How She Decluttered 40 Pounds without Dieting with Nagina Abdullah | Heather Aardema

First off, Masala Body. I know there's a spice called garam masala. In fact, I like to use it, but I don't know what it means. And now you have this word masala in your name. Tell me about it. Absolutely.

Oh my gosh, Heather. Well, garam masala is a great spice that it has so many benefits for weight loss. And you know, what happened for me is that I had struggled with my weight my whole life. I tried every diet out there from Atkins to Weight Watchers to Nutrisystem to eating less and exercise exercising more. And no matter what, whenever I would lose weight, I would put it right back on. And I was never able to get to the place that I felt the most energy, that I felt the most confident about myself when I looked in the mirror. And I never felt great wearing the clothes that I wanted to wear. And so as I started, you know, growing up, getting older, um, it became more of a struggle. It became harder for me to keep my weight where I wanted to. And I realized one of the biggest reasons was because I really didn't enjoy the food that I had to eat when I was on a diet, which is the only way that I knew to lose weight before. I I no longer feel that way anymore. There's actually something different than a diet, which is, which feels like a miracle. But I started adding these spices to my food, and I also started adding more metabolism-boosting ingredients and foods to what I was eating. And I grew up eating spices. I am of Indian origin, and we used it at every single meal. It was very normal to use cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala. That was just how I grew up. And so once I started adding those delicious spices to my food, I actually wanted to eat healthier foods more, and I didn't feel deprived or restricted. And so what happened for me is after I started eating this delicious food, and the metabolism-boosting ingredients we'll talk about as well kept me so full and satiated that I actually got off of sugar. I no longer craved sugar. And the, the most amazing thing is that I lost 40 pounds in 9 months by eating more food and loving what I was eating because of those spices and because of the food that I was eating that was so filling. And so then decided to start helping other women because I realized it wasn't as hard as I had found it to be for my whole life. And so I started the website masalabody.com and I called it that name because I realized that by adding spices to our, our food, you can actually live in a spicy body. So I did a double play on words. And that's how that came about.

Sala though, what does masala mean?

And masala means a blend of spices. So by adding a blend of spices or adding more spices to your, to your way of way of eating, you actually not only, not only does it taste better, but there's also a lot of metabolism-boosting benefits. And then it's so natural and easy to live in a spicy body, just like masala body means.

That is so fun. Spicy body, masala. I mean, garam masala. I had no idea that. But of course, of course, there's going to be meaning, you know, behind names and so forth. So what a That's a fun name to have for your business. I really like that a lot. So you, you just rattled off a couple different spices and, and talked about that these are spices that you used or had when you were younger. And then you went through a period where you were supposed to, you know, do the every diet, you know, every diet out there, and you didn't like the way the food tasted, and you brought spices back in. And that was, that was a big answer for you.

Yes, yes, absolutely. Because it was so flavorful and, and it was so tasty. But the key was also that I was adding the right foods to my diet as well and flavoring those. And that became, you know, that was really a part of me getting my metabolism higher as well as enjoying what I was eating. And so now this is a lifestyle. It's not a diet. And that's why I've kept that 40 pounds off for now over 13 years, even through midlife. I've gone gone through all the midlife changes of bloating, gut health issues, lots of things that happen in perimenopause, menopause. I've been able to overcome those because of the, the way— the fact that this is a lifestyle and I no longer diet anymore.

Well, here's, here's my takeaway. I don't think spices get enough attention. I mean, look what has happened. Look what you've done. Look what you created. I know you've helped thousands and thousands of women on their weight loss journeys, and nobody else out there is talking about spices.

Yes. I mean, that was why I could not believe it. That's why I had to name my whole entire way of helping people Masala Body, because I couldn't believe how easy it felt. And so, you know, garam masala is a blend of really delicious spices, and some of the really great spices start off with, you know, it includes the spice cinnamon. And cinnamon is a favorite spice of so many people. And cinnamon is sweet. It's not a spicy spice. In fact, most spices are either sweet or neutral. They're not necessarily spicy. So you don't actually have to need to eat spicy food. You could enjoy the benefits of spices just by adding them as flavorings and as metabolism boosters. So what cinnamon does is that it is— it actually helps lower your blood sugar and it helps you keep your, your blood sugar even so that instead of storing fat because your blood sugar is going high, it's keeping your blood sugar at a neutral point or even lowering it, and you're able to actually burn fat instead of storing fat. And so that's why cinnamon is so wonderful, especially as a replacement to sugar. Because if you're someone that craves sugar, if you start using cinnamon as a replacement, like sprinkling it in your coffee, sprinkling it in your tea or your smoothie or over fruit, it gives you that sweet sensation. But then it actually, it actually helps curb your sugar cravings as well because you're getting that sweetness, but you're not spiking insulin like sugar does. And like artificial sweeteners would not necessarily spike your, your insulin, but they're not healthy for our gut health, and they cause our brain to be addicted to the taste of sugar. And so when you use cinnamon, you get some of that sweetness, but it's not so sharp, and it's not causing that fat storage. In fact, by adding cinnamon, you are going to burn more fat instead of storing more fat.

Wow, cinnamon is amazing. And you know, you just brought up artificial sweeteners, you brought up sugar, and that's definitely something, you know, that I would label body clutter, right? We take these things in and they don't do us any favors. We're, we're sensitive to them. And so what a powerful replacement. And I mean, I think we all have cinnamon, right? Somewhere, right? Well, how— actually, actually, how long can we keep cinnamon? How long is it good for?

Oh, cinnamon. I mean, you really want to replace your spices after— I mean, a year is really like the max. If you wanted to replace it every 6 months, you could. But every— the year is a max. And, you know, you really do want to— a lot of times we are definitely keeping our spices for that longer than that because we are seeing it. You know, we're seeing that it is— it takes a long time to use it unless you're using it every day. Now, there are some spices I use regularly, so I'm constantly getting more of them. Cinnamon is one of them, but definitely trying to turn them around. Don't try to hang on to your spices for too long. It's okay if you throw them out after a year and replace them.

Thank you for that permission, which I am sure that somebody is like, oh, okay, I can get rid of them, right? We go through cinnamon pretty fast, but there are some other spices I know we don't go through fast. And so I'm going to take a look at what we have and see if there's any kind of cabinet clutter, right, in a sense. And so, all right, you talked about how amazing cinnamon is. Is there another spice that you can share the benefits of with us right now?

Yes. Another, um, another spice that's really amazing is turmeric. And turmeric has been becoming very popular many years now. There's turmeric shots, you know, we hear about turmeric all the time, but the thing about turmeric is it's been used for thousands of years by our ancestors. And whenever our ancestors are consuming a certain kind of food, we know that it's good for us. And we know that it's something that, that is important to have in our diet. Now, in fact, doctors are prescribing, uh, turmeric along with the combination of turmeric and black pepper, which is important. For the absorption of turmeric, for anti-inflammation, for joint pain, and also, you know, just to reduce bloating. And so this is really great for weight loss, and to add some turmeric, you just have to know how to use it because a lot of people find that they want to use the supplements, which is fine as well. But if you just use turmeric in your food, you're going to get a lot of that anti-inflammation. And so the thing about turmeric is it's a golden yellow color. It's very bright and it's a little bit intimidating when you look at it because it looks like it could be very flavorful in ter— and, and even per— perhaps even spicy, but it's actually the opposite. It, you know, it's a very quiet spice. It is very earthy in its taste and it's very mild in its flavor. And so if you add a little bit to your food, and I'll tell you some examples of where you can add it, you're gonna get that anti-inflammatory effect. You're gonna start to see puffiness decrease in your face, in your belly, and in your hips. And it's also not going to taste too much different. And so a great place to add turmeric because of its yellow color is in eggs. If you're having eggs in the morning, just adding a half teaspoon of turmeric, and then remember to sprinkle a little bit of black pepper because that helps the absorption of, of curcumin, which is the compound in turmeric that gives these benefits. It allows it to absorb 2,000% more. So it's almost definitely definitely mandatory to have some black pepper in it. So you can add that to your eggs, but then you can also add turmeric to your smoothie. Of course, just a touch of black pepper in that. And you can also add turmeric to any stews or curries or also beans and lentils as well as any meats. It's very flexible, but I find it easy to just put it in eggs because it kind of— it's a reminder in the morning. You get that anti-inflammatory boost. Right away. So that's a really great other spice, which is also mild. And so very easy for everyone to consume.

I like the yellow color and doing it in the morning because it just reminds me of the sun, sunshine, and peppermint. And so I think it actually put a smile on my face. So I will try that tomorrow. All right. I have some asparagus in my fridge right now. What would you do with asparagus?

Oh my gosh, what a great question. And here's why, because a lot of women, especially women like me who are in midlife, we are struggling with bloating in our belly. This is a very normal effect of being in midlife where a lot of, a lot more fat starts to be stored around our midsection. And we feel like the things that were working before no longer work, but that's because there's different things that are happening at this point in time. Not only are we accumulating some fat, but we're also accumulating inflammation and bloating. And so what asparagus does is asparagus is an amazing vegetable that, that reduces water retention and that reduces that bloating. And you will see that this is going to work. But I'm going to tell you one thing to add onto that asparagus that is going to literally make you just run to the bathroom and excrete water from your body. Seriously. And even if you didn't drink water, you're going to watch water come out of your body, which means that, that, that retention is not happening as much anymore. And so that's by adding this debloating spice that reduces water and water retention, which is another mild spice called coriander. And coriander is the powder of cilantro. So you can, you know, really using that coriander powder and just sprinkling it onto your asparagus. You can add a little bit of sea salt, add a little bit of black pepper. What I love to do is, you know, I just got a— I recently got an air fryer, so it would taste amazing in an air fryer. But other— but if you don't have an air fryer, you could just simply sauté those asparagus, or you could roast it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. And what I usually like to do is in the beginning of the week, roast a whole tray of asparagus or other veggies if you choose to have other veggies, chopped up veggies. Asparagus is so easy because it's already chopped. You just have to break off the end. You put it onto a tray. First of all, spray some— spray some cooking spray. And then you, and then you just sprinkle on the coriander, a little bit of sea salt, a little bit of black pepper, roast it for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. And see, this is really important because first of all, you're preparing debloating food that is natural for our body, that our body can quickly digest. But asparagus is, and with the coriander, is gonna help you release a lot of water. But because asparagus also has a lot of fiber, it's also pushing other food out of your body through your liver, and it's helping you to detox your body as well. Whenever you're more vegetables or foods with fiber, it's really important. And so now, not only have you prepared something that is gonna help you literally move all of these things out of your body, but you've also prepared enough asparagus for a couple days so that you have something ready for you and you don't have to figure out what to eat every day. And this is how you move towards a mindlessly healthy lifestyle versus being on diets and trying different foods and getting confused and overwhelmed. You just have things prepared and you don't even think about it and you, it tastes so so good, and you also know the benefits for yourself. So putting this all together is how you create a lifestyle of delicious foods that have amazing metabolism-boosting benefits, and you don't even have to think about it at all.

I love how you're talking about how we can just so seamlessly weave these into our lifestyle, you know, starting with the, the curcumin or turmeric in the morning and, and the coriander. Is there one more spice? Let's just talk about one more. Maybe that you love, that you, you've woven into your lifestyle, that you make sure you have every day? If so, what would that spice be and how do you use it?

