How to Boost Your Metabolism in Midlife by Adding, Timing, and Pairing Foods With Nagina Abdullah

Hi everybody, I'm Dr. Sanda Moldovan, periodontist and nutritionist. Welcome to the Holistic Dentistry Podcast, the show that gives you the tips and tools to detoxify your mouth for a healthier body as we explore together the root cause of disease. Remember, you're not healthy until your mouth is healthy, so take care of it in the most in a natural way. Welcome to today's show on the Holistic Dentistry Podcast. I'm your show, Dr. Sanda Moldovanova, your show host, and I'm very excited to talk today about how to boost your metabolism in midlife by adding timing, pairing foods with Nagina Abdallah. Nagina, welcome to the show.

Thanks so much, Dr. Sanda Moldovanova. I'm so looking forward to being here with you. Yes.

And, and you know, so many people wanna boost their metabolism because now that I turned 50, I noticed my metabolism is not as good as it used to be. But I want to tell people a little bit about you and going to the background of why, why did you take this path? Nikita, you're the founder of the Masala Body, the metabolism expert for midlife women, midlife women with a degree in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley and a master's in NYU. You blend the scientific research with realistic strategies to help women boost metabolism, shed stubborn weight, and really create a healthy lifestyle. But, but I'm curious, when you finished your degrees, is this what you wanted to do?

Well, actually I was not directly, I did not directly come into what I'm doing right now, which is helping midlife women lose weight, get their metabolism going. I actually went into management consulting and I worked for a big healthcare company in California, actually called Kaiser Permanente. And I was a consultant, a strategic consultant. So I helped plan new facilities, plan new hospitals, look at new services. And then I moved to New York and continued working as a consultant. But that's where I, you know, this whole entire time I had been struggling with my own sugar cravings and my own weight, but I hadn't been able to figure out how to accomplish it. So I was working, but my personal battle was continuing that whole time.

So when you have this job with Kaiser and opening hospitals, were you like going a million miles an hour?

Yes, I was working so much. And then when I was working, when I moved to New York, I was working, you know, even more working for a top 4 consulting firm in healthcare. So I was working for other health plans and health organizations, and I was working 60 to 80 hours a week. I was traveling multiple days every single week. And then I also had 2 children at home as well. And so it was, there was a lot on my plate. Wow.

Wow. Wow. So what happened? Did you experience burnout at some point from this?

I did, you know, I experienced burnout later, but the first thing I experienced was weight gain that would not go anywhere. And, you know, after I had my children, of course I gained weight, but I didn't, I tried to get it off, but I didn't have hours to go to the gym. I didn't have time to exercise like that. And also I had been trying to lose weight for my entire life. And nothing really worked for me because I tried all of those diets from Weight Watchers to Nutrisystem to Atkins to just tracking my food and exercising. And I would only be able to lose like 5 to 10 pounds, but then I would always put that weight back on because I want— I didn't want to restrict and keep the foods out that caused me to lose that weight. So I would gain almost 12 or 15 pounds back. And so I was constantly on this yo-yo cycle all the time. And then when I was in my 40s, yes, I did have a mental burnout and I also saw the results in my body as well.

Sure. Were you, were you reaching for sugar a lot during this time?

Yes, I was reaching for sugar. And I, in fact, I just feel like I've always reached for sugar. And I just thought that, you know, because I could not control my sugar cravings, I would tell myself that I was born with uncontrollable sugar cravings and that there was nothing I could do about it because every time, time I tried to diet, I just thought about sugar all the time and it continued to sabotage me. And so I really just thought, this is something I'm born with and I'm going to have to have more willpower and have more strength to fight through it and push through it in order to really become a health— be in a healthier, more energized body. And just those, those cravings were so strong.

I can definitely relate to this because when I was young, living in Romania, I was addicted to sugar. Because of that, I ended up with 16 large mercury fillings in my mouth. I had a bunch of cavities and it took me down the path where at one point I actually lost a tooth. I have an implant now. So sugar is detrimental, not just for weight, but for oral health. So that's why I'm so interested in this topic and what you have to offer for a lot of people out there, for especially for midlife women. How can we beat the sugar cravings? Because I know exactly what you mean. A lot of these programs don't talk about this. How do you turn off that voice, "Hi, gimme more sugar," right? We just say, "Oh, well follow this diet." But what about that mental aspect of it? So, so what happened? How did you find a solution?

So, yeah, so I mean, I really didn't know if I would ever find a solution because I tried for so many years. Then I had children, I was working so much, I was at my heaviest weight and I was craving sugar so incredibly, you know, all the time. And what I did is I was just really exhausted and tired of feeling and looking the way I did. I didn't want to wear any of the clothes that were in my closet from before. And even those ones I had wanted to be in a different, you know, be in a different size. And I just wasn't able to figure it out before. So I started going back to the science and I went into the molecular and cell biology science journals that I had access to. And I started seeing that instead of restricting foods, instead, what we can do is to add foods that would increase our metabolism. Then we would burn more calories and we would be more satiated and full, by eating certain kinds of foods. And so I started doing that. I started adding more foods. I started adding flavorful spices and herbs that really jump-started my metabolism also. And I learned how to combine my foods so that my blood sugar stayed even and it didn't go up and down. And surprisingly, Dr. Sanda Moldovanova Moldovanova, I can't believe it, but I told you I struggled with losing even 5 to 10 pounds. I lost 40 pounds in 9 months, and I could not believe what happened. It was like, it was the thrill of my life. The most exciting thing, because it came off so easily when I started adding these foods. And the best thing about this is actually that it's been over 16 years and I've kept that weight off and just gotten more in shape, more toned and more fit because it's a lifestyle and it's not a diet.

That is pretty amazing. So you're not telling women, hey, stop eating this, stop eating that. You're actually telling them eat more. So you can lose weight.

Exactly. And that's exact the exact message. In fact, so many women, especially in midlife, are using the strategy of undereating, which no longer works. And it also keeps it, it actually slows your metabolism. And so if you're a woman out there that is being, that is healthy, that is trying to do everything right, but you feel like no matter what you do, you're, the scale won't budge. That's because your metabolism is slow. You have to speed it up. And the way to speed it up is by eating metabolism-boosting foods in the right combinations and the right amounts. And believe me, it, it absolutely works because I've now coached over 1,700 women to get to the body of their dreams. And they love the process of getting there too.

That is pretty amazing. Now, why doesn't like calories in, calories out? You know, a lot of people think calories in, calories out. My husband also tells me this, calories in, calories out. Is that really true?

Okay. So, and this is, you know, men experience things differently because women, we have so many hormone changes that are happening in midlife, and it's much more attributed to the changes that that's causing. So calories in, calories out is one part of a more comprehensive formula. And so yes, it does matter. Of course, if you're eating much more unhealthy calories and much more, you can't release weight. But here's the thing, every calorie is not equal. And so you could easily eat a diet of 1,500 calories and feel really hungry because you're eating foods that are high in sugar, which you crave more sugar and makes you want to eat less nutrient-dense foods. So foods that are really— they don't have a lot of nutrients to offer your body. But if you are actually focusing on satiate you, they digest more slowly. They also are very high in the nutrients that your body needs to get your metabolism going. That is the formula for you to drop weight and to do it in a healthy way where you're not hungry. And you're not frustrated. So calories in, calories out, it's such a bigger discussion than that. That is such an elementary discussion. And especially in midlife, it becomes more complex than just that.

So a lot of women feel, you know, I've gone through menopause, I've gained weight. There's no way I'm ever gonna lose this weight. Is that true?

No, that's not true. That's absolutely not true. But the strategies that worked before, they just completely have changed now. And so, you know, really what happens is that if you're, if you're not giving your body enough, your body cannot be in a, in a mode where it can burn fat. It's in a survival mode. And so if you are feeling like, and if you're stuck and you feel like you can't lose weight and you're trying everything out there, it's likely that you're trying diets that are made for women in their 20s and 30s and that they do work for women in 20s and 30s, but that doesn't mean they're healthy. They're still very restrictive. In fact, women in their 20s and 30s should be eating a higher metabolism boosting diet as well. But when you're in your 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, It's really important for you to make sure that you're adding the foods that you're— so your body can say, okay, I have what I need. For example, one of those foods is protein. So we need to have a minimum amount of protein every day for our bodies to be able to break that protein down into amino acids and replenish our muscle. That's also breaking down because what's happening is our muscle mass is breaking down starting before our age 40s, but really then and beyond even more and faster. So when you are, if you're not eating the right kinds of foods that are replenishing your muscle, you're losing muscle mass. And when you have more body fat than muscle mass, that is a big part of what's causing that slow metabolism. So we really need to work on eating protein to keep our muscles, even just to maintain our muscle mass, not even to necessarily build it, just to maintain it. And even eating protein works even if you're not working out.

I'm glad you're bringing up the protein. Debate. Is it one size fits all? Do you tell basically all women you've got to eat about this, or is there a way for them to measure how much protein they really need?

So, you know, most women are probably eating about half the amount of protein they really need, and this is the number one change that will activate your metabolism and get that fat loss happening. The first thing to do is to add at least 30 grams of protein to your breakfast. And so this is really a general, a general recommendation. Now, of course, this is the minimum. So there are, you know, this, when I start, when I work with women personally, I'm able to say exactly how much that the woman needs during the day, but 30 grams is a really great start. And if you're getting 30 grams, you, if you weren't getting 30 grams and you start adding it, you're going to see the changes start happening. And so that's, that is, it applies to pretty much everyone to start doing that 30 grams of protein at breakfast.

Wow. So 30 grams of protein, what exactly— let's say 30 grams of protein, what is that, like a chicken breast or a cup of black beans? What does that equate to?

Yes. Oh my gosh, great question. So 30 grams of protein is really not that hard. It's just that a lot of times at breakfast we don't think of it. And of course, breakfast is really important. I'm bringing it up because most people are skipping breakfast, which is making our metabolism so much slower. And or you're not having protein at breakfast, but having it at lunch and dinner, 30 grams at lunch dinner is also important. So, you know, 5 grams or 5 ounces of chicken is perfect. That is 30 grams of protein. 5 ounces of fish, 5 ounces of beef, even, you know, really any meat, 5 ounces, which is about the size of your hand from the tip of your middle finger to the bottom of your palm, about a half inch thick. It's just a regular fillet, but it might be a little bit bigger than you're thinking because if you, you know, if you're— you might be eating like half of that amount. So You wanna eat a little bit more than you may be used to. Now, 30 grams of protein also, like for breakfast foods, can mean 2 eggs plus a cup of egg whites. So you can just do a whole scramble of that. I don't recommend, you know, more than 2 eggs because then you increase cholesterol, you increase fat over the serving that's healthy for you at one time. So when you add egg whites, egg whites are pure protein, but you can also do 2 eggs and a Greek yogurt, which is 20 grams of protein. Or you could do 2 eggs and a, some turkey sausages, which will get you closer to that 30 grams. And for those people that don't like eggs, you could do a protein, a metabolism boosting protein smoothie, which I just had this morning. And it's so, it tastes so good and it keeps you full for hours, which is really using a plant-based milk or water. So something like coconut milk or almond milk or water, adding a scoop of protein powder, which is about 30 grams. Or if you don't like protein powder, you can do Greek yogurt, adding 1/2 cup of strawberries, about a cup of spinach. All of these are important to get our metabolism going, to keep our blood sugar even. Um, and then also I like to definitely add my, what I call my secret ingredient, which is either 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds, ground flaxseeds, or 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, because these give us fiber that helps us move food through our body, digest food, and it also keeps you very full. So, and then I like to add like some mint, a little bit of mint leaves to it. That, that's my strawberry mint metabolism boosting morning smoothie, which is so delicious. My clients love that. And so that's a great way to get started because you're having all the protein right there, or you're having the egg breakfast and then your metabolism jumpstarts. And when women start doing this consistently for 3 to 5 days, you're going to see that you feel full. And your body's gonna feel more safe and more ready to release fat because it has the nutrients and the amino acids that it needs to maintain your body. Because we have to eat something. Yeah. We can't undereat. Our bodies need fuel.

I'm so glad you brought breakfast up because we know there's intermittent fasters out there and I've tried it and it just wasn't for me. Uh, I like, I actually saw that I gained weight and I'm like, I didn't feel well. So I actually started eating breakfast. I felt so much better. And protein, definitely, I think it's a game changer. Not the sad American diet with a sugar spiker, right? Because what cereal, for example, is a sugar spiker, Fruity Pebbles and other things that are just like high in carbohydrates and make you crave food an hour later.

