Eating, Dieting, and the (Almost) Magic Pill

Fitness and nutrition are important aspects of our health, but without fully understanding the science behind these practices, they can quickly devolve into harmful habits like excessive exercise and restrictive dieting. To explore our relationship with food, exercise, and metabolism, I am joined by Dr. Eddie Phillips and Juna Gjata, co-hosts of the health podcast “Food, We Need To Talk.” Eddie and Juna approach diet and exercise from contrasting perspectives. Juna, a 2017 graduate of Harvard College and accomplished concert pianist, discusses her personal experiences with disordered eating that ultimately led her to the science-based fitness community. Through weightlifting, Juna gained the self-confidence to challenge prevailing beauty standards and better understand food’s impact on physical wellbeing. Juna says, “For the first time I didn't want to take up less space in the world… That mindset shift also prompted all my shifts around food.” As Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and Founder and Director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Eddie provides physiological explanations behind proper fitness and nutrition practices based on his extensive medical training and clinical experience. As Eddie describes, “If you are under stress trying to lose weight, there's this crazy perverse thing that happens. Your cortisol levels go up and that causes you to store more fat… I think it's more of a perspective that we're not perfect, and coming to some peace with that actually can make you happier.” Eddie offers an “exercise prescription” based on frequency, intensity, time, and type to tailor workouts to your personal needs. Additionally, he shares why the whole individual, and each person’s individual goals, need to be taken into account when designing a lifestyle-driven treatment protocol. Listen to the full episode to learn more about improving your strength, workout efficiency, overall health, and confidence through fitness and diet. Here are the details of our conversation: [00:02:22] Juna’s introduction to science-based fitness [00:05:20] Eddie’s experience in medical school and lifestyle medicine [00:09:24] How to convey proper health practices [00:12:05] Juna’s relationship with disordered eating and fitness [00:17:16] Physiological reactions to stress through weight gain [00:20:59] Practicing mindfulness to lower stress levels [00:24:38] Treating the individual, not the patient [00:27:46] Where to begin at the gym [00:31:33] The FITT prescription [00:34:16] Metabolism and exercise [00:37:23] Sedentary states and hyperpalatable foods [00:39:26] The evolution of modern fitness [00:43:13] What to eat and what to ignore [00:46:30] Practicing dietary mindfulness

Episode 190 of the The Whole Health Cure podcast, hosted by Dr. Eddie Phillips, Juna Gjata, Sharon Bergquist, MD, titled "Eating, Dieting, and the (Almost) Magic Pill" was published on July 7, 2023 and runs 46 minutes.

July 7, 2023 ·46m · The Whole Health Cure

Summary

Fitness and nutrition are important aspects of our health, but without fully understanding the science behind these practices, they can quickly devolve into harmful habits like excessive exercise and restrictive dieting. To explore our relationship with food, exercise, and metabolism, I am joined by Dr. Eddie Phillips and Juna Gjata, co-hosts of the health podcast “Food, We Need To Talk.” Eddie and Juna approach diet and exercise from contrasting perspectives. Juna, a 2017 graduate of Harvard College and accomplished concert pianist, discusses her personal experiences with disordered eating that ultimately led her to the science-based fitness community. Through weightlifting, Juna gained the self-confidence to challenge prevailing beauty standards and better understand food’s impact on physical wellbeing. Juna says, “For the first time I didn't want to take up less space in the world… That mindset shift also prompted all my shifts around food.” As Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and Founder and Director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Eddie provides physiological explanations behind proper fitness and nutrition practices based on his extensive medical training and clinical experience. As Eddie describes, “If you are under stress trying to lose weight, there's this crazy perverse thing that happens. Your cortisol levels go up and that causes you to store more fat… I think it's more of a perspective that we're not perfect, and coming to some peace with that actually can make you happier.” Eddie offers an “exercise prescription” based on frequency, intensity, time, and type to tailor workouts to your personal needs. Additionally, he shares why the whole individual, and each person’s individual goals, need to be taken into account when designing a lifestyle-driven treatment protocol. Listen to the full episode to learn more about improving your strength, workout efficiency, overall health, and confidence through fitness and diet. Here are the details of our conversation: [00:02:22] Juna’s introduction to science-based fitness [00:05:20] Eddie’s experience in medical school and lifestyle medicine [00:09:24] How to convey proper health practices [00:12:05] Juna’s relationship with disordered eating and fitness [00:17:16] Physiological reactions to stress through weight gain [00:20:59] Practicing mindfulness to lower stress levels [00:24:38] Treating the individual, not the patient [00:27:46] Where to begin at the gym [00:31:33] The FITT prescription [00:34:16] Metabolism and exercise [00:37:23] Sedentary states and hyperpalatable foods [00:39:26] The evolution of modern fitness [00:43:13] What to eat and what to ignore [00:46:30] Practicing dietary mindfulness

Episode Description