Okay, good. I just felt like it wouldn't have been complete anyway without one more spice. And guess what? Because I gave you a sweet spice and then I gave you a neutral tasting spice, I'm gonna give you a spicy spice now. So let's spice it up. Okay. Because there are a lot of people that do like spice, and even if you don't like spice, I'm gonna give you some other versions of this spice that will still give you the incredible fat burning benefits that this spice has, and that is cayenne pepper. So cayenne pepper is obviously, you know, very easy. Many of us also have it in our cabinets. These are all easy spices. You can find it at the grocery store. You don't have to go to an exotic type of store to get it. It's very easy. You can order it from Amazon. And, uh, and so what cayenne pepper does is that it increases your metabolism and it increases calorie burning. And some of us can feel that happening if you sprinkle on something that's spicy, such as cayenne pepper. It has a compound called capsaicin in it, and you may feel yourself slightly sweating or having a hard time eating that food. Or for some of us like me, I love spice. I just feel that excitement on my tongue and I just feel like I'm like living it up by eating that food. And so, you know, depending where you are, it's still no matter what, your metabolism is increasing, you're burning more calories than if you did not eat cayenne. And, and so a way to use cayenne pepper is that you can add it onto pretty much anything. You could add it onto that asparagus, you could add it onto any veggies, you could put it onto your meat or, or any kind of protein. And you don't have to use a lot if you don't like spicy food. I mean, really just sprinkling it on, just a pinch is fine. If you like to eat spicier food, obviously add at least a half teaspoon into one serve, or like a quarter of a teaspoon into one serving. It's still gonna be spicy. But if you are learning about spices and trying to, you know, maybe explore spices, what you can do is for a spicy spice like cayenne pepper, you can start on a lower end. And the least spicy version of cayenne pepper is paprika. And paprika is slightly sweet. It also has a— it also has capsaicin in it. So you're getting those benefits of increased calorie burning, and it's really great to start there. And then in the midpoint are those red chili flakes you often see at pizza places. Those are really easy to use as well. You just sprinkle it onto your food and you get spice, you get that flavor, you get that calorie burning, and it's not as spicy as cayenne pepper. And, you know, you actually do accumulate and grow your spice ability. You're able to eat more spice over time as you start eating more of it. So if that's something that's interesting to you, you know, don't feel like you could never eat spicy food. Just start slower and ramp it up a little bit. But you can even just stick with paprika for those metabolism-boosting, calorie-burning benefits that, that cayenne pepper has.

You definitely have me intrigued, and I am going to be weaving in more spices into my lifestyle, into my life, just because it seems fun to do. It adds more flavor, more color to my life. So Nikina, I love your passion for helping women get to their natural weight, losing any excess weight. And that passion is so apparent, it comes through. And I just really, really appreciate that. You're clearly doing what you are meant to to be doing. I want to ask you, as someone who was told to lose weight when she was in high school, me, by a coach, a male coach who I admired and respected a lot, adored, in fact, I always have adored him, but I was mortified when that happened. And then my weight, you know, started going up, down, up, down, you know, just the whole roller coaster for, for over a decade. And I am at my natural weight now. And it feels so good to be at my natural weight. Uh, you think are some of the biggest benefits of being at a natural weight? And I think it's important to say also that we're not judging anybody at all who's not at their natural weight. I wasn't at my natural weight. I was told by others, I was told I was big-boned. I was told all the things. You have shared a little bit of your experience as well. So curious, what do you think some of the biggest benefits are?

Oh, well, thanks for asking this question because a lot of times there's kind of a feeling that it, it maybe is not healthy to talk about losing weight or that there's another movement that's happened recently, which is like accepting your body where you are, which I definitely support. But I also support improving yourself if you know that you could be healthier. And so I know for me, when I was— when I had that extra 40 pounds of weight, what happened for me is that I wasn't confident when I looked in the mirror. Clothing was very uncomfortable for me. Me, but you know, the biggest thing for me is that I didn't have a lot of energy and that really impacted me being a mom and me being a wife, me being a friend, a sister. And I knew in the future, a grandmother, because I wanted to be able to do things with my children as they were growing up. I wanted to be able to take them on long walks. I wanted to go skiing with them. I wanted to go swimming with them. I wanted to go hiking. And I didn't wanna be the mom that was sitting on the side watching my children because I was so tired and exhausted. I wanted to be that mom that was in it with my kids and setting an example for what's possible for them. And so, by me losing 40 pounds, I've been able to get in there and literally have been able to spend the last 15 years snowboarding with my children, teaching them to do it, walking up hills that are so steep. Um, but the other benefits are as well are when I go shopping, I enjoy shopping. I actually like how clothes look on me. When I look in the mirror, I feel good. I don't feel like I have to work on myself all the time. And so, you know, there's a lot of, there's a lot of benefits that happen that are around our, our, how, you know, how we're able to do more in the world because we have more energy and because you're literally not carrying around that weight, which slows you down. But now, you know, as I'm in midlife and I coach so many other women in midlife and later life, it's very, very clear. That losing weight has tremendous— and I knew this before, it just wasn't affecting me as much. But now going into midlife, our health is definitely affected. And so if you put on more weight, especially around our midsection, that is more inflammatory fat and inflammatory bloating that's happening, and that causes chronic disease. So of course, there's a lot of women who are— have extra weight, who have high blood pressure, high blood sugar. Um, they have to be on medications for those things. They have high cholesterol. And when you're at a healthy weight, weight, a lot of those problems just solve themselves. And so it's not only for vanity, which definitely that's a big reason that women want to lose weight and that people want to lose weight in general, but it's also for true health inside out. And so that's why I think whatever is motivating you to lose weight, there is absolutely a lot of positive things about it. It's just finding a healthy way to do it versus restricting yourself and dieting, because that actually works against us. Especially in midlife, and it takes away the nutrients our body needs. So learning how to create a lifestyle is very, very transformational into truly being healthy inside and out.

