates and grip strength, and what the evidence says

If you've been worried that you're not doing enough for your bones, I hope this conversation leaves you clearer and a lot calmer.

Have a bone health question for Rebekah or me? Send it my way.

CONNECT WITH REBEKAH
Website: https://buff-bones.com

JOIN ME
Start your 7-day trial: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrial
Book a connection call with me: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF

FREE SUPPORT
Grab my Free Menopause Nutrition Guide + 10 Recipes: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/MenopauseNutritionGuide

RELATED EPISODES
Episode 114 Beyond the Metrics: Getting Intuitive About Bone Health with Rebekah Rotstein
Episode 68 Got Buff Bones? How to Improve Your Bone Fitness & Reduce Your Fracture Risk with Rebekah Rotstein
Episode 65 The Impact of Movement on Your Bone Health in Menopause with Niamh Daly
What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know!
🖥️ Join me on November 22nd for a free masterclass: How to Eat for Your Health in Menopause without letting the scale run the show 
Save your spot here ➡️ https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/howtoeat
📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

This year's World Menopause Day theme is chronic pain in midlife, so I'm following up my conversation with Robyn Kievit NP RD (ep 209) on hormones and joint pain by walking you through the differences between pain and inflammation, and sharing five evidence-based tips for managing pain in midlife and menopause. I also share why I'm cautious about the collagen, turmeric and eggshell membrane supplements filling so many cupboards.

If you're living with chronic pain in perimenopause or menopause, I hope this helps you spend less time worrying about every bite and more time adding in the things that work.

JOIN ME
Watch the hormone therapy Q&A with Robyn Kievit inside the Midlife Feast Community. The recording is available to watch anytime in The Feaster Library.
Start your 7-day trial: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrial
Book a connection call with me: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF

FREE SUPPORT
Grab my Free Menopause Nutrition Guide + 10 Recipes: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/MenopauseNutritionGuide

RELATED EPISODES
Episode 209 Menopause Joint Pain: Estrogen, Hormones & Food Myths
Episode 204 Day 4: Add, Don't Subtract - A Better Way to Think About Menopause Nutrition
Episode 200 Oatmeal, Overthinking, and Why Food Feels So Complicated in Menopause
What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know!
🖥️ Join me on November 22nd for a free masterclass: How to Eat for Your Health in Menopause without letting the scale run the show 
Save your spot here ➡️ https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/howtoeat
📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

For most of my life, I believed that changing my body was the answer to how I felt in it. As a teenager, after my pregnancies, and again in perimenopause, I was sure that losing weight would finally let me stop thinking about my body. It didn't, and the research tells us I'm far from alone.

Today I'm joined by Dr. Charlotte Markey, body image scientist and psychology professor at Rutgers University. We dig into what body image is, why weight loss so rarely delivers the comfort it promises, and how GLP-1 medications are changing the body image landscape.

We talk about:
• Charlotte's simple definition of body image: how comfortable you are in your own skin
• Why body dissatisfaction often moves to a new target after weight loss
• Her research showing that people with more body acceptance felt less pull toward GLP-1s
• Informed consent, body autonomy, and what to ask yourself before starting a medication to feel better in your body
• The freedom in remembering that we don't work in Hollywood
• Why acceptance needs a rebrand

If you've ever believed a smaller body would finally bring you peace, this conversation is for you.

CONNECT WITH CHARLOTTE
Website: https://www.thebodyimagebook.com
Instagram: @char_markey

JOIN ME
Start your 7-day trial: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrial
Book a connection call with me: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF

FREE SUPPORT
Un-Diet Your Mindset Guide: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/undietyourmindset

RELATED EPISODES
Episode 197: Menopause and Body Image: How to Accept Your Changing Body with Alli Spotts-De-Lazzer, LMFT, CEDS-C()
Episode 186: GLP-1s, Intuitive Eating & Finding Food Freedom: A Conversation with Sam Previte RD
Episode 109: The Body Acceptance Mistake That’s Keeping You Stuck in the Suck
What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know!
🖥️ Join me on November 22nd for a free masterclass: How to Eat for Your Health in Menopause without letting the scale run the show 
Save your spot here ➡️ https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/howtoeat
📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.

Joint pain, stiffness and those tin man mornings are some of the most common symptoms of menopause, yet they don't get the same air time as hot flashes and mood swings. With World Menopause Day on October 18 focusing on chronic pain this year, I invited Robyn Kievit, NP, RD, CEDS, MSCP, the first dietitian to become a nurse practitioner, to help me unpack what is going on in our joints and muscles.

We talk about why estrogen matters for muscles, joints and connective tissue, why the ups and downs of perimenopause can feel harder than life after menopause, and what the research says about hormone therapy and pain. We also dig into the testosterone hype versus the evidence, what to consider if you are thinking about starting hormones later, and why it is okay if hormones don't work for you.

We also put on our dietitian hats, and you'll hear why no single food is inflammatory or anti-inflammatory, why your overall pattern of eating matters more than any one meal, and how to think about the supplements piling up in your cupboard.

If your joints and muscles are aching, I hope this conversation helps you feel less alone and more prepared for your next appointment.

CONNECT WITH ROBYN
Website: https://robynkievit.com
Beyond Nutrition course for dietitians and clinicians: https://robynkievit.com/course (use code JENN10)

JOIN ME
Join Robyn and me live in the Midlife Feast Community for a hormone therapy Q&A on October 14. The recording will be avaialble to watch anytime in The Feaster Library.
Start your 7-day trial: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/7daytrial
Book a connection call with me: https://p.bttr.to/3DQX9SF

FREE SUPPORT
Grab my Free Menopause Nutrition Guide + 10 Recipes: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/MenopauseNutritionGuide

RELATED EPISODES
Episode 164 Autoimmune Disease in Midlife: Beyond Diet Culture Myths with Dr. Alison Danby ND:
Episode 67  Hot Flashes 101: Can you eat to beat the heat?
Episode 142 Non-Hormonal Alternatives to HRT with Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz: 
What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know!
🖥️ Join me on November 22nd for a free masterclass: How to Eat for Your Health in Menopause without letting the scale run the show 
Save your spot here ➡️ https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/howtoeat
📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife.