The Habit Healers

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• What If Everything You Know About Fiber Is Wrong? 05.07.2026 13分

  Everyone is talking about fibermaxxing right now, but here is what most of the advice gets wrong: piling on grams of fiber does almost nothing if you are only eating one kind. The word “fiber” on a nutrition label barely tells you what it will actually do inside your body.In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk you through why the old “soluble versus insoluble fiber” framework is misleading, and the two properties that actually predict what a fiber does: whether it forms a gel, and whether your gut bacteria can ferment it. I break it down into a simple system you can use at the grocery store: GEL, FEED, SWEEP. Gel-forming fibers like oats and psyllium lower LDL cholesterol and steady your blood sugar. Fermentable fibers like resistant starch feed your gut microbiome and produce short-chain fatty acids like butyrate. And sweep fibers keep everything moving. I also share why fiber diversity, paired with fermented foods, may do more for your gut health than simply eating more.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, a lifestyle medicine physician, and my goal is always to turn the science into something you can actually live by. If you have ever added fiber and felt nothing change, or felt worse, this episode explains why, and exactly what to do this week.What you’ll learn:* Why “soluble versus insoluble fiber” is the wrong way to think about it* How gel-forming fiber like oat beta-glucan and psyllium lowers LDL cholesterol* What resistant starch and prebiotic fiber do for your gut microbiome* Why short-chain fatty acids like butyrate matter for your colon and your brain* How fiber diversity and fermented foods beat just adding grams* A simple Monday plan to bring all three fiber types onto your plateDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-everything-you-know-aboutCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• A Doctor’s Field Guide to Eating Well on the Road (No Perfect Food Required) 04.07.2026 21分

  Why does eating out on vacation wreck your blood sugar, even when you order the “healthy” thing? In this episode I explain how to eat well while traveling without chasing perfection, using a mindset borrowed from doctors who practice in the world’s hardest places.Here’s what I want you to know: travel doesn’t just change what you eat, it changes the biological conditions your body uses to process every meal. Your circadian rhythm makes evening glucose tolerance worse. Jet lag scrambles your gut bacteria. The first night in a new room steals your deep sleep. And the people at your table quietly pull your portions toward theirs. Once you see the terrain, the usual advice about counting menu calories falls apart.So instead, I walk you through the handful of moves that actually hold up on the road. We talk about meal sequencing, eating your vegetables and protein before the starch, why eating slowly matters as much as what’s on the plate, the power of a short walk after dinner, and how to protect your sleep and your gut when you’re crossing time zones. These are small, flexible habits, not rigid rules that shatter the first time you slip.In this episode, you’ll learn:* Why your body handles a late restaurant dinner worse than the same meal at home* How meal sequencing, eating vegetables and protein first, blunts post-meal blood sugar spikes* Why eating slowly can cut your after-dinner glucose response dramatically* How a 10-minute walk after dinner supports metabolic health on the go* How jet lag affects your gut bacteria, and how to recover faster* Simple sleep and meal-timing strategies for healthy travel across time zonesDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/a-doctors-field-guide-to-eating-wellCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What If the Fix for Your Back, Your Knees, and Your Balance Is the Muscle You're Sitting On? 03.07.2026 17分

  Could weak glutes be the hidden reason behind your low back pain, aching knees, and shaky balance? If you sit most of the day, your glute muscles may have quietly stopped firing, a problem sometimes called dead butt syndrome or gluteal amnesia, and the effects reach a lot further than a flat backside.In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and I want to walk you through what actually happens when the largest, most powerful muscle in your body checks out. We’ll talk about why your hamstrings, lower back, and knees end up overworked and injured when your glutes go offline, what the research shows about a simple ten-second one-leg balance test and what it can reveal about your long-term health, and how arthrogenic inhibition can dial your glutes down without you ever knowing. Then I’ll give you a clear, three-phase plan to rebuild glute strength and re-train the right muscles to fire at the right time, using simple moves like glute bridges, step-ups, side-lying hip work, and short movement snacks you can do at your desk.In this episode, you’ll learn:* What dead butt syndrome and gluteal amnesia really are, and why sitting causes weak glutes* How weak glutes contribute to low back pain, knee pain, and IT band issues* Why a ten-second single-leg balance test matters for fall risk and longevity* How to do glute bridges, step-ups, and banded lateral walks with correct form* A simple three-phase routine to strengthen your gluteus maximus and gluteus medius* How two-minute movement snacks keep your glutes active between workoutsDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-the-fix-for-your-back-your?r=4t8jxgCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What If Fourteen Risk Factors Explained Nearly Half of All Dementia, and You Could Change Every One? 02.07.2026 24分

  Nearly half of all dementia cases are linked to risk factors you can actually do something about, and most of them have nothing to do with your genes. In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I break down the 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia identified by the 2024 Lancet Commission, and exactly what they mean for protecting your brain.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician, and I want to make dementia prevention feel doable instead of frightening. We’ll talk through why seven of these factors are metabolic or vascular, which means the same habits that steady your blood sugar, lower your LDL cholesterol, and protect your heart are quietly building a brain that resists Alzheimer’s disease. I’ll cover the everyday habits that move the needle most, from exercise and a plant-forward Mediterranean diet to sleep, social connection, and stress management. Then I’ll walk you through the appointments worth booking and the exact numbers to ask your doctor about, because the brain-protective target is often more aggressive than standard care. This is practical, science-forward brain health you can start using today.What you’ll learn in this episode:* Why 45 percent of dementia cases are tied to modifiable risk factors, and what that means for you* How exercise and a Mediterranean diet protect against cognitive decline* Why hearing loss and high LDL cholesterol are two of the biggest risk factors for dementia* The blood pressure, A1c, and cholesterol numbers to ask your doctor about for brain health* How sleep helps clear the proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease* Simple first steps to lower your dementia risk starting this weekDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-fourteen-risk-factors-explained?r=4t8jxgCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• Your Body Has a Built-In Blood Sugar Sponge. It's in Your Calf. 01.07.2026 11分

  Can you lower your blood sugar while sitting? It turns out there’s a small muscle in your calf that may let you do exactly that, and almost no one has heard of it. In this episode I break down the soleus push-up, a seated movement that helped blunt after-meal blood sugar spikes by up to 52 percent in early research.Most of us sit for ten or more hours a day, and we’ve all been told the fix is to stand up and walk. That works, but it isn’t always realistic in the middle of a workday. What the research on the soleus muscle shows is something different and a little surprising: this one muscle is built almost entirely from slow-twitch endurance fibers, which means it can quietly pull glucose straight out of your bloodstream for hours without getting tired. I’ll walk you through what the studies actually found, where the science is still early and unproven, and exactly how to do the movement yourself while you read email or sit in a meeting. This is lifestyle medicine at its most practical: a small, painless habit you add to time you were already going to spend sitting.What you’ll learn in this episode:* Why the soleus muscle handles blood sugar differently than any other muscle in your body* What the soleus push-up is and how to do it correctly with your knee bent at 90 degrees* How seated calf movement may improve post-meal blood sugar and insulin sensitivity* What the early research says, and why it isn’t proven yet* A simple way to start building this habit during long periods of sittingDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/your-body-has-a-built-in-blood-sugarCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• There Are Only Three Steps Between You and a Stronger Body. Most People Skip the Third. 30.06.2026 21分

  Why does some people’s strength training transform their body while yours just leaves you sore? If you’ve ever wondered why your workouts aren’t working, this episode is for you. I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and today on The Habit Healers Podcast I’m using one of the oldest crafts on earth, blacksmithing, to explain exactly how your body builds muscle, energy, and strength at any age.The science of building muscle runs on the same cycle a smith uses at the forge: a training signal, the biological remodeling that follows, and the recovery phase where the change actually sets. Most people pour everything into the first two and cut the third one short. That’s the mistake we fix today. I walk you through why mechanical tension, not time on the treadmill, is what tells your muscles to grow, why your first month of strength gains comes from your nervous system before your muscles ever change size, and why recovery is the step that turns effort into something that lasts.And if you’re over 50, 60, or 70, here’s the part I most want you to hear: the largest review ever done on this confirms your body can still build new muscle and mitochondria, regardless of age, sex, or menopause.In this episode, you’ll learn:* Why resistance training, not cardio alone, sends the real signal to build muscle after 50* How progressive overload refines your body the way repeated forge cycles refine steel* Why the protein synthesis and recovery window means spacing sessions 48 hours apart* How sleep drives the muscle repair and growth hormone release you can’t train without* The early warning signs of overtraining and what to do when you see them* A simple 4-week plan to start or restart strength training the right wayDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/there-are-only-three-steps-betweenCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• This Type of Inflammation Slows Aging. The Other Type Accelerates It. 29.06.2026 25分

  Chronic inflammation is one of the biggest hidden drivers of aging, heart disease, and metabolic decline, and most of us have no idea where we stand. In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m walking you through “inflammaging,” the slow, silent rise in inflammation that accumulates as we age, using a surprising parallel from nature that finally makes the whole process click.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and what I want you to understand today is that the inflammatory molecules damaging your tissues are the same ones that protect you when you’re sick or injured. The difference is the dose. We’ll talk about why one population with the highest inflammation researchers have ever measured also has the healthiest hearts on Earth, why the same molecule from exercise heals you while the same molecule from belly fat harms you, and why your blood markers may not budge for months after you start doing the right things. Then I’ll give you a clear, practical protocol you can actually follow.In this episode, you’ll learn:* What inflammaging is and how chronic inflammation accelerates aging and heart disease* How to measure your own inflammation with a simple hs-CRP test and waist measurement* Why visceral fat acts like a faucet feeding low-grade inflammation* How an anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean and plant-predominant diet lowers your markers* Why exercise and muscle are your body’s natural anti-inflammatory filtration system* How long it really takes to see results, and why the lag is normalDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/this-type-of-inflammation-slows-agingCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What If Nine Two-Minute Habits Gave You a 50% Survival Advantage? 28.06.2026 11分

  Loneliness is now considered a health risk on the level of smoking, and most of us have no idea how much modern life has quietly stripped human connection out of our days. In this episode, I break down what social disconnection actually does to your body, and the nine small habits that can rebuild it.We’ve engineered face-to-face contact out of almost everything: banking, groceries, work. Each change solved a real problem, and each one removed a small moment of connection. But the research here is striking. People with stronger social connection have a 50% greater likelihood of survival, and that effect is largest for people woven into a community, not just those who live with someone. On the other side, social isolation is linked to chronic inflammation, the same low-grade stress response tied to heart disease, metabolic dysfunction, and dementia.The good news is that the fix is made of tiny, repeatable behaviors. I walk you through all nine, from a daily appreciation text to the surprising power of weak ties, why we underestimate how much connection helps, and how to actually start this Monday.What you’ll learn in this episode:* Why social connection rivals smoking and high blood pressure as a longevity factor* How social isolation drives chronic inflammation and long-term disease risk* The prediction error that keeps us from reaching out, even when we want to* Why weak ties and small interactions boost happiness and belonging* Nine simple, science-backed habits to feel less lonely and more connected* How to pick one habit and make it stick for seven daysDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-nine-two-minute-habits-gaveCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• Your Brain Has a Volume Knob for Food Noise. Here's How to Turn It Down. 27.06.2026 27分

  If your brain won’t stop thinking about food, even when you’re not hungry, you’re experiencing something researchers now call food noise. In this episode, I explain what food noise actually is, why GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro quiet it, and how to turn down the volume naturally, with or without medication.For years, constant thoughts about food got blamed on willpower and poor self-control. The science tells a different story. Food noise is a gain problem in the brain’s reward system, more like tinnitus than hunger, and I’ll walk you through the surprising research that proves it, including a study that measured the actual brain frequency of food preoccupation. I’ll also explain why GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide work more like masking than a cure, why food noise often returns when people stop the medication, and what the latest research says about building habits that last. If you’ve ever felt like food cravings and intrusive food thoughts run in the background of your whole day, this one is for you.What you’ll learn:* What food noise really is, and why it feels different from normal hunger* How GLP-1 medications like Ozempic quiet food noise, and why the effect can fade* The tinnitus and “central gain” connection that explains intrusive food thoughts* How ultra-processed foods crank up your brain’s reward system* Five science-backed ways to reduce food cravings and food noise naturally* Why food noise was never a character flaw, and how to retrain your brainDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/your-brain-has-a-volume-knob-forCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What If the First Sign of Alzheimer's Isn't Forgetting? 26.06.2026 17分