So glad you brought that up because I remember when I was going through my roller coaster, you know, I'd try and starve myself and then that wouldn't work. And I don't know, I, I had so much mind clutter during the time, right? A lot of thoughts that weren't serving me that were overcomplicating things. Talking about mind clutter or just societal clutter or thought clutter or, or messages that we've been given that aren't good. My opinion, calories in, calories out, that's clutter. It's not serving us. I'd love to know what you think about that message. It's just calories in, calories out.

Oh my gosh. Okay, so calories in, calories out could have worked for some of us when we were in our 20s and 30s, but it's not the right— it wasn't necessarily the right way then. It just, it did work. But now that if for those women that are in midlife and later life, calories in, calories out is not addressing the quality of food that we're eating. And so you can easily get to 1,500 calories by eating very small portions of unhealthy food and quickly get there. Or you can get to 1,500 calories by eating large portions of proteins and vegetables and fibers and healthy fats. Fats, um, which, which keep you full and satiated so that you don't have cravings for all those unhealthy foods. Now, one of the things that, you know, that, that will, that will kind of really share this is Weight Watchers. So Weight Watchers asks you, which I followed Weight Watchers before, I actually lost 15 pounds using Weight Watchers, but then I immediately put it back on right after I got off of it. And that's why that was one of my yo-yo experiences. And so what I learned through Weight Watchers The good thing was I learned about portion control, how important it is to understand, you know, that how much we eat makes a difference. But what they did not teach and what women struggle with today when they're doing something like Weight Watchers is that you're— you're— we're taught to count points and we're taught— not now— taught to count calories, um, of processed foods that are, are very calorically dense, but not very filling and not nutritionally— not nutritionally dense. So they don't have a lot of protein. They don't have a lot of fiber. They don't have the right types of nutrients in it. And so we're, we're, we're left feeling hungry and deprived and restricted all day. But when you really focus on the quality of food, that means that you're going to eat foods that are more filling, that keep your energy stable and even, and are going to allow you to release fat so much more easily. And you're going to enjoy the process. And then you're going to be able to still keep doing it once you get there. Because it's a lifestyle.

You know, if we spend all day long thinking about points, how many points can I have, how many— like, it's just— or calories, counting, counting, counting calories. You know, our brains are so focused on, on that one topic versus pulling back and really learning to trust ourselves and focusing on the things that matter most. You know, I— if point counting is fine, or I mean, is fun. If it's fun, great, have at it. Yet there's still all those negatives, right? You're not eating filling foods. Uh, cause I know some people said I like counting points or I like counting calories.

Great.

But yeah, those foods are probably not spice heavy either.

