The Power of Nutrition in Women's Health & Perimenopause with Vanessa Dyer, RDN

Welcome to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast with Dr. Kerry Reller! This week I am joined by Vanessa Dyer, a registered dietitian specializing in women's health, particularly around perimenopause. Vanessa shares her journey into nutrition, sparked by her own health issues as a teenager. She emphasizes the significance of nutrition in addressing health problems, especially chronic conditions related to women's hormonal changes. The discussion highlights the complex relationship between diet, lifestyle, and health, focusing on the importance of personalized nutrition plans to support women through perimenopause and beyond. Vanessa's approach is rooted in understanding individual needs and providing tailored nutritional advice to improve overall well-being.

Vanessa Dyer is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, supernerd and owner of Menopause Prep. She has been obsessed with the connection between nutrition and the human body since she was 17 years old when she was experiencing health issues she could not get help for. After doing her own research she realized there is a lot more to health than what we have been told and dived deep into women's health. During this time, she realized women are unfortunately more likely to experience medical gaslighting and are suffering and living their lives miserably because of lack of support, education and awareness. Menopause Prep was born to help women improve their hormonal symptoms, and get them to optimal health so they can thrive, be happy and enjoy life. She aims to spread awareness that perimenopause can start in a woman's 30s and how hormonal changes affect our brain and body as a whole. 

0:00 - Introduction and Guest Welcome
0:47 - Vanessa Dyer’s Journey into Nutrition
2:15 - Specialization in Women’s Health and Perimenopause
3:31 - The Role of Nutrition in Hormonal Health
5:35 - Understanding Perimenopause and Its Impacts
10:05 - How Nutrition Affects Perimenopausal Health
13:24 - Importance of Magnesium in Diet
19:41 - Personalized Nutrition Coaching Approach
25:31 - Managing Elevated Cortisol Levels
35:46 - How to Connect with Vanessa Dyer and Her Services

Connect with Vanessa
Apply to Menopause Prep: Menopause Prep Application (mailchi.mp)
Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/menopauseprep.com/newlsetter-signup
IG: @Menopause.prep
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/menopauseprep
Phone: 561-818-0887 (Text is best!)

Connect with Dr. Reller
My linktree: linktr.ee/kerryrellermd
Podcast website: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearwaterFamily
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearwaterfamilymedicine/
Clearwater Family Medicine and Allergy Website: https://sites.google.com/view/clearwaterallergy/home

Subscribe to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, iheartradio, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Pandora.

Transcript

Kerry: 0:29

Hi, everybody. Welcome back to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Kerry Reller. And today we have Vanessa Dyer, a registered dietitian living in St. Pete, Florida here with us today. Welcome to the podcast, Vanessa.

Vanessa: 0:42

Hi.

Kerry: 0:43

Thank you so much for joining us. Why don't you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Vanessa: 0:47

Okay. So I'm a registered dietitian nutritionist. I call myself a super nerd because I love everything nutrition science and the relationship with the human body. And I dived really deep into women's health. I just became really obsessed with it. When I had, My own health problems when I was 17, and I couldn't get the help that I needed at the time. So I dived really deep into nutrition and saw that it was a lot to do with one, my environment, because I lived in a very stressful environment and my lifestyle and also what I was eating. So It took a few years because I also was a teenager and I had typical teenage diet, but I was pretty much doing everything my own, was my own cheerleader, my own support system so after that I decided that I wanted to really help others with Their health and their nutrition and their eating habits because it's so much more than people realize. And people just really need that support and coaching. And so I decided wanted to become a dietitian. And this is my sixth year since being a dietitian and it has been nothing but great experience.

Kerry: 2:01

Awesome. So, I mean, that's really challenging at a young age if you're having some sort of health problem and kind of navigating it all on your own. So that's really difficult. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? Or do you want to focus in on what your niche is?

Vanessa: 2:15

Well, I mean, I can talk a lot.

Kerry: 2:18

Yeah, that's fine. We're happy to have you do that.

Vanessa: 2:21

I mean, I was having very, very chronic yeast infections every month after my period. And I realized with the help of somebody else that it was, my pH was super off, but it was other factors going on. Like it wasn't just one thing. And sometimes I would get them twice a month. And if you can imagine, I mean, that put me in depression because I was always in pain. I was always sick. Like it was horrible. And so that was really the gist of it, but I had to change a lot of things. And really making the connection of to like what the actual problem was. Like what was actually going on because one of the problems was I had a severe sugar addiction and craving, but it's like what was actually causing that sugar addiction craving lack of minerals. Also, my cortisol was really high, lived in a very toxic abusive household so there were just so many things going on, like so many things that's why I tell people it's not just one thing. And nutrition is one out of many things that affect our overall well being as well.

Kerry: 3:31

Yeah, absolutely. And I kind of figured you might mention the sugar thing once you told me what you were struggling with, as that is definitely something that we see more in like people with diabetes and things like that with the yeast infection, whether it's in a vaginal area or another area too, they, you know,

Vanessa: 3:48

Mm hmm.

Kerry: 3:49

People with diabetes do suffer from that. So not saying that you were diabetic, but that can be a risk. So you've definitely already overcome some challenges. You were able to become a dietitian. And so what is that, that you kind of focus on now with your clients?

Vanessa: 4:04

So now I focus with perimenopause because I realized one, a lot of people don't know what that is. A lot of us are just familiar with the terms. Pre menopause and then menopause and that's it. And I realized that not only do people not realize what it is, but they really don't understand what that means for our health as a whole. Because a lot of people associate it with hot flashes, weight gain, and irregular periods. And one of my, I feel like duties or goals as a nerd and dietitian is to really spread awareness. As to what's actually going on inside when hormones start to shift, like how's that affecting our brain? How is it affecting our heart? How is it affecting our liver, our bones, and just our overall health as a whole? And so one of the things I've been really trying to do is speak at events. Speak on podcasts like right now, and just so people can kind of think, oh, I didn't even think about that because we see it on TV. We see what our friends or family went through and it's hot flashes and mood swings, but so much more than that. And then the symptoms are so different for everybody. And It's like we can, like someone can be going through a symptom and not even realizing that it's hormonal or hormone related.

Kerry: 5:35

So can you explain like perimenopause and menopause for people who may be unfamiliar with that?

Vanessa: 5:42

yes. So perimenopause is the time before menopause. So perimenopause is when ovaries start to make fewer hormones, things start to shift that's where we get the majority of those symptoms. I mean, it could be skin issues hair issues. It could be dry skin, skin rashes, acne, mood swings, and it's not even mood swings, but sometimes like I told, I told someone that we can feel lonely, even though we might have a huge support system because our oxytocin is getting affected. Our dopamine is getting affected. Our serotonin is getting affected. The integrity of the brain is getting affected. Really affects our mood. Emotions, feelings, state of well being. We can get sad, angry, upset, have a lot of anxiety. Some women have a hard time falling asleep, and then some people, someone might just wake up in the middle of the night wired, like, what is going on? Night sweats, hot flashes. Some women have nosebleeds joint pain. And then we have a shift in the, how I kind of describe it is usually progesterone and estrogen Are like security guards for cortisol and when they shift cortisol is able to come out and play and go on a have like a wild party because progesterone estrogen are kind of doing their own thing not watching cortisol and cortisol is a symptom amplifier makes everything worse. So that is something I also emphasize. And I'm actually partnering with a my friend who specializes in helping women lower their cortisol. And I talk about the nutritional ways to lower cortisol. And so for those that don't know, cortisol is a stress hormone and our body supplies cortisol to like let's say we see an alligator that's chasing us or a bear that's chasing us. We need the cortisol to give us the adrenaline we need to run away. Right. But what happens is cortisol just goes on a wild party and makes everything worse. And that effect for everyone is so different because even for me, when I was in high school, I was experiencing significant hair loss. from the cortisol. And I had a very hard time keeping weight on like gaining weight. So cortisol affects everyone differently. That's why like some women have the same symptoms, but everyone's is so different because a lot of women associate hormonal changes with weight gain, but some women can actually lose a lot of weight because it just depends on how cortisol affects their body. But with that cortisol, what happens is there is an increase in blood sugar and depending on the pathway that the body wants to go, either they're going to gain weight from that blood sugar or lose weight, depending on how the pancreas reacts and the insulin. And so what happens is for the women that gain weight, it's not just increasing in our pant size. What can happen is that can cause insulin resistance, which can cause diabetes. With that, when there's weight gain when the body has to work harder and the heart has to work harder that can lower our immune system when hormones shift, that affects the way our liver metabolizes fat. That's where the increase in triglycerides come from increase in the bad cholesterol, also known as LDL. And that's where the plaque can start accumulating. The plaque is the buildup in our arteries. And then along with that as well we can have an increased inflammation specifically the cytokines, which can cause problems. And that can also contribute to The plaque buildup in our arteries, and that's what contributes to heart disease being the number one killer in women. And I tell people you can't feel your cholesterol going up, you can't feel your triglycerides going up. Heart disease is a silent killer. My boyfriend's mom died of coronary artery disease. She was just going about her regular day to day activities. And had a heart attack, called the ambulance and died in the ambulance going to the hospital. And so I mean, that's just one out of so many things. Like I tell people you can't feel your bone calcium dropping because estrogen does affect the way our body absorbs calcium. So there's just so much more going on than people realize with hormonal changes.

Kerry: 10:05

Yeah, I mean, you definitely pinpointed a lot of the lesser known common signs of perimenopause, even menopause that women aren't always aware of. So that's wonderful. How does nutrition impact hormonal health, especially during, you know, the perimenopause phase?

Vanessa: 10:20

So the way that I describe it is I tell people to think about hormones are like our body armor. Our body armor, it's not making us invincible. It's just protecting us. So when hormones shift that weakens our body armor, it makes it vulnerable. Where nutrition comes in is we get, I call them ingredients, but we get nutrients and ingredients from the food that we eat to help reinforce our body armor. That body armor genetics plays a huge role. And also, like I was saying, our environment, like our stress also plays a huge role, but nutrition plays also a significant role with hormones. So, for example, when I was talking about our brain, our brains affected a lot. What happens is we'll want to start off with 50 percent of Americans alone don't get enough magnesium. So magnesium plays a ginormous role in our brain health. It's needed. It's one of the many ingredients needed to make neurotransmitters, specifically oxytocin, which is involved with love and like feeling safe dopamine, which gives us motivation, desire, pleasure. Serotonin wears so many hats, but we know serotonin to keep us happy, but also does a lot of things like we need it for digestion, our body temperature, also helps us, gives us that feeling of being full or hungry. So it does a lot of things. And so when we don't have enough magnesium and hormones affect our brain and affect the way our neurotransmitters are being made and created. So we don't have enough magnesium. Women will or might experience mood changes. And then also serotonin is needed to make melatonin, which we need to sleep. So if there's enough magnesium, you might have sleep interruptions as well. So plays a huge role. And then the fact that 50 percent of Americans aren't getting enough to begin with is not good. So you go in, not at optimal health. Things will be very rough for some women if they're not like already getting enough nutrients to begin with.

Kerry: 12:28

Do you test for magnesium or do you just recommend them taking a supplement?

Vanessa: 12:32

don't need to test for magnesium. It's really just looking at someone's diet, what they're eating on a day to day basis. Most people do a like a one day kind of tell me what you eat in a typical day. I want to know what someone's eating for at least three days, just because some people have unpredictable days. We can't predict our days, even if we have a plan, it might not go as we want. And that affects the way we eat. I really dive deep into how like someone's support system their job, who they live with, what their day to day life looks like, their stress level, their sleep, their routine, the moment they wake up until they go to sleep, because all of that plays a role in how we eat what we eat and how we see food and look at food and nutrition. That was probably a tangent. Sorry.

Kerry: 13:24

That's

Vanessa: 13:25

Okay.

Kerry: 13:25

What foods are magnesium rich?

Vanessa: 13:29

So foods that have a lot of magnesium. Why? And actually have a theory as to why most people don't get enough is one is beans, peas and lentils, and a lot of people that are like, like me get bloated when we eat beans. So a lot of times beans don't agree with us. And then whole grains. And again, I can't, my body doesn't like whole grains or grains in general causes me to get bloated. So whole grains, that's like oats, quinoa, bulgur, brown rice amaranth, things like that. And then potatoes, all potatoes. So doesn't matter the color. Those are rich in magnesium and then avocados. Avocados are my favorite. Like I have this I have an avocado blanket. I have an avocado pajama

Kerry: 14:14

I love it.

Vanessa: 14:15

And a lot of people that sometimes I just kind of see avocados as guacamole And they might not eat it all the time or just kind of like, what am I supposed to do with this avocado? And then fatty fish is rich in magnesium. So like salmon, trout, and depending on where someone lives, they might not have access to seafood or it might be really expensive. So that's another reason why I think people aren't getting enough magnesium. And then. Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds can be expensive and then people have allergies to nuts and seeds. And also like I'm missing something. Oh, dark green leafy veggies. So it's like spinach, kale, collard greens, chard. And then a lot of people don't even really like those or know really what to do with them. so those are magnesium rich foods.

Kerry: 15:02

I would say I get a lot of those foods But I'm unique great. I really like a lot of that stuff and I definitely love avocados though I don't have the avocado gear like you I do like it. Yeah. So what other things, you mentioned like a bunch of nutrient deficiencies or things like that. So what else would you say could be playing a role nutritionally in perimenopause?

Vanessa: 15:23

Definitely. Well, the nutrients, the minerals, minerals sometimes are forgotten about because I think I've heard this a lot is people say, well, I take a multivitamin. I'm like, right, you're taking a multivitamin, but are there minerals in your vitamin? minerals and vitamins are two different things. I'm happy that my multivitamin has actually five minerals in there. Zinc, chromium, selenium, manganese and iron. And then it's also polyphenols, which are a type of antioxidant. Are very beneficial to our adrenal glands, which release the cortisol are hypothalamus, which is our temperature regulator. So that's what causes the well, it's other things I caused the night sweats and the hot flashes. But what happens is when hormones shift, it confuses the hypothalamus and that along with really high cortisol and the adrenal glands getting affected is what causes those hot flashes and night sweats. The night sweats typically happen to women where their cortisol is really high at night. But the polyphenols come in and kind of gear up the hypothalamus, gear up the adrenal glands to help with those hot flashes. That's why like black cohosh, which is a a herb that's known to manage hot flashes and night sweats because it's a polyphenol and it's also helps boost our serotonin as well.

Kerry: 16:45

Interesting. Okay. I don't know if you've heard of these new drugs that treat hot flashes that they actually work on I think the serotonin pathway. It's really interesting to bring all that together, like with the nutritional component as well. Okay. So you mentioned also, well, first of all, you mentioned the magnesium and the polyphenols, which we can get from, you want to answer that question?

Vanessa: 17:07

So with the polyphenols, I typically narrow it down to common. Foods that were known like that. We are aware of because there's actually like over 5, 000 different types of polyphenols. And so I emphasize like green tea, black tea, berries. If someone can tolerate beans, that would be an option, but it really depends on like what I, how I work with people I don't say you have to eat this and only this, and this is what's going to help you. It really depends on the person. Ever since being a dietitian, I've always had clients. So I've helped, I want to say probably about 300 plus women with different things and all of them have had different individualized personalized plans. So it really depends on so many factors. So I tell people like my program is not a one diet fits all. It's looking at what your symptoms are, what your body's asking for, because everyone's different and getting your body the nutrients it needs. And then helping you incorporate those into your day to day living, changing any behaviors that need to be changed or eating habits and looking at what their barriers and challenges are to accomplishing their goals. Like it's a lot more than what people think. A lot of people think I just, if I had a dollar for every time someone said, Oh, you make meal plans, you just do meal plans. That's like saying a dentist just cleans teeth. Like there's so much more that goes into nutrition coaching. And honestly, I've never done a meal plan. Meal plans don't teach people anything. I want people to learn and have the tools they need. So when they get older, they know what to do. Like, Oh, Vanessa taught me this. I know exactly what to do because I remember Vanessa helping me with this and guiding me and supporting me with what I need to do. Because if I just tell someone what to eat for 30 days or whatever, it's not teaching them anything. They're not learning any new behaviors or new habits.

Kerry: 19:04

Yeah, no, I completely agree. Nutrition and changing, these habits is all a very personalized thing. And, and that's how I kind of work with our patients as well. Like no one gets one thing. I may certainly make recommendations, I will give education and then you kind of learn how your body works and then you choose what things that you can sustainably do. It's also why I like veer away from like for people who are doing weight loss like those pre packaged type things because once you stop those things you're never going to, you know, learn how to make that meal that is healthy for you, right? You may have success but it's not really long term usually. Yeah,

Vanessa: 19:41

Yeah, so I, yeah, so whatever, like, so I tell you, like, I'll be your cheerleader, like, whatever you need to reach your goals. I've done so much. I mean, I've, made videos for people if that's what they need. Like I've had people like, you know, Vanessa, I have absolutely no idea what to do in the kitchen. Like, can you help me? Like, sure, I'll help you with this. Because it's like, if that's what you need to reach your goals, because like I said, everyone is so different. I have so many examples I can talk about for days. But everyone is so different. I mean, I had somebody that she laughed at herself and said, I'm too hard. You can't help me. And I said, why, I asked her why she said that about herself and she couldn't answer the question. She's like, Oh, well, I'm just too hard. And after having a conversation with her, it really just came down to the fact that unfortunately, although she lived with six other people, they were not supportive at all. They were all instigators because there's a huge difference when you have someone saying, Well, we only have, we only have one life. What's the problem. Just eat it, just drink it. Like, what's the point if you can't be happy, like enjoy your food. And it's just this one time, I mean, there's, I've heard those personally, and I've heard other people tell me this, like words are very strong and there is a huge difference when you have someone saying, okay, what are we going to buy at the store today? What do you need me to do? What do you need me to help you with? Okay. So we're not going to eat this because you want to focus on your blood pressure and your weight. That is a huge difference versus someone just saying, Oh, come on, just eat it. Well, why can't you just eat it? Or what's the big deal? You need to finish your food. I mean, there's so much that goes on to different things. That's why I like, who do you live with? Like, who's your support system? Like who does the shopping? Because that's also a huge factor as well. So but yeah, it just came down to really like, she had no support and she didn't know how to stand up for herself. And that's really what all that's all she needed. And she was just like, Oh yeah, I just I bought my own food and I make my own food now. And she told me even her significant other kind of laughed at her, but it's like, well, you're not going to be spending so much money on medications now because you're doing a lot better. So it's just really how people see things what their perception is, but it can be so many different things.

Kerry: 22:13

Those are also important comments. And I think something going back to when you were saying something about the polyphenols, it sounded like you were kind of leading towards adding something into their diet or nutrition plan rather than, saying, Oh, you can't have this, that, or the other, but more making sure that they're getting those polyphenols and nutrients that maybe they're lacking really.

Vanessa: 22:33

Yeah, so the way I go about it is I always ask someone before we even start with the recommendations, like what foods do you absolutely not like and why, because that's different for everybody. It could be a texture thing, could be a smell thing, it could be their parents kind of forcing them to eat it when they were kids. It was like traumatic. It could be anything. And then Go into like how they do eat now. And then it's like, okay, these foods are rich in polyphenols. What are you willing to try? What do you like? What do you not like and why, or have you ever had these? And then how can we incorporate those into your day to day life?

Kerry: 23:11

Perfect. Yeah. Just kind of adding them back in. I like that

Vanessa: 23:14

Yeah. Cause like I said, for me, unfortunately, I love oats, but now my body's just like, Heck no, we're just gonna make you look like you're pregnant and make you uncomfortable when you eat oats now. I mean, I love oats, but my body's just like, nope. So I eat that like maybe once a week. Cause like I said, I just love oatmeal and it's like, okay, beans are very nutrient dense, but I'm happy I can do lentils still. But like, Other ones, no. I mean, my body's just like, no. So that takes away a lot of nutrients from my diet. So it's like, hey, how can I replace those with other foods that my body does agree with? So,