  Your sense of smell may be one of the earliest warning signs for brain health and cognitive decline, and almost no one is paying attention to it. In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I explain why smell training could be one of the simplest things you do for your brain.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and in this episode I walk you through the surprising science connecting your nose to your memory. Smell is the only sense with a direct pathway to the brain’s memory center, the same regions Alzheimer’s disease tends to damage first. Research shows that a declining sense of smell can predict dementia risk years before symptoms appear, and that olfactory training, the simple practice of actively sniffing a few familiar scents each day, may strengthen those vulnerable brain regions. We look at what the studies on essential oils, smell training, and brain plasticity actually found, where the evidence is strong, and where it’s still early. Then I give you a practical two-minute smell practice you can start today with four jars and a few minutes of focus.Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:* Why your sense of smell is a direct line to memory and emotion in the brain* How a declining sense of smell can be an early warning sign of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease* What the research on smell training and olfactory enrichment shows about brain health* The surprising link between scent, inflammation, and the immune system* A simple two-minute smell practice using four scents you may already have at home* When a sudden loss of smell is worth talking to your doctor aboutDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-the-first-sign-of-alzheimersCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• Can a Muffin Really Be Good for Your Blood Sugar, Your Waistline, Your Wallet, and Your Taste Buds? 26.06.2026 46分

  I have a confession. When someone describes a baked good as “healthy,” my expectations drop. I start picturing dense, dry things that taste like obligation. The kind of food you eat because you should, not because you actually want to.This week’s live cooking session with Chef Martin Oswald changed that. He walked the audience through a muffin recipe where every ingredient pulls double duty, and I spent the rest of the day thinking about it because it was flat-out delicious.It started with a bag of sunflower seeds.Most people walk right past sunflower seeds at the store. They’re not glamorous like cashews or trendy like almonds. But sunflower seeds are the cheapest nut or seed you can buy, and they’re rich in vitamin E and antioxidants that help protect your DNA by neutralizing free radicals. When you blend them with water in a high-powered blender, they turn into a creamy seed butter that replaces dairy butter in baking. And by the time you account for the water, that seed butter actually costs less than the dairy butter it replaces, while also delivering protein and fiber.Every Ingredient Doing Double DutyEvery ingredient in this recipe has to earn its place twice.The ground flaxseed mixed with water becomes a flax egg that replaces the binding power of a regular egg, but flaxseed also brings omega-3 fatty acids and fiber to the muffin. The apple puree adds moisture and natural sweetness, and the pectin in the apple skin acts as a natural gelling agent that holds everything together. I pointed out during the session that pectin also binds cholesterol in your digestive tract when you eat it.The apple cider vinegar sounds alarming in a muffin, but it reacts with the baking soda to help the muffin rise, and it adds a depth of flavor you can’t quite identify but would miss if it weren’t there. Martin mentioned that old grandmother recipes often include it, and you’ll never taste it in the finished product.The sweetener is whole dates, blended right into the wet ingredients. Martin was honest with the audience about the balance involved. If you’re managing diabetes or actively trying to lose weight, you might use fewer dates. You want enough sweetness to enjoy the muffin, but not so much that it works against you.A Few Techniques Worth Watching the Replay ForMartin toasted the sunflower seeds before anything else, at low heat for about eight minutes, until they were just lightly golden rather than dark brown the way you’d toast hazelnuts. Even though the seeds will bake inside the muffin, pre-toasting gives them a completely different flavor. He challenged the audience to try one muffin with toasted seeds and one without.He sifted the whole wheat flour before mixing it with the baking powder and baking soda, not to remove the fiber or make it behave like white flour, but to aerate it. Sifting breaks up the clumps and introduces air, which helps the muffin rise more evenly in the oven.Martin also tasted the batter partway through and realized he’d forgotten the vanilla. Chefs taste constantly while they cook, not because they’re hungry, but because tasting is the only reliable way to catch what’s missing, and even an experienced professional forgets things.When he mixed the wet and dry ingredients by hand, he stressed scraping from the bottom of the bowl each time. Flour accumulates at the bottom and in the corners, and if you don’t scoop it out, you end up with dry pockets in your muffins. Clean the bowl, he kept saying. Always clean the bowl.No Squishy MuffinsMartin declared this the “no squishy muffin zone.” He wants every bite to have something to encounter, a crunch or a chew that keeps things interesting.He folded whole toasted sunflower seeds and dried barberries into the finished batter. Barberries are a less common choice than raisins, but Martin prefers them because they contain berberine, a compound that research has connected to blood sugar regulation. He also mentioned that you could swap in diced dried apricots or prunes, and that prunes in particular work well for anyone dealing with digestive issues.The Macerated Apricot ToppingWhile the muffins baked for 25 minutes, Martin demonstrated a macerated apricot topping that brought the whole thing to restaurant level.Macerating fruit means tossing sliced fruit with a little sweetener and citrus to draw out the natural juices. Martin sliced fresh apricots thin, emphasizing that the slices need enough surface area to actually release their juice. He tossed them with about two teaspoons of maple syrup and a squeeze of fresh lemon, then let everything sit while the muffins baked.Then he took a single leaf of fresh basil, rolled it tightly and sliced it into thin ribbons before folding them into the apricots. Most people wouldn’t think of basil in a dessert, but Martin told the audience it’s common in high-end restaurant kitchens. The amount is tiny, just a few ribbons, but it creates a flavor you notice without being able to name.He plated the finished muffin with the macerated apricots and a dollop of vanilla plant-based yogurt, finishing with barberries scattered on top and a drizzle of the apricot juice right onto the cut muffin. I wanted to reach through the screen.The Recipe at a GlanceThe full recipe with exact measurements has been published on Chef Martin’s Substack. For those of you who were taking notes during the live, here’s what went into the muffins.The wet ingredients all go into a high-powered blender and get pureed until smooth. Martin used one cup of toasted sunflower seeds, one cup of water, three tablespoons of ground flaxseed, three-quarters of a cup of apple puree (made with the peel on for pectin), one cup of pitted dates, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and about two tablespoons of vanilla extract.The dry ingredients get sifted and mixed separately. He used one and a quarter cups of whole wheat flour, half a teaspoon of baking soda, and two teaspoons of baking powder.Fold the wet into the dry by hand, scraping the bowl as you go. Add whole toasted sunflower seeds and a couple tablespoons of dried barberries for texture. Spoon into muffin cups (Martin recommended a light spray of natural oil or using silicone molds to prevent sticking), tap the tin gently to release air pockets, and bake for 25 minutes.For the macerated apricot topping, slice fresh apricots thin, toss with maple syrup and lemon juice, add thin ribbons of fresh basil, and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes.If You Need to Adapt the RecipeIf you don’t have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you can substitute store-bought sunflower seed butter for the whole sunflower seeds. Cashew butter works similarly, though the flavor will shift a bit. Peanut butter is another option, though Martin noted it changes the recipe more.For a gluten-free version, he recommended using a quality gluten-free flour blend, one that combines multiple flours rather than relying on rice flour alone, and adding psyllium husk as a binder. Without gluten, the muffin needs something else to hold it together, and psyllium husk creates a gel when it contacts liquid that does exactly that.Why This One MattersI spend a lot of time thinking about what makes a recipe actually sustainable for people working on their metabolic health. A recipe can taste amazing, but if it costs too much or spikes your blood sugar or takes all afternoon, you’re not going to make it twice. This muffin doesn’t have any of those problems. Sunflower seeds are the cheapest option in the nut and seed aisle, and dates provide sweetness without refined sugar. The whole wheat flour and flaxseed bring fiber that slows glucose absorption. The whole thing comes together in about 35 minutes, bake time included.If you want to watch the full session and see Martin walk through every step, the video replay is right above this article.And if this kind of recipe is what you’ve been looking for, I’d love for you to join us inside The Habit Healers community on Skool. We built it around reversing insulin resistance, and it includes the Insulin Resistance Reversal Roadmap course to guide you through the process, Chef Martin’s full Healing Kitchen recipe vault with all of his cooking videos and recipes, and my weekly live Tuesday sessions where we dig into the science behind metabolic health. It’s the place where recipes like this one connect to the bigger picture of getting your health back. Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What Are the Atrial Fibrillation Triggers Hiding in a Healthy Lifestyle? 25.06.2026 16分