Oh yeah, absolutely. And, you know, if you want to have something like waffles or even toast at breakfast, because it, it, the thing about those is that they're fast burning carbs. And, you know, those are the foods a lot of us crave. Believe me, those are the foods that I thought about all the time. And I would, you know, I would, I was able to eat those so easily, but now when I eat them, now that I'm 48, you know, it really affects me differently where I see the bloating and the weight gain much more easily. But a secret is if you're going to have a carbohydrate like waffles or bread to make sure that you're having it combined with a protein. So having it with your eggs and then a side of toast and, you know, and then also having some berries with that because berries have fiber in it and that slows your digestion. So when you're eating more fiber and more protein, that is, those actually digest very slowly. And so when you eat something that quickly digests like bread, it's gonna, and you eat that protein and, or, and fruit first, that carb, those carbs are gonna digest much more slowly and they're not gonna spike your blood sugar. And so when your blood sugar isn't spiked, that's how you maintain and start losing weight. The way that we're gaining weight is when we're eating sugary items, it's spiking our blood sugar, and then our insulin is released, pulls that sugar out of our blood and stores it as fat. So we really want to keep our blood sugar even. And so having 2 eggs with the half cup of egg white, you still want to have that 30 grams of protein, having some berries, but then having some healthier toast like Ezekiel bread. Or sourdough toast or rye bread, which don't spike your blood sugar that much to begin with, cuz it has more fiber and protein in those breads. If you eat that kind of breakfast, you're gonna feel very full because everything is digesting slowly. You're not gonna feel hungry for sugar and you're gonna actually start losing weight.

I love that. So we don't have to completely put away the carbs. Yeah, no. Amazing. You don't, I'm sure a lot of people wanna hear that.

You know, yes, yes, yes. And in fact, one of the worst pieces of advice to get off of sugar, for example, is to not eat sugar. Because I'm sure, Dr. Sanda Moldovanova, you've tried that, and I've tried that, where you just say, okay, I'm not going to eat chocolate, I'm not going to eat dessert. Or sugar is also in breads, pastas, and all of the foods that break down, like carbohydrates become sugars. So even if it's not sweet, it's hiding in those foods. And so if you just decide to take those foods out, what happens to me, and this is actually proven that happens to people, is You start thinking about sugar all the time, and that's all you want to eat. And so instead of actually taking out sugar, much smarter approach is to start adding in these metabolism boosting foods like protein, fiber, some healthy carbs on the side, and then you're giving yourself other foods and you're not hungry because when you give yourself protein and fiber, that's a slower form of energy that our bo— that we're giving our body. But if you don't give your body that, then your body still needs energy and it starts craving a quick source of energy, which is, which usually comes in the form of sugar. Cuz sugar breaks down really easily. Mm-hmm. A piece of bread gives you energy immediately. A, a cupcake gives you immediate energy. And so if you don't proactively eat, you will get sugar cravings because your body needs, needs energy. And so if you have sugar cravings, it's actually a symptom of you lacking protein. It's not a symptom of just uncontrollable sugar cravings. So it's very unique in that symptom and what it's telling us.

That's a great point. Now I wanna talk also about fats. What's your opinion with fats like avocado, healthy fats, but also let's say like, uh, animal fats.

So yes, healthy fats are incredibly important. I support a moderate, uh, moderate fat diet. Um, except for in some cases I support a higher fat diet. It depends on where you're at on your journey and where you, you know, what is the healthiest thing for you, what your body needs, because fats, as the ones you're mentioning, and I'll say a few more too, they're very anti-inflammatory. And so a lot of women are experiencing bloating, especially in midlife. And it's surprising is that some of that, yes, is belly fat. A lot of it is actually inflammation. And that inflammation is due to our hormones, especially estrogen declining, that was protecting us from inflammatory molecules. And so now all of those inflammatory cytokines, that's what they're called, are released. And, and you have that buildup of inflammation. But here's the thing, we can actually release that, but you can't starve that. You— soothing foods to your diet and they come in the form of fats. So things like a half avocado a day is an incredibly healthy source of fat. Chia seeds also have really healthy fats. Olive oil, having 1 tablespoon of olive oil a day is going to really soothe your body and start releasing that, that inflammation. So, you know, healthy fats are really key. And there is a, you know, a really big imbalance in the US between these two kinds of fats. One is called omega-6 and one is called omega-3. Now omega-6s, we need it, but those are the types of fats that are in processed foods. And that are a lot of times in, they're in vegetable oils, they're in a lot of restaurant foods. And we're only supposed to have 2 times the omega-6s to omega-3s. But in the US, the ratio is more of 16 to 1. So 16 omega-6s to 1, uh, omega-3. And that, that is causing— that imbalance causes inflammation. And so what we have to really be proactive in doing is adding more omega-3s to our diet and also making sure that we're not getting our fats from unhealthy sources like processed food so that we just have the right amount of omega, of omega-6s. So omega-3s are in foods like salmon, flaxseed. Flaxseed oil is the best source of it. If you just use 1 tablespoon on top of your food, like at lunch, you're gonna really bring down that inflammation. Um, and then, you know, and, and other healthy fats like that, like sardines, but really the ones I mentioned are very common. They're very easy to, to eat. And so you can really soothe that inflammation and bring it down. And in fact, when I was in my forties, I gained an additional 20 pounds of, of, uh, of bloating. This was after I lost the 40 pounds and I'd been doing the same thing for 12 years. But then all of a sudden I gained all of this weight around my belly. And I, after trying so many different things and reading even more about it, I realized that it was inflammation. So I started adding these healthy omega-3s and making sure to prioritize eating anti-inflammatory foods. And I can't believe it, but it actually came off. So it does really work.

That's incredible. That's a very good tip there because I know a lot of women my age, you know, midlife are suffering from an increased, increased weight around their bellies. And we all want to lose that or maintain a slim belly. And that's a great way just by adding omega-3.

Yes. Yeah.

Now, any other like words of wisdom? You have such an incredible amount of good information for all of us. Did you find like this voice in your head kind of turned off for food craving the moment you increased the protein amount, or did you do something else to help with that?

Oh my gosh. Yes. That is such a great question cuz that food noise, that almost uncontrollable craving for food was turned off from protein plus the fiber and the fiber comes in the forms of vegetables. So like having a cup of vegetables or a cup of fruit at each meal, if I I will get uncontrollable cravings again. And you know, what I found is it's really surprising. We think that we're born with this. At least I did because they were so strong and nothing, no diets were helping me. But what I realized is that the cravings actually disappear when you feed yourself enough. And so, and, and when you're, and your body really needs that protein. And so that's really important. And the second most important macronutrient in order to release weight and release bloat is fiber. Fiber. So, you know, maybe I can give a few strat— a few tips of like how much fiber I recommend and how much fat I recommend, because those are two key areas that I see a lot of women doing too little or too much. Those are the key areas of the other key reason that, that women are holding their weight and not releasing it. So, so yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, so how much fiber should you have?

Okay, so for fiber, you know, the thing is it's really important to count, to really be, be diligent about knowing how much fiber they're getting, because most women are probably getting between— they're actually getting like around 10 to 12 grams or 10 to 15 grams of fiber. And we really do— like, the, the basic levels, the recommendations are 25 grams of fiber. But I have seen in midlife that until you're getting at least 35 grams of fiber, things are not moving through your body. And that's how you're holding on to inflammation, because fiber is pushing food out. It's also helping open up your liver, which helps to detox. So we need to release more inflammation through our liver. So we need to make sure that we're having the right amount of fiber. And so those high fiber foods, if half an avocado a day, that's 5 grams of fiber. If you have 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, that's almost 10 grams of fiber right there. And then if you're eating vegetables like green beans, you know, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, that's gonna give you 2 or 3 grams of fiber for each one. for each, for each of those vegetables. And then you can also add in something like, which is cacao powder, which is a chocolatey powder that you can add into your smoothie that gives you another 2 grams. So these, when you start working, but when you have the 30 grams of protein, then you have the 35 grams of fiber for the day, even just starting at 25, just even get to 25, that's going to help so much. And then finally for fat, what I recommend is fat 3 times a day. So it's, you know, that's just a saying I have, fat 3 times a day, because the second biggest reason that I see midlife women not losing weight, number one is because they're undereating or eating, they're not eating enough protein. And number two is because by mistake they're eating too much fat. And that's because we are, because we're trying to eat healthy foods and there's so many foods that are healthy, but that have a lot of fat in it and very calorically dense. So for example, if you eat 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, that's 180 calories. Awesome. But it's really easy to eat double that or triple that when you're not really realizing what you're eating. It's bowls of nuts, that's 200 calories more. It's, and it really, really can stop you because you're eating too much fat. And so this is one of the quick, easy things that you can do is to say, okay, a serving of fat is about 14 grams of fat. Let me just make sure I'm having that 3 times a day. And that's going to put you at the place where you're going to start losing weight.

Amazing. And you know, speaking of bloating, I remember when I was a sugar addict, I had bloating mostly also because Candida and inflammation. And I want to tell everybody, Candida, if you look in your mouth or you're getting like redness at the corners of the lips, or you look at your tongue and it's red and glossy, it means you have a Candida overgrowth in your stomach because the mouth always shows what's happening with the body.

So yes. Yes.

Wow. Yeah.

Yep. There is definitely such a link between— in the gut health, what's happening in our gut is impacting so many things. And so it's— that's so great, Dr. Sanda Moldovan, that you can see that in the mouth, because if you can, if you can identify what's going on, then you can start to fix it. And then as your gut health improves, your body starts moving food out and moving inflammation out more easily. You feel processing all of this bacteria and all this unhealthy things. Instead of getting it out of your body.

Yes. That's amazing that we're talking about this, you know, like losing weight is so important, not just for the way we feel and energy, but also, you know, people suffer from sleep apnea. You know, once you're overweight, you can't breathe well at night. You're not resting properly. Inflammation. So all these things come down when, when, you know, we follow your Metabolism Boost as well, the program. What the cool thing about this whole program that you have, Nagina, is that we can eat more and lose weight because a lot of people people now with this GLP-1 injections, they can't eat, they have GI issues and they're uncomfortable. Yes, they're losing weight, but they're malnourished. And I love food personally. So if I could eat more and lose weight, I'll do that. I don't know. What do you think?

Oh, absolutely. I love it. Oh my gosh. It's so much. And you know, the thing is, it's not restrictive when you learn that you can eat more because you can go out to restaurants, you can go to travel and you're not, you're not feeling like you're on a diet. You just have to know the choices to make. And so, you know, when I lost my 40 pounds, I I was traveling 3 times a week, staying in hotels, and I had to eat out on multiple meals every single day, but I would just know what to choose that really is forming, you know, everything I've been teaching you follows what I call my fat burning food framework. And so it's really around protein with the fiber in the form of vegetables or, or fruit or low sugar fruit. And then you have either a healthy carb or a healthy fat at your meal. And, and so going to a restaurant, making those choices doing some quick and easy things like saying sauce on the side, you know, making sure to have any dressing on the side as well, because so many— so much dressing has very high fat in it, or just using balsamic vinegar as a dressing. You know, doing little hacks like that really goes a long way. And for GLP-1, you know, a lot of what's happening is that women and people that are on GLP are losing muscle mass. And when you have less muscle mass, That is what's creating a much slower metabolism. And so if you are on a GLP-1, it's really important for you to make a lifestyle change and really be proactive in adding that protein and adding the right foods so that you are making sure you're building your muscle, not losing it, and you're actually losing body fat. That's the goal.

Yeah, absolutely. I know you have a 5-day, uh, boost that you do for women, a 5-day challenge. Uh, tell us more about that.

Oh my gosh. Yes, absolutely. I'm so excited to share. So I have a 5-day metabolism boost where I'm going to go in so much more depth about everything that we've already talked about because we're just skimming the surface here. You know, I have every day I'll be teaching. And for example, the first day is so powerful. It's called the 4-Part Metabolism Boosting Morning Routine, where I share the 4 exact things to add to your morning to increase your metabolism, to get you— get your fat loss activated. And I have a very powerful day called the Fat Burning Food Framework, where I teach food combinations and how to add foods and the amounts that you need. And then my biggest day is how to get off sugar without feeling tired or restricted. And I show you how to combine the foods that you love with other foods so that you're not increasing your blood sugar. You're able to keep a very even blood sugar and still lose weight, even if you're eating chocolate, even if you're eating pizza, even if you're eating French fries. You learn how to pair your foods. And so, yes, so this— I'm so excited about this. In fact, I've even decided to add 4 bonus days, so it's actually 9 days. It's completely free and I have replays in case you can't attend live. But I know we're putting the link in the show notes and the, the, the link to get to register is masalabody.com/boost and it's starting very, very soon.