Kerry: 23:52

Yeah. Yeah. Those are really important concepts. I mean, when I'm working with someone, I often tell them, you know, you don't need to eat what you don't like, what doesn't make you feel good, and what you're allergic to,

Vanessa: 24:04

Right. I, yes, that's a good point. I'm glad that you, yeah, I'm glad that you say that, because I tell people, too, like, I don't believe in eating foods you don't like. Unless you feel like you really just want to force yourself, then that's an okay but let's maybe first try other things because I personally cannot stand Brussels sprouts, I'll be more than happy to cook them for my boyfriend but I don't want, I won't eat them. I don't want to smell them. But and I'm like I can get nutrients from the Brussels sprouts from other foods because I just They make me just wanna vomit, so I just

Kerry: 24:41

I'm laughing too. I used to be on the anti Brussels sprout movement. And then somewhere when I lived in Baltimore, one of the restaurants up there cooked them in a different way and they were actually really good. So. I haven't had one probably since, but it was since I moved from Baltimore. But I agree and for some reason that's such a hated vegetable our poor Brussels sprouts.

Vanessa: 25:02

I know. For me, it's more, honestly it's more the smell.

Kerry: 25:06

Yeah.

Vanessa: 25:07

It's just so overwhelming. It makes me gag It's like, can't even get into my mouth.

Kerry: 25:13

Well, I don't think you need to be cooking them for someone else then if it's the smell for sure.

Vanessa: 25:17

It's okay. But I just at a certain point. I'm just like, I can't deal with these. Mm-Hmm.

Kerry: 25:22

So you mentioned elevated cortisol and how that affects everything. How do you coach people with your clients? How do help them get the cortisol down?

Vanessa: 25:31

Okay. So. It depends on what's going on. But so the foods and nutrients that will raise cortisol or alcohol, caffeine, sugar processed foods, junk foods. So I tell people like the amount that actually affects someone looks different for everybody. Cause let's say somebody's drinking like a cup of coffee a day. I probably won't like and that's something that they just really enjoy. I probably won't say like we need to change that. I'll just ask them like what I know people drink coffee so they can stay awake, but it's like, would you be willing to cut back on the coffee or is that something that you just absolutely have, like, you feel like you just really want to do and you don't want to touch that, like, so I always ask them like what they want to do and how they want to be and like what they are comfortable doing. And so then it's kind of looking like, okay, so you don't want to touch the coffee. Then we'll have to compromise and maybe reduce your sugar intake or processed food intake. Also, I always look at how they're sleeping because if they're Not balancing out their nervous system at night like I call sleeping like a spa day for the nervous system. So that also plays a huge role. And then I'll look at like if they are even drinking and seeing like what we can do with that if it's leisure or not, not an addiction.

Kerry: 26:54

Mm hmm, mm hmm. Yeah, those are, those are really good points as well. I think that I don't, I don't know, I didn't know the direct relationship between those things elevating cortisol, so that's interesting, but it clearly, it very well could be.

Vanessa: 27:08

Yeah, and then there's also nutrients that can help lower the cortisol balance out the cortisol like we gotta make sure adrenal glands are getting enough vitamin C, zinc like I was saying the polyphenols, vitamin E. Vitamin E is also technically an antioxidant, although it's a vitamin as well but it's a lot of things that's why I like my, my program is six months. So I call it a six month journey. Because things don't, as you know, things don't just change overnight. Especially if someone's been doing the same thing for 2030 years, that doesn't change overnight so it's a lot of personal one on one, like, okay, what do you need me to do for you? And how, what, how can I help you with your goals and what you want your life to be? Yes,

Kerry: 27:56

So this is your program, might as well bring that up, but, so it's individual coaching, not group, correct? Okay,

Vanessa: 28:01

yes, it's all individual. Mm hmm. Person one on,

Kerry: 28:05

on, okay, simple and effective strategies that women can change to make their perimenopausal journey healthier and feel better, right? Okay.