  Why are so many healthy, active women being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation? If you or someone you love recently got an AFib diagnosis and can’t understand why, this episode is for you.In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I answer a letter from a longtime reader: three active women in their seventies, all diagnosed with afib in the same year, all already eating well and staying active. I walk through why atrial fibrillation is reaching people who seem to be doing everything right, and why the usual risk-factor list doesn’t tell the whole story. We get into the hidden drivers of AFib that so often get missed, including blood pressure that looks normal but isn’t, visceral and epicardial fat, alcohol, sleep apnea in women, subclinical thyroid changes, blood sugar, and the surprising link between high-volume endurance exercise and heart rhythm problems. I also explain why afib in women is diagnosed so late, what menopause has to do with it, and most importantly, what the research actually shows about improving your rhythm through lifestyle, even after a diagnosis.What you’ll learn in this episode:* Why atrial fibrillation is rising in healthy, active people and postmenopausal women* The hidden AFib risk factors that most people, and even some doctors, miss* How blood pressure, visceral fat, alcohol, and sleep apnea quietly drive heart rhythm problems* Why high-volume endurance exercise can actually increase afib risk* What the LEGACY and ARREST-AF studies reveal about reversing afib naturally through lifestyle changes* Why the first 90 days after an AFib diagnosis matter more than you’d thinkDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-are-the-atrial-fibrillationCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• The 4-Part Food Plan That Dropped Her Cholesterol 29 Points 24.06.2026 45分

  After 50 years of eating plant-based, my guest, Victoria Moran, was already doing almost everything right, and her cholesterol still had room to drop. Then she added four specific things to her plate, and her total cholesterol fell from 156 to 127. No statin.In my practice, I hear the same frustration constantly: "I eat clean, so why are my numbers stuck?" Victoria's story shows that the Portfolio Diet, a food-first approach developed by Dr. David Jenkins, can move the needle even for people who think they have already maxed out their diets. This is also a conversation about aging well, because at 76, Victoria is living proof, and her own yoga teacher is 101 and still teaching a class every week.Victoria's Website: https://www.victoriamoran.com Main Street Vegan Academy: https://www.mainstreetvegan.com Victoria's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VictoriaMoranNYC Dr. Marbas Substack: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/Check out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What Are the 8 Tests Your Doctor Overlooks That Predict More About Your Health Than Your Standard Labs? 23.06.2026 19分

  Your doctor said your bloodwork looks normal. But normal only describes what they actually tested. In this episode I walk you through eight tests your annual physical almost never includes, four blood markers and four at-home assessments, that reveal not just where your health stands but where it’s heading.We start with the blood tests your standard panel leaves off. I explain why fasting insulin and HOMA-IR can flag insulin resistance years before your glucose ever moves, why ApoB counts the particles that actually drive cardiovascular risk while LDL only measures the cargo, why Lp(a) is a once-in-a-lifetime genetic test that one in five people need, and why hsCRP catches the inflammation half of heart disease that cholesterol numbers miss entirely. Then we shift to four things you can measure in your living room in under five minutes: grip strength, single-leg balance, gait speed, and the chair sit-to-stand. Each one has been tied in large studies to how well you’re aging, and not one shows up at a routine visit.This is the conversation I wish every patient could have before they walk in for their next physical.What you’ll learn:* Why fasting insulin and HOMA-IR detect insulin resistance long before standard glucose tests* How ApoB and Lp(a) sharpen your true cardiovascular risk beyond LDL cholesterol* What hsCRP reveals about inflammation and heart health* Four at-home longevity tests: grip strength, balance, gait speed, and sit-to-stand* The exact metabolic health markers to request at your next appointmentDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-are-the-8-tests-your-doctorCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What If the Best Workout You Could Do Took Less Than Five Minutes and Happened in Your Kitchen? 22.06.2026 18分