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And the filling foods, you know, you can eat a lot of them and you're surprised how much you can eat. Now I have a lot of women, including when I've lost weight, including the clients that I help that eat so much and they can't believe they're losing weight. And that's because I'm teaching them exactly how to eat foods that digest more slowly and that don't quickly break down to sugars so that your body isn't always craving something else. And so this is like, this is a lot of what's happening when, when someone has sugar cravings, they're eating something that breaks down really quickly, all sugar items or quick burning carbs, like bread, pasta, candy, all those kinds of things, pastries, bagels, they break down very quickly in our body. And then our, our blood sugar rises. And so insulin is released and it brings that sugar out of the blood and stores it as fat. And, uh, and so by us having that sugar high, we feel really good for a moment, but then because our blood sugar is going down and being stored as fat, we not only are having more fat storage, but now our blood sugar is so low that we feel hungrier because our blood sugar went up and down. And so we eat more. And so this is really showing why calories in, calories out does not matter. I mean, it's, it's, it's actually not a good way to approach things. What, what is really important is to know how much protein you're eating. Are you having the right sources of carbs? Because we do need to eat carbs. If we take carbs away from us, it really impacts our gut health and our thyroid. Are we eating the right amounts of fats and are we eating the right amounts of veggies or fiber? And so by looking at it like this, it really changes the way we are able to maintain our bodies.

It just hit me, Nagina, that, that when we are counting points or calories, we are putting all of our own agency in a system that's not designed to work. And the way you've been talking about looking at your health, looking at what you're eating, understanding, you know, understanding it from a deeper perspective, it's all about agency. You are giving women agency over their own health, their own weight, so that instead of putting all their trust in a system that's not really designed to work, they can really learn to put their trust in themselves.

I love that. Thank you for sharing it like that. And, and it's so true. That's why I really don't want women to count or to track right away, because then you go to a, a dieting mentality that we've all learned, and you really move away from feeling the effect of the food on your body and understanding it. You're just trying to be perfect. And that's why there's these sayings like, I fell off the wagon, and that's why there's the yo-yo dieting, because diets have taught us to be perfect or we're a failure. So we're either—

it's either black or white, and we're following somebody else's rules that don't make sense. And so, oh, that's how I fell off the wagon. I hate it personally because imagine, imagine, let's say in real life you fell off a wagon and then imagine trying to get back on that wagon while it's moving. It just ran you over and it's impossible. And then we freeze and then we are like, well, if I can't follow this, this to the T, I might as well just give and go eat all the horrible food, right? And so, yeah, those— oh, those programs, they're just such clutter to me, right? Because they are blocking so many people from really feeling good in their bodies. I'll tell you one thing for me, when, like, just being at my natural weight, I just feel so much more peace. That's one of the biggest benefits for me is I feel at peace and I don't— I'm not distracted. I was distracted all day long by all my thoughts about what I'm going to eat, all of that. You know, every meal, unbutton the pants, you know, because I couldn't breathe. And so it's just— I really appreciate you and your approach because it's all about giving women agency on their weight loss journey and learning to trust themselves again and doing it in a way that is fun and spicy and interesting. And so I love that. Now, you have a science background. You went to Berkeley, you studied molecular and cell biology. And so in your opinion, I'd love for you to just add a few more foods that you think are foods we want to— more foods we want to bring into our diet, and then foods that maybe it's time to subtract. There are certain things I do not eat, and it's not out of, oh, I feel restricted or deprived at all. I know those foods are clutter in my body and make me feel like crap. And so, yeah, maybe just, you know, just a few foods for each category, what we should add. But then, of course, right, we're all about decluttering and living lighter. So what, what could we consider subtracting that aren't things that aren't doing us any favors anyway?

Yes. Okay, definitely. I can do that. And though, you know, to start off, the first thing is is that we need to eat all of the macronutrient categories. So we need to eat proteins, we absolutely need to eat carbs, we have to eat fats, and then we also want to eat fiber in the form of vegetables or low-sugar fruit usually, or also some seeds that I'll tell you about. And so, so these are really important. If you are depriving yourself of any of these areas, especially being low-carb, it's, it's actually hurting you right now. And it could be the reason that you may be experiencing more bloating and that you can't get your weight off because your your body is in a, in a place of survival, and you're not giving it enough to actually process what you are, what, what you're consuming. And so, um, so first of all, starting off with all these categories, the number one food that you should be eating more if you're— if you want to get your metabolism revved up and you want to start burning fat is eating what I call protein more. So eating pro— more protein than you are right now. And what I recommend is having 30 grams of protein with your breakfast, starting there and trying to do that every meal, but really starting with your breakfast and getting that down. That's the number one thing that women that coach say gets their weight loss activated is eating that 30 grams of breakfast at morning, in the morning. And so what that looks like is having 2 eggs with a, with a Greek yogurt, or 2 eggs with 2 turkey sausages that are organic, like Applegate, or 2 eggs with, with egg whites, and then also having some berries on the side. Berries are a low-sugar fruit. And so when you combine these, you're having protein from the eggs, you're having healthy fats as well from the eggs. Those Both digest slowly and keep you full for longer, and you're combining it with a low-sugar fruit. So you're not spiking your blood sugar, but you're giving your body that fiber, and fiber also digests slowly. And so this is a very scientific method of keeping yourself full and satiated, but giving yourself the nutrients that you need. And so you'll find that you're not hungry for a couple hours, and then when you have your, your lunch, you also eat that 30 grams of protein in the form of like any kind of meat, chicken, fish, beef, or tofu, Greek yogurt, also garbanzo bean flour. You can add hemp seeds to that to add to, to pump up the, the protein. So those are, that's really an area that you definitely wanna eat more of. And then, you know, the other area that I'll talk about though, I mentioned all the categories is making sure that you have fiber. Now in midlife, We absolutely— this is one of the top areas that women are not eating. And it's, to me, protein is number one, fiber is number two, though they're both very important. And what fiber does is that it slowly digests and it also cleanses your gut. It moves food out of your gut. You are going to feel more full and you're going to notice that you have to go to the bathroom more often. And what that means is that food is moving things out of your body. And so one of the easiest ways to get fiber is to eat either half an avocado a day or also eat eat a tablespoon of flaxseeds or flaxseed meal, 1 to 2 tablespoons, and then also 1 to 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. And so, you know, there's a lot of dietary standards that say 25 grams of protein is good, but from what I've seen in midlife health, and I've seen a lot of women— I've coached over 1,700 women to lose the weight that they want— they get— they, they— most women are not even getting that 25 grams. But what I see is that the actual amount that we need to, to move that fat out and and move the bloat out and the inflammation is 30 to 40 grams. And so we really wanna be intentional about getting that fiber in. Once you learn these foods, it becomes very easy. You just are, it's just like you're just an expert eating the, eating the best foods you could and it's just part of your lifestyle. So, so those are two foods, you know, although also healthy fats, also healthy carbs are very important. And then I would say, you know, in terms of subtracting, Definitely, you know, it's important to follow this as step one first, and you are automatically going to feel less sugar cravings and because you're keeping yourself full and satiated. And when we experience sugar cravings, it's 'cause our body wants quick energy and we haven't given it the right amount of energy. So when you give it in the form of that protein, your body has the right energy. But so I would say the thing to subtract is sugar. But you definitely have to start with what I, what I said first, because it's going to be natural. You're not going to have to force yourself to get off of sugar. It's going to happen because your body's not going to be craving it anymore. And you're not going to be fighting any sugar cravings. You just won't have them. And that was a miracle that happened for me is that I thought I was born with sugar cravings because they were so uncontrollable. But when I started adding these foods, I was no longer hungry for sugar. But I still choose it. Like, I still have a chocolate croissant on the weekends. I still have a chocolate mocha if I want that. I definitely have chocolate cake if it's being served, if it's a good quality. And so I choose it, but it's not calling my name like it used to. So that kind of gives a general overview.

I think what's really important to say here is the fact that you're saying, I choose. And choice equates to agency for me. I choose these things too. I do it intentionally. Where I was years ago was I was just eating all this stuff on autopilot, not thinking about it. But today, yes, I decide like, okay, do I want a little hot chocolate? Maybe so. My hot chocolate is not the typical hot chocolate, by the way, right? I, I choose not to have dairy because I know what my body does with dairy. And so I buy the macadamia milk or whatever it is, uh, but it's, it's done intentionally, meaning that when we enjoy these types of foods intentionally, there's no— what I've noticed personally is that there's no, um, shame or frustration afterwards. We go, we enjoy the foods, and then there's no mind clutter. I can't believe I did that. I can't believe, you know, I did that again. So I love, love your intentional word of choose. Right there. Okay. We've talked about mind clutter here, you know, uh, societal messaging clutter, calories in, calories out, that type of thing. Um, physical clutter. I am curious what your, like, how would you connect physical clutter to, to weight loss?