Vanessa: 28:16

My whole thing is getting them to thrive, be happy, enjoy life. A lot of, I mean, I'm, I'm, I know some people are talking about a lot more, but it's like, how do those hormonal changes affect your day to day life? I saw on Instagram that I believe it was Every year, there's 1. 8 billion dollars lost in work, like work time. So like if someone skips work because of their symptoms, it's like they're losing money and also their relationships. It's like, how's that affecting your relationship with your friends and your significant other? It really does affect their life. And I feel like people are talking about it a little bit more, but I also talk about those things. It's like, we have to look at perimenopause and menopause as a whole, not just. the symptoms, not just like, okay, well, I'm having hot flashes and it's annoying. It's like, okay, how does that really make you feel? It's frustrating. You have to, if you're working, you got to go to the bathroom and change. And you might not want to go out to socialize because you're embarrassed. And it's like, you're missing out on hanging out with friends or family. It's, it really does affect women's lives a lot.

Kerry: 29:27

It's a huge, period in women's lives that, you know, puberty and pregnancy and women we got a little bit difficult job with all the different hormonal changes that go on throughout our lifelong journey. Yeah. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our listeners today?

Vanessa: 29:45

sometimes I get asked a lot like, Oh, what should I eat? And it's like, well, everyone's different, but I definitely say like the magnesium is something that's really important because like I said, if the brain doesn't have it enough magnesium, it's going to struggle to make sure the body's getting enough neurotransmitters. So kind of like, I usually tell people honestly to kind of like write out what they're eating or even like voice clip it and kind of play it back. To see like, okay, I'm really not like eating much magnesium rich foods now that I kind of talk about it or write it out. So that kind of gives people a better idea because I usually tell people first to see how they can get it from their food. If they can get it from their food, then we'll look at a supplement because the magnesium supplements don't agree with everybody because it is also a muscle relactant. And it can make people like have loose stool and like run to the bathroom so they can't just get like any supplement like I tell people, not all supplements are created equally. Also depends on how your stomach absorbs the supplement because some people like I said have adverse reactions just doesn't agree with them. So,

Kerry: 30:52

to discuss which, which the supplements are?

Vanessa: 30:56

So some people will just look at like, Oh, what their friends taking or they see online and then just go and get it and not understanding that, like, it's a muscle relactant. So like our muscles need magnesium to also relax. If we have too much like if we take too much magnesium because a lot of people don't understand that when you have a supplement, either a vitamin mineral or something else, You're going to be taking a lot more than what the daily recommended amount is, because either supplements are usually needed if there's a deficiency, if there's something low and your body needs a lot more of it. For example, like iron, we only need about 18 milligrams a day. But if someone's deficient, a supplement is going to be 65 milligrams. That's going to be a lot more than what we actually need. So when people go out and they just get like, oh, I can just supplement this and they're actually getting a lot more than what they need that can cause adverse effects or reactions because Although I feel like a lot of people think, oh, well, I'm just going to pee this out. And it doesn't always, yes, technically we will, but it depends on the vitamin, the mineral. So people don't always just want to rush out and get a supplement and just expect that they're going to have the same reaction as their friend or someone else on social media because a lot of women do take magnesium for like sleep because magnesium needs to make serotonin to make melatonin. But depending on, you know, how much they take, because they might not be familiar, like, oh, I'm just going to take extra so I can sleep really well. Then it's like they get stomach issues and then they have diarrhea. It's like then that defeats the purpose of the magnesium and then they're losing electrolytes and water and nutrients. So.

Kerry: 32:42

So just to state a couple things. The supplements that you're normally peeing out, usually definitely the water soluble vitamins, you know, you would pee that out. Like B12 is a great example. Like if you're getting B12 injections for whatever reason, or taking a lot of supplement, you're just going to pee out that extra. So that doesn't really, hurt you, but it's definitely not helping. It's usually a waste of money.

Vanessa: 33:04

So yeah, my mom actually overdosed on B12. so she was,

Kerry: 33:07

but that's a, yeah,

Vanessa: 33:09

she was taking, so the problem is I call her a raisin. She doesn't, she probably, this is like 20 ounces she probably drinks this much water in the entire day. So

Kerry: 33:20

that's a problem. You're not going to pee it out if you're not making any urine.