  What if you could stay strong, steady, and independent as you age without ever setting foot in a gym? In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I break down the science of NEAT, non-exercise activity thermogenesis, and exercise snacking, and how tiny bursts of movement woven into your day can lower your risk of early death as much as a structured workout.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and one of the most freeing things I’ve learned in lifestyle medicine is that staying fit as you age isn’t really about willpower or gym memberships. The research shows that a few minutes of movement scattered through your normal day, while the kettle heats, while the microwave runs, while you carry groceries in from the car, can protect your heart, your blood sugar, your balance, and your ability to live on your own terms for decades. I walk you through nine simple movements you can anchor to routines you already have, from calf raises at the counter to a bathroom squat to a one-leg balance, each one targeting a quality that predicts how well you’ll age. You don’t need all nine. You just need one. Let’s talk about what the science actually says.What you’ll learn in this episode:* Why NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) burns more daily calories than exercise for most people* How just three and a half minutes of daily movement can lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk* The exercise snacking approach to balancing blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity* Simple functional fitness moves for strength, balance, and fall prevention as you age* Why grip strength is one of the strongest predictors of longevity and healthy aging* How to anchor a new movement habit to a routine you already have so it actually lastsDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-the-best-workout-you-couldCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What If Your Morning Coffee Is Spiking Your Blood Sugar? 21.06.2026 14分

  Your morning blood sugar might be climbing before you even get out of bed, and the order you do things next can either calm it down or send it higher. In this episode I walk you through the morning blood sugar stack, a simple way to rearrange the morning you already have.If you’ve ever wondered why your blood sugar runs high in the morning, the answer starts with something called the dawn phenomenon, your body’s natural pre-wake surge of glucose. The good news is you have more control than you think. I break down what the research actually says about coffee and blood sugar, why drinking it before food can blunt how your body handles sugar, and why waiting until after breakfast matters. We talk about meal sequencing, the simple habit of eating protein and vegetables before carbs, and how it can sharply cut post-meal blood sugar spikes. I also cover hydration, a short post-meal walk, front-loading your calories at breakfast, and a few surprising factors like gum health that quietly affect insulin resistance. None of this asks you to add time to your morning. It just asks you to reorder it.In this episode you’ll learn:* Why morning blood sugar is naturally highest, and what the dawn phenomenon really is* How coffee and blood sugar interact, and the best time to drink your morning cup* The meal sequencing trick of eating protein and vegetables before carbs to reduce blood sugar spikes* Why morning hydration and a short post-meal walk support healthy glucose* How front-loading calories at breakfast can improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic health* Simple ways to use a continuous glucose monitor to test what works for your bodyDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-if-your-morning-coffee-is-spikingCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• Is Your Thyroid Medication Enough? A Physician With Hashimoto’s Explains What’s Missing. 20.06.2026 27分

  Can you lower thyroid antibodies naturally, or is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis just something you have to live with? After thirty years with this disease, here’s what I’ve learned: the answer lives in an unexpected place, a coral reef.In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and I’m sharing the framework that finally made sense of my own diagnosis, and later my son’s. Hashimoto’s is the most common autoimmune disease in the world, affecting roughly one in thirteen adults, yet most people walk out of the doctor’s office with a levothyroxine prescription and almost nothing else. That prescription is necessary, but it does nothing about why the immune system is attacking the gland in the first place. Just like marine biologists learned you cannot fix bleached coral by treating the coral, you have to fix the ocean around it. I’ll walk you through what that means for your thyroid, including why postpartum thyroiditis blindsides so many new moms, how the gut-thyroid axis quietly drives inflammation, and the five evidence-based levers that target the immune environment instead of the gland. This is lifestyle medicine grounded in the actual research, with no hype and no false promises.What you’ll learn in this episode:* Why hypothyroidism and rising TPO antibodies often start years before symptoms appear* How selenium and vitamin D can help lower thyroid antibodies naturally* The gut-thyroid axis and what it means for inflammation and autoimmune thyroid disease* Why postpartum thyroiditis happens and who’s most at risk* How a plant-based diet can quietly cause iodine deficiency, and how to prevent it* What “remission” realistically looks like with Hashimoto’sDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/is-your-thyroid-medication-enoughCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• Are You Training for the Gym or for Your Actual Life? 19.06.2026 42分