Oh, it is so connected. Absolutely connected. And I do a lot of decluttering of my house regularly, trying to declutter drawers and declutter areas. And feeling of accomplishment it gives you, the feel like I— you could seriously feel like you lost 10 pounds after you, after you clear a closet. It is so satisfying and it is so worth doing it because, you know, it takes— it also feels like it's a lot of work when you go, when you get ready for it, just like it does to lose weight. You feel like, oh, it's a lot of work. I'm going to have to restrict. I'm going to— but if you learn the systems and you learn the strategies to do it, it can actually be quite relaxing to go through the process of decluttering and weight loss. And then once you're done, you're done. I mean, you created a way that you don't have to keep coming back to it and keep thinking about it. And so with decluttering, you release that from your brain. You no longer have to carry that burden. And with weight loss, you also release something from your brain, a huge thing from your brain, cuz you're not thinking about it anymore. Just like you were mentioning that it feels so peaceful to be in your body. And I love hearing that word. Because when we're not in our, in our, at our natural weight, we can, we like, for me specifically, and for many women I've talked to, we're consumed with thinking about how to get this weight off. How am I going to get it off? What fads should I try? What trends should I try? What diet? What do I do? And when you have accomplished it, then you feel that ease and that peace and that sense of real accomplishment. And then what happens after that is because you have so much mind space space that's free, you get to think of other things that are so much more fun. And you get to plan events, plan to go out, plan, you know, to do something that is enjoyable instead of being burdened by this clutter, you know, whether it's physical clutter or weight anymore. And a whole new life opens up.

Finish the sentence.

The lighter path The lighter path is simplicity. And I would say, you know, definitely that comes to with when you're decluttering your home, when you're organizing your home, just keeping it simple is going to make you feel so much happier and so much, so, so much more at, at, at, with joy. And when you, when you keep the way that you're eating and your process to, to lead your life. Simple versus being complicated with lots of recipes and lots of diets. You just keep it simple. You know what works, you figure it out, you, you invest in what works, you know, a system, and then you just keep doing that. And then you don't have to keep thinking about it. And simplicity allows you to do so much more with other areas of your life and not be just continuously consumed by this one area.

Mm, continuously consumed. That is a perfect description for how I spent years of my life when I was thinking about my weight and my body and so forth. And so it's so freeing not to be like that. Nagina, this has been so much fun. I knew it would be. I love your energy, your spice, everything. Uh, you have a gift. You have your Sweet Spice Cheat Sheet that you are going to share with our community. Thank you so much for that. Beyond that, what is the best way to, to find you?

Yes, absolutely. Well, my Sweet Spice Cheat Sheet is a great way. We're in that Sweet Spice Cheat Sheet. When you, when you get that, you will get 3 health benefits of using the spice that's in your kitchen cabinet. I'll also share 5 no-cook ways to use it in your day, and then also a simple fat-burning tea that you can have at night that's going to literally help your belly fat melt away. And so by signing up for that, for getting my free spice, spice, sweet spice cheat sheet, then you'll also be on my newsletter list. You'll get recipes, you'll get tips, you'll see what's coming up. I usually have a really great event like a 5-day metabolism boost that's coming up. And so you'll see that right after you join. So definitely get your spot in that. If you want to go directly to my website, you can go to masalabody.com. And I'm also on Instagram @masalabody and on YouTube at my first name, Nagina, and then AB, the first two letters of my last name. And so I have content in all of those places and definitely would love to share that with you and get in touch with you and hear from you in any of those places.

Nagina, I think I am off to go buy some coriander to put with my asparagus. Thank you so much for all of your tips, your warmth, your just generosity, sharing your experience and experience of so many women that you've helped. Thank you for being here today.

Oh, thank you for having me, Heather. This was so much fun as usual whenever we get together. Thank you.

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