Vanessa: 33:25

was the problem is she was taking her multivitamin had a lot of B12 because it was a women's multivitamin. So we need more B vitamins for our metabolism support. Then she was taking a hair, skin, and nail supplement, which had B12. Then she was taking additional B12. So she was taking, I think when I added up the percentages, It was like over, I think it was over like 200, 000 percent more than what she needed in the day.

Kerry: 33:57

Okay.

Vanessa: 33:58

I know. And then, so on top of that, she was only drinking like this much water. So what happened actually, I mean, that's a whole story in itself, but she pretty much compromised her skin. So when I tell people like, if you are taking a B vitamin, especially biotin, and you're not drinking enough water to get it out, it compromises your skin. So some people, they take biotin for their hair, skin, and nails. They break out or they'll get rashes because they're not drinking enough water to get rid of it. And so my mom was just like, Oh, I'll just pee it out. It's fine. I'm like,

Kerry: 34:32

Yeah. You got to make the urine in order to pee it out. And if you're not drinking enough, you won't

Vanessa: 34:36

that's a whole that's a whole other story in itself. But yeah

Kerry: 34:39

and then you also mentioned the different magnesium citrate. So magnesium glycinate is known not to have like that diarrhea like side effect and then magnesium citrate is, and there's one more that I think I can't think of right now, but those ones are definitely more risky for people who don't have like constipation that don't want to have GI side effects. So usually the glycinate one is more friendly and that's the one I usually recommend Like supplements for sleep, headache, cramps, whatever, you know,

Vanessa: 35:09

yeah, and it's really whatever they're comfortable doing because like I met someone she she was like I'm taking eight supplements a day I don't want to be taking 8 supplements a day and it's just because of what she saw on social media and it's like, do I need this? Do we need that? And it's like, like I actually just made a video and I'm going to post later. It's like not everyone needs to take a vitamin D supplement. Not everyone needs to take probiotics. It's just for my, for what I do for me is going to look so different for, for you and for other people. Like, that's what I always emphasize.

Kerry: 35:40

Personalized healthcare, that's where it's coming, right? All right, so where can people find you if they want to work with you?

Vanessa: 35:46

So Instagram. So my Instagram it's menopause. prep and it's actually my logo. And then they'll see when they click on my page, you'll see my cute, nerdy face. And so they can contact me there. And that's really the best part. I don't have a website, but I'm very active on Instagram. And then, I mean, I can give you my email my phone number if you want, but I'm very open like people can have my phone number. It's 561 316 0402 and then my email is info at menopause prep. com

Kerry: 36:20

Awesome. All right, I think we have all that to include in our show notes, so we will do that. Any last words for our listeners?

Vanessa: 36:27

I don't think so. I always emphasize people to Like I'm very, I'm a very open person, like, I don't believe there's any such thing as like a dumb question or stupid question because people only know what they know. And in my years of being a dietitian I've worked with people of all ages. And it's just like, there comes to a point where age is just a number and it's whatever you learned as a person growing up as an adult or what you learned as a child sticks with you. And so you only know what you know. And if you're looking to increase your knowledge, there's no harm in asking questions. And I always tell people, you know, your body best. So if you feel like something's going on, then advocate for yourself and stand up for yourself and get the help that you need.

Kerry: 37:14

I like that. Before I say thank you, please tell everybody wherever they are, who can work with you. Cause we talked about that before we came on, but not while we were recording. So yeah, where do they have to be and all that.

Vanessa: 37:27

Oh, so anyone can work with me like outside of Florida. The only time somebody cannot work with me is if they are looking to get nutritional help for like blood pressure, kidney, or diabetes, because that would be considered medical nutrition therapy. And I can only practice that inside of Florida. So what's good is like, if someone has like a lot of stuff going on, like they have perimenopause going on, they also have diabetes or like high blood pressure and they want help with that as well, they don't have to hire another dietitian. I can help them with that. So It's really good value if someone really wants to prioritize their health like all aspects of their health, but with the perimenopause symptoms or the menopause symptoms, if they live outside of Florida, I can still help them with that.

Kerry: 38:22

Perfect. Okay. Just wanted to clarify. So that's great. Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today, Vanessa. I really appreciate your time and expertise and yeah, everybody stay tuned for next week. And please enjoy your day.