  I want you to try something right now. Sit down in a chair. Now stand back up. Did your hands go to your thighs to push yourself up? Did you lean forward and rock a little to build momentum?If so, you are not alone. And you just identified exactly why this week’s Substack Live with my friend Maxime Sigouin matters so much.Maxime has been in the fitness space for over a decade. He has helped more than 1,200 people transform their bodies, written a book on fitness and body composition, and built a coaching practice specifically focused on people over 50 who are losing muscle mass and bone density. I did his program myself about two and a half years ago, and I can tell you firsthand that his approach changed how I think about movement entirely.What Maxime walked us through in this session are the five compound exercises that translate directly to the movements your body needs to perform every single day. Getting up from a chair. Picking up a box from the floor. Putting something on a high shelf. Pushing open a heavy door. These are the movements that start to fail as we lose muscle, and once they go, independence goes with them.If you watched the live session, this article will give you a written reference you can come back to whenever you need a refresher on form and cues. If you missed it, the replay is right above this post.What Makes These Five Exercises DifferentMost people think of exercise in gym terms. Machines with cables, mirrors on every wall, someone counting reps in your ear. But Maxime’s starting question is different. He asks what your body actually needs to do in real life, and then he builds the training around that.The five movements he demonstrated are all compound exercises, meaning they involve multiple joints working together at the same time. A push-up uses your shoulder and your elbow. A squat works your hips, your knees, and your ankles all at once. This is the opposite of an isolation exercise like a bicep curl, which only bends one joint.Why does that matter? Because nothing you do in your daily life involves one joint. When you bend down to pick up a grandchild, you are hinging at the hips, bending at the knees, bracing through your core, and gripping with your hands all at the same time. Training that way builds strength the way your body actually uses it.The One Cue That Runs Through EverythingBefore Maxime even picked up a weight, he spent time on the single most important technique that applies to every exercise he demonstrated. Core engagement.And he did not mean sucking in your stomach or crunching forward like you are doing a sit-up. His instructions were specific. Draw your belly button inward, then do a Kegel. That second part is the one most people skip. If you have ever had to find a bathroom urgently and had to hold it, you know the muscle contraction he is talking about. That combination of pulling in and holding creates a brace around your midsection that protects your lower back during every movement.The key, he emphasized, is that you should still be able to breathe while holding that tension. Most people hold their breath the moment they engage their core, and as Maxime put it, they start turning blue after about ten seconds. The goal is to maintain that brace while breathing normally through the movement.He also explained that if you skip this step, the tension has to go somewhere. It is either going into your core muscles at the front of your body, or it is going into your lower back. You get to choose. And for every one of these five exercises, the answer should always be your core.The SquatThis is the one that matters most as you age. Your ability to get up from a chair, climb stairs, and catch your balance when you stumble all depends on leg strength. And if you fall and fracture something after 50, the recovery timeline is dramatically different than it was when you were twenty.Maxime broke the squat down into pieces. Feet about shoulder width apart, toes pointed outward at roughly fifteen degrees. That small angle helps engage your glutes and hamstrings, which are the primary muscles doing the work. As you lower, you are sending your hips backward at roughly a forty-five degree angle while pushing your knees outward. You go down to ninety degrees, then squeeze your glutes to come back up.One detail he kept coming back to is what happens with your knees. Your body will always find the path of least resistance, and for most people, that means the knees want to buckle inward as you squat. Pushing them outward throughout the entire movement is what ensures you are actually working the right muscles and not putting damaging pressure on the knee joint.For the beginner version, he grabbed a chair and placed it behind him. The goal is to lower yourself until you lightly touch the seat, then stand back up without releasing all the tension at the bottom. You are not sitting down and resting. You are tapping the chair as a depth marker and driving right back up. If even that is too challenging, stand next to your kitchen counter and hold on for support while you build the strength.The intermediate version adds dumbbells held at the shoulders. Same movement, same cues, just added resistance. And for the advanced version, Maxime demonstrated a goblet squat, holding a heavier dumbbell close to the chest. Keeping the weight tight to your body matters because the farther a weight drifts from your center of gravity, the more your lower back has to compensate.I asked him about going below ninety degrees, and his answer was practical. You can, but only if your form is flawless first. If your knees track outward properly the entire time and your heels stay flat on the ground, you can explore deeper range. But if going lower means coming up on your toes or letting your knees cave in, you are better off staying at ninety and adding more weight to increase the challenge.I also mentioned that I have used a resistance band around my knees during squats to help with that outward tracking. Maxime agreed it works but recommended using a lighter band for this purpose. If you grab a heavy band, you are adding significant difficulty to the exercise itself rather than just reinforcing the knee position.The DeadliftThis is the one that saves your back. Every time you pick something up from the floor, you are performing some version of a deadlift. And this is where most people get injured, because they round their shoulders forward and let all the load transfer to their lower back.The deadlift looks similar to the squat in the lower body, but instead of pushing weight, you are pulling it. Maxime started from a standing position since most people doing this at home will use dumbbells rather than a barbell. The movement begins with a hip hinge, sending the hips backward while keeping the back straight. Once the hands reach the knees, the lower portion becomes a squat. Coming back up, you squat to clear the knees, then drive the hips forward like a hip thrust to finish standing.The critical detail here is shoulder position. Maxime demonstrated how people instinctively round their shoulders forward to try to reach lower, thinking further means better. Instead, he had us pull the shoulders back and down, locking them into the ball-and-socket joint. This limits how far down you can reach, which is actually the point. It prevents you from cheating the movement with your back and keeps the work where it belongs, in the legs and glutes.For the beginner version, you can practice the motion with no weight at all. Maxime even suggested grabbing a light box and placing it on a couch cushion to simulate picking something up from the ground, because that is what this exercise is really training you for. The intermediate and advanced versions simply increase the dumbbell weight.He also explained the Romanian deadlift, which several people asked about. The key difference is that the Romanian version is a hinge all the way through rather than switching to a squat at the bottom. You maintain a slight knee bend and hinge forward until the dumbbells pass your knees, then drive back up. This variation puts more emphasis on the hamstrings, while the standard deadlift works the glutes more because of that squatting component at the bottom.One cue he gave for both versions is to drag the weights along your legs the entire time. The moment the dumbbells drift away from your body, all that load shifts to your lower back. Keeping them in contact with your legs is what protects your spine.The Push-Up and Chest PressMaxime started this one with a question that reframed the entire exercise. When you push open a door, what angle are your arms at? Nobody pushes a door with their elbows flared straight out to the sides. You push with your arms at roughly a forty-five degree angle to your body. That is the angle your push-up should use too.He had us find our own hand position by lying on the ground and placing our hands wherever felt most natural beside our chest. Everyone has different shoulder widths and arm lengths, so there is no single correct hand placement. But that forty-five degree angle between the arm and the torso should feel familiar because it mirrors how you actually push things in real life.The progression he laid out for beginners was smart. If a regular push-up is too hard, start against a wall. Same form, same angles, just a much lighter load. When the wall gets easy, move to the kitchen counter. When that gets easy, use a chair or bench. Then move to the floor on your knees. Then a full push-up. Each step slightly increases the percentage of your bodyweight you are pressing.He recommended ten to twenty repetitions for the chest, with a good reason behind that range. Rarely in your daily life will you need to push something incredibly heavy a single time. What you need is the muscular endurance to push and lift things repeatedly throughout the day.For people with wrist issues, he offered the floor chest press as an alternative. Lying on your back with dumbbells, you press them up until they lightly touch at the top, then lower them back down at a forty-five degree angle until they lightly touch the ground. The key word there is lightly. You never release the tension at the bottom. And Maxime had one of his memorable coaching analogies for the top of the movement. Pretend there is an orange between your chest muscles, and squeeze it hard enough to make orange juice. That squeeze at the top is what ensures the chest is actually doing the work.The mistake he sees most often, whether on push-ups or chest press, is people trying to get extra range of motion by letting their shoulders roll forward. Those extra two or three inches at the top feel like you are working harder, but all that tension is going into the front of your shoulder, into the ligaments and tendons, not into the chest muscle you are trying to strengthen. Keep the shoulders locked back and down, and accept the slightly shorter range of motion. It is doing far more for you.The Bent-Over RowThis exercise balances out all the pushing you do with the chest and shoulders. If you only train the front of your body, you end up with that rounded, hunched-forward posture that becomes harder to reverse the longer you let it develop.The starting position is a hip hinge, leaning forward past forty-five degrees with a slight bend in the knees. Your arms hang straight down in front of you with the weights. And here is where Maxime’s coaching really clicked for the audience. Your hands, he said, are just hooks. They are not doing the pulling. If he could duct-tape the dumbbells to your wrists, the exercise would feel exactly the same, because this is a back exercise, not an arm exercise.To initiate the pull, he used an image that stuck with me. Imagine there is a string attached to the back of each elbow, and someone behind you is pulling those strings. You are not muscling the weights up with your biceps. You are driving your elbows backward and squeezing your shoulder blades together.Then came the orange juice analogy again. This time the orange is between your shoulder blades. Pull those elbows back, squeeze the orange, make the juice. The squeeze at the top is where the real work happens.Where you pull the weight matters too. Pulling up toward your chest turns it into more of an upper-back exercise. Maxime recommended pulling to about belly button level, which engages the largest section of the back musculature and gives you the most benefit from a single exercise.For beginners who do not yet have the lower back strength to hold the hinged position for ten to fifteen repetitions, he suggested using a resistance band anchored to a door handle. You can perform the exact same pulling motion while standing upright, which removes the lower back demand entirely until you build up to the full bent-over version.The Shoulder PressThe final exercise covers overhead pressing, the movement you use every time you put something on a high shelf, lift a suitcase into an overhead bin, or hoist a box above your head.Maxime started with a practical observation. He has never in his life picked up a box with his arms flared straight out to the sides. Nobody has. You always hold things close, with your arms at about forty-five degrees in front of you. That is your starting position for the press.From there, you push the dumbbells upward, and as they pass the ninety-degree mark at your elbows, you begin to rotate them outward so that you finish with the weights touching directly on top of your head. Not in front of your head. Directly above it. If you dropped the weight from the top position, it should land right on your skull. A vivid cue, though he was quick to add that you should not actually test that one at home.The reason for finishing directly overhead is the same principle that runs through every exercise in this session. If the weight finishes in front of you, your lower back has to compensate for the load being away from your center of gravity. Directly overhead means the weight stacks over your spine, and your skeleton supports it rather than your back muscles straining to hold it in place.For beginners, no weights at all. Maxime shared a combination workout he calls “prison push-ups” that he has led on cruises. You do one push-up on your knees, then one shoulder press with no weight. Then two of each. Then three. All the way up to ten, and then back down to zero. By the end of that sequence, even with zero weight, people cannot lift their arms for one more press. Bodyweight alone is more than enough to get started.What Connects All FiveIf you watched Maxime work through these exercises, you probably noticed the same cues coming up over and over. Core tight on every movement. Shoulders pulled back and locked into the joint. Knees tracking outward on the lower body exercises. No overextending at the end of any range of motion. These are not five separate exercises so much as one integrated approach to keeping your body functional and protected.The other theme that ran through the session was starting where you actually are, not where you think you should be. Wall push-ups are real push-ups. Squats to a chair are real squats. Rows with cans of chickpeas are real rows. The weight and difficulty will increase as your body adapts, but the form and the cues remain exactly the same whether you are pressing five pounds or fifty.Maxime also made a point about mind-muscle connection that is worth sitting with. When you are new to an exercise, your muscles may not fire the way they are supposed to. You do a back exercise and feel it mostly in your arms. You do a chest press and feel it in your shoulders. Higher repetitions with lighter weight give your nervous system time to learn how to activate the right muscles. Once that connection is built, you can start adding load. Skipping that step is how people end up with sore joints and confused results.Where to Find More from MaximeMaxime and his wife are co-founders of their fitness company, and they are doing live workouts on Substack twice a month. He also writes several articles a week sharing the frameworks they have built from coaching more than 1,200 people over the past six years. He also writes a weekly “soul post” where he pulls life lessons from his own experience and turns them into frameworks that other people can use. You can find him at maximesigouin.substack.com.The replay of our full session is available right above this article if you want to watch the demonstrations. And if you give any of these five exercises a try, start with the beginner version. Get the form right. Build the mind-muscle connection. The weight will come later. The movement patterns are what matter most. Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• What’s the Restaurant Secret Nobody Told Home Cooks? 19.06.2026 44分

  I’ve been cooking at home long enough to know the feeling. You open the fridge at five-thirty, stare at the contents, and realize you’re about to spend the next 45 minutes assembling a meal from scratch, just like you did last night, and the night before that.Meanwhile, a restaurant kitchen is cranking out 200 plates in a single evening across 30 different dishes, and every single one tastes not just good but reliably, repeatably the same.So what do they know that we don’t?Chef Martin Oswald has spent 40 years in professional kitchens, and on this week’s live he let the audience in on what he calls the number one restaurant secret. It’s deceptively simple, and once you see it in action, you’ll wonder why nobody mentioned it sooner.The Problem Every Home Cook Shares With Every RestaurantRestaurants face the exact same challenge home cooks do. They need food to taste good, and they need it to taste good every single time. The difference is that a restaurant with 30 menu items and 90 different recipes would collapse under its own weight if every sauce, every dressing, every marinade started from zero.So they don’t start from zero. They start from one.One Sauce, Ten DinnersThe concept is called a mother sauce, and it works like this. You build one intensely flavored base, and then you branch it out into completely different dishes by adding one or two ingredients at a time.Martin used a familiar example to show how this plays out in practice. Think about a cheap restaurant and a jar of mayonnaise. That single jar becomes the foundation for a ranch dressing, a chipotle aioli, an herb sauce, a creamy vinaigrette. One product, and suddenly the restaurant has ten different condiments on the menu.The same thing happens with ketchup. Mix it with mayo and horseradish, and you’ve got a shrimp cocktail sauce. Add some smoke and vinegar, and it’s a barbecue sauce. The base stays the same. Only the final layer changes.The genius of the approach is consistency. When your flavor foundation is already built, you don’t have to rebuild it from scratch every night. You just decide which direction to take it.But We Can Do Better Than KetchupThis is where Martin’s approach gets interesting for anyone trying to eat well. Commercial ketchup is mostly corn syrup. Store-bought mayonnaise is loaded with oil and sugar. Those restaurant shortcuts work for flavor consistency, but they don’t work for people watching their metabolic health.Martin doesn’t even keep ketchup in his house. Instead, he builds mother sauces from real ingredients and controls what goes into them.For this week’s demo, he went Southeast Asian. The base sauce was built from two types of miso, Japanese rice vinegar (he likes it because it’s fermented, though apple cider vinegar works too), fresh ginger, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, soy sauce, a touch of maple syrup, and a little water.You can mix the whole thing together in about five minutes, and it keeps in the fridge for roughly a week. Leave out the garlic and it lasts even longer.The key, Martin emphasized, is to make it strong. Almost too strong to eat on its own. You want it concentrated because you’re going to dilute and redirect it in different directions over the coming days.One Mother, Four Completely Different DishesWhat happened next was the real demonstration of why this concept works in a home kitchen.Martin took a portion of the base sauce and used it as a marinade for sliced tofu, giving each piece a full flavor profile of umami, acid, and warmth before it ever hit the pan. That same sauce, used straight, would work just as well as a marinade for salmon or any protein you prefer.Then he took another portion and tossed it with julienned cucumbers, carrots, and radishes, adding a sprinkle of homemade furikake for a seaweed dimension. Now it was a quick pickle with a completely different flavor character than the marinated tofu, even though the two preparations shared the same foundation. He recommended letting the vegetables sit for at least ten minutes, though two hours is even better because the acid starts to break them down.The third branch was the showstopper. Martin blended the base sauce with soaked cashews and stalks of fresh lemongrass to create a lemongrass cashew mayonnaise. He tasted it on camera and declared it better than his already-famous ginger sauce, which is saying something if you’ve ever tried that recipe. The lemongrass doesn’t overpower. It just lingers in the background and makes everything feel like summer.And then all of it came together in a Vietnamese-inspired sandwich. Toasted bun, a generous spread of the lemongrass mayo on both sides, the marinated and seared tofu, and the pickled vegetables layered on top so that every bite gets fresh crunch and a hit of mint.Four dishes from one jar of base sauce, and each one tasted like it belonged to a different restaurant.The Calorie QuestionMartin was upfront about the tradeoffs. Cashew-based sauces taste incredible, but nut butters run around 600 calories per hundred grams, and that adds up fast if you’re not paying attention.His workaround for anyone managing their weight is to swap the cashews for silken tofu, which drops the calorie count to roughly 60 to 80 calories for the same amount while still giving you a creamy texture. For an even lighter option, he recommends using his cauliflower puree recipe as the base. You still get the lemongrass flavor and the creaminess, but the caloric load drops to almost nothing.This is the kind of thinking that makes cooking for metabolic health sustainable over time. You’re not giving up flavor. You’re just choosing a smarter foundation.Make It LastA few practical notes from the demo worth remembering.Lemongrass can be hard to find at some grocery stores, but Whole Foods and most Asian markets carry it. Martin’s advice is to buy a pound or two at once and freeze it. It holds its flavor well, and you won’t need a special shopping trip every time the craving hits. The same freezer logic applies to kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and curry pastes.Roll your limes firmly on the counter before cutting them. The pressure breaks the internal cells and gets you significantly more juice. And if your limes have dried out, soak them in water overnight and they’ll rehydrate and taste like fresh ones.Toast your sandwich buns lightly before assembling. Martin compared it to toasting nuts and seeds. Just enough heat to activate the natural oils and get a light golden color, without going so far that you damage the delicate fats. A minute on a hot pan with no oil does the job.And the biggest takeaway from the whole session might be the batch size. In professional kitchens, Martin used to make five gallons of base sauce and split it across seven to ten different dishes over several days. At home, even a quart will transform how your week unfolds. One night it’s a noodle bowl. The next night it becomes a salad dressing or a dipping sauce for steamed vegetables. The daily stress of figuring out dinner fades because the hardest part, building flavor from scratch, is already done and waiting in the fridge.The full recipe for Martin’s miso mother sauce recipe available on Chef Martin’s Healing Kitchen Substack.If you’re working on reversing insulin resistance and want to cook this way consistently, Martin and I run The Habit Healers community on Skool. Inside, you’ll find Martin’s complete Healing Kitchen recipe vault with videos and an ever-growing recipe library, my Insulin Resistance Reversal Roadmap course, and a live session with me every Tuesday at 4 PM PT where we dig into exactly this kind of practical strategy. Come join us. Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
• Is Your Workout Helping or Hurting You? The One-Sentence Test That Tells You. 19.06.2026 22分

  How hard should you actually be exercising? It turns out your own voice can tell you. In this episode I break down the talk test, a simple and free way to find your ideal moderate-intensity exercise zone, sometimes called Zone 2, with no equipment required.I walk you through the fascinating research showing that the moment your speech shifts from comfortable to effortful lines up almost exactly with a real physiological boundary called the ventilatory threshold. This is the sweet spot where your body is working hard enough to adapt but not so hard that it breaks down. I explain why so many people stall out, either drifting along too easy to trigger any change, or grinding too hard every session and sliding toward overtraining and burnout. And I share why, when it comes to exercise for longevity, more is not always better and the benefits eventually plateau.Then I give you three simple tools you can use anywhere: the talk test, your heart rate, and rate of perceived exertion, plus a step-by-step protocol to dial in your personal zone.What you’ll learn in this episode:* How the talk test pinpoints your moderate-intensity exercise zone* Why exercising at the wrong intensity keeps you stuck on a plateau* How to use heart rate zones and RPE as simple cross-checks* How much exercise is actually enough for longevity* Warning signs of overtraining and when to see your doctor* A monthly re-tuning routine as your fitness improvesDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/is-your-workout-helping-or-hurtingCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe