Links + Thoughts
Another edition of things I've read and thoughts I've had that you might enjoy reading about, too
Join me for “Getting Full”!
The next Getting Full will be on July 16th at 12 pm. This time, it will be sent out via email with no link to a live version since I will officially be out on maternity leave. I’ll be covering nutrition basics. The things I wish everyone understood about nutrition. It will be recorded and sent out for paid subscribers within the week.
July: A special guest is joining us! Hannah Kirby (a long-time friend and colleague of mine and the owner of Whole Being Nutrition) will be coming on to talk about a new group we’re running together in the fall. This will be pre-recorded and available to everyone - not just paid subscribers. Look out for it to learn how to join us for a fantastic body image group! I will send out her video via email on July 16th.
August: Tuesday, August 18th at 5:30 pm CST, Getting Comfortable with Body Awareness
Paid subscribers will receive the email link to the live event a couple of days before it happens. Remember that this is a perk for paid and comped subscribers, so if you haven’t made the plunge yet, there’s no time like the present. The overview is always free to all, but to watch it live or see the full recording, you do need to be a paid subscriber. Thank you for your support! A reminder that I’m running 50% off all subscriptions from now through the end of my maternity leave.
Links:
Large Weight Swings Risky in people with CVD
I think this is an important reminder of how we pursue health matters. We talk a lot about the supposed benefits of weight loss for cardiovascular disease, but we don’t spend nearly as much time acknowledging the potential harms of repeated cycles of losing and regaining weight. Sustainable behavior changes tend to be far more supportive of long-term health than extreme approaches that leave people trapped in a cycle of restriction and rebound.
Exercising Can Help You Have ‘Healthier’ Belly Fat (healthday.com)
I loved the messaging in this piece because it reinforces something many of us in healthcare have been saying for years: movement has value independent of weight loss. Exercise can improve cardiovascular health, mood, insulin sensitivity, strength, and quality of life, even if your body size doesn’t change. If your only reason for exercising is to make yourself smaller, it’s easy to miss all the other ways your body is benefiting.
High intake of ultra-processed foods is associated with lower grades in school
Research like this is always interesting, but I think it’s important to approach it thoughtfully. Studies can identify associations, but they can’t tell us that one thing directly causes another. Kids who eat more ultra-processed foods may also face barriers related to food access, household stress, time constraints, or other social determinants of health that influence academic performance.
Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Early Death Risk
I know ultra-processed food headlines can feel overwhelming. My biggest takeaway from this body of research is not that we need to eliminate all processed foods from our lives. Instead, it’s a reminder that overall dietary patterns matter. Many processed foods are convenient, accessible, and play an important role in helping people meet their nutritional needs. The goal is to build a pattern of eating that includes a variety of nourishing foods while recognizing the realities of everyday life.
Study Reveals: Childhood Obesity Triples Weight Stigma Risk
This one broke my heart a little bit. We know that weight stigma doesn’t motivate healthier behaviors; if anything, it often contributes to poorer mental and physical health outcomes. Children deserve support that focuses on behaviors, environments, and well-being….not shame. If we truly care about children’s health, reducing weight stigma has to be part of the conversation. It’s unfortunate that they missed the fact that pathologizing weight with terms like “obesity” can also increase weight stigma…
Don’t Sweat The Weight — Healthy Eating Helps Your Heart Regardless
Yes, yes, and yes.
Improving the quality of what we eat benefits heart health even if the number on the scale doesn’t budge. We’ve become so conditioned to use weight change as the primary marker of success that we overlook improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, energy levels, and overall quality of life. Health is so much bigger than weight alone.
The study found that adding high polyphenol oxidase fruits (like bananas) to berry smoothies reduced the absorption of flavan-3-ols, a type of beneficial plant compound. It’s genuinely fascinating nutrition science. At the same time, I don’t think this means anyone needs to stop putting bananas in smoothies they genuinely enjoy.
Nutrition science is full of these nuanced findings. If you’re specifically trying to maximize flavan-3-ol intake, you might swap the banana for another fruit. But if bananas help you enjoy smoothies more consistently, provide carbohydrates for energy, or make breakfast easier to eat, those benefits matter too. Remember that there are tons of other beneficial compounds and nutrients in your smoothie beyond flavan-3-ols - having a decrease in just that compound in your smoothie won’t change much about your health.
Thoughts:
The theme I kept coming back to this month was that health isn’t nearly as simple as we’ve been led to believe.
Weight alone doesn’t tell us whether someone is healthy. Exercise offers benefits beyond changing our appearance. Processed foods exist on a spectrum and can absolutely have a place in a balanced diet. Children deserve healthcare free from stigma and shame. I think we all benefit from approaching health with a little more humility and a lot more compassion. There are very few nutrition topics that fit neatly into a headline. Most of the time there is no “answer.”
Food that inspired me this month:
Restaurants so I didn’t have to spend time cooking
Food made for me by friends and family so I didn’t have to spend time cooking
Frozen food (especially from Trader Joes) so I didn’t have to spend time cooking
It turns out, having a baby takes a lot of your time and energy - I’m maximizing my time spent with her instead of spending my time in the kitchen this month.
Happy Monday, everyone! Take care of yourselves. Eat yummy food. You deserve all the good things.
Gretchen