I'm going to be joining this because I want to boost my metabolism for sure. And I'm excited about this sweet spice Sweet Spice Cheat Sheet. Tell us about them.

Yes, yes, Dr. Sanda Moldovanova Moldovanova, I'm so excited for you to see this because I think you're going to love the recipe. So the Sweet Spice Cheat Sheet, we didn't really even get a chance to talk about spices, but there's a few spices and herbs, not a few, there's so many, and they all have different benefits. So some things, some spices help you lower your blood sugar, some increase your metabolism, some reduce inflammation and get calorie burning increasing. There's so many benefits to natural spices. And so my— the favorite spice of the people that I serve is my sweet spice. And so I'm going to teach you all about this in my sweet spice cheat sheet, which includes 5 ways to use this spice in your day that do not include cooking, 3 health benefits of the spice. And then the best part is that I share a belly fat burning tea which I call fire tea because it fires away your belly fat just by adding the Sweet Spice, which most people already have in their kitchen pantry. So we have that link too, to go and grab that. It's masalabody.com/sweetspicepdf. And then once you get that, you'll also, also be able to register for the, for the metabolism boost coming up as well.

It's very exciting. Thank you so much for being so generous and sharing free information so women out there can stay healthy, get healthier. But more importantly, for everybody listening, it's so important to have a coach, to have somebody to actually guide you through this, somebody who's been through it like Nagina. So I encourage all of you to go check out her website, masalabody.com. Can people work with you one-on-one as well?

Well, I have, yes, I have a, I have a coaching program and this is how we are helping so many women because it's very personalized. It is where we have group, we have group calls. You have personalized one-on-one coaching with one of my amazing coaches. And I do get to see you and answer your questions every single week. And I am involved in every step of the way of my clients' journeys. And I actually just helped a woman with this, with the help of my coaches. She's 75 and she lost 70 pounds and is in her 120s and now has and is at the same weight that she was when she was in her 20s. So she's in the 120s, been there since she was 25, and she's able to wear dresses with belts. She just feels so energized. She does so much hiking and so many things that she wasn't able to do when she carried that extra weight. And, and I have so many stories like that.

Glad you shared this story because there's a lot of women thinking, oh, maybe this is not for me. I'm too old to lose weight. So even at 75, you can actually have that impact with what we eat and eating more food, I guess.

Absolutely. They're eating more food. Yep. We're all eating more food and we're eating more of the right foods. And then that, that helps you no longer have sugar cravings. So you're not fighting against yourself. It's not about willpower. It's about having the right foods. And then you choose sugar. Like, we have a day once a week, which we call our cheat day, where we eat whatever we want. And, and then we get back into our regular eating, which feels so good. So, and so, you know, it's not about restriction. It's about making the right choice, but not having those uncontrollable cravings. And having more control over, over your choices.

Yeah, that's great. It's nice that, you know, you give people a day to cheat because everybody, otherwise they would do it anyway and not tell you.

Yes. Otherwise you just sneak it in every day. It's really easy to just have like late night snacking, all of these other things. But when you plan it out, it actually, it makes it, and then the, the really the biggest, you know, myth is that if you, if you eat sugar, maybe you'll just have that one bite. Sugar makes you want more sugar and it's a drug. We, we prefer to do it more on one day. So you just get it out of your system and then you get back into the regular eating and you don't have those cravings anymore.

I love it. This is such great information, Nagina. Thank you so much for joining me today.

Thank you so much for having me.

Absolutely. And everyone listening, please do the 5-day or actually 9-day metabolism boost workshop, which is completely free to you because, you know, you have such, such good information and good tips for a healthier lifestyle for everyone.

Thank you.

So with that, everybody, thank you for joining us on The Holistic Dentistry Show. If you like the show, please share it with one of your friends or colleagues, and don't forget to message me @drsandamoldovan on Instagram if you have any questions or any other topics that you are interested in. Until then, keep smiling. Thank you so much for joining me this week. Please make sure you check out the show notes for any links mentioned in the show. If you like today's show, please invite your friends to listen as well. That would mean a lot to me. Do you have a question you'd like me to answer? Message me on Instagram @DrSandaMoldovan. This is Dr. Sanda Moldovan, and remember, your mouth is the gateway to your health, so take care of it in the most natural and best